Andrew Curand, Trent Saunders and Eddie Cooper in “Dead Outlaw”
(Photo: Matthew Murphy)
Here’s a quick roundup of stories you might have missed.
Dead Outlaw Lands in the Library of Congress
The Broadway musical Dead Outlaw, telling the story of outlaw-turned-corpse-turned-celebrity Elmer McCurdy, will be formally enshrined into the Library of Congress collections in Washington, D.C. on May 12. Composers David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna and book writer Itamar Moses will donate artifacts representing the development of the musical to live in the Library’s permanent collection. The May 12 event will also feature a performance and discussion from the creative team and Broadway cast members in the historic Coolidge Auditorium with hundreds of area students in attendance.
Debra Messing and Tituss Burgess Will Co-Host the Drama Desk Awards
Debra Messing and Tituss Burgess will host the 2025 Drama Desk Awards, to be held June 1 at NYU Skirball. Messing recently starred in Shit. Meet. Fan. at MCC Theater and has starred on Broadway in Birthday Candles and Outside Mullingar. Burgess was recently seen on Broadway as the title character in Oh, Mary! His Broadway credits also include Good Vibrations, Jersey Boys, The Little Mermaid, Guys and Dolls, and Moulin Rouge! The Drama Desk Awards are the only major New York City theater awards for which productions on Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off Broadway compete against each other in the same categories.
Patti Murin Returns to Arendelle at The Muny
Patti Murin, Broadway’s original Princess Anna, will reprise the role this summer in a production of Disney’s Frozen at The Muny in St. Louis. Performances will run from July 6 through 14. John Tartaglia directs with choreography by Patrick O’Neill, music direction by conductor Darryl Archibald and associate choreography by Bryan Thomas Hunt. The cast will also feature Hannah Corneau as Elsa, Jelani Remy as Kristoff, Bobby Conte as Hans, Kennedy Kanagawa as Olaf, Andrew A. Cano as Sven, Jared Gertner as Weselton, Maliah Strawbridge as Young Elsa, and Isla Turner as Young Anna.
Broadway Bares Gets Oz-ified
Broadway Bares: Come Out Come Out will be this year’s Wizard of Oz-inspired spin on Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ annual striptease spectacular. There will be two performances at the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 22. The show, featuring 200 of NYC’s most dazzling dancers, is produced by and benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Stephen Sondheim’s Here We Are to Be Published
A book of Stephen Sondheim’s posthumous musical Here We Are, inspired by the films of Luis Buñuel and written in collaboration with the playwright David Ives, will be published on May 22 to coincide with the show’s European premiere at the National Theatre, London. As well as featuring the complete book and lyrics, the published edition of Here We Are will also feature “Writing with Sondheim,” an essay by Ives. Nick Hern Books is the publisher.
Tony Winners Santino Fontana and BD Wong to Star in Reading of David Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre
Tony winners Santino Fontana and BD Wong will take part in a reading of David Mamet’s comedy A Life in the Theatre. Obie winner Kathleen Chalfant will read the stage directions. The 1977 play, originally staged at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre and starring Mike Nussbaum and Joe Mantegna, centers on the exchanges between a younger and older actor. The reading will take place at Symphony Space on April 29 as part of the venue’s At Play series.
Ben Rappaport to Join Sean Hayes in Good Night, Oscar in the West End
Sean Hayes, reprising his Tony-winning performance in Good Night, Oscar in the West End, will be joined by Ben Rappaport, who starred as Jack Paar in the Broadway production. The play will begin performances at London’s Barbican Theatre on July 31, opening on August 6 and running through September 21. Max Roll will once again serve as Hayes’ understudy, while the rest of the cast will be new for this staging.
