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Exclusive: Ghost Of John McCain, the new, upcoming Off Broadway musical satire that finds the late Senator in a very, very strange heaven, has found its cast for characters that include McCain, Donald Trump, Donald Trump’s brain and the just-added Kamala Harris.

An example: Luke Kolbe Mannikus, a handsomely baby-faced recent college grad with no fewer than three Broadway credits since his fairly recent childhood a decade ago, will play Donald Trump.

Jason Tam, who played the apostle Peter in the hit NBC Live event Jesus Christ Superstar, and starred in Broadway’s Be More Chill, will play John McCain, and Aaron Michael Ray (The Public Theater’s acclaimed The Low Road), will play Donald Trump’s Brain.

And reflecting swift-moving real-world developments, Zonya Love has just been added to the cast as Kamala Harris.

Ghost of John McCain will preview Tuesday September 3 at the Soho Playhouse ahead of its official opening on Tuesday,...

There are numerous phenomenal Broadway musicals that deserve movie adaptations, as evidenced by the success of recent stage performance recordings and movie adaptations. Musicals like "Carrie: The Musical," "Hadestown," and "The Book of Mormon" are prime choices for movie adaptations due to their passionate fanbases, critical acclaim, and relevant themes. Musicals like "Next to Normal," "Beetlejuice," and "Be More Chill" should be turned into movies to further important conversations about mental health, offer fresh takes on familiar stories, and reach wider audiences who may not typically enjoy musicals.

With big-name Broadway musicals coming to the big screen, it becomes apparent that many phenomenal Broadway musicals deserve movie adaptations. Considering the fact that acting started on the stage, there’s always been a strong link between the theater, movies, and TV. Additionally, Hollywood has never hesitated to mine the theater for great stories to turn into movies. Regaled examples include Chicago,...

While best supporting actress acting nominee Stephanie Hsu didn’t record the original song “This Is a Life” for the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” she proved in her performance on the Oscars stage that she is qualified to take the reins from Mitski, who sang on the soundtrack version. For a performance of the song, Hsu was joined onstage at the Academy Awards by former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and composer trio Sox Lux, who are also featured on the Oscar-nominated song.

Among an ensemble of singers, musicians and dancers dressed all in white, Byrne stood out by wearing a set of so-called hot dog fingers, as made famous in one of the more physiologically strange parts of the multiverse in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Prior to starring in “Everything” — and earning a best supporting actress nomination for it — Hsu starred in Tony-nominated Broadway musicals including...

Stephanie Hsu has won the prize for best breakthrough performance at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best of the year in indie filmmaking.

In her speech, she said, through tears, “I came from the world of downtown experimental theater, and it is one of my biggest [sources of pride] to be from that community, knowing how to make something out of nothing. This is my first-ever individual award, and it feels incredibly appropriate that it is in this room. … I want to thank A24 for keeping independent films hot and alive.” She added, “One of my favorite moments on-set was when we were doing one of the last scenes in the movie, where the family is running up to the bagel and were in a huge atrium and there’s papers flying all over… Every single crewmember and every single castmember would just get on their knees and pick every single...

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star and Hacks standout Kaitlin Olson has been tapped as the lead of ABC character-based procedural drama pilot based on TF1’s popular detective series Hpi (High Intellectual Potential), from top TV and film writer Drew Goddard and ABC Signature, where Goddard and his Goddard Textiles are based.

Rob Thomas & Alethea Jones

Olson also will serve as a producer on the high-profile pilot, which has added Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas as executive producer and showrunner and prolific TV helmer Alethea Jones (Mrs. Davis) as director and executive producer.

Written by Goddard, the untitled Hpi remake centers on Morgan (Olson), a single mom with three kids and an exceptional mind who helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a cleaner for the police department. When they discover she has a knack for putting things in order because of...

Everything Everywhere All at Once truly has it all, including a star-making performance from actress Stephanie Hsu, whose been nominated for an Oscar award for her supporting role in the movie. The latest from surrealist filmmakers Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known collectively as Daniels, Everything Everywhere All At Once follows a Chinese-American family through their adventures across the multiverse. Michelle Yeoh has the lead role as the matriarch, Evelyn, a laundromat owner who learns she's just one of many versions of herself and the one who must save all of existence. Former child star Ke Huy Quan (The Goonies) co-stars as her husband, Waymond, and Stephanie Hsu plays their daughter, Joy Wang. While only Yeoh and Quan have won Golden Globes for their roles, all three are nominated for Oscar awards in 2023.

