The view from the Idea Center
“The news is either coronavirus or Democrats,” a colleague of mine opined on this day after the Super Tuesday primaries.
So let’s talk about plays and musicals instead! Playhouse Square announced the lineup for its 2020-2021 KeyBank Broadway Series, and it’s pretty juicy.
It opens in November with “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Aaron Sorkin’s highly acclaimed adaptation of Harper Lee’s famous novel. It currently holds the record for the highest-grossing American play in Broadway history, surpassing the $100-million mark last October.
“Whereas Lee’s novel read like a magnolia-scented coming-of-age tale,” noted Variety last year, “Sorkin reimagines the story in a way that presents a more ambiguous moral victory.”
The season is bookended by the eight-time Tony Award-winning musical, “Hadestown,” which comes to Playhouse Square in July 2021. Written by Anaïs Mitchell and developed and directed by Rachel Chavkin, the musical takes two Greek myths and combines them into one love story. For a taste, check out the cast’s performance of “Wait for Me” at last year’s Tony Awards.
In between, like frosting between two layers of cake, are the musical adaptations of two films, “Pretty Woman” and “Moulin Rouge!”; a celebration of an iconic singer and actress with “The Cher Show”; music from the Temptations in “Ain’t Too Proud”; and a musical comedy championing LGBTQ rights in “The Prom.”
The cherry on top? The return of the monster hit, “Hamilton.” Playhouse Square CEO Gina Vernaci tells ideastream’s Dan Polletta that 80,000 people entered an online “queue” to order tickets when the hip-hop history musical was here in 2018. You can hear more this afternoon on “All Things Considered.”
I hope fears of the coronavirus have diminished by the time the theater season arrives this fall. I’d hate to see theatrical performances suffer the same fate as the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, which is going to be a shell of itself this week due to new coronavirus guidelines.
Oops. There I go again, talking about COVID-19. And I probably will be doing so tomorrow morning as well, when I’ll see you on the radio.
Amy Eddings
Need to KnOH
Headlines from Northeast Ohio and Beyond
- Willoughby-Eastlake Schools At A 'Crossroad' Ahead Of Levy Vote
- Brecksville Closing In On Sherwin-Williams Incentives Decision
- Lincoln Electric Restricting Visitors And Travel Due To Coronavirus
- Scientists Use Revolutionary Gene-Editing Tool To Edit Inside A Patient
- A Renewed Effort To Legalize Marijuana In Ohio
- Mike Bloomberg Suspends His Presidential Campaign, Endorses Joe Biden
Your ideas
If a couple of rounds of Happy Birthday or Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star while washing your hands has already gotten kind of stale as your 20-seconds-with-hot-water-and-soap reminder, a thread on Twitter started by a Seattle-based freelance journalist offers a collection of catchier tunes to whistle while you wash. The Noonish team may already have the chorus of Africa by Toto stuck in our heads, and Jolene can take our germs (but not our man!). What’s your go-to handwashing song?
And, when it comes to coronavirus, keep the questions coming! Tell us what you want to know about COVID-19 and ideastream will get answers. Call us at (216) 916-6476, add to the list on our Facebook page or join the conversation in our Public Square Facebook group. We've got some exciting new ideastream features coming soon to help keep you informed!
