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The Color Purple often succeeds as a thoughtful fusion of two other adaptations of Alice Walker’s landmark novel that still confidently hums its own tune.In shakier moments, though, confidence gives way to nostalgia, when the film hammers home its reinterpretations of quotable scenes and dialogue from the Quincy Jones-produced, Steven Spielberg-directed 1985 adaptation with an insistence that borders on flashing “Hey, remember this?” in bold type onscreen.Creating and saying something new with such proven material, while also purposely coaxing audience sentiment for a beloved original, surely posed a formidable challenge for Bazawule and company. And having Jones, Spielberg, and Oprah Winfrey — the big guns and big breakout from the 1985 film — onboard as producers must have eased and complicated the gig in unfathomable ways.Oprah and Jones also had a hand in the original Broadway musical adaptation, which has spun off its own lore and legacy, and adds another meta layer of pop-lit gloss to what this film aims to freshly reinterpret.The stage musical — with a book by Marsha Norman, and lyrics and music by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray — has amassed its own roster of breakout stars, including American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, who made her 2007 Broadway debut stepping into the lead role of Celie, and Orange Is the New Black‘s Danielle Brooks, Tony-nominated for playing Sofia opposite Cynthia Erivo in the 2015 Broadway revival.Barrino and Brooks reprise their respective roles here with a lived-in grace and fortitude that does freshly illuminate Walker’s moving narrative, the lifeblood that courses through every iteration.

recently told USA Today about the movie, premiering Friday, Jan. 12.“Early on, there was conversation of, ‘Would the Burn Book still be a physical book or should it be a private Instagram?’ “I knew what my instinct was, but I ran it by my kids,” she confessed. “And my older daughter was like, ‘Yeah, no.

“An Enemy Of The People” (featuring Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli), “Uncle Vanya” (starring Steve Carell and Alfred Molina) and “Mother Play” (with Jessica Lange and Jim Parsons).But that’s not all. High-profile revivals of “Cabaret,” “Doubt,” “The Wiz,” “The Who’s Tommy” and “Hamlet” are all coming to the Great White Way in these next few months, too.Who are all the eligible upcoming Tony contenders? Who are the big stars headed to Midtown in the very near future? How much are all the cheapest available tickets for the shows?Great questions all around and ones we’d love to help answer.Below, you’ll find our comprehensive list of the 20 biggest shows opening on Broadway in 2024.And we’ll see you at the theater(s).A Jewish couple in 1944 Paris face the impact of the Holocaust.Starring Anthony Edwards (“E.R.”) and Betsy Aidem (“Law and Order”) Samuel J. Friedman TheatrePreviews began in 2023Prices start at $80 before feesA musical about a couple falling in love in 1950’s New York and struggling to rebuild a family.Starring Kelli O’Hara (“The Gilded Age”) and Brian d’Arcy James (“Evil”)Studio 54Previews start Jan. 6Prices start at $86 before feesA small-town doctor who has his world rocked when his community tries to silence him.Starring Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) and Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos”)Circle In The SquarePreviews start Feb. 27Prices start at $85 before feesA strict nun wrestles with whether or not relations between a priest and student are pure.Starring Liev Schrieber (“Ray Donovan”) and Tyne Daly (“Cagney and Lacey”)American Airlines TheatrePreviews start Feb. 2Prices start at $75 before feesAllie and Noah share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart.Starring Ryan

“Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club” opens at New York City’s August Wilson Theatre and will run well into 2025.The classic musical, featuring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne as The Emcee and “Perry Mason” star Gayle Rankin until August 2024, takes place in 1929-30 Berlin and tells the story of American writer Clifford Bradshaw and his relationship with English cabaret star Sally Bowles.“This is it. This is the one.

*This story includes spoilers for “Gutenberg.”If you thought Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells were the only stars on display at Broadway’s riotous musical comedy “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” we’re happy to report you’d be wrong.Most shows ends with a special celebrity guest appearance that often floor Gad and Rannells.To close shows, big names like Steve Martin, Martin Short, Will Ferrell, Kristin Chenoweth and Weird Al Yankovic walk onstage as a “Broadway Producer” to present our heroes with a “Broadway contract” for their hastily researched musical within a musical about Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press.And while we can never predict who will be at the next performance at the James Earl Jones Theatre, we do know the best way to find out is live.As of now, tickets are available for all 48 remaining shows up until Jan. 28, 2024.At the time of publication, prices start around $60 to $70 before fees on Vivid Seats to catch the musical IRL.Want see Gad, Rannells and maybe a household name live onstage in midtown Manhattan?Here’s everything you need to know and more.All ticket prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.Up until Jan.

snowplow incident nearly cost him his life last year.“New musical diary — story of life, death, recovery, all things learned along the way,” Renner, 52, wrote on Instagram next to a picture of himself and his daughter, Ava, sitting on a dock and looking out on the water of Lake Tahoe in Nevada. (He shares Ava with ex-wife Sonni Pacheco.) According to the Saturday post, Renner plans to release the diary, which is titled “Wait,” on Jan 1, 2024 — the one-year anniversary of his accident.“I can’t wait to share more with you,” the “Hawkeye” actor concluded.

