THIS WEEK IN PICTURES: October 18-24

Pictured: Jez Butterworth, Cush Jumbo, Hugh Jackman, Laura Donnelly, and Ian Rickson. Photo Credit: Walter McBride.

This year's Tony Award host Hugh Jackman is making a return to Broadway in Jez Butterworth's THE RIVER! Beginning performances on Friday, October 31st, the play is set to run a strictly-limited engagement through January 25th at the Circle in the Square Theatre. The play originally was performed in 2012 in the Royal Court's Jerwood Theatre Upstairs and, like the Broadway production, also featured direction by Ian Rickson. The cast met the press this week, and BroadwayWorld was there for the special event. Click here to see more photos!

Pictured: The Cast of SIDE SHOW. Photo Credit: Walter McBride.

The freaks of Henry Krieger and Bill Russell's SIDE SHOW are returning to Broadway! Led by Emily Padgett and Erin Davie as the Hilton twins, the cast is set to begin performances at the St. James Theatre next Tuesday, with an official opening night on Monday, November 17th. The musical, which originally starred Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner, opened on Broadway in 1997 and is finally making a triumphant return under the direction of Bill Condon. The cast met the press in costume this week, and you can see more photos here!

Pictured: Abigail Shapiro. Photo Credit: Zach Payne.

The petite but powerful fourteen-year-old Abigail Shapiro is currently starring as the title character in LIBERTY: A MONUMENTAL NEW MUSICAL. Directed by Evan Pappas, the musical is set to play a seven-week engagement through November 25th at Theatre 80. LIBERTY tells the story of a young French immigrant's journey to the United States. The production is preparing for an expanded off-Broadway run. Click here to see more production photos!

Pictured: Bradley Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, and Alessandro Nivola. Photo Credit: Walter McBride.

Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper is returning to Broadway, alongside Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Patricia Clarkson and Alessandro Nivola in THE ELEPHANT MAN. Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick, the play tells the story of a young man (Cooper) who becomes the main attraction of a touring freak show. The revival will begin performances on November 7th at the Booth Theatre. Click here to see more photos from this week's meet the press event!

Pictured: Jimmy Nail and the Cast of THE LAST SHIP. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.

Sixteen-time Grammy Winner Sting is bringing his brilliance to Broadway in his original musical THE LAST SHIP, which began preview performances on September 29th and is set to open this Sunday. Starring Michael Esper, Rachel Tucker, Fred Applegate, and several other Broadway favorites, the musical follows the story of Gideon Fletcher and his hometown of Wallsend. After leaving home for many years, Gideon returns to the ship-building community he grew up with and is forced to confront ghosts from his past. Click here to see more newly-released production photos of this exciting new musical!

Pictured: Kyle Beltran, Jonathan Lethem, and Adam Chanler-Berat. Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski.

The Public Theatre's production of THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE officially opened earlier this week. The musical is an adaptation of Jonathan Lethem's novel of the same name, and tells the story of two friends, Dylan (Adam Chanler-Berat) and Mingus (Kyle Beltran), who grow up together during the 1970s in Brooklyn. Directed by Daniel Aukin, the production recently extended their limited run by two weeks through to November 16th. Click here to see more coverage of this exciting opening night!

Pictured: Ann Harada and Seth Rudetsky. Photo Credit: Walter McBride.

Broadway's favorite Sirius XM radio host Seth Rudetsky released his book SETH'S BROADWAY DIARY earlier this week. Seth's book is a recount of his many years and experiences in the theatre business, as well as exclusive gossip on what it's like to work with incredible stars like Andrea McArdle, Betty Buckley, and many more. Many of his friends who were featured in his book attended the special book launch concert event at Don't Tell Mama, and BroadwayWorld was there to see it! Click here to see more coverage of this one-of-a-kind event!

Pictured: Jenny Jules, Tonye Patano, Julian Rozzell Jr., Sterling K. Brown, and Jeremie Harris. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.

Pulitzer Prize Winner Suzan-Lori Parks' FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2, AND 3) began performances on October 14th at the Public Theatre. Set during the Civil War, Parks' play is comprised of three plays in one performance. With direction by Jo Bonney, the play stars Sterling K. Brown (Hero), Louis Cancelmi (Smith), and Ken Marks (Colonel). Performances are running now through November 16th. Click here to see more photos of this stunning new production!

Pictured: Nicole Scherzinger. Photo Credit: The Daily Mail.

Lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls Nicole Scherzinger is preparing to star as Grizabella in the West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical CATS. The musical broke records both in London and on Broadway, remaining Broadway's second longest-running musical in history. The current West End revival is set for a limited engagement of twelve weeks at London Palladium, beginning performances on December 6th. Click here to see more of Scherzinger as Grizabella!

Pictured: Danny Ashok, Gretchen Mol, Kimberly Senior, Hari Dhillon, Ayad Akhtar, Josh Radnor, and Karen Pittman. Photo Credit: Walter McBride.

Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer Prize winning play DISGRACED finally made its official debut on Broadway last night at the Lyceum Theatre. With a star-studded cast that includes Hari Dhillon, Gretchen Mol, Karen Pittman, and Josh Radnor, DISGRACED tells the story of a Muslim-American lawyer and his wife and the chaotic discussions that ensue when he invites his co-worker and his own wife over for a dinner party. Click here to see more photos from opening night!