Read on for more theatre headlines you may have missed in today's news.
Full Casting Announced for Lillian Hellman’s Watch on the Rhine
The Spotlight on Plays series has announced the full company for the May 13 streaming production of Lillian Hellman’s 1941 WWII drama Watch on the Rhine. Joining the previously announced Ellen Burstyn and Carla Gugino are Tony Award nominees Mary Beth Peil (Anastasia) and Jeremy Shamos (Clybourne Park), Alan Cox (Translations), Sasha Diamond (Significant Other), Alfred Enoch (ABC's How to Get Away with Murder), Luca Padovan (School of Rock), Gabriella Pizzolo (Fun Home), and Neel Sethi (The Jungle Book). Sarna Lapine directs. Proceeds from Spotlight on Plays benefit The Actors Fund. For more details about the shows in the current season, visit BroadwaysBestShows.com.
Live at the Lortel Interview Series Announces May Lineup of Guests
The virtual conversation series hosted by Eric Ostrow, with co-hosts Joy DeMichelle and John-Andrew Morrison, will welcome Tony-nominated actor and playwright Charlayne Woodard (Ain't Misbehavin') May 3, Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Flower Drum Song) May 10, theatre educator and intimacy director Ann James May 17, and current Tony nominee Robyn Hurder (Moulin Rouge!) May 24. The live interviews take place at 7 PM ET, with podcast episodes released the following week. For more information or to join live, click here.
Chamber Magic Sets Return Dates in NYC
Magician Steve Cohen will return this spring with his solo show at Lotte New York Palace hotel June 4. Performed weekly, the show features conjuring, mind-reading, sleight of hand, and more. Capacity will be reduced to 40 audience members per performance, with social distancing in effect. During the shutdown, the venue was updated with new, compliant HVAC units and MERV 13 filters. “I am excited to be one of the first long-running live shows to return to New York City,” said Cohen. The show debuted in NYC in 2000. “While some forms of entertainment can transcend a computer screen, close-up magic demands to be seen in person,” he added. For more details about the show, click here.
WATCH: Magician Steve Cohen on the Magic of Cocktail Making in Think-a-Drink
Tony Winner Mark Rylance Reunites With Wolf Hall Creators for New Series
The Undeclared War, a new six-part series from the makers of the Golden Globe-winning BBC/PBS drama Wolf Hall, is in the works for the NBCUniversal streaming platform Peacock and U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, Deadline reports. Three-time Tony Award winner Mark Rylance will star, along with Simon Pegg, in the political drama penned by Peter Kosminsky. The series takes place in 2024, centering on the British general election involving the U.K.’s first Black Conservative prime minister, played by Adrian Lester. Rylance and Pegg are members of the U.K.’s NSA-style spy agency GCHQ, tasked with warding off a cyber-attack on the country’s electoral system. The series is produced by Playground and NBCUniversal International Studios.
