Odds and Ends: Broadway Barks Returns with Bernadette Peters and Andrew Rannells, Phantom 40th Anniversary Cast Set & More

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

Paws Up
Bernie and the Barks are back! By that, we mean Broadway Barks is returning to Shubert Alley on July 11 for the 28th Annual dog and cat adoption event. This time Andrew Rannells will join stage goddess and self-proclaimed “doganizer” Bernadette Peters, who co-founded Broadway Barks in 1998 with Mary Tyler Moore. The event features adoptable animals from Empire State area rescue groups along with some of Broadway’s biggest names. Among the celebrity participants are Laurie Metcalf (Death of a Salesman), Eva Noblezada (The Great Gatsby), Ana Gasteyer (Schmigadoon!), Frankie Grande (Titanique), J. Harrison Ghee (Hadestown), Nikki M. James (Little Shop of Horrors), Caissie Levy (Ragtime) and Junior LaBeija (Cats: The Jellicle Ball). Broaway Barks begins at 3pm and is free to the public. 

Phantom Turns 40
Lordy, lordy, look who's turning 40. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical epic Phantom of the Opera is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an all-star anniversary cast at His Majesty’s Theatre in London. Broadway alum Jordan Donica will lead the cast as the Phantom. He will be joined by Beatrice Penny-Touré as Christine and Rhys Whitfield as Raoul. Sierra Boggess, who starred as Christine in the 25th anniversary production of Phantom at the Royal Albert Hall and reprised the role in Love Never Dies, will play Carlotta. The principal cast also includes Matt Bateman as Piangi, Joseph Millson as Monsieur André, Ian Pirie as Monsieur Firmin, Joanna Riding as Madam Giry and Millie Lyon as Meg. At certain performances the role of Christine will be played by Colleen Rose Curran. 

Prince Norton
House of the Dragon standout James Norton is set to star as the skull-clutching Prince of Denmark in Hamlet. Shakespeare’s tragedy will be staged in the West End, with German auteur Thomas Ostermeier directing. While the exact dates, venue and additional casting have not been announced, the production is expected to run in the fall of 2027. “I am pleased to be revisiting Hamlet for the West End with the great stage actor, James Norton. It will be my first time directing Shakespeare in English and I am excited to explore the original text in order to bring this new production to life. My first Hamlet has been touring the world for 18 years so I am honored to have the opportunity to bring it here to London,” said Ostermeier. Norton played Jude in the Ivo Van Hove-helmed production of Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life and will take on the role of manager Brian Epstein in Sam Mendes’ four-part film series on The Beatles.

Stay Golden
The Almeida Theatre in London has announced the full cast for Clifford Odets’ 1937 play Golden Boy. Joining the previously announced Josh O’Connor (Disclosure Day, Challengers) will be Jason Barnett, Richard Fleeshman, David Ganly, Patrick Martins, Daniel Mays, Oliver Ryan, Hayley Squires, Stanley Townsend, Zubin Varla and Nicholas Woodeson. Working under the direction of Olivier winner Sam Yates, O’Connor will star as a gifted violinist whose Faustian quest for fame and fortune lures him into the violent world of professional boxing. The production will feature a live string quartet and is set to run from September 9 through October 31.