Curtain Call: “Ratatouille” raises over $1 million for The Actors Fund

CNN

Broadway: The virtual performance of the musical adaptation of “Ratatouille” raised over $1 million for performers impacted by the pandemic. The social media sensation premiered on New Year’s Day with well-known performers such as Andrew Barth Feldman, Wayne Brady, Ashley Park, Adam Lambert, and Titus Burgess, among others. The virtual performance was held in the TikTok platform at just $5 apiece via TodayTix through January 4th  in order to support the good cause.

Directed by Lucy Moss, the adaptation was born out of various contributions in the social media platform since the month of October. This included songs, costumes, puppets, and Playbill programs which all became a social media sensation among many Broadway fans. The Actors Fund, which was founded in 1882, serves as an organization with services that range from emergency financial assistance to affordable housing for the entertainment community through special events, donations, and membership programs for interested parties.

In another effort for Theater to come back, the Broadway League has co-signed a letter in order to assist with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. The letter addressed to President Joe Biden includes the partnership of other unions and leagues in the Broadway community including the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the International Association of Venue Managers. The goal of this initiative is for theaters to open their doors in order to transform these stages into vaccine sites for the public. 

The effort is also aiming to include ticketing systems in order to manage crowds and utilizing their workforce. Other companies involved include Live Nation and the National Independent Venue Association. Current plans of vaccine distribution have been paused until New York City receives higher weekly allocations and more vaccine supplies even though various venues such as Yankee Stadium and Javits Center have been set up as mayor vaccine distribution points in the city.

BROADWAY.COM

The world premiere of The Devil Wears Prada has been rescheduled for July 2022. The musical will premiere in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre after adjusting its 2021 premiere at Chicago’s CIBC Theatre. The production directed by Anna D. Shapiro will feature Tony winner Beth Leavel as Miranda Priestly and Taylor Iman Jones as her assistant Andy Sachs. 

The musical is an adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel of the same name, which was adapted in 2006 into a critically acclaimed film. The show will present a book by Paul Rudnick, music by Elton John, and lyrics by Shaina Taub in order to tell the story of Andy, an aspiring journalist, who ends up working at Runway magazine for the terrible Miranda Priestly. The production had an initial reading in 2019 with Emily Skinner as Miranda Priestly and Krystina Alabado as Andy after being in development since 2015. 

Off-Broadway: The New York Theatre Workshop is set to honor the 25th Anniversary of RENT. The company has announced that its annual gala will be dedicated this year to Jonathan Larson’s creation, which has won both a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize after the company presented the workshop production in 1993 and its official premiere in 1996. The celebration is set to premiere virtually from March 2 through March 6th for the production, which also had a successful 12-year run at the Nederlander Theatre. 

The gala will discuss the musical’s impact through its creation and reflections, as well as the performance of some of its well-known songs by recording and theater artists. The event will also feature the original cast with Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Anthony Rapp, among others, with a direction by Andy Señor, Jr. The NYTW annual gala is known for raising nearly 10% of the company’s annual budget with proceeds this year aimed to support its Virtual programming through a collection of packages, sponsorships and lottery tickets distributed through the TodayTix platform. 

Speaking of cast reunions, the original Off-Broadway cast of While I Yet Live is set to make a virtual comeback. Tony winner Lillias White and Emmy winner S. Epatha Merkerson will reprise their roles in Billy Porter’s creation along with Elain Graham and Sharon Washington, among others. Directed by Sheryl Kaller, the production will be presented in a virtual reading available on-demand on February 6th. 

The production is a semi-autobiographical play of Porter’s life, which follows the coming of age story of a young man among strong-willed women. The show debuted at the Duke on 42nd Street in 2014. Porter is well-known for his Broadway roles specifically Kinky Boots, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

International: A revised version of The Color Purple is set to premiere virtually in the United Kingdom. The musical will be presented in a concert version played at the Curve in Leceister in another digital presentation after the premiere of Sunset Boulevard in December. The cast will feature T’Shan Williams as Celie along with Karen Mavundukure as Sofia and Carly Mercedes Dyer as Shug Avery. 

The production will be directed by Tinuke Craig with music direction by Alex Parker and choreography by Mark Smith. Tickets will be available on the Curve’s official website, with 2,000 free tickets available to NHS workers through their local provider. The musical is also aiming for a movie adaptation to be released in December 2023 through Warner Brothers with Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey as producers. 

Regent Park Open Air Theatre has announced the cancelation of the 101 Dalmations musical adaptation. The production was set to make its debut at the venue and run from May 15th to June 20th. The theatre announced that the project was canceled due to practical and financial problems leading up to the beginning of rehearsals. 

Timothy Sheader, director and artistic director of the venue, stated that ticket holders will be provided with full refunds though the company is still exploring all options with its creative team in the hopes of announcing new plans for the adaptation. The musical had previously announced Tony nominee Kate Fleetwood as Cruella de Vil and that it would be based on Dodie Smith’s original story set in Regent Park. The show was also aimed to feature a book by Zinnie Harris, and music and lyrics by Douglas Hodge.