If Hsu is familiar to audiences watching Everything Everywhere All at Once, it is likely from her...

In Netflix's "13: The Musical," based on the Broadway show of the same name, Eli Golden stars as Evan Goldman, a middle schooler who's obsessed with having the perfect bar mitzvah - even as his life seemingly falls apart amid his parents' divorce. Evan relies not just on his friends, but also his rabbi (played by Josh Peck), his parents (Debra Messing and Peter Hermann), and his grandma (Rhea Perlman) for advice and wisdom. And in real life, Golden also got lots of guidance from his more-experienced costars. Perlman and Peck specifically had great counsel for the 15-year-old about transitioning from a child star into an adult actor in the ever-challenging industry.

He tells Popsugar they recommended: "Don't get off the ground too much. Keep yourself level and keep yourself down. But at the same time, always push through and work harder than everybody else around you. If someone's working harder than you,...

Exclusive: Clear Talent Group’s Founder Tim O’Brien has promoted Brianna Ancel to President of the bi-coastal talent agency, upping Jamie Harris to Vice President.

Ancel has headed up Ctg’s Adult Theatrical Department since its inception in 2003, and has served as Vice President since 2009. Her client list includes actors Richard Brooks (Law & Order), Judy Gold (Better Things), Brandee Evans (P-Valley), Kiowa Gordon (Dark Winds), Emma Pasarow (Along for the Ride), Eric Graise (Peacock’s Queer as Folk), Tre Hale (Platonic), Robert Longstreet (The Haunting of Hill House), Drake Rodger (The Winchesters) and Camron Jones (Panic).

Ancel in 2018 helped facilitate a strategic partnership with Producer Entertainment Group, a premiere management company representing drag queens and LGBTQ+ performers, working collaboratively as agents for talent including RuPaul’s Drag Race alums Ginger Minj, Manila Luzon, Jujubee, Lady Bunny and BenDeLaCreme, among others. The Talent Manager’s Association nominated her for the Seymour...

CAA has signed rising star Stephanie Hsu for representation.

Already a SAG Award winner for her work as Mei on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Hsu has garnered additional acclaim for her breakout performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

In the A24 film by The Daniels’ (Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Hsu stars as Joy Wang/Jobu Topaki opposite Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis. Thanks to great word of mouth, the indie has grossed 37 million in North America (on a 25 million budget), making an impressive imprint on the marketplace, just as Hsu’s profile continues to rise alongside it.

In the film which combines family drama, sci-fi and dark comedy, Yeoh’s Evelyn Wang is being audited by the IRS when she discovers she has to connect with parallel universe versions of herself to prevent cataclysmic destruction. The plot also involves family, everything bagels, talking rocks and hot dogs for fingers.

Exclusive: Ben Holtzman, Sammy Lopez and Fiona Howe Rudin announced today the launch of P3 Productions, describing the new venture as an artist-driven producing team dedicated to building productions from the ground level to uplift new voices and communities.

“We’re thrilled to combine our passion for the entertainment industry and drive as creative producers with the launch of P3 Productions,” said the partners in a joint statement. “Since our very first meeting, we felt the potential in our partnership to build thought-provoking stories with artists we admire and respect. From Broadway-bound musicals, reimagined classics, and theatre for young audiences, we’re excited to develop productions that invite new communities to our process and expand the power of live entertainment.”

P3 Productions’ current projects in development include Gun & Powder (World Premiere: Signature Theatre 2020), How to Dance in Ohio, Midsummer, Bradical, and two additional projects...

Anyone who has seen Joe Wright’s musical “Cyrano” will no doubt remember a scene late in the film, in which three anonymous soldiers sing a drum-backed ballad called “Wherever I Fall.” The five-minute sequence, about the message each man would like sent home before he dies, beautifully accentuates the classic story’s theme about the power of language in love.

But according to Wright, the scene required an extra bit of directorial cunning to ensure it wouldn’t be cut from the film.

“Due to circumstances with our filming location in Sicily – we were near Mt. Etna, which had just erupted – we had to reduce our number of shooting days and I had to make some strategic cuts in the script,” the director told TheWrap. “And the studio said, ‘Well, you should cut that song, because it doesn’t star the main cast and it doesn’t matter as much to the central plot.

“Bridgerton” star Phoebe Dynevor will executive produce and star in a new feature film at Amazon Studios.

