Wake Up With BroadwayWorld October 28, 2025- Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler to Lead THE LAST FIVE YEARS and More
Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is October 28, 2025 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
Oct. 28, 2025
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Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is October 28, 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've got a show-stopping roundup for you to kick off your day. Hailee Kaleem Wright lit up the Laurie Beechman Theatre with her rendition of "Firework" from Moulin Rouge!, and it's your last chance to submit nominations for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Regional Awards Worldwide. In major casting news, Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler are set to lead a concert staging of The Last Five Years in London next year! Plus, we've got a sneak peek into Romy & Michele: The Musical, video highlights from Little Shop of Horrors, and the latest Broadway deals and industry moves—including major contract news and TodayTix’s acquisition. Don’t miss review roundups of Macbeth and Song Sung Blue, plus fresh photos from The Lion King and Aladdin. There’s even more waiting for you below—so grab your coffee and let's catch up with all the latest happenings on and off Broadway!
But first...
| This Week's Call Sheet |
Tuesday, October 28
Liberation opens on Broadway
Wednesday, October 29
Bat Boy opens at City Center
Thursday, October 30
Little Bear Ridge Road opens on Broadway
Oedipus begins previews on Broadway
Saturday, November 1
Two Strangers Carry A Cake Across New York begins previews on Broadway
| The Front Page |
 Video: Hailee Kaleem Wright Ignites the Stage Singing MOULIN ROUGE!'s 'Firework' Do you ever feel lso paper thin, like a house of cards one blow from caving in? Satine sure does and Hailee Kaleem Wright knows all about it. Wright is currently the Satine alternate in Moulin Rouge! on Broadway. Wright recently stopped by the beautiful Laurie Beechman Theatre to perform 'Firework' alongside Moulin Rouge! musical director Andrew Graham on the piano. Watch in this video. |
 Final Chance To Submit For The 2025 BroadwayWorld Regional Awards Worldwide This is the final chance to submit nominations for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Regional Awards Worldwide! The 2025 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025. |
 Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler Will Lead THE LAST FIVE YEARS Concert in London Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner Ben Platt and Golden Globe and NBR winner Rachel Zegler, are set to lead a new concert staging of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years in London next year. Learn more about the production here! |
| Must Watch |
 Photos and Video: Laura Bell Bundy and Kara Lindsay in ROMY & MICHELE: THE MUSICALby Chloe Rabinowitz You can now get a first look at production photos and video for Romy & Michele: The Musical! Learn more about the production and see how to purchase tickets here! . (more...) |
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 Video: Watch Madeline Brewer & Major Attaway Sing 'Sominex' in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORSby Michael Major Little Shop of Horrors has released new footage of Madeline Brewer and Major Attaway performing 'Sominex' in the hit Off-Broadway production. Watch the new video now!. (more...) |
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Video: Watch the Official Teaser for Star-Studded WICKED: ONE WONDERFUL NIGHT Special Video: SCHMIGADOON! Presents 'Schmig on the Street' |
Video: ART Auctions Canvases For Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS| Hot Photos |
 Photos: Gavin Lee as 'Scar' in THE LION KING on Broadwayby Chloe Rabinowitz You can now get a first look at new photos of The Lion King on Broadway, featuring Gavin Lee as Scar. See photos here and learn more about the Broadway production.. (more...) |
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 Photo: Ainsley Melham and Sonya Balsara in ALADDIN on Broadwayby Chloe Rabinowitz You can now check out new photos of Aladdin on Broadway, featuring returning star Ainsley Melham as Aladdin! Learn more about the production and see how to purchase tickets.. (more...) |
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Photos: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, & More at SONG SUNG BLUE Premiere |
| Industry Insights |
by Stephi Wild
Sparkler, a new play by Erik Champney (Dead Brains), will receive an industry reading, directed by Ryan Dobrin (The Last Five Years). Learn more about the upcoming reading here!. (more...)
Industry Pro Newsletter: We’re Getting New Deals on Broadway, and TodayTix is Acquired by MARI
by Alex Freeman
On Broadway, both actors and musicians move closer to new contracts, with tentative deals heading to their respective unions for ratification. Beyond New York, the spotlight turns to growth and innovation — from Shakespeare & Company’s upcoming intensive for mid-career professionals in the Berkshires to the Shubert Organization’s landmark partnership in London. Meanwhile, TodayTix joins Ari Emanuel’s expanding live-events empire, and BroadwayWorld’s own Next On Stage competition returns for its sixth season, celebrating the next generation of musical theatre talent.. (more...)
| Review Roundups |
by Aliya Al-Hassan
Directed by Daniel Raggett, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s brings a new version of Macbeth to the small studio space in Stratford-upon-Avon. Starring Sam Heughan, best known for his role in the series Outlander, and Lia Williams as Lady Macbeth. This staging imagines the play in a gangland pub in 20th-century Glasgow, with its characters as violent criminals.. (more...)
Review Roundup: Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson Star in SONG SUNG BLUE
by Josh Sharpe
Song Sung Blue, the musical drama starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, held its world premiere on Sunday, October 26, at the TCL Chinese Theater. Ahead of its Christmas release, find out what the critics are saying in our review roundup. . (more...)
Review Roundup: DID YOU EAT? (밥 먹었니?) At The Public Theater
by Chloe Rabinowitz
See what the critics are saying about Did You Eat? at The Public Theater. Learn more about the production and read the reviews in BroadwayWorld's Review Roundup here.. (more...)
| Around the Broadway World |
by Stephi Wild
Proof has found its Broadway home! The first ever Broadway revival of David Auburn’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof, starring Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle, will play Broadway’s Booth Theatre.. (more...)
Rachel Zegler Would 'Love' to Bring EVITA to Broadway
by Josh Sharpe
During a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Rachel Zegler shared her hope that Jamie Lloyd's production of Evita, which played a limited run in the West End this summer, would make its way across the pond. . (more...)
Rachel Zegler and More Named Glamour's U.S. 2025 Women of the Year
by Stephi Wild
Glamour has unveiled the U.S. 2025 Women of the Year honorees and covers. The U.S 2025 Women of the Year include Broadway and film star Rachel Zegler. Learn more here!. (more...)
Shubert Organization and Trafalgar Entertainment Will Partner on Ownership and Operation of the Olympia Theatre
by Stephi Wild
The Shubert Organization and Trafalgar Entertainment have announced a 50:50 Joint Venture partnership for the ownership and operation of the new flagship, state of the art, 1,575 seat Olympia Theatre.. (more...)
Life of Paul Libin Will be Celebrated at Circle in the Square Theatre
by Stephi Wild
The life of Paul Libin will be celebrated at the Circle in the Square Theatre on October 28. The event will take place at 1pm, with doors opening at 12:30pm. Seating is general admission. . (more...)
Schuyler Sisters Explored Beyond HAMILTON in New Book From Amanda Vaill
by Michael Major
The Schuyler Sisters are stepping into the spotlight in a new biography from Amanda Vaill. Pride and Pleasure reintroduces the Schuyler sisters—Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy—to readers who may already know them from Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton.. (more...)
Alexandra Burke Will Lead I’M EVERY WOMAN THE CHAKA KHAN MUSICAL
by Stephi Wild
Multi-platinum recording artist and award-winning actress Alexandra Burke will play Chaka Khan in I'M EVERY WOMAN THE MUSICAL, the powerful and inspiring life story of the award-winning, multi-platinum selling, global icon herself. . (more...)
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