Solea Pfeiffer and Liisi LaFontaine to lead WANTED at the James Earl Jones this fall

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 3:46pm

Previews begin October 15 ahead of November 8 opening

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 3:51pm

Before anyone polices the thread, I think having a fresh thread to discuss is a good idea so we aren’t going back to the old Gun & Powder thread for updates.

[Joyce 9]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 4:32pm

It’s a top notch musical.  Very much looking forward to seeing this on Broadway, everything is first rate. 

[gibsons2]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 5:04pm

Joyce 9 said: "It’s a top notch musical. Very much looking forward to seeing this on Broadway, everything is first rate."

You have to be more specific

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 5:10pm

Based solely on what Flash is saying, this'll get lukewarm reviews and close in a month or less.

They're the new After Eight.

Updated On: 3/17/26 at 05:10 PM

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 5:35pm

Joyce 9 said: "It’s a top notch musical. Very much looking forward to seeing this on Broadway, everything is first rate."

Why does this reply give me deja vu

[Kad]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 5:39pm

For anyone wondering about Ciara Renee’s lawsuit, publicly available court documents indicate she filed for voluntary dismissal about a month or so after initially filing the suit. 

[Joyce 9]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 5:50pm

The show’s a breath of fresh air, nice country western epic with two ladies pretending to be white to get the money that was stolen from them.  They leave the plantation armed, and the whole show is this wild roller coaster ride with them trying to get what they want.  The score is good, dramatic, melodic, excellent performances all around.  There’s nothing like this, and I’m easily rooting for this to go all the way Best Musical 2027.  I just know you’ll all love it!!!

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 6:04pm

Joyce 9 said: "The show’s a breath of fresh air, nice country western epic with two ladies pretending to be white to get the money that was stolen fromthem. They leave the plantation armed, and the whole show is this wild roller coaster ride with them trying to get what they want. The score is good, dramatic, melodic, excellent performances all around. There’s nothing like this, and I’m easily rooting for this to go all the way Best Musical 2027. I just know you’ll all love it!!!"

Sure thing, Flash. 

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 7:03pm

I think it’s a shame thy couldn’t get it in this season. With how sparse the season is they could’ve been a front runner for best musical. I really liked it a Papermill and hope they made the right edits to get it to survive the winter

[Joyce 9]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 7:18pm

I totally agree, I wonder why they didn’t as originally planned.  You can already tell next season is shaping up to be competitive with Wanted and then the new Jason Robert brown musical coming in as well as Galileo, Dolly, paddington, millions

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 9:59pm

Joyce 9 said: "I totally agree, I wonder why they didn’t as originally planned. You can already tell next season is shaping up to be competitive with Wanted and then the new Jason Robert brown musical coming in as well as Galileo, Dolly, paddington, millions"

Gonna go on a very short limb and say, based upon the shows you listed, next season will not be competitive at all: it’ll be Paddington by miles. 

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 10:02pm

Kad said: "For anyone wondering about Ciara Renee’s lawsuit, publicly available court documents indicate she filed for voluntary dismissal about a month or so after initially filing the suit."

Thank you!

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 10:07pm

Play Esq. said: "Joyce 9 said: "I totally agree, I wonder why they didn’t as originally planned. You can already tell next season is shaping up to be competitive with Wanted and then the new Jason Robert brown musical coming in as well as Galileo, Dolly, paddington, millions"

Gonna go on a very short limb and say, based upon the shows you listed, next season will not be competitive at all: it’ll be Paddington by miles."

Interesting, conventional wisdom would say WARRIORS by miles, assuming all goes as planned.

[Joyce 9]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 11:03pm

Play Esq. said: "Joyce 9 said: "I totally agree, I wonder why they didn’t as originally planned. You can already tell next season is shaping up to be competitive with Wanted and then the new Jason Robert brown musical coming in as well as Galileo, Dolly, paddington, millions"

Gonna go on a very short limb and say, based upon the shows you listed, next season will not be competitive at all: it’ll be Paddington by miles."

Have you seen Wanted?  I haven’t seen Paddington but everyone says it’s a cute family show.  Everybody agrees Wanted is a serious and great musical, it’s simply on a higher level. 

