“The video doing the rounds is me talking with women I go back over 20 years with – so please don’t say anything negative to or about them,” Anderson wrote on social media Sunday. “We’re thrilled to be doing this show but for people in the front row, please be aware that in such an intimate venue we can all see you and sometimes, it can be a tad distracting! That’s all. All good. On with the show and love to everyone and thank you to all of those coming.”

Anderson’s post addressed a video of her from the evening before, in which she was seen speaking to a group of women outside the sohoplace theater’s stage door, where it is commonplace for stars to interact with fans.

In the footage, Anderson advises the group, not seen on camera, that “you cannot sit in the front row, it’s so distracting” while signing autographs. She then laughed and said, “You can’t come 20 times and sit in the front row.”

Anderson is currently starring in the revival of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” alongside Billy Crudup, Josh Dylan and Phoebe Horn at sohoplace in London’s West End. The production opened on Sept. 21 and will run through Dec. 19.

The post Gillian Anderson Clarifies Viral Video of Her Calling Fans ‘Distracting’: ‘I Go Back Over 20 Years’ With Them appeared first on TheWrap.

There’s a similar confused-message problem regarding the LGBTQ community in Else Went’s new play, “Degenerates,” which had its world premiere Tuesday at Playwrights Horizons. At first glance, the play isn’t about gays but rather the incel community. Since I had to look up the word “incel” and could not come up with a more concise definition, here’s what I found in the dictionary: “incel: a member of an online community of young men who consider themselves unable to attract women sexually, typically associated with views that are hostile toward women and men who are sexually active.”

For equally ignorant theatergoers, the lobby at Playwrights Horizons provides a bulletin board full of slang terms used by the incel community. These men hate someone they call a Chad, “any man perceived to be physically attractive enough to find sexual partners without much effort”; and they hate a Stacy, “a woman who projects femininity in a way viewed as explicitly inviting sexual attention, and who is presumed to be unattainable by the ‘average’ man, a female Chad.”

Surprise, surprise. The first act of “Degenerates,” which lasts nearly two hours, is basically a two-hander between Miller (Zachary Desmond), a closeted gay men, and Target (Christopher Dylan White), a closeted trans person who has not yet transitioned. I haven’t put up a spoiler alert here, because, while both characters claim to be straight cis men at the get-go, it doesn’t take Went’s play long to blow their respective covers.

Miller and Target, after knowing each other well online in the incel community, finally meet in person. Both rarely leave their respective abodes, but when they connect in person, no time is wasted getting down to some very graphic gay sex. Miller was a virgin, Target intimates having been raped — but both characters are way too proficient at what they do in bed, as well as on the floor, to make either claim unbelievable. Unfortunately, the playwright and director Emma Rosa Went apparently expect us to take Miller and Target at their word.

Act two of “Degenerates” lasts only 45 minutes. While the aforementioned sexual encounter propels Target to seek hormone therapy, Miller becomes even more self-loathing. When he returns to the incel chat room, he not only doubles down on his hatred of women; he encourages a guy named Kemp (Tyler Nowell Felix) to commit suicide because he can’t attract women. Miller even goes so far as to put on a suit and tie to take this hate-women movement national. It’s assumed that he often leaves his apartment to become Mr. Incel USA.

As evidenced here, both Desmond and White are very fine actors. White easily makes the transition from fake straight guy to curious gay guy to real trans person. No actor, however, could make the ridiculous transition that Went’s play requires of Desmond.

Who knew that the real problem of rampant misogyny of America is men who just can’t admit they’re queer?

The post ‘Degenerates’ Off Broadway Review: Virgin Misogynists Get the Play They Deserve appeared first on TheWrap.

“I’m honored to be making my Broadway debut with the incredibly talented team at ‘Buena Vista Social Club,’” Maridueña said in a statement. “Broadway has always been a dream, but getting to make that dream come true while being part of such an important and beautiful story feels like hitting the lottery twice. Come ready to laugh, cry, and shake your booty!”

Since it opened on Broadway in March 2025, “Buena Vista Social Club” has received significant critical acclaim, a Grammy Award and five Tony Awards, including a Special Tony Award recognizing the band. Inspired by true events, the musical brings to life the story of the legendary Cuban artists behind the Grammy Award-winning “Buena Vista Social Club” album and the music that introduced the sounds of Havana to audiences around the world.

