John Lithgow News

According to Variety, Hugh Dancy, John Lithgow, Reid Scott, and Paul Walter Hauser are set to join Mindy Kailing's upcoming comedy LATE NIGHT. The join the cast of Kailing, and Emma Thompson. Read more about the casting news from Variety here!

Good morning BroadwayWorld! Today's top stories: New York Theatre Workshop will host its 2018 gala tonight, and Broadway stars will unite in Sunrise, FL for a benefit concert for Parkland!

Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Casey Reitz, Executive Director) has announced additional casting for the New York Premiere of TRACY LETTS' acclaimed play, MARY PAGE MARLOWE.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee met on April 12 for the third time this season to decide the eligibility of Broadway productions for the American Theatre Wing's 2018 Tony Awards®, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. The Committee will meet regularly throughout the 2017-2018 Broadway season to make eligibility determinations.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents the Tony Award-winning musical The Bridges of Madison County, based on the 1992 bestselling novel by Robert James Waller about love both lost and found. Set amidst the cornfields of Iowa in 1965, this passionate musical follows the unexpected affair of a devoted Italian-born housewife and a roving National Geographic photographer set over four sensual, heart-stirring days. Brilliantly adapted by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Marsha Norman ('night Mother, The Secret Garden, The Color Purple) with music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade), it captured the 2014 Tony Award for Best Musical Score. The Bridges of Madison County, directed by TheatreWorks Artistic Director and founder Robert Kelley will be presented April 4 - 29, 2018 (opening night: April 7) at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. For tickets ($40-$100) and more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents the Tony Award-winning musical The Bridges of Madison County, based on the 1992 bestselling novel by Robert James Waller about love both lost and found. Set amidst the cornfields of Iowa in 1965, this passionate musical follows the unexpected affair of a devoted Italian-born housewife and a roving National Geographic photographer set over four sensual, heart-stirring days. Brilliantly adapted by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Marsha Norman ('night Mother, The Secret Garden, The Color Purple) with music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade), it captured the 2014 Tony Award for Best Musical Score. The Bridges of Madison County, directed by TheatreWorks Artistic Director and founder Robert Kelley will be presented April 4 - 29, 2018 (opening night: April 7) at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. For tickets ($40-$100) and more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

The top growing current Broadway musicals were Frozen (41.97%), My Fair Lady (7.13%), Rocktopia (7.04%), Escape to Margaritaville (4.94%) and Carousel (4.42%). The top growing current Broadway plays were Angels in America (23.42%), Three Tall Women (10.34%), Children Of A Lesser God (8.96%), The Iceman Cometh (8.28%) and Farinelli and the King (1.55%).

Award-winning actor/director Frank Ferrante re-creates his acclaimed New York and London stage portrayal celebrating America's greatest comedian - Groucho Marx.  You will feel as though Groucho is back, as Ferrante sings, dances and performs classic routines on the North Coast Rep stage, April 23 & 24 at 7:30pm.

Five-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb (Maria Striar, Producing Artistic Director; Michael Bulger, Associate Artistic Director) will honor director and outgoing board chair Pam MacKinnon (The Parisian Woman, Amelie) at the 2018 Clubbed Thumb Gala on Monday, April 30, 2018 at the Etsy Headquarters (117 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201).

Upon first glance, the man of no impressive stature seems like any other man you may pass on the street. Simply dressed in practical and conservative clothing, he strolls into a room almost seemingly unaware of his surroundings and you think this unassuming man may not even remember why he's come today. Until you meet him face to face and begin talking anything remotely film or theater industry related and you're at once swept away by his deep husky voice, and you can't help but get caught up in the unmistakable twinkle in his eyes that bores through to your core, and you know in that moment that you're dealing with someone not so ordinary after all.

The top growing current Broadway musicals were Escape to Margaritaville (22.01%), My Fair Lady (15.02%), Carousel (4.96%), Mean Girls (2.62%) and Frozen (2.55%). The top growing current Broadway plays were Three Tall Women (15.63%), Angels in America (8.42%), Farinelli and the King (1.68%), Cursed Child (0.85%) and Play That Goes Wrong (0.49%).

Carnegie Hall announced today that its one-night-only benefit concert performance of Leonard Bernstein's Candide on Wednesday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage will feature Broadway starsRyan Silverman (Side Show, Cry-Baby,Chicago) as Maximilian and Bryonha Marie Parham (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, AfterMidnight, Prince of Broadway) as Paquette. They join the previously announced Paul Appleby (Candide), Erin Morley (Cunegonde),Patricia Racette (Old Lady), William Burden(Governor), and John Lithgow (Voltaire / Dr. Pangloss).

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents the Tony Award-winning musical The Bridges of Madison County, based on the 1992 bestselling novel by Robert James Waller about love both lost and found. Set amidst the cornfields of Iowa in 1965, this passionate musical follows the unexpected affair of a devoted Italian-born housewife and a roving National Geographic photographer set over four sensual, heart-stirring days. Brilliantly adapted by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Marsha Norman ('night Mother, The Secret Garden, The Color Purple) with music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade), it captured the 2014 Tony Award for Best Musical Score. The Bridges of Madison County, directed by TheatreWorks Artistic Director and founder Robert Kelley will be presented April 4 - 29, 2018 (opening night: April 7) at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. For tickets ($40-$100) and more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

George Street Playhouse, located at 103 College Farm Road in New Brunswick, today announced Jonathan Kite (TV's 2 Broke Girls) will play the titular role in Larry Shue's The Nerd, on stage April 24 - May 20, 2018. Kevin Cahoon, who has appeared in many Broadway productions, including The Wedding Singer and The Lion King, will direct the popular comedy, which closes out GSP's mainstage season.

Tickets are on-sale now for the New 42nd Street benefit performance of Harry Potter and the Cursed Childat The Lyric Theatre on Saturday, May 12, 2018.The event will provide critical support to the nonprofit's award-winning arts education and year-round youth employment programs, while honoring J.K. Rowling in absentia with the New Victory Arts Award.

REPRISE 2.0 is now announced, presenting a season of three classic American musicals at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, by Marcia Seligson, Producing Artistic Director of the new performing arts organization.  REPRISE 2.0 is partnering with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television's Department of Theater (UCLA TFT), chaired by Brian Kite. 

Welcome to this week's edition of BroadwayWorld's exclusive WEEKLY GROSSES ANALYSIS! Read on for all the weekly grosses statistics for the movers and shakers from the latest grosses, for the week ending 3/4/2018.

Grosses for all the Broadway shows for the week ending 3/4/2018.

The top growing current Broadway musicals were Frozen (10.70%), Spongebob (3.30%), The Band's Visit (2.82%), Once On this Island (2.66%) and Hello, Dolly! (1.46%). The top growing current Broadway plays were Angels in America (13.99%), Farinelli and the King (1.50%), Parisian Woman (1.29%), Play That Goes Wrong (0.59%) and The Children (0.21%).

Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) is proud to premiere Little Orphan Danny, a musical memoir from Dan Finnerty about what it means to be a good son. This surprisingly touching and irreverently funny show is for everyone out there who has a mother. Julie Foldesi, a veteran Broadway actor who recently appeared in Sunday in the Park with George with Jake Gyllenhaal, plays, among many roles, Dan's birth mother and adoptive mother. The show is Music Directed by Dan Lipton, who was recently the Associate Music Director for Sting's The Last Ship on Broadway.