Wake Up With BWW 7/26: 25 NYC Attractions That Are Now Open, THE SIMPSONS to Premiere With Musical Episode, and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld!

Looking to lounge and have a picnic in Central Park or Bryant Park? Hoping to check out a museum, like the MoMA, The Met, or the Guggenheim? Or just wanting to get the full experience with a tour on the Circle Line or The RIDE bus tour? You will find all of that and more on our list of 25 attractions in NYC that are open now!

The 33rd season of The Simpsons is coming soon, and the creatives have revealed that Broadway fans might like what they have in store for the premiere. During a panel as part of Comic-Con@Home, executive producer Matt Selman revealed that the season will feature a musical premiere, called "The Star of Backstage." Selman dubs the episode the "most musical episode we've ever done", and says it's "like a Broadway musical of an episode with wall to wall music."

Read more about these and other top stories below!

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1) What to Do on Your Next New York City Trip: 25 Attractions That Are Open Now!
by Stephi Wild

Looking to lounge and have a picnic in Central Park or Bryant Park? Hoping to check out a museum, like the MoMA, The Met, or the Guggenheim? Or just wanting to get the full experience with a tour on the Circle Line or The RIDE bus tour? You will find all of that and more on our list.. (more...)

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2) Jackie Mason, Comedian, Stage and Screen Performer, Dies at 93
by Stephi Wild

Mason's 1986 one-man show The World According to Me! garnered a Special Tony Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, an Ace Award, an Emmy Award, and a Grammy nomination. Additionally, Mason's 1988 special titled Jackie Mason on Broadway won him another Emmy Award (for outstanding writing) and another Ace Award. . (more...)

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3) ICYMI: Watch the Top 15 College Students Perform for Next on Stage: Dance Edition Season 2!
by Team BWW

Next on Stage: Dance Edition is back with season 2 of our online dancing competition! Miss the announcement of our top 15? Check out the episode here!. (more...)

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4) LA DIVINA: THE LAST INTERVIEW OF MARIA CALLAS Begins Next Month at Hudson Guild Theatre
by Stephi Wild

In La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas, Shelley Cooper portrays Callas near the end of her life, granting an interview to an unseen broadcast journalist. Callas attempts to keep the talk focused on her art, her work and her career, while the interviewer tries to deflect the discussion onto her scandalous personal life, specifically her complicated relationship with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. . (more...)

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What we're geeking out over: THE SIMPSONS Season 33 Will Premiere With a 'Broadway Musical of an Episode'

The 33rd season of The Simpsons is coming soon, and the creatives have revealed that Broadway fans might like what they have in store for the premiere, Deadline reports.

During a panel as part of Comic-Con@Home, executive producer Matt Selman revealed that the season will feature a musical premiere, called "The Star of Backstage."

Selman dubs the episode the "most musical episode we've ever done", and says it's "like a Broadway musical of an episode with wall to wall music."

Kristen Bell, known as the voice of Anna in the film Frozen, will play the singing voice of Marge.

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What we're watching: West End THE LION KING Returns to Rehearsal With 'Circle of Life'

Rehearsals are underway once again for the West End production of The Lion King! A new video has been released of the emotional moment when the cast was reunited and sang Circle of Life together for the first time.

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And a Happy Birthday shout-out to Helen Mirren, who turns 76 today!

Helen Mirren has won international recognition for her work on stage, screen and television. For her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen in 2006, she received an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award, and BAFTA Award for Best Actress. She was also named Best Actress by virtually every critics organization from Los Angeles to London. In 2014 she was honored with the BAFTA Fellowship for her outstanding career in film. On television she played the title role in Elizabeth I for which she won Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Awards.

Mirren began her career in the role of Cleopatra at the National Youth Theatre. She then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where she starred in such productions as Troilus and Cressida and Macbeth. In 1972, she joined renowned director Peter Brooks Theatre Company and toured the world. Since then her theatre work has spanned numerous productions in the West End, the Fringe, the RSC, the National Theatre and Broadway, including A Month in the Country, for which she received a Tony nomination, and The Dance of Death opposite Ian McKellen. Subsequent productions include Orpheus Descending at The Donmar Warehouse and Mourning Becomes Electra at the National, for which she received an Olivier Best Actress Award nomination. She returned to the National in 2009 in the title role of Racine Phedre directed by Nicholas Hytner. This made history when it became the first theatre production to be filmed for "NTLive" and was seen in cinemas throughout the world. In her most recent performance in 2013 in London's West End, she reprised her role of Queen Elizabeth II in Peter Morgan's The Audience, directed by Stephen Daldry, for which she won an Olivier Award for Best Actress.

Helen Mirren became a Dame of the British Empire in 2003.

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See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!