April 2, 2021: What TheaterMakers Are Talking About This Week

By Ken Davenport

From Diana the Musical announcing their Netflix release date AND their Broadway return date, to the future of casting on Broadway in Phantom of the Opera, and a possible Game of Thrones musical, here’s what TheaterMakers were talking about this week . . .

1 – Diana Musical Sets Netflix Run — and Broadway Opening Night

For the first time, a filmed version of a Broadway stage production will be out to stream before the musical even opens. “Diana,” was shot last September in the Longacre Theater, without an audience. The show is set to begin streaming on Netflix on October 1. They’ve also announced the opening on Broadway beginning two months later on December 1.

Read more: nytimes.com

2 – Game of Thrones Play in the Works for Broadway, Will Revive Iconic Characters (Exclusive)

The play’s official description reads, “Featuring many of the most iconic and well-known characters from the series, the production will boast a story centered around love, vengeance, madness and the dangers of dealing in prophecy, in the process revealing secrets and lies that have only been hinted at until now.”

Read More: hollywoodreporter.com

3 – First 150,000 spectators attended the musical CHESS in Moscow

CHESS was produced and opened during difficult conditions under COVID-19 restrictions, quarantine, and isolation laws. Even with all of the restrictions, the Russian production of CHESS in Moscow became the second longest-running production of CHESS in the world, after London.

Read more: moscrow-broadway.ru

4 – What Do Australian Theatre Critics Think of Hamilton?

The Australian staging of Hamilton officially opened March 27 at Sydney Lyric Theatre, making it the first and only staging of the Tony Award, Olivier Award, Grammy Award, Pulitzer Prize award-winning musical currently running in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown.

Read more: playbill.com

5 – What The Phantom of the Opera‘s Open Casting Call Means for Broadway’s Return In response to the wave of injustice and racial discrimination at the start of the pandemic, Broadway leaders have decided to make changes in their productions, within representation and equity on stage. A change in language in the casting call does not guarantee anything but shows a future filled with change.

Read More: playbill.com

BONUS! Saturday Night Live: Choreographers
A dance rehearsal gets interrupted when the choreographers (Maya Rudolph, Kenan Thompson) refuse to work with each other.