“Oh, Mary!” opened Thursday at the Lyceum Theatre after a successful run Off Broadway, and Cole Escola, the show’s author and star, achieves what such crossdressing trailblazers as Charles Ludlam and Charles Busch were never allowed to do. Busch’s one shot at Broadway came in 2000 when his comedy “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” opened, starring Linda Lavin and followed by Valerie Harper and Rhea Perlman in the lead role. No plans were ever made for Busch to impersonate the character of Upper West Side matron Marjorie Taub, despite his having played the female lead in more than a dozen plays he wrote before and since “Allergist’s Wife.” Is the difference quality? I think not. Busch’s “Red Scare on Sunset” and “The Divine Sister,” as well Ludlam’s “Irma Vep” and “Galas,” could have played Broadway with their respective creators on stage in drag. All they lacked were producers willing to take the plunge.

What a difference a few intrepid money people make!

“Oh, Mary!” plays even better on Broadway than it did downtown at the Lucille Lortel Theater earlier this year. Experiencing this comedy with a few hundred more theatergoers takes the laughter from boisterous to atomic and the effect is absolutely radioactive. Plot-wise, it continues to be best to write as little as possible. There are outrageous twists and turns in the story that genuinely shock an audience into delayed convulsions of laughter. Let’s just say that Escola has somehow managed to turn the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln into an inspired, rollicking comedy.

From the moment Escola’s Mary Todd Lincoln enters the Oval Office (terrific sets by Dots), it’s like watching the last reel of “The Valley of the Dolls” with Patty Duke in full drunken fury. Escola not only brilliantly overacts from the get-go, this performer possesses Duke’s doll-like features, and wig designer Leah J. Loukas has concocted a set of long coiled curls that’s a dead-ringer for what Duke wears in the “Dolls” scene that replicates Judy Garland getting fired from “Annie Get Your Gun.” (That sentence is a test: if you don’t get it, maybe “Oh, Mary!” is not for you.)

In the world of camp, heterosexuality is the biggest joke of all. Except in “Oh, Mary!” This play lampoons gay sex even more than the straight variety. On any other stage, Escola’s Mary would steal the show, but fellow actors Conrad Ricamora and James Scully often snatch it right back. The show’s funniest scene (arguably) belongs not to Escola but Ricamora (“Mary’s husband”) and Scully (“Mary’s teacher”) when they launch into a dish session that roasts poor Mary alive.

Bianca Leigh and Tony Macht round out the terrific cast, which Sam Pinkleton directs with all the subtlety of a wild man wielding a buzzsaw.

The post ‘Oh, Mary!’ Broadway Review: A New Star Moves Uptown to Wow the Masses appeared first on TheWrap.

She admitted to getting drunk at her aunt’s wedding when she was only 8 years old and acknowledged the airport photos. “It was a stupid decision to go straight from a festival to work. I should have waited a day. But it was going to happen to me anyway, there were plenty of photos out there of me looking wasted,” she said.

“Listen, I signed up for this, this is my job, it’s what I do. But without that would I be sober now? I would have never been Sally Bowles in the West End, I’m super proud of that,” Delevingne added.

She also revealed that she’s begun to reexamine her relationship with her mother, socialite Pandora Delevingne, and the latter’s own addiction battle and diagnosis of bipolar disorder. “I do think the older I get, the more I see how similar me and my mother are. She has managed to survive through so much. She’s whip smart,” Delevingne explained.

“I think there are really beautiful things about my mother and really sad things too. It makes the whole situation complex,” she added. “When I was younger I talked about it freely because I didn’t really understand it. But it affected me, so I felt like it was my right to talk about it. I feel bad about that.”

The interview also touched on another topic that’s been a major part of Delevingne’s media coverage over the years: her sexuality. Her parents, she said, just assumed she was straight — something that she thinks is common with their generation.

“It’s a generational thing. I don’t think it was their fault at all. It’s just how it was. I think a lot of parents thought, ‘Oh, if I have a gay child I have done something wrong,'” she shared.

You can read the interview with Cara Delevingne here.

The post Cara Delevingne Shares That She Started Drinking at Age 8, but Entered Rehab 2 Years Ago and Remains Sober appeared first on TheWrap.

