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The latest trailer for the upcoming live-action “Snow White” contains a special surprise for Disney fans: This new look features a brief glimpse at “Waiting on a Wish,” a new song that will be in the movie. “Snow White” will be released theatrically on March 21.

This new look shows off the familiar beats of this Disney classic. “This was my father’s kingdom, a place of fairness,” Zegler as Snow White says in the trailer. “But the queen changed everything.”

It then cuts to Snow White begging the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) to grant her people kindness as the Queen schemes against Snow White in her quest to become the fairest of them all. You know the rest. Snow White flees into the woods and finds an impromptu family of sorts among seven dwarves.

But in the final minute of the trailer, this well known fairy tale changes. Instead of...

Musicals aren’t the most successful genre at the box office. But song-and-dance films may be enjoying — as Glinda sings — a newfound popularity with “Wicked,” Universal’s adaptation of Act One of the beloved Broadway show.

The film collected $114 million in North America and an additional $50.2 million internationally, bringing its global tally to $165 million over the weekend. It’s a huge win for movie theaters (ticket sales have been stubbornly behind 2023 and pre-pandemic times) and Universal. Each installment cost $150 million to produce, not including its inescapable pink-and-green marketing campaign. So “Wicked” needs to resonate at the global box office through Thanksgiving of next year to justify these mega price tags. Then “thank goodness,” as Glinda also sings in the show, that critical reviews and audience sentiment have been euphoric.

Jon M. Chu directed the PG “Wicked,” which stars Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh and Jonathan Bailey. Set before,...

After witnessing which contestant went home in The Voice Season 26 battles, fans disapproved of the decision.

A recent episode featured a final battle involving Reba McEntire’s two talented Nashville, Tennessee, singers Creigh Riepe and Lauren Michael-Sellers.

They battled it out by performing You Will Be Found from the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen.

Reba enjoyed watching them perform the song during their initial rehearsals and gave helpful tips on improving their stage performance.

When they finally performed the song on stage, the coaches had to make tough decisions, and unfortunately, one singer went home.

Viewers seemed to strongly disagree with what happened after the singers’ performances.

Reba had a tough decision after Episode 9 battle

During the Episode 9 battle, Creigh and Lauren performed beautifully, entertaining all four coaches on stage with their renditions of You Will Be Found.

Coach Gwen Stefani said she found it hard to decide who performed...

Dysentery is coming to the big screen! Apple Original Films is officially set to develop “Oregon Trail,” an action/comedy feature that will be produced by Egot-winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul via their Ampersand production banner, and directed and produced by Will Speck and Josh Gordon.

Based on the popular video game franchise, which is owned by HarperCollins, the script will be written by The Lucas Bros. and Max Reisman. Caroline Fraser will produce for HarperCollins Productions, and Kevin K. Vafi will also serve as producer.

Speck and Gordon most recently directed Sony’s live-action musical adaptation of the children’s book “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile.” They are also the creators and showrunners of the Hulu/Marvel series “Hit Monkey,” which stars Jason Sudeikis and recently premiered its second season The pair’s other credits include “Blades of Glory,” “The Switch” and “Office Christmas Party.”

Songwriters and producers Pasek and...

Now that we know "Call Me By Your Name" and "Challengers" director Luca Guadagnino is making his own version of "American Psycho" — one that's based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel, not the 2000 movie helmed by writer-director Mary Harron — the world is waiting to see who Guadagnino and his team choose to play this generation's Patrick Bateman. I'm eminently unqualified to make this decision — for one thing, I'm not a casting director, and also, nobody asked me — but I definitely have ideas.

Here's one: Guadagnino could gender-flip the role and cast Zendaya, his "Challengers" lead who proved, throughout the tennis drama, that she can definitely play an apex predator. If she's not available, Margaret Qualley could probably make a meal out of the role. If we're sticking with guys, there are some great options who have simply aged out of the role; Robert Pattinson and Penn Badgley could both bring something quite excellent to Patrick,...

It takes more than a village to make a movie; it’s more like a small army. And in the case of “The Franchise,” that army has a lot of faces you’ll recognize.

Streaming on Max and airing on HBO on Sundays, the comedy series tells the story of a film crew working to put together the next installment in a major (fictional) superhero franchise. Along the way, they run into the many hurdles of Hollywood, with the show lovingly poking fun at how real superhero films seem to be made.

Like we said, you’re going to see a lot of familiar actors, some of whom have actually starred in real-life franchises. We’ve rounded them up for you below.

Here’s who’s who in “The Franchise.”

Colin Hutton/HBO Daniel (Himesh Patel)

Daniel is the First Ad on the fictional movie “Tecto,” and he basically keeps things afloat in the series.

Glen Powell’s upcoming Hulu comedy series “Chad Powers” has added four recurring guest stars.

