Bette Midler to return to Broadway in ‘Hello, Dolly!’
NEW YORK — It’s a match made in musical theater heaven — Bette Midler will star in a Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!”
Producer Scott Rudin said Tuesday that the Divine Miss M will take on the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi in a revival of the classic musical due to start next year.
The musical tells the story of self-professed “meddler” Dolly Levi who receives her toughest challenge yet when a rich grump seeks a suitable wife.
Performances on Broadway begin on March 13, 2017, with an official opening night of April 20, 2017. Rehearsals begin one year from Tuesday.
The revival will be directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zak and have choreography by Tony-winner Warren Carlyle.
Sting, Peter Gabriel announce ‘Rock, Paper Scissors’ tour
LONDON — Sting and Peter Gabriel are joining forces, bands and songs for a joint headline tour across North America and Canada.
The artists will perform each other’s songs for a tour that they hope will have a playful vibe. They joke that they’ll be making all decisions by playing the game “Rock, Paper, Scissors” —the name of the tour.
Sting says the tour announced Tuesday will be similar to one with Paul Simon about a year ago.
“We traded songs, we traded musicians, we sang together. And the take home that people got from that was they loved it when we did things together,” Sting told The Associated Press.
The “Rock Paper Scissors” tour kicks off on June 21 in Columbus, Ohio and finishes up in Canada on July 24.
‘High School Musical’ stars reunite for 10th anniversary
LOS ANGELES — The stars of “High School Musical” are reuniting for a 10th-anniversary tribute to the TV movie.
Actors Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman share memories of the movie when it airs again at 8 p.m. EST Wednesday on the Disney Channel.
Zac Efron, who played Troy opposite Hudgens’ Gabriella, couldn’t attend the pre-taped group reunion because it conflicted with promotion of his movie “Dirty Grandpa,” a channel spokeswoman said. Efron recorded separate remarks that will be included in the broadcast.
The “High School Musical” reprise comes during a wave of TV musical popularity. NBC has aired a series of live musicals and is aiming to put “Hairspray” on in December, while Fox is showing a live production of “Grease” on Jan. 31 and ABC has plans for a “Dirty Dancing” TV movie.
The Disney movie and its sequel, “High School Musical 2,” will be repeated on Thursday and on Sunday, Jan. 24, on Disney Channel. The Freeform cable channel will show “High School Musical” on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 23 and 24.
