The weekly look at all that's in the works from Broadway to Hollywood and back again:- For you muggles out there who couldn't make it to London for his au naturale performance in Equus, Daniel Radcliffe promises that he will soon be blinding horses stateside by the end of next year, if all goes well. Radcliffe's Harry Potter uncle Richard Griffiths (Tony winner for The History Boys) will co-star.
- Like, ohmygod! Taking their cue from Hairspray and Grease (both of which have been benefiting nicely from exposure in other mediums), Legally Blonde will soon be filmed live for a future broadcast on MTV. And if you so desire (and are willing to wear a pink shirt), you can even be in the audience.
- Speaking of Grease (and really, when are we not?), meet the revival's scene-stealing Rizzo, Jenny Powers, and check out the track list for the newest cast recording, on sale October 2 (Click here to pre-order the new album
from Amazon.com).Meanwhile, Grease: You're the One That I Want hostess Denise Van Outen has (get this) been cast as the militant Maureen in London's Rent. Not to be catty, but isn't she a teensy bit past her prime mooing years?
- In more music news, original Maureen Idina Menzel has released a club mix of her big Wicked showstopper, the divalicious "Defying Gravity". Click here to purchase the CD
from Amazon.com.- As playwright Terrence McNally and stars Rosie Perez and Kevin Chamberlin chat up The Ritz, Seth Rudetsky dishes on his co-star/fellow "bathhouse patron" Ryan Idol. Seth also recounts his recent one-on-one with Xanadu hunk Cheyenne Jackson.
- Get ready to return to La Cage aux Folles, via a West End revival; no word yet if the star of the recent New York run, Gary Beach, will "strap on his fake boobs again" for it though.
Elsewhere, this is what the Episcopalians think about a high school musical about drag queens. Who woulda thunk it?
- Director Rob Marshall has revealed his star-studded, international cast for his big screen adaptation of Nine, although only one (Sophia Loren) is actually Italian.
- "They're the Dreamgirls ..." The originals, that is: Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine and Jennifer Holliday will reunite in LA for a "one night only" benefit performance. And I'm telling you, I'm going ... (OK, I'll stop now.)
- Tours from around the world: 42nd Street in China, Little Shop of Horrors in the UK and 12 Angry Men in the US of A.
- Billy Elliot, soon to be grande jeté-ing his way to Broadway, celebrates his 1,000th performance in London.
- Angela Arden has found her son. Charles Busch will be joined in Die Mommie Die! with current gay soap sensation Van Hansis (a.k.a. As the World Turns' Luke Snyder).
- In an unusual move, the producers of Young Frankenstein will reportedly not release the show's weekly grosses. Hmmm ...
- The 39 Steps is stepping closer to Broadway.
- In our Hairspray news of the week, the title of this Playbill article says it all: "Love Finds Beaver Cleaver".
- Do video games and show tunes mix? We'll find out when The Last Starfighter takes to the stage.
- Remember the opening number of the movie Hair, with all the hippies dancing about, all Twyla Tharp-y like, in the middle of Central Park? Well, now you'll be able to see that in person.
- While Claire Danes (who, having never seen My Fair Lady, must have had a really sad childhood) prepares for George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, John Lithgow mulls a return to Broadway with Arthur Miller's All My Sons.
- I don't know why but I don't care: the San Francisco Jersey Boys will perform on next Sunday's Emmy Award telecast. For a taste of the original Broadway Four Seasons, here's their electrifying performance at last year's Tony Awards.
Links via MoviesBlog.MTV.com, Playbill.com, Broadway.com, AfterEllen.com, AfterElton.com and YouTube.com.
