Here's a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today.
A Broadway Baby for Stephanie J. Block & Sebastian Arcelus
This is wicked good news for a former Elphaba! Broadway.com has confirmed that Tony nominee Stephanie J. Block is expecting her first child with her hubby, fellow Great White Way alum Sebastian Arcelus. Block told us late last year that: “I love caring for a home and a yard, and hopefully sooner than later, a little family, with little Block-Arceluses.” Huge congrats to them both!
Stage Adaptation of Denzel Washington Movie Devil in a Blue Dress Aiming for Broadway
You might remember Devil in a Blue Dress as a 1995 movie starring Tony winner Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle. Well now, Walter Mosley, whose novel the film was adapted from, has revealed that a stage version is aiming for the Great White Way within the next year. Eurweb reports that Mosley is working with composer and Jazz musician Branford Marsalis on the project. No word yet on dates, theater...or casting.
Roger Allam Will Star in Theresa Rebeck's Seminar in London
Roger Allam will star in Theresa Rebeck’s Seminar at London’s Hampstead Theatre. The Olivier winner will play Leonard, a role performed by Alan Rickman and then Jeff Goldblum when the show ran on Broadway from November 2011 to May 2012. Directed by Terry Johnson, the production will begin previews on September 25 and play a limited engagement through October 18. Opening night is set for October 1.
China's $323 Million Boost to Musical Theater
Tuners are still comparatively not that big of a thing in China, but a $323 million musical production center, currently under construction just outside Beijing, could change that. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the one million square foot compound will be completed in 2017, although the first production at the venue will be Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods later this year. We need to pay a visit!