Lots of theater news this morning.
Adrienne Warren, who the Tony for playing Tina Turner, is back!
Warren still in a musical version of the film “Imitation of Life” this fall at the mysterious theater The Shed in Hudson Yards. (I’m very happy they finally hired a real PR company, Polk & Co.)
John Legend — whose new single I told you about the other day — has written the original score.
Lynn Nottage wrote the book, and Whitney White is directing.
“Imitation of Life” has had a lot of variations over the years. But the Douglas Sirk movie from the 1950s is the template. It’s about two single mothers and their daughters in circa 1920 Atlantic City and 1930s New York. One is Black, the other is white. Casting of the white mother will be interesting.
Very cool project for a six week run. But maybe that will hasten a trip to Broadway in the spring.
Other news: now two jukebox musicals will close on January 3, 2027. “& Juliet” is throwing in the towel after four years. “Six,” already announced the same day for their closing.
At the box office, “Hamilton” led the way this past week with $2.1 million. “The Lion King” and “Wicked” always remain top tickets. “Harry Potter” took in $1.8 mil as they wait for Rupert Grint to come in as adult Ron Weasly.
The next fatality might be “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” which has to be losing money. It only played to 67% capacity last week. Too bad, because if you’re a fan of the TV show, the Broadway one is a lot of fun.
