Week in Review 1.22.16

Bette Midler to Star in Hello Dolly

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The Divine Miss M will star as Dolly Levi in a 2017 revival of Hello Dolly. Bette Midler was last seen on Broadway in 2013's I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers. Midler will be directed in Hello Dolly by Jerry Zaks, with Warren Carlyle choreographing. (Scott Rudin is the lead producer.) Though the production does not have a theatre, it's been announced that previews will begin March 13, 2017. Opening night of the Jerry Herman–Michael Stewart musical is scheduled for April 20. Playbill has more.

The Most Incredible Thing

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New York City Ballet soloist and resident choreographer Justin Peck (Everywhere We Go, New Blood) is putting the finishing touches on his new ballet, The Most Incredible Thing, which premieres on February 2. Based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, this will mark Peck's first narrative ballet. Ever the collaborator, Peck is teaming with composer Bryce Dessner and artist Marcel Dzama to create the score and the costumes + scenery, respectively. New York magazine's The Cut has more about how the trio is working together to create this monumental ballet, which boasts a 56-person cast. What the trailer (directed by Peck) below, and then head to nycballet.com/incredible to purchase tickets.

Lincoln Center Festival

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The lineup for the 2016 Lincoln Center Festival, now in its 20th season, has been announced. The festival includes a drumming quartet; traditional Japanese Noh theatre; the Shakespeare's Globe production of The Merchant of Venice, starring Jonathan Pryce as Shylock; several symphonic and chamber music performances; an all-female, all-Japanese production of Chicago; and the US debut of Tony winner Christopher Wheeldon's full-length ballet of The Winter's Tale. Programming will run July 13-July 31. Visit lincolncenterfestival.org to see the full schedule.

Critics Choice Awards

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Winners of the Critics' Choice Awards, honoring excellence in both film and television, were announced. The Wrap has the full list of winners. Herein, highlights:

• Spotlight won Best Picture; Best Acting Ensemble; and Best Original Screenplay (Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy)
  
  
• Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor for The Revenant; for the same film, Emmanuel Lubezki won Best Cinematography
  
  
• Ex Machina won Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie (don't be scared off by that categorization; it's a fantastic film)
  
  
• Carrie Coon won Best Actress in a Drama Series for The Leftovers
  
  
• Master of None won Best Comedy Series
  
  
• Andre Braugher won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
  
  
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver won Best Talk Show

Grease Live

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Grease Live airs next Sunday (January 31), at 7pm, and there's plenty to gab about leading up to the broadcast. Late last week, we got some Frency lessons: We learned that Didi Conn, who played Frenchy in the beloved film, will make a cameo in the Grease Live broadcast (visit Theater Mania for more), and that Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (the duo behind Next to Normal and If/Then) have written a song for Frenchy (visit Playbill for more). Next, Broadway.com caught up with the cast to chat about their high school crushes, and Theater Mania had the cast introduce themselves and their characters. On Monday, Grease Live star Aaron Tveit (Next to Normal, Graceland), appeared on Today to talk about stepping into the iconic role of Danny Zuko. And below is the latest trailer, which features Tveit singing a bit of "Greased Lightning."

Hamilton News

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• Visit Backstage to see some behind-the-scenes photos of Hamilton, with Washington on your side Christopher Jackson as your guide. Jackson also visited Today to talk about Hamilton.
  
  
• A Hamilton documentary has been in the works. Hamilton's America, which chronicles the creation of the hit musical, will air on PBS this fall as part of the Great Performances series. The documentary will feature interviews, performance footage, and video of the cast visiting historic Hamilton-related sites. Theater Mania has additional details.
  
  
• Jasmine Cephas Jones (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds) was named one of 10 Actors to Watch in 2016 by Slant News.
  
  
• Jonathan Groff (King George III) posed for photographer Jason Zeren's The Creative Faces Project, which aims to capture the person behind the performance. A brief Q+A accompanies the photos, which can be found here.

The Kings and I

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Tony winner Kelli O'Hara will welcome three kings this spring. Beginning March 1, Ken Watanabe will return to the role that earned him a Tony nomination last year. On April 19, Jose Llana (Here Lies Love), who stepped into the role of the King of Siam last fall, will once again succeed Watanabe. And on May 3, Daniel Dae Kim will begin an eight-week run with the show, making his Broadway debut. This gorgeous, Tony-winning revival of The King and I continues its run at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater. Broadway.com has more.

Performing Arts Hall of Fame

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We have a new pantheon, of sorts: Legends at Lincoln Center: The Performing Arts Hall of Fame. As noted on Playbill, the Hall of Fame "honors the artists, leaders, and advocates whose creativity and tenacity have shaped, and continue to shape, the field of all of the performing arts at Lincoln Center." Each of the resident institutions, including NYCB, the NY Phil, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Lincoln Center Theater, are participating. A multitude of Founding Legends, those who have already made significant contributions to Lincoln Center, will be honored at a June 20 ceremony, along with the 2016 Hall of Fame class. Among the Founding Legends are Lincoln Kirstein (obviously), Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Leonard Bernstein, Peter Martins, Vivian Beaumont (for whom a LCT house is named), Wynton Marsalis, and former NY mayor John V. Lindsay. Playbill has the full list of Founding Legends, as well as more about the Hall of Fame.

Dig This

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• Claire Danes (Homeland), Hank Azaria (The Farnsworth Invention), and Sanjit De Silva will join the previously announced John Krasinski in the premiere of Dry Powder, a Sarah Burgess play set for the Public this March. Previews begin March 1, and opening night is set for March 22. The limited engagement, directed by Thomas Kail (Hamilton) is scheduled to conclude on April 24. Broadwayworld.com has more.
  
  
• W magazine invited Jake Gyllenhaal (Constellations), Seth Rogen (Steve Jobs), Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), and Paul Dano (Looper) to "audition" for the role of Cher Horowitz in the beloved 90s Amy Heckerling flick, Clueless.
  
  
• Three-time Tony winner Mark Rylance (Twelfth Night) will be back on a New York stage this November when Farinelli and The King transfers from across the pond. The play, written by Claire van Kampen, is set in 18th century Spain. Broadway.com has more.
  
  
• Artios Award winners were announced this week. The awards honor excellence in casting. Winners include the casting directors of The Curious Incident..., The King and I, Game of Thrones, Straight Outta Compton, and Olive Kitteridge. Deadline has the full list of winners.
  
  
• Cats is coming back to Broadway. A revival will begin previews at the Neil Simon Theatre on July 14, with opening night scheduled for August 2. Hamilton choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler will choreograph the production. Broadway.com has more.