Read on for more theatre news you may have missed in today's headlines.
Online Theatre Journal 3Views Returns to Theatre Criticism
Following a pandemic-forced pivot from criticism and commentary to a weekly highlights show of past productions, the online theatre journal 3Views will now shift back towards its original mission of diverse theatre criticism of current productions. The refocused site will launch its first issue on October 11 covering the Broadway production of Douglas Lyon's Chicken & Biscuits. 3Views will also welcome three co-editors: dramaturg and producer Sarah Rose Leonard, arts journalist Brittani Samuel, and critic Jose Solís. Collectively known as the View Finders, the new co-editors, replacing 2020 Editor Melissa Crespo (who was recently appointed as the associate artistic director of Syracuse Stage), will curate a monthly edition focusing on one production from three separate angles by three separate contributors. Visit 3ViewsTheater.org for more information.
Jamal Sims, Justin Tranter, and Aletha Jones Join Grease Prequel
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies has added three key members to its creative team, Deadline reports. The Paramount+ Grease prequel series will feature new original music by songwriter and producer Justin Tranter, with choreography by Jamal Sims, who appears regularly as a choreographer on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Sims' work will also be seen in the upcoming Netflix film adaptation of Jason Robert Brown's 13 the Musical. Aletha Jones will produce and direct the first episode of the series, set four years prior to the 1978 film and following four outcast girls who become the pink-jacketed gang.
Saturday Night Fever Is Stayin' Alive in London
Bill Kenwright’s production of Saturday Night Fever will call London's Peacock Theatre home for an eight-week limited engagement, running February 1–March 26, 2022. Based on the 1977 film of the same name, the jukebox musical features the songs of the disco group The Bee Gees. This new production will have onstage actor-musicians in the roles of the Bee Gees, singing the hit soundtrack alongside the cast. Kenwright directs and produces, with choreography by Olivier Award-winning Bill Deamer, design by Gary McCann, lighting by Nick Richings, and sound by Dan Samson. The stage adaptation is by Robert Stigwood in collaboration with Bill Oakes. Kenwright also produced and directed a revival of Saturday Night Fever which played London in 2018, followed by a U.K. tour.
New York Stem Cell Foundation Taps Theatre Community for Gala
Quite a few familiar theatre faces will be on hand for the 2021 NYSCF Gala and Science Fair Show Up for Science, streaming October 5 at 7 PM ET. Tony winners Jane Krakowski, Tony Shalhoub, Santino Fontana, and Annaleigh Ashford, as well as Bob Balaban, Jesse Williams, and more will appear alongside NYSCF Research Institute scientists for conversations on the latest updates and breakthroughs in stem cell research. The organization will also honor four-time Tony nominee Victor Garber for his advocacy for the diabetes and Alzheimer’s patient communities. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta, MD hosts the event with Tony nominee Scott Ellis directing. Click here for more.
READ: Broadway Stars Set for Playbill Panels at New York Comic Con 2021
Plus: Funko has revealed a new exclusive Pop! for New York Comic Con 2021. It's the Lancelot of the Revolutionary Set! Funko has opted out of exhibiting in person at this year's NYCC and will be offering all their exclusive Pops, including the Hamilton Lafayette, online in their own Virtual Con. Click here for details.
