Brief 2/9: ROCK OF AGES Tour, MILLIE Reunion Rehearsal, and More!

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1) Can You Guess the New Season Coming to Paper Mill?
by BWW News Desk - February 08, 2018

Each year Paper Mill Playhouse distributes five images that tease the titles of productions for the upcoming season. Can you guess the shows based on the images below?. (more...)

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2) Further Tickets to CURSED CHILD to Be Released Today 'As and When Available'
by Stephanie Wild - February 08, 2018

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child completed the verified fan ticket sales yesterday. Didn't get tickets? You still have a chance! Further tickets will be released as and when available beginning today at 11 a.m. through the official website www.HarryPotterThePlay.com and Ticketmaster.com.. (more...)

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3) PHOTO: Sutton Foster Shares Photo With Gavin Creel From THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE Reunion Rehearsal
by BWW News Desk - February 08, 2018

As previously announced, there will be a 15th Anniversary Reunion Concert benefit celebration of the 2002 Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. The concert will star two-time Tony Award® winner Sutton Foster, Tony Award® winner Gavin Creel, Tony Award® winner Harriet Harris and other original cast members for a one-night-only benefit to raise funds for The Actors Fund. Last night, Sutton Foster shared a photo on Instagram of herself and Gavin Creel with the caption 'This sure feels good.'. (more...)

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4) Casting Controversy Leads to Online Threats Against High School Students
by Nicole Ciravolo - February 08, 2018

The Ithaca High School production of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME has been cancelled following an outcry over the lack of diversity in casting. However, the national attention placed on the school has lead to online threats. The Ithaca Journal reported that students complained when a white actress was cast in the role of Esmerelda, a part intended to be portrayed as a Romani person living in 15th century Paris. In recent productions, including its 2014 premiere at La Jolla Playhouse and the New Jersey's 2015 production at the Paper Mill Playhouse, a woman of color -- Ciara Renee -- was cast in the leading role. Additionally, the 1996 Disney film animates Esmerelda with a dark complexion, and this is the film that the students of Ithaca High School grew up watching. An African-American Ithaca High School student told the Ithaca Journal, 'It shows you that, if you can't get the parts that are written for you, what parts are you going to get?'. (more...)

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5) Defying Gravity and the Odds! WICKED to Become 7th Longest Running Broadway Show in History
by BWW News Desk - February 08, 2018

The international blockbuster WICKED will play its 5,960th Broadway performance on Friday, February 9 at 8pm, surpassing Oh! Calcutta! to become the 7th longest-running production in Broadway history.. (more...)

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Today's Call Sheet:

-Paolo Montalban and Kendra Kassebaum-led MAMMA MIA! officially opens tonight at The 5th Avenue Theatre!

-New York Theatre Ballet presents REP, beginning tonight!

-SESAME STREET LIVE! LET'S PARTY! arrives at Madison Square Garden tonight!

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BWW Exclusive: Watch Tony Winner Lena Hall get Obsessed with Peter Gabriel in 'Sledgehammer' music video!

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What we're geeking out over: ROCK OF AGES will embark on a 10th anniversary tour this fall!

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What we're watching: Jordan Roth teams up with Billy Porter for THE BIRDS AND THE BS- watch the premiere episode!

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And a Happy Birthday shout-out to Carole King, who turns 76 today!

Carole King is an American composer and singer-songwriter. She is the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century in the USA, having written or co-written 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1955 and 1999. King also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1952 and 2005.

A musical version of King's life and career debuted in pre-Broadway tryouts in September 2013, in San Francisco, titled Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. It starred Jessie Mueller in the title role. Previews on Broadway began on November 21, 2013 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, with the official opening on January 12, 2014. The book is by Douglas McGrath. Reviews were mixed, but generally warm. Jessie Mueller won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her portrayal of King, and Brian Ronan won the Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Musical.

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See you bright and early Monday, BroadwayWorld!