Stephen Sondheim Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 show, which was a 16-performance flop when it began its life, has, against all odds, only improved as the years have rolled on. It’s better and more youthfully optimistic now than it ever was before.

Troubled musicals, like troubled friendships, can often seem like defeats lying in wait, sponging up every last second of loving care, effort and good intention. So Maria Friedman’s smartly tended production of that most troubled of stage properties, the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth backwards musical Merrily We Roll Along deserves all the applause – and ticket-buying business – it’s getting at Broadway‘s Hudson Theatre.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter The 77th Tony Awards are moving to the Upper West Side and will take place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. It’s the fourth location change in four years for Broadway’s biggest night, held in prior years at Washington Height’s United Palace Theater, Radio City Music Hall and the Winter Garden Theatre.

Merrily We Roll Along, the new Broadway revival of the Sondheim classic musical starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, broke the six-performance house record at the Hudson Theatre with a $1.3 million gross in its first week of previews.

Jaden Thompson Director Richard Linklater expressed his admiration for Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking “Barbie” in a recent interview with NME. He specifically praised the musical numbers in the fantasy comedy, which include “I’m Just Ken,” performed by Ryan Gosling. “I liked the musical numbers,” Linklater said.

New York City’s Hudson Theatre starting Tuesday, Sept. 19.On that day, previews begin for the 1981 Broadway flop turned highly-anticipated revival of Stephen Sondheim’s classic “Merrily We Roll Along,” starring Daniel Radcliffe, Lindsay Mendez and Jonathan Groff.And the town is abuzz.When the show premiered off-Broadway last winter, the New York Post’s Johnny Oleksinksi gave “Merrily” a glowing four-star review.“This musical is intelligent, hilarious, human, heartfelt and alive,” he wrote.

UPDATE, with opening night: An official opening night date has been set for the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along: Following the previously announced Sept. 19 preview launch, the opening night will be Tuesday, October 10 at the Hudson Theatre.

later told People she gave up her card because the union “doesn’t support actors at all.”In “Company” by Stephen Sondheim, the actress’ tart-tongued socialite sang during the song “Ladies Who Lunch,” “Look into their eyes and you’ll see what they know — everybody dies!” But LuPone, a volcanic presence in and out of character, embodies more the mantra of her fame-hungry “Gypsy” character Mama Rose: “Anybody who stays home is dead!” So it was wonderful to see the fiery actress lively and out of the house, if not on Broadway, singing at the Ice Palace nightclub in Cherry Grove Saturday night. The sold-out event was a coup for Fire Island.

Gordon Cox Theater Editor Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, the musical “If/Then”: These aren’t the usual conversational touchpoints in a discussion about a video game. But all three of those musical theater references, and many more, were brought up by the creators of the new video game Stray Gods on the latest episode of “Stagecraft,” Variety’s theater podcast.

starts previews Sept. 28 at the Shed in Hudson Yards, is based on two films by Spanish surrealist director Luis Buñuel — 1972’s “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” and ’62’s “The Exterminating Angel.” Act 1 is said to be “Discreet Charm,” while Act 2 is “Angel.” The second part is heavily reliant on playwright David Ives’ book.The legendary creator of “Sweeney Todd,” “Into the Woods,”“Company” and “Sunday in the Park With George” died in late 2021 at 91, and his final musical, in whatever state it’s in, will be required viewing for Sondheim buffs.

Christopher Gattelli appeared at Deadline’s Contenders Television: The Nominees awards-season event after receiving his second consecutive nomination for his work creating the numerous dances in Schmigadoon!, which takes a satirical look at the world of movie and Broadway musicals.

Six of Broadway’s biggest stars came together to pay tribute to the late great Stephen Sondheim during a tribute concert at the Hollywood Bowl!

EXCLUSIVE: Jordan Fisher, actor, singer-songwriter, producer and gamer known for his work in Broadway’s Tony-winning Dear Evan Hansen, Tony-nominated Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Netflix’s Work It, among numerous other credits, has signed with Gersh. The agency will rep Fisher in television, film, voiceover work and endorsements/digital.

UPDATED, 11:20 AM: The producers of Here We Are have announced the cast for the first production of Stephen Sondheim’s final musical.

The first, star-packed Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along has extended its engagement by two months, giving ticket buyers until March 24, 2024 to see the production featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez.