Variety has learned that Clayne Crawford, Toby Huss, Colton Ryan, and Xavier Mills have all joined the series, in which Powell will play the title role in addition to co-creating it. The cast also includes Perry Mattfeld as Ricky, Quentin Plair as Coach Byrd, Wynn Everett as Tricia, Frankie A. Rodriguez as Danny, and Steve Zahn as Jake Hudson.

The official description for “Chad Powers” states, “When bad behavior nukes hotshot Qb Russ Holliday’s (Powell) college career, he disguises himself and walks onto a struggling Southern football team as the talented, affable Chad Powers.” The show is based on the Chad Powers character created by Eli Manning for his Epsn+ docuseries “Eli’s Places.”

Crawford will play Coach Dobbs. Crawford’s recent credits include films like “Finestkind” and “The King Tide.” He is also known...

We may never know Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It but two of the songwriters behind the catchy Only Murders In The Building tunr, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, did it tonight — adding the missing “E” to their “Got” trophy collection with a win during Night 2 of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Pasek, Paul, along with Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, shared the Original Music and Lyrics Emmy for their work on “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?”, performed on the show by Steve Martin.

“It’s obviously thrilling and very wild to think about,” Pasek said backstage about his and Paul’s newsly achieved Egot status. “I think the getting to this alongside two of our musical heroes, Marc and Scott, who gave us our very first job in television is what makes it most meaningful.”

Pasek called their collaboration on Omitb “probably the most joyful that...

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are now officially members of the Egot club. On Night 2 of the Creative Arts Emmys, the duo won Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the “Only Murders in the Building” song “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?”, sharing the honor with co-writers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Pasek and Paul are the twentieth and twenty-first people to Egot — and the second and third this year, after Elton John took home an Emmy in January for his 2022 Disney+ variety special “Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium.” The 18 other members of the illustrious club include Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn, John Gielgud, Whoopi Goldberg, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols, Tim Rice, Robert Lopez, Viola Davis, John Legend and Jennifer Hudson.

In the third season Hulu’s “Only Murders,” Steve Martin performs the tongue-twister of a tune as part of “Death Rattle Dazzle,” the short-lived musical...

The prestigious Egot club just gained two new members: Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

The duo, who already have an Oscar for “La La Land” and a Tony and Grammy award for “Dear Evan Hansen” and “The Greatest Showman,” secured their Egot with their Emmy win for best song for “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?” from “Only Murders in the Building.” Pasek and Paul co-wrote the song with Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Speaking backstage after the win, Paul said, “It’s obviously thrilling and very wild to think about getting to do it alongside two of our heroes who gave us our very first job in television –makes it most meaningful.”

For Paul, the collaboration on “Only Murders” was “one of the most joyful that we’ve ever had in our careers on a TV show that is one of our favorites in the history of television shows,...

Amy Adams finds herself in a hairy situation in the first trailer for Nightbitch.

Searchlight Pictures released the promo on Tuesday for writer-director Marielle Heller’s horror-comedy feature that hits theaters Dec. 6. Also starring Scoot McNairy, Zoë Chao and Mary Holland, the film centers on an artist (Adams) who put her career on hold to become a mother and suddenly realizes that she might be transforming into a canine.

“I’m never going to be smart, happy or thin ever again,” Adams says in the trailer. “Oh, and I’m pretty sure I’m turning into a dog.”

She goes on to grapple with the power of being a woman and says, “Do you ever feel like the big secret is that we are gods? We fucking create life. We are so powerful.” Later, Adams informs someone, “I could crush a walnut with my vagina.”

Heller wrote and directed the...

Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry’s star-studded musical film now has its title and release date. Universal Pictures will release “Atlantis” wide on May 9, 2025.

While plot details remain under wraps, the film is described as an expedition into the summer of 1977 in the Virginia Beach neighborhood inspired by the Atlantis Apartments of Williams’ childhood.

The all-star cast includes Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Brian Tyree Henry, Quinta Brunson, Anderson .Paak, Janelle Monáe, Tim Meadows, Jayson Lee, Jamilah Rosemond, Jaboukie Young-White and Missy Elliott.

Academy Award-winning “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “The Science of Sleep” filmmaker Gondry directs a screenplay by Martin Hynes (“Toy Story 4″) and Steven Levenson.

The coming-of-age film features songs by Williams and the decorated musical duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. “Atlantis” is produced by Williams, Mimi Valdés and Gil Netter.

The film is executive produced by Matthew Hirsch, Raffi Adlan, Jennie Lee,...

In 2018, “La La Land” and “Dear Evan Hansen” songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul missed out on breaking the record for fastest Egot acquisition by coming up short on their first Emmy bid for “A Christmas Story Live!”. From that point, however, they still had eight years left to achieve said record, and they could end up doing so with two years to spare now that they are in the running for the 2024 Best Music and Lyrics Emmy.