Celebrated Latin artists continue to be drawn to the Schoenfeld to help bring this important and authentically Latin story to life. The production also recently announced that television and film star Gina Torres (“Suits,” “Firefly,” “911: Lone Star”) will join the acclaimed Broadway production in the role of Omara Portuondo from Tuesday, Oct. 13, through Sunday, Nov. 29, 2026.

Major League Baseball veteran and recording artist José Iglesias, known to music fans as Candelita, made history as the first Latino MLB player to debut on Broadway when he joined “Buena Vista Social Club” on Aug. 27 as the Narrator for what was meant to be a six-week limited run. Due to popular demand, Iglesias will be staying with the show for another six weeks through Nov. 15, 2026. Additionally, New York Yankees legend Bernie Williams will join the Tony- and Grammy-winning band for six weeks only, from Thursday, Oct. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 29.

Maridueña recently wrapped production on DC Studios’ Superman follow-up “Man of Tomorrow.”

The post ‘Blue Beetle’ star Xolo Maridueña to Make Broadway Debut in ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Something similar is going on in the theater now with plays like Bess Wohl’s “Liberation,” Jocelyn Bioh’s “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” Kimberly Belflower’s “John Proctor Is the Villain,” and Bioh’s “School Girls,” which preceded those other three titles by a few years and was quickly preceded by Sarah DeLappe’s “Wolves.” The big difference between chick flicks and these Preaching to the Sorority plays is substance. The movies are fluff; they’re about falling in love. The plays, on the other hand, are about women’s solidarity in the face of collective oppression. The plays also feature large female casts (by today’s standard) and the number of roles for men can be counted on one hand. Not that the guys don’t make their presence felt. The title “John Proctor Is the Villain” says it all.

The first Broadway revival of “School Girls, or, the African Mean Girls Play” opened Monday at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, and the cast here is far starrier than the ensemble assembled Off Broadway for its 2017 world premiere. On Broadway, Denée Benton (HBO’s “The Gilded Age”) plays the ultimate mean school girl, who wages full battle on Jasmine Amy Rogers (Tony nominated for “Betty Boop” and soon-to-be Maria in “The Sound of Music” at Lincoln Center), who plays the beautiful new school girl, who attracts the immediate attention of Patina Miller (Tony winner for “Pippin”), who plays an arrogant beauty-pageant recruiter.

The cat fights that ensue among these characters go far beyond anything that takes place in Clare Boothe Luce’s “The Women.” Unfortunately, these nasty encounters in “School Girls” are also far less witty. At times, Bioh’s comedy isn’t just about teenagers; it appears to have been written by teenagers.

Here’s how Benton’s Paulina tells off another female student: “I don’t give a s–t about nice!” she screams. “There’s no room for that in this group, you hear me?… Or do you have food stuffed in your ears, too, you f–king cow!” Paulina later calls the same girl a “fat-ass daughter.”

Mean? Yes. But clever?

The C-word isn’t uttered, but Rogers’ Ericka does manage to up the crudeness ante by calling Benton’s Paulina “a f–king bitch.” Indeed, Paulina isn’t just mean; she’s a teenage Lady MacBeth, and when her small clique of friends (Lucia Aremu, Erin Morton, Nia Otchere-Sarfo and Jordan Rice) finally reject her to befriend new-girl Ericka, they do so with such verbal abuse that the audience at the Friedman Theatre breaks into applause.

No sooner does the audience show its strong approval of Paulina’s comeuppance than Bioh washes that same cheering chorus in guilt by having Paulina tell a sob story that would make Danielle Steel blush.

Although the cast has changed, the director Whitney White remains in charge, and, thanks to her starry cast and Cody Spencer’s very loud sound design, she has turned “School Girls” into an even broader and brassier cartoon than it was Off Broadway.

The comic highpoint arrives when all the school girls are decked out in their evening-gown best (flashy costumes by Qween Jean) to perform “The Greatest Love of All.” Each character presents a wildly different, not to mention hysterically funny, impersonation of Whitney Houston. A real theater pro, Benton pulls back on her considerable singing voice to present a merely acceptable rendition of that pompous anthem so that Rogers can blow her off the stage.

