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Welcome to Last week on Broadway for Tuesday, February 17, 2026. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tminetti. I am coming to you a day later than normal because of the President's Day holiday yesterday. But instead of this episode happening on Monday, we released an episode of Some Like It Pop which may contain information that will alter the space time continuum of our over decade long run on Some Like It Pop. So if you want to hear that, head over patreon.com broadwayradio broadwayradio.com Patreon Another reason why we are you little ladies, because it took me freaking 48 hours just to accumulate all of the news that happened over the past week. We are getting into that part of the year. We're going to have news about casts and all that stuff and openings and closings and all of that. So this is a jam packed episode. So I'm going to run through everything as quickly as relatively possible. But if you want more details, of course I'll have the links to all of these stories in the show notes and@broadwayradio.com all right, let's start over at the Nederlander Theater where we already knew that Sarah Chase and Alex Brightman would be playing Josh and Melissa in the upcoming Broadway premiere of Schmiga Dune the Musical. Now we know the rest of the company and many of them are folks who are part of the Washington D.C. tryout and then the subsequent readings. But there are some new folks either in the cast or stepping up into new roles and they've played in the past. Let's start with maybe the biggest surprise or biggest change from the Kennedy center production and that is the fact that Anna Gasteyer will be playing Mildred Layton. That is the character that was originally played by Kristin Chenoweth in the TV show. She is joined by Ann Harada, who is returning to the role of Florence Menlove, the character that she actually originated on the TV show and then did in Washington, DC. They will be joined by Brad Oscar as Mayor Menlove. That was the part that was played by Alan Cumming on TV. Isabel McCullough will be returning to the role of Emma Tate that was originated by Ariana DeBose on TV. Ivan Hernandez will return to the role of Doc Jorge Lopez, which was played by Jaime Camille on the television show. Max Clayton will take over the role of Danny Bailey that was played by Aaron Tveit on TV and was played by Ryan Vasquez originally in DC. And then MacKenzie Kurtz will be returning to the role of Betsy, which she did at the Kidney center and that role was originated by Dove Cameron. Also in the ensemble are some names you will probably recognize. Afra Hines, Becca Peterson, Clyde Alves, Jess LaPreguard Prado, Joshua Burridge, Kaylee Cronin, Laurel McClellan, Sheena Ann Morris, Zachary Downer and more. There will be some other cast announcements to be made. There are some roles like Reverend Howard Layton that we don't know yet. We don't know who's gonna be playing the Countess Von Blerkham, which was the Jane Krakowski role. If that's going to be a role other than maybe somebody from the ensemble, we don't know. And then Oscar the Leprechaun, which was the Martin Short role, a small part, no pun intended as well, so we'll have to see about that. But performances begin at the Nederlander Theater on April 4 and the show is a limited run, at least for now and it's currently scheduled to play through September 6th. Sticking with the theme of Broadway stars joining already announced productions, we know that Tony Award nominee Ephraim Sykes will be joining Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson in the upcoming Broadway premiere of Lindsey Fantino's play the Fear of Thirteen. He will be joined by Michael Cavender, Eddie Cooper, Victor Cruz, Ebony Flowers, Joel Marsh Garland, Jared Wayne, Gladly Joe Joseph, Jeb Krager and Ben Thompson. The show is going to begin performances for a 16 week run of the James Earl Jones Theater on March 19th. Now this next story is casting news, but it is not an original cast. It is the first American cast to take over at Operation Mincemeat. As we talked about before, the original British cast will be wrapping up their run this Sunday on February 22nd. And now we know the original American cast that will be taking over. It'll be led by attorney nominee Julia Knightle and Jeff Creedy. Also joining them will be Brandon Contreras, Jesse Kirtley and Amanda Jill Robinson. Current standbys Sam Hartley and Jerriann Perez will remain with the production and they'll be joined by other standbys Robert Ariza, Alison Gwynn and Lexi Rabati. What's great about this is is that Contreras, Curtly and Robinson are remaining with the production. They were original standby, so they are getting the promotion from standby into main cast. That's what necessitated the need for those new standbys as well. Sticking with the casting trend yesterday