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Maybe Happy Ending, the Will Aronson-Hue Park Broadway musical starring Darren Criss and Helen J Shen as life-like “helper-bots’ who, despite all their wiring, find romance, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Purpose, directed on Broadway by Phylicia Rashad, were named the year’s Best Musical and Best Play, respectively, by the New York Drama Critics’ Circle.

The awards were announced today. Other awards announced by the Critics’ Circle were:

Best Individual Performance: Andrew Scott, Vanya Best Ensemble Performance: The cast of Liberation Special Citations: Cole Escola for Oh, Mary!; Cats: The Jellicle Ball; David Greenspan for lifetime achievement

Although Escola was eligible for the special citation, Oh, Mary! as a Broadway production was ineligible since it was eligible during its Off Broadway run.

Earlier this week, Purpose was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play focuses on the fictional Jasper family, a prominent Chicago African-American family reuniting under troublesome circumstances.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the new stage prequel to the hit Emmy-winning Netflix series, has officially opened at the Marquis Theatre in New York. Directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Stranger Things staff writer Kate Trefry, the production is being praised for its jaw-dropping technical achievements and strong performances — though critics are split on its emotional impact.

Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times describes the production as "big, loud, often ingenious and occasionally breathtaking, in a 'how the hell did they do this?' kind of way."

For those unfamiliar with the Stranger Things universe, Vincentelli suggests prior knowledge enhances the experience, but isn’t necessary: "It's possible to follow the show anyway, and to enjoy it. But it's hard to deny that audience members who understand those references will have access to more layers of The First Shadow," she writes.

Much of the acclaim has been...

Exclusive: Rachel Zegler, star of Steven Spielberg’s screen version of West Side Story and the soon-to-be-released Disney live-action movie Snow White, will make her London theater debut as Eva Perón in a revival of the garlanded Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita, director Jamie Lloyd confirmed to Deadline on Friday.

The show will play at the fabled London Palladium for a limited 12-week summer season, with performances from June 14 through September 6.

Reached in New York where he’s meeting with actors being considered for other key roles, an excited Lloyd described Zegler as a “phenomenal talent” who will “blow the roof off the London Palladium.”

Complex negotiations to bring Zegler, an American of Colombian and Polish descent, to the West End were completed a few days ago. She will be among the highest-paid stars on the London stage this season.

‘West Side Story’

Lloyd told me that...

The Kennedy Center released a list of show cancellations and postponements over the past six months, showing that more than 20 programs have been dropped since Donald Trump took over and installed his own team at the Washington, D.C. performing arts complex.

The release of the list appeared to be an effort to show that cancellations have been due to financial reasons, like low ticket sales, or by the artists themselves. The producers of Hamilton, for instance, announced this week they were canceling a 2026 run in protest of Trump’s takeover last month.

“In the spirit of transparency due to the litany of misinformation being spread in the press, it is important to give the public a complete account of program cancellations over the past six months,” said Roma Daravi, VP of public relations at the center. “In fact, the only shows under the Kennedy Center umbrella that we have...

Dolph Lundgren has shared some very good health news. Nine years after being diagnosed with cancer that was considered terminal, the Rocky IV actor has revealed on Instagram that he’s “finally cancer free.”

“Health update – finally cancer free with gratefulness and excitement for a bright future. Thanks for all your support always.

Dame Maggie Smith, the British actress who starred in Harry Potter films, the wildly popular Downton Abbey series and scores of other movies, TV shows, West End and Broadway productions in a career that brought two Oscars, five BAFTAs, four Emmys and a Tony Award, died today. She was 89.

Smith’s death was confirmed by her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin. In a statement shared with UK media, they said: “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

Smith was one of the finest British screen and stage stars of her generation and will be remembered for her performances in iconic films and TV shows, including Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. Her...

The cause of death has been revealed for former Alf child star Benji Gregory. The actor was found dead in his car at a Chase Bank parking lot in Peoria, Arizona, on June 13, along with his service dog Hans.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner determined Gregory died from heat exposure in the setting of hepatic cirrhosis. His death was ruled accidental.

Gregory played middle son Brian Tanner on more than 100 episodes of Alf, which aired from 1986-90. It followed the earthly adventures of a furry alien from the planet Melmac who crashes his spaceship into the Tanners’ garage. Nicknamed Alf (for Alien Life Form) and voiced by Paul Fusco, the creature often cracked wise about human customs and was a cat lover — though not in the usual sense.

Born on May 26, 1978, in suburban Los Angeles, Gregory began his TV career at a tender age with mid-’80s guest roles on such as The A-Team,...