David Semark, McKellen’s understudy, will take over the role moving forward. The national tour will take place from July 3-27.

“Two weeks after my accident onstage, my injuries improve day by day. It’s with the greatest reluctance that I have accepted the medical advice to protect my full recovery by not working in the meantime,” McKellen said in a Monday statement on X. “I have been so looking forward to bringing ‘Player Kings’ to theatre-goers in Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle. But I can assure them that, with David Semark now playing Falstaff, Robert Icke’s production and his acting company remain as dazzling as ever. Go see for yourself!”

In mid-June, McKellen was hospitalized in London after falling off the stage during a production of “Player Kings.” The accident happened after the actor lost his footing during a battle scene. The fall was so bad, it led to the house lights being turned on and two doctors from the audience rushing to the actor’s side.

Originally, the producers for the play issued a statement that McKellen was expected to make a “speedy and full recovery” and that the actor was in “good spirits.”

From Robert Icke, “Player Kings” is an adaptation that combines both parts of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” plays. It launched its 12-week run at the Noel Coward Theatre in April and stars Toheeb Jimoh (“Ted Lasso”) as Hal and Richard Coyle (“The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”) as King Henry IV.

McKellen has a long history of starring in acclaimed Shakespearean productions. Over the course of his career, he has played nearly every major Shakespearean leading character, including King Lear, Richard II, Coriolanus, Iago, Richard III and Macbeth. He is also set to star as the leading prince and title character in Sean Mathias’ upcoming film adaptation of “Hamlet.”

The 85-year-old actor has been nominated for 12 Olivier Awards throughout his life. McKellen won six for his performances in “Richard III,” “Pillars of the Community,” “The Alchemist,” “Bent,” “Wild Honey” and his one-man show “Ian McKellen On Stage.”

The post Ian McKellen Drops Out of ‘Player Kings’ National Tour on Doctor’s Orders Following Fall appeared first on TheWrap.

On Tuesday, U.S. Representative Jamal Bowman (D-NY) lost his primary bid to stay in the House. And on Thursday, another member of the progressive Squad took a big hit. Mario Correa’s play “N/A” had its world premiere at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center, and the character named A, which stands for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, loses big time to the character named N, which stands for Nancy Pelosi.

Correa gives all of his best zingers, and there are a lot of them, to N(ancy), and Holland Taylor knows just what to do with them. Hers is a master class in stand-up comedy, because she doesn’t make the very funny one-liners come off as zingers. They are simply part of her character’s thick and well-honed armor. With her humor blazing, she wipes the House floor with A(lexandria), who, as played by Ana Villafañe, comes off as a pompous and humorless Jimmy Stewart from “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”

The battle is uneven to the extreme as the old, experienced and very pragmatic House Speaker attempts to give a master class in politics to the young, inexperienced and very idealistic Representative from Queens and the Bronx. After 30 minutes of this 80-minute play, you may find yourself wondering when the D.C. ground will shift. When will the out-matched A(lexandria) finally get her big moment to score a point or two against the no-nonsense N(ancy).

Taylor keeps her feet planted on solid ground; Villafañe spouts idealistic slogans about the Green New Deal and defunding ICE that will decimate the Democrats’ majority in the House. And each argument ends (and often begins) with Taylor getting the laugh. There’s really no other way to play the text, and under Diane Paulus’ direction, “N/A” soon emerges as a lopsided comedy act, with the deadly serious A(lexandria) having to set up alpha comic N(ancy), who hogs the spotlight.

Late in “N/A,” there is a slight leveling of the field when the U.S. capitol is stormed by violent Donald Trump supporters and it triggers old, horrible memories in A(lexandria), who promptly posts online about it. N(ancy) finally calls her adversary “brave,” but in the end, good jokes always scores more points with an audience than tears from the victim.

The post ‘N/A’ Off Broadway Review: Nancy Pelosi Wipes the House Floor With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appeared first on TheWrap.

“I’m finally able to admit that the one bit of theater I did when I was in college, there was so much trauma involved in it — well, just quickly, the play happened in two weekends, and I did the first weekend, and in between the first weekend and the second weekend, John Hinckley shot the president,” Foster explained.

“And a few people around him, and it was a huge moment,” she continued. “It was a long time ago. You probably don’t even know, but he shot him in order to impress me, and he had written letters to me, so it was a big moment in my life.”

