Week in Review 8.21.15

Dave Grohl Talks Sonic Highways and Emmys

Dave Grohl has been talking about the Emmy-nominated docuseries, Sonic Highways, which found Grohl and his Foo Fighters band mates traveling to eight US cities to tap into the local musical roots. (The resulting album features a song inspired by each city.) Visit Deadline to read an interview the musician gave, and watch below as he talks with two Gold Derby staffers. Foo Fighters continue to tour the US in support of Sonic Highways, and have some international dates coming up, as well. Check foofighters.com for info.


Casting News

  • Saycon Sengbloh (Hair, Holler If Ya Hear Me), Pascale Armand, Akosua Busia and Zainab Jah round out the cast of Eclipsed, joining the previously announced Lupita Nyong'o. The Public Theater production begins previews September 29, with opening night set for October 14. Broadway.com has more.

  • Russell Tovey (The History Boys, Looking) and Richard Hansell have joined the cast of the upcoming revival of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge. Previews begin October 21, with opening night set for November 12. The play will run at the Lyceum Theatre. Broadway.com has more.

  • Additional casting has been announced for the upcoming Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Among those joining the cast are Alexandra Silber (Arlington), Ben Rappaport (Picnic) and more. Previews begin November 12, with opening night set for December 17. Visit Broadway.com for the full list of everyone who's joined the company.

  • Tom Pelphrey and Gordon Joseph Weiss will join Nina Arianda and Sam Rockwell for the Broadway bow of Sam Shepard's Fool for Love, being presented on Broadway by MTC. Previews begin September 15, with opening night scheduled for October 8. Playbill has more.

  • Christopher Denham (The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin, Argo) will appear opposite Al Pacino in the Broadway premiere of David Mamet's China Doll, directed by Tony winner Pam MacKinnon (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Qualms). Denham replaces the previously announced Fran Kranz. Previews begin October 21, with opening night set for November 19. Playbill has more. 
Artios Casting Awards

Speaking of casting, nominees for the 2015 Artios Awards, honoring excellence in theatre and TV casting, have been announced. Broadwayworld.com has the full list of nominees. Here are some of the shows for which casting directors are nominated: The Affair; An American in Paris; ConstellationsThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; The Flick; Fly By Night; Game of Thrones; The Good Wife; House of Cards; The King and I; Olive Kitteridge; On the Twentieth Century; Silicon Valley; Veep; and You Can't Take It With You.

Hedwig Sets Closing Date

The Tony-winning revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch will conclude its record-making Broadway run this fall, with the final performance scheduled for September 13. The closing company will include Taye Diggs as Hedwig and Rebecca Naomi Jones as Yitzhak. A national tour and international productions of the John Cameron Mitchell–Stephen Trask musical are in the works, and you can learn more about those on Broadway.com.

In Your Arms Connects Composers, Playwrights and Dancers

Keep your radar tuned for In Your Arms, a new dance show debuting at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre next month. The show features an original score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, the duo behind Ragtime, and is structured as ten vignettes, each with a story by a different playwright. Contributing playwrights include Rajiv Joseph (Guards at the Taj); Terrence McNally (Mothers and Sons); Marsha Norman (The Bridges of Madison County); Christopher Durang (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike); and more. The San Diego production will feature an ensemble that includes Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line) and Oscar winner George Chakiris (West Side Story), among many others. In Your Arms will run September 16 through October 25, and be directed and choreographed by Tony winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies). Playbill has more.

Dig This

  • Christopher Abbott (The House of Blue Leaves, Girls) spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about Annie Baker's John, now playing at the Signature Theatre, and the upcoming indie film, James White, a Sundance hit. 

  • Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) announced last week that he has been tapped to contribute songs to an upcoming Disney film. He shared the news on Twitter, and Broadway.com followed up with the details.

     
  • Aaron Tveit spoke to Broadway.com about Grease and Big Sky. (In other Tveit news, the actor will partake in Elsie Fest, a music festival for Broadway lovers. Broadway.com has more about that.)

  • Hamilton news: the album will be released on vinyl (in January); Christopher Jackson personified grace under fire during a bizarre interview with the NY Fox affiliate; Renee Elise Goldsberry is featured on the Tory Burch blog; and Phillipa Soo spoke to W magazine. 

  • Hosts of the first three episodes of SNL's 41st season will be (in order): Miley Cyrus, Amy Schumer and Tracy Morgan. The season premieres October 3. The Hollywood Reporter has more.

  • Additional details about the possible Maya Rudolph variety show are in the ether. TV Line reports that veteran comic Martin Short has signed on as co-headliner, with the weekly variety show titled Maya and Marty. Keep your fingers crossed.

  • Forbes has released its annual list of the highest paid actors and actresses, with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jennifer Lawrence leading their respective lists.

  • Rajiv Joseph spoke to American Theatre magazine about Guards at the Taj, both his writing process for this piece and what it means to him. In the print edition, you can read the full text of this terrific play.

  • The Cirque du Soleil show Paramour, created specifically for Broadway, will bow at the Lyric Theatre next year. Previews begin April 16, 2016, and opening night is set for June 2. Broadway.com has more.

  • The New York Times is highlighting the fantastic Instagram feeds of ballet dancers across the country, focusing mostly on the beautiful shots captured by New York City Ballet dancers. 

  • A new era at The Daily Show is fast approaching. Watch this tease for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (then hear from Noah, via Vogue):

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