Tony McFarr, a stuntman best known as the double for actor Chris Pratt in blockbusters like Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, died as the result of an irregular heartbeat due to an issue with his heart valves, the Orange County Florida Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to Deadline.

Ruling the death accidental, the Me’s Office says McFarr died of probable cardiac dysrhythmia due to mitral valve insufficiency. Contributing factors include alcohol poisoning and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, known as Copd, a common lung condition that causes constriction of the airways and difficulty in breathing.

McFarr was found dead at his Florida home outside of Orlando on May 13. He was 47.

McFarr launched his career as an uncredited stunt double for Geoff Stults on Bones in 2011. He went on to perform as a stunt double in the films Rock of Ages, Teen Wolf, The Glades, Burn Notice and,...

Bobby Banas, who played Jets member Joyboy in 1961’s West Side Story, appeared in other film musicals and had a long career as a choreographer, died Monday. He was 90.

His official Instagram account posted the news but did not provide other details. “Fly on, Joyboy,” it read in part. “I know the dance party up above is going to be amazing.”

Born on September 22, 1933, in New York City, Banas performed as Kangaroo in the original 1954 Broadway production of Peter Pan before landing dancer roles in such film musicals as The King and I and Carousel and the early rock ‘n’ roll pic Rock Around the Clock, all in 1956. He went on to work in The Girl Most Likely, Damn Yankees, Li’l Abner and a TV production of Annie Get Your Gun later that decade.

His most famous role would come in the Best Picture Oscar-winning musical West Side Story, playing the Jets’ Joyboy.

Broadway’s smash hit Oh, Mary! has announced a nearly two-month extension following rave reviews. Initially set to close September 15, Cole Escola’s comedy will now perform at the Lyceum Theatre through November 10.

The twice-extended Off Broadway campy comedy transferred to Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre July 11 after beginning previews July 26.

It was also announced today that Oh, Mary! has broken the all-time box office record at the Lyceum Theatre, grossing $1.05 million for the week ending July 21, besting the record held by 2022 Tony Award-winning best musical A Strange Loop.

Written by and starring Escola and directed by Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! stars Escola as, according to the synopsis, “a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Unrequited yearning, alcoholism and suppressed desires abound in this one act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of...

A cause of death has been revealed for adult film star Jesse Jane.

Jane died of an accidental fentanyl and cocaine overdose, according to The Oklahoman, which cited the autopsy report released by the Oklahoma state Medical Examiner.

Jane was found dead by police with her boyfriend at their Oklahoma home on January 24. She was 43.

Oklahoma City’s Koco 5 TV channel reported at the time that police officers were conducting a welfare check at a home in Moore, Oklahoma, and found two people unresponsive of suspected overdoses.

Local law enforcement officials identified the dead as Cindy Taylor – Jane’s legal name after marrying, and subsequently divorcing, Rich Taylor; she was born Cynthia Ann Howell – and boyfriend Brett Hasenmueller.

Jane began her porn career in 2002 with an exclusive contract with the Digital Playground studio, where she’d remain through 2014, subsequently signing with Jules Jordan Video. She announced her retirement from the...

One day after Justin Timberlake was arrested and charged with Dwi, his attorney Edward Burke Jr. is speaking out on behalf of the singer.

“I look forward to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake on these allegations,” Burke said in a statement provided to Deadline. “I will have a lot to say at the appropriate time but am currently awaiting full discovery from the District Attorney’s office.”

Police say Timberlake was pulled over Monday night in Sag Harbor, NY, after he ran through a stop sign and his 2025 BMW was weaving along the road.

He was arrested and charged with one felony count of Dwi. He was released on his own recognizance following his arraignment in Sag Harbor Justice Court.

He is next scheduled to virtually appear in court on July 26, the same day he’s set to begin a two-night stand in Krakow, Poland as part of his upcoming world tour.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has confirmed actor Johnny Wactor died from a gunshot wound to the chest. His manner of death is classified as a homicide.

Wactor was shot early Saturday morning, May 25, in Los Angeles when he confronted three armed thieves who were trying to steal a catalytic converter from his car. The suspects fled the scene and the LAPD has asked for the public’s help for tips.

In a May 28 news release, Los Angeles Police Department said, based on witness statements, Wactor had ended his shift as a bartender at a local bar and was walking to his vehicle when “he was confronted by three individuals who had Wactor’s vehicle raised up with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter.

“Without provocation, the victim was shot by one of the individuals,” police said. “The three suspects involved were...

Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. died of a lung condition, according to his death certificate obtained by TMZ. The actor died in Santa Monica on March 29 at the age of 87.

According to the report, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Copd), was the main cause of death, TMZ says, with heart failure and atrial fibrillation contributing factors.

A cause of death was not known at the time of Gossett’s passing last month.

His family announced the death in a statement on March 29: “It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father passed away this morning.” It continued, “We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”

The first Black actor to win a Best Supporting Oscar, Gossett was born on May 27, 1936, in Brooklyn. He made his stage debut at 17 in a school production of You Can’t Take It with You...

Updated: Richard Lewis is still making us laugh in Curb Your Enthusiam. The series paid tribute to the beloved late comedian and series co-star at the opening of Sunday’s episode with a special title card.

“In memory of Richard Lewis. 1947 – 2024,” the dedication card read.

Lewis, who appeared in Curb as a fictionalized version of himself, was seen in the fifth Season 12 episode titled “Fish Stuck” in which he was still arguing with Larry (Larry David) over who would be left in whose will. Larry told Richard he was including him in his will, which made Richard angry, continuing the season’s running joke.

The Simpsons also paid tribute to Lewis in its Sunday night episode. Lewis voiced the Male Golem in the “Treehouse of Horror Xvii” episode in 2006.

“The Simpsons” Richard Lewis Memorial

Lewis’ publicist Jeff Abraham confirmed last Wednesday that the actor died Feb. 27 at his home in...

Richard Lewis and Larry David became inextricably linked in the public mind after Lewis was cast in David’s Emmy-winning Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2000. But their connection goes back much further.

David made note of that today when he paid tribute to Lewis, who passed away last night.

“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me,” David wrote in a statement shared by HBO. “He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I’ll never forgive him.”

Related: Richard Lewis’ Life & Career In Photos

Lewis began what would arguably be his signature role – based, fittingly enough, on himself – in 2000 when he was cast by his childhood friend Larry David on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. The two...

Keanu Reeves is collaborating with author China Mieville on a new novel set in the universe of his successful Brzrkr comic series. Brzrkr has become one of the biggest success stories in 21st-century comics, selling out and becoming a multimedia franchise. The new novel, The Book of Elsewhere, is just the beginning for Brzrkr, with a live-action movie and anime series in development.

Keanu Reeves’ first novel will continue the story of his best-selling Brzrkr comic series. After decades as a successful and respected actor, Reeves entered the comics industry in a grand fashion with Brzrkr, which debuted to universal acclaim and massive sales. Now, Reeves is joining forces with award-winning author China Mieville for an exciting new novel set in the world of Brzrkr.

Greg Evans, reporting for Deadline, revealed the novel, titled The Book of Elsewhere, will be published by Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Initial cast has been announced for Broadway’s Prayer for the French Republic. Written by Joshua Harmon and directed by David Cromer (The Band’s Visit), Prayer for the French Republic begins performances on Tuesday, December 19 with opening night set for Tuesday, January 9, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

Cast includes Emmy-nominated Anthony Edwards, Aria Shahghasemi (Legacies) along with several actors from the original Off Broadway production including Betsy Aidem (Leopoldstadt), Lucille Lortel award winner Francis Benhamou, Ari Brand, Molly Ranson and Nancy Robinette. Additional cast members and the creative team will be announced in the coming weeks.

Manhattan Theatre Club’s highly acclaimed, twice-extended, sold-out world premiere of Prayer for the French Republic at New York City Center – Stage I was the winner of the 2022 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play.

Set in 1944, Prayer revolves around a...

Former child star Austin Majors, known for his seven-season run as the young son of star Dennis Franz’s Detective Andy Sipowicz on NYPD Blue, died from an accidental fentanyl overdose.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office listed the cause of death for Austin Setmajor as fentanyl toxicity and manner of death as accidental, according to the report released Tuesday.

As we previously reported, Majors died February 11 in a Los Angeles homeless facility. Fentanyl poisoning was suspected at the time.

The week before his death, Majors was photographed for a Los Angeles Daily News article when L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Jeff Olivet, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, visited the homeless facility Hilda Solis Care First Village, where Majors resided.

Dennis Franz, Austin Majors, ‘NYPD Blue’ (1999)

Majors’ portrayal of young Theo Sipowicz from...

The San Diego County Medical Examiner has ruled that reality star Denise Russo died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl and methamphetamine.

