While you were nursing your 4th of July hangover, here’s what was happening this week In the Wings.
Watch the cast of “On the Town” take on the streets of NYC! Tony Yazbeck, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Clyde Alves, the three sailors from the upcoming revival of the beloved Bernstein, Comden and Green musical “On the Town,” went on their own NYC adventure. And “On the Town” was able to catch it all on video! Watch the three sailors visiting the city’s most iconic locations while singing the musical's most iconic song, “New York, New York.” “On the Town” begins previews Sept. 20, with an Oct. 16 opening.
Speaking of “On the Town,” the winner of FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” will be offered a role in the upcoming revival. The role, part of the series’ prize package, will be available to the winner in the spring (assuming the show is still running). The musical’s choreographer, Josh Bergasse, choreographed a performance of the opening number for the Top 20 finalists on the show this week. [More info]
“Black Orpheus” will now be a Broadway musical. Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage (“Ruined) will write the book, while Tony-winner George C. Wolfe will direct. The score will be filled with many of the themes from the motion picture, including music by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bofa and Vinicius de Moraes. “Black Orpheus,” the Brazilian love story based on the Moraes play “Orfeu de Conceição,” won the 1959 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. [More info]
Tony winner Priscilla Lopez flies into “Pippin.” The actress, who appeared in the original cast of “A Chorus Line,” will join the hit revival in the role of “Berthe” for a limited role this summer, from July 22 through Aug. 27. “Designing Women” star Annie Potts, currently in the role, will play her final performance July 20. Lopez has appeared in “Pippin” before – in the 1973 original production, as a replacement for the role of “Fastrada.” [More info]
“Heathers: The Musical” will close Off-Broadway on Aug. 4. The musical adaptation of the 1988 Black comedy will have played 17 previews and 145 regular performances upon its time of closing. “Heathers: The Musical” is currently playing at New World Stages. [More info]
Broadway
The magic show, “The Illusionists - Witness the Impossible,” will open on Broadway this fall for a six week engagement at the Marriott Marquis Theatre. The show, which features seven illusionists performing “hilarious magic tricks, death-defying stunts and acts of breathtaking wonder,” begins previews on Nov. 26, with a Dec. 4 opening. Its Broadway stop is part of a 30-city US tour. [More info]
