Wake Up With BWW 4/17: 1776 Will Come to Broadway in 2021, and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld!

1776 has been confirmed for the Spring 2021 Broadway season! The cast gathered recently for a Zoom workshop.

Original revival cast members of A Chorus Line reunited during quarantine! More than a decade after their closing night, 44 cast members shared what brought them all together 'again'.

Read more about these and other top stories below!

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1) Breaking: Cast Gathers for 1776 Workshop; Confirmed for Spring 2021 Broadway Season

BroadwayWorld has just learned that the cast has been assembled for Diane Paulus' Broadway-Bound 1776, which just began a Zoom workshop. Exact production dates have not been announced, though the A.R.T. has confirmed that the musical will play as a part of its 2020/21 Season, and Roundabout will bring it to the American Airlines Theatre in Spring 2021.. (more...)

2) Two-Time Tony Award Winner Brian Dennehy Has Passed Away at 81

Two time Tony Award winner Brian Dennehy has passed away at 81 from natural causes. . (more...)

3) Living Room Concerts: Layton Williams Sings 'Out Of The Darkness' From EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE
by BroadwayWorld UK TV

Coming to us from his living room is the amazing Layton Williams! Pre-shutdown, he was starring in the title role of hit musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie - leading the UK tour, after playing Jamie in the West End. Watch him sing a number from the show in the video!. (more...)

4) Must Watch: A CHORUS LINE Revival Cast Reunites In Quarantine!
by Stage Tube

What started out as a fun project during the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic quarantine on our private Facebook group evolved into something emotional, nostalgic, and uniquely unifying amidst a very dark and isolated period in humanity. Now, more than a decade after their closing night, 44 cast members of the Broadway revival of 'A Chorus Line' share what brought them all together 'again'. It was... 5, 6, 7, 8.. (more...)

5) Hugh Jackman Turned Down a Role in Tom Hooper's CATS Film
by TV News Desk

Hugh Jackman, who is set to star on Broadway this fall in The Music Man, had the potential to be turned into a CGI cat in the Tom Hooper film adaptation of the hit musical. . (more...)

Today's Call Sheet - Upcoming Online Events:

- Check back later today for our next Living Room Concerts video, featuring one of our favorite Broadway stars performing from their home!

- Today at 2pm and 8pm, Seth Rudetsky will continue his Stars in the House series, featuring new Broadway stars performing and answering questions! Watch live on YouTube here!

- Feinstein's/54 Below's #54BelowatHome series continues with Tovah Feldshuh in Aging is Optional ('Cause G-d I hope it is!) tonight at 6:30pm. Watch here!

- The Met continues its Live in HD broadcast series with Viewers' Choice: Puccini's Madama Butterfly, tonight at 7:30pm. Watch here!

- Leave a Light On continues with Julie Atherton and Christine Allado & Luke Brady. Find out more here!

- Wesley Taylor hosts Broadway Snack & Chat and Lauren Molina hosts Broadway Song/Story Time, on Broadway Babysitters. Check it out here!

BWW Exclusive: Conversations and Music with Michael Feinstein- A Sondheim Medley!

BroadwayWorld has partnered with musical legend Michael Feinstein for an up-close and personal daily series- Conversations and Music. Over the next few weeks, check back to watch as Michael showcases his collection of memorabilia and archives along with stories and songs from Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, the Great American Songbook and much more. Some episodes will even include music from his piano in his studio!

What we're geeking out over: BROADWAY ON DEMAND Streaming Platform to Launch In May

Broadway On Demand, the all new membership-based streaming service that offers an extensive and wide-ranging library of video on demand content, exclusive livestream events, interactive platforms, and educational resources, is set to officially launch in mid-May with a star-studded live concert.

What we're watching: Watch Ben Cameron Count Down the Best Social Distance Duets on Ben's Ten

BroadwayWorld is excited to announce that we've teamed with the one and only Ben Cameron for a brand new live series, Ben's 10- counting down his favorite broadway things. Each week, we'll announce a brand new Broadway category that Ben will dissect in detail. Will the list be completely subjective? Totally. Will he make you laugh in the process? You bet!

And a Happy Birthday shout-out to Rebecca Luker, who turns 59 today!

Three-time Tony Award nominee Rebecca Luker was last seen on Broadway as "Helen Bechdel" in Fun Home. Before that, she played the Fairy Godmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Other Broadway shows: Mary Poppins, Nine, The Music Man, The Sound of Music, Showboat, The Secret Garden, and The Phantom of the Opera. Off-Broadway: Indian Blood (Primary Stages), Can't Let Go (Keen Company) and The Vagina Monologues. Regional theatre: Passion (Clara) at the Kennedy Center, Time and Again(Old Globe) and She Loves Me (Reprise! series is Los Angeles). Concerts: The Boys from Syracuse and Where's Charley? at Encores! Symphonies appearances include the Royal Stockholm and London Symphonies, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. She has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress and the White House. Ms. Luker has appeared multiple times with the American Songbook Series in the Allen Room, as well as the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater for the Barbara Cook Spotlight Series. Film: Not Fade Away (dir., David Chase) and The Rewrite (dir., Marc Lawrence). Television includes Elementary, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, Law & Order: SVU, CBS TV Movie Cupid and Cate. Recordings include: I Got Love (Songs of Jerome Kern), Greenwich Time, Leaving Home, Anything Goes: Rebecca Luker Sings Cole Porter. Rebecca resides in New York City with her husband, actor Danny Burstein.

See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!