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Today on Broadway: Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025
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Sting to bring ‘Last Ship’ back to New York, ‘Begin Again’ musical finds creative team, video of Tom Felton joining ‘Cursed Child’ Since 2016, “Today on Broadway” has been the first and only daily podcast recapping the top theatre headlines every Monda...
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Welcome to Today on Broadway for Thursday, November 13, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tammanini. As you may or may not know, tonight over at Studio 54, Thursday, November 13, the latest Broadway production of Oedipus will open. However, those reviews are embargoed for 11:59pm Eastern Time, which is honestly folks, why? What are we doing? This is, this is a show that everybody seems to love and got great reviews in London. Why are we waiting this late? Really maddening. I know that there's like different reasons they do that, but it's annoying. So we probably won't have those reviews until Monday's episode. But because the episode won't be released until after the embargo is up, because I'm seeing it on Wednesday night as a few hours after I record this episode, I will drop my review in the episode just to make sure that it is in there. And then we will get back to everybody else's reviews on Sunday and Patreon and Monday in the regular feed. But before we get into all of that, of course, if you want to hear all of our episodes, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio broadwayradio.com patreon all right, let's start with some kind of shocking news, but you may or may not remember the Broadway musical the Last Ship that ran for a very short amount of Time in 2014. It was written by Sting and actually starred him for a little while as well. Well, yesterday we found out that there would be a newly revised version of it and and that would play nine performances at the Met. It will play the Metropolitan Opera House from June 19th through the 14th of next year and that Sting will reprise the role of shipyard foreman Jackie White. The production will be directed by Leo Warner and features a new book by Barney Norris and co stars Sting's longtime collaborator Shaggy as the ferryman. It is being presented by Carl Sitow and the Engagement is part of an international series of runs in Amsterdam, Paris and Brisbane, Australia. The show opened on October 26th of 2014 and then closed in early January the following year. It was nominated for two Tony Awards, one for Sting's score and one for Rob Mathis Orchestrations. There was a different revised version that premiered in Canada in 2019 with Sting appearing in it as well. So this is now a new new version. An extended version of Sting's the Last Ship album will be released on December 15th. It'll feature five brand new recordings and I. I mean great. I heard the music when it came out. I didn't actually see the show, but I didn't get it. I My friend Caitlin, Caitlin Berg, who's been on Broadway radio a number of times, is obsessed with this show so she talks about it all the time. She's freaking out right now in the group chat as it just got released. But if you love the Last Ship, if you love Sting, here's an opportunity to see him do the show nine times. Early Summer at the Met alright, yesterday we got details about a new screen to stage adaptation that we had heard a little bit about. We knew that it was coming to the Old Globe, but this is some additional creative team members for the upcoming Begin Again musical that will play at San Diego's Old Globe Theater beginning in the fall of 2026. The show will feature music by Pat Monahan who was the lead singer and songwriter of Train. The script is being adapted by Jenny Clark Embry and the direction will come from Lauren Let. David Newman will do the choreography and Brian Youssef will handle all of the orchestrations. If you're unfamiliar with this film, it comes from John Carney's 2013 film. John Carney, of course is the Irish director of some great music based movies. Some of them have been turned into musicals as well, including such things as Once and Sing Street. This film again was released in 2013 and it starred Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo. Keira Knightley played a really down on her luck singer songwriter who was discovered by a struggling record label executive played by Ruffalo and they worked together to get an album recorded in public places all over New York City. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song called Lost Stars. That song will be included as will all of these new songs by Pat Monahan. The show is aiming to come to Broadway after its out of town tryout at the old globe from September 6th through October 11th of 2026. No casting of course has yet been announced. That will come sometime probably in the spring or summer of next year. But I really love John Carney movies once Sing street are both incredible. I did not see the Sing street stage show yet. It was off Broadway and it was going to come to Broadway. It never did. It is now currently playing or recently played over in London and I heard that it had a lot of really positive changes. Still might need some work before it comes to New York, if it comes to New York. But I love these films. I think they're really smart, really good, touching, small slice of musical life stories. So I'll be interested to see what happens with this one when it premieres in San Diego next year. All right, let's get into some show and casting news that is a little bit closer to home. Yesterday the Public Theater added a new show to its season. This one will begin performances on March 22nd of next year and it's currently scheduled to play through April 26th. This is a play by Ellie Rarey and Alexander Molochenkov called Seagull the True Story. It is a semi autobiographical piece that is inspired by an experience Molochenkov had staging a production of Chekhov's the Seagull. It includes, according to the press