Wake Up With BroadwayWorld August 18, 2025- MAMMA MIA! Returns to Broadway and More
Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is August 16, 2025 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
Aug. 18, 2025
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Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is August 18, 2025 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours:
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Good morning, BroadwayWorld! We’re waking up with a star-studded lineup of Broadway news, interviews, and performance highlights. Today, catch Ali Louis Bourzgui sharing musical inspiration behind his run in Hadestown, and the all-star cast of ART—Neil Patrick Harris, Bobby Cannavale, and James Corden—explaining what’s in store for Broadway’s first revival of the award-winning play. Go behind the scenes of HBO’s The Gilded Age with choreographer John Carrafa, and check out an exclusive video of Andrew Rannells on The Great American Baking Show. Plus, from red-hot opening night photos at MAMMA MIA! to the latest on industry movers and shakers—including Kennedy Center’s big leadership news—there’s something for everyone. Connect with our global stage, play today’s BroadwayWord game, and celebrate the world’s brightest talents right here!
But first...
| This Week's Call Sheet |
Call Me Izzy closes on Broadway
| The Front Page |
 Video: Ali Louis Bourzgui Is Making Music Onstage and Off Ali Louis Bourzgui takes center stage in this BroadwayWorld exclusive, opening up about his electrifying run as Orpheus in Hadestown and the artistry that fuels his performance. Watch in this video! |
 Video: Neil Patrick Harris, Bobby Cannavale & James Corden Explain What ART Is All About In just a matter of weeks, performances begin for the first-ever Broadway revival of the Tony Award-winning ART by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton. Watch as the cast explains what it's all about in this video. |
 Exclusive: Choreographer John Carrafa on Recreating Historical Dances for THE GILDED AGE Following the conclusion of Season 3, we spoke to choreographer John Carrafa about the challenges of working on a period piece, the casting process for the dancers, and his experience bringing Mrs. Russell's latest ball to life. |
| Exclusive |
by Josh Sharpe
BroadwayWorld is excited to debut an exclusive clip of Tony Award nominee Andrew Rannells in The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Summer, the newest iteration of the fan-favorite franchise. Check it out now!. (more...)
| Must Watch |
 Video: Watch an Exclusive Clip of Andrew Rannells in THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOWby Josh Sharpe BroadwayWorld is excited to debut an exclusive clip of Tony Award nominee Andrew Rannells in The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Summer, the newest iteration of the fan-favorite franchise. Check it out now!. (more...) |
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 Video: Bob Odenkirk Shares Whether He Would Return to Broadwayby Josh Sharpe While promoting his new movie Nobody 2, Bob Odenkirk reflected on his experience starring in the Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross and shared whether he would perform on Broadway again in the future. Check out the interview!. (more...) |
| Hot Photos |
 Photos: MAMMA MIA! on Broadway Opening Night Curtain Callby Jennifer Broski Here we go again! The beloved jukebox musical classic turned global film phenomenon MAMMA MIA! has officially reopened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre. See photos from the opening night curtain call here! . (more...) |
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 Photos: Morgan James Brings I'M OLD FASHIONED to Dizzy's Clubby Stephen Sorokoff The powerhouse vocalist is back by popular demand with a soulful tribute to the Johnny Mercer Songbook The sold-out run continues with two more sets on Friday August 15 at 7 and 9 pm. See photos from the Thursday August 14 show.. (more...) |
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 Photos: Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel in BORN WITH TEETHby Chloe Rabinowitz You can now get a first look at Ncuti Gatwa as Kit Marlowe and Edward Bluemel as William Shakespeare in Born With Teeth, which marks its West End premiere presented by Playful Productions, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Elizabeth Williams.. (more...) |
| Industry Insights |
by Chloe Rabinowitz
Jeffrey Finn, senior vice president of artistic programming and vice president and executive producer of theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will step down. Learn more.. (more...)
| Around the Broadway World |
by Josh Sharpe
Earlier this week, President Trump unveiled the 2025 class of Kennedy Center honorees. Missing from that list was actor Tom Cruise, who reportedly was offered the honor but turned down the invitation due to 'scheduling conflicts.'. (more...)
Kennedy Center Senior VP of Artistic Programming to Step Down
by Chloe Rabinowitz
Jeffrey Finn, senior vice president of artistic programming and vice president and executive producer of theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will step down. Learn more.. (more...)
Review: HEDDA, Starring Lily Allen, Theatre Royal Bath
by Cheryl Markosky
Anyone who thinks Lily Allen's simply an upstart pop star plonked onstage to pull in the punters and rake in the cash, well, you can think again. She's delightfully dangerous and destructive – so much so you can't take your eyes off her – in Matthew Dunster's new cheeky version of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler in Theatre Royal Bath's intimate Ustinov Studio.. (more...)
Rachel Schur to Return to CHICAGO on Broadway as 'Roxie Hart'
by Michael Major
Broadway’s record-breaking hit musical Chicago welcomes back Rachel Schur in the role of “Roxie Hart,' before Mira Sorvino takes on the role for a limited engagement.. (more...)
Listen: JUST IN TIME Original Broadway Cast Recording Available Now
by Josh Sharpe
Atlantic Records has released the original Broadway recording of Just in Time, serving as the official companion to the Broadway production starring Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff as the legendary Bobby Darin. Listen to it now here!. (more...)
Mary Testa and More Complete the Cast for GALAS at Little Island
by Chloe Rabinowitz
Little Island has revealed the complete cast and creative team for Galas, the final production in their 2025 summer season starring countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo as 'Maria Magdalena Galas.' Learn more and see how to purchase tickets!. (more...)
Disney Greenlights COVEN ACADEMY Series From Tim Federle
by Josh Sharpe
Disney has officially greenlit Coven Academy, a supernatural dramedy series from Tim Federle, creator and showrunner of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.. (more...)
Review: BBC PROMS: BOLÉRO AND THE RITE OF SPRING, Royal Albert Hall
by Kat Mokrynski
Ever since I was first introduced to Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” in a course I took in university on Western Theatrical Dance, I have been in love with the piece. Two years ago, The Rite of Spring was performed at the BBC Proms in Prom 63: The Rite By Heart, which told the story of how Stravinsky created the piece and had the Aurora Orchestra perform it entirely from memory. It makes sense that when the BBC Proms announced Boléro and The Rite of Spring this year that I would be instantly wanting to see it!. (more...)
Bernadette Peters Sets Australia Concert For October
by Michael Major
Bernadette Peters will perform a concert in Australia as part of the Melt Festival of Queer Arts and Culture. An Evening With Bernadette Peters is coming to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.. (more...)
Listen: Marisha Wallace Releases New Album 'Live in London'
by Josh Sharpe
Live in London, the new album from Olivier-nominated Cabaret star Marisha Wallace, has officially been released. Recorded in front of a full house at the Adelphi Theatre in March 2025, the album and concert setlist spans her stage career and eclectic musical influences. Listen to it now!. (more...)
Patricia White, Longtime Champion of Black Theatre, Passes Away
by Michael Major
Patricia White, the long-time company manager of Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre (NFT) and a well-known figure in Black Theatre, died. She had been hospitalized briefly and released for physical therapy to a nursing home, where she passed. . (more...)
Review: SH!T-FACED SHAKESPEARE: HAMLET, Leicester Square Theatre
by Abbie Grundy
Sh!tfaced Shakespeare's 15th Anniversary show is as boozy and fun-filled as ever.. (more..)
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See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!
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