Broadway Bound: The Scottsboro Boys

A photograph from the Off-Broadway production of THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

The Scottsboro Boys has found a home in the Lyceum Theatre and will open there in October. The show will run at the Guthrie Theatre over the summer prior to its Broadway opening, during which time the show will be tweaked and tightened. It’s great to see one of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s final collaborations come to life in this way and I hope that the show is embraced by the public, despite its challenging subject matter: the show deals with the true story of 9 black teenagers falsely accused of raping 2 white women in 1931 and deconstructs the conventions of the minstrel show to tell the tale. This is the kind of show the proves that musical theatre can have clout!

Zorba Revival Confirmed

The Broadway revival of Zorba with Antonio Banderas as the titular Greek has been confirmed for 2011. With David Leveaux at the helm, the Kander and Ebb musical is aiming for a fall opening.

Spider-Man Update

At last – an update about Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark! Julie Taymor, upon receiving her Lifetime of Acheivement award from New Dramatists, says that she seeks to make the show for a world audience in the vein of her international hit production of The Lion King. Of the gossip surrounding the show’s financial woes, Taymor had the following to say:

What I’ve learned is that the Internet has its pluses and minuses. But keep three things in mind: No, 1, all of the money that goes into this show will employ a lot of artists, actors, technician, designers, make-up people, dancers; No. 2, the audience won’t get rooked, so they shouldn’t be complaining, because they’ll be paying about the same as they would for a two-character, one-set production; and No. 3, it’s Spider-Man! Would you want to create a show with modest expectations?

Modest expectations may not be the order of the day, but it would be nice to see a production that is feasible enough to bring to the stage!