The breakout star of the Shonda Rhimes Netflix sensation has boarded “The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne,” a futuristic thriller from director James Bobin. Screenwriter Joe Tracz is adapting Jonathan Stroud’s book of the same name.

The film is set in a fragmented future England, where gunfights and monsters collide, and where the formidable outlaw Scarlett McCain fights daily against the odds. When she discovers a wrecked coach on a lonely road, there is only one survivor — the seemingly hapless youth Albert Browne. Soon, new and implacable enemies are on their heels and a relentless pursuit continues across the broken landscape of England. Scarlett must fight to uncover the secrets of Albert’s past — and come to terms with the implications of her own.

Temple Hill Entertainment, run by Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey,...

The Producers Guild of America has named producer, writer, director Greg Berlanti as this year’s honoree for the Norman Lear Achievement Award. Berlanti will receive the award at the 33rd Annual Producers Guild Awards on Saturday, March 19, 2022 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.

“I’m incredibly honored to receive this award from everyone at the PGA, especially given it’s named after Norman Lear: the kindest, warmest and wisest legend I’ve ever had the good fortune of calling a friend. I’m so grateful to everyone at the Producers Guild and all of my coworkers who have helped make a moment like this possible,” said Berlanti.

The Norman Lear Award recognizes producers “who have made a remarkable impact on the art and craft of television.” Previous honorees include Marta Kauffman, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhymes, Dick Wolf, Jerry Bruckheimer, Lorne Michaels, Aaron Spelling, Carsey/Werner/Mandabach, Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley.

Exclusive Stage director and choreographer Chase Brock, who choreographed the Broadway productions of Be More Chill and Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, has signed with Verve for representation in all areas.

Brock recently choreographed Be More Chill‘s West End transfer, and in 2019 choreographed the Public Works/Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Disney’s Hercules.

Brock made his Broadway debut at age 16 in the original cast of Susan Stroman’s revival of The Music Man. His other choreography credits include William Inge’s Picnic on Broadway, and the North American, German and Japanese productions of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Brock also serves as the Artistic Director of Brooklyn-based The Chase Brock Experience, where he has created over 30 original works of dance theater during the past 15 years, including The Girl with the Alkaline Eyes with original score and scenario by Eric Dietz, American Sadness to the songs of Gabriel Kahane,...

Pasadena Playhouse has announced initial casting for its production of Head Over Heels. Leading the cast will be Alaska 5000 RuPaul's Drag Race, Lea DeLaria Orange is the New Black, Yurel Echezarreta Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, Tiffany Mann Be More Chill, George Salazar Little Shop of Horrors, Emily Skeggs Fun Home, and Shanice Williams 'Dorothy' in NBC's The Wiz Live.

Exclusive: Stephanie Hsu (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) has joined the cast of the untitled comedy that Crazy Rich Asians scribe Adele Lim is directing for Lionsgate, in her feature debut.

She’ll appear in the R-rated project, alongside previously announced cast members Ashley Park and Sherry Cola.

The film will follow the epic journey of four Asian-American women traveling through Asia in search of one of their birth mothers. Along the way, their experience will become one of bonding, friendship, belonging and no-holds-barred debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.

Cherry Chevapravatdumrong (Family Guy) and Teresa Hsiao (Awkwafina is Nora from Queens) are scripting the project, from a story they wrote with Lim.

Chevapravatdumrong, Hsiao and Lim also will produce with Point Grey’s Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver and Josh Fagen, with Meredith Wieck and Chisom Ude overseeing the project for Lionsgate.

Saltbox TV, a new ad-supported streaming service for older adults, is launching a talent series dubbed “Silver Stars.”

The show will put a fresh spin on a formula popularized by the likes of “America’s Got Talent” and “American Idol” by focusing on contenders who are all over the age of 65. To select the winners, Saltbox has enlisted Ed Asner of the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Lou Grant.” In coordination with Saltbox’s executive team, Asner and company will choose three to five performers to travel to Georgia for a “one-night only live performance.” Asner is also serving as brand ambassador for the service.

Saltbox is the brainchild of Patty Carver, an actress and writer, and Jerry Goehring, the producer of Broadway shows such as “A Christmas Story, the Musical” and “Be More Chill.” The channel already offers movies, documentaries and other programming, but this is the first show that’s being produced in-house.

Exclusive: Following a highly competitive bidding war, Amazon Studios has landed the package Ex-Husbands and will develop the new comedy, an original story by Billy Eichner and Paul Rudnick. Eichner is also attached to star, with the screenplay by Rudnick. The film will be produced by Eichner and Berlanti/Schechter Films.