Following the shooting, Foster added, she was assigned bodyguards and was taken to a safe house — but somehow she thought she still needed to finish out the second week of the play. “There were people everywhere, cameras everywhere, and there was a guy in the front row, and I had noticed that it was the second night that he’d been there, and I decided to, the whole play, yell, ‘F–k you, motherf–ker!'”

“I just decided that I was going to use this guy,” she said. “And then the next day, it was revealed that this particular guy had a gun, and he had brought it to the performance, and then he was on the run, and I was in a class, and the bodyguard guy came and threw me onto the ground while I was in the class, which was really embarrassing, because there were only 10 people there.”

The two also spoke about Comer’s time onstage in Broadway show “Prima Facie,” which closed on July 2, 2023. Comer told Foster the experience was “a sheer terror” and recounted that director Justin Martin taught her to “act on the line.”

“I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He’s like, ‘You’re given the line and then you are evoking your emotion,’ because it’s true,” she said. “You get used to being on a set and you’re like, ‘OK, the camera is so close, or they’re on a track. There’s a moment there, a breath here.'”

“Whereas with the play, it was just the pace and the musicality of it, and I was doing a lot of dramatic pauses, and Justin was like, ‘Act on the line,’ and I was like, ‘Wow, act on the line. OK.’ It was a lightbulb moment,” she added.

Hinckley shot Reagan in Washington D.C. on March 30, 1981, and also wounded police officer Thomas Delahanty, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy,and White House Press Secretary James Brady, who later died of his injuries. Hinckley was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity and was institutionalized for three decades.

During his trial, Hinckley admitted he became fixated on Foster after he saw the 1976 movie “Taxi Driver.” He temporarily moved to Connecticut after Foster went to college at Yale and tried getting Foster’s attention by writing her poems and letters. When that failed, he hatched the plot to assassinate the president, planning to become as famous as she was.

In 1980, Hinckley first followed then-President Jimmy Carter from state to state until he was arrested in Nashville with three unloaded guns in his luggage. He spent several months in a mental health facility before traveling to D.C. the following year with his sights set on Reagan.

On March 30, 1981, Hinckley wrote to Foster, “Over the past seven months I’ve left you dozens of poems, letters and love messages in the faint hope that you could develop an interest in me. Although we talked on the phone a couple of times I never had the nerve to simply approach you and introduce myself. … The reason I’m going ahead with this attempt now is because I cannot wait any longer to impress you.”

Following his trial, Hinckley said the shooting was “the greatest love offering in the history of the world.” He was released from a psychiatric facility in 2016. His obsession was also dramatized in the Stephen Sondheim musical “Assassins.”

You can read the full interview between Jodie Foster and Jodie Comer in Interview Magazine.

The post Jodie Foster Says Her Stalker Who Shot Reagan Kept Her From Doing Theater Ever Again: ‘I’ve Never Admitted That’ appeared first on TheWrap.

It’s baaaack, and the new incarnation proves only one thing: gay and trans people of color have just as bad taste in show tunes as all the white people who turned the original “Cats” into one of the longest running shows in Broadway history.

The new “Cats” carries the subhead “The Jellicle Ball,” and that colorful but confused version opened Thursday at the Perelman Performing Arts Center. The cute feline costumes with long whiskers and artfully torn leg warmers have been retired to the dumpster of the show’s original junkyard locale. Now, the cast of two dozen performers don Qween Jean’s extravagant diva outfits and Nikiya Mathis’ enormous Day-Glo wigs to compete in a ballroom competition. The program notes tell us that “cat” is slang for these gender-fluid contestants.

“Appropriate” is the dirtiest word in the arts today, and one might feel sorry for Lloyd Webber for having his material spayed in this way by directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch. In fact, the only thing that makes this “Cats” worth watching is the ballroom environment of high and low drag that has been dropped like a bottle of Pooph odor eliminator onto Lloyd Webber’s litter box of a musical.

