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☆ ‘Spirited’ Review: A Caterwauling ‘Christmas Carol’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Kyle Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Will Ferrell was part of a woeful musical-comedy misadventure in 2005, when he played a supporting role in the big-screen version of Broadway’s “The Producers,” one of those movies that seemed to be forgotten the week after it opened. Now Mr. Ferrell is taking his chances again: At age 55, he fancies himself a Broadway baby. When a big star wants to do a musical, he’ll rarely be dissuaded. Make that two stars: Ryan Reynolds , who like Mr. Ferrell has a singing voice that can charitably be described as thin and dances in a way that suggests great effort, has joined him in woofing and warbling in the umpteenth adaptation of “A Christmas Carol .” “Spirited” is in theaters this week ahead of its streaming release Nov. 18 on Apple TV+, but nothing in the film supports the adjectival promise of the title. Fans of Mr. Ferrell and Mr. Reynolds have likely never seen them in anything this earnest and tacky before, and are liable to feel somewhere between betrayed and stunned.

This fall, Ross made history as the first trans woman to ever play a leading role on Broadway. He added that Ross’ debut in the long-running American musical “opens the door to full acceptance” for the transgender community. “Black theater artists are asking for white American theater to see us and consider us in producing work,” Jackson said. The Black Theatre Coalition said it aimed “to remove the ‘ILLUSION OF INCLUSION’ in the American Theatre,” by combating racism and providing more work opportunities for Black artists, according to the group’s mission statement. “I hope there’s an Angelica Ross backstage, whether that’s in stage management, whether that’s in front of the house,” he said.

CNN —New York City’s Broadway theaters plan to dim the lights on Saturday evening in tribute to the late actress Angela Lansbury, who died this week. The Committee of Theatre Owners will dim the lights for one minute at 7:45 p.m. in her honor, the Broadway League said in a statement. Not yet 20 years old, Lansbury garnered her first Oscar nomination for her movie debut in “Gaslight” in 1944. She also accepted an honorary Oscar in 2013 and amassed 11 Emmy nominations for her role as Jessica Fletcher in “Murder, She Wrote,” but never won. She also hosted or co-hosted the Tony Awards five times, more than any other individual.

☆ Wendell Pierce, LaTanya Richardson Jackson among honorees set for AAFCA's inaugural Salute to Broadway
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

“Death of a Salesman” actor Wendell Pierce, “The Piano Lesson” director LaTanya Richardson Jackson and “Till” star John Douglas Thompson are among the honorees set for the inaugural Salute to Broadway presented by the African American Film Critics Association. The event is set for Oct. 17 at The Lambs Club in the heart of Midtown’s theater district. “It’s no secret that some of our greatest actors have come from the stage or have tested their chops on it,” said Gil Robertson, co-founder of AAFCA. Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer-winning “Topdog/Underdog” — which starred Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and was directed by Kenny Leon in its first Broadway revival — is slated for the Spotlight Award. The production, which began previews Sept. 19 and opens Oct. 13 at Ethel Barrymore Theatre, makes Richardson Jackson the first woman to direct a Wilson play on the Main Stem.

☆ ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ Longest-Running Broadway Show, to Close
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

‘The Phantom of the Opera’ has won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. “The Phantom of the Opera,” Broadway’s longest-running show, will hold its final curtain call in February 2023, amid a slow pandemic rebound for theater attendance in New York. A hit since its Broadway debut in 1988, the romantic musical will have its final performance on Feb. 18, a spokesman said Friday. Its closure concludes a decadeslong, award-winning run, with 13,925 performances and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

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