B'way Update: New Woods Cast; Lillias White; Working Girl

Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus 
will star in Into the Woods.

Several new cast members including Tony winners and nominees will be heading Into the Woods. The current cast of the smash hit revival of Stephan Sondheim and James Lapine's 1987 fairy-tale musical will remain with the show through Sept. 4. Sept 6, real-life married couple Stephanie J. Block (Tony winner for The Cher Show) and Sebastian Arcelus (Elf) will succeed Sara Barielles and Brian D'Arcy James as the Baker's Wife and the Baker. Additional new cast members are Krysta Rodriguez (Smash, The Addams Family) as Cinderella, Katy Geraghty (Groundhog Day) as Little Red Riding Hood, and Jim Stanek (Fun Home) as the Steward. 

More New Musicals and Plays

Ann Harada in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella
Photo by Carol Rosegg

My reviews of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Passion, The Revisionist, and The Madrid were posted on ArtsinNY.com. All were somewhat disappointing, particularly Cinderella. Book-writer Douglas Carter Beane and director Mark Brokaw overthought the material and couldn't decide between a Disney or a snarky approach. Ann Harada, our beloved Linda the Stage Manager ("I ain't makin' no smoothies, bitch") from Smash, stole the show as the wicked stepsister. (OK she didn't really say that to Uma Thurman, but she said it with her eyes.) The 1965 TV Cinderella is the one I remember best. It used to come on every year and was a huge deal because it was in full color and they didn't have many elaborate musicals made just for TV. I remember watching it with the whole family including my grandparents visiting from Maine and getting to stay up till it was over at 9 o'clock.

Also I did a piece on flop Broadway shows for NewYork.com. I only included ten, but I'm sure there are many more you can recall.

More new musicals coming in--The Public Theater will be presenting a tuner version of The Fortress of Solitude, Jonathan Lethem's novel about two comic-book-obsessed boys growing up in 1970s Brooklyn. Itamar Moses (Back Back Back, Completeness) is writing the book and the songs are by Michael Friedman (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson). The Public will present the musical during the 2014-15 season after it has played the Dallas Theatre Center. This is one of my favorite novels and it should be interesting to see how it translates to the stage with the comic-book elements.