Monty Python’s Spamalot. The spoof, based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, is back on the Broadway boards after a critically acclaimed run earlier this year at the Kennedy Center.Whether you’ll look on the bright side with approval or wish that this quest had more grit may depend upon your expectations of production values and your threshold for unabashed silliness.Tony-winner James Monroe Iglehart leads a top-notch cast as the medieval King Arthur, whose aim is to recruit other men to his Round Table and guide them to the utopia of Camelot.Camelot, as it turns out, is a glitzy casino — an ideal setting for a song and dance routine.

Mean Girls lovers still have about a month to wait before they get to watch their favorite movie as a movie musical.But in the meantime, to hold everyone over until the film is released, two of the most exciting and talented women in music announced a new single to accompany the upcoming feature film.Megan Thee Stallion and Reneé Rapp’s joint single, “Not My Fault,” is slated to arrive everywhere on Friday, Dec. 15.

“Hells Kitchen” at the Newman Theater that’s based on her life.However, her finger prints are all over the musical. From the music to the coming-of-age story about 17-year-old Ali living in a cozy Times Square apartment, “Hells Kitchen” is all Keys.And if you want to see her journey live, you can grab seats to shows all the way up until when it closes on Jan.

Oklahoma!But soon after, the school’s principal called Hightower’s father to inform him of a new district policy.“He said we’re instituting a new policy where only males can play males, and only females can play females,” Phillip Hightower told Dallas-Fort Worth NBC affiliate KXAS-TV.The elder Hightower was “devastated” by the decision, noting that Max has never been treated differently because of his gender identity — until now.Aside from being absurd — cross-gender casting has been a reality in the theater world dating back centuries — the school district’s purported policy will likely prove logistically difficult if it tries to avoid cross-gender casting, in part because there’s frequently a dearth of males in high school production casting pools.Illustrating that point, the sudden policy change also reportedly cost several other cast members their roles, according to the New York Post.Max Hightower’s adult sister, Gracie, recounted the events involving her brother, writing that some female students cast as “cowboys” were told they could not participate in the play due to the school district’s decision to intervene in casting.“Many opportunities were ripped away from kids not for bad grades, not for bad behavior, not for attendance, but for something that has absolutely nothing to do with the production whatsoever,” she wrote.A group of parents, including Phillip Hightower, plan to appeal the decision to the school board. “I’m not an activist.

For musical theater lovers intrigued by the idea of a lively 90-minute pastiche of rock, soul, and ballad paired with an interesting premise involving Shakespeare and social justice, Macbeth in Stride is the show for you. With an onstage band and performance at the heart of the production, this is all about clapping along, a goodly portion of expository — some of it sung — and participation as required.For those with a shorter attention span, fear not: there are whiffs of live-concert crowd-rousing, keening gospel gatherings, and even intimate evenings in a piano bar.The question is, other than being very entertaining, does Macbeth in Stride actually have something to say?Maybe, perhaps, sort of.The concept of writer-performer Whitney White is certainly compelling: it starts with a personable and inclusive invitation to consider with new eyes the way Shakespeare writes his female characters, Lady Macbeth in particular (called Woman here).White begins by asking, who was she really? Her answer arrives through the lens of a Black woman laying claim to their world and their power.This is an intriguing premise, but anyone who knows the play will be stumped by a threshold question: why choose a character who is murderously power-mad to the point of driving herself insane? Despite a fair amount of spoken and sung angst, the answer to the question never quite surfaces, and White’s attempts to fill in the gaps never convinces.More to the point, White’s Lady Macbeth presents as too smart, capable, and 21st-century-centered to see murder as her way to power.When even the three witches query her ruthlessness, it’s time to make the message clear, but it still never quite adds up.

told The Messenger this month, referencing the SAG-AFTRA strike. “We had it all set, but, after the strike hit, we couldn’t proceed because it would be seen as a promotion for a movie.”“However, we’re still planning to do that,” DeVito continued. “We’re going to watch the movie with David Newman’s score and try to do it sometime soon, as it seems the strike may be coming to an end — I hope!”The Post reached out to DeVito and Wilson for comment.

