Odds and Ends: Broadway-Bound The Greatest Showman Swings Into London, Skylar Astin & Sarah Hyland in Cabaret

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

This Is The Greatest Show
The stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman will open at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London's West End in spring 2027. Oliver Tompsett and Samantha Barks lead the company as P.T. and Charity Barnum, directed and choreographed by two-time Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw. "It's humongous. It's the biggest show I've ever done," Nicholaw told Broadway.com Senior Editor Jamie Kravitz. "It's got a huge cast and it's got flying and fire and acrobats and children and everything. It's really fun." The book is by Tim Federle with a score by EGOT-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Also reprising their roles from the musical’s world premiere at the Bristol Hippodrome are Ben Joyce as Phillip Carlyle, Vajèn van den Bosch as Jenny Lind and Malinda Parris as Lettie Lutz, with further casting to be announced. Completing the creative team are music supervisor, incidental and dance music arranger and orchestrator Alex Lacamoire, scenic designer David Korins, costume designers Gregg Barnes and Sky Switser, lighting designer Natasha Katz, sound designer Peter Hylenski, video designer George Reeve, circus creation and designer Lorenzo Pisoni, hair and wig designer Josh Marquette, makeup designer Milagros Medina-Cerdeira, special effect designer Jeremy Chernick and illusion designer Skylar Fox.

Pitch Perfect Casting
Skylar Astin and Sarah Hyland are the newest Emcee and Sally Bowles in the West End production of Rebecca Frecknall’s Cabaret, beginning performances on September 21. Astin and Hyland, both members of the Pitch Perfect cinematic universe, will make their West End debuts in the production. Astin’s theater credits include Spring Awakening on Broadway, Little Shop of Horrors off-Broadway, Rent and Into The Woods at the Hollywood Bowl and West Side Story at Carnegie Hall. Hyland’s Broadway credits include Just In Time, The Great Gatsby and Grey Gardens. Further theater credits include Little Shop of Horrors off-Broadway and Hair at the Hollywood Bowl. On television, she is best known for her role as Haley Dunphy on Modern Family. Also joining the company will be Ronan Burns as Ernst Ludwig, Lindsay Atherton as Fraulein Kost/Fritzie, Lily Frances, Peter Houston, Samuel How, Bailey Johnson, Ellie Mitchell, Kirsty Anne Shaw, Natasha Wilde and Nicky Wong Rush. Astin will play his final performance on December 12, while Hyland will remain with the company through January 23, 2027.

Manga Memoirs
Sophia Anne Caruso will star in Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, a new musical with music and lyrics by Tony and Grammy Award winner Duncan Sheik and a book by Leah Nanako Winkler. Caruso’s Broadway credits include Beetlejuice, Blackbird and Grey House. Directed and choreographed by Tony, Olivier and Emmy Award winner Rob Ashford, Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen will premiere off-Broadway at The Night Egg at the Culture Club. Based on the manga graphic novel of the same name by Moyoco Anno, performances will begin on September 25 with opening night set for October 15. The production will run through January 3, 2027. The story follows Colette, a witty young dreamer in 20th-century Paris, who finds her power through writing.

A Popular Poppins
Feed those birds, honey. Former Broadway.com vlogger and Audience Choice Award winner Kara Lindsay will lead the cast of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins this fall at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. Lindsay previously played the titular role at North Carolina Theatre. She is best known for originating Katherine Plumber in Disney's Newsies on Broadway, reprising the role in the 2017 Newsies film. She is one of Wicked's longest-running Glindas, both on Broadway and the national tour. Her other Broadway credits include Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Once Upon a Mattress. Lindsay most recently starred as Michele in Romy & Michele: The Musical off-Broadway. "Kara has a long history with us, performing in numerous Paper Mill Playhouse productions including our world premiere of Newsies, which was a pivotal production for Paper Mill and a show that holds a special place in our hearts here," said Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill Playhouse's Producing Artistic Director. "It has been a joy to see her career flourish over the years, and we are delighted to have her amazing talent shine once again on the Paper Mill stage." Hoebee directs, with choreography by Denis Jones and music direction by Ben McNaboe. Performances begin on November 18, with opening night on November 22, running through January 3, 2027. 

Conga-ie Hall
Gloria Estefan and Emily Estefan: A Night of Rhythm and Storytelling will play Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage on March 8, 2027 at 7:30 p.m. The 11-time Grammy Award-winning artist and acclaimed singer-songwriter will make their Carnegie Hall headlining debuts. Emily Estefan will perform her own original music, while Gloria Estefan, appearing with Miami Sound Machine, will perform some of her greatest hits. The concert also reunites the artists behind their acclaimed new musical, Basura, composed by the mother-daughter team and inspired by the true story of Paraguay’s Recycled Orchestra of Cateura—a group of young musicians who transformed discarded materials into instruments and changed their lives through music. The young musicians of the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura will perform alongside members of the original world-premiere cast and orchestra of Basura. Conducted by Cynthia Meng (Basura, Ragtime), the concert is choreographed by Tony winner Patricia Delgado, whose choreography helped shape the heartbeat of Basura.

P.S.
Grief can be as healing as it is heartbreaking—something Sara Bareilles knows a lot about. In a new documentary chronicling the process behind making her first record in eight years, Bareilles gives an honest look at creation through mourning. Aptly titled Good Grief, the documentary premieres on September 2.