The PBS Arts Fall Festival, which runs Friday nights, will return October 21 with several all-new programs, including a look at the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway phenomenon Hamilton. That critically acclaimed musical's creator and original star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, will host this year's festival. “The PBS Arts Fall Festival spotlights some of the best of the arts across our great country. For this sixth annual Festival, I am thrilled to announce that Lin-Manuel Miranda will be our host,” said PBS president and ... Read more

The Hollywood Bowl staging of the Tony-winning musical A Chorus Line is presented at the outdoor venue July 29-30 at 8 PM and July 31 at 7:30 PM. The limited run is directed and choreographed by Baayork Lee, who appeared as Connie Wong in the original Broadway production and choreographed the Broadway revival in 2006. The cast features Sabrina Bryan as Valerie Clark, Robert Fairchild as Mike Costa, Spencer Liff as Larry, Mario Lopez as Zach and Ross Lynch as Mark Anthony with ... Read more

Variety reports that Academy Award winner Meryl Streep is in final talks to join Disney’s anticipated Mary Poppins film sequel, Mary Poppins Returns. Streep, who starred as The Witch in Disney’s film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical Into the Woods, will reunite with director Rob Marshall and co-star Emily Blunt on the project. Streep will play Topsy, Mary Poppins’ cousin, who was not seen in the original 1964 film. It is also reported that her part will be a singing role. Blunt, ... Read more

Garth Drabinsky, the former head of Livent who served three years in a Canadian jail for fraud, is developing the new musical Madame Sousatzka based on the 1988 film starring Shirley MacLaine. It will likely arrive at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre in late 2016 or early 2017, according to the Toronto Star. Drabinsky and Livent are known for a slate of lavish Broadway productions including Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ragtime, Show Boat, Candide, Fosse andParade. New York is the ultimate goal, though London is ... Read more

Tony-winning Spring Awakening director Michael Mayer told Playbill July 20 that he and Jake Gyllenhaal had been in discussions to revive Lanford Wilson’s acclaimed play, Burn This, for quite some time. “We’ve been working on this for quite a while, hoping to find the right theatre, hoping to work it out with Jake’s dates and my dates,” Mayer told Playbill. “The fact that it’s all coming together this spring is really thrilling. It’s a play I love very much.” Set in downtown New ... Read more

Daveed Diggs, who won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the hit musical Hamilton, played his final performance in the show July 15, but continues to line up high-profile screen projects. According to Variety, Diggs has joined season three of the ABC series Black-ish. He’ll have a major character arc as Rainbow Johnson’s brother, Johan, an entitled hipster kid. Entertainment Weekly previously reported that Diggs has been cast as ... Read more

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced additional casting for Tony winner Stephen Karam’s new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, which will arrive on Broadway this fall under the direction of Simon Godwin. Diane Lane Diane Lane (Joseph Marzullo/WENN) Tony winner Chuck Cooper will play Pischik, joining Broadway and Hollywood actress Diane Lane, who is playing prima donna Ranevskaya. The star-studded principal cast also includes Joel Grey ( Cabaret, Wicked) as Firs, Celia Keenan-Bolger ( Peter and the Starcatcher) as Varya, Tavi Gevinson ( ... Read more

The Broadway in Bryant Park concert series, which is presented free of charge on the Bryant Park Stage in New York City, continues July 21 at 12:30 PM. Sierra Boggess and Alex Brightman Sierra Boggess and Alex Brightman 106.7 LITE FM's Helen Little emcees the event alongside School of Rock co-hosts Alex Brightman and Sierra Boggess. Those scheduled to perform include the following: Cirque du Soleil Paramour : Ruby Lewis, Bret Shuford, Steven Gray, Blakely Slaybaugh, Sarah Meahl, Amber Pickens, Sheriden Mouawad, Justin Keats and Raven ... Read more