Week in Review 9.5.14

Kennedy Center Honorees

The 2014 Kennedy Center Honorees have been announced. Al Green, Tom Hanks, Patricia McBride, Sting and Lily Tomlin will be honored at the 37th annual celebration of the arts. The gala performance will be held December 7, and an edited broadcast will air on CBS on December 30 at 9pm. (Tune in - it's always an entertaining, often illuminating celebration.) The timing of the honor coincides with the arrival of Sting's The Last Ship, which is bowing on Broadway this fall. (Previews being September 30; opening night is set for October 26.) Who do you think will be on hand to honor these luminaries? Playbill has more about the Kennedy Center Honors.

Coming to the Boards

A couple of new productions were announced this week, as were rumors of an Aussie transfer:
  • Broadway will welcome the West End hit revival of David Hare's Skylight, with stars Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan (Inside Llewyn Davis) in tow. Bowing at the Golden Theatre, Skylight begins previews March 16, 2015, with opening night set for April 2. The limited run is scheduled to conclude on June 14. Directed by Stephen Daldry, the production also stars Matthew Beard. Theater Mania has more.

  • MTC has announced the final show of its 2014-2015 season, and it's Lisa D'Amour (Detroit)'s Airline Highway. Broadway previews will begin April 1, 2015, with opening night set for April 23. Joe Mantello (Casa Valentina) will direct. Broadway.com has more.

  • Rumors abound about a musical adaptation of Doctor Zhivago coming to Broadway in spring 2015. The Australian production starred Anthony Warlow (Annie). Broadway.com has more.
Sara Mearns: In a Day's Work

New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns has partnered with Dance On Network and created a short film with Ezra Horowitz. Mearns will also be featured in upcoming Cole Haan ads, and is a featured model for K.Deer Haute Yoga. The intense dancer's star has risen in recent years, wowing audiences in Christopher Wheeldon's Les Carillons, Liam Scarlett's Acheron, Balanchine's Davidsbundlertanze and Alexei Ratmansky's Namouna. Watch the short film below and then head to Mearn's You Tube page for more peeks behind the scenes and tutorials.


Fall Movie Preview

Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers presents the Fall Movie Preview, complete with his observations about blockbusters, "Oscarbait" and more. On the docket are Pride, directed by Tony winner Matthew Warchus (The Norman Conquests, Matilda); Whiplash, starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons; the much-anticipated Birdman, starring Michael Keaton; Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal's latest; the latest attraction from Christopher Nolan, Interstellar, and the directorial debut of Jon Stewart, Rosewater; and the Stephen Hawking biopic, The Theory of Everything, starring Eddie Redmayne.

Casting Updates

Broadway—Additional casting has been announced for Larry David's Fish in the Dark. Tony nominee Anna D. Shapiro (The Motherfucker with the Hat) will direct (in addition to David) Jayne Houdyshell (Romeo and Juliet), Jake Cannavale (Nurse Jackie, son of Bobby), Jonny Orsini, Rosie Perez (Close Up Space) and Jerry Adler. Previews begin February 2, 2015, with opening night set for March 5. Fish in the Dark will run at the Cort Theatre. Playbill has more.

TelevisionRecent Emmy winner Modern Family will welcome Tyne Daly (Mothers and Sons), who will guest star in the season's sixth episode. The Hollywood Reporter has more.

Broadway TourMatthew James Thomas will help launch the first national tour of Pippin, reprising his work in the title role. The tour begins on September 6 in Denver. Playbill has more.

BroadwayRonan Raftery completes the cast of The Real Thing, the Tom Stoppard revival that's coming to Broadway this fall. Ratery joins, among others, Ewan McGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Cynthia Nixon. The production, directed by Sam Gold, begins previews October 2. Opening night is set for October 30, and the limited engagement will run through January 4, 2015. Playbill has more.

Television—Look for Tony nominee John Ellison Conlee (The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence, Murder Ballad) in the final season of Boardwalk Empire, premiering on HBO this Sunday night. Conlee will feature prominently in flashbacks throughout the season. (Conlee's wife, Celia Keenan-Bolger (Peter and the Starcatcher) posted this photo of the happy couple at the premiere party.) Theater Mania has more.

Broadway-Bound—Patrick Page (Casa Valentina) and Ciara Renee (Big Fish) are among those starring in the La Jolla Playhouse (in San Diego) production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The musical adaptation features a book by Peter Parnell, music by Alan Menken (Aladdin) and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Pippin). The Scott Schwartz-directed show will play New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse after its San Diego stint, and a Broadway bow is likely. Broadway.com has more.

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