Otherwise, Bioh’s idea of jokes is for her naïve characters to call White Castle “that high class restaurant” and Wal-Mart a “trendy American boutique.” If that weren’t cringy enough, somebody mispronounces the brand-name Calvin Klein.

With “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” Bioh recycled Robert Harling’s beauty-shop dramedy “Steel Magnolias,” but wisely gave it the patina of relevance by adding an immigration subplot. With “School Girls,” she achieves a similar effect by setting her story in the Aburi Mountains in Ghana in the year 1986. Comedies about beauty pageants were already old stuff back in the Paleolithic on “The Garry Moore Show” with Carol Burnett.

What gives relevance to a subject as tired as beauty pageants is the scope of victimhood depicted here. The characters in “School Girls” are up against all of white Western civilization.

The post ‘School Girls’ Broadway Review: Denée Benton Isn’t Just Mean, She’s a Teenage Lady Macbeth appeared first on TheWrap.

Among those that honored Sheik, who co-created Broadway’s “Spring Awakening” alongside Steven Sater, was “Glee” alum Lea Michele.

“I met Duncan when I was 14 years old,” Michele, who rose to fame by originating the leading role of Wendla in “Spring Awakening,” wrote on her Instagram Story. “I listened to a demo on tape of him singing songs from ‘Spring Awakening’ outside of my middle school before my first audition.”

She continued: “I’m at a loss for words. This one hurts and does not seem real. Thank you for everything you gave us. And for the time we had together. Sending all my love and prayers now to Nora, Ines and Duncan’s family.”

Michele’s message came hours after Sheik’s mother confirmed that the “Barely Breathing” singer died Thursday at 56 due to organ failure. He had been hospitalized in Manhattan earlier in the week.

Michele was not alone in paying tribute to Sheik on social media, as many in the Broadway scene remembered the artist for his talent and dedication to family.

“Orange Is the New Black” star Kimiko Glenn, who starred in the first U.S. national tour of “Spring Awakening,” shared a series of photos of herself and Sheik, writing in the comments: “The world really could’ve benefited from a couple more decades of your music, but life has a way of doing its own thing. For better or for worse. Your legacy will live on forever, Duncan. I love you so much. I miss you already.”

“Scream” and “In the Heights” actress Melissa Barrera shared footage of herself starring in “Spring Awakening” in Mexico City on Instagram, writing, “RIP Duncan Sheik. He created the score of my teenage years. When he came to Mexico City for our premiere we were all freaking out. He told us our version of ‘Purple Summer’ was the most beautiful he’d heard. You will be missed but you will live on en la canción del Verano Violeta.”

The aforementioned Sater shared a line from their musical alongside a photo of them at the Tonys, noting, “Now he’ll walk on my arm through the distant night and I won’t let him stray from my heart… Beloved Duncan.”

For more tributes to Sheik, keep reading:

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The post Duncan Sheik Remembered: Lea Michele, Melissa Barrera and More Pay Tribute to Late Musician appeared first on TheWrap.

The “Spring Awakening” composer and “Barely Breathing” singer’s mother confirmed his death was due to organ failure, while his loved ones celebrated him for leaving an “indelible mark on the cultural landscape.”

“The world has a lost a singular talent, and deeply influential voice in music and theater,” they shared in a Friday social media statement. “Duncan was a father, husband, son, brother and friend. He will be remembered for his sensitivity, wit, intelligence and depth of spirit he brought to those who knew and loved him.”

“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love from his fans, friends, collaborators and the artistic community. His musical legacy will continue to inspire generations to come,” they continued. “Duncan passed away last night surrounded by love.”

Sheik’s death comes as his new musical, “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen,” is slated to begin its Off-Broadway run later this month. Additionally, an Off-Broadway revival of “Spring Awakening,” which launched Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff and John Gallagher Jr. to stardom on the Broadway scene, is set for November previews.

The late singer made a name for himself in the 1990s with a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his debut single, “Barely Breathing.” Sheik later pivoted his focus to the theater, writing the music alongside Steven Sater’s lyrics for 2006’s “Spring Awakening.” He nabbed two Tonys for his work — Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations.

