WAKE UP with BWW 6/5/14 - Tonys Pop-Up Shop, All-Asian OLIVER!, Kenneth Branagh & More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: The Tony Awards are fast approaching and BWW will be bringing you an inside look at rehearsals, plus performances at the Tony Awards Pop-Up Shop today. The Interfaith Awards Gala is tonight, NAAP's all-Asian OLIVER! begins performances, Kenneth Branagh makes his NY stage debut and more!

TODAY'S TOP ITEMS:

• The Tony Awards team is in rehearsal at Radio City Music Hall prepping for the big night, and BroadwayWorld will be bringing you behind-the-scenes coverage later on!
• Plus, the cast of LES MISERABLES and LADY DAY's Aura McDonald are set to perform at the Tony Awards Pop-Up Shop today, so stay tuned for footage!
• Mary Lou Barber, Edward Pleasant and Ben Rauch will perform at tonight's 2014 Interfaith Awards Gala.
• Stephen Schwartz, Tom Wopat and more will appear in BROADWAY AT MOORLAND this evening in New Jersey...
• NAAP's OLIVER!, starring an all-Asian cast, begins performances tonight!
• MACBETH, starring Kenneth Branagh in his New York stage debut, opens tonight at the Park Avenue Armory.
• And finally, the World Premiere of DOG AND PONY opens tonight at The Old Globe!

NEWS YOU MISSED YESTERDAY:

• F. Murray Abraham and Stockard Channing have joined Megan Mullally, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the upcoming Broadway run of Terrence McNally's IT'S ONLY A PLAY!
• A FIRST WIVES CLUB musical could be heading to Broadway in Fall 2015...
• Jennifer Hudson will perform a song from the new musical FINDING NEVERLAND at the Tony Awards!
• Plus, CBS 2 New York will air its Tonys preview special this Saturday, featuring Neil Patrick Harris, James Monroe Iglehart and Tyne Daly...
• Anika Noni Rose, Andy Karl and ALL THE WAY are set to be honored at the 2014 Broadway Beacon Awards later this month.
• The cover and track list for the JERSEY BOYS film soundtrack has been revealed.
• Off-Broadway's ONE NIGHT WITH FANNY BRICE will take a summer hiatus for a run in the Catskills...
• Angela Lansbury says he wants to return to the stage following her final bow in BLITHE SPIRIT in THE CHALK GARDEN in the West End.
• Tthe UK's Lord Chamberlain's Men will commemorate ten years of performances with ROMEO AND JULIET next week.
• And finally, Bill Condon has officially signed on to direct Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!

Broadway Weather Forecast: Morning rain with a high of 75 degrees.

Quote of the Day: In honor of Branagh's New York debut tonight, a word on Shakespeare's range...

The elasticity of Shakespeare is extraordinary.
-- Kenneth Branagh (via BrainyQuote)

What we're watching: The Almeida's KING LEAR online via Digital Theatre "watchalong". Directed by Michael Attenborough, KING LEAR was his final production as Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre. Jonathan Pryce plays the title role in a production that ran as part of the World Shakespeare Festival in 2012. Check it out tonight at 7 p.m.!