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British actor Nicky Henson, who starred in Fawlty Towers and There’s A Girl In My Soup, has died at the age of 74.

Henson’s family said in a statement, “Nicky Henson has died after a long disagreement with cancer.”

Best known for playing Mr Johnson in The Psychiatrist episode of classic BBC comedy Fawlty Towers, he starred alongside Goldie Hawn and Peter Sellers in Roy Boulting’s 1970 rom-com There’s A Girl In My Soup.

He also appeared in a number of episodes of ITV period drama Downton Abbey as well as supporting roles in Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake and George Clooney’s Syriana and BBC soap EastEnders.

Last year, he told Pa news agency that he was first diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Day nearly 20 years ago. “For the last 18 years, I’ve regarded myself as being in extra time, which I never expected to have, so I’m very thankful for it.

Scot Ruggles (NOS4A2) has booked a recurring role in the second season of the CW’s All American, from Warner Bros. TV, Berlanti Productions and CBS Television Studios. The return of All American finds Spencer James (Daniel Ezra), now a football State Champion, with a tough decision to make. Does he stay in Beverly Hills and play for Coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs)? Or does he move back home to South La, reunite with his mother, Grace (Karimah Westbrook), brother Dillon (Jalyn Hall) and play for his father Corey (Chad Coleman) – the new head coach for the South Crenshaw Chargers? Ruggles will play Coach Wilson, a football coach from a top ranked Division 1 University who is recruiting Spencer James (Ezra). Ruggles’ previous work includes the CBS drama S.W.A.T. and he will next be seen on the Fox series Deputy. He is repped by attorney Mitch Smelkinson from Stone, Genow,...

Last night, Tony Award-winning actress Laura Benanti hosted and performed at the 17th annual Broadway Stands Up For Freedom concert. She was joined byTony Award winnerKelli O'HaraKiss Me Kate, Tony Award nomineesMontego GloverMemphis,Judy KuhnFun Home,Phillipa SooHamilton, andEva NoblezadaHadestown as well as Broadway performersKrystina AlabadoMean Girls,Julia MurneyWicked,Jeannette BayardelleHair,Shoba NarayanThe Great Comet, and Emmy nomineeShaina TaubPublic Works' Twelfth Night, along withStarr BusbyOctet,L Morgan LeeA Strange Loop,We McDonaldNBC's The Voice,Liana Stampur, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

Hercules, the Public Works’ stage adaptation of Disney’s so-so 1997 animated musical, improves on its source not so much on the strength of its characters or the charms of its leading man – though it accomplishes both those feats – but through sheer energy. This Hercules, with songs both old and new by Disney hitmakers Alan Menken and David Zippel and an occasionally clever new book by playwright Kristoffer Diaz, makes for a fine end-of-summer evening in Central Park’s Delacorte Theater, even if it doesn’t add much of great significance to the Disney canon.

Less innovative and enticing than Shaina Taub’s Twelfth Night – last year’s Public Works contribution to Free Shakespeare in the Park’s summer season – Hercules still succeeds where it counts: In the enthusiasm generated both by its lead cast of professionals and the 200-plus ensemble of amateurs (ages 5 to 80+) recruited from partnering community organizations from all five New York City boroughs.

With five new Menken/Zippel songs added to the film’s short-sheeted line-up of semi-memorable musical numbers, this Hercules goes a way – a small way, but a way – in fleshing out the thin, mid-level-Disney narrative of the ’97 film. The musical padding, if not contributing anything of spectacular worth to the Disney oeuvre, nonetheless contains at least one affable tune appropriate for a late summer evening – a sultry jazz number called “A Cool Day in Hell,” sung by Bart and his two impish minions with the laid-back nonchalance of a “Fever”-ish Peggy Lee.

Plotwise, Diaz’s new book adheres closely to the movie’s narrative, minus a few film characters and subplots (no Pegasus sidekick for Hercules). Via a gospel-music infused prologue – actually, the entire production is gospel-infused, a nice modern twist on the Greek chorus – the audience learns that the divine Zeus and Hera have had a son, Hercules, a looming threat to Hades’ evil schemes and, so, a target. The lord of the underworld sends his two comic minions – Pain (Nelson Chimilio) and Panic (the scene-stealing Jeff Hiller) to kidnap and poison the babe. In classic fairy tale style, the would-be killers bungle the job, succeeding only in making Hercules mortal.

The foundling is raised by a loving, and entirely human, mom and dad, but the boy’s demi-god nature grows more troublesome with each and every packed-on muscle. A routine trip to the market square inevitably turns into wreckage and disaster as the clumsy teenager, unaware of his own strength, invariably knocks over a Grecian column or two, upends food carts, and generally wreaks unintentional havoc.