we got a couple new stars that'll be joining the upcoming Broadway premiere of the musical Beaches that'll begin performances on March 27th at the Majestic Theater for a limited run on September 6th before heading out on a national tour. We already knew that Jessica Vosk and Kelly Barrett will be reprising the roles that they did in this version of the Beaches musical, which they are. Which they did call a world premiere, even though there were multiple productions, one in Washington D.C. one in Chicago. But it was a completely new version of the show, apparently. But nonetheless, they will be joined by Ben Jacoby and Brent Thiessen. Jacoby will be playing Michael Baron and others. That is the part, the romantic part opposite Kelly Barrett. And then Thiessen will be reprising his role that he did in Calgary of John Perry and others playing opposite Jessica Vosk. Alright, our next two stories are a little bit of casting replacement news, but in very different ways. Last week it was announced that comedian and podcaster Jake Shane will be making his Broadway debut later this month in all out comedy about ambition. He apparently takes over the slot of Ashley park, who had to depart the show due to scheduling conflicts. I don't know if that's Emily in Paris filming or something else, but Shane will join the production from February 17th as part of the cast that will also include Ray Romano, Nicholas Braun and Jenny Slate. That'll be the last group, at least as of now, because they will play through March 8, which is the current closing date. And then in our final bit of Broadway casting news, as I have kind of mentioned with the whole confusion as to the new cast of Season six, last week it was announced that Kelsey Watts, former Broadway radio guest here, will be taking over the role of Satine in Moulin Rouge, the musical. They didn't exactly say if she will be the final Satine, but she will begin performances on March 24th and the run is scheduled to close on July 26th. So it seems like that is certainly a possibility, if not probability, that she will be the final Satine, but that is not confirmed as of now. Current Satine Meg Donnelly will play her final performance on March 1, and then Ariana Rosario will play Satine from from March 3 through March 22. Now, as we talked about when Six Cast 5.0 was announced, I'd originally heard that Kelsey was sticking with six and would be playing Jane Seymour. And then when it was announced, they announced everybody for the cast except for the Jane. And then a week later we got information that another former Broadway radio guest, Jasmine Forsberg, would be returning to that role. I do have some insider information that it was fairly sudden. Jasmine did not know that she was going to be doing this until a week before the announcement came out. So it does feel like this came fairly quickly with Kelsey heading over to the Al Hirschfeld and getting up inside that elephant. All right, let's move on to some shows in development. News this is a show that we had previously talked about. It is a new musical adaptation of the iconic film Imitation of Life, which I didn't realize this, but our dear friend Grace Aki, that is her favorite movie of all time. Well, this adaptation will feature a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and a score written by John Legend. That show will have its world premiere Off Broadway this fall over at the Shed. It is going to be directed by Liesl Tommy and we don't exactly know the dates or casting as of yet, but it will happen in 2026 in the fall. Lots of really cool musicals and new shows happening over at the Shed, so keep your eyes and ears out for that. Now speaking of pop stars and NBC singing competition judges doing new musicals, Sara Bareilles, Sarah Rule and Meg Wolitzer's new musical the Interestings does now have dates and a location for its world premiere. It'll be coming up in January of 2027 out in California at the Berkeley Rep. Sara Bareilles, a California native, so that certainly makes sense. It'll begin performances on January 31st with an opening night of February 17th. And something we didn't know about this is that Michael Arden will be directing this production. This is an adaptation of the best selling novel the Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. She's going to co adapt her book for the stage with Tony nominee and Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Rule. So that should be very fun. Casting and creative team will be announced at a later date, but with both of these shows I would be shocked if there were not some fairly major star power attached to them. And then speaking of another pop star adapting material for the theatrical stage, last week we also found out that a stage musical adaptation of the best selling novel and then hit film Practical Magic is in the works. It is being developed by the original