Pasek and Paul’s new nominated song from “Only Murders in the Building” is one of three comedic ones in its lineup, the others of which were written for “Girls5eva” and “Saturday Night Live.” Also in the mix are more somber tunes from the miniseries “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” and “True Detective: Night Country.”

In order to determine how Pasek and Paul will fare on this momentous outing, let’s take...

In its first two seasons, Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” became one of television’s most beloved comedies. The chemistry between mystery-solving neighbors Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez yielded not only big laughs but suspense, poignancy, and sweet (if often thwarted) romance. For Season 3, a whole new element was introduced into the mix as “Only Murders in the Building” added another genre to its story and became, at times, a musical.

“My all time favorite project of the season was creating the look and scenery for the Broadway show from scratch,” production designer Patrick Howe told IndieWire, noting that the key was to tie not only the backstage areas to what was happening on stage but to connect the show-within-a-show to the larger narrative. “I chose to make all those spaces tie together and tie the whole season up nicely by the way we’re presenting...

Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul marveled at Steve Martin’s ability to perform their rapid-fire song in Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building. Martin’s character, Charles-Haden Savage, struggles with “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It” until episode 8 of the season. Unlike Savage, though, Martin nailed it in a tight two-hour time window.

“He’s an incredible musician so it sort of tracks,” Paul said during a conversation at Deadline’s Sound & Screen Television live-music event, where Pasek and Paul performed the patter song from the hit Hulu series’ fictional musical Death Rattle Dazzle.

Even though they wrote “Pickwick Triplets,” the pair acknowledge the difficulty.

“It is pretty difficult to sing a patter song,” Pasek said. “We have tried to do it and failed many times.”

Martin’s challenge was exacerbated by a time crunch. Production ran late, leaving only two hours for Martin’s performance on...

The Drama League Awards unveiled their slate of winners at an in-person ceremony on Friday, May 17. The event was hosted by Frank Dilella at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, where attendees toasted the best of Broadway and Off-Bradway.

The biggest winner of the day was Sarah Paulson, who claimed the coveted Distinguished Performance Award for her fiery role in “Appropriate.” That play, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, also took home the League’s trophy for Best Revival of a Play.

See 2024 Dorian Theater Awards nominations announced: LGBTQ journalists champion ‘Merrily We Roll Along,’ ‘Stereophonic,’ ‘Oh, Mary!‘

The Distinguished Performance Award is unique in that a performer may only win the award once in their career. After prevailing, they are never eligible again. The category is also a massive catch-all race that includes actors of all genders, roles of all sizes, and both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. This year, 54 thespians were included as nominees.

Winning...

I hope you're happy, "Wicked" fans. The "Wizard of Oz" musical, itself based on the fanciful, world building-dense Gregory Maguire novel that re-imagines the characters and stories from L. Frank Baum's "Oz" books, has been slow to make the leap from stage to screen. On the way, it also went from a single film to two, which is a bit disconcerting for a work that clocks in at a tightly-paced two and a half hours in its original form. The movie features new songs and script material by returning "Wicked" lyricist Stephen Schwartz and writer Winnie Holzman, but will that be enough to justify the split? Or should we be concerned that something bad is happening in Oz?

(Also yes, for those who are wondering, I will be making "Wicked" puns for the rest of this article because I'm nothing if not committed to the bit.)

Both "Wicked" films...

Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are one step away from achieving Egot status, needing only an Emmy to complete the prestigious quartet of entertainment honors. The duo has submitted “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?” from Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” for outstanding music and lyrics at this year’s Emmys. If they are nominated and win at the September ceremony, Pasek and Paul will become the 20th and 21st Egot recipients, joining the ranks of legends Richard Rodgers, Marvin Hamlisch and Elton John.

The song, co-written with celebrated composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, is performed by Steve Martin in the show’s eighth episode, “Sitzprobe,” helmed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini. It will be the only original song the series submits this year, chosen over others such as “Look for the Light,” performed by Meryl Streep and Ashley Park, and two versions...

When the 77th Tony Awards nominations are announced this morning, those honored with recognition will have been selected by a small group of theatre professionals who commit to seeing each and every eligible production that opened during the 2023-2024 season. They are thus able to make informed decisions on what shows, performers and creatives should earn the spotlight of New York theatre’s top honor.

This past season, 60 theatre professionals saw all 36 eligible musicals, play, and revivals and will select the nominees in 26 competitive categories.

Below, see a complete list of the 2023-2024 Tony Awards nominating committee members, including their professions plus past Tony nominations and wins. Some of these nominators may have to recuse themselves prior to voting if they have a conflict, such as if a production that they worked is eligible for a nomination this year.

Watch 2024 Tony Awards nominations slugfest: Final predictions in 17 competitive categories

Warren Adams,...

