tl;dr for July 23rd
- Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit stage adaptation of "School of Rock" will close January 20, 2019, opening up the Winter Garden Theatre (prime real estate) for a spring musical; my prediction: "Moulin Rouge!"
- Good news for fans of The Boss, Bruce Springsteen has recorded his sold out, Tony-winning one-man Broadway show to stream on Netflix in December; I was fortunate to catch the show live, and it is something special
- Fulfilling my childhood dreams, "Cats" will be a feature film; even better, early casting includes Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella, and Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, and James Corden as yet-to-be-named cats; Tom Hooper ("Les Miserables") will direct; read my piece in defense of "Cats"
- Hailey Kilgore is out of "Once on This Island" (Critic's Pick!) with an injury, and Lisa Brescia will replace Tony-winner Rachel Bay Jones in "Dear Evan Hansen" (Critic's Pick!)
- Critic's Pick! "Hello, Dolly!" may be closing on Broadway on August 25th, but the national tour with Betty Buckley kicks off in September; check out the schedule
- Casey Nicholaw's hit London revival of "Dreamgirls" is casting for Broadway
- Who sang the ending of "Rose's Turn" best? You decide (the right answer is: Bernadette Peters)
- Gary Beach, Broadway's original Lumiere in "Beauty and the Beast" and a Tony-winner for "The Producers", is dead at age 70; Disney's New Amsterdam Theatre dimmed its lights on Friday