I’ll get to “Memory” in a moment, but every other song in “Cats” is rinky-tink to the extreme. Only when William Waldrop’s orchestrations riff on the original score by imposing a bump, stomp and grind dance rhythm does this “Cats” spring alive to grow painted claws. The cast really knows how to wear clothes and strut, although Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles’ choreography doesn’t do much more than let the dancers show off their incredible extension and flexibility. I would have liked more stripping and display of bare skin. Curiously, this “Cats” too often comes off as a PG-rated “Broadway Bares,” the exceptions being Baby’s slinkier-than-thou White Cat and Sydney James Harcourt’s hot-hot-hot Rum Tum Tugger, who’s more than ready for a Grindr hook-up.

Regarding the competitions between various street types (construction worker, school boy, etc.) and a couple of fashion labels, these contests are signaled by projections on the back wall of Rachel Hauck’s warehouse set and have next to nothing to do with Lloyd Webber’s songs. There’s a huge disconnect between what’s being choreographed and what’s being sung, the lyrics unintelligible due to Kai Harada’s shrill amplification.

The contests take place on a long runway that should be brimming with action. In the documentary “Paris Is Burning,” these venues team with people fighting to get their moment in the spotlight. Hauck’s runway, however, is way too wide and the show’s directors and choreographers often leave it half-empty, with more intriguing cat fights taking place in the pit that’s just beyond the stage perimeter.

Andre De Shields plays Old Deuteronomy, and to show his seniority among the voguers, he wears a wig snatched from the head of Sam Jaffe in “Lost Horizon” and walks down the runway with all the aplomb of this year’s two candidates for the next president of the United States.

In the role of Grizabella, “Tempress” Chastity Moore gets to sing “Memory” a lot. Has there ever been a song more reprised in a musical than this tear-jerker? Moore manages to out-emote the original old bag-lady cat, played by Betty Buckley, pushing the saccharine aria to dangerous glucose levels. Levingston and Rauch powder this profiterole by having Grizabella come back in Act 2 as her younger, glamorous self where she is courted by Teddy Wilson Jr.’s Sillabub, who now wears a crown of sunflowers, strews Grizabella’s path with glitter and sings “Memory” in a tear-stained falsetto.

This spectacle is almost as hilariously funny as the In Memoriam section, complete with vintage photos of New York City drag artists, that kicks off Act 2.

“Cats” set at a ballroom contest can be seen as T. S. Eliot’s revenge on Lloyd Webber for messing with his “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” the musical’s much-abused source material.

The post ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’ Off Broadway Review: Andrew Lloyd Webber Takes a Walk on the Wild Side appeared first on TheWrap.

The 85-year-old actor lost his footing during a battle scene in his West End production of “Player Kings” Monday and fell off the front of the stage, crying out for help and alerting audience members that the fall was not for dramatics. Two doctors in attendance of the London production provided aid for a fractured wrist.

“After three nights in hospital, the effects of my fall onstage have been fully analysed and I’m now having physiotherapy, light exercise and a lot of essential rest at home,” McKellen said in a Thursday statement. “Meanwhile my part in ‘Player Kings’ is filled by the redoubtable David Semark supported by Robert Icke’s amazing production and cast.” 

The Shakespearian actor thanked fans for their messages of love and support during this time, noting that he is sure it will “aid the speedy recovery that my doctors have promised me.” McKellen reportedly will not be available for remaining West End performances, but will return for the beginning of the national tour beginning July 3.

During McKellen’s six-decade long career, he has played nearly every Shakespearean lead, including King Lear, Richard II, Coriolanus, Iago, Richard III and Macbeth. He most recently starred as the title character in Sean Mathias’ film adaptation of “Hamlet” released in February of this year.

McKellan stars alongside Toheeb Jimoh of “Ted Lasso” as Hal and Richard Coyle of “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” as King Henry IV in the limited 12 week run. The adapted play combines both part one and two of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” with direction by Robert Icke.

The post Ian McKellen Is Recovering at Home 3 Days After Falling Off London Stage appeared first on TheWrap.

“I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support,” the actor said in a statement. “Since the accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service. To them, of course, I am hugely indebted. They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work.”

The actor was hospitalized Monday after falling off the stage during a battle scene in “Player Kings.” He had lost his footing while performing in the West End production.

After the fall, the actor cried out for help, alerting fans that this was not part of the performance. There were two doctors seated in the house who helped provide aid.

The producers released a statement after the show, noting the cancelation of the following night’s performance.

