WAKE UP with BWW 9/3/14 - BULL DURHAM in Atlanta, THE LION KING Hits 7,000, Seattle & the Finger Lakes Welcome Stars and More!
By: Jessica Showers Sep. 03, 2014
Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: THE LION KING marks a milestone, BULL DURHAM begins in Atlanta, A CHORUS LINE starts in Seattle and THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES grace the Finger Lakes, plus lots of stars meet the press today!
Next up in our series of Broadway stars introducing BWW's morning feature is Tony-winning director and choreographer extraordinaire Jerry Mitchell (portrait by Walter McBride), who is helming Gloria Estefan's new musical ON YOUR FEET! and counts KINKY BOOTS, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, LEGALLY BLONDE, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, HAIRSPRAY and more among his Broadway credits. Take a hint from Mitchell and smile your way through any mid-week blues. Now on to the news!
Photo by Walter McBride.
TODAY'S TOP ITEMS:
- THE LION KING celebrates 7,000 performances on Broadway tonight!
- The Broadway-bound BULL DURHAM, starring John Behlmann, Melissa Errico and Will Swenso, begins in Atlanta this evening!
- And speaking of starry regional productions -- Chryssie Whitehead appears in 5th Avenue's A CHORUS LINE in Seattle, and Tom Wopat joins THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES at Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival.
- Morgan James performs at SubCulture, and HEDWIG's Lena Hall & The Deafening play Arlene's Grocery tonight...
- Plus, the companies of off-Broadway's BEDBUGS!!! and Broadway's ON THE TOWN, as well as the new stars of CINDERELLA, meet the press today. Stay tuned for photos and more!
NEWS YOU MISSED YESTERDAY:
- Larry David's FISH IN THE DARK announced its initial casting and spring dates on Broadway!
- Rumor is Chilina Kennedy will star as Broadway's next 'Carole King' when Jessie Mueller leaves on tour with BEAUTIFUL...
- Matthew James Thomas will continue in the title role for PIPPIN's LA and San Francisco runs.
- We got a first look (right) at Playwrights Horizons' BOOTYCANDY!
- Across the pond, we got a sneak peek at SHREK and REGENERATION on tour!
- We learned that Lea Michele will be singing FROZEN's "Let It Go" in GLEE's final season premiere...
- And speaking of FROZEN, the entire cast will be reunited in a short film next spring!
Broadway Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny with some clouds. High of 88 degrees.
Quote of the Day: THE LION KING's Julie Taymor on what theatre does best...
When I was thinking about The Lion King, I said, we have to do what theater does best. What theater does best is to be abstract and not to do literal reality.
-- Julie Taymor (via BrainyQuote)
What we're looking forward to: The new movie musical BANG BANG BABY, starring Justin Chatwin and Jane Levy. The film premieres at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, going on now. Watch the trailer below!
And finally, a Happy Birthday shout-out to Paul McGill!
McGill first appeared on Broadway in the 2004 revival of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, followed by A CHORUS LINE in 2006, MEMPHIS in 2009 and SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK in 2011. He most recently graced the stage in the ensemble of this season's BULLETS OVER BROADWAY. McGill also worked as a dancer in NBC's musical drama SMASH and played 'Kevin' in the 2009 reboot of the movie FAME (pictured below).
Photo by Saeed Adyani.
See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!
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