In the News: Nick Jonas Parodies Les Misérables on SNL, Genius: Aretha's Premiere Rollout, More | Playbill

Film & TV News In the News: Nick Jonas Parodies Les Misérables on SNL, Genius: Aretha's Premiere Rollout, More Plus: Two breakout directors launch a new series focusing on theatre's Comeback.

Read on for some recent theatre headlines you may have missed in today's news.

Nick Jonas Opens SNL With a Les Misérables Spoof
"I rebelled the best way I knew how, by doing musical theatre," Nick Jonas joked in his Saturday Night Live opening monologue when he hosted the late-night sketch show February 27. He then went on, with the help of SNL cast members, to salute Broadway with a parody of "Drink With Me" from Les Misérables. Watch the video above. (Jonas is of course no stranger to the epic musical, appearing as Gavroche in the Broadway production as a child and eventually playing Marius for the show's 25th anniversary concert.)

Suzan-Lori Parks, Rebecca Naomi Jones, More Set for Genius: Aretha Events
Nat Geo has announced details surrounding its March 11 premiere event for Genius: Aretha, starring Tony winner Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple). According to Deadline, the film will be screened at four drive-ins across the country—the Monroe Street Drive-In in Detroit, the Springs Drive-In in Atlanta, the Skyline Theater in New York, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Pre-show performances will include a spoken word piece by the series' showrunner, Pulitzer Prize winner and Tony nominee playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (Topdog/Underdog); performances by Genius: Aretha actors Antonique Smith, Patrice Covington, and Rebecca Naomi Jones; performances by trumpeter Marquis Hillon from the stage of the Apollo Theater; and more. After the screening, the evening will conclude with a finale of Erivo performing Aretha Franklin numbers taped at the Greek Theater. The network premiere is scheduled for March 21 on Nat Geo.

Donmar Warehouse's Blindness Transfers to Mexico City
Blindness, the immersive theatre installation that opened at Donmar Warehouse in August for a sold-out run, will transfer to Mexico City's Teatro De Los Insurgentes, opening March 12 for a limited run. The play is based on the dystopian novel by José Saramago about an infectious blindness epidemic, and is adapted by Tony winner Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). It features an immersive sound design using binaural technology by Olivier Award nominees Ben and Max Ringham. A new Spanish language version will be recorded by Mexican actress Marina De Tavira (Oscar-nominated for her role in Roma) in the role of the Narrator/Doctor’s Wife, originally voiced by Juliet Stevenson. For more information, visit BlindnessMexico.com.

Sammi Cannold and Rebecca Aparicio Launch The Comeback Project
Directors Sammi Cannold (Evita, New York City Center) and Rebecca Aparicio (Jack and the Beanstalk, A.R.T.) are partnering with The Broadway Podcast Network to launch The Comeback Project, a conversation series to help theatermakers restart in the wake of the pandemic. The series kicks off March 4 with a panel of international guests from countries that have begun theatre re-openings. Michael Cassel (Australia's Hamilton and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Ginny Kim (South Korea's Cats, Hadestown), Haruka A. Nakagawa (Japen's The Phantom of the Opera), Alistair Smith (U.K. publication The Stage), and Ariel Stolier (Argentina-based Paseo la Plaza), along with moderator Cannold, will discuss strategies, best practices, and challenges faced by the industry as it looks towards the future.

READ: It’s Their Time: 4 Breakthrough Theatremakers on Creating a Post-Pandemic Broadway

 
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