She was 44 at the time of death. The X-Life ran for one season and chronicled three extreme athletes and their wives as they juggled competitions with their famous careers. Russo was dating professional skateboarder Pierre-Luc Gagnon at the time. They had a son together but had broken up at the time of her death.

She died at a friend’s apartment in San Diego, but was homeless and living in her car at the time.

Before her death, Russo participated in a “cover girl search” for Inked Magazine (she placed sixth in an early round). In a questionnaire for the contest, Russo, asked what she would do with the $25,000 grand prize, indicated she would use the money to “reconnect” with her eight-year-old son.

“I would use the money...

Update: Lisa Marie Presley’s autopsy report, obtained by CNN later on Thursday, included comments by deputy medical examiner Dr. Juan M. Carrillo.

He attributed her death to “adhesions that developed after bariatric surgery years ago. This is a known long term complication of this type of surgery.”

Carrillo also revealed autopsy toxicology results, which showed “therapeutic” levels of oxycodone in Presley’s blood. He added that quetapine metabolite and buprenorphine (a painkiller) were present, but “not contributory to death.”

“There is no evidence of injury or foul play. The manner of death is deemed natural,” Carrillo concluded.

Earlier: Lisa Marie Presley’s official cause of death came from complications of a small bowel obstruction, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office,

The full toxicology report has not been released yet by that office, leaving open...

Andy Rourke, who played bass for The Smiths on all four of the English band’s albums, died today of pancreatic cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He was 59.

Tributes from the music world poured in following the announcement of Rourke’s death, which was made by his friend and Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr this morning.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer,” tweeted Marr. “Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans. We request privacy at this sad time.”

Marr followed up with an image of himself and Rourke from The Smiths’ days.

The Smiths in 1985, from left: Johnny Marr, Morrissey, Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke

Rourke was born on January 17, 1964, in Manchester, England, becoming friends...

At this year’s Tony Awards, there are three actresses in contention for two separate performances in two separate productions they’ve appeared in this past season. They are Carolee Carmello, Crystal Lucas-Perry, and Phillipa Soo. Will any of them land at least one Tony nomination on May 2? Let’s go over each of the three.

Back in the fall, Carmello played John Dickinson in a limited run of Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of “1776.” Now she’s playing the wicked stepmother in Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s newest musical, “Bad Cinderella.” Carmello has been nominated three times before. First in 1999 for the original production of “Parade,” then in 2006 for “Lestat,” and in 2013 for “Scandalous.”

As she is on the ballot for Best Featured Actress in a Musical twice, it’s possible she could split her support in the nominating process. However, what could hurt her more from getting nominated...

Andrew Lloyd Webber has announced the death of his eldest son Nicholas Lloyd Webber from gastric cancer.

“I am shattered to have to announce that my beloved elder son Nick died a few hours ago in Basingstoke Hospital. His whole family is gathered together and we are all totally bereft. Thank you for all your thoughts during this difficult time.”

The son’s illness was disclosed earlier this week by Lloyd Webber when the composer announced that he would miss the Broadway opening of his latest musical Bad Cinderella in order to remain by a hospitalized Nicholas. Andrew Lloyd Webber turned 75 on the night of the March 22 opening.

Nicholas Lloyd Webber was 43 and had recently been moved from hospital to hospice care.

In the earlier message, Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote, “I want to thank you for the outpouring of messages of support for my son, Nick. He’s now been...

Lea Michele will miss upcoming performances of Funny Girl because of an unspecified “scary health issue” affecting her 2-year-old son, Ever Leo Reich.

The news was announced Wednesday by the former Glee star on her Instagram account, and show producers confirmed there as well.

“I’m so sorry but unfortunately I will be out of @FunnyGirlBwy today,” she wrote in the caption. “We are at the hospital with our son dealing with a scary health issue that I need to be here for.”

Below the picture, she added, “I’m so sorry. Please send us some love and strength.”

The producers were more specific.

“Lea Michele will be out of both the matinee and evening performance today, Wednesday, March 22,” their statement said. “Julie Benko will be your fabulous Fanny!”

Michele and husband Zandy Reich are the child’s parents.

The Funny Girl box office has been linked to Michele.

When...

Melinda Dillon, a two-time Oscar nominee for Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Absence of Malice who also played Ralphie’s mom in A Christmas Story, has died. She was 83. Her family said she died January 9 in Los Angeles but did not give other details.

Dillon and Richard Dreyfuss in ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind,’ 1977

Dillon probably is best known for playing a mother whose young son is abducted by the aliens in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 epic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. She and Roy (Richard Dreyfuss) inexplicably are drawn to Devils Tower in Wyoming as they struggle to make sense of what has happened to them. She earned a Supporting Actress Oscar nom for the role.