Understanding he doesn’t belong in this human world – this Hercules spotlights themes of self-discovery and find-your-place journeys – the extra-strength, if otherwise standard-issue teen beseeches the gods for help, and gets an answer. In the deft, Diy approach favored by Public Works, two large masks – one for Zeus, one for Hera – boom out the revelation that Hercules was born a god, but made mortal, and in order to return to his rightful place on Mount Olympus will have to prove his heroism

Under the training of James Monroe Iglehart’s Philoctetes – Phil for short – Hercules sets out to do some monster-slaying, a mission soon accomplished (the colorful Chinese dragon-style foes are provided by puppet creator James Ortiz).

But the Hydra-killing antics do little to impress the townsfolk, whose true needs are more along the lines of affordable housing and income equality. Diaz’s Hercules – vibrantly staged by director and Public Works founder Lear deBessonet – asks, In a world such as this, what makes a true hero?

We’ll find out, of course, as Hercules becomes one with his human community, saves his true love Megara (Krysta Rodriguez) from the grasp of Hades, makes a final choice between divinity and humanity, concluding there’s not really much difference.

Yes, it’s predictable and pat, with broad-strokes messaging that serves the children’s theater vibe and community-embracing goals of the production. Diaz’s book includes its fair share of the pop-culture wisecracks and fourth-wall-breaking quips that have been Disney de rigueur at least since Robin Williams conjured his style-setting Genie in 1992’s Aladdin.

Iglehart, a Tony winner for his performance as the Genie in Broadway’s Aladdin, does a clever, contemporary spin on a Burgess Meredith-style athletic trainer. Bart, as usual, is a stand-out, but even he gets a run for his money from the devilish imp played by Hiller. As the anti-damsel in distress Meg, Rodriguez (NBC’s Smash) brings a leather-jacketed rock & roll defiance to the party, hitting few other notes.

A sequin-bedecked quintet of Muses serves as Greek chorus, lending full-throated gospel power and, here and there, girl group harmonies to the show, soaring above the colorfully costumed 200-plus amateur cast. Endearing even when not quite up to the fast-paced demands of Chase Brock’s tireless choreography, the stage newcomers add an appealing all-in-this-together enthusiasm familiar to anyone who saw last season’s superior Twelfth Night.

As good as so many of the supporting players are, though, Hercules belongs to its hero, so well played by Alladin. Buoyant and athletic, the actor (he originated the role of Kristoff in Broadway’s Frozen), has an aw-shucks quality that suits the teenage Herc, and, being a black actor, Alladin’s brief on-the-street take-down by a couple Centurions can’t help but project a contemporary relevance to the otherwise comic proceedings. It’s brief and passing, but there if you look.

Will the newish Hercules, complete with the film’s demi-known songs “Go The Distance,” “Zero To Hero,” “One Last Hope” and “A Star Is Born,” travel beyond this Central Park staging? No plans have been announced, or even hinted, and it’s difficult to imagine this sprawling, charmingly unpolished endeavor in a Broadway theater. Hercules has never been a Disney classic – likable enough, but minor. The new production doesn’t powerlift the tale beyond those limits.

Hercules’ limited engagement at the Delacorte Theater in New York’s Central Park ends Sept. 8.

Adam, named for the first “man,” is a virgin. Awkward, shy, and socially ostracized in his small town, the 17-year-old strikes gold when he’s invited to spend the summer living with his queer older sister in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Finding himself the outsider in an eclectic group of people who run the gamut of the Lgbtq+ alphabet, Adam unwittingly stumbles into a misguided deception when a pretty girl assumes he is trans — and he doesn’t correct her.

Just your typical coming of age story, right?

That’s the premise of “Adam,” the feature filmmaking debut of Rhys Ernst, a queer transgender man whose credits include producing “Transparent” and creating the docu-series “We’ve Been Around.” Backed by powerhouse indie producers James Schamus (“Brokeback Mountain”) and Howard Gertler (“How to Survive a Plague”), the movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to warm reviews and is set...

The first new musical of 2019-2020 Broadway season, “Moulin Rouge!,” is a sumptuous stage adaptation of Baz Lurhman’s film and the “spectacular spectacular” production will draw in crowds like moths to a flame. The tuner is bound to scoop up a slew of Tony nominations next April, but Original Score won’t be among them. Every Best Musical winner since 2013 has claimed the Original Score trophy, but jukebox musicals like this one aren’t eligible for that prize.

“Moulin Rouge!,” which incorporates a parade of pop hits, is not alone in its use of pre-existing music this season. Every new musical coming to Broadway this year uses familiar tunes. “Girl From the North Country” is a Depression era tale told through the music of Bob Dylan; “Jagged Little Pill” uses the songs of Alanis Morissette to chronicle inner pain; and “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” pulls from the Queen...

Exclusive: Actor Maxwell McCabe-Lokos will make his directorial debut with the forthcoming dark comedy Stanleyville. The pic unveiled its cast that includes Susanne Wuest, Cara Ricketts, Julian Richings, Christian Serritiello, George Tchortov and Adam Brown. The film is currently in production, shooting in Canada and Germany.

