Wake Up With BWW 4/17: HADESTOWN Opens, Drama League Award Nominations, and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld!

First, we'd like to wish a happy opening to Hadestown, which officially opens tonight at the Walter Kerr Theatre!

The Drama League Award nominations are being announced today! Shoshana Bean and Jeremy Jordan will announce the nominees at 11am, and it will be streamed live on BroadwayWorld!

The West Side Story film has found its Riff! Mike Faist will take on the role in the upcoming movie. In addition, over 40 ensemble members have been cast as the Sharks and the Jets!

Cher and The Cher Show recently took over The Tonight Show! The pop diva and the cast of the Broadway musical performed some songs, and talked to Jimmy Fallon about the show. Don't miss any of the clips!

Read more about these and other stories below!

Want our morning reports delivered via email? Subscribe here!

1) VIDEO: Cher Joins THE CHER SHOW Cast For Performance of 'I Got You Babe' and More on THE TONIGHT SHOW

Last night, 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' turned back time with a special, first-time Broadway takeover telecast dedicated to all things Cher!. (more...)

2) WEST SIDE STORY Casts Mike Faist as Riff; 40 Sharks and Jets Members Also Cast
by TV News Desk

Dear Evan Hansen's Mike Faist has been cast as Riff of the Jets in Fox's Steven Spielberg West Side Story film, according to Deadline. Puerto Rican singer and dancer Ana Isabelle will play Rosalia, a shark who works with Maria and Dance Moms' Maddie Ziegler has been cast as part of the Jets. They have also cast over 40 performers set as Sharks and Jets!. (more...)

3) Photo Flash: First Look at Corey Cott, Mikaela Bennett, and the Cast of WEST SIDE STORY

Lyric's coproduction of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's West Side Story opens next month and features Broadway star Corey Cott as Tony and rising star Mikaela Bennett as Maria. We've got a first look at the company in action, check out the photos below!. (more...)

4) Alice Ripley and More Will Lead Reading of PETE(HER) PAN

Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley will star as Captain Hook in Cleveland Musical Theatre's NYC reading of Pete(HER)Pan: A New Neverland on Friday, April 26th, 2019.. (more...)

5) Ethan Slater, Javier Munoz, Lena Hall & More Will Lead REEFER MADNESS Reading

David Carpenter, John Arthur Pinckard, Christian Campbell, and America Olivo will present a private, industry only reading of the musical Reefer Madness The Musical on Thursday, April 18, 2019.. (more...)

Today's Call Sheet:

The Drama League Award nominations are announced today!

Shoshana Bean and Jeremy Jordan, who both currently star in Waitress, will announce the 2019 Drama League Awards Nominees for Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the much-coveted Distinguished Performance Award.

The announcement event takes place today, April 17, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at Sardi's (234 West 44th Street, 4th Floor) and will be streamed live via BroadwayWorld.com

HADESTOWN officially opens tonight!

Hadestown follows two intertwining love stories - that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone - as it invites audiences on an epic journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell's beguiling melodies and Chavkin's poetic imagination pit nature against industry, faith against doubt, and love against fear. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers and singers, Hadestown delivers a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience.

The show began previews on March 22 at the Walter Kerr Theatre!

Read the reviews for BURN THIS, which officially opened on Broadway last night, April 16!

This is the first revival of Pulitzer Prize Winner Lanford Wilson's Burn This, starring Academy Award Nominee and three-time Emmy Award Nominee Adam Driver (Pale), Golden Globe Award Winner and Emmy Award Nominee Keri Russell (Anna), Tony Award Nominee David Furr (Burton) and Tony Award Nominee Brandon Uranowitz(Larry).

When a mysterious death brings together two unlikely strangers, their explosive connection sparks a chemistry too fiery to ignore. Burn This is a smoldering story of love and raw attraction by one of the most vital playwrights of the modern era.

Read the reviews here!

BWW Exclusive: Catching Up with BURN THIS Star Brandon Uranowitz

Brandon Uranowitz is no stranger to the Broadway stage, heading up productions such as Falsettos, Prince of Broadway, The Band's Visit, and currently Burn This. That's not to mention his recent concert roles in Man of La Mancha and Grand Hotel. Oh, and there's his run on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and an upcoming appearance on Fosse/Verdon.

We took a moment to catch up with Uranowitz about the hard work he's put into his craft that's led to the string of great projects.

Read the full interview here!

What we're geeking out over: Present-Day Adaptation of OKLAHOMA! in the Works for TV

Skydance Television announced that it has partnered with The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and Concord to develop an original television series inspired by the hit Broadway musical Oklahoma! The present-day series written by John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, The Highwaymen) and Bekah Brunstetter (This is Us, American Gods) will be set in America's heartland and include music by the legendary team of Rodgers & Hammerstein, reimagined for a contemporary audience, in addition to new music to support the story.

What we're watching: Christie Brinkley Gets Ready to Return to CHICAGO as Roxie Hart!

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, supermodel & actress Christie Brinkley will return to Broadway's Chicago as "Roxie Hart" for four weeks only, Thursday, April 18 to Sunday, May 12, 2019.

She tells us all about how much Broadway means to her and why she can't wait to strap on Roxie's shoes once more!

And a Happy Birthday shout-out to Rebecca Luker, who turns 58 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!