She also played the mother of the young lead Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) in the 1983 holiday classic A Christmas Story, memorably warning the boy who wants a Bb rifle that, “You’ll shoot your eye out!

Veteran Warner Bros. Television casting executive Findley Davidson has departed the studio after 15 years, most recently as head of New York casting. She has launched her own, New York-based independent casting office, Findley Davidson Casting, which will offer casting services for film, television, and theatre.

Davidson, who joined Wbtv in 2008, was made VP and head of the studio’s New York casting office in 2019, following the retirement of VP Meg Simon after a 40-year career. I hear Wbtv will maintain some casting presence in New York though it is not expected to be at the level of the past. The studio’s parent Warner Bros. Discovery has been in a cost-cutting mode post-merger, and casting is one of the areas where the company has scaled back, including the elimination of the HBO Max casting department in favor of adopting HBO’s model that involves using casting directors on individual shows.

Updated: Lisa Marie Presley died late Thursday at age 54. Read the obituary here.

Updated, 3:30 Pm: Priscilla Presley, the mother of Lisa Marie Presley, is asking for prayers for her daughter after she was rushed to Los Angeles-area hospital after suffering a possible cardiac arrest.

“My beloved daughter Lisa Marie was rushed to the hospital. She is now receiving the best care. Please keep her and our family in your prayers,” Priscilla tweeted, adding “We feel the prayers from around the world and ask for privacy at this time.”

Lisa Marie’s hospitalization comes just two days after she attended the Golden Globes with her mother and Elvis star Austin Butler.

My beloved daughter Lisa Marie was rushed to the hospital. She is now receiving the best care. Please keep her and our family in your prayers. We feel the prayers from around the world, and ask for privacy during this time.

Update: Comedian Chris Redd has opened up about the attack outside a New York City comedy club last week that left him bloodied and hospitalized.

“This man hit me in the face with something metal,” Redd says in a new interview with The Daily Beast. “I thought it was brass knuckles because of the way it cut my nose to the bone.”

The attack outside the famed Comedy Cellar occurred on Oct. 26 as Redd was heading inside to perform a show. The unknown assailant quickly approached the former Saturday Night Live cast member and sucker-punched him in the face, then fled the scene.

Redd tells The Daily Beast does not think the incident was an attempted mugging, and that he was less concerned about the pain than the amount of blood flowing from his face..

“A fist...

Some of the biggest names in film, television and the Broadway stage won’t be making the coveted pilgrimage to Radio City Music Hall this June when the 75th annual Tony Awards are handed out, as such high-profile performers as Daniel Craig, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Katrina Lenk, Beanie Feldstein, Jane Lynch and Patrick J. Adams were not among the nominations announced Monday morning.

And at least as surprising as the snubs was the strong showing of Paradise Square, a musical that received fairly mixed reviews and has been struggling at the box office since opening April 3. The musical, a comeback for producer Garth H. Drabinsky, scored 10 nominations (tying with Mj and second only to A Strange Loop). Among Paradise Square‘s are Best Musical, Joaquina Kalukango’s nom for Best Lead Actress/Musical, and A.J. Shively’s nom for Featured Actor/Musical.

Among the biggest surprises and take-aways...

Show business thrives on risk — even existential risk. Take this Broadway moment when new shows are opening at a pace that shocks even grizzled veterans – 15 in April alone. Of course, some will quickly be shuttering due to Broadway’s two dire enemies: critics and Covid. Ticket buyers must navigate a complex landscape.

It seems appropriate that Barbra Streisand may now re-appear as a star of the maelstrom. The revival of Funny Girl on April 24 will help her celebrate her 80th birthday — 60 years since her coronation on the hit show.

Given their layers of narcissistic impenetrability, superstars resist honest analysis, and that applies to the great Streisand as well. She is arguably the most famous, the wealthiest and the most trouble-prone. I’ve been a witness to “Barbra-trouble” over the years, but her high-temper detonations have only added to my admiration for her.

As the Streisand presence still looms large on Broadway,...

Taylor Hawkins, the drummer for major rock band Foo Fighters, has died. The band announced it on Twitter late on Friday, but provided no details on the circumstances.

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery

The band was touring South America at the time of his death. Hawkins reportedly was found dead in a hotel room in Bogota, Colombia, where Foo Fighters had been due to play at a festival. No cause of death has been revealed as of yet.

