‘Sweeney Todd’ Review: Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford Lead a Soaring but Remote Sondheim Revival on Broadway

Thanks to their victories at the Oscars in March, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan are now very hot Hollywood commodities. And it takes almost no time for the “Everything Everywhere All At Once” stars to team up again.

Since her brief (and stunning) cameo in “No Time To Die,” Ana de Armas has been candid about what she thinks about the “James Bond” franchise. For instance, last year, she told EW that she didn’t think the next James Bond should be a woman, but women need a “more substantial part and recognition” in the franchise.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Rights to ‘Man in Black,” one of two documentary films by China’s Wang Bing to appear in Official Selection at Cannes this year, have been picked up by specialty sales agency Asian Shadows. The 60-minute film, which will debut as a special screening, is a portrait of 86-year-old Wang Xilin, one of China’s most important modern classical composers and is now lives in exile in Germany. It was made in close collaboration with French cinematographer Caroline Champetier, whose credits include Leos Carax’s “Holy Motors,” Amos Gitai’s “Promised Land” and Andre Techine’s “Alice and Martin.” During the 1960s, when China’s Cultural Revolution forced intellectuals into the fields and stripped the middle classes of their wealth, Wang Xilin was the was the target of severe persecution, including beatings, imprisonment and torture. The film examines the body and soul of a man scarred by a life of suffering, who is yet still capable of deep and sincere compassion.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The squeaky wheel gets the Twitter blue check-mark, it seems. After Twitter’s mass revocation Thursday of thousands of “legacy” verified blue check-marks, carrying out owner Elon Musk’s long-promised purge of the “corrupt” system, several high-profile accounts still had the iconic blue badges… even though they evidently aren’t paying for Twitter Blue (the subscription service whose perks now include a blue check-mark). Those included NBA superstar LeBron James, actor William Shatner and author Stephen King — each of whom had tweeted that they wouldn’t pay for Twitter Blue or had complained about Musk’s switch in the verification program.

Gavin Bridge Senior Media Analyst FAST is having a moment.  Discussions around free streaming channels have been the buzz of industry events, beginning with MIPCOM 2022 in France and continuing around the world, first in Canada for Prime Time 2023, then Australia for Future of TV Advertising Sydney and, most recently, MIPTV 2023’s Global FAST Summit, where the event was standing-room only.  Variety Intelligence Platform has had an onstage presence at all of these conferences and has seen the interest levels in FAST boom. Now the VIP+ subscriber exclusive “Global FAST” provides analysis of just who are the major international forces in FAST and a deeper look at the top five global markets. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Leo Maidenberg’s Paris-based company Place du Marché Productions is developing a slate of French and international films and TV series with acclaimed talents, including Daphna Levin, the creator of the Israeli series “Euphoria,” as well as Sarah Kaminsky (“Raid Dingue”) and Leïla Sy (“Banlieusards”). Maidenberg, who launched Place du Marché in 2018 after a career in diplomacy and made his producing debut with Caroline Fourest’s politically charged action film “Sisters in Arms,” has teamed with Kim Younes at Elvie Productions on a pair of high concept Israeli series. The first title produced by the two banners is “The Truth,” a police thriller series co-written and directed by Levin, whose credits also include the original Israeli series “In Therapy.” Set in Tel Aviv, “The Truth” opens on the day of the final verdict for the most controversial murder case in Israel, 10 years after the incident which took place in a high school gym. That same day, a new murder happens in identical circumstances. Juvenile inspector Rachel Zohar, a student at the high school at the time of the first murder, must revisit her trauma to solve the case. Aurit Zamir (“Babysitter”) co-wrote the series with Levin.

Lise Pedersen Sales company Deckert Distribution has boarded “Pure Unknown,” by Italy’s Mattia Colombo (“Il Posto”) and Valentina Cicogna, and Venezuelan filmmaker Iván Simonovis Pertíñez’s debut feature “My Father’s Prison,” both selected in the main International Competition at Swiss international documentary film festival Visions du Réel. “Pure Unknown” follows the story of Italian forensic pathologist Cristina Cattaneo in her battle to put a name to each nameless body that lands in her autopsy room. She calls them the Pure Unknown. Many belong to the fringes of society: they are homeless, sex workers or runaway teenagers. More recently, they have been mostly migrants drowned at sea trying to reach Europe’s shores.

