Despite Mixed Reviews, Producers Eyeing 'Woods' Move to Broadway - NYTimes.com August 14, 2012, 2:37 PM 1 Comment Despite Mixed Reviews, Producers Eyeing ‘Woods’ Move to Broadway By PATRICK HEALY Sara Krulwich/The New York Times From left, Chip Zien, Josh Lamon and Amy Adams in the musical “Into the Woods” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Theater producers are pursuing a possible Broadway transfer of the Central Park staging of “Into the Woods” in spite of several negative reviews last week that would usually put a damper on such plans. The commercial producer Joey Parnes said in an interview on Tuesday that he is developing plans for moving the Public Theater’s revival of the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical, which is now running at the outdoor Delacorte Theater. Mr. Parnes previously collaborated with the Public on moving its park productions of “Hair” and “The Merchant of Venice” to Broadway; a spokeswoman for the Public said if this transfer happened, the Public would be involved creatively but would not raise money for it. In the interview, Mr. Parnes said that he did not see the reviews as a death blow for a Broadway transfer, which, he estimated, would probably cost $6 million to $7 million and be aimed for late winter or spring of 2013. (As a whole the reviews were mixed, though critics from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal were especially harsh.) Many of the reviews included fixable concerns, he noted, and added that there was unusually intense audience interest in the musical itself, a revisionist take on several Grimm fairy tales. Hundreds of people have been lining up for the free tickets to the park production in recent weeks. “Some critics made good points about the park production that we would take to heart, and it’s worth remembering that when we moved ‘Hair’ from the park to Broadway, it changed, it got tighter, it got better,” Mr. Parnes said. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/despite-mixed-reviews-producers-eyeing-woods-move-to-broadway/[8/15/2012 10:09:12 AM] Despite Mixed Reviews, Producers Eyeing 'Woods' Move to Broadway - NYTimes.com “The reviews might make my job a little harder. But I think a lot of the production’s issues would be assuaged indoors – the lighting and sound and staging focus issues would all change in an intimate Broadway house, and story-telling issues would be addressed with time and rehearsals.” Still, Mr. Parnes emphasized that Broadway is far from a sure thing. Before he begins courting investors, he said, he needs to nail down parts of his sales pitch – chiefly, commitments from cast members; an available Broadway theater; and a budget plan, weekly running costs, and a timetable outlining when the show might turn a profit. Mr. Parnes said he is in talks with agents for a few of the show’s stars, including its marquee name, Oscar nominee Amy Adams, who plays the central role of the Baker’s Wife; Ms. Adams is booked with work through the rest of 2012, at least. Mr. Parnes has also been talking to theater owners since early summer. He said it may be weeks or even a few months before the decision on a Broadway move is made. The Public spokeswoman said in an e-mail: “ ‘Into the Woods’ is having a very successful run in the park and we were able to extend one additional week. It must close on Sept. 1 but there is still tremendous audience demand for this production and we’re open to the possibility of a future life after the park.” An earlier version of this post misstated the Public Theater’s role in a possible Broadway transfer of “Into the Woods.” While it would in fact be creatively involved, it would not be raising money for a transfer. A version of this article appeared in print on 08/15/2012, on page C3 of the NewYork edition with the headline: ‘Into the Woods’ Eyeing Broadway. Subscribe: Digital / Home Delivery http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/despite-mixed-reviews-producers-eyeing-woods-move-to-broadway/[8/15/2012 10:09:12 AM] 'Smash' Schedule Prompts Jeremy Jordan To Depart 'Newsies' on Sept. 4 - NYTimes.com August 14, 2012, 4:05 PM 1 Comment ‘Smash’ Schedule Prompts Jeremy Jordan To Depart ‘Newsies’ on Sept. 4 By PATRICK HEALY Left, Sara Krulwich/The New York Times; Lorenzo Bevilaqua Jeremy Jordan, left, in “Newsies the Musical”; Corey Cott in rehearsal for the show. Will the hit Broadway musical “Newsies” continue to flourish without its breakout star, Jeremy Jordan? Disney Theatrical Productions will soon find out. Disney executives said on Tuesday that Mr. Jordan, who has become an audience favorite as the brooding New York City newsboy