Wake Up With BWW 8/14: BETRAYAL Begins Previews, A CHRISTMAS CAROL and HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE Come to Broadway, and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld!

Betrayal officially begins previews on Broadway tonight!

A slew of Broadway news was announced yesterday, including productions A Christmas Carol and How I Learned to Drive, casting for Slave Play, and more! Read more details about the upcoming productions below!

Hadestown will embark on a national tour! The cast announced on GMA yesterday that the tour will kick off in the fall of 2020!

Waitress is releasing a new EP! What's Not Inside will feature cut songs and demos that didn't make it into Waitress. The EP will be released August 16.

Read more about these and other top stories below!

Want our morning reports delivered via email? Subscribe here!

1) VIDEO: HADESTOWN Announces a National Tour!

Hadestown announced today on ABC's "Good Morning America" that the show will launch a National Tour beginning in the Fall of 2020. In its first year, the tour will visit more than 30 cities coast to coast, including (alphabetically) Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; New Orleans; Philadelphia; Tempe; and Washington, DC; with more to be announced shortly.. (more...)

2) Producer of Failed REBECCA Musical, Ben Sprecher, Arrested

According to the New York Post, Ben Sprecher, producer of the doomed Broadway musical Rebecca, was arrested today, August 13, for possession of child pornography.. (more...)

3) Campbell Scott Will Lead A CHRISTMAS CAROL on Broadway

It's official! The holiday masterpiece, A Christmas Carol, comes to Broadway this holiday season for eight weeks only following critically acclaimed runs at London's Old Vic. Two visionary talents, playwright Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and director Matthew Warchus (Matilda), offer a magical new interpretation of Charles Dickens' classic story, starring Campbell Scott (House of Cards, Dying Young) as Ebenezer Scrooge. Beginning previews on Thursday, November 7 at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street), with the opening night set for Wednesday, November 20, A Christmas Carol will play a strictly limited engagement through Sunday, January 5, 2020 only.. (more...)

4) WAITRESS Will Release EP of Cut Songs and Demos; Watch Jeremy Jordan Perform 'Without A Believer'

The producers of Waitress have announced that a new EP, titled What's Not Inside: The Lost Songs from Waitress, will be released. The album features outtakes and demos recorded by Sara Bareilles for the hit Broadway musical. Available for pre-order today, the 7 track EP (extended play) is set for release on download and streaming services this Friday, August 16th.. (more...)

Today's Call Sheet:

Betrayal begins previews on Broadway tonight!

As previously announced, The Jamie Lloyd Company, the successful partnership between Ambassador Theatre Group and Artistic Director Jamie Lloyd, brings their production of Harold Pinter's Betrayal to Broadway following its smash-hit, extended run in London's West End. Directed by Mr. Lloyd, Betrayal stars Golden Globe, Olivier, and Evening Standard Award winner Tom Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton, and Charlie Cox, all making their Broadway debuts as Robert, Jerry, and Emma, respectively. They will be joined by Eddie Arnold as the Waiter.

Betrayal will play Broadway's Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street) with performances beginning Wednesday, August 14, 2019, and an official Opening Night set for Thursday, September 5, 2019.

BWW Exclusive: BWW Interview: THE LION KING's Shahadi Wright Joseph on Broadway Beginnings, Black Girl Magic, and Forging a Future in Film

The long-running Broadway incarnation of The Lion King sees the spectacle amplified even further, with noted theatrical visionary Julie Taymor parading full-sized elaborately-crafted puppets down the aisles and bounding across the stage.

But yet, for burgeoning young actress Shahadi Wright Joseph, its significance hits even closer to home.

Read our full interview here!

What we're geeking out over: Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse Will Lead HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE on Broadway in 2020

Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) and Daryl Roth, Cody Lassen, The Dodgers in association with the Vineyard Theatre have just announced the Broadway premiere of the Pulitzer Prize winning How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel, with original stars Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse, directed by Mark Brokaw.

How I Learned to Drive will begin previews on Friday, March 27, 2020 prior to a Wednesday, April 22, 2020 opening night at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street).

What we're watching: FROZEN Tour Elsa, Caroline Bowman, Sings 'Let It Go' At Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert!

This week, Caroline Bowman warmed up at the Broadway In Chicago Millenium Park Summer Concert before she brings the cold on the road in the first national tour of Frozen.

Check out Caroline belting out Elsa's signature anthem, "Let It Go"!

And a Happy Birthday shout-out to Sarah Brightman, who turns 59 today!

Sarah Brightman's West End debut was at the age of 13 in "I and Albert". She originated the role of Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera in London and in New York. She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for the role in 1988.

On the West End she also appeared in Cats and Nightingale, and on Broadway she was a replacement in Aspects of Love in 1990.

Sarah married composer Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1984 until 1990.

She has recorded a number of solo albums, including 1988's The Trees They Grow So High, 1989's The Songs That Got Away, 1990s As I Come of Age, 1993's Dive, 1995's Fly, and 1998's Eden. More recent albums include La Luna (2001) and Harem (June, 2003.)

See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!