Written by McCabe-Lokos and Rob Benvie, Stanleyville is a satirical feature comedy that follows six disparate characters with nothing to lose as they face off in a bizarre competition for a slightly used habanero-orange compact sport utility vehicle.

The story follows Maria Barbizan (Wuest) who has walked away from her life – her job, her money, her feckless husband and vile teenaged daughter – her entire identity.

In honor of the women’s U.S soccer team beating out the Netherlands in Sunday’s World Cup Final, watch these inspiring female athletes bring their star-power to the silver-screen. From “Bring it On” to “Bend it Like Beckham,” we have you covered with movies that run the athletic gamut.

“Bring it On”

Two rival cheerleading squads duke it out in a teen flick fraught with routine theft, betrayal, romantic drama, and of course high flying cheer stunts. The movie delivers on its title’s promise — the girls of Rancho Carne and East Compton High indeed “bring it on.” Watch the young Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union give starmaking performances in this cult classic.

“Bring it On Again”

The cheerleading sequel has graduated from high school drama to college campus drama. With an entirely new cast and plotline, the followup still maintains the cheer squad battles that made its predecessor so entertaining.

Jelani Alladin, a star of the Broadway musical Frozen, will take on the title role in this summer’s new stage adaptation of Disney’s Hercules, with Roger Bart (Broadway’s The Producers) cast as the villainous Hades.

Casting was announced today by The Public Theater for the previously announced adaptation of Disney’s 1997 animated film. The musical, to be presented as part of the Public’s Shakespeare in the Park season, will feature six songs from the Oscar-nominated Alan Menken/David Zippel film score in addition to new songs by the songwriting team.

Hercules will include a new book by Kristoffer Diaz (Glow), choreography by Be More Chill choreographer Chase Brock, and direction by Lear deBessonet. The musical will run for seven nights – Aug. 31-Sept. 8 – at Delacorte Theater, concluding this summer’s free Shakespeare in the Park season.

Also in the cast announced today: Jeff Hiller (Panic), James Monroe Iglehart...

Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree's unmistakable cool as bad mothers doesn't prevent Shaft from simply being bad.

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Living in the shadow of a legend is tough. Lazing in it can be worse. That goes for people, and if you suspect it also goes for franchises like Shaft, then you’re damn right. For a film built on decades of blaxploitation heritage, Shaft circa 2019 piles on the language, nudity, and more than a few gun-related deaths, but at the end of the day still incredulously feels closer to a ‘70s sitcom than it does grindhouse fun. And there’s no one coming to save you while watching it.

Pitched as a generational action-comedy about old school cool versus new school tool, the second Shaft reboot attempts to prop up the past at the expense of the millennial present via buddy comedy yucks between Samuel L. Jackson...

For most actors, a Broadway debut would be the highlight of their year. For Jeremy Pope, he followed up his sensational Broadway debut with another hit show within the same season. Thanks to his stellar notices in “Choir Boy” and then “Ain’t Too Proud,” Pope could pull off the rare feat of earning two Tony nominations within the same season.

Pope played the lead role of Pharus Jonathan Young in “Choir Boy.” The actor was involved with the production since Manhattan Theater Club commissioned the work in 2013. Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney (“Moonlight”), the coming of age story follows Pharus, the leader of the student choir at a boy’s prep school. He learns to confront bullying, his sexuality, and identity, and gets to sing a slew of glorious gospel songs.

Critics heaped praise on Pope, declaring a new Broadway star was born. David Rooney (The Hollywood Reporter) thought...

In recalling the great comedies penned by William Shakespeare, classics like Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream and the one about all the errors have been making audiences bust out in laughter for hundreds of years. But King Lear Certainly one of the English language's great tragedies, with the title character's vanity coupled with his descent into madness providing great older actors a chance to fully display their dramatic skills.

Todd Hissong, who served as SAG’s Chicago branch president for six years, was a National Board member for five and had a seat on SAG-AFTRA’s post-merger National Board, died today. He was 64.

SAG-aftra said Hissong devoted much of his time to serving his fellow union members. Aside from serving as SAG’s Chicago Branch president, he served on numerous national committees from 2002-13, including the Commercial Performers, Executive, Performers with Disabilities, Voiceover and Commercial Negotiating committees.

“Todd was a true unionist — a fierce and passionate advocate for the union and its members,” SAG-aftra President Gabrielle Carteris said. “His humor and wit brought a smile to his colleagues’ faces even during the most contentious of negotiations. He will be missed.”

As an actor, Hissong had a long theatrical career in the Detroit area and worked extensively in local television, earning three local Emmys among eight nominations. He later...

