A gay ’80s icon returns to Broadway, Michael Urie’s encore in turquoise tights & that time Carol Channing fell offstage

Welcome to The Callboard, Queerty’s curtain-raising theater news, where we share the latest news from Broadway and beyond. From casting announcements and openings to viral moments with our favorite stars, here’s a front-row seat to all the drama happening onstage and off!

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Hillary Clinton on Broadway? Dreams really do come true! Longtime patrons of the arts, the former President and Secretary of State can often be spotted attending the theater, but Hillary went one step further last week, taking to the stage. The recently closed Gutenberg! The Musical! (featuring original The Book of Mormon co-stars Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad) featured a cameo appearance at the end of each performance. And who better to rally the audience than should-have-been president Hillary Clinton? The crowd went wild. Hillary’s also dipping her toe (and her bank account) into producing this spring, joining the backers of Suffs, a new musical about the fight for women’s right to vote.

@gutenbergbway Bud & Doug, while it can sting to have the historical accuracy of your bio-musical called into question, this one famous Broadway producer loves you. You’re both so much more than GUT! #GutenbergBway #hillaryclinton #andrewrannells #joshgad #musicals #musicaltheatre ♬ original sound – Gutenberg! the Musical

Casting coups

Broadway heats up this spring with familiar queer faces in unsuspecting places! 

Wayne Brady eases on down the road: ‘Coming Out for Good’ Queerties nominee Wayne Brady steps into the legendary platform heels of The Wiz in the new revival of the musical, which has been touring the country before landing on Broadway this spring. 
Marquis Theatre, New York City. Performances begin on March 29

Boy George brings his signature flair to Moulin Rouge: Grammy winner Boy George takes over the role of club owner Harold Zidler in the wildly over-the-top stage adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s film. But this isn’t the Grammy winner’s first time on Broadway, having written and co-starred in the short-lived Taboo, which earned him a Tony nomination for Best Original Score.
Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York City. Boy George as Harold Zidler February 6-May 12

The ‘Drag Race’ to Broadway pipeline continues: Jinkx Monsoon made a splash last season, stepping into the role of Matron “Mama” Morton in the long-running hit Chicago. The trend continues with season 15’s Marsha Marsha Marsha (Marty Lauter), who just booked the hotly anticipated Cabaret revival starring Eddie Redmayne as the Emcee. But landing the gig wasn’t as easy as a kick-ball-change. Lauter turned to TikTok to explain the casting process…
August Wilson Theatre, New York City. Performances begin on April 1

@marciax3nyc Chaotic #storytime of how i booked cabaret on #broadway ♬ original sound – Marcia Marcia Marcia!

Dolly can you hear me?: Dolly Parton has been working on a new musical about her life, but why have one Dolly when you can have three? Following the the footsteps of The Cher Show, which cast three actresses to embody the icon (including a Tony-winning performance by Stephanie J. Block), Parton hopes to do the same, telling People she’s looking for a “little Dolly, an “earlier years Dolly,” and an older Dolly.”

“We’re going to be auditioning and trying to find them through different means,” Parton said. “I think that’ll be fun for people, too. You never know where you’re going to find them. They may never have been on stage before, or maybe in some local theater somewhere, but we’re going to look for them and that’s going to be part of the fun, I think.”

Michael Urie’s princely charm

New York City Center Encores! returns, presenting reimagined staged concert versions of our favorite musicals. The 30th season kicks off with a fresh take on Once Upon a Mattress, the 1959 musical that made Carol Burnett a star and also earned a Best Musical Revival nomination for the 1996 version starring Sarah Jessica Parker. 

Broadway favorte Sutton Foster takes on the role this time around with the help a trifecta of Queerty favorites, including Michael Urie, Cheyenne Jackson, and Tony winner J. Harrison Ghee. 

Amy Sherman-Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Gilmore Girls) gives the musicalization of The Princess and the Pea a fresh take as Foster’s Princess Winifred refuses to compromise her authenticity for a preconceived idea of what royalty should look like. 

Urie, sporting turquois tights and a whimpering disposition, wins hearts as Prince Dauntless, finally summoning the courage to stand up against his domineering mother, Queen Aggravain (Harriet Sansom Harris). Foster fans will appreciate the reunion with Harris, who played her foe in 2002’s Thoroughly Modern Millie. Cheyenne Jackson also gallops aboard as the dim-witted Sir Harry opposite Nikki Renée Daniels as Lady Larken. 

The award for most over-worked leading lady should go to Foster, who’s been pulling double duty rehearsing the role of Mrs. Lovett, as she prepares to step into Sweeney Todd beginning February 9. 
New York City Center, New York City. Through February 4

‘Kiss today goodbye…’

Bye bye, Barry: After decades of trying to get Harmony to Broadway, Barry Manilow and longtime collaborator Bruce Sussman say goodbye to the musical about the Comedian Harmonists, a singing troupe caught in the atrocities of World War II.
Etthel Barrymore Theatre, New York City. Closing February 4

Last dance: Starring seven autistic actors, How to Dance in Ohio broke ground for visibility on Broadway in this heartfelt musical based on the documentary film of the same name. Queer identity also found its way into the story, making it a win-win for a new generation of theatergoers seeking reflections of themselves onstage. Too soon!
Belasco Theatre, New York City. Closing February 11

Related:

‘How to Dance in Ohio’ brings a fresh perspective on queer visibility to Broadway

The Paula Abdul-produced musical holds space for an array of previously untapped talent & celebrates queer visibility.

Gays go global

After a six-year hiatus, the Queer New York International Arts Festival returns for an epic run, including artists from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, and Germany. From multimedia installations to an entangled queer exploration that combines classical music with professional wrestling, no queer stone is left unturned. NYU Skirball, New York City. February 7-17

Final bow

There are Broadway triple threats, and then there was Chita Rivera. With 18 Broadway credits to her name, including three Tony Awards, Rivera wowed audiences in dramatic roles like Anita in West Side Story as well as musical comedy, such as Rose in Bye Bye Birdie. Rivera passed away on January 30 at age 91.

Described by the New York Times as a “whirling, bounding, high-kicking elemental force of the dance; a seductive singer of smoky ballads and sizzling jazz; and a propulsive actress of vaudevillian energy,” Rivera also had deep connections to the LGBTQ+ community, and was a longtime muse of gay musical theater composers John Kander and Fred Ebb. She originated roles in four of their works, including Chicago, The Rink (co-starring Liza Minnelli), Kiss of the Spider Woman, and The Visit. In 2003, Rivera became a trustee of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Here’s a look at some of our favorite Chita moments:

From the archives

Hello, Dolly! is the gift that keeps on giving. While nobody can replace OG Dolly Levi, Carol Channing, plenty have given her a run for her money, including Bette Midler’s 2017 Tony-winning turn. British favorite Imelda Staunton takes on the role on the West End beginning July 6, and hopefully she’ll keep her feet firmly planted on the stage. We couldn’t resist looking back at Channing’s recount of a particularly precarious performance where she brought new meaning to audience participation.

@canaan.composer #carolchanning on falling off the stage during #hellodolly. #theater #broadway #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Canaan J. Harris

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