Wherefore Art Thou, Orlando? >/b>
Lord Of The Rings and Pirates Of The Caribbean star Orlando Bloom will be the latest actor to portray one of Shakespeare’s most famous star-crossed lovers in a new Broadway production of Romeo & Juliet. Directed by David Leveaux, this production brings a fresh take on the material with interracial casting. Tony nominee Condola Rashad (daughter of Cosby Show’s Phylicia) will portray Juliet with an all African American Capulet family including veteran actor Chuck Cooper. The production will officially open on September 19 at the newly renovated Richard Rogers Theater. For more information, or to buy tickets, visit their official website.
A Whole New World Of Broadway: Aladdin Will Bow On Broadway
The classic 1992 Disney animated film “Aladdin” will be adopted for the stage, eventually making its way to Broadway in March of 2014. Before opening in New York, Aladdin will have a run in Toronto’s Mirvish Theatre. With a award-winning score by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (new lyrics provided by Tim Rice and new material by Chad Beguelin), Aladdin is Disney’s version of the Arabian Nights tale of a young street urchin who falls in love with beautiful princess Jasmine, with a little help from a magical (and fast-talking) Genie. The Broadway production will feature the songs made famous in the film like “A Whole New World,” “Friend Like Me” and “Price Ali” with new material, including the song “Proud Of Your Boy” (see below), which was cut from the original film. Aladdin will be directed by Casey Nicholaw (most recently of the mega-hit Book of Mormon. No casting has been announced.
Jackman Will Make Magic Again In Broadway’s
Hugh Jackman, last seen singing in “Les Miserable” and his one-man 2011 Broadway offering, will make his New York stage return in Houdini, a new bio-musical written especially for the star by Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz. "I'm specifically writing for Hugh, in terms of what I think will sound good in his voice and what sorts of things will really help him to do the things that he does,” Schwartz said in a recent interview on
Broadway.com. Prolific screenwriter Aaron Sorkin was set to pen the book, but pulled out of the project earlier this year. A replacement has not yet been named. Houdini is still being written, with the production team hoping for a workshop later this year followed by a Chicago tryout.
John Lloyd Young Will “Walk Like A Man” In The Film Adaptation of Jersey Boys
John Lloyd Young, who won a Tony for his performance as Frankie Valley in the hit jukebox musical Jersey Boys, will reprise his role in the feature film adaptation directed by Clint Eastwood. He joins a cast that includes Christopher Walken, Erich Bergen and Joey Russo. Tony winning playwright and screenwriter John Logan will pen the script, based on the original book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Jersey Boys follows the formation and rise to fame of the Four Seasons and features many of their biggest hits including “Sherry,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” and “December 1961 (Oh What A Night).”
TheCelebrityCafe.com
Image: Wikimedia Commons