The Guthrie Theater Joseph Haj, artistic director today announced the nine productions of its 2019 2020 subscription season Tennessee Williams' classic family drama The Glass Menagerie Shakespeare's rollicking comedy Twelfth Night an adaptation of Emma based on the Jane Austen novel and Kander and Ebb's musical Cabaret will grace the Guthrie's signature Wurtele Thrust Stage while the McGuire Proscenium Stage's lineup will include Robert Harling's female-driven comedy Steel Magnolias the regional premiere of Noura, Heather Raffo's complex tale of identity Anne Bogart's acclaimed production of Euripides' The Bacchae Karen Zacar as' comedic telenovela Destiny of Desire and Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning Sweat.

Disney’s 1997 animated hit “Hercules” will flex its muscles as a stage musical, set to debut this summer at the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park in New York City.

Composer Alan Menken and lyricist David Zippel, who earned an Oscar nomination for “Go the Distance” from the film, have written additional songs for the production, which will feature a new script by Christopher Diaz (“Glow”) and choreography by Chase Brock (“Be More Chill”).

Lear deBessonet, founder and resident director of the theater’s Public Works initiative, will direct the production, set for a limited run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 8.

Also Read: 'True West' Broadway Review: Ethan Hawke Soars, Paul Dano Flits in Sam Shepard Drama

No casting is set for the show, which follows the adventures of the half-God, half-mortal Hercules as he goes through a series of test to reclaim his place on Mount Olympus beside his father,...

A new adaptation of Hercules based on Disney’s 1997 animated film and featuring additional music by Alan Menken and David Zippel, a new book by Glow writer Kristoffer Diaz and choreography by Be More Chill choreographer Chase Brock will conclude this summer’s season of the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare In The Park, the Public announced today.

Hercules will close out the season at the Delacorte theater in Central Park following productions of Much Ado About Nothing, directed by American Son director Kenny Leon, and Coriolanus, directed by Daniel Sullivan.

The Hercules staging will be the latest of the Public’s Public Works initiative productions that invite community groups throughout the city to participate in the development of theater works. Last summer the initiative produced the very popular Twelfth Night with music and lyrics by Shaina Taub.

“Our Public Works community promises to connect this brilliantly conceived story back...

1970: The Doctors' Julie stirred up trouble at Hope Memorial.

1976: Ryan's Hope's Faith realized what Kenneth was up to.

1981: Another World's Mac pleaded with Mitch for help.

2006: General Hospital's Bobbie threatened Tracy."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1939: Time magazine published a story about radio soap creators, Frank and Anne Hummert, explaining their prolific serial production operation (Blackett-Sample-Hummert Inc.). "By hiring dialogue writers, and not creators, the Hummerts save lots of money. Most serial writers in radio command $200 to $400 a week. For The Goldbergs, Gertrude Berg...

John Williams is gearing up to score Star Wars 9. The legendary composer has helped define one of the most important and popular movie franchises in the history of cinema with his iconic and unforgettable music. Williams has scored every single saga movie so far and that's going to remain true in Episode IX. And according to one of his friends, Williams will be starting work on the final chapter of the Skywalker saga in just a few short months.

Last year, John Williams had something of a health scare that forced him to cancel some live performances. Fans all across the globe were concerned for his well-being, but it seems that the 86-year-old Oscar-winner is doing much better these days and, according to his pal Mike Matessino, he's set to begin working on his latest score this summer. Here's what Matessino had to say about it.

"John's doing just fine.

Exclusive: CAA has signed Academy Award, Tony and BAFTA winning actor Mark Rylance.

Rylance won his Oscar for the Steven Spielberg-directed Bridge of Spies, and he followed starring in the Christopher Nolan-directed Dunkirk. He recently completed shooting Waiting For The Barbarians, starring opposite Johnny Depp.

In television, Rylance has twice won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor, first for The Government Inspector and again for Wolf Hall, for which he also received a Golden Globe nomination.

Rylance is also a three-time Tony Award winner for his performances in Jerusalem, Twelfth Night, and Boeing-Boeing.

Rylance hadn’t had a Hollywood movie/TV agent in years. He continues to be represented by Christian Hodell at Hamilton Hodell in the UK and as a playwright by Joyce Ketay at Gersh. His attorney is Peikoff Mahan Llp.

Amanda Bynes returned to the spotlight in a big way as the cover star of Paper magazine’s annual “Break the Internet” issue. In a lengthy and often emotional profile, Bynes reflected on the rise and fall of her career as an actress, especially how some of her most popular films, “She’s the Man” and “Easy A,” played a role in negatively shaping her self-image and driving her out of Hollywood.

“She’s the Man,” a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” released in 2006, starred Bynes opposite then-newcomer Channing Tatum. The story had Bynes’ character spending a large portion of the movie dressed as a man, which the actress told Paper had a damaging effect on her mental health.

“When the movie came out and I saw it, I went into a deep depression for 4-6 months because I didn’t like how I looked when I was a boy,...

Actor of stage and screen Douglas Rain died Sunday morning from natural causes in St. Mary’s Memorial Hospital outside Stratford, Ontario. He was 90.