“The concept of a big, gay divorce comedy has been kicking around in my head for years and I cannot think of better collaborators than groundbreaking producers Greg and Sarah, and a true icon whose work I have craved and admired since I was a young gay boy lusting after show business, the brilliant Paul Rudnick who really paved the way for me and many others. And we now have the perfect partners in Amazon, who have already shown enormous passion for this project. This is a dream team. Now, Let’S Get Divorced!!!” Eichner said.

The film tells...

Exclusive: Michael McGrath has been promoted to EVP Film at Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter’s production company Berlanti/Schechter Films.

“We are so pleased to be announcing Mike McGrath’s well deserved promotion,” said Berlanti and Schechter. “Sarah and Mike have worked together for nearly a decade and Greg and Mike have worked together for over seven years. He is beloved by writers and directors alike because of his deep passion, fierce advocacy and the incredible support and leadership he offers on all our projects. It’s been an enormous privilege watching Mike grow into one of the smartest, hardest working and talented film execs and producers in town. We are so grateful he will continue to work with us as we build Berlanti/Schechter Films.”

McGrath has been an integral part in growing the Berlanti/Schechter Films division, overseeing their slate of features at Netflix, where the company...

Exclusive: Douglas Carter Beane’s newest play, Fairycakes, will make its world premiere this fall Off Broadway at the Greenwich House Theater in a production starring Mo Rocca, Jackie Hoffman, Julie Halston, Brooks Ashmanskas, Alfie Fuller and Jason Tam.

Beane will direct the play at the venue, home to many of his previous works. The comedy will also feature Kuhoo Verma, Ann Harada and Jamen Nanthakumar in the cast.

Fairycakes begins its limited engagement at the Greenwich House on Thursday, October 14, and run through January 2, 2022. The announcement was made by producer Thomas Laub.

“Doug Beane’s new play is wildly original, hysterically funny and deeply moving – and it’s a chance for me finally to speak in iambic pentameter outside the house,” Rocca said in a statement to Deadline. “How could I say no?”

The play is described as an “uproarious clash of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and old-world fairy tales.

Exclusive: Prolific duo Greg Berlanti & Sarah Schechter have set their Berlanti/Schechter Films banner to an exclusive first-look feature film deal at Netflix.

The film pact with Netflix comes two and a half years before Berlanti’s mega overall deal with Warner Bros. Television — valued at as much as $400 million — is slated to end. It signals that the most prolific producer in the history of television, who had renewed his TV studio deal with the previous Warner Media/Warner Bros TV regime, could be in play.

Berlanti, who broke his own record for most series on television at the same time multiple times, currently has 14 on-air series produced by his Berlanti Productions. That includes the popular Netflix drama You — picked up for a second and third season — and several CW shows that are popular draws on Netflix including Riverdale, All American and The Flash. His company also produced the streamer’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

A new musical will serve as both a sequel to one of the greatest children’s stories of all time, as well as a prequel to another iconic fantasy adventure.

“Alice in Neverland” brings together two beloved characters, the title character from Lewis Carrol’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and the boy who never grew up at the center of J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan.” The show features book, music and lyrics by Phil Kenny and Reston Williams. Its producing team includes such Broadway heavyweights as Jerry Goehring, three-time Tony Award winner Jim Kierstead, Mike Evariste (“Disgraced”), seven- time Tony Award winner Jamie deRoy and 42nd.club.

Christy Altomare (“Anastasia”) is set to lead a developmental reading of the new musical on June 16. She is joined by Broadway veterans Heath Saunders and Tony Award nominee Will Swenson (“Hair”), as well as Megan Masako Haley (“Wicked”), Alistair Brammer (“Miss Saigon”) and Timothy...

The Covid-19 pandemic has been particularly devastating for older populations in the United States, many of whom live in retirement communities and assisted living facilities that have been hit hard by outbreaks and/or forced lockdowns.

Tony- and Grammy-nominated producer Jerry Goehring (Be More Chill) wanted to make sure the demographic was not forgotten, especially when it comes to entertainment, so he rallied a few industry pals to launch the entertainment platform Saltbox TV.

Targeted at older adults with an emphasis on retirement communities, Saltbox TV is designed to be an easily accessible subscription-based streaming service. It is currently free and ...

The Covid-19 pandemic has been particularly devastating for older populations in the United States, many of whom live in retirement communities and assisted living facilities that have been hit hard by outbreaks and/or forced lockdowns.