Tina Turner passed away at 83.Turner leaves behind an impressive stable of hits like “Proud Mary,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “The Best,” “River Deep, Mountain High,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” and a sterling reputation for being a one-of-a-kind electric live performer.And if you never got a chance to see her in concert — Turner’s last U.S. performance was in December 2008 on her ‘Tina! 50th Anniversary Tour’ — you can pay your respects to the Queen by checking out her touring “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical.”The Tony Award winning musical that tells Turner’s life story is currently playing venues all over North America for the foreseeable future.That includes runs at Rochester Auditorium in Rochester, NY from June 4-9, 2024 and Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, NY from July 30, 2024 through Aug.

died in Switzerland on Wednesday at the age of 83 after longtime battles with illnesses including cancer, high blood pressure and kidney disease.A towering, acclaimed musical based on her life has played in theater districts around the world since 2018.London’s West End version was undergoing a performance Wednesday evening when the audience found out about Turner’s passing — and the moment was caught on video.“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” star Kristina Love — who plays the lead role — tearfully halted the production at Aldwych Theatre to pay tribute to the groundbreaking music giant.In a video shown on the chat show “Good Morning Britain” Thursday, Love addressed the audience.“We’re here tonight because one woman boldly lived her life, from cotton fields to stardom,” she said in a video shown on the UK chat show “Good Morning Britain” on Thursday.“You have all found yourself in her story, in her music, and we’re all here today. So tonight we’re gonna party because we know there’s a huge party in heaven right now,” Love said.The audience gasped, clapped and cheered, with many shedding tears.

told The Guardian in an oral history for the movie recently. “It is a non-PC fairytale that is better for the cast not being teens,” the filmmaker went on.

Kristin Chenoweth is only 4’11”.What she lacks in height though, she certainly makes up for in stage presence.And now you can see Chenoweth’s stage presence on full display when the Tony winner takes off on her seven-concert ‘For The Girls Tour’ at performing arts centers, philharmonics and concert halls all over the country from Feb.

Abigail Barlow, 23, and Emily Bear, 20 — known professionally as Barlow & Bear — to stop the Grammy-winning duo from producing any future productions of their show live in concert. Earlier this week, the musical played in front of a sold-out crowd at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

died in February 2021 at the age of 91.Many of the iconic British actress’ old pals and costars such as “Princess Diaries” star Hector Elizondo also appeared throughout the evening. Princess Mia Thermopolis herself, Anne Hathaway, sent in a lovely recorded message to pay tribute to Andrews.Her “Mary Poppins” costar Dick Van Dyke also relayed a message via video.

“Singin’ in the Rain” debuted on the silver screen, the MGM musical is still as memorable as ever.Patricia Ward Kelly, the widow of the movie’s star and director Gene Kelly, broke down a few myths from the iconic 1952 film, including the oft-told fable about co-star Debbie Reynolds’ dance abilities.“The true story is pretty magical — I don’t think you have to embellish it,” Patricia told Yahoo! Entertainment recently. “The facts are that they pulled this remarkable thing off, and that everybody is performing at the top of their game.

Mean Girls, the musical adaptation of Tina Fey’s iconic 2004 film, is now back in “fetch” action.The show’s First National Tour, which had kicked off in Buffalo in the fall of 2019, has finally resumed for a run including a three-week stop at the Kennedy Center.Fey adapted her screenplay to create a plucky and wry book further enhanced by songs as appealing as the story, all developed in hodgepodge pop pastiche fashion by Fey’s husband, composer Jeff Richmond working here with lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde).With Casey Nicholaw as director/choreographer, the musical Mean Girls moves with the same exaggerated, kinetic energy as that of an earlier Nicholaw production, The Book of Mormon.The show also calls to mind Dear Evan Hansen due to Scott Pask’s digitally driven set design, a marvel developed with video designers Finn Ross and Adam Young and using sophisticated and colorful projected LED imagery to frame scenes in the jungle, in school, and at home.Danielle Wade stars as Cady Heron, the Janus-faced heroine who works to infiltrate the “Queen Bees” clique led by Nadina Hassan as Regina George.Megan Masako Haley plays Gretchen Wieners and Jonalyn Saxer plays Karen Smith, while Eric Huffman is “almost too gay to function” as Damian Hubbard and Mary Kate Morrissey plays misfit sidekick Janis Sarkisian.The main cast is rounded out by Adante Carter as Aaron Samuels, Kabir Berry as Kevin G., Lawrence E. Street as Mr.

“Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical” debuted online Friday for a three-day streaming run and immediately racked up more than $1 million in ticket sales.“You did it! You raised over $1 million to benefit @TheActorsFund!” the musical’s Twitter account tweeted on New Year’s Day.

coming to Disney+ on July 3, die-hard fans are concerned that the Pulitzer-winning musical will have to be censored for kids.

The Australian Government has revised its previous ban on gatherings of 500 people or more down to a limit of 100 people at any indoor event.

Head Over Heels: Garnet Williams — Photo: RJ Pavel

Toxic Avenger — Photo: Ryan Maxwell – TA9.EmilyLevey.RickyDrummond

The cast of Spring Awakening, photographed on the set by Todd Franson for Metro Weekly. .

By Mike Hitch