author of the novel, Alice Hoffman, along with Grammy winners Nora Jones and Greg Wattenberg and that Maria Friedman will be directing. Peter Dugan, who wrote the book for Dogfight, is going to be co adapting the material with Hoffman for the stage. Of course, the film starred the likes of Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Diane Wiest, Tucker Channing, Aidan Quinn and a film sequel is in the works and is going to hit cinemas later this year. Of course again, cast production timeline is still to be announced, but with Maria Friedman involved, I don't think that this is something that is just going to be like, hey, let's do it regionally and nowhere else. This is something that I think we'll be aiming for a Broadway stage sooner rather than later. All right, let's get out of the developmental world and talk about a UK premiere. And this is a show that undoubtedly has been helped by the success of K Pop Demon Hunters and that is Midnight at the Never Get a show that was co written by Golden Globe and undoubtedly soon to be Oscar winner Mark Sonnenblick. Sonnenblick wrote that show with Sam Bolen and Max Friedman and many, many years ago interviewed Sonnenblik and Bolin about it here on Broadway Radio. Well, it is going to begin performances at the Menier chocolate factory on July 11 for a limited run that is going to close on September 12, at least as of now. Directed by David Cromer and starring Ben Platt. That is super exciting. That is a show that is set in the 1960s and without giving too too much away because it's a show that I saw and really, really liked. It has to do with a romance between two men when it was against the law in New York City. Mark Sonnenblick is one of the co writers of the song golden which was featured in K Pop Demon Hunters and is the far and away likely winner for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards later this spring. Now moving back to New York City and something that is incredibly exciting, Jesse Tyler Ferguson is going to return to the stage in an uber intimate production of the 1989 Broadway hit True in which he will play Truman Capote. It is a six week 34 show production and is going to be directed by the great Rob Ashford. Friend of the show. Oliver Henry Roth is producing this and he has had some incredible, incredible success with these very small, intimate loft type productions. It'll be performed in an immersive style in a gilded age Upper east side mansion first owned by a great granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. That building is now home to House of the Redeemer which is where you might remember the Andre de Shields version of Tartuffe played earlier this season last year. So this is very exciting. It is currently scheduled to play from March 6th through April 12th. Very limited run. Would not be surprised if it gets extended much like the loft production of Uncle Vanya did a couple seasons ago. But really excited to see this Jesse Tyler Ferguson 99 seat theater only. Get your tickets now folks because this one will be tough to come by all right, sticking with some other Off Broadway news, last week we also got details about the full company of the upcoming New York City Center Encores production of Michael John Lachius the Wild Party. We already knew that Jasmine Amy Rogers would be playing Queenie, Adrian Warden will be playing Kate, Joseph A. Bird will be playing Phil, Claiborne Elder would be playing Jackie and Evan Tyrone Martin would be playing Eddie. Now we know. Joining that production will be original Broadway cast member and Tony winner Tanya Pinkins returning to the role of Dolores. She'll be joined by Jelani Aladdin as Black, Wesley, J. Barnes as Oscar, Jordan Donica as Burrs, KJ Hippensteel as Gold, Andrew Colbert as Goldberg, Leslie Margarita as May, Betsy Morgan as Sally, Megan Murphy as Ms. Madeline True and May Row as Nadine. This will be directed by Lily Ann Brown and choreographed by Katie Spellman. The production is scheduled to run March 18th through the 29th. Alright, let's do some quick Off Broadway extension news over at New York City center for the Manhattan Theater Club, Ngozi and Yanwu's the Monsters has added an extra week of performances and will now play through May 22. Over at New World Stages, Heathers has announced that it will now play through September 6th. That means that it will play for well over a year because it officially began performances on June 22nd of last year. The show will also have a sing along performance on its first anniversary. So if you want information of that, head over to the Show Notes. Then moving downtown to the Cherry Lane Theater, Claire Barron's Obiwan play, you Got Older has extended. It will now play through April 2nd. It features the likes of Aaliyah Shawkat, Peter Friedman, Nina White and more. Now moving from Off Broadway to screens large and small, we have a