“The production has made the decision to cancel the performance on Tuesday 18 June so Ian can rest. Those affected will be contacted by their point of purchase as soon as possible tomorrow,” the statement continued. “Thank you to doctors Rachel and Lee who were on hand in the audience and to all the venue staff for their support.”

The Noel Coward Theatre will reopen its West End doors for a show Thursday without McKellen. It is unclear when he will make his return.

The production is running for 12 weeks and costars Toheeb Jimoh of “Ted Lasso” as Hal and Richard Coyle of “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” as King Henry IV. The show combines both of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” plays.

The post Ian McKellen Says He Expects ‘Speedy’ Recovery, Is ‘Looking Forward to Returning to Work’ After Falling Off Stage appeared first on TheWrap.

A member of the audience told the BBC that McKellen was conscious after his fall and cried out for help. The house lights came up and staff rushed to his side, with two doctors who were in the audience also providing aid, according to the show’s producers.

The producers issued an encouraging update following McKellen’s hospitalization, indicating that he was expected to quickly recover.

They wrote, “Thank you to our audience and the general public for their well wishes following Ian’s fall during this evening’s performance of Player Kings. Following a scan, the brilliant NHS team have assured us that he will make a speedy and full recovery and Ian is in good spirits.”

“The production has made the decision to cancel the performance on Tuesday 18 June so Ian can rest. Those affected will be contacted by their point of purchase as soon as possible tomorrow,” the statement continued. “Thank you to doctors Rachel and Lee who were on hand in the audience and to all the venue staff for their support.”

Playgoer Sandro Trapani told the BBC that the accident was “very shocking” and added, “I really hope that he is going to be all right.”

McKellen is playing John Falstaff in “Player Kings,” which is an adaptation by Robert Icke that combines both parts of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” plays.

The production launched its 12-week run at the Noel Coward Theatre in April and costars Toheeb Jimoh of “Ted Lasso” as Hal and Richard Coyle of “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” as King Henry IV.

During McKellen’s long career, he has played nearly every major Shakespearean lead, including King Lear, Richard II, Coriolanus, Iago, Richard III and Macbeth. He will also star as the title character in Sean Mathias’ upcoming film adaptation “Hamlet.”

The actor, who was knighted in 1991, gained international fame as Gandalf in “Lord of the Rings” and Magneto in the “X-Men” films. He has been nominated for two Oscars, including a Supporting Actor nod for his role as Gandalf and as Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination for when he played James Whale in 1999’s “Gods and Monsters.”

On the British stage, he has been nominated for 12 Olivier Awards and won six for his performances in “Richard III,” “Pillars Of The Community,” “The Alchemist,” “Bent,” “Wild Honey” and his one-man show “Ian McKellen On Stage.”

The post Ian McKellen Hospitalized After Falling Off Stage in London appeared first on TheWrap.

Equity and the Broadway League began negotiations on a new contract for the Development Agreement at the end of January and the current agreement expired on February 11. The talks broke down following “unacceptable” wage package offers according to a statement released by Equity Negotiating Team chair Stephen Bogardus.

“We never wanted it to come to this, but the wage package put across the table by the Broadway League was just plain unacceptable. Our members cannot afford to work on this contract at the proposed compensation levels over the next five years,” Bogardus said on Monday. “Five years ago, we ceased development work to get the Broadway League to acknowledge the work our members provide in the development of new work for the Broadway arena. Five years later, we are forced to do it again. We look forward to the day we can return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair wage on this agreement that meets our stage managers’ and actors’ needs. We are ready whenever the League is.”

The labor union represents more than 51,000 actors and stage managers in the live theater space.

The Development Agreement was created back in 2019 and is used in the development of new works by the League. It came about after the last strike with the League lasted 33 days and ensured that actors and stage managers would share in the success of a production through contingent compensation.

Some of the shows that benefitted from the Development Agreement in the past year include: “Days of Wine and Roses,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” “Harmony,” “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” “How to Dance in Ohio,” “Lempicka,” “The Notebook,” “Once Upon a One More Time,” “The Outsiders,” “Suffs,” “Water for Elephants” and “The Wiz.”

The strike comes less than a month after Brooke Shields was elected as the president of Actors’ Equity.

The post Actors’ Equity Union Goes on Strike Over Developmental Contracts appeared first on TheWrap.