Just weeks ago, Sir Elton John became the 19th entertainer to win the highly desirable Egot by claiming his first ever Emmy Award. And now, which person is the most likely to be the 20th Egot later this year, in 2025 or beyond? Here is a summary of the 80 people who have the best chance right now.

The most likely duo could be composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (actually meaning a 20th and 21st Egot if they win). They are producers and songwriters for the third season of “Only Murders in the Building,” so they will have a couple of opportunities in September at the Emmys. They first won an Oscar, Tony, and Grammy.

For the 2024 Grammys, nobody is nominated who could become an Egot, so the next possible chance would be 2025. There are a total of 25 people who have won everything needed except a Grammy. They are actress Ellen Burstyn,...

Sixty-two years after the release of the film “Days of Wine and Roses,” the Oscar-winning movie by writer J.P. Miller and director Blake Edwards, a musical adaptation has opened on Broadway with a score by Adam Guettel. The story of two characters brought together and torn asunder by alcohol stars Kelli O’Hara and Brian d’Arcy James in the roles played in the movie by Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon. The production opened at Studio 54 on Jan. 28.

In addition to reuniting Guettel and O’Hara, who collaborated on “The Light in the Piazza,” the librettist Craig Lucas from that musical contributed the book for this new venture. The ensemble cast includes Tabitha Lawing and Byron Jennings in pivotal roles under the helm of director Michael Greif.

Theatre critics were largely positive about this new Guettel musical. It earns a Critic’s Pick from Laura Collins-Hughes (New York Times), who praises the “superb” performances,...

“Wonka” has crossed a sweet box office milestone. The fantasy musical, starring Timothée Chalamet as the eccentric chocolatier, surpassed $500 million in global ticket sales.

After five weeks on the big screen, “Wonka” has generated $176.2 million domestically and $329.1 million internationally, bringing its global tally to $505.3 million. Warner Bros. backed the film, which cost $125 million and has proven to be a worthy revisit to the world of pure imagination.

Chalamet’s star power, having endeared himself to moviegoers through blockbusters (“Dune”) and indies, has played a part in the triumph of “Wonka.” Of course, the movie also has the benefit of brand recognition from Roald Dahl’s seminal novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” as well as the 1971 film adaptation with Gene Wilder and the 2005 reboot starring Johnny Depp. But at a time when family audiences (the film’s target demographic) have been picky about what they’re willing to pay to see on the big screen,...

With the Screen-to-Stage-back to Screen adaptation of Mean Girls landing in first place this weekend, we wanted to know what film based on a play has been your favorite? Are Oscar winning musicals such as Chicago or Amadeus your favorite? Maybe the classics like Grease or Little Shop of Horrors are more your speed? Or perhaps a nice court room drama such as A Few Good Men ranks number one for you? If you don’t see your favorite listed click the “Other” button and let us know what your favorite is in the comments.

Favorite Stage-to-Screen AdaptationCasablanca (1943)West Side Story (1961)My Fair Lady (1964)The Sound of Music (1965)A Man For All Seasons (1966)Oliver! (1968)Amadeus (1984)Driving Miss Daisy (1989)Chicago (2002)Alfie (1966)American Buffalo (1996)Annie (1982)Annie Get Your Gun (1950)A Bronx Tale (1993)Bug (2007)Cabaret (1972)Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)Children of a Lesser God (1986)Closer (2004)The Crucible (1996)Cyrano (2021)Dear Evan Hansen...

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is quickly sinking at the box office.

The comic book adventure, starring Jason Momoa as the King of Atlantis, was positioned on the calendar as the de facto blockbuster of the holiday season. But, so far, the follow-up to 2018’s megahit “Aquaman” has failed to recapture the spark of the original. The $205 million-budgeted tentpole caps off 2023, a terrible year for superhero movies, as the fourth consecutive flop for Warner Bros. and DC Studios following “The Flash,” “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “Blue Beetle.”

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” swam to second place in its sophomore outing, collecting a soft $19.5 million over the weekend and an estimated $26 million through New Year’s Day on Monday. It has grossed $84 million domestically and $258 million globally after two weeks of release, on par with eventual comic book disappointments like “The Flash,” “The Marvels” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

“The Color Purple” added $7.1 million on Tuesday, bringing its domestic box office tally to an impressive $25 million after two days of release.

The Warner Bros. film, an adaptation of the book-turned-beloved-movie-turned-hit-Broadway-musical, opened in theaters on Monday. It nearly set a holiday record with $18 million, marking the largest Christmas Day opening for a movie since 2009 and the second-biggest Christmas Day opening of all time.

