Wake Up With BWW 12/11: RUBEN AND CLAY'S CHRISTMAS SHOW Opens, CLUELESS Opens, and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Only 13 shopping days left until Christmas! But don't panic, we've got your dose of Broadway to get your through this Tuesday! Want our morning reports delivered via email? Subscribe here!

1) MEAN GIRLS On Broadway To Hold Open Call For Female Replacements

Think you have what it takes to navigate the halls of North Shore High? Telsey casting announced today that the Broadway production of Mean Girls will be holding an open call for future female replacements in the Tony nominated musical!. (more...)

2) Jessie Mueller Will Star as Marian in Kennedy Center's THE MUSIC MAN

BroadwayWorld has learned Tony Award®-winning actress Jessie Mueller (Waitress, Carousel) will reunite with Beautiful director Marc Bruni (Broadway Center Stage: How to Succeed...) for the Broadway Center Stage production of Meredith Willson's The Music Man at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Mueller stars as Marian Paroo opposite the previously announced Tony Award® nominee Norm Lewis (Porgy and Bess) as Harold Hill. Also joining the creative team for the Kennedy Center's latest starry concert production is choreographer Chris Bailey (Jerry Springer: The Opera, The New Yorkers at Encores!) and music director James Moore (Miss Saigon, the Kennedy Center's Follies and Ragtime).. (more...)

3) Review Roundup: What Did The Critics Think of THE JUNGLE at St. Ann's Warehouse?
by Review Roundups

St. Ann's Warehouse presents the U.S. Premiere of The Jungle, the immensely acclaimed Good Chance Theatre co-production with the National Theatre and Young Vic. The show officially opened last night. Let's see what the critics are saying.... (more...)

4) Olivier Award Nominee Catherine McCormack Joins THE FERRYMAN December 18

Olivier Award nominee Catherine McCormack (All My Sons, Braveheart) will join the company of Jez Butterworth's The Ferryman, directed by Sam Mendes, beginning Tuesday, December 18. McCormack will make her Broadway debut in the role of "Mary Carney," which she first played in the London cast, when Genevieve O'Reilly departs the production on Sunday, December 16.. (more...)

5) WHITE CHRISTMAS in In Depth: The Story of a Christmas Classic!
by Stage Tube

Curious about how a popular song became a cherished film and a Broadway musical? We've got the full story! Check out our in-depth timeline of how White Christmas came to be below!. (more...)

Today's Call Sheet:

-RUBEN & CLAY'S CHRISTMAS SHOW officially opens on Broadway tonight!

Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken join forces for Ruben & Clay's First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show (aka "Ruben & Clay's Christmas Show"), the monumental, one-of-a-kind Holiday spectacular Broadway show at the prestigious Imperial Theatre.

-Christopher Fitzgerald returns to Waitress tonight!

Tony Award nominee Christopher Fitzgerald returns to the hit Broadway musical in the role of Ogie, the role he originated and earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 2016. Ogie was last played by Alex Wyse, who played his final performance on December 9.

-CLUELESS officially opens off-Broadway tonight!

Amy Heckerling takes us back to 90s Beverly Hills with this musical version of her beloved film Clueless, a modern spin on Jane Austen's Emma?. With her singular voice, she gives us a score that reimagines 90s hits into ingenious parodies and yearning monologues for her lovesick characters. Director Kristin Hanggi (Rock of Ages) and choreographer Kelly Devine (Come from Away) drive this fresh take on the story of Cher, a girl so psychotically optimistic she can't see that her bungling attempts at playing Cupid disguise her own fashion-plated isolation.

What we're geeking out over: First Look At Cody Simpson In ANASTASIA On Broadway!

Cody Simpson is making his Broadway debut as Dmitry in Anastasia! The popstar burst onto the music scene in 2009 after being discovered and signed by Atlantic Records. He has gone on to release multiple records, tour with Justin Bieber, and created his new band, Cody Simpson & the Tide.

What we're watching: Watch KISS ME, KATE's Kelli O'Hara & Will Chase Exchange Holiday Gifts!

Kiss Me, Kate will soon make its return to Broadway with favorite Tony winning soprano Kelli O'Hara leading the cast alongside Will Chase. Chase is getting in the holiday spirit by wrapping gifts for some of his co-stars!

Kiss Me, Kate will begin preview performances on Thursday, February 14, 2019 and opens officially on Thursday, March 14, 2019. This is a limited engagement through Sunday, June 2, 2019 at Studio 54 on Broadway (254 W 54th St).

Social Butterfly: MEAN GIRLS and WICKED Continue the Holiday Season at Broadway Under the Stars- Watch the Performances!

On December 10, The Shops at Columbus Circle (10 Columbus Circle) continued its third year of Broadway Under the Stars, a five-week series of free public performances taking place this holiday season. On this day, cast members from Mean Girls and Wicked performed!

And a Happy Birthday shout-out to Rita Moreno, who turns 87 today!

Moreno received a KENNEDY Center Honor for her lifetime contributions to American Culture in 2015. She was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama in 2010 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004. Ms. Moreno's countless credits span more than six decades, beginning with her Broadway debut at age 13. Ms. Moreno has starred on Broadway; London's West End; appeared in more than 40 feature films and countless television shows; has performed in numerous regional theaters, and in her one woman show, Life Without Makeup, at the Berkeley Rep.

See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!