Tony- and Grammy-nominated producer Jerry Goehring (Be More Chill) wanted to make sure the demographic was not forgotten, especially when it comes to entertainment, so he rallied a few industry pals to launch the entertainment platform Saltbox TV.

Targeted at older adults with an emphasis on retirement communities, Saltbox TV is designed to be an easily accessible subscription-based streaming service. It is currently free and ...

Shawn Levy, with his company 21 Laps Entertainment, has signed a first-look feature deal with Netflix, which also extended the director’s current television overall deal with the streamer.

Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment has over six series in production and more than 15 additional series and films in active development at Netflix. The company’s credits over the past 15 years have included the “Night at the Museum” franchise as well as the Oscar-winning film “Arrival.”

21 Laps’ Netflix series include “Strangers Things,” “Unsolved Mysteries,” “Dash & Lily,” as well as the upcoming fantasy epic series “Shadow and Bone” and recently announced “Lost Ollie.” 21 Laps has 10 feature films in development at Netflix, and produced the new upcoming horror-thriller, “There’s Someone Inside Your House,” alongside James Wan. That film will be released next year.

“My ambition with 21 Laps was to build a company that would be fiercely committed to empowering storytellers across a broad swathe of genres,...

The magic of Christmas can take shape in different ways: spending more time with loved ones, investing in meaningful gifts, or feeling a communal sense of joy and kindness. For Midori Francis, it manifested in the form of a television role. The 26-year-old actress, who you might recognize from 2019's Good Boys, is bringing her love of the holiday season to Netflix's Dash & Lily, an adaptation of Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's 2010 novel, Dash & Lily's Book of Dares.

The show - premiering on Nov. 10 - stars Francis as the titular Lily, a fun-loving Christmas enthusiast who connects with a jaded cynic named Dash (Austin Abrams). Their relationship is out of the ordinary, seeing as it develops when they start penning messages and prompts to each other in a secret notebook that they leave at locations throughout New York City. It's a much more enjoyable, albeit time-consuming, version...

“There is only before this moment,” says Adrienne Warren, star of Broadway’s Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, “and after this moment.”

In a remarkable series of big, first steps into this new era of protest and pandemic, black theater artists in recent weeks have taken hold of a historic moment to demand a reckoning over racism within their industry. Among the most visible efforts: The open letter “Dear White American Theater” signed by more than 300 people of color within the theater industry; the creation of Black Theatre United, a nonprofit group whose founding members include, among others, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter, Brandon Victor Dixon, Phylicia Rashad, Lachanze and Vanessa Williams; and the inaugural Antonyo Awards honoring black Broadway and Off Broadway theater artists (streaming tonight).

And in a three-day virtual forum June 10-12 titled Broadway for Black Lives Matter Again, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, created in...

Editors’ Note: With full acknowledgment of the big-picture implications of a pandemic that has already claimed thousands of lives, cratered global economies and closed international borders, Deadline’s Coping With Covid-19 Crisis series is a forum for those in the entertainment space grappling with myriad consequences of seeing a great industry screech to a halt. The hope is for an exchange of ideas and experiences, and suggestions on how businesses and individuals can best ride out a crisis that doesn’t look like it will abate any time soon.

Keith Sherman operates Keith Sherman & Associates, a Times Square public relations firm founded in 1989. With a background in theatre his clientele expanded to include film, TV, music, major global events, organizations, award shows, individuals, fine art, brands and Olympic sports.

Broadway has only shut down its theaters a few times in its nearly 200-year history: It went dark for 48 hours following 9/11, a few theaters shut down for 19 days during the stagehand strike of 2003, and for 25 days following a musicians strike that halted 12 productions. Its willingness to get up and put on a show is what makes Broadway such a beacon of hope in times of panic.

When it was announced on Wednesday that an usher had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the shows went on (after a deep clean...

Be More Chill, a musical about a teenage boy who uses a supercomputer brain implant to help him fit in at school and get the girl, became a surprise Broadway hit thanks to its hugely dedicated fandom. Now, the show is coming to London's The Other Palace - the first venue outside of the States. Creator Joe Iconis discusses the show's development, fan support, and why it's struck such a chord with young audiences in particular.

Be More Chill and Beetlejuice notwithstanding, the average Broadway theatergoer hasn’t gotten much younger over the last couple decades: Of the 14.8 million people who attended a Broadway show during the 2018-19 season, the average age was 42 years old, about a year older than during the previous season.