Jack Kelly, would give his final performance on Sept. 4 so he can concentrate on his new leading role in the NBC series “Smash.” Disney also announced that a 22-year-old unknown, Corey Cott, who graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in May and joined the “Newsies” company last month, would take over the role of Jack on Sept. 5. Recasting stars can be fraught business on Broadway: Nick Jonas never really caught fire with audiences last spring after replacing Daniel Radcliffe in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” and ticket sales to “The Addams Family” fell off considerably when the hugely popular Nathan Lane finished his yearlong contract. But Disney has deep experience with recasting roles in long-running hits like “The Lion King” and “Mary Poppins,” and executives there expressed confidence that Mr. Cott had the tenor, training, and boyish charisma to help coax audience members to return to see “Newsies” over and over again, as Mr. Jordan did. Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical, said in an interview that he was not overly concerned that Mr. Jordan’s departure would hurt ticket sales, and noted that it would be hard to gauge since most Broadway shows have a seasonal dip at the box office in September and October. “I don’t know if the broadest audience closely follows which actor plays which role, unless it’s a really big-name star,” Mr. Schumacher said. “What’s most important to me is having someone who can play the role beautifully. Jeremy http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/smash-schedule-prompts-jeremy-jordan-to-depart-newsies-on-sept-4/[8/15/2012 10:06:23 AM] 'Smash' Schedule Prompts Jeremy Jordan To Depart 'Newsies' on Sept. 4 - NYTimes.com was sensational, and Corey is terrific.” Mr. Jordan landed the role on “Smash” in late spring, relatively early into his “Newsies” run; most stars stay with new Broadway musicals for a year, but Mr. Jordan said the prime-time television opportunity “seemed too good to pass up.” At the time he thought he could juggle both jobs, he said – but then came a week this summer when he put in three 14-hour days on the “Smash” set and then four performances of “Newsies” in 48 hours. “I wasn’t getting enough sleep, I was never home, and I just started to feel the weight of everything,” said Mr. Jordan, who was nominated for a Tony Award this spring for “Newsies.” “I always knew ‘Smash’ would be a full-time job, but I thought – partly because TV is a lot easier than Broadway – that doing both would be manageable for a while. But I needed more balance – I’m getting married in September, too – and I didn’t think it’d be fair to ‘Newsies’ audiences if I started missing a lot of performances because of ‘Smash’ demands.” Mr. Jordan had not been one to shy away from multitasking; last fall he performed in “Newsies” at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J., while rehearsing for “Bonnie & Clyde” on Broadway; when the latter show flopped, he rejoined the “Newsies” cast for its return to Broadway in the spring. If the summer has been hectic for Mr. Jordan, it has been head-spinning for Mr. Cott. He quickly began auditioning after graduation, and said he was offered roles in a national tour of the musical “Wicked” and the coming Off Broadway musical “Bare,” while also planning to test for the television series “Glee.” (He is also getting married, in January.) Mr. Cott chose “Newsies,” he said, “because Jack is a great character that I’d be really, really proud to play, and because it’s pretty incredible to make my Broadway debut in a memorable leading role.” “Newsies” began performances on Broadway in March; the show has been grossing more than $1 million a week since mid-June, around the time “Newsies” performed on the Tony Awards broadcast and won prizes for best score and choreography. A version of this article appeared in print on 08/15/2012, on page C3 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Exit Jeremy Jordan, Enter Corey Cott. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/smash-schedule-prompts-jeremy-jordan-to-depart-newsies-on-sept-4/[8/15/2012 10:06:23 AM] ‘Harrison, TX,’ Three Plays by Horton Foote - NYTimes.com THEATER REVIEW Where Small Talk Has Epic Meanings ‘Harrison, TX,’ Three Plays by Horton Foote Ruby Washington/The New York Times Harrison, TX From left, Evan Jonigkeit, Hallie Foote and Andrea Lynn Green in “Blind Date,” the opening entry in this program of three one-acts by Horton Foote. By BEN BRANTLEY Published: August 14, 2012 For Mrs. Robert Henry, good conversation is sacred, something to FACEBOOK put your faith in, along with God and country.