Composer Frank Wildhorn has joined the creative team of Chimney Town the Musical, the theatrical adaptation of Poupelle of Chimney Town, the book-turned-anime film from Akihiro Nishino. Details regarding an upcoming full-scale production of the show, with score by Wildhorn, will be revealed shortly.
Tom Hanks and James Glossman's This World of Tomorrow, adapted from Hanks' short stories, begins its Off-Broadway world premiere at The Shed October 30, playing the venue's Griffin Theater. Opening night is November 18, with the limited run scheduled to continue through December 21.
Two-time Academy Award winner Hanks is also starring in the work as Bert Allenberry, a scientist from the future who travels through time to 1939's World's Fair in Queens, New York, in search of true love. The story comes from a collection of Hanks' short stories that was published in 2017.
Hanks is best known for his screen work in such titles as Sleepless in Seattle, Big, Apollo 13, and Forrest Gump. He made his Broadway debut in 2013's Lucky Guy, earning a Tony Award for his performance. His last stage performance was as Falstaff in Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles' 2018 Henry IV. This performance is his first New York stage performance in more than a decade.
Do you feel the pressure of the fandom when you’re reviving these classic musicals?
Absolutely. In Dreamgirls, it was a balance. That show was sung-through onstage. It was two hours and 40 minutes. It’s impossible to do in a movie — you need relief. So we had an hour and 45 minutes of that score retained, but there’s a song called “Ain’t No Party,” and people condemn me to this day on chat boards about cutting that. I think many people’s favorite song in Kiss of the Spider Woman is “Dressing Them Up.” It’s not Molina’s “I want” song, but it’s sort of the song that defines him. It’s a beautiful Kander and Ebb song. I tried so hard to figure out how to get it in. He hums it in the movie just as a little Easter egg. But I think there are going to be people who do not forgive the movie for that, and I understand it. And the only thing I’d say to them is if you’re true to the medium you’re working in, and you want to tell this story in that way, you have to throw everything up in the air and, in a way, start over.
1. Prologue - Ensemble, Narrator 2. Gospel Truth I (Mount Olympus) – Muses, Ensemble 3 Gospel Truth II (Underworld) – Muses, Ensemble 4 Despina’s Lullaby – Despina, Muses 5. Gospel Truth III (Herc was Mortal) - Muses 6. Today’s Gonna Be My Day - Hercules 7. Go the Distance - Hercules 8. Go the Distance Reprise – Hercules, Muses 9. One Last Hope – Phil, Hercules 10. Forget About It – Meg, Hercules 11. Gospel Truth IV (So Not Dead) - Muses 12. Getting Even – Hades, Bob, Charles, Ensemble 13. Zero to Hero – Hercules, Muses, Phil, Ensemble 14. A Muse Bouche — Muses 15. I’m Back! – Phil, Ensemble 16. Getting Even Reprise – Bob, Charles 17. Phil Goes the Distance/Doomed to Be Human - Phil, Hercules 18. I Won’t Say (I’m in Love) – Meg, Muses 19. I Won’t Say (I’m in Love) Reprise - Hercules, Meg 20. Great Bolts of Thunder – Muses, Zeus, Hades, Ensemble 21. To Be Human - Hercules 22. Gospel Truth V (That’s Our Tale) – Muses, Ensemble 23. A Star is Born – Muses, Company 24. BONUS TRACK: To Be Human (Original Alan Menken Demo) – Alan Menken
CD and vinyl versions are currently available for preorder at the Disney Music Emporium U.K. store by clicking here and will be available online and in-person at the merchandise shop at Theatre Royal Drury Lane later this winter.
This will probably give the show the exposure it needs to get a new cast album (even though the score seems virtually the same from the series) and/or boost a licensing deal, and maybe a third season of the show, as is their hope.
Oh, and y'all need to chill out over a limited run (which was a producer's decision, mind you... as opposed to an open-ended run, which most of y'all would have been even more cynical about anyway) of only the THIRD officially-announ
FIRST IN THE BRIEFING: Keep Up: The Making of The Heart, a four-part docuseries that follows the creation of the new musical TheHeart which is currently running at La Jolla Playhouse, has been announced. From the first movement workshop in New York City to its world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, viewers get rare access inside the making of a new musical. Episodes of Keep Up: The Making of The Heart will premiere Sunday evenings on the And That’s ShowbizYouTube channel, beginning October 12 at 7pm EST. Trailer:https://bway.ly/q4y1d3
"In a shift from the 1985 awards strategy — when both Hurt and Raul Julia were campaigned in the lead actor category — this year’s campaign is splitting its acting pushes. It was revealed to Variety exclusively that Tonatiuh will compete in lead actor, while Luna and Lopez are being positioned in the supporting categories. If nominated, Tonatiuh would join a short list of Latino actors recognized in the lead actor category. Only five Latino men have received best actor nominations in the Academy’s nearly 100-year history: José Ferrer, Anthony Quinn, Edward James Olmos, Demián Bichir and Colman Domingo."
"Luna, fresh off a successful Emmy run as an executive producer on Disney+’s “Andor,” steps into the role once played by Julia. The Mexican actor, who first gained international recognition in “Y tu mamá también” (2001), could benefit from a less competitive supporting actor field, where only Stellan Skarsgård (“Sentimental Value”) and Sean Penn (“One Battle After Another”) are currently seen as front-runners."
"A combination of nominations for Luna, Lopez and Atwood, alongside a possible lead actor showing for Tonatiuh, could bolster the film’s chances of cracking the best picture lineup.
Interestingly, Luna’s supporting placement continues a trend in movie musicals where top-billed actors are campaigned in supporting categories. Past examples include Meryl Streep (“Into the Woods”), Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Chicago”) and last year’s winner Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez”)."
After really enjoying the workshop of this, I was excited to see it fully fleshed out on stage. I am delighted to say I was not disappointed. I liked the bits of set there were and they were used cleverly, there was a bit of a reliance on screens/projection but it wasn’t bothersome for me. The one bit that did look a bit cheap was two flat decks which slide on and off stage left and stage right attached to a long solid pole (so it could be pulled back from the
