Stephen Sondheim Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Naveen Kumar Chasing brunch to the brink of apocalypse is Stephen Sondheim at his most extreme, and the world premiere of “Here We Are,” which opened Off Broadway at the Shed on Sunday, is a study in overabundance. Appetite for the late composer’s final musical, written with David Ives and directed by Joe Mantello, has made it a hot ticket among those familiar enough with the moneyed types depicted onstage to potentially be the butt of the joke.

to the BBC, her agent said, “It is with great sadness we are sharing with you that, following her recent diagnosis with cancer, the star of stage and screen Haydn Gwynne died in hospital in the small hours of Friday 20 October, surrounded by her beloved sons, close family and friends. We would like to thank the staff and teams at the Royal Marsden and Brompton Hospitals for their wonderful care over the last few weeks.”Born in West Sussex, England, Gwynne rose to prominence in the 1980s with the drama “Nice Work” before going on to star in other British series including “Peak Practice,” “Merseybeat” “Sherlock” and the BBC series “Rome.”In her career, she played a wide range of notable public figures, including Queen Camilla and Margaret Thatcher.

Haydn Gwynne, an actress known for her work in royal projects including Netflix’s hit series The Crown, has sadly passed away at the age of 66.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Sweeney Todd” stars Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford will take their final bows as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Mrs. Lovett in 2024. They will be exiting the show on Jan.

Broadway‘s Sweeney Todd stars Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford will play their final performances in the Stephen Sondheim revival on Sunday January 14, 2024, concluding their 46-week run headlining the critically lauded hit production, producers announced today.

Gordon Cox Theater Editor The 2023 edition of Variety’s annual theater breakfast was all about the Business of Broadway. But that didn’t keep things from getting spiritual, too. In a panel discussion featuring the starry cast of “Merrily We Roll Along” — held during the Business of Broadway breakfast Oct.

Joanna Merlin, who originated the role of Tzeitel in the 1964 Broadway production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” died in Los Angeles on Sunday. She was 92.

Joanna Merlin, whose acting career stretched from Broadway (she was the original Tzeitel in Fiddler On The Roof), film (she played the dance teacher Miss Berg in Alan Parker’s 1980 film Fame) and TV (Law & Order: SVU‘s Judge Lena Petrovsky on dozens of episodes) died Sunday in Los Angeles. She was 92.

Trish Deitch Commercial theater — theater written mostly to entertain audiences, for the purpose of making money — is the enemy in Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 musical, “Merrily We Roll Along,” now on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre. According to “Merrily,” it’s theater that doesn’t sacrifice its profundity to make it easy on audiences that has any real value at all.

Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 show, which was a 16-performance flop when it began its life, has, against all odds, only improved as the years have rolled on. It’s better and more youthfully optimistic now than it ever was before.

Troubled musicals, like troubled friendships, can often seem like defeats lying in wait, sponging up every last second of loving care, effort and good intention. So Maria Friedman’s smartly tended production of that most troubled of stage properties, the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth backwards musical Merrily We Roll Along deserves all the applause – and ticket-buying business – it’s getting at Broadway‘s Hudson Theatre.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter The 77th Tony Awards are moving to the Upper West Side and will take place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. It’s the fourth location change in four years for Broadway’s biggest night, held in prior years at Washington Height’s United Palace Theater, Radio City Music Hall and the Winter Garden Theatre.

Merrily We Roll Along, the new Broadway revival of the Sondheim classic musical starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, broke the six-performance house record at the Hudson Theatre with a $1.3 million gross in its first week of previews.

Jaden Thompson Director Richard Linklater expressed his admiration for Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking “Barbie” in a recent interview with NME. He specifically praised the musical numbers in the fantasy comedy, which include “I’m Just Ken,” performed by Ryan Gosling. “I liked the musical numbers,” Linklater said.

New York City’s Hudson Theatre starting Tuesday, Sept. 19.On that day, previews begin for the 1981 Broadway flop turned highly-anticipated revival of Stephen Sondheim’s classic “Merrily We Roll Along,” starring Daniel Radcliffe, Lindsay Mendez and Jonathan Groff.And the town is abuzz.When the show premiered off-Broadway last winter, the New York Post’s Johnny Oleksinksi gave “Merrily” a glowing four-star review.“This musical is intelligent, hilarious, human, heartfelt and alive,” he wrote.

UPDATE, with opening night: An official opening night date has been set for the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along: Following the previously announced Sept. 19 preview launch, the opening night will be Tuesday, October 10 at the Hudson Theatre.

later told People she gave up her card because the union “doesn’t support actors at all.”In “Company” by Stephen Sondheim, the actress’ tart-tongued socialite sang during the song “Ladies Who Lunch,” “Look into their eyes and you’ll see what they know — everybody dies!” But LuPone, a volcanic presence in and out of character, embodies more the mantra of her fame-hungry “Gypsy” character Mama Rose: “Anybody who stays home is dead!” So it was wonderful to see the fiery actress lively and out of the house, if not on Broadway, singing at the Ice Palace nightclub in Cherry Grove Saturday night. The sold-out event was a coup for Fire Island.