Blitz Bazawule directed “The Color Purple,” which is off to an encouraging start for a musical. Stage-to-screen adaptations have a spotty (at best) track record, with recent attempts like Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake, “In the Heights,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Cats” failing to resonate at the box office. But it cost $100 million, so “The Color Purple” needs to remain the de facto choice for families through the new year in order to turn a profit. Positive reviews and encouraging word-of-mouth should help the movie...

“The Color Purple,” a vibrant adaptation of the book-turned-beloved-movie-turned-hit-Broadway-musical, dominated at the box office on Christmas Day.

The film has outperformed expectations with $18 million from 3,152 North American theaters. It’s the largest Christmas Day opening for a film since 2009, and the second-biggest Christmas Day opening of all time.

Those ticket sales were enough to lead the way on Monday ahead of two other newcomers, Neon’s racing drama “Ferrari” and director George Clooney’s inspirational sports story “The Boys in the Boat.” Warner Bros. impressively held the top three spots on domestic charts as “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” and “Wonka” swam to second and third place, respectively.

Boosted by positive reviews and a glowing “A” CinemaScore, “The Color Purple” marks the first musical in some time that’s resonated at the box office. The film, backed by Warner Bros. and directed by Blitz Bazawule, collected more in a single...

The sound of music was back with us this week in the form of two polar opposite productions that may intrigue audiences but challenge marketers.

Maestro started streaming on Netflix after auditioning in a (very) few select theaters. Will its narcissistic protagonist, Leonard Bernstein, prove bigger than life on theater screens but too big for the tube?

Wonka, by contrast, is a study in promotional ubiquity, fragments popping up on everything from TBS to the Food Network. Its campaign reflects the determination of Warner Bros Discovery, like Netflix, to overcome the genre funk (think West Side Story or Dear Evan Hansen).

Hovering in the background are the bakeoffs, recaps and revisits fostered by an Academy eager to get out the vote for international candidates, fulfilling its global scenario.

Gil Cates, the colorful impresario who presided over 14 Oscar shows and rescued the genre from the Snow White debacle, would likely have been delighted by Barbenheimer.

According to the current combined predictions of Gold Derby users, reigning Tony champ “Kimberly Akimbo” is the frontrunner to win this year’s Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album with 10/3 odds. So far within this century 10 shows that won Tonys for both Best Musical and Best Score also came out on top at the Grammys. Among them are “The Producers,” “Hairspray,” “Spring Awakening,” “In the Heights,” “The Book of Mormon,” “Kinky Boots,” “Hamilton,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Band’s Visit” and “Hadestown.” Will that trend continue this year?

SEEGrammys flashback: Revisiting The Weeknd’s notorious, confounding 2021 snub

“Kimberly Akimbo” features a score by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire. Tesori has been nominated five times before but still has yet to win. Those previous bids were for “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in 2003 (lost to “Hairspray”), “Shrek the Musical” in 2010 (lost to “West Side Story”), “Fun Home” in 2016 (lost to “Hamilton”), “Soft Power” in...

Matt Bomer revealed to Vanity Fair that he sent in a self-taped audition to play one of the many iterations of Ken in Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster comedy “Barbie,” but he ultimately decided not to join the movie so he could prioritize spending time with his family. He was offered a shot at auditioning and was interested in the project enough to send a self-tape to Gerwig and the casting directors.

“I recorded it on my own, played a bunch of different Kens — and I dressed differently for all of them,” Bomer said. “I recorded the lines of the other person’s dialogue on my recorder and then gave myself space to respond.”

Per Vanity Fair: “He then spoke with director Greta Gerwig about joining the blockbuster, but ultimately walked away from the opportunity, choosing not to spend extensive time away from his family.”

Bomer is hardly the only actor...

It’s only Wednesday, but it’s already been a long week/month/year, hasn’t it? The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are still raging. Traffic is as bad as ever. Every appointment you try to make results in a dropped call or “She can see you in her office in late November” response.

Let’s face it: you need a mental health break like nobody’s business. And we have just what you’re looking for right here: Steve Martin (Charles-Haden Savage) performing the rousing new “Only Murders in the Building” tune “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?”, a song written specifically for the show. It’s written by Benji Pasek & Justin Paul (“La La Land,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “The Greatest Showman”), the Emmy and Tony-winning songwriter/composer Marc Shaiman (“Hairspray”) and Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning songwriter Scott Wittman (“Hairspray”). Watch Martin perform the song in the video above.

Carole Rothman, co-founder of the renowned New York theater company Second Stage responsible for such acclaimed productions as Dear Evan Hansen, Next To Normal, This Is Our Youth and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, is leaving the company she started in 1979.

“For 45 years, I have had the great honor of working with countless incredible artists and playwrights, many at the beginning of their careers, who are now among the brightest stars in the industry,” said Rothman in a statement. “The shows we have brought to life have been award-winners, conversation-starters, and groundbreakers. I’m forever grateful to all the people who have helped make Second Stage the creative springboard it is today. I’m so proud of what we have accomplished together.”