Now that has returned with season 2, there's been a renewed search for answers to the biggest questions about the show, including everything from when the young survivors will become cannibals in the past to what's going on with Adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) in the present. While at its core, the Showtime drama is about what happened to a group of teenagers after a plane crash stranded them in the wilderness for 19 months and how a few of the grownup survivors are reckoning with the secrets that amassed both then and now, it's a puzzle box series that introduces new pieces with each episode. And as a result, fans have run wild with theories and ideas about every detail of the series, much to the delight of its creators, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who admitted to ET that they «have been, along with the entire cast and most of our EPs, trolling Reddit a little bit and watching Twitter.» And in doing so, they noticed during season 1 that «somebody out of the thousands of comments that have come up has rightly predicted almost everything.»That said, there are still many (new and old) questions to be asked, theories to be addressed and answers to be debated. And as season 2 continues to roll out, this article will be updated with information from each new episode as well as additional insight from the creators and the cast, including the adult players, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey and Tawny Cypress, and their younger counterparts, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Samantha Hanratty, Sophe Nelisse and Sophie Thatcher.

Drake Bell is claiming he found out his estranged wife, Janet Von Schmeling, filed for divorce like everyone else, online. The former child star and musician posted the confession to Twitter saying, “I found out my wife filed for divorce from TMZ.” He also added, “check out my new song” accompanied by a YouTube link to a music video for his song «Going Away.» I found out my wife filed for divorce from TMZ...check out my new song https://t.co/34cYh4JsMAIt seems the song was written before his estranged wife filed for divorce because Bell sings about moving his wife and son to an island. He goes on to say he’s “going away” and is “done with this f**king scene” and mentions the paparazzi. According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Von Schmeling filed to divorce the actor this week, just days after he was reported missing and endangered, but was subsequently located.Per the docs, Von Schmeling claims she and Bell separated back in September, and is citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split. The pair, who were married for four years, share 2-year-old son, Wyatt.

Alison Hammond has shared how she feared having to do a 'walk of shame' after she was initially turned away from a planned meeting with the Prince and Princess of Wales. The This Morning host left her fans and followers in a state of shock as she shared her latest selfie on Instagram - with the royal couple.

Shanna Moakler is once again slamming ex Travis Barker.

The remaining tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool will go on sale next week, the BBC has announced. A final batch of tickets for each of the nine live shows held in May will be up for grabs on Monday, April 24, at midday.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promoted two close allies to replace the departing Dominic Raab.

Two men from Manchester have been charged with drugs offences after a police check on a vehicle in Cheshire. The pair were stopped in Warrington.

Netflix has dropped a brand-new political drama that fans are comparing to hit shows like The West Wing and House of Cards. The Diplomat dropped on the platform on Thursday (April 20) and is described by Netflix as a “high-stakes, contemporary political drama about the transcendence and torture of long-term relationships, between countries and people”.

Mark Wright has given fans a glimpse inside his new Spanish apartment which is set to become a heavenly abroad base for him and his wife Michelle Keegan. The new abode in Mallorca comes after the couple created their dream home from scratch in Essex

Selma Blair is taking a stand in her battle with multiple sclerosis, commonly known as MS.  The 50-year-old actress struck a powerful pose while holding a cane on the cover of British Vogue’s May 2023 issue.  The "Cruel Intentions" star stunned in a golden-beige gown with stylish cutouts. She stood with confidence while holding her black and silver cane. The cover read, "Selma Blair, Reframing Fashion, Dynamic, Daring & Disabled."           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by British Vogue (@britishvogue) "I have an emotional and physical attachment to the cane," she shared during the British Vogue cover interview.  "I settle in my voice and body as soon as I hold [it].

The Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd is officially open!

In a Broadway season that might be remembered for a lovely, pared-down minimalism – the intriguing starkness of A Doll’s House with Jessica Chastain, the less-is-more near-concert-style presentations of Into the Woods and Parade – director Thomas Kail’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will stand out for, among many other attributes, its full-on, unabashed ambition. A prodigious theatrical event that aims for greatness and achieves it, this revival of the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler masterpiece is not to be missed.

Stephen Sondheim’s horror-musical in which throats are gruesomely slashed and cannibalism is positively hilarious. 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission. At the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Pictured: Casting directors Katja Zarolinski and Geoff Josselson of JZ Casting. This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Casting director Geoff Josselson just checked off a major bucket list item. When he was asked what show he dreamed of casting, he would say “Into the Woods.” And just last year, working with Telsey Casting, Josselson was part of the team that assembled the heralded Broadway revival starring Sara Bareilles, Brian D’Arcy James and Joshua Henry. Josselson is on a bit of a Stephen Sondheim spree — with Telsey he also helped cast the new production of “Sweeney Todd,” starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. And he and his partner at JZ Casting, Katja Zarolinski, just collaborated for the first time with the Pasadena Playhouse to cast “A Little Night Music,” playing at the theater April 25-May 1.