[DaveyG]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 11:19pm

Paddington is wonderful and far more than a "cute family show". 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 11:34pm

DaveyG said: "Paddington is wonderful and far more than a "cute family show"."

Everything I’ve heard about it sounds like a cute family show that sneaks in an important message about empathy and accepting “others.” I hope they have a MATILDA-type run in them, but this feels like our next SPONGEBOB to me. 

In this economy, the already financially-constrained family audience would much rather consider WICKED or THE LION KING as a better, more familiar use of their time and money. 

 

Updated On: 3/17/26 at 11:34 PM

[FightTheDragons]

Posted: 3/18/26 at 3:22am

I'll preface this with the fact that I haven't seen Wanted -- I found Paddington to be a cute and fun show, but overly long and without much depth. I enjoyed it but wouldn't pay the insane prices they're charging now (I paid 70 pounds, or 100 USD, and that seemed correct). Regarding the rest of the season, given the current lineup (and assuming Warriors doesn't come in as I imagine they'll want to workshop it first) I'd be giving best musical to Regency Girls, which is apparently coming in next season and was one of my favorite new musicals of last year. I didn't hear great things about Wanted out of town, and with no big star attached it's hard to imagine it'll be lighting the box office on fire either.

[ScottK]

Posted: 3/18/26 at 8:40am

This is GREAT news for WANTED and all involved!  But how can there be such definitive TONY talk yet?  Let's not forget THE HEART, THE INTERESTINGS and IMITATION OF LIFE? Those are 3 that are already raising funds to come in. I'm guessing there are probably even more!  Should be many more options in new musicals next season.

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/18/26 at 9:11am

DaveyG said: "Paddington is wonderful and far more than a "cute family show"."

I concur with this. Usually shows that have an obscene amount of hype, in my experience, tend to have a weak spot or spots that most people overlook because the vibes they are riding on from the show, which make them more forgiving.

PADDINGTON was immaculately crafted, cast, and staged. The creators definitely took their time to ensure that one of the most beloved characters in the UK got the show they deserved. I went in with trepidation (especially since I bucked seeing THE PRODUCERS when this appeared on Twickets for £50), and I found myself laughing, crying, and fully invested in everything that was happening on stage. If it does come to Broadway, it’s going to be a formidable force in whatever awards season it arrives in.

[DaveyG]

Posted: 3/18/26 at 9:23am

IMHO, Paddington has what most shows don't have these days: genuine theatrical magic. The technical feat of the bear is special. I was emotionally connecting to this wonder happening in front of me and it was supported by excellent writing. (I had the opposite response to King Kong, where the puppet was incredible but the material wasn't.)

Is Paddington perfect? No. I think they could probably trim 10-15 minutes out of the show and there were two songs that didn't rise to the level of everything else. But for me, it was a glorious evening in the theatre and I hope it transfers to Broadway. 

[inception]

Posted: 3/18/26 at 9:49am

I booked cheapish airfare to NYC for Fall about a week before something happened causing oil prices to skyrocket.  Now I just hope there will actually be 10 shows I want to see, because right now neither Wanted nor Galileo fit the bill.

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 3/18/26 at 10:09am

ScottK said: "This is GREAT news for WANTED and all involved! But how can there be such definitive TONY talk yet? Let's not forget THE HEART, THE INTERESTINGS and IMITATION OF LIFE? Those are 3 that are already raising funds to come in. I'm guessing there are probably even more! Should be many more options in new musicals next season."

Imitation of Life has work to do based on what I’ve seen of the material. Interestings is one to track for sure. 

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/18/26 at 1:23pm

Not to be that guy, but...I'm still fascinated by the whole thing with Ciara Renee. Glad she dropped the lawsuit, although the damage to her reputation is done and I have a feeling she may never work on Broadway again. Judging by her IMDB page, her film career dried up pretty fast as well...so what is she doing for work now? It is so unusual for someone to go from being a star on both Broadway and TV to being just another unemployed actor posting mindfulness videos on Instagram.

[Joyce 9]

Posted: 3/18/26 at 2:14pm