The post Duncan Sheik, ‘Spring Awakening’ and ‘Barely Breathing’ Musician, Dies at 56 appeared first on TheWrap.

The singer-songwriter’s family issued a statement on his health status Wednesday evening, but did not share specifics surrounding what caused Sheik’s hospitalization.

“We would like to share an update with Duncan’s fans and the public,” a statement on the composer’s Instagram read. “Duncan is currently receiving medical care and remains in critical but stable condition. Out of respect for Duncan and our family, we will not be sharing any further medical details at this time.”

The statement added: “We kindly ask for privacy during this incredibly difficult time and will provide updates when appropriate. Thank you for the continued love and support.”

Sheik’s hospitalization comes as his new musical, “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen,” is slated to begin its Off-Broadway run later in September. Additionally, an Off-Broadway revival of the aforementioned musical “Spring Awakening,” which launched Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff and John Gallagher Jr. to stardom on the Broadway scene, is set for a November debut.

Specifically, director Danya Taymor is helming the 2026 Off-Broadway revival, which will start previews at Studio Seaview in November and open on December 17.

As for “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen,” previews for this new musical are set to begin on Sept. 25 at The Night Egg at the Culture Club with Sophia Anne Caruso starring.

Outside of his work on Broadway, Sheik is best known for his 1996 hit song, “Barely Breathing.” This song earned Sheik a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

He later pivoted his focus to the theater, where he wrote the music alongside co-creator Steven Sater’s lyrics for “Spring Awakening.” Sheik nabbed two Tony’s for his work, including Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations. Following its original Broadway run, which ran 859 performances between 2006 and 2009, “Spring Awakening” was later revived in 2015 by the Deaf West Theatre and directed by Michael Arden.

The post Tony-Winning Composer Duncan Sheik Hospitalized in ‘Critical but Stable Condition’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Psychiatrist characters in modern plays and films are something of a dramatic cheat, except when they’re objects of parody or ridicule. It’s an easy way for a writer to get the shrink’s patient to reveal in record time his or her motivations and most intimate thoughts.

In her 2024 play, “Pre-Existing Condition, playwright Marin Ireland not only gives us a psychiatrist; she has her lead character attend several group support sessions for battered women. A revival of Ireland’s 75-minute one-act play opened Monday at the Greenwich House Theater, and it gets the star treatment with Lupita Nyong’o playing a woman who has suffered domestic violence from a former boyfriend. The Oscar-winning actor (“12 Years a Slave”) performs in “Pre-Existing Condition” for only a few weeks, to be replaced in the following months by Edie Falco and others.

Known only as “A,” the lead character undergoes one-on-one sessions with her psychiatrist (Dael Orlandersmith, being very majesterial) and also group support sessions led by two women (Sarah Steele and Orlandersmith). It’s a true marathon of psychoanalysis, and Nyong’o delivers a really big, very busy performance. There are a lot of secrets to be revealed and Nyong’o doesn’t let one of them go without putting up a major fight. It’s a performance replete with exaggerated hand gestures and fraught facial expressions.

Maria Dizzia’s direction gives a nice surreal quality to the proceedings by having Orlandersmith and Steele hang around on the set for a few moments before and after their respective characters deliver their lines. They are joined by the multi-cast Greg Keller, who not only gets to portray past and potential boyfriends but A’s mother. Why Orlandersmith isn’t cast in this role – her age and sex are appropriate – remains a mystery. Keller, on the other hand, plays Mom with the same quirky line readings that he brings to all the male characters.

In addition to being a co-group leader, Steele plays a close friend of A’s, who doesn’t show much empathy for her battered friend by constantly asking A why she has no empathy for the ex-boyfriend who beat her. He’s really sorry, A is told more than twice.

The friend’s support of the male abuser brings up a question that, apparently, no one involved in  “Pre-Existing Condition” ever considered. Maybe A just has bad taste in people. My advice is that A get rid of this female friend as fast as she got rid of that abusive boyfriend.

Late in “Pre-Existing Condition,” one of Orlandersmith’s authoritarian characters tells A, “Don’t forget that there’s a lot of manipulation happening here. He still has some control over you. Especially when you’re alone. His voice is still in your head. That keeps you in relationship with him, and that means you don’t have to grieve yet.”