If you don’t recognize Rain’s from his numerous roles on stage, you may recognize his voice as the sentient computer Hal 9000 from Stanley Kubrick’s iconic film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Born on March 13, 1928 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Rain began his career as a radio actor and then trained at Old Vic Theatre in London. He went on to become one of the trailblazing members of the Stratford Festival, a renowned repertory theatre festival based in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. In the 1953 inaugural season of the company, he played Marquis of Dorset and Tyrrell in William Shakespeare’s Richard III. He was the understudy for the title role of the play which was portrayed by Alec lec Guinness, who is best known for his role as...

Emma Stone says that her organs shifted while wearing a corset on the set of The Favourite. The actress was recently interviewed about her "first corset role," and admitted that the first month was pretty tough to get used to. The project is a period piece, which takes place in the 1800s. Stone stars as Abigail Masham, Baroness Masham in the film, who was a favorite of Queen Anne and a cousin of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough.

On an episode of the Graham Norton show, Emma Stone shared her corset experience with Eddie Redmayne, Melissa McCarthy, and Jude Law. Since The Favourite takes place in the 1800s, the costume designers went out of their way to make everything look like it came from that time period, which meant that Stone had the pleasure of wearing a corset while filming. She had this to say about the corset experience.

"It's historically accurate,...

In Wednesday’s roundup, Netflix announces family comedy series “Family Reunion,” and the company is also bringing back its Spanish original series “Elite” for a second season.

Development

Netflix has announced “Family Reunion,” a multi-generational live action comedy series. The series, which recently began production, stars Loretta Devine (“The Carmichael Show”) and Tia Mowry. Mowry will play Cocoa McKellan, a free-spirited mother who travels from the big city with her family to a small town for her family reunion and gets to know their extended clan. Devine will portray the loving but strict matriarch of the family, M’Dear, and Anthony Alabi (“Insecure”) plays Cocoa’s husband. Rounding out the cast as the McKellan children are Talia Jackson as 14-year old Jade, Isaiah Russell-Bailey as 12-year old Shaka, Cameron J. “Cj” Wright as 10-year old Mazzi, and Jordyn James as 8-year old Ami. The show is executive produced and created...

Amazon is developing a contemporary musical television series inspired by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It comes from Spring Awakening‘s Steven Sater, Insatiable creator Lauren Gussis, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend executive producer Marc Webb and Ryan Seacrest Prods. CBS TV Studios, where Gussis, Webb and Rsp have had deals, is the studio, co-producing with Amazon Studios.

Written by Sater and Gussis with Webb set to direct, the untitled series tells the complicated love story between a young man and biological young woman who, over the course of the series, begins to identify as gender-fluid. In order to hold onto the love of his life, our young male hero writes an original musical version of Twelfth Night for his beloved to star in and perform over winter break. But they’re not alone — a group of college kids find themselves sequestered on an empty snowbound campus — and when the magic of the play kicks in,...

One of William Shakespeare’s most enduring comedies may soon find itself on television, with a contemporary twist. Amazon is developing a musical series inspired by Twelfth Night, one that swaps the play’s central storyline of mistaken identity for gender fluidity.

The untitled project, written by Spring Awakening’s Tony-winning writer Steven Sater and Insatiable showrunner Lauren Gussis, is described as a complicated love story between a young man and biological young woman. The latter, over the course of the series, begins to identify as gender-fluid.

“In order to hold on to the love of his life, our young male ...

Trevor Nunn is not the first director to accrue both a glorious stage résumé and a paltry, pedestrian screen one. Still, given the talent involved, it’s disappointing that “Red Joan” does so little to change that — his first theatrical feature since a decent “Twelfth Night” adaptation 22 years ago is a would-be sweeping epic that instead turns out tweedy, dreary, and unconvincing.

Something was surely lost along the way as the real-life story of one Melita Norwood — a British civil servant of scant note until her pro-ussr espionage was revealed when she was an elderly retiree — turned into a 2014 novel by Jessica Rooney, then into this tepid film incarnation. Beyond all other intrigue, our heroine here proves an under-radar key player in shaping the power dynamics of the Cold War. So it’s dismaying that so little drama is wrung out of the tale, and that what we get too...

Plenty of creative gigs are available in smaller acting markets to start your fall off right. In Lexington, Kentucky, an Equity production of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” is seeking union and nonunion talent for several lead roles. Or discover a new hidden talent and perform as a Freddie Mercury lookalike in Chicago. Whatever your talent, Backstage has plenty of opportunities for you. Utah Shakespeare Festival 2019 Season, Cedar CITYJoin the Utah Shakespeare Festival for its upcoming season, which will include “Book of Will” ( written by Lauren Gunderson), “Macbeth,” “Twelfth Night,” “Hamlet,” “The Conclusion of Henry VI pt. 2 and 3,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice), “Every Brilliant Thing” (written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe), and Arthur Miller’s “The Price.” The festival is seeking male and female Equity actors, aged 18 and older. There will be an Equity principal audition on Sept. 24. Four...