Rothman’s announcement did not state a specific reason for her departure or her immediate plans.

Since its founding by Rothman and Robyn Goodman (who left...

Anyone who knows and loves a theater kid understands that they can be… a little much. To their credit, theater kids accept and embrace this reputation. Both the excessiveness of theater kids and their willingness to celebrate their extremities can be seen in the comedy Theater Camp, directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman. After winning over critics and earning a strong, if limited, return in theaters, Theater Camp has come to Hulu.

Based on a short film that Gordon and Lieberman made with Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, Theater Camp features a group of theater kids trying to save their camp from the founder’s jerky son, who wants to sell it off for something more profitable. Both self-aware and sincere, Theater Camp is a love letter to the over-the-top nerds who can sing every word of A Chorus Line and know that Andrew Rannells was in Street Sharks.

Fan are finding a new reason to love Meryl Streep thanks to her lullaby in the latest episode of “Only Murders in the Building,” which you can watch in the video above.

In the third season of Hulu’s murder mystery, Streep plays Loretta Durkin, a struggling actress who finds her big break in Oliver’s (Martin Short) latest play. The scene starts as all of the character’s do: Loretta is supposed to perform a small scene for her small role. But seconds into her performance of “Look for the Light,” her on-stage charisma and raw talent transfix her castmates.

By the song’s end, Kimber (Ashley Park) joins her on stage as they both belt out this delicate lullaby.

Though “Only Murders in the Building’s” latest episode premiered on Tuesday, by Wednesday fans were singing the song’s praises. “I’ve been listening to it on Spotify for 12 hours now,...

Greta Gerwig revealed in an interview with Hollywood First Look during her “Barbie” press tour that Timothée Chalamet visited the film’s set in London and lamented over not being able to star in the film. Gerwig directed Chalamet in both “Lady Bird” and “Little Women.” The filmmaker previously told CinemaBlend that Chalamet and her muse Saoirse Ronan were courted for cameo appearances in “Barbie” but scheduling conflicts got in the way.

“I tried to get them both in it. They both couldn’t do it,” Gerwig reiterated to Hollywood First Look. “Although Timothée did come by the set and then said, ‘I should have been in this,’ And I was like, ‘I know! Why aren’t you in this?’”

Gerwig previously said that she had planned for Chalamet and Ronan to appear in “Barbie” in “speciality cameos,” but “both of them couldn’t do it and I was so annoyed.

Given the $1 billion success of “Barbie,” it’s hard to picture anyone in the title role other than Margot Robbie. But the actor explained to Vogue back in May that it was actually Gal Gadot who was her first choice to star as Barbie. Robbie is a producer on “Barbie” and did not immediately envision herself in the role. Gadot was at the top of her list, but scheduling conflicts prevented the “Wonder Woman” star from entering Barbieland.

“I adore Margot,” Gadot now tells Flaunt magazine about being the top choice for the “Barbie” movie. “Margot is one of those women who you just want to be friends with. She is so funny, warm, fun and smart and obviously so talented. She brings so much to the table. I would love to do anything with Margot and was very touched [by her comments]. She warmed my heart with everything that she said about me.

With its list of new releases for August 2023, Prime Video is relying on a heaping dose of fun library movies.

The first of the month brings a big influx of worthwhile flicks, including Galaxy Quest, Saw, F9: The Fast Saga, and Jurassic Park (the last two via Amazon’s Freevee free streaming option). Then some other recents hits arrive later on like the appropriately titled Cocaine Bear on Aug. 15 and the Chris Pine-starring Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on Aug. 25.

August also sees the arrival of a major Amazon Original movie in the form of Red, White & Royal Blue. Based on a New York Times bestselling book, this LGBTQ romance follows a U.S. president’s son and a British prince. Over on the TV side of things, Prime Video subscribers can check out the Sigourney Weaver project The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart on Aug. 4 and Harlan Coben’s Shelter on Aug.

The musical romantic comedy series “Up Here” has been canceled after just one season at Hulu, Variety has learned.

The series’ one and only season debuted on Hulu back on March 24. It was originally ordered to series at the streamer in January 2022.

The series boasted an all-star lineup behind the camera. Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the songwriters of “Frozen” and “Frozen 2” wrote original songs for the series and executive produced, while Steven Levenson, who wrote the book for “Dear Evan Hansen,” and veteran TV writer Danielle Sanchez-Witzel served as writers and executive producers.

Thomas Kail, who previously directed Broadway shows like “Hamilton” and “In the Heights,” directed and executive produced under his Old 320 Sycamore Productions banner. Jennifer Todd of Old 320 Sycamore also executive produced. 20th Television was the studio. Old 320 Sycamore is currently under an overall deal at the studio.

Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdes led the cast,...

Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" movie is killing it at the box office. Friendly debates about whether to schedule your "Barbenheimer" screenings with "Barbie" first or second have took over social media, and of course, there are lots of pundits complaining about how "Barbie" is going to make your little girls want to reach for their dreams and how that's horrible or something. Whatever. It's a brilliant movie that features Ryan Gosling singing a song about how Ken dolls are unappreciated, and if that doesn't suck you in, nothing will. 

Gosling plays the main Ken, with other Kens played by Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, and Scott Evans, with John Cena appearing as a Mermaid Ken. Between the delightful outfits, smiling faces, and stellar choreography, lots of actors wanted in on the Ken doll action. Sadly, a few big names didn't make the cut, thanks to Covid shooting restrictions, according...

These actors could have been Ken-tenders.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, “Barbie” casting director Allison Jones revealed which actors almost got to play Kens in the blockbuster.

Read More: Amy Schumer Has A Delightful Take On ‘Barbie’ After Overcoming Past ‘Creative Differences’

“Saturday Night Live” star Bowen Yang, “Dear Evan Hansen” star Ben Platt and “Schitt’s Creek” alum Dan Levy were all in the running to star as one of the Kens.

“They were, I’m not kidding,” Jones said, adding that she was “really bummed they couldn’t do it.”

Read More: BTS’ Jimin Thanks Ryan Gosling For Sending Him Ken’s Guitar After His Cowboy Look Appeared In ‘Barbie’

All three actors unfortunately had to opt out of the movie due to scheduling issues, as did actor Jonathan Groff, who had been approached to play Ken’s friend Allan.

“Dear, dear Jonathan Groff was like, ‘I can...

Ben Platt has apparently decided he’s no longer going to speak about his mega-producer father Marc Platt — and the internet is so not here for it.

During the press tour for his new film “Theater Camp,” which Platt cowrote with Molly Gordon (who herself is born to director Bryan Gordon and writer-director Jessie Nelson), a reporter for Rolling Stone asked him about being featured on New York Magazine’s infamous nepo baby cover from December.

“You were on the cover of New York Magazine’s Nepo Baby Issue. I’m curious what was your response to that? And what do you make of that whole discourse?” journalist Ej Dickson asked.

“We’re going to skip right over that if we can,” Platt responded.

“No comment?” Dickson responds.

The feature then indicated that Platt’s publicist intervened, saying, “If we could just focus on ‘Theater Camp,’ that would be great.

In many ways, Ben Platt is one of the most successful theater kids of our time, third only to Lin-Manuel Miranda and Taylor Swift (proof of this ignominious past can be found here and here). The prodigiously talented tenor grew up with fellow L.A.-based theater kid Molly Gordon and Bff Beanie Feldstein, attending a performing arts school and appearing in the ultimate theater kid role as Winthrop in a Hollywood Bowl production of The Music Man starring Kristin Chenoweth.

Platt was cast as the intensely troubled Evan Hansen...

Not since Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s “Good Will Hunting” has a group of actors (and actual friends) so felicitously taken a movie into their own hands.

Two childhood pals, Tony winner Ben Platt (“Dear Evan Hansen”) and “The Bear” star Molly Gordon, alongside Gordon’s “Booksmart” co-star Noah Galvin, plus Nick Lieberman, their go-to video director, spent the early days of the pandemic writing “Theater Camp,” itself a feature version of their 2020 18-minute mockumentary of the same name.

Platt, Gordon, and Galvin also starred in both the short (financed by Platt) and the feature film, while Lieberman directed the short and co-directed the feature with Gordon. The four are also all credited producers. Talk about do-it-yourself.

Platt and Lieberman have collaborated on improv and sketch comedy videos since they were just teenagers. “He is like a vital voice in the group as a director and a writer,” Platt told IndieWire.

Noah Galvin and Ben Platt are one of the cutest (and most talented) couples around. The actors, who both portrayed the titular character in Broadway's "Dear Evan Hansen," were friends for years before their relationship turned romantic. While making an appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" in June 2021, Platt revealed that he and Galvin actually "skated around" the idea of dating for a while before they finally decided to give it a shot. "I didn't see the light for a long time and then I [realized], you know, that he was the guy," Platt said.

After officially getting together at the beginning of 2020, the stars moved in with Platt's parents during the pandemic. "It ended up being a beautiful time," Platt said. Now, years later, Galvin and Platt are engaged. During an April 2023 appearance on "The View," Platt said the couple aren't in a rush to get married because they want...

Exclusive: CAA has signed actor Roman Banks for representation.

Banks was most recently tapped to star as Michael Jackson in the first national tour of the Tony-winning Mj: The Musical, set to open in August in Chicago.

He made his Broadway debut in 2018 as the first Bipoc actor to play the title role of Evan Hansen, as an understudy to Ben Platt, in the Tony-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen.

