The big Broadway news lately is the phenomenal success story of Xanadu, the stage version of the camp flop movie we all secretly love. Not only has it received surprisingly great reviews, but it also set a record at the Helen Hayes Theater where it is currently playing to rapturous applause. Basking in the glow is our guy, Cheyenne Jackson, who tells AfterElton.com all about the ins and outs of roller skates and short shorts.
Also on that site, Michael Portantiere gives us a full review, while Steven Frank gives us his own hilarious (as usual) take on his experience at the show, including this bit overheard in the audience: "They made a musical from the book Wicked? Like, who doesn't know that?
And while we're in Valley speak mode, the cast album
Miserably received, Disney's Tarzan, which starred hirsute hottie Josh Strickland, has closed, the first Broadway flop for the Mouse (but hey, it's HUGE in Holland). "Broadway Mouth" at the Broadway Blog provides an in-depth post-mortem on what went wrong.
Speaking of Disney, their first foray onto the Great White Way, Beauty and the Beast, is closing as well. But at least Belle, the Beast and all that cutlery were a little more successful. The long-running family hit will end July 29, to make way for the next Disney toon tuner, The Little Mermaid, which opens later this year.
Also closing on that day is the musicalization of the cult documentary film Grey Gardens. Rumor has it that they may film it for a future television broadcast and/or DVD release. That would be very S-T-A-U-N-C-H of them (I know that really doesn't make sense, but when you can quote Edie Beale, you quote Edie Beale).
Fantasia follows up her impressive Tony Award appearance with five more months in The Color Purple, while the tour for that show adds four additional weeks to their Chicago stay.
Hairspray the stage musical is benefiting from Hairspray the movie with a nice bounce in ticket sales. Celebs joining the cast include Jerry Mathers as the Beav ... oops, I mean Wilbur, Lance Bass as Corny Collins (starting August 14) and Grease: You're the One That I Want runner-up Ashley Spencer as Amber Von Tussle, effective July 24.
In other Grease news, the winning Sandy of that reality competition/casting session, Laura Osnes tells Playbill.com absolutely nothing about how disappointed I ... I mean, she was that total dreamboat Derek Keeler was not cast as Danny.
And here we go again: producers of the London run of Monty Python's Spamalot are planning another let's-let-the-people-(read: gay men)-decide television show to find their next Lady in the Lake.
In the latest screen to stage adaptations, we have Desperately Seeking Susan, All About My Mother, Ever After and Jane Austin's Emma, plus a new twist on the trend: musical stage versions of television shows. Yep, soon both Fonzie and Columbo will be warbling live on a Broadway stage sometime in the near future.
Rounding out the round up, we have:
- Stars on the boards: Orlando Bloom in London and Claire Danes in New York.
- Only in a musical could casting a male as Peter Pan be "untraditional casting".
- "Broadway Bares", the raunchy annual fund-raiser created by Legally Blonde's Jerry Mitchell, may find a permanent home in Vegas, baby.
- Whoopi Goldberg, of all people, will host the Fire Island Dance Festival.
And finally, Seth Rudetsky, our favorite musical/comedy guy, talks all about his trip on the Rosie Cruise, including a chat with original Annie Andrea McArdle, who discusses the pitfalls of M&M's and poppers on the Broadway stage.
Links via Playbill.com, AfterElton.com, BroadwayMouth.blogspot.com, SFGate.com, Broadway.com, BroadwayWorld.com, Derek-Keeling.com and RFamilyVacations.com.
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