The average age has stayed in the 40-45 range for two decades.

That’s one of the findings in the 22nd annual demographics report issued by the Broadway League today. The report is an analysis of the make-up of the record-setting 14.8 million Broadway attendees of the ’18-19 season.

But in a rising tide lifts all boats manner, the overall number of young people mirrored the upward trend of Broadway attendance, with 3.4 million theatergoers under age 25 taking in a show last season, the third consecutive season that the demo surpassed 3 million.

Similarly, the number of non-Caucasian theatergoers hit a record high of 3.8 million,...

Be More Chill, the mind-bendingly fun, smash hit Broadway musical, comes to Chicago in a new production at the Apollo Theater. Based on the novel by Ned Vizzini, Be More Chill features music and lyrics by Tony nominee Joe Iconis and book by Joe Tracz. The Chicago production is led by the original creative team of Director Stephen Brackett and Choreographer Chase Brock. Be More Chill starts performances April 17, 2020, at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. The Opening is April 26, 2020 at 600 p.m.

Ghostlight Records announced it will record the new musical comedy Broadway Bounty Hunter for an original cast album to be released later this season. Featuring music and lyrics by Tony Award Nominee Joe Iconis aoeSmash,a Be More Chill, The Black Suits, who also co-wrote the book with Lance Rubin Denton Little's Deathdate, and Jason SweetTooth Williams Be More Chill, the show is directed and choreographed by Jennifer Werner The Book of Mormon Supervising Associate Director and stars Screen Actors Guild Award winner Annie Golden Hair, Assassins, aoeOrange is the New Blacka in the title role. The album will be produced by Joe Iconis and Charlie Rosen, and co-produced by Geoffrey Ko and Ian Kagey, with Jennifer Ashley Tepper serving as executive producer.

Exclusive: A project to develop a biographical stage musical about 1970s singer-songwriter Harry Chapin has gotten the support of Chapin’s wife Sandy and brothers Tom Chapin and Steve Chapin, who will serve as consultants on the project.

Patriot Productions, most recently a producer on Broadway’s Be More Chill, is readying Harry Chapin: The Story of a Life for an industry presentation this spring. With a book by Patriot partner Michael F. Mitri, the musical’s score would consist entirely of Chapin’s songs.

Chapin, who died in 1981 at 38 in a car accident, is best known for his Grammy-nominated mega-selling 1970s hits including “Taxi” and “Cat’s In The Cradle.” The musical also is expected to chronicle Chapin’s extensive humanitarian work, especially his devotion to ending world hunger.

“This new musical will highlight Harry Chapin’s timeless music and inspiring activism in a unique structure and style befitting...

Last season, director Stephen Brackett and librettist Joe Tracz teamed up for the musical “Be More Chill,” which found much favor with the teenage demographic of Broadway theatergoers. Just two months after that show shuttered, Brackett and Tracz return to the Great White Way with another teen-oriented tuner, “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical,” which officially began its limited run at the Longacre Theatre on October 16.

Featuring a score by Broadway newcomer Rob Rokicki, “The Lightning Thief” hews closely to the popular young adult novel by Rick Riordan (which also inspired a movie franchise). Set present day, the musical follows the titular demigod Percy Jackson, played by Chris McCarrell, who attends Camp Half-Blood after he learns of his parentage to hone his skills and ward off the demons of Greek mythology.

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“The Lightning Thief” received mostly negative reviews from critics.

If Percy Jackson’s bright and lively Broadway adventure tosses a bit of deja vu your way, I’d guess the creeping sense of vague recall has little to do with that gang of Greek gods down the block belting out tunes from Hadestown, and even less to do with Percy’s plodding 2010 film. I’d smell a Squip.

Sharing some of its creative team with Broadway’s recent (and brighter and livelier) Be More Chill, the newly arrived The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, can seem like a warm-up for that musical. Both shows begin with their young, charmingly sheepish male protagonists introducing themselves in opening big-number songs that draw in the rest of the cast, both give...

Netflix has ordered a TV adaptation of the Ya series “Dash & Lily” from producers Nick Jonas and Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things”), the streaming service announced on Tuesday. The eight-episode, holiday rom-com show stars “The Walking Dead” alum Austin Abrams and “Good Boys” actress Midori Francis in the titular roles.

Here’s the official description for the 30-minute show, based on Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s young adult book series, “Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares”: A whirlwind holiday romance builds as cynical Dash and optimistic Lily trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City, finding they have more in common with each other than they would have expected.