Ireland hasn’t written a play. “Pre-Existing Condition” is a P.S.A.

The post ‘Pre-Existing Condition’ Off Broadway Review: Lupita Nyong’o Goes Big to Play an All-Too Common Victim appeared first on TheWrap.

“The planned 2027 production of ‘Sunday in the Park With George’ at The Barbican will no longer process as scheduled,” Empire Street Productions announced on Monday. They will, however, “retain the rights with a view to producing the production in 2028.”

Further details will be shared at a later date.

The update comes two weeks after Bailey dropped out of the Stephen Sondheim musical production, news that itself came a month after his “Wicked” co-star did the same. Grande’s exit was tied to her taking a “step back from visibility” amid “endless, ongoing public scrutiny” following her Eternal Sunshine tour this summer.

“Ari is one of my dearest friends, and my support for her is unwavering,” Bailey explained earlier this month. “[Director] Marianne [Elliott] is extraordinary and one of my longest collaborators and friends. After much consideration, I have decided to step back from ‘Sunday in the Park with George.’” 

“This brilliant, introspective musical has been a real passion project for me, and I feel incredibly lucky to have shared its journey with this team. Among many things, the story explores the deep connection between George and Dot, a beautiful, devoted pairing, and I so look forward to seeing what the two actors who will now take on these roles will create with it,” Bailey added. “I wish the very best to the entire company. I will be cheering them on as they continue with this production.”

The musical debuted on Broadway in 1984 starring Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters after an Off-Broadway run the year prior. It won two Tony Awards for design and the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, with Broadway revivals in 2008 and 2017, as well as two London productions in 1990 and 2005.

The post ‘Sunday in the Park With George’ Revival Postponed After Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey Drop Out appeared first on TheWrap.

The dark comedy, which is written by Cole Escola, follows a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. “Unrequited yearning, alcoholism and suppressed desires abound in the 80-minute, one act play which examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of an idiot,” per the logline.

In addition to Escola reprising the role of Mary Todd Lincoln, the returning cast includes Giles Terera as Mary’s Husband, Bianca Leigh as Mary’s Chaperone, Tony Macht as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant and Michael Urie as Mary’s Teacher.

“Some shows stay with you long after you’ve seen them. ‘Oh, Mary!’ is one of them. It’s 80 minutes of meticulously choreographed chaos…so wildly original that everyone who sees it immediately needs someone else to see it too,” Nina Rosenstein, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Late Night and Specials, said in a statement. “Cole has pulled off the almost impossible…they created a comedy that feels completely unlike anything else, while making it look effortless.”

“I’m so happy to share this show with a wider audience and spread ‘Oh, Mary!’ awareness,” Escola added. “Knowing about ‘Oh, Mary!’ is the first step in getting rid of it.” 

The film, which is a recording of a July 28, 2026 performance that took place at the Trafalgar Theatre in London’s West End, is directed for stage and screen by Sam Pinkleton.

“I fell in love with theater as a kid by absolutely wearing out the VHS tapes of ‘Cats’ and ‘Into The Woods’ and I am honored to continue that legacy with ‘Oh, Mary!’ on HBO,” Pinkleton added. “Shepherding ‘Oh, Mary!’ through its many lives (and Marys) has been an ecstatic experience and I’m giddy that the genius of original idiot Cole Escola will now be immortalized on televisions across America and beyond.”

The live capture is executive produced by Escola, Alex Bach and Daniel Powell for Irony Point, Carlee Briglia and Mike Lavoie for Mike & Carlee Productions and Kevin McCollum and Lucas McMahon for Alchemation. 

“Oh, Mary!” first opened Off Broadway in January 2024 before transferring to Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre in July of that year.

It went on to become the first show in the Lyceum Theatre’s 121-year history to gross over $1 million in a single week. Since then, it has broken its own box office record fifteen times and became the first show of the 2024-25 Broadway season to recoup its investment. It premiered on the West End in December 2025.

In addition to the live performance capture, “Oh, Mary!” will launch a North American tour this month.

The post ‘Oh, Mary!’ on HBO: Cole Escola Broadway Hit to Stream in 2027 appeared first on TheWrap.