Alison Herman TV Critic Nonfiction podcasts have proven to be a rich vein for the IP-starved TV industry to mine, from true crime (“Dirty John”) to unauthorized biography (“The Dropout”). Scripted podcasts have been a less fruitful source of material, with the first season of Sam Esmail’s star-studded “Homecoming” serving as the sole exception to date. Even then, luring Julia Roberts to the small screen likely had more to do with the show’s success than the story’s medium of origin. “The Horror of Dolores Roach,” a new series produced by Blumhouse Television for Amazon Prime Video, seems unlikely to reverse this trend. “Dolores Roach” began as a one-woman play called “Empanada Loca,” but found a broader audience in audio form. Released under the auspices of Gimlet Media, the studio recently absorbed into parent company Spotify after drastic cuts, the retitled podcast riffed on the urban legend of Sweeney Todd, the mythical barber made famous by Stephen Sondheim. (Disclosure: I previously worked at Gimlet’s sister studio The Ringer, also owned by Spotify.) “Dolores Roach” changed the antihero’s name, gender and nationality —  but kept the cannibalism and twisted love story that still define the character.

The beloved Broadway musical Into the Woods is now playing in Los Angeles and many members of the recent Broadway revival cast are leading the production!

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic In “Into the Woods,” the audience laughs at the gluttony of the Little Red Ridinghood character, especially in the earliest, most deliberately cartoony parts of the production. But in a sense, the crowd is getting off on gorging, as well, since this is the ultimate having-your-cake-and-eating-it-too show. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine weren’t too proud to cook up their 1987 classic with copious amounts of Mad magazine-style spoofery — or Looney Tunes-level laughs, even — and yet you can feel like those seemingly empty calories are justified, knowing you’ll be gulping back salty tears by the end. “Into the Woods” is as overstuffed with characters and ideas as any musical ever has been, but if everyone does their job right, you leave feeling like you’ve just been fed a perfectly balanced meal, and not a morsel more.

On the week I’m scheduled to speak with legendary artist Terry Gilliam, a quote from Martin Scorsese starts going viral. “I’m only now beginning to see the possibility of what cinema could be, and it’s too late,” Akira Kurosawa had expressed at 83.

Gordon Cox Theater Editor As they say in “Into the Woods”: It takes two.  And not just in “Into the Woods.” The 2023 Tony nominations remind us several times over that sometimes an actor’s role is so closely tied to another that it’s difficult to imagine a performance without the organic give-and-take shared with a co-star.    From “Into the Woods,” there’s Sara Bareilles and Brian D’Arcy James, both contenders for Tony Awards as lead performers for their work in the tightly linked roles of the Baker and the Baker’s Wife. Among their fellow nominees, there’s Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond as an accused murderer and the steadfast wife who strives to exculpate him in “Parade,” plus Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford as the murderous barber and the baker who loves him in “Sweeney Todd.” And the two lead roles in “Topdog/Underdog” and “Some Like It Hot” are so intertwined that these co-stars find themselves competing in the same category against a castmate.  

The report tracked 3,697 incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault targeting Jewish communities in that calendar year. And while that rise stems from various inflection points – political figures like former president Donald Trump playing host to known neo-Nazis like Nick Fuentes surely played a role – the case of Kanye West, in particular, had a noted impact.

Even longtime fans of singer Josh Groban could be forgiven some degree of surprise upon seeing the multiple-Grammy nominee in his 2016 Broadway debut Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, so impressive was his Tony-nominated performance in that splendid, eccentric musical. And those that saw his turn as that production’s bookish, melancholic Russian aristocrat Pierre might just as easily be forgiven still further surprise upon seeing Groban in his latest Broadway endeavor as the mad title character of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Lin-Manuel Miranda imparted an uplifting commencement address on Tuesday. He lauded the graduates for their unwavering commitment to the pursuit of truth in the face of the overwhelming prevalence of misinformation online.

A new stage musical based on the classic Nancy Drew adventure book series is in the works from Little Mermaid composer Alan Menken, Legally Blonde lyricist Nell Benjamin, book by two-time Oscar winner Sarah Kernochan and direction by frequent Stephen Sondheim collaborator James Lapine.

Barbara Bryne, a British actress who worked in stage, television, and film during a decades-long career, died Tuesday at age 94. Her death was confirmed by the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, but no cause was given.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Jordan Fisher savors those 7 p.m. showtimes. It’s not that there’s a huge difference on the nights that Broadway’s revival of “Sweeney Todd” starts at 8 p.m. But the extra hour of freedom after curtain call at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre means he gets more time to spend with his family. “I’ll get to bed an hour early and get up with my son so we can hang and have a little bit more time to chill in the morning,” Fisher says over espresso at a swanky bar in Manhattan’s theater district. He got married during the pandemic, and the couple welcomed their first child in last June. “A lot of my mornings are dictated by how late I go to bed. With a schedule like this, we go to work hours after people clocked out of their offices. My body has to get used to it.”

