Global Roundup 5/10 - HUGH JACKMAN, 1776 on Broadway, AUGUST RUSH, and More!

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature Hugh Jackman, 1776 on Broadway, AUGUST RUSH, and More!

Check out our top news and features from around the BroadwayWorld below! Want more great global content? Check out our "Around The World" section!

Top Stories

TTHE PRINCE OF EGYPT to Open on West End February 2020; New Songs & Creative Team Announce - DreamWorks Theatricals (a division of Universal Theatrical Group), Michael McCabe and Neil Laidlaw have announced that THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, the new stage musical based on the celebrated Dreamworks Animation film and featuring the Academy Award®-winning song When You Believe, will begin performances at London's Dominion Theatre on Wednesday 5 February 2020, with an official London premiere on Tuesday 25 February 2020, for a limited 32-week engagement. Tickets will go on public sale at 10am on Monday 3 June 2019. (Read more)

Photo Flash: First Look at Corey Cott and More in WEST SIDE STORY at Lyric - Lyric's new grand-scale coproduction of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece West Side Story opens tonight and features Broadway star Corey Cott as Tony and rising star Mikaela Bennett as Maria. Additional lead casting includes Brett Thiele (Riff),Amanda Castro (Anita), Manuel Stark Santos (Bernardo), and Adam Soniak (Action). Performances run through June 2, 2019 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. Tickets are on sale now starting at $29 and can be purchased at lyricopera.org/wss or by calling 312-827-5600. (Read more)

Roundabout and the ART will Bring 1776 Back to Broadway, Directed by Diane Paulus - Roundabout Theatre Company and the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University will bring a new production of 1776 to Broadway! Featuring a book by Peter Stone, music & lyrics by Sherman Edwards, and directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus, Broadway performances will begin Spring 2021 at the American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd Street). (Read more)

First Look At The World Premiere of AUGUST RUSH: THE MUSICAL - Chicago audiences are the first to see the world premiere of August Rush: The Musical a never-before-seen musical based on the original Oscar-nominated Warner Bros film about a musically gifted orphan and the search for his birth parents. Get a first look at the production with some brand new photos below! (Read more)

Top Reviews

Seattle: Contributor Jay Irwin reviews Seattle Rep's Stunning NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN, writing "Dear Readers, when seeing the west coast premiere of Christina Ham's "Nina Simone: Four Women", currently at the Seattle Rep, if you're expecting a light, jukebox musical about the works of Nina Simone then you may be disappointed and you probably don't know much about Nina Simone in the first place as you couldn't really call her style "light". But what you are in for is a searing look at how Simone branched out from American Songbook covers to her own distinct style of songs that spurred the civil rights movement."

Scotland: Contributor Natalie O'Donoghue reviews Hugh Jackman: THE MAN. THE MUSIC. THE SHOW. writing "It's often the case that major tours seem to skip Scotland completely so it was an absolute delight to have Hugh Jackman kick off his world tour in Glasgow this week."

Boston: Contributor Nancy Grossman reviews THE EBONIC WOMAN writing "Never mind all those Marvel heroes and the new bladder buster movie 'Avengers: Endgame,' if you want to see a real heroine in action, line up for the Gold Dust Orphans' final show at the soon-to-be repurposed Machine Nightclub. Kiki Samko takes the director's reins and wrangles all of the players into a cohesive ensemble, with several of the actors taking on two (and, in one case, three) roles. Qya Marie has moved up the ranks of the Orphans to become a dynamic leading player. Tim Lawton wears multiple hats as music director, Trump, and Bald Eagle, and his hilarious and eerily spot-on rendition of the orange one is among the finest performances I've seen him give. Ryan Landry's writing also lands a flurry of blows, expressing more transparent social and political commentary than usual. If you're in the mood for some super (hero) entertainment, make it THE EBONIC WOMAN."

Austin: Contributor Lynn Beaver reviews THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME at Texas State, writing "With the Notre Dame Cathedral still in the news after a nearly catastrophic fire so recently it seemed strange coincidence to attend a production of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. It certainly brought home for me the majesty of the medieval church but it also lent a small glimpse into the immense scope of Hugo's work. Kaitlin Hopkins takes the medieval setting and recreates it in a high concept artwork in black, white, tones of gray and slashes of crimson. The effect is a feast for the senses."

Regional Editor Spotlight:

Natalie O'Donoghue

Natalie has been an avid theatre goer since her first London production of Blood Brothers when she was 12. Based in Glasgow, she also reviews in Edinburgh and London as much as she can. Natalie loves nothing better than a musical medley and has an intense fear of audience participation.

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