Two years ago A24 bought the Cherry Lane Theatre in Manhattan’s West Village for $10 million; following a thorough remodeling, the house has reopened this week. A24 plans to keep programming theatrical productions in the 166-seat theater, alongside music and a film series with talkbacks hosted by Sofia Coppola. - The Hollywood Reporter
Troubadour Theatres, which already has locations at Wembley Park and Canary Wharf (opening next month), is building the Troubadour Greenwich Peninsula Theatre, which will contain two 1,500-seat auditoriums and is expected to open next fall. - WhatsOnStage (UK)
Opening Night (based on the John Cassavetes film) was directed by Ivo van Hove and starred Sheridan Smith — yet it tanked so badly that it became a theatre legend. Rufus says, “It was really devastating. … But there is something to be said for really going through the mill.” - TheaterMania
“Chemical dyes are often toxic for the environment and bad for human health, so the costume designers at the theatre are experimenting with using flowers including indigo, dahlias, hollyhocks, chamomile and wild fennel to create the vivid colours used in their productions.” - The Guardian
“Backers were ‘induced to invest cash into multi-layered structures designed to conceal revenues, divert payments, and facilitate self-dealing among insiders,’ Atlanta-based entertainment lawyer James Lorenzo Walker Jr. said in his Sept. 4 complaint in New York Supreme Court (against ATG Entertainment).” - Broadway Journal
“The abrupt re-scheduled closing is a surprise finish for a staging that has been by all accounts a massive success in London's West End, where it continues to run in its fourth year. The Broadway iteration has struggled to sell the amount of tickets needed.” - Playbill
The landlord of the Bruns Amphitheater, where Cal Shakes performed from 1991 until it closed last year, is negotiating a 15-year lease with a new organization called Siesta Valley Amphitheater, which plans a “far more robust” slate of programming with concerts and film screenings as well as theater. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
Blame it on the excitement over the $85 million renovation of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, or the yearlong hiatus that it prompted. Blame the star-studded “Twelfth Night” production, featuring Sandra Oh, Peter Dinklage and Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o. But whatever you do, get in line early. - The Wall Street Journal
“We’re doing an outdoor public campaign that involves subways and taxi tops and things like that in the outer boroughs, which are very purposefully an invitation to the city at large. The intention is that we aren’t just trying to reach people that are already seeing 12 shows a year.” - Variety
“Thomas Schumacher, who led Disney Theatrical Group for decades and helped it produce enduring musical theater hits like The Lion King and Aladdin, changing Times Square and Broadway itself, is leaving the company.” - AP
“(The judge) ruled against Equity’s claim that Spotlight is an employment agency … (and) concluded that Spotlight, a website widely used by U.K. talent and casting agents, is a directory service.” Spotlight said afterward, “We strongly believe that Equity launched cynical, performative and expensive legal proceedings against Spotlight as a publicity stunt.” - Variety
“Kokuho, which means ‘national treasure,’ has already grossed more than 10 billion yen ($68 million), making it the second-highest grossing Japanese live-action film of all time. ... It stars heartthrobs Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama, who portray longtime rivals and soulmates. They are both Kabuki ‘onnagata’ actors, (who) specialize in women roles.” - AP
The world that received “Hamilton” in July 2020, however, was not the world that had made it the toast of the 2016 Tony Awards. The show’s promise of a multiethnic America fueled by immigrant ingenuity seemed, after four years of the Trump presidency, like an Obama-era fantasy. - The New York Times
Should Portland State build two new performing arts centers to handle Broadway tours while the earthquake-unsafe Keller Auditorium is renovated? Can the city in any way afford this? And what about traffic? - Oregon ArtsWatch
“Broadway musicals overwhelmingly focus on historical or fictional events; it’s exceptionally rare for an actress to cultivate a long relationship with a subject that she will embody through pop ballads and box steps. Especially one who’s investing in her project.” - The New York Times
