Josh Groban to star in Sweeney Todd Broadway revival

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Martin Short and Shania Twain are in final talks to join ABC’s “Beauty and the Beast” special. Sources tell Variety that Short would play Lumière while Twain will take on the role of Mrs. Potts in “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.” The news comes just days after Variety exclusively reported that David Alan Grier will play the role of Cogsworth in the production. Previously announced cast members include Oscar winner H.E.R. as Belle, Grammy winner Josh Groban as Beast and Joshua Henry as Gaston. EGOT legend Rita Moreno will serve as the show’s narrator in the live-action/animated hybrid production.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor David Alan Grier is joining the cast of ABC’s “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.” The Tony winner will play Cogsworth in the star-studded production, according to sources. Previously announced cast members include Oscar winner H.E.R. as Belle, Josh Groban as Beast and Joshua Henry as Gaston. Rita Moreno will serve as the show’s narrator in the live-action/animated hybrid production. The special, to be directed by Hamish Hamilton, will be recorded live and feature never-before-seen musical performances. Jamal Sims is serving as executive producer and choreographer. Set design is by Julio Himede with costumes by Marina Toybina (“The Masked Singer”).

Pirates of the Caribbean that would not star Johnny Depp, the actor also made it clear during his defamation trial it would take “a million alpacas” and more to get him back to play Captain Jack Sparrow. Still, while he may not want to return for the next sequel (despite the still-viral Pirates of the Caribbean 6 petition), he also is still game to embody the infamous character for fans.  In fact, in a recent video that went viral online, Depp brought up the line from the first Pirates film in which he and Keira Knightley.

January Jones had plenty to smile about on Wednesday as her only son Xander celebrated his eleventh birthday.SEE: January Jones turns heads in chic crop top for rare outing with son XanderTaking to Instagram, the doting mother shared a touching post to commemorate his big day. Alongside a joyous selfie, the 44-year-old gushed: “My son is 11 years old today! I’m coping just fine (obviously), with grace and reflection.WATCH: January Jones slides into her incredible living room at LA homeIn the amusing photo, January could be seen wearing a pair of orange-tinted safety goggles as she beamed for the camera.

The starry Off Broadway revival of Merrily We Roll Along featuring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez doesn’t begin previews for another two months, and already it’s gotten a two-week extension due to ticket demand.

EXCLUSIVE: Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural announced the start of production on the latest Shudder original film, Birth/Rebirth.

Josh Groban is set as the co-lead opposite H.E.R. in ABC’s animated and live-action blended special, Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration. The announcement was made during Friday’s panel at D23 Expo 2022.

Henry is best known for his Tony-nominated leading roles in “Carousel,” “The Scottsboro Boys” and “Violet,” and for playing Aaron Burr in “Hamilton.” He played Roger Bart in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Tick, Tick, Boom” and Jerlamarel opposite Jason Momoa in Apple TV+’s “See.” He is currently appearing on Broadway in the Stephen Sondheim musical “Into The Woods.”Celebrated EGOT winner Moreno just wrapped production on feature films “Eighty for Brady” with Sally Field, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and “Fast X,” where she plays Vin Diesel’s grandmother. Last year, she co-starred and was an executive producer on Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story.” “Beauty and the Beast,” which was released on November 22, 1991, became the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the 1992 Academy Awards, where it won Best Original Song for its self-titled theme song. “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” is produced by Done+Dusted in association with Walt Disney Television Alternative and Electric Somewhere.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Josh Groban, Joshua Henry and Rita Moreno will star in ABC’s “Beauty and the Beast 30th Anniversary Special,” Variety can exclusively reveal. Groban, who recorded the original song “Evermore” for the 2017 “Beauty and the Beast” film, will play Beast. Henry, who recently starred on Broadway’s “Into the Woods,” will play Gaston. Moreno will serve as the show’s narrator, guiding viewers along the classically enchanting tale. As previously announced, Grammy winner H.E.R. will play Belle in the live-action/animated hybrid. The casting news was announced Friday at the D23 Expo’s “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” panel, moderated by Variety’s senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay.

Black Theatre United has announced the line-up for its inaugural gala next month, and it’s a stellar one: Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald, LaChanze, Capathia Jenkins, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Darius de Haas, Natasha Yvette Williams and Lillias White, for starters.

Nurses are supposed to make sure their patients are comfortable and well-taken care of. But what if that kindly nurse, who you expect to do what’s best, is actually trying to kill you? That’s the question that is asked in the new Netflix thriller, “The Good Nurse.” As seen in the trailer for “The Good Nurse,” the film follows the astonishing true story of a nurse who is suspected of poisoning his patients, leading to their untimely deaths.

A lot of bad things can happen when you go out in the woods with your partner. There are wild animals.

Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford are heading to Broadway.

As widely speculated, a new Broadway production of the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler classic musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford will begin performances on February 26, 2023, at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with an official opening night of March 26, 2023.

The classic musical Sweeney Todd is coming back to Broadway next year and it appears that Ticketmaster has leaked the official news.