Search

Janis, Grisham, and Waller Are Coming to Broadway This Fall

Mid-week and updates on Broadway have hit warp speed. First off, box office records for this past seasons musicals and plays are being broken on a regular basis, from Matilda, Kinky Boots, Pippin and Motown to Lucky Guy, I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers and The Assembled Parties. In short, business is booming. Just a reminder: every one of the non-musicals will be closing within the next couple of weeks, so carpe tickets if you can.

Moving on to announcements of shows for the upcoming Broadway season, here’s a quick preview of what has crossed my desk since Monday.

Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) has adapted John Grisham’s novel A Time to Kill for the stage. The racially charged drama -- you may recall the 1996 film version starring Samuel L. Jackson and Matthew McConaughey -- will be begin previews on September 28th at the Golden Theatre. The official opening will be October 20th. Cast TBA.

Kelli O'Hara will star in The Bridges of Madison County on Broadway

And while we’re on the subject of book to celluloid to Broadway, come mid- January, 2014, the musical version of Robert James Waller’s best-seller The Bridges of Madison County will begin previews, Starring four-time Tony nominee Kelli O’Hara (pictured above) and Rescue Me’s Steven Pasquale, the show features music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years) and a book by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman (‘night Mother, The Color Purple, The Secret Garden).

A Night With Janis Joplin on Broadway

As for the latest bit of breaking news, A Night with Janis Joplin, a concert musical starring Mary Bridget Davies in the title role, will take over the Lyceum Theatre starting September 20th (official opening night is slated for October 10th). To date, the show has received critical kudos during engagements at Portland Center Stage, the Cleveland Play House, the Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, Pasadena Playhouse, and Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for this theatrical reincarnation of rock’s awesome Pearl – Broadway can use a shot of Southern Comfort, don’t you think?

About the Author

City Guide Theatre Editor Griffin Miller moved to New York to pursue an acting/writing career in the 1980s after graduating magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Since then, she has written for The New York Times, For the Bride, Hotels, and a number of other publications, mostly in the areas of travel and performance arts. An active member of The New York Travel Writers Association, she is also a playwright and award-winning collage artist. In addition, she sits on the board of The Lewis Carroll Society of North America. Griffin is married to Richard Sandomir, a reporter for The New York Times.

Bringing a group to NYC? Free planning services

Let us know what you are looking for and we will try to connect you directly and get discounts.

Enter the code: 3972

More Articles