Foo Fighters have announced that they won’t be performing at Festival Estéreo Picnic in the capital following the tragedy.

Foo Fighters Cancel All Tour Dates After Drummer Taylor Hawkins’ Death

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Hawkins’s family moved to Laguna Beach, CA, when he was 4 years old. He started his music career in the 1990s, drumming for prog rock band Sylvia and the rock singer Sass Jordan. He...

Update, with video: “Every holiday, Christmas, New Year’s, our anniversary, my birthday, Valentine’s Day, I mean, every holiday is difficult without her,” Matt Hutchins, who filed a wrongful death lawsuit last week against Rust producers and Alec Baldwin over the death of his wife Halyna Hutchins, said this morning on Today.

Speaking to Hoda Kotb, Hutchins described an early phone call with Baldwin shortly after the death of Halyna Hutchins. “I feel like to understand that moment you have to remember the shock we were in,” he said. “I spoke to Mr. Baldwin and was just looking for a way through the storm. There were a lot of emotions, for sure, on both sides.”

Hutchins said that later, after seeing Baldwin’s tearful interview on ABC News, his feelings shifted. “Watching him I just felt so angry to see him talk about her death publicly in such a...

The legendary Joni Mitchell has announced she, too, will remove her music from Spotify because “Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives.” Mitchell says she is doing so “in solidarity” with her longtime friend, Neil Young, who requested his music be removed from the service because of Covid misinformation spread on Joe Rogan’s wildly popular Spotify podcast. Young and Mitchell are indelibly linked to ’60s activism and so it is not surprising they would put their values over Spotify’s money. Rogan, an anti-vaxxer who has been critical of scientist-backed Covid protocol recommendations, is under a $100 million contract with Spotify. But musicians tend to rally together for a cause, and if a star like Bruce Springsteen followed suit, there may be a reckoning for Spotify, whose share values took a tumble this week. In the whims of Wall Street, the company reportedly lost over $2 billion...

Mere weeks after Ingo Rademacher was pink slipped from General Hospital by ABC for not getting a Covid-19 vaccination, the actor has jabbed the Disney-owned network with a wide-ranging civil rights lawsuit on constitutional grounds.

“ABC’s actions are blatantly unlawful,” proclaims a jury trial seeking complaint filed today in LA Superior Court by the law firm of Jw Howard Attorneys, Ltd. “ABC does not have the authority to force a medical treatment to its employees against their will,” the filing goes on to say (read it here). “These actions constitute religious discrimination and violate Mr. Rademacher’s rights under state and federal law.”

Long story short, if you’re not the biggest fan of the goings on of Port Charles, New York, the House of Mouse has one of the strictest vaccine mandates of any Hollywood studio and most major corporations. Now facing political challenges, to put it politely in Florida,...

Back in February, the new play “Thoughts of a Colored Man” installed its marquee at the Golden Theatre, an encouraging sign almost a year into the coronavirus pandemic that the frost on Broadway was about to thaw. Keenan Scott II’s allegorical drama has finally arrived, debuting at the Golden on Oct. 13 under the direction of Steve H. Broadnax III.

Featuring an ensemble of seven actors – each representing a different emotion from happiness to depression, love, anger, and beyond – “Thoughts of a Colored Man” unfolds as a series of vignettes of prose, poetry, and song set over the course of a day in a gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood. Those seven actors are Dyllón Burnside, Bryan Terrell Clark, Da’Vinchi, Luke James, Forrest McClendon, Esau Pritchett, and Tristan ‘Mack’ Wilds. Its form has drawn comparisons to Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf,” a landmark...

Update, with video A bit of drama played out on The View on Friday, as co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro exited the stage just as Vice President Kamala Harris was waiting to come on the show in what was billed as her first in-studio appearance on a talk show since taking office.

“Sunny and Ana apparently tested positive for Covid. No matter how hard we try these things happen. They probably have a breakthrough case. They will be Ok I am sure because they are both vaccinated,” said co-host Joy Behar amid the confusion.

To stall for time as the show amended plans to interview the VP in person – Harris eventually was interviewed remotely from another, isolated spot in the studio – co-hosts Behar and Sara Haines took questions from the audience. At one point an audience member asked what was going through their minds at the moment, and Haines replied with a laugh,...

Exclusive: A Soldier’s Play, which is heading into Sunday’s Tony Awards with seven nominations, is getting a TV adaptation as a limited series by Sony Pictures Television. David Alan Grier, a Tony nominee for his role in the play, is set to star and executive produce the limited series, which will be titled A Soldier’s Story.

