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Broadway's Latest Casting Coups: It's All in the Stars

Just as the spring tsunami of new productions begins its surge over the Great White Way, longer running shows are gathering their own big buzz, especially on the casting front, starting with the prodigal star of It’s Only a Play, Tony winner Nathan Lane, who took a leave of absence to head the cast of Brooklyn Academy of Music’s The Iceman Cometh. Happily for his fans, Lane cometh back to Broadway—and comedic accomplices Matthew Broderick, F. Murray Abraham, Stockard Channing, Katie Finneran, Maulik Pancholy, and Micah Stock—on March 31st. Martin Short, who brilliantly pinch-hit for Lane, departs on March 29th.

Courtney Reed and Adam Jacobs. Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann

Meanwhile, over at Aladdin the good news is the show’s original stars, Tony winner James Monroe Iglehart (Genie), Tony nominee Jonathan Freeman (Jafar), Adam Jacobs (Aladdin) and Courtney Reed (Jasmine) have extended their contracts with the family-friendly hit through February 21, 2016 – a huge plus for theatregoers anxious to experience the quintessential performances that helped make Disney’s latest Broadway conquest a must-see.

In contrast, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical recently welcomed a new leading lady to its company: Canadian actress Chilina Kennedy, last seen on Broadway in Jesus Christ Superstar. Kennedy succeeds Jessie Mueller, who exited her Tony-winning turn as the legendary pop star on March 5th.

“After seeing her excel over the years as the preeminent leading lady of Canada’s Stratford Festival, I’m thrilled to welcome Chilina back to Broadway,” observes Beautiful director Marc Bruni, calling Kennedy “a unique talent” who will bring a “warmth, vulnerability, and humility” to the role.

Moving on.... Replacing Lena Hall—whose performance as Yitzhak netted her a Tony statuette for Hedwig and the Angry Inch—is Rebecca Naomi Jones (American Idiot). She joins current white-hot Hedwig John Cameron Mitchell, who wrote the play and launched the title role Off-Broadway in 1998). Mitchell will remain with the show through April 26th at which time Darren Criss (Glee) will take over as the in-your-face-transgender-rocker-star.

As for Broadway newbies, the final addition to the cast of Living on Love (previewing on April 1st), is NYC native Jerry O’Connell who, like co-star Anna Chlumsky (Veep), became known to movie viewers as kid actors back in the day—O’Connell in Stand by Me and Chlumsky in the two My Girl films.

Finally, on the Off-Broadway front, New World Stages recently debuted Churchill, a one-man take on the Brit who dominated the newsreel circuit during the 1930s and ‘40s. Adapted and performed by Ronald Keaton, the show arrived in New York following a sell-out run in Chicago. Tour de force and utterly engaging, Churchill is an absolute must for history buffs – or anyone looking for a stellar theatrical experience.

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.

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