Composer, actress and accordion player Shaina Taub will hang up her squeezebox – temporarily, rest assured – this Sunday when her acclaimed Shakespeare in the Park musical adaptation of Twelfth Night closes its month-long run, bringing an end to a two-year journey that had the now-29-year-old songwriter working with everyone from non-professional performers in all five New York boroughs to the artistic directors of Manhattan’s Public Theater (Oskar Eustis) and London’s Young Vic (Kwame Kwei-Armah).

No end-of-summer blues for Taub, though – well, not a lot anyway – as the 2009 NYU grad and original cast member of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 forges on with two fantastically intriguing projects: She’s collaborating with Elton John on a musical version of The Devil Wears Prada, and she’s continuing development of her own musical about the...

Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub’s musicalized “Twelfth Night” is the kind of outdoor summer theater that transcends bad weather. Even if the skies crackle with lightning and showers soak you in your seat (as happened to this critic), you’ll still leave Central Park’s Delacorte Theater beaming. The co-creators take Shakespeare’s themes and wrap them in an ebullient package, making sure everything about this production — from the inclusive casting to the use of American Sign Language to the invitation to the audience to come mingle with the cast on stage at the start — says “welcome.” With a score of catchy tunes and ardent performances, it’s a happy marriage of a classic play with a contemporary execution.

Presented here as part of the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park program, this “Twelfth Night” was created through Public Works, the initiative that sees members of community...

New Yorkers couldn’t ask for a sweeter summertime lift than Free Shakespeare in the Park’s vibrant, contemporary and very funny musical adaptation of Twelfth Night. Conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah (who directs with Oskar Eustus) and Shaina Taub, this colorful, spirited production is a joy from start to finish.

With a large cast of professionals and community members from all five of the city’s boroughs (as the ensemble of townfolk), this Twelfth Night is a “re-imagining” of the popular 2016 staging by the Public Theatre’s Public Works program, and features 23 lively, pop-rock-r&B songs composed by the accordion-playing Taub.

Though the spoken dialogue is all Shakespeare, Taub’s lyrics cleverly convey the Bard’s tale with a decidedly contemporary edge. In one song, the shipwrecked, disguised-as-a-man Viola (the gorgeous-voiced Nikki M. James) sings “As...

Chin Han remembers the days when he had to hang up his costumes backstage at the end of a play, before his transition to Hollywood introduced him to costume designers and dressers. The thespian spent much of his early acting career in Singapore, performing in theatrical shows like Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” It wasn’t until a friend recommended him for a film role in the 1990s that he moved out to Los Angeles, launching a TV and film career that has spanned projects ranging from superhero blockbuster “The Dark Knight” to disaster pic “2012” and biomedical drama “Contagion.” In his latest role, he stars alongside Dwayne Johnson as architect Zhao Long Zhi in the CGI spectacle “Skyscraper,” which hit theaters July 13.

Chin Han received his first mention in Variety on Aug. 15, 1997, when production began on his first Hollywood film, “Blindness,” in which he played Daniel Hong.

What was the transition to Hollywood like?...

Academy Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush has pulled out of the Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night amidst a defamation lawsuit against The Daily Telegraph.

The theater company’s artistic director Brett Sheehy says that he received confirmation Monday that Rush will be exiting the production in which he would have played Malvolio during the seven-week season that was set to begin on Nov. 12, according to the Associated Press.

Upon his departure from the production, Rush didn’t mention the defamation case but cited medical reasons for his exit. In a statement received by Sheehy, Rush said that he is leaving the production with “the greatest regret.”

“I know that I would not be able to provide the necessary creative spirit and the professional stamina required,” Rush added.

Rush filed defamation proceedings last year in Australia’s federal court, seeking damages from The Daily Telegraph which...

The actor, who is suing the Daily Telegraph for defamation, cites medical advice for his withdrawal

Actor Geoffrey Rush has pulled out of an upcoming Melbourne Theatre Company production citing “current circumstances and medical advice”.

Rush announced on Monday night that he would no longer participate in the company’s production of Twelfth Night, which is due to begin in four months.

On Broadway and beyond, a curtain can rise as quickly as it can fall; a star can be swapped as easily as Bernie Telsey can say, “That’s enough.” Theater is the beating heart of New York show business and, if you want to make it here, it’s crucial you’re up to date on incoming projects, latest castings, and other industry news. Don’t worry, Broadway baby, Backstage has your back. Every week, we’re rounding up the can’t-miss stories no thespian should live without, so you can focus on important matters like hitting your high F. Curtain up and light those lights! A lyricist? For “The Devils Wears Prada” musical? Groundbreaking.The Broadway-bound musical adaptation of the hit 2006 film “The Devil Wears Prada” is rounding out its all-important creative team. Joining previously-announced book-writer Paul Rudnick and composer Elton John will be Shaina Taub, who will pen the lyrics.

