Closing Notices: since the last edition of Stage Left, three more Broadway shows have announced closings: "The Cher Show" (read my review), "King Kong" (read my review), and "Pretty Woman" (read my review) will close on August 18th
News: Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Cox, and Zawe Ashton will reprise their West End performances for a Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's "Betrayal" starting in August; Manhattan Concert Productions' annual Lincoln Center concert in February will be a special 50th anniversary presentation of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"; a Neil Diamond bio-musical is Broadway-aimed, as is a stage musical about Liberace inspired by HBO's "Behind the Candelabra"; and following a 500+ performance run Off-Broadway, a new, expanded production of "Cagney" is aiming for Broadway
Casting: the Netflix film adaptation of critic's pick "The Prom" (read my review) will star Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannels, and Awkwafina; the Disney-Public Theater presentation of "Hercules" in the Park will star Jelani Alladin as Hercules, Krysta Rodriguez as Meg, Roger Bart as Hades, and James Monroe Iglehart as Phil; Raul Esparza and Brandon Uranowitz will star as the Mizner Brothers in Sondheim and Goldman's "Road Show" at City Center, alongside Mary Beth Peil and Chuck Cooper as their parents; a reading of "The Devil Wears Prada" musical last week featured Emily Skinner, Krystina Alabado, Heléne Yorke, and Etai Benson; and the cast is set for composer Adam Gwon's "Scotland, PA" at Roundabout this fall, including Jay Armstrong Johnson, Taylor Iman Jones, and Alysha Umphress
Rumor: Marianne Elliot's acclaimed, gender-swapped West End production of "Company" (read my review) is rumored for a Broadway transfer in Spring 2020 (I'll drink to that!), as is Matthew Warchus' production of "Present Laughter" at the Old Vic in London
Milestone: "Waitress" is now the longest running musical at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (check out the longest running show at each of Broadway's 41 theatres here)
Read: this piece about the theatrical underrepresentation of lesbians and their stories
Listen: to "Back in Time" from the forthcoming "Back to the Future" musical
RIP: Martin Charnin, Tony Award-winning lyricist and director of "Annie", is dead at 84; William F. Brown, the bookwriter of "The Wiz", is dead at 91; and Sid Ramin, an original orchestrator of "West Side Story", is dead at 100
