Odds and Ends: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone Extends, Shakespeare in the Park’s Romeo & Juliet Casting & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed.

Taraji and Cedric Extend the Entertainment

Ahead of performances beginning on March 30, the Debbie Allen-directed Broadway revival of August Wilson's Joe Turner’s Come and Gone has been extended for an additional week. With opening night set for April 25, the production will now play through July 19 at the Barrymore Theatre. Set in 1911, Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer star as a pair of boarding house owners who offer refuge to Black travelers amid the Great Migration. Originally staged on Broadway in 1988, this production features costume design by Oscar and Tony winner Paul Tazewell, set design by Tony winner David Gallo, lighting design by Stacey Derosier, sound design by Justin Ellington and hair by Mia Neal.

LaCapulet

The tale may be full of woe, but the cast is stacked with stars! The Public Theater has announced initial casting for the free Shakespeare in the Park production of Romeo & Juliet. Daniel Bravo Hernández—who played Abraham in Sam Gold’s 2024 Broadway staging of the romantic tragedy—will play Romeo. He will be joined by newcomer Ra'Mya Latiah Aikens as Juliet. The production has tapped a trio of Tony winners to join the ill-fated lovers: LaChanze is Lady Capulet, Deirdre O'Connell takes on that kooky Nurse and Francis Jue supplies a voice of reason as Friar Laurence. The company will feature Rachel Crowl as Apothecary, Caleb Joshua Eberhardt as Mercutio, Ariyan Kassam as Tybalt, Jason Manuel Olazábal as Lord Montague, Sergio Mauritz Ang as Friar John, Jessica Pimentel as Escalus, Mariand Torres as Lady Montague and Hamilton alum Okieriete Onaodowan as Benvolio, with ensemble members Marlon Xavier and Andrés Nicolás Chaves. Performances begin at the Delacorte Theater on May 22, with opening night on June 11, running through June 28. Public Associate Artistic Director Saheem Ali will direct. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

The Phantom Strikes Back

Love Never Dies, the sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, is heading back to London in concert form on October 16 and 17, 2026. Jamie Muscato and Celinde Schoenmaker will take on the Phantom and Christine, respectively, in a production directed by Shaun Kerrison at the London Palladium. The musical was originally staged in the West End in 2010 with Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess as the leads. A decade after Phantom’s narrative wraps up, Love Never Dies moves the action stateside, where the Phantom is still lurking on our good sis Chrissy. Mind you, Christine has a husband and a child at this point. Some men can’t take a hint. New York audiences who want their Phantom fix can see Masquerade, Diane Paulus’ immersive reimagining of the classic musical running off-Broadway through September 6.

Future Nostalgia

A new documentary about the development of the Broadway and West End musical stage adaptation of Back to the Future was released on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube and more streaming platforms on March 24. Directed by Brian Stillman, A Future on Stage: The Making of a Broadway Musical features behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and creative team. Michael J. Fox and Robert Zemeckis, the star and director of the original film, are among the interview subjects. Back to the Future opened on Broadway in 2023 with current Heathers star Casey Likes as the time-traveling teen Marty McFly and Tony winner Roger Bart as the goggle-sporting scientist who sends him from the ‘80s to the ‘50s. The show features music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard and a book by Bob Gale, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay. Closing in 2025 after 597 performances, Back to the Future is currently playing a national tour.

Trainspotting on Track for the West End

Bleach is the word. Irvine Welsh’s 1993 novel Trainspotting has been adapted into a musical that will make its West End debut this summer. Scottish performer Robbie Scott is set to star as Mark Renton, an impoverished heroin addict in Edinburgh who attempts to turn his life around. In 1996, Trainspotting was adapted into a popular film that launched Ewan McGregor into stardom. Though the source material has previously been adapted into a stage play by Harry Gibson, this marks the first time Trainspotting gets the song-and-dance treatment. Welsh will pen the libretto and co-write original music with Edinburgh-born musician Stephen McGuinness. There will also be songs incorporated from the film’s soundtrack, which included cuts from Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, Blur and New Order. Trainspotting: The Musical will begin performances on July 15 at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket under the direction of Caroline Jay Ranger.