The series adaptation, spanning multiple wars and several decades, will center on Sgt. Vernon Waters and the emotional impact he is subjected to as a soldier in the 1940s. Grier, who plays Sgt. Waters in the play, will play the character’s father in the limited series.

The Pulitzer-winning A Soldier’s Play, written Charles Fuller, is set at a Black army base in the segregated Louisiana of 1944. Sergeant Waters – played on Broadway by Grier in a production directed by Kenny Leon – has been murdered, and Army captain Davenport – played by Blair Underwood...

Update, with Equity statement The Producers Guild of America is expanding its Independent Production Safety Initiative to include anti-bullying trainings “with the goal of eliminating workplace violence and aggression.” The move comes in the wake of bullying accusations against Broadway and Oscar-winning movie producer Scott Rudin.

The guild said that it is also forming a task force “to examine these issues within our membership and the entertainment business at large. We stand committed to working with our colleagues at other organizations to eradicate this behavior.”

“We are deeply disturbed and disheartened by the continuing allegations of workplace harassment and abuse in our industry, and stand with those who speak out against such violence and intimidation in all forms,” the PGA said in a statement. “We must work together to make our industry a more equitable and safe place for everyone involved, no matter what their level or role.”

Following the release of the PGA statement,...

Tourism — a critical part of New York City’s economy and a lifeblood for industries like Broadway theater — may not return to pre-covid-19 levels until 2025, according to a new forecast from NYC & Co.

The city’s tourism, convention and visitors arm predicted in a report Monday that the total number of visits to the city will plunge 66% in 2020. Punctuating the pandemic’s toll on the local economy will be three holiday-season events known for drawing hordes of public spectators: the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting and New Year’s Eve ball drop. All will be held and televised this year, but minus the usual spectacle of crowds packing the streets.

In 2019, tourism set a record in New York, with 66.6 million individual trips, generating about $47.4 billion in direct spending in the city. About one-fifth of those visitors came from overseas.

Actor Ben Platt took to Twitter to reveal that he suffered through a bout of Covid-19 early this year in March.

The Tony Award-winning actor responded to a tweet posted by graphic designer Ced Funches, who asked “Do you personally know anyone that has contracted Covid-19? No names, just yes or no.”

The tweet caught the attention of many including Platt who replied, “Me. it was like an awful flu that lingered for 3 weeks or so. thankfully made a full recovery. so many haven’t been as lucky and will continue not to be.”

He continued, “I’m totally fine now you sweet bb’s keep distancing and masking!”

Platt kept this under wraps and this is the first time he has revealed his bout with Covid-19 publicly. Naturally, his fans were very happy he was okay and that he recovered.

me. it was like an awful flu that lingered for 3 weeks or so.

Broadway actor Nick Cordero has died after complications with Covid-19. The actor, who received a Tony nomination for his role in Bullets Over Broadway and appeared in productions of Waitress, A Bronx Tale and Rock of Ages was 41.

Cordero, who appeared as Victor Lugo in the CBS drama Blue Bloods and appeared in the Zach Braff-directed Going in Style, died Sunday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where he’d been treated for Covid-19 for 95 days. His wife, Amanda Kloots, who has provided an alternately hopeful and heartbreaking social media chronicle of his medical journey, confirmed his death on Instagram.

“God has another angel in heaven now,” Kloots wrote. “My darling husband passed away this morning. He was surrounded in love by his family, singing and praying as he gently left this earth.”

Read her entire statement below.

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She continued, “I am in disbelief and hurting everywhere.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that schools and non-essential businesses are to be remained closed through April 29.

“Public health is our first concern,” Cuomo said.

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Cuomo issued the New York State on Pause executive order last month, and it was effective on March 22. Large sectors of the economy — including Broadway theater, nightclubs and sporting venues — have been closed.

The Broadway League and various theatrical unions had initially set April 12 for re-opening, but that date has been in serious doubt for weeks. The League and the unions are expected to make an announcement by mid-week about a new hoped-for re-opening date.

Today, Cuomo said that he is...

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is yet another event lost to the coronavirus shutdowns. The institution announced it is canceling its 2020 induction ceremony because its Cleveland home is under a civil emergency.

The Hall of Fame ceremony was set for May 2, but was shelved on Friday by the Hall. Its statement:

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“The health and safety of our fans and visitors is our highest priority,” the organization told CNN in a statement. “Given recent news regarding coronavirus and the urging by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine regarding large public gatherings, we have made the decision to postpone the 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Induction Week festivities until later this year.”

