Odds and Ends: Hadestown Sets New Fates, Buena Vista Social Club Heads to Puerto Rico & More

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

The Fate of July
Broadway’s Hadestown has a new set of Fates heading to the underworld. The mythic trio will be embodied by Kelly Belarmino (Pirates! The Penzance Musical), KC Dela Cruz (Hadestown national tour), and Khori Michelle Petinaud (Just In Time, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), all of whom will begin performances on July 21. They will succeed Jewelle Blackman, Jessie Shelton and Kay Trinidad, who are set to take their final bows on July 19. The Tony-winning musical is now in its seventh year at the Walter Kerr Theatre and features John-Michael Lyles as Orpheus, Gary Dourdan as Hades, J. Harrison Ghee as Hermes, Gaby Moreno as Persephone and Jordan Tyson as Eurydice.

Buena Vista Takes on PR
The Broadway smash Buena Vista Social Club has announced that a stand-alone replica production will be mounted in Puerto Rico this fall, with performances beginning October 23 at the Antonio Paoli Festival Hall of the Centro de Bellas Artes in Santurce. "Buena Vista Social Club's October opening at Centro de Bellas Artes de Santurce marks an important milestone for the professional theater community in Puerto Rico and its relationship to Broadway,” said co-producers Luis A. Miranda, Jr. and Lin-Manuel Miranda in a joint statement. “As the first production on the archipelago to be granted an independent performance license while the original production is still running on Broadway, Buena Vista Social Club is breaking new ground.” Inspired by the landmark 1997 album of the same name, Buena Vista Social Club depicts Cuba’s shifting cultural landscape from the ‘50s through the ‘90s. Don’t mind us as we look for flights to Puerto Rico!

New Music
Manhattan Theatre Club has commissioned two new musicals, recruiting Lindsey Ferrentino, Samuel Beam, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz and Benjamin Velez to spearhead a pair of projects. Each commissioned musical will receive a developmental residency at the Hermitage Artist Retreat, a national arts incubator based on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Ferrentino, who penned The Fear of 13 on Broadway, will supply the book for The Orange Grove, a musical retelling of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard centered on a Florida orange grove on the brink of collapse. Beam, who is the founder of the musical project Iron & Wine, takes on the score. Sofya Levitsky-Weitz (The Bear, The Dropout) is on book duty for It’s All Relative, which explores Albert Einstein’s relationship with his first wife, Mileva Marić. Benjamin Velez, a Tony nominee for Real Women Have Curves, is taking on the music and lyrics. Notable MTC world premiere musicals include Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party and Ain’t Misbehavin’, which went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical.

Sardi’s Gets Spiffy
The Shubert Organization recently acquired the famed theater district watering hole Sardi’s from longtime owner Max Klimavicius. A new player has stepped into the fold, with La Masseria Group joining as an operating partner. In the meantime, Sardi’s will undergo a nip-and-tuck ahead of its reopening in the fall of 2026. The site of many theatrical gatherings, Sardi’s is perhaps most famous for its celebrity portraiture. “We are thrilled to partner with The Shubert Organization as we honor the rich history that came before us and bring a fresh perspective to the guest experience in this next chapter,” said La Masseria Group Managing Partners Peppe Iuele, Enzo Ruggiero and Pino Coladonato. “The refresh will maintain the essence of what has made Sardi’s such a beloved establishment in the community while making some thoughtful enhancements to ensure it continues to thrive for years to come.”

Gin, Sin, Skin…Nursing Homes!
Married duo Debra Winger and Arliss Howard have been tapped to star in a production of D.L. Coburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Gin Game. The production will take place at New York’s Housing Works Bookstore from July 15 through August 9. Winger and Howard will play a pair of nursing home dwellers whose game of gin rummy turns into something of an existential battlefield. A three-time Oscar nominee, Winger has had memorable big-screen appearances in Terms of Endearment, Urban Cowboy and An Officer and a Gentleman. Howard’s prolific career includes Full Metal Jacket, Tequila Sunrise and Moneyball. The Gin Game will feature scenic design by Ashley Basile, costume design by Michael Schaffner, lighting design by Sarah Woods and sound design by Bart Fasbender. David Blum directs.