notes, quote, comedic mayhem, artistic rebellion and and deeply personal reflections on displacement, censorship and the pursuit of creative freedom. It had previously run in multiple places including at La Mama in New York City. The production is set to feature an ensemble of international actors, but no actual performers have been announced as of yet. Also Off Broadway, I've heard great things about this show. It is currently running over at the Irish Repertory Theater. It is called the Honey Trap. It is going to close on November 23rd because Irish rep has a number of holiday shows that they do every year, but because of how well it's been received and how great the audience has been, Irish Rep is going to bring it back for another month to five weeks, starting on January 10 and running through February 15. It is set in Belfast, 1979 at the height of the Troubles and two off duty British soldiers think that they've hit it off with two local girls at the pub. Turns out that might not have been exactly what happens, because decades later, as one of the soldiers recounts the events for an American oral history project, long buried memories resurface, drawing him back to Belfast in search of answers and revenge. More Off Broadway stuff Yesterday we got further details about the new dance focused off Broadway show 11 to Midnight that comes from the husband and wife dancing and choreography team Cost and Mayer. We previously talked about this show and discussed the ensemble that was going to be a part of it, but we now know that it will begin performances on January 28th at the Orpheum Theater off Broadway for a five week limited engagement that will run through March 11th in person. Sales will begin at the Orpheum box office in January, but tickets are available now on 11 to midnight, so 11 to midnight.com if you want to check that out. The work is set at a New Year's Eve party in a New York City apartment where seven friends are gathering to ring in the new year. Their performances will feature quote, theatrical street style dance and a genre hopping soundtrack. The show is choreographed by Austin and Meredith Telenko, that's Cost and Mayer, and it is being directed by Lindsay Maggot Avenor. Also Off Broadway we found out yesterday that the off Broadway musical 44, which tells the story of Barack Obama that is currently playing at the Daryl Roth Theater has extended to it officially opened last week on November 6, having begun performances on October 14, and it is now adding four more weeks to its run to play through January 4. Directed by Co creator Ellie Bauman with music direction by Andrew Brew Brewster and choreography by Ms. James Alsop. The cast is led by T.J. wilkins as Barack Obama and Shanice as Michelle Obama. All right, this is not on Broadway, not off Broadway. It is in and around all of those things. But last week we didn't because I wasn't around, we didn't get an opportunity to talk about it. But we did find out which shows would be performing as part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. And I've got to tell you, while I'm very happy to see these three shows, I'm kind of disappointed that we're only getting three of them. The shows performing will be Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time and Ragtime. Those are the only three currently running shows that will be a part of the annual tradition. It wasn't that long ago, two years ago where we would have maybe four or five broad current Broadway shows from this past season running. And then over on CBS because the main telecast is on NBC. But then cbs, who also does coverage of the parade, would have performances that were filmed, but performances from older, longer running Broadway shows in their theaters themselves. We aren't getting that much anymore. So that's really, really disappointing. But in addition to Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time and Ragtime, there will be a special feature honoring A Chorus line for its 50th anniversary that will be kind of helmed and choreographed by Bayork Lee, obviously the steward of A Chorus Line, having served as the original dance captain and cast member in that show. There are also some Broadway alums that will be a part of the parade, including Debbie Gibson, Darlene Love, Tyler Peck and Christopher Jackson. Additionally, Mia Michaels, who choreographed On Broadway and Finding Neverland, will choreograph several numbers from Macy's house dancers. The Radio City Rockettes will also be involved. So excited for all of these casts. I always love seeing them, but a little disappointed that we're not going to have more than just those three. It was kind of cool. The Today show posted a video where the casts found out that they were going to be a part of the parade, so that is very cool. We will have that in the show notes as well and then finally we'll wrap up here. There's a lot of complicated feelings about everything with Harry Potter and Cursed Child. We try not to overly promote that show for reasons that I think most listeners will understand. But one of the biggest things happening in theater right now is the fact that Tom Felton, who originated the role of Draco Malfoy in the original Harry Potter films, appearing in all eight of them, has reprised that role in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. He began performances on Tuesday of this week. And undoubtedly you have probably seen the video that has been put out. The response to is rapturous. So as much as there are hesitations to promote this show, as much as maybe we would have in other circumstances, I did think it was worth pointing out this video and sharing it with folks as well. All right, that's all that we have for you today. Thanks for listening to Today on Broadway. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram rodwayradio. And if you want more Broadway radio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio thanks for listening. Have a fantastic Thursday and we'll be back to talk to you tomorrow.
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