Banks also played the role of Howie in Season 2 of Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and was the co-lead in the first live TikTok musical For You, Paige, which premiered last year.

In the brand space, CAA has secured multiple digital content partnerships for Banks with high-profile brands including Sperry and Coca-Cola.

Banks is managed by Lisa Filipelli and Paul Luckenbaugh at Select Management.

Jennifer Lawrence is putting her past dreams of directing to the side.

The “No Hard Feelings” actress revealed during Good Morning America that she is not looking to helm a project anytime soon.

“You know, I used to think that [I wanted to direct], and now I’m just so tired,” the Oscar winner said. “And it just looks so hard.”

The “Winter’s Bone” breakout star was attached in 2015 to direct “Project Delirium,” based on the New Yorker article “Operation Delirium” published in 2012 about military doctors running experiments on soldiers during the Cold War. Lawrence previously revealed ambitions to direct since she was 16.

Now to GMA, Lawrence, who produces director Gene Stupnitsky’s “No Hard Feelings,” shared that she was hesitant to even jump back into working after welcoming her first child with husband Cooke Maroney, whom Stupnitsky actually introduced her to.

“I had just had a baby, so I definitely wasn’t planning on working,...

Ben Platt and his fiancé, Noah Galvin, were red carpet perfection at the 2023 Tony Awards on June 11, showing a little Pda as they posed together outside NYC's United Theater. Both wore black suits with double-breasted jackets and baggy pants, which they paired with chunky black dress shoes for the big occasion.

Platt was nominated for lead actor in a musical for his role in the "Parade" revival. He previously won in that category in 2017 for his turn as the title character in "Dear Evan Hansen." Notably, Galvin has also played Evan Hansen on Broadway.

The couple first confirmed their engagement on Nov. 25, 2022 after first publicly announcing their romance back in May 2020. Their first engagement was just the beginning though. On May 29, 2023, Platt revealed Galvin proposed back to him, captioning a photo of his new ring, "He proposed back," on his Instagram Story. The ring's design matches the one Platt proposed to Galvin with,...

Bad Cinderella is taking its final bow.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber production announced on Wednesday that it will be closing at the Imperial Theatre on June 4, after opening in March.

The musical announced its closure after it failed to garner any Tony Award nominations, which were announced May 2. Bob Fosse’s Dancin‘, which also did not receive any nods, announced its closure that day.

Bad Cinderella had also seen weeks of declining grosses and attendance. In the most recent week of grosses, which ended May 7, the musical played to 53 percent capacity and grossed $326,303, which is below the running costs of most musicals.

As it stands, after Bad Cinderella plays its final performance, Lloyd Webber will not have a musical on Broadway for the first time in decades. He had been long represented by The Phantom of the Opera, which played its final performance on April 16, as well as other musicals such as Cats,...

Spoiler Alert: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 9, episode 13 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired May 10 on Fox.

Pentatonix is pretty easy to recognize, as perhaps the best-known a cappella group performing today. So from the start, it was pretty easy to tell it was them on “The Masked Singer” – and indeed, the five-person group was unmasked as California Roll on Thursday’s show, which also doubled as the Season 9 semifinals.

For their first song, “Paparazzi,” group member Scott Hoying said they tried to avoid doing any harmonies at first, “so we could hide the iconic Pentatonix harmony sound for at least a minute. For the first minute, I was trying to really change my voice. But it didn’t work, because every comment on every video was like, ‘I knew from the beginning it was Pentatonix and I was confirmed as soon as they all came in.

At 20 years old, Gaten Matarazzo is already something of a Broadway veteran. The New Jersey native was only 9 when he made his debut in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, a few years older when he appeared in Les Misérables and then, just last year, took over the role of “Jared Kleinman” in the final Broadway cast of the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen.

Still, even theatergoers who had followed his career from the beginning couldn’t help but be caught off guard by his performance in Tony Award–winning director Thomas Kail’s current revival of the Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler dark, funny and musically lush classic Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. As the young orphan Tobias, Matarazzo is on stage for about 25 minutes of the musical’s just-shy-of-three-hour running time, and even alongside Broadway heavyweights Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, the Stranger Things star more than holds his own.

Jordan Fisher savors those 7 p.m. showtimes. It’s not that there’s a huge difference on the nights that Broadway’s revival of “Sweeney Todd” starts at 8 p.m. But the extra hour of freedom after curtain call at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre means he gets more time to spend with his family.

“I’ll get to bed an hour early and get up with my son so we can hang and have a little bit more time to chill in the morning,” Fisher says over espresso at a swanky bar in Manhattan’s theater district. He got married during the pandemic, and the couple welcomed their first child in last June. “A lot of my mornings are dictated by how late I go to bed. With a schedule like this, we go to work hours after people clocked out of their offices. My body has to get used to it.