Apple TV+ musical comedy series “Schmigadoon!” because a producer told her she was “too old.”“I wanted to be in ‘Schmigadoon!’ – and I was too old,” LuPone, 73, explained to Mashable in a new interview.When the interviewer probed for more details, she replied, “Exactly what I said. We reached out to them and said I want to be in ‘Schmigadoon!’ They said, ‘Sorry. You’re too old.’ “The Post reached out to reps for the show’s co-creators, Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, as well as LuPone for further comment.LuPone’s still holding her head high despite the alleged rejection.

Patti LuPone may be a Broadway legend who’s won three Tony Awards, but hasn’t prevented her from feeling the sting of ageism.

Dylan Minnette sparks dating rumors after being seen holding hands with a new girl during the first weekend of Coachella – Just Jared Jr Meghan Markle is involved in another legal battle with a family member – DListed Robin Thicke and his fiance April Love Geary heated things up with some new vacation pics – Egotastic Netflix unveiled an official trailer for the second season of Sweet Tooth – Just Jared Jr Broadway icon Patti LuPone is taking over the Hollywood Bowl for Everybody Rise! A Sondheim Celebration this summer. She’ll be joined by the likes of Sierra Boggess and Sutton Foster for the tribute to Stephen Sondheim, which takes place on July 30.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (★★★★★). The big question looming over the head of every theater geek when the cast was announced: Is Josh Groban menacing enough to play Sweeney?It was a fair query. Sweeney Todd is about a British man wrongly punished for a crime he didn’t commit.

The Italian embassy got dressed up Monday night, April 3, to celebrate Signature Theatre’s 2023 Sondheim Award honoree, theater legend, and homegrown D.C. icon, Chita Rivera.

The Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd is officially open!

Stephen Sondheim’s horror-musical in which throats are gruesomely slashed and cannibalism is positively hilarious. 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission. At the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Pictured: Casting directors Katja Zarolinski and Geoff Josselson of JZ Casting. This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Casting director Geoff Josselson just checked off a major bucket list item. When he was asked what show he dreamed of casting, he would say “Into the Woods.” And just last year, working with Telsey Casting, Josselson was part of the team that assembled the heralded Broadway revival starring Sara Bareilles, Brian D’Arcy James and Joshua Henry. Josselson is on a bit of a Stephen Sondheim spree — with Telsey he also helped cast the new production of “Sweeney Todd,” starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. And he and his partner at JZ Casting, Katja Zarolinski, just collaborated for the first time with the Pasadena Playhouse to cast “A Little Night Music,” playing at the theater April 25-May 1. 

Patti LuPone, 73, has nine huge shows remaining on her ongoing ‘Don’t Monkey With Broadway Tour’ all over the U.S.That includes two stops in the Garden State followed by a pair in New York.First, the three-time Tony winner will belt standards by Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and more at Englewood, NJ’s Bergen Performing Arts Center on Thursday, March 23.Then, on March 25, she’ll perform at New Brunswick’s State Theatre.Come summer time, the tour will drop into Poughkeepsie’s Bardavon Opera House on June 17.For those willing to wait over a year, you can see the show in Manhattan — ‘Don’t Monkey With Broadway’ is scheduled for a night at Carnegie Hall on April 8, 2024. And the best news of all is you won’t have to pay Broadway-like prices to see LuPone live on the road.At the time of publication, we found some seats going for as low as $58 before fees on Vivid Seats.So, if you want to see LuPone deliver what Front Row Reviewers called “autobiographical snippets (and) powerful song(s)” live, here’s everything you need to know.A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues and links to the cheapest tickets available for all remaining concerts can be found below.(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time.

Pacific Overtures (★★★★☆) sounds doubly refreshing to ears eager to venture somewhere less familiar in Sondheim-land.The score, with music and lyrics by Sondheim, also simply sounds lovely filling the openness of director Ethan Heard’s in-the-round staging, grazing the graceful, watercolor-hued screens set designer Chika Shimizu has wrapped around the Max Theatre. Alexander Tom conducts a nine-piece orchestra — complete with a booming taiko war drum — that breathes vitality into those plunking, repeated quarter notes that so sing of Sondheim.Heard’s talented cast sings with passion, too, caressing the stories inside the songs to find touching notes of humor, pathos, pride, and prejudice.