Like all of you, Downstage Dish was devastated to learn about the news of Kyle Bishop, the young writer of "Hit List." So it's incredible news that Bishop's (and composer Jimmy Collins') statement to the world is Broadway-bound - but in a bizarre twist, thanks to none other than Jerry Rand, who's bankrolling its transfer uptown from the Manhattan Theatre Workshop. It's safe to say all previous speculation about this year's Tony nominations can be tossed out of the nearest window - it's a brand-new game now!
Judging by the still-building buzz and the proliferation of self-styled "Hit"-sters, "Hit List" is the show to beat, that much is certain - but Act Break wonders if the infamously volatile director Derek Wills has a handle on his actors, and himself. Some recent shakeups in the show's cast come across as sudden and - dare we say it? - suspicious. Is Daisy Parker's unexpected appearance as The Diva truly elevating the production? Or is Derek just being Derek? Whatever the story is, we're sure it won't be long before we all know every last detail...
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| Smash - Season 2 - NBC - 2013. |
Meanwhile, it looks like all our prayers were powerless to mend the rift between Julia Houston and Tom Levitt. Friend and producer Eileen Rand's attempt to signal all was well with a revue of the pair's songs took on a different tenor when news leaked of the team's official split. Call it nostalgia, or just the result of canny timing, but now the entire Broadway community has Houston and Levitt at the forefront of their minds...
Source: NBC