Depeche Mode,...

Exclusive: This week was supposed to be a great and promising one for all the filmmakers who had seen their films accepted into SXSW, a great majority seeking distribution after premiering in front of the usually highly enthusiastic audiences that storm the Austin festival every March. That was before the fear of the coronavirus hit, and late last week SXSW was forced to cancel on orders from the city. That left a lot of ambitious plans in ruins, and only now are some of these films finding new ways to gain attention.

A couple of weeks ago I was shown one of them, director Rod Lurie’s powerful, exciting and ultimately inspiring Afghanistan war film The Outpost. When I saw him at the Paradigm agency screening, Lurie was full of hope for its premiere at SXSW (which was to happen this Friday). The film, which stars Scott Eastwood, Orlando Bloom...

Kevin Conway, a veteran actor known for his work in Gettysburg, Thirteen Days and Invincible, among others, died Wednesday of a heart attack, his publicist told Deadline. He was 77.

New York City-born Conway worked as an Ibm sales analyst before becoming an actor at age 24. He went on to a decades-long career with dozens of credits in film, television and on the stage. His first major screen role was playing Roland Weary in the 1972 film Slaughterhouse Five, based on the Kurt Vonnegut novel. He went on to play Crum Petree, the insane mailman in the 1988 film Funny Farm; Frank Papale in the 2006 Disney football drama Invincible; and General Curtis LeMay in the 2000 historical drama Thirteen Days. He also played the fictional Sgt. Buster Kilrain in Ron Maxwell’s 1993 epic Gettysburg (see photo above) and its 2003 follow-up Gods and Generals.

His television work included playing Roger Chillingworth in a 1979 TV production of The Scarlet Letter,...

Primetime Emmy voters weren’t Crazy in Love with Homecoming: A Film By Beyonce on Netflix. The documentary of her 2018 performance at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival was shut out in all six categories it was nominated, which were presented at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards Saturday night.

Beyonce has yet to win an Emmy, but has been nominated several times.

Homecoming launched on Netflix April 17 to strong reviews, and chronicled the singer’s 2018 performance at the Coachella festival. Beyoncé wrote, directed and starred in the film.

Homecoming received nominations in the categories for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded), outstanding writing for a variety special, outstanding production design for a variety special, outstanding costumes for a variety (non-fiction or reality programming), outstanding directing for a variety special and outstanding music direction.

The Emmys winners in the Beyonce-nominated categories:

Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live From Liverpool won for Outstanding Variety...

The chief medical examiner of New York City has ruled that Jeffrey Epstein, the well-connected jailed financier and accused child sex trafficker with ties to many powerful people, died of suicide by hanging.

Epstein was found unresponsive Saturday morning in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. His mysterious death while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking had spawned multiple conspiracy theories, though officials had suspected suicide early on.

A preliminary autopsy report on Thursday indicated that various bones in his neck were broken, including one near the Adam’s apple called the hyoid bone. Damage to that particular bone is more common in cases of strangulation, a fact that fueled speculation all week. Experts said the bone is more easily damaged though, including by hanging, in older people such as Epstein, who was 66.

Attorney General William Barr said Sunday that he was “appalled” by Epstein’s...

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, one of the most popular Broadway shows in recent seasons and the rare jukebox musical as beloved by critics as by audiences, will end its nearly six-year Broadway run on October 27, producers announced tonight.

Based on the songs of its titular pop legend and her inner circle, Beautiful earned seven Tony nominations in 2014 and won a pair, including one for lead actress Jessie Mueller. The musical will close having played 2,418 regular performances and 60 previews. It’s Broadway’s second-longest-running bio-musical and the longest-running and highest-grossing show in the Stephen Sondheim Theatre’s history.

The production recouped its $13 million capitalization within nine months, but even it wasn’t immune to a generally tough summer for Broadway. In recent weeks, Beautiful has been grossing at about half, or just above half, of its $994,804 weekly potential. Although the summer has been hard on newer shows — with recent or...

The 73rd Annual Tony Awards took place Sunday night, live from Radio City Music Hall in New York and Hadestown stood out as the top winner taking the home eight trophies. James Corden hosted with an all-star roster of presenters including Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Groban, Sara Bareilles, Samuel L. Jackson, Laura Benanti, Kristin Chenoweth, Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

From live performances of the top musicals of the season to the comedic stylings of Corden, Deadline’s Broadway critic Greg Evans and, from Radio City, Deadline’s New York Business Editor Dade Hayes live blogged the ceremony. Read how it all went down below.