Global Roundup 10/25 - Adam Pascal in THE MUSIC MAN, CHESS in Japan and More!

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature Adam Pascal in THE MUSIC MAN, CHESS in Japan and More!

Check out our top news and features from around the BroadwayWorld below! Want more great global content? Check out our "Around The World" section!

Top Stories

Dallas Theater Center Adjusts Understudies Policy Following Cancellation & Twitter Drama - It was just two hours to curtain of Dallas Theater Center's production of IN THE HEIGHTS when production finds out an actor is injured and the production will be unable to perform that evening as they need to see a doctor. (The actor who was injured has not been named by the company.)
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BWW Photo Exclusive: Adam Pascal Stars In THE MUSIC MAN At 5-Star Theatricals - Tony nominee Adam Pascal stars as Professor Harold Hill in the first show of the 5-Star Theattricals 2019-2020 season, THE MUSIC MAN, featuring book, music and lyrics by Meredith Willson, musical direction by Brad Ellis, choreography by Peggy Hickey and directed by Larry Raben.
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MOULIN ROUGE To Head To The West End in 2021 - It has been confirmed that the blockbuster Broadway hit, Moulin Rouge, will be heading to the West End in 2021. According to reports, the production will begin performances at London's Piccadilly Theatre in March 2021, and will transform the space into the decadent spectacle currently found on Broadway. Director Alex Timbers confirmed that casting for the production will begin in six months. The Broadway creative team and casting director Pippa Ailion will hold auditions in spring 2020.
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Ramin Karimloo, Samantha Barks & More Will Lead CHESS in Japan - BroadwayWorld has just learned that Ramin Karimloo (Anastasia, Les Miserables), Samantha Barks (Pretty Woman), Luke Walsh, and Takanori Sato will lead a production of Chess at Osaka's Umeda Arts Theater. Directed by Nick Winston, the production will run on January 27, 2020.
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Top Reviews

Seattle: Contributor Jay Irwin reviews AUSTEN'S PRIDE at the 5th Avenue Theatre, writing "Most people are familiar with Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". Whether it's from the book, the mini-series, the movies (even the zombie one), or just from general pop culture, most people know the story. So, turning this into a musical is a bit risky especially with so many Austen-philes out there. But writers Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs, have pulled it off (to an extent) with their new musical "Austen's Pride", currently at the 5th Avenue Theatre, and have even tripled the daunting task by making the melodies soar while fitting in the period, combining it with a story of Austen herself, and still retaining the charm and heart of "Pride and Prejudice" along the way."

Philippines: Contributor Vince Vicentuan reviews SWEENEY TODD, Starring Lea Salonga & Jett Pangan, Is One Palatable Creative Mischief, writing "Sweeney Todd is a directorial triumph. Obviously, [Bobby] Garcia has full control of all the elements of the production. It's one cohesive endeavor that proves whimsicality combined with creative intelligence could be what memorable theater is."

Rockland / Westchester: Contributor Peter Danish reviews AIDA THE MUSICAL at White Plains Performing Arts Center, writing "Aida is widely considered one of the grandest of grand operas. The task of converting it to a Broadway musical was a daunting one. Book writers Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang took liberties with the original libretto in a manner they believed would make the plot more relatable to the general public - while that is a question of taste, what is could not be changed was the epic size of the story - Pharaohs, Kings, and Princesses implicitly carry a certain about of gravitas. And the WPPAC production delivers in a big - very big way."

Boston: Contributor Nancy Grossman reviews THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL, writing "The National (non-equity) Tour of THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL settled in at the Boch Center's Wang Theatre this week and brought out families and children raised on the beloved Nickelodeon series. Joining a long list of animated shows adapted into Broadway musicals, this one is set apart by the clever collaboration with a wide variety of popular artists who composed individual songs, seamlessly curated, orchestrated, and arranged by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winner Tom Kitt (of Next to Normal). Based on the television series by Stephen Hillenburg, it was conceived and directed by Tina Landau and features a book by Kyle Jarrow, but the eclectic score is the crème de la crème of THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL."

Regional Editor Spotlight:

Nancy Grossman

From producing and starring in family holiday pageants as a child, to avid member of Broadway Across America and Show of the Month Club, Nancy has cultivated her love of the art and respect for the craft of theatre. She fulfilled a dream when she became an adult-onset tap dancer in the early 90's ("Gotta dance!"); she fulfills another by providing reviews for BroadwayWorld.com. Nancy is a member of the Boston Theater Critics Association, the organization which bestows the annual Elliot Norton Awards which honor the outstanding achievements of the Boston theater community, and she formerly served on the Executive Board of the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE). Nancy is an alumna of Syracuse University, has a graduate degree from Boston University, and is a retired Probation Officer-in-Charge in the Massachusetts Trial Court system.

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