BWW Morning Brief January 31st, 2017: Top Stories You Might Have Missed and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Scroll down for the latest news, and click HERE to learn more about how we've revamped our morning brief for 2017! Want our morning reports delivered via email? Subscribe here!

1) Breaking News: Abby Mueller Is Broadway's Next Carole King; Chilina Kennedy Will Take BEAUTIFUL to Toronto!
by BWW News Desk - January 30, 2017

Producers Paul Blake and Sony/ATV Music Publishing announced today that Abby Mueller will play the title role in the Broadway company of Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, beginning March 7, 2017. Mueller, who originated the role in the first national tour of Beautiful, will be taking over for Broadway's current 'Carole,' Chilina Kennedy, while Kennedy heads to her hometown to headline the show at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theater from June 27 - August 20, 2017. Kennedy will be joined in the Toronto production by Liam Tobin, who originated the role of 'Gerry Goffin' on tour. Kennedy will return to the Broadway production following the Toronto run of Beautiful.. (more...)

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2) VIDEO: NEWSIES Cast Returns to Rehearsals + First Listen to New Song
by Movies News Desk - January 30, 2017

Below, check out a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the show entitled 'Making of the NEWSIES Movie Event: Return to Rehearsals' and check out a first listen to an all-new song performed by 'Crutchie's Andrew Kennan-Bolger!. (more...)

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3) FIRST LISTEN: DEAR EVAN HANSEN's Uplifting Anthem 'You Will Be Found'
by BWW News Desk - January 30, 2017

The original cast recording for the hit Broadway musical DEAR EVAN HANSEN will be released digitally on February 3rd, and will be available on CD in stores and online on February 24th. Below, listen to the uplifting anthem 'You Will Be Found' performed by Ben Platt and the stellar cast!. (more...)

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4) Breaking News: Clive Owen Will Return to Broadway in Julie Taymor's M. BUTTERFLY Revival
by BWW News Desk - January 30, 2017

Producers Nelle Nugent, Steve Traxler, Kenneth Teaton, Benjamin Feldman, and Doug Morris (CEO, Sony Music), announced today that Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Clive Owen will star as Rene Gallimard in the first Broadway revival of David Henry Hwang's Tony Award®-winning play, M. BUTTERFLY, directed by Tony Award® winner Julie Taymor. The production will open on October 26, 2017 at a Broadway theatre to be announced.. (more...)

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5) Photo Flash: First Look at Charlotte Maltby as 'Maria' in THE SOUND OF MUSIC National Tour
by BWW News Desk - January 30, 2017

The lavish new production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien, features Charlotte Maltby as the new Maria Rainer, who began her national tour debut on January 3. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at Maltby with the cast below!. (more...)

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Today's Call Sheet:

- The Acting Company's X/JULIUS CAESAR tour kicks off in Arizona.
- Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's EVERYBODY starts at Signature, THE OBJECT LESSON launches at NYTW, and YEN opens Off-Broadway...
- And Heidi Blickenstaff and Emma Hunton reunite in FREAKY FRIDAY in La Jolla!

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BWW Exclusive: Read BWW Senior Critic Michael Dale's review of David Ives's THE LIAR at Classic Stage Company!

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#GivingTuesday: More than 233,000 people have signed George Takei's petition against Muslim targeting since President Trump's immigration ban. Way to put your weight behind a good cause!

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What we're geeking out over: This new behind-the-scenes look at the cast of NEWSIES in rehearsal for the movie event, including an all-new song!

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What we're listening to: DEAR EVAN HANSEN's uplifting anthem "You Will Be Found" from the show's original cast recording!

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Social Butterfly: Watch the final trailer for Disney's live-action BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!

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And a Happy Birthday shout-out to Carol Channing, who turns 96 today!

Carol Channing received the 1995 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement and a Special Tony in 1968. Among her Broadway credits are HELLO, DOLLY!, LORELEI, FOUR ON A GARDEN, SHOW GIRL, THE VAMP, WONDERFUL TOWN, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES and more. Channing won the Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1967's THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981. Her autobiography, JUST LUCKY I GUESS, hit the shelves in 2002, and a documentary about her life and career hit the big screen in 2012.

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See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!