Big news was made on Broadway last week.  In the show Stranger Things: The First Shadow (a prequel to the series), the lead is Henry, part of some lab experiment not unlike the Presley/Keough/Travolta situation listed above.  His “essence” is used via blood transfusions to transform numerous children.  We fast-forward at the end of the play to a grown-up Henry meeting the kids.  Usually, Louis McCartney, who plays Henry, is aged with makeup.  The scene begins with him in a chair with his back to the audience.  But on December 19^th, when Henry got up and turned around, he was revealed to be Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Henry on the series.  The audience went crazy and stopped the show for several minutes, as you can see on BillyMasters.com.

We hear that Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey could reunite to do the musical Sunday in the Park with George.  Can’t we let poor Stephen Sondheim rest in peace?  To be completely accurate, they are not talking about doing a film version.  They are considering a revival of the musical in London.  It would likely turn up at the Barbican Theatre, which has seen summer limited runs of musicals.  They are eyeing summer 2027.

Last year, a musical version of Beaches had a sold-out run in Alberta, Canada.  Originally, the producers planned to mount a US national tour and eventually hit Broadway.  Then the Majestic Theatre became available and plans changed.  The musical will now hit Broadway on April 22^nd and is scheduled to run through the summer.

By the by, the current Superman, David Corenswet, is in talks to make his Broadway debut in a revival of Carousel.  In case you’re interested.