Along with Abrams and Francis, the series stars Dante Brown, Troy Iwata, Keana Marie, James Saito and Jodi Long.

Also Read: Rob Lowe, Vanessa Hudgens Headline Netflix's Holiday...

Netflix has started production on Dash & Lily, an eight-episode holiday romantic comedy series, from Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps and Nick Jonas’ Image 32. It marks the fifth Netflix series for Levy, who signed one of the first big overall deals with the streamer and has emerged as one of its most prolific producers.

Austin Abrams and Midori Francis (Good Boys) lead the cast of the half-hour series, based on the Ya book series Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares from authors Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. It also includes series regulars Dante Brown and Troy Iwata and recurring Keana Marie (Huge in France), James Saito (Always Be My Maybe), and Jodi Long (Sullivan & Son).

Described as a whirlwind Holiday romance, the series revolves around cynical Dash (Abrams) and optimistic Lily (Francis) who trade dares, dreams, and...

A new Broadway season is gearing up, and there are currently three productions of musicals (all new) set to open this fall. Could we be seeing any of them contend at this year’s Tony Awards? Below, we recap the plot of each musical as well as the awards history of its author, cast, creative types, the opening, and (where applicable) closing dates.

“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” (previews begin October 12; opens November 7)

This jukebox/biomusical follows the life and career of legendary recording artist Tina Turner from her humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, through her tumultuous relationship with Ike Turner, to her transformation into the global queen of rock ‘n’ roll.

With a book by Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar, and Kees Prins, this production is coming in from London’s West End where it received three Laurence Olivier Award nominations (including Best New Musical). The cast includes Tony nominee Adrienne Warren Daniel J. Watts,...

Will is Freaking out over today's guest George Salazar is coming off his iconic run in the hit 'Be More Chill' to mount a reinterpretation of the classic Little Shop of Horrors starring alongside Mj Rodriguez Pose As 'Audrey,' and Amber Riley Glee as 'Audrey II' in a classic boy meets girl, power-hungry, Rb singing, carnivorous plant strives for world domination.

The full touring cast of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is going to Broadway, producers announced today. The young company – all but one of the 10 actors will be making their Broadway debuts – will be headed by Chris McCarrell in the title role.

McCarrell originated the role of Percy Jackson in the 2017 Off-Broadway production of Lightning Thief (he’s the one with the Broadway credit – he played Marius in Les Misérables in 2014).

In addition to McCarrell, the cast, announced today by producers TheaterWorksUSA and Martian Entertainment, are all coming off the recently wrapped 2019 tour. They are Izzy Figueroa, Jorrel Javier, Ryan Knowles, Sam Leicht, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, James Hayden Rodriguez, Jalynn Steele, T. Shyvonne Stewart, and Kristin Stokes. The cast plays a total of 47 characters.

As previously announced, The Lightning Thief begins previews Friday, September 20, at the Longacre Theatre, with an official opening of Wednesday, October 16. The holiday engagement...

Throughout early 2017, I constantly listened to musical soundtracks on YouTube, from Hamilton, to Heathers, to The Great Comet of 1812. Somehow, the YouTube Autoplay involuntarily recommended a number that I was not familiar with: “More Than Survive.” It was from a musical called Be More Chill. I thought, how did I, a musical theatre […]

The post ‘Be More Chill’ Represents the Positive Power of Fandom Gone Right appeared first on /Film.

Broadway’s Be More Chill, The Prom and Sea Wall/A Life were at near-capacity last week, as the first two headed out and the latter had its official welcome. Together they helped Broadway maintain a steady total box office of $34M for the week of summer dog days ending Aug. 11.

Total attendance for Broadway’s 29 productions was 270,326, even with the previous week. Exact box office was $33,808,016.

Broadway’s most recent arrival, the Jake Gyllenhaal/Tom Sturridge double bill of solo one-acts, Sea Wall/A Life, opened at the Hudson Theatre Aug. 8 to rave reviews and 99% full houses. Box office receipts of $624,838 were down from the previous week, what with press and opening night comps.

Both Be More Chill and The Prom closed Aug. 11 after failing to grab any Tony Award love or box office boon. Both musicals saw last-chance upticks though, with Be More Chill, at the Lyceum, grossing...