Shaina Taub, creator of an acclaimed 2016 Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night, has signed on a lyricist for the Elton John-Paul Rudnick Broadway musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada.

Based on Lauren Weisberger’s best-selling 2003 novel and the 2006 Fox 2000 Pictures film, the in-development Prada is being produced by Kevin McCollum, Fox Stage Productions and Rocket Entertainment.

A production time-line and additional creative team members will be announced at a later date, according to a spokesperson for the project.

Said Elton John in a statement, “It’s great working with Shaina. We’re all having a blast and I’m delighted with the way the show is shaping up.”

“Writing songs with Elton John is a joy and an honor,” said Taub. “The Devil Wears Prada is one of my all-time favorite movies. I’m thrilled to join this amazing team in bringing this story about two...

Waiting in line under the sun in hopes of landing a theatre ticket is no one's idea of fun, but for over 60 years people have been doing just that as they lounge in Central Park hoping to see performers like Anne Hathaway, Audra McDonald or Meryl Streep in one of the Public Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park productions. This year, they've recently closed Othello, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and a musical version of Twelfth Night with music and lyrics by Shaina Taub will play the Delacorte from July 17 to August 19.

The 2018 Tony nominations are here, and some of Hollywood’s biggest names are competing for theater’s biggest honor.

Two Comedy Titans

Tied for the most nominations was Mean Girls, the musical adaptation of 2004’s hit high school comedy. Book writer Tina Fey earned her first-ever Tony nomination. The 47-year-old SNL vet’s husband, Jeff Richmond, also picked up a nod for scoring the musical.

“We are honestly too excited and too proud of our ensemble to make a joke about this,” Fey and Richmond said in a statement to People. “We are so grateful to be embraced by the...

Just like you, this week’s picks are a weird and wonderful bunch. If you’re the kind of creative Londoner who likes film, music, and embracing the new, this is your week. Lady Bird herself, Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, talks cinema.Get yourself down to the beautiful Curzon Mayfair cinema on May 8 for a special screening of Ian McEwan’s emotionally charged ‘On Chesil Beach’. Answering questions after the screening will be stars Saoirse Ronan and Bill Howle, as well as theatre-turned-film-director Dominic Cooke, and McEwan himself. Book now. (Tickets £17.50) Wisdom from a Hollywood legend.It’s your last chance to catch Kathleen Turner, the star with the most distinctive voice in Hollywood, in the London run of her one-woman show. She’ll be sharing songs and stories about her A-list life but she’s also known to enjoy teaching drama so you may get some top tips, too!

Black Panther and The Walking Dead star Danai Gurira is to bring her stage play The Convert, about a girl who converts to Catholicism in 1890s Rhodesia, Africa, to London’s Young Vic theater in December. Kwame Kwei-Armah, the theater’s new artistic director, this morning revealed the drama to be among his debut season, calling it a “modern classic… ripe for interpretation.”

The play, which was first staged as a co-production between the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and the McCarter Theatre in New Jersey in 2012, explores “the impact of colonialism and Catholicism on black identity”. It was first seen in the UK in a 2017 production at London’s Gate Theatre.

Gurira played Wakandan general Okoye in Marvel smash Black Panther, a role she will reprise in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War. Her other plays include 2009’s Tony-award winner Eclipsed, which played in New York with a cast headed by...

Toby Stephens' dad, Sir Richard Stephens, was considered one of the greatest British actors of his generation, heir apparent to Laurence Olivier. His mom, Maggie Smith, is an even more revered fixture of stage and screen. So, naturally, their son would grow up to star in <em>Lost in Space</em>.

To be fair, Stephens served plenty of time in period dramas and highbrow BBC productions (everything from <em>Twelfth Night</em> to <em>Onegin</em> to<em> Cousin Bette</em>). But in 2002, he landed the plumb role of Bond villain Gustav Graves in <em>Die Another Day</em> and the next thing he knew he was being cast in Clint Eastwood films (<em>Space ...</em>...

1970: The Doctors' Julie stirred up trouble at Hope Memorial.

1976: Ryan's Hope's Faith realized what Kenneth was up to.

1981: Another World's Mac pleaded with Mitch for help.

2006: General Hospital's Bobbie threatened Tracy."Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

― Machiavelli

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1939: Time magazine published a story about radio soap creators, Frank and Anne Hummert, explaining their...

Shakespeare has always been ripe for reinvention, and Claire McCarthy’s “Ophelia,” a reworking of “Hamlet” from the perspective of his seemingly doomed lover, is the kind of new spin on one of the ol’ Bard’s most beloved stories that should only reestablish the force of Shakespeare’s original words. And yet McCarthy’s film, based on Lisa Klein’s 2006 novel of the same name, takes its best ideas (and its best performers) and traps them in a cheap narrative that would will likely rank among the worst of many Shakespearean adaptations. It’s such a good idea on paper, rendered totally inert on the screen.

