This Week In Theater - 'Into The Woods' and 'Let It Be'

More Actors Go ‘Into The Woods’
The big-screen adaptation of the classic Sondheim/Lapine The Woods”
is gaining more stars from both the world of film and theater. MacKenzie Mauzy (last seen in the off-Broadway Giant) has recently joined the cast as Rapunzel with Billy Magnussen (from the Tony-winning Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike ) taking over the role as her Prince from the previously announced Jake Gyllenhaal. They join an all-star cast that includes Meryl Streep (The Witch), Anna Kendrick (Cinderella), Chris Pine (Cinderella’s Prince), Emily Blunt (The Baker’s Wife) and Johnny Depp (The Wolf). Also cast are a few names familiar to theater fans: One Man Two Guvnors star James Corden is tapped to play the Baker with “Les Miserables’” Daniel Huttlestone (who played the ill-fated Gavroche in the 2012 film) as Jack.

The film adaptation of the 1987, much-produced musical will be directed by ”Chicago” veteran Rob Marshall. “Woods” is a funny and beautiful retelling of many classic fairly tales, where Cinderella, Jack (of beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood and many others meet in a dangerous, mysterious wood to get exactly what they truly wish for. But when tragedy strikes, the characters must reevaluate what exactly “happily ever after” means. The original, Tony-winning Broadway product was immortalized in a PBS airing with the original cast including Bernadette Peters and Chip Zien.

'Avenue Q’ Has A Big Birthday
The hit musical Avenue Q is not just “for now,” as the Tony-winning comedy will celebrate its 10th anniversary on July 31. Q is a bouncy, hysterical take on post-college life and finding your purpose, told with a cast of potty-mouthed, Sesame Street -esque puppets. With characters such as Rod, a closeted Republican banker, Princeton, a recent wide-eyed college graduate, and Christmas Eve, a loud Japanese immigrant with a failing therapy practice, Q is a fresh, adult spin on a modern puppet show. To celebrate, the show, which moved Off-Broadway in 2009, will feature a special performance and other furry festivities.

‘Killer Joe’ Takes Aim At Broadway Run
Tracy Letts’ bloody dark comedy Killer Joe will make its Broadway debut in 2014. Directed by Pam MacKinnon, the play centers around an eccentric Texas family who resorts to hiring a hitman to kill their estranged mother for her insurance money. Casting has not been released. The play, which premiered in Chicago in 1993, was adapted into a 2012 film
by William Friedkin starring Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch. Letts, who has had a long career as both a celebrated playwright and actor, next work on screen will be the adaptation of his Tony and Pulitzer-wining play August: Osage County.

Hollywood Bowl Takes on ‘Chicago’
The Hollywood Bowl, the famed Los Angeles concert venue, opens their production of Chicago on July 26. Directed by Brooke Shields, who played Roxie on Broadway in the ‘90s, the all-star production features pop singer Ashlee Simpson, Stephen Moyer ( True Blood ), Samantha Barks (“Les Miserables”), Drew Carey and Lucy Lawless. The classic Kander and Ebb musical, known to many through the Oscar-winning film adaptation, follows Depression-era Roxie Hart as she goes to prison for the murder of her lover. There, she meets fellow prisoner Velma Kelly, the demanding warden “Mama” Morton and slick lawyer Billy Flynn. Featuring hit songs like “All That Jazz” and “Razzle Dazzle,” Chicago has been playing on Broadway continuously since 1996. The Hollywood Bowl’s Chicago will only play three performances.

The Beatles Reunite On Broadway
Not long after the Fab Four came back to Broadway in 2010’s tribute show Rain , the Beatles are once again gracing the Great White Way. Let It Be, which opened on July 24, is a multimedia concert experience that recreates The Beatles biggest hits from “Strawberry Fields” to “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and of course the title song.

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