Spring Broadway Season Part Two
That’s right theatre fans. It’s time for Part Two in my three-part series on the Broadway Spring season.
First up? Life of Pi. Based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel, and winner of five Olivier Awards including Best Play of the Year, the show is set to begin previews on March 9 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, with opening night scheduled for March 30. Now while I did not read the acclaimed novel, I did see Ang Lee’s fantastic film adaptation that received eleven 2012 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and won four including Best Director of the Year for Lee’s brilliant work on the film. Now for those of you that may not be familiar with the novel or the film, I have included a brief synopsis about this critically acclaimed story courtesy of the show’s official press release.” After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, a sixteen-year old boy named Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with four other survivors-a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive?” Well, I’m sold.
Next up is the new Hee-Haw inspired musical Shucked. Now I don’t know about you, but I was a huge Hee-Haw fan growing up. Not to mention the book is written by Tony Award winner Robert Horn who won a much deserved Tony Award in 2019 for his libretto of Tootsie. Oh and did I mention it’s also being directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien? Now while I am not as familiar with the work of the show’s songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McNally, they do have quite the track record with a slew of number one songs and multiple Grammy nominations and awards between them. Previews for the show are set to begin at the Nederlander Theatre on March 8, with opening night scheduled for April 4. So, what exactly is the show about? Well according to the show’s site, Shucked, “pairs up a semi-neurotic comedy writer with two music superstars from Nashville? A hilarious and audacious farm-to-fable musical about the one thing Americans everywhere can’t get enough of: corn. I mean who doesn’t love corn? I guess we will see.
Coming in at number three is Fat Ham, the 2022 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Written by James ljames and directed by New York’s Public Theatre Associate Artistic Director Saheem Ali, Fat Ham is set to begin previews at the American Airlines Theatre on March 21, with opening night scheduled for April 12. The show, which makes it’s Broadway debut following it’s critically acclaimed sold out run last Spring at the Pubic Theatre, is a new adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Only this time instead of a castle in 14th Century Denmark, this new version takes place in the South at an outdoor barbeque where the play’s leading character, a black and queer college student named Juicy is visited by the ghost of his deceased father begging his son to find his killer and exact his revenge. Sounds like an interesting night in the theatre don’t you think? Starring the original Off-Broadway cast, Fat Ham will play a limited run through August 6.
Well, would you look at that. Another beloved musical revival opening on Broadway this season. I am of course talking about Lerner and Lowe’s beloved classic, Camelot. First produced on Broadway in 1960, Camelot was based on T.H. White’s novel The Once and Future King. Now while the show enjoyed a two-year run-on Broadway, it was not nominated for Best Musical of the Year. However, it is most known as one of President John F. Kennedy’s favorite cast recordings, particularly the lyrics, “Don’t let it be forgot/That once there was a spot/For one brief, shining moment/That was known as Camelot.” A fact that became known a week after his assassination. This new production, which is being directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, and features a new book by Academy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Aaron Sorkin, is set to begin previews at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on March 9, with opening night scheduled for April 23. Starring as King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, and the woman they both love, Guenevere, are Andrew Burnap, Jordan Donica, and Tony Award nominee Phillipa Soo. Here’s hoping this new production is shown more love from the Tony Award committee than it got sixty-three years ago.
One of the funniest plays that I have seen in the past decade is the Play That Goes Wrong. The show, which began its acclaimed Broadway run in Spring 2017 before closing after a near two-year run, then transferred to Off-Broadway’s New World Stages where it continues to this day. Now here we are almost six years later and the show’s writers are about to take Broadway by storm once again with Peter Pan Goes Wrong. The play which features the same cast of characters from the original who have accepted the task of presenting J.M. Barrie’s beloved story, is set to begin previews at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on March 17, with opening night scheduled for April 19. The show, which first premiered in London’s West End in December 2013, will play a limited sixteen and half week run through July 9. I can’t wait to see it.
So there you have it. Five exciting new plays and musicals set to open in the coming months. Be sure to check back soon for Part Three in my Spring Preview. Until next time theatre fans.