number of stories about theatrical performances and musicals heading to the screen. Last week it was announced that Stranger Things, the first Shadow, would be filmed during its final week of the original cast, which was last week. And while no official destination for where that will end up has been announced, Netflix is one of the producers of the show on Broadway. So I feel pretty good in saying that it will end up on Netflix before anywhere else. We also got information last week that the Tony Award winning production of suffs will play PBS's great performances in May. It will be available to watch on PBS channels and then to stream on their streaming services beginning on May 8th. We also got information last week about a film version of Death of a Salesman and two of the folks who could end up being stars in a Deadline exclusive, Corey Hawkins and Kelvin Harrison Jr. Were reported to be in talks to join the cast. We already know that Jeffrey Wright and Octavia Spencer are set to star, so Corey and Kelvin would be playing their sons. Not sure exactly which son, but I could probably take a guess. But nonetheless very exciting about that. Less excited about the version of this show that is going to be opening up on Broadway here later this season. And then finally in this section, another friend of the show and former Broadway radio guess, Mauricio Martinez, was announced to be playing one of the leads in the upcoming musical film Brotherhood. The story centers on a Mexican immigrant which Mauricio is in the middle of a decades long wait to his asylum application. He will star as Fabian opposite Casey Elliott. The project is scheduled to begin production in April and is aiming for a theatrical release this fall. The project will feature 17 original songs that were written by Ross Booth, who is not only the screenwriter, but the scorewriter and the director of the piece. All right, let's head into this week's theatrical schedule and it is actually pretty thin, but let's start off Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. This actually happened last night, but because we're a little late, I still wanted to get this in, but Off Broadway the new play the Dinosaurs officially opened on Monday, February 16th. The show is currently scheduled to play through March 1st. It was written by Jacob Perkins and directed by Les Waters. And every week at the same time in the same place, a group of women share their stories of recovery. As weeks slip into years and decades spin into eternity, the women keep coming back amidst the an ever shifting unfamiliar world. The cast features some absolute heavy hitters, including Elizabeth Marvel, April Mathis, Maria Elena Ramirez, Mallory Portnoy, Kathleen Chalfont and Kylie McQuail. Next up, sticking off Broadway on Wednesday, February 18th at Astor Place Theatre, a show that really fascinates me here. It is called Burnout paradise and it will begin performances. This show features five actors and four treadmills. The show was created by the group Ponycam and how it works is the performers on stage make a desperate attempt to complete a series of escalating tasks like cooking a three course meal and filling out a grant application, all while running on treadmills. And if they don't complete their to do list in one hour's time, you can get your money back. It's part comedy, part endurance feat, part theatrical explosion. But more than anything, they say it is, quote, a euphoric, euphoric visceral celebration of our tendency to run full tilt towards life's endless challenges. This is a show that has had tremendous success around the world, especially in Australia. It seems fascinating. I cannot wait to check this one out. And then finally beginning performances on the Broadway on Saturday, February 21st will be the one person show every Brilliant Thing starring Daniel Radcliffe. Now what's interesting about this is that it was always going to be in performances on Saturday, February 21st, but they actually moved up the first performance. Instead of an evening performance, they actually added a matinee. That means that Instead of the first performance happening at 7:30pm It'll actually happen at 2pm Same day. Not much different, but a lot of probably excited fans will have an opportunity to check this show out over at the Hudson Theater before they thought they would have an opportunity. This is a one person show and is currently scheduled to play a limited engagement through May 24. I would not be surprised being just a couple weeks before the Tony Awards if this does get an extension as part of a Tony Award campaign for Daniel Radcliffe. Alright everybody, that is all that I have for you today. Thank you so much for supporting Broadway radio. If you want more Broadway radio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio thanks for listening. This has been Matt Tamaneni and I'll talk to you.