Read on for more theatre news you may have missed in today's headlines...including three Romeo and Juliet-adjacent items!
Rosaline Will Star Kaitlyn Dever as a Romeo's Spurned Love
Kaitlyn Dever, of the upcoming film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, has been tapped to star in the new 20th Century Studios comedy Rosaline, a modern retelling of Romeo & Juliet from the perspective of Juliet's cousin, Deadline reports. Dever will star as the titular Rosaline, who is not only cousin to Juliet, but also Romeo's ex—spoken of but unseen in the Bard's tragedy. The film is based on the novel When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle and has a script by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, the team that penned (500) Days of Summer. Karen Maine is set to direct, with 21 Laps, Shawn Levy, and Dan Cohen producing.
Ben Platt and Cynthia Erivo Set for Today Concerts
The Tony Award winners are among the lineup of musicians slated for the 2021 Citi Music Series on Today. The series will include in-person concerts on the TODAY Plaza, as well as virtual performances, artist interviews, and a few surprises for viewers. The series kicked off May 6 with a plaza concert from the band OneRepublic for an audience of frontline nurses. Other artists announced include Blake Shelton, Maroon 5, and Coldplay. Tune into NBC's Today for Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) on August 13 followed by Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple) August 20.
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Finds Its R&J
Joel MacCormack and Isabel Adomakoh Young will lead the cast of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre's summer opener, Romeo and Juliet. The production opens June 17 under the direction of Kimberley Sykes. MacCormack most recently voiced John Jasper in BBC Radio 4’s dramatization of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Young joined the RSC for the 2019 season after training with National Youth Theatre. Full casting is to be announced. Regent's Park 2021 season also includes Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, as well as Anansi the Spider and Dragons and Mythical Beasts, both for young audiences.
Romeo & Juliet-Inspired Dance Show Beyond Babel Returns This Fall
Beyond Babel, the Drama Desk-nominated dance theatre show, will return to The Gym at Judson on September 30 for the final eight weeks of its original Off-Broadway engagement. The production, described as "a narrative urban dance riff on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet," was created by Josh Aviner and Lyndsay Magid Aviner of Hideaway Circus and the dancer-choreographer team of Keone and Mari Madrid, who will appear in select performances. The show is set to a contemporary soundtrack and features large crochet backdrops, art installations, and yarn-based props by visual artist London Kaye. Tickets are currently on sale here.
Plus: A year after music director Max Grossman and friends ventured into the virtual woods, they've returned with a second selection from the Sondheim-Lapine musical. Jessica Vosk and Max Chernin reprise their roles as the Witch and the Baker, alongside Roman Banks as Jack, Gabi Campo as Little Red, and Brittney Johnson as Cinderella, in "Your Fault / Last Midnight," produced by Broadway Plus. Check it out below.