Broadway box office held steady last week, with grosses of $33,730,889 and a total attendance of 270,067 for the week ending August 4. Adding to the tally was the $956,611 from five performances of Barry Manilow’s 17-show engagement at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Manilow, in the final summer residency concert series at the theater, played to 81% of capacity, with an average ticket price of $157. The engagement ends Aug. 17.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical, meanwhile, scored $1,987,914, setting an eight-performance record at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. With an average ticket price of $191 (and a $499 top premium price) last week, the musical has bested its own box office each week since its June 28 opening.

At the Hudson, the previewing Sea Wall/A Life, the pair of one-acts starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge that ran Off Broadway earlier this year, played to nearly full houses (98% of capacity). Grossing $732,416, the production earned 72% of its potential; opening night is Aug.

After bringing delight to countless audiences in the past year, five of Broadway's show-stopping musicals are taking their final bows in the coming weeks The Prom, The Cher Show, Be More Chill, King Kong, and Pretty Woman. To celebrate each of these shows' amazing runs, we're giving you a look back at the productions, from opening night to their lasting impact, as well asa peek at what's to come for these shows after the final curtain. Check it all out...

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, one of the most popular Broadway shows in recent seasons and the rare jukebox musical as beloved by critics as by audiences, will end its nearly six-year Broadway run on October 27, producers announced tonight.

Based on the songs of its titular pop legend and her inner circle, Beautiful earned seven Tony nominations in 2014 and won a pair, including one for lead actress Jessie Mueller. The musical will close having played 2,418 regular performances and 60 previews. It’s Broadway’s second-longest-running bio-musical and the longest-running and highest-grossing show in the Stephen Sondheim Theatre’s history.

The production recouped its $13 million capitalization within nine months, but even it wasn’t immune to a generally tough summer for Broadway. In recent weeks, Beautiful has been grossing at about half, or just above half, of its $994,804 weekly potential. Although the summer has been hard on newer shows — with recent or...

What the Constitution Means to Me, playwright-performer Heidi Schreck’s Tony-nominated Pulitzer Prize finalist, has recouped its $2.5 million Broadway capitalization, producers announced today.

The milestone arrived with the week ending July 14, with six weeks left in the Broadway engagement. The production will deliver a full return of capital to investors.

The recoupment comes during a Broadway summer when good financial news is sparse. A recent Forbes article tallied $111 million in losses from recent or recently announced Broadway closings, with King Kong, The Cher Show, Pretty Woman, The Prom, Be More Chill, King Lear, Gary: A Sequel To Titus Andronicus, Hillary and Clinton and Frankie And Johnny in the Clair de Lune all falling well short of expectations.

Constitution joins a considerably shorter summertime list: Jez Butterworth’s The Ferryman recently ended its limited run in the black, having recouped a reported $6.7 million capitalization.

Even with its relatively low cost, three-person cast,...

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After the jump The Little Mermaid, The Lost Boys, Toy Story 4, and Be More Chill...

Mel Brooks played to full houses during his two-night Broadway stand last week, adding $583,140 to Broadway’s overall pot of $36M for the week ending June 23.

Brooks’ June 17-18 engagement at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre had a total attendance of 2,967, 99.2% of capacity. The $583K figure marked 112% of potential, with average ticket price hitting $197. (The unscripted show was probably very funny – critics weren’t invited.)

In all, Broadway’s total box office for Week 4 of the 2019-20 season – $35,987,055, to be exact – held steady with the previous week, showing a tiny 4% boost. (Receipts for the five-show Regina Spektor residency at the Lunt-Fontanne will be reported cumulatively next week).

Attendance for the 35 productions was 296,070, just about dead even with last week.

Among the stand-outs for the week:

To Kill A Mockingbird broke the $2M ceiling, a best-ever weekly figure for an American play; exact number at the Shubert was $2,018,314; A still-growing Beetlejuice had its...

Be More Chill, the Joe Iconis musical with a road-to-Broadway story nearly as surprising as its sci-fi teen comedy plot, has posted an Aug. 11 closing notice. The musical at the Lyceum Theatre will have played 30 previews and 177 performances when it swallows its final Squip.

“Pride massively understates what everyone at Be More Chill feels for this show,” producers Jerry Goerhing and Mike Mitri said in a statement. “Every step in our journey has been special and one-of-a-kind – just like every member of our company, creative team, and crew, and each fan who has supported us. Our time at the Lyceum Theatre has been a true honor and a joy. We are so excited to have been able to touch the hearts of our diverse audiences and hope to watch the show’s continued influence grow in years to come.”

The closing notice is the latest in the annual Broadway...