Gordon Cox Theater Editor Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, the musical “If/Then”: These aren’t the usual conversational touchpoints in a discussion about a video game. But all three of those musical theater references, and many more, were brought up by the creators of the new video game Stray Gods on the latest episode of “Stagecraft,” Variety’s theater podcast.

starts previews Sept. 28 at the Shed in Hudson Yards, is based on two films by Spanish surrealist director Luis Buñuel — 1972’s “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” and ’62’s “The Exterminating Angel.” Act 1 is said to be “Discreet Charm,” while Act 2 is “Angel.” The second part is heavily reliant on playwright David Ives’ book.The legendary creator of “Sweeney Todd,” “Into the Woods,”“Company” and “Sunday in the Park With George” died in late 2021 at 91, and his final musical, in whatever state it’s in, will be required viewing for Sondheim buffs.

Christopher Gattelli appeared at Deadline’s Contenders Television: The Nominees awards-season event after receiving his second consecutive nomination for his work creating the numerous dances in Schmigadoon!, which takes a satirical look at the world of movie and Broadway musicals.

Six of Broadway’s biggest stars came together to pay tribute to the late great Stephen Sondheim during a tribute concert at the Hollywood Bowl!

EXCLUSIVE: Jordan Fisher, actor, singer-songwriter, producer and gamer known for his work in Broadway’s Tony-winning Dear Evan Hansen, Tony-nominated Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Netflix’s Work It, among numerous other credits, has signed with Gersh. The agency will rep Fisher in television, film, voiceover work and endorsements/digital.

UPDATED, 11:20 AM: The producers of Here We Are have announced the cast for the first production of Stephen Sondheim’s final musical.

The first, star-packed Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along has extended its engagement by two months, giving ticket buyers until March 24, 2024 to see the production featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez.

Alison Herman TV Critic Nonfiction podcasts have proven to be a rich vein for the IP-starved TV industry to mine, from true crime (“Dirty John”) to unauthorized biography (“The Dropout”). Scripted podcasts have been a less fruitful source of material, with the first season of Sam Esmail’s star-studded “Homecoming” serving as the sole exception to date. Even then, luring Julia Roberts to the small screen likely had more to do with the show’s success than the story’s medium of origin. “The Horror of Dolores Roach,” a new series produced by Blumhouse Television for Amazon Prime Video, seems unlikely to reverse this trend. “Dolores Roach” began as a one-woman play called “Empanada Loca,” but found a broader audience in audio form. Released under the auspices of Gimlet Media, the studio recently absorbed into parent company Spotify after drastic cuts, the retitled podcast riffed on the urban legend of Sweeney Todd, the mythical barber made famous by Stephen Sondheim. (Disclosure: I previously worked at Gimlet’s sister studio The Ringer, also owned by Spotify.) “Dolores Roach” changed the antihero’s name, gender and nationality —  but kept the cannibalism and twisted love story that still define the character.

The beloved Broadway musical Into the Woods is now playing in Los Angeles and many members of the recent Broadway revival cast are leading the production!

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic In “Into the Woods,” the audience laughs at the gluttony of the Little Red Ridinghood character, especially in the earliest, most deliberately cartoony parts of the production. But in a sense, the crowd is getting off on gorging, as well, since this is the ultimate having-your-cake-and-eating-it-too show. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine weren’t too proud to cook up their 1987 classic with copious amounts of Mad magazine-style spoofery — or Looney Tunes-level laughs, even — and yet you can feel like those seemingly empty calories are justified, knowing you’ll be gulping back salty tears by the end. “Into the Woods” is as overstuffed with characters and ideas as any musical ever has been, but if everyone does their job right, you leave feeling like you’ve just been fed a perfectly balanced meal, and not a morsel more.

On the week I’m scheduled to speak with legendary artist Terry Gilliam, a quote from Martin Scorsese starts going viral. “I’m only now beginning to see the possibility of what cinema could be, and it’s too late,” Akira Kurosawa had expressed at 83.

Gordon Cox Theater Editor As they say in “Into the Woods”: It takes two.  And not just in “Into the Woods.” The 2023 Tony nominations remind us several times over that sometimes an actor’s role is so closely tied to another that it’s difficult to imagine a performance without the organic give-and-take shared with a co-star.    From “Into the Woods,” there’s Sara Bareilles and Brian D’Arcy James, both contenders for Tony Awards as lead performers for their work in the tightly linked roles of the Baker and the Baker’s Wife. Among their fellow nominees, there’s Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond as an accused murderer and the steadfast wife who strives to exculpate him in “Parade,” plus Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford as the murderous barber and the baker who loves him in “Sweeney Todd.” And the two lead roles in “Topdog/Underdog” and “Some Like It Hot” are so intertwined that these co-stars find themselves competing in the same category against a castmate.  

The report tracked 3,697 incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault targeting Jewish communities in that calendar year. And while that rise stems from various inflection points – political figures like former president Donald Trump playing host to known neo-Nazis like Nick Fuentes surely played a role – the case of Kanye West, in particular, had a noted impact.