At least there’s Daisy Ridley as the eponymous Ophelia, introduced as a “willful girl.” Literally locked out of the very library she’s so desperate to enter (“Ophelia” is rarely subtle), Ridley brings a grace that makes it clear why both Queen...

Four Canadian television and stage actresses have filed separate civil lawsuits against actor Albert Schultz, according to a report by the CBC. The suits allege 30 separate incidents of sexual assault or harassment over the course of a 13-year period from 2000 to 2013. The misconduct occurred while the women were acting in productions with Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre Company during Schultz’s tenure as artistic director. The actresses are “Orphan Black” star Kristin Booth, Diana Bentley (Netflix’s “Frontier”), Hannah Miller (“Saving Hope”) and Patricia Fagan (“Murdoch Mysteries”).

“Albert is a serial sexual predator who…had well-developed methods for targeting actresses and luring them into situations that he considered optimal for sexually harassing and assaulting them,” according to a copy of the lawsuits obtained by the CBC.

Read More:Dustin Hoffman Accusers Write Open Letter Thanking John Oliver For Confronting Actor Over Sexual Harassment

Fagan’s suit alleges Schultz created a climate of “mocking,...

The critically acclaimed Shakespeare's Globe production of Farinelli and the King, starring three-time Tony Award-winner Twelfth Night, Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing and Academy Award-winner Bridge of Spies Mark Rylance, opened last night, December 17, 2017 at Broadway's Belasco Theatre 111 West 44th Street. The production plays a strictly limited engagement for 16 weeks only through Sunday, March 25, 2018. BroadwayWorld attended the opening night and you can check out photos from the red carpet arrivals here...

The critically acclaimed Shakespeare's Globe production of Farinelli and the King, starring three-time Tony Award-winner Twelfth Night, Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing and Academy Award-winner Bridge of Spies Mark Rylance, opened last night, December 17, 2017 at Broadway's Belasco Theatre 111 West 44th Street. The production plays a strictly limited engagement for 16 weeks only through Sunday, March 25, 2018. BroadwayWorld attended the opening night cast party and you can check out photos here...

The critically acclaimed Shakespeare's Globe production of Farinelli and the King, starring three-time Tony Award-winner Twelfth Night, Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing and Academy Award-winner Bridge of Spies Mark Rylance, opened last night, December 17, 2017 at Broadway's Belasco Theatre 111 West 44th Street. The production plays a strictly limited engagement for 16 weeks only through Sunday, March 25, 2018. BroadwayWorld attended opening night and you can check out photos from the show's opening night curtain call below...

The critically acclaimed Shakespeare's Globe production of Farinelli and the King, starring three-time Tony Award-winner Twelfth Night, Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing and Academy Award-winner Bridge of Spies Mark Rylance, opens tonight, December 17, 2017 at Broadway's Belasco Theatre 111 West 44th Street. The production plays a strictly limited engagement for 16 weeks only through Sunday, March 25, 2018. Scroll down to learn more about the company, plus watch a trailer for the show...

Producers Sonia Friedman, Shakespeare's Globe and Paula Marie Blackare have announcedcomplete casting for the critically acclaimed Shakespeare's Globe production of Farinelli and the King, starring three-time Tony Award-winner Twelfth Night, Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing and Academy Award-winner Bridge of Spies Mark Rylance.

Academy Award® winners Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson, Mark Rylance and Alicia Vikander will present at the 89th Oscars, show producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd announced today. All return to the Oscars stage after winning last year in their respective acting categories. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will air live on Sunday, February 26, on the ABC Television Network.

DiCaprio won last year for Actor in a Leading Role for “The Revenant.” He was previously nominated for his performances in “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013), for which he also received a Best Picture nomination, “Blood Diamond” (2006), “The Aviator” (2004) and “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” (1993). His film credits also include “The Great Gatsby” (2013), “Django Unchained” (2012) and “J. Edgar” (2011).

Larson’s performance in “Room” earned her an Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role. She has also appeared in “Trainwreck” (2015) and “Short Term 12” (2013). Her upcoming films include “Captain Marvel,” “Kong: Skull Island,...

Magazines may be a dying business but the few mega magazines that remain all have annual traditions to entice buys. And so it is with the "Time 100" an annual list of "Most Influential" though as with any such list it's highly subjective.

Here is a list of the movie & television people who made it this year in one of their five sections (the only section that does not include at least one actor is "Leaders")

Pioneers Aziz Ansari and Gina Rodriguez

Titans Dwayne Johnson, Wang Jianlin, and Kathleen Kennedy

Taraji is the modern-day Bette Davis, touching audiences with her honesty and intensity. When you are on set with Taraji, she listens, but she also questions. She challenges everyone to go the extra step to get it right. She has a deep understanding of the human condition, and she displays it with her eyes—the pain, the happiness, the love, the laughter.