Rialto Chatter - Page 19

BroadwayWorld.com had the news first on February 9, thanks to its International reach, but Michael Riedel has confirmed the news and provided more details this morning in the New York Post, that EVITA is indeed headed back to Broadway in 2011 starring Olivier Award winner Elena Roger as Eva Peron.

Amid concerts and events this summer at the Hollywood Bowl, a production of Jonathan Larson's Tony-winning RENT is set to run three performances at the Bowl from August 6 through August 8, 2010. BroadwayWorld.com's RIALTO CHATTER is hearing lots of buzz from our LA sources that directing the production will be none other than RENT alumni and star of the stage and screen, Neil Patrick Harris. Harris himself starred in RENT, playing Mark Cohen for the Los Angeles production / 2nd National Tour of the musical. His performance in RENT earned him a Drama League Award in 1997.

The New York Post is reporting Lea Michele may be returning to Broadway in a role specifically crafted for the GLEE actress. The musical, entitled Speargrove Presents, surrounds a Texas high school attempting to put on a production of Rent, and their fight in order to get the show produced.

According to U2's The Edge, SPIDER-MAN is poised for a fall 2010 opening, as has been speculated. 411.com reports that a productive creative meeting with all of the principles took place yesterday, February 18, and that new lead producer Michael Cohl is rapidly getting funds in place.

Michael Riedel of the New York Post is reporting today that there's not one, but two attempts to bring Dracula, which was last seen on Broadway in 1977 back to New York City.

According to numerous published reports in Spanish media outlets, Olivier Award winning stage star Elena Roger may be bringing her famed Eva Peron to Broadway in Evita in the 2011 - 2012 season.

As HAIR readies for its Broadway makeover and London premiere, rumors are beginning to swirl as to which current cast members will be settling in across the pond and which new faces will be gracing the Broadway production. The newest reports out suggest that American Idol alumni Ace Young (season 5's seventh runner up) and Diana DeGarmo (season 3 runner up) are among the new picks for the Broadway replacement cast. No official announcement has been made by the production, although it is expected that casting announcements for London and New York are imminent, as the new Broadway performers go into rehearsal in the coming weeks.

The New York Post's PAGE SIX is reporting today in their 'We hear...' column that 'That Billy Crystal has grossed $21 million with two tours of his one-man show, '700 Sundays,' and might bring it back to Broadway'.

According to Popeater.com, Neil Patrick Harris may be heading from the small screen back to the Great White Way to star as P.T. Barnum in the musical BARNUM, about the famed showman. According to the site, Harris is the first and only choice for the role.

According to an equity casting notice, the West End hit, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, will open on Broadway at a house to be announced on March 6, 2011. According to the same notice, the production will first play the Prince of Wales Theater in Toronto, with previews beginning October 12, 2010.

According to a new season announcement from Broadway/San Diego, a National tour of the Broadway sensation 'Next To Normal' is headed to the Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego for a limited engagement run from January 18 to 23, 2011. The announcement from Broadway/San Diego reads, 'And don't miss NEXT TO NORMAL; a thrilling emotional powerhouse about a loving family trying to take care of themselves and each other; the acclaimed, groundbreaking musical "that pushes Broadway in new directions" (Rolling Stone)."

According to a report from the New York Times, the Broadway revival of A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE may extend past it's closing date of April 4. A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE is housed at the Cort theater, which is scheduled to house the revival of August Wilson's FENCES starting April 14, which would mean BRIDGE would most likely have to transfer theatres to stay open. Executives involved in BRIDGE said moving would be costly, as would trying to arrange for FENCES to move, as most Broadway houses are booked for the spring as of now.

Michael Riedel reports this morning in the Post that Broadway may be welcoming another U.K. import this spring in John Logan's RED, which is currently playing at the Donmar Warehouse through February 6.

Michael Riedel reveals this morning that a likely Broadway-bound musical adaptation of Leap of Faith (based off of the 1992 film starring Steve Martin) had an industry reading last week starring Raul Esparza as the preacher, Sutton Foster, and Kendra Kassebaum. The musical workshop, featuring a score by Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermain composer Alan Menken and lryics by Glenn Slater, had Promises, Promises director/choreographer Rob Ashford at the helm. Janus Cercone, who authored the original screenplay also penned the musical book.

Reported on BroadwayWorld.com back in July, Michael Riedel of the New York Post is reporting this morning that plans are moving forward for Antonio Banderas to return to Broadway in a revival of ZORBA to hit Broadway next season.

In his morning column today, Michael Riedel writes that SPIDER-MAN: Turn Off the Dark will begin performances in the fall of 2010. The $50 million production was supposed to begin previews next month, but as previously reported, was delayed due to significant financial fallout the production faced last year.

Broadway vet Alan Cumming, who is set to star as the Green Goblin in Broadway's upcoming SPIDER-MAN: Turn off the Dark, told the New York Times on Saturday that the show will indeeed experience further delays. Though the show's official website claims that previews are set to begin on February 25, Cumming tells the Times at a TimesTalk event this weekend (as part of the paper's annual Arts & Leisure Weekend), 'No one's going to be there that day. We're just waiting.'

The Clive Fitch Report has revealed that Christopher Carter Sanderson, founding artistic and producing director of the Gorilla Repertory Theater Company, is planning to bring the work of famed blogger Tucker Max - specifically, his book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell - to the Broadway Stage. Reportedly, the show will be titled: I Hope They Serve Beer... On Broadway!

The UK Daily Mail is reporting that Alan Bennett's The Habit of Art is hoping to move to Broadway in the Spring of 2011. The production began playing at the National Theatre's Lyttleton Theater in November 5, 2009 and will be broadcast in April 2010 live to cinema screens worldwide. It's expected that the leads, Richard Griffiths, Alex Jennings and Frances de la Tour would accompany the production as well.

In a recent interview with Essence Magazine, Broadway star and current Disney Princess revealed that among her upcoming projects is starring in a new Broadway-bound musical that she has co-composed.