Mamma Mia To Close After 14 Years

Playbill reports:

The long-running Broadway production of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' international hit musical Mamma Mia!, which currently plays the Broadhurst Theatre, will close September 5, producers announced April 9. Mamma Mia! will have played 5,765 performances on Broadway, making it the eighth longest running show in Broadway history. It premiered Oct. 18, 2001, at the Winter Garden Theatre, where it continued through Oct. 19, 2013. The production then transferred to its current home, the Broadhurst Theatre, on Nov. 2, 2013. In its various productions the show has grossed a reported $2 billion worldwide. The hit musical had its London premiere April 6, 1999. It is now in its 16th year in the West End. It was adapted as a film in 2008 and grossed more than $144 million in the US alone, and currently holding the title of top-grossing musical film ever.

The makers of the movie are considering a sequel.

RELATED: Three of the five longest-running Broadway shows in history are still playing: Phantom Of The Opera at 27 years, Chicago at 19 years, and The Lion King at 18 years. (Cats and Les Miserables ran for 18 and 16 years respectively.) Also still playing: Wicked will hit 12 years in October and Jersey Boys hits the decade mark a week later.

The Sound Of Music Turns 50

Via the Daily Mail:

Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer reunited on Thursday for a 50th anniversary screening of their hit film The Sound Of Music. The 79-year-old actress looked radiant in a loose white blouse, black jacket and matching trousers upon arrival at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Christopher, 85, was dapper in a black suit and blue dress shirt with dotted black tie. The screening featured a restored version of the musical and it opened the TCM Classic Film Festival that runs through Sunday. The restored 4K version of the film also will be screened at over 500 movie theatres in April. The 1965 film was an adaptation of the hit Broadway play by Rodgers & Hammerstein and both provided a fictionalized account of the life of Maria von Trapp.

The first clip below is from last night's event. 

Viral Video Of The Day

1.4M views in three days.

(Tipped by JMG reader Paul)

Movie Version Of Wicked Is In The Works

Via the Guardian:

A long-gestating big-screen version of the hit stage musical Wicked could see a release as early as 2016, with the acclaimed British director Stephen Daldry taking charge of the cameras. Producer Marc Platt, who was also behind the stage version, confirmed in an interview with Film Divider that work on developing the movie had begun, with Winnie Holzman, writer of the novelisation of Wicked, at work on a screenplay. Daldry, who studio Universal has been courting since at least 2012, remains attached to the project. Platt said a 2016 release is the aim, “but I don’t know whether we’ll make that goal or not. We will make the movie, but … the bar is really high. We’re going to scrutinise our work on the screenplay and our prep on the movie, and when we feel like it’s ready, OK. We’re not going to shoot a release date is what I’m saying. It’s in the works, it’s not in a rush.”

Wicked is the 11th longest-running show in Broadway history and was last week's top grosser.

TRAILER: Into The Woods

(Tipped by JMG reader Jeff)

TRAILER: Bang Bang Baby

A sci-fi musical.

A small town teenager in the 1960s believes her dreams of becoming a famous singer will come true when her rock star idol gets stranded in town. But a leak in a nearby chemical plant that is believed to be causing mass mutations threatens to turn her dream into a nightmare.

TRAILER: Into The Woods

From the recap:

“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them.  Rob Marshall, the talented filmmaker behind the Academy Award®-winning musical “Chicago” and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” helms the film, which is based on the Tony®-winning original musical by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides the music and lyrics. Produced by Marshall, John DeLuca, “Wicked” producer Marc Platt and Callum McDougall. Starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine, “Into the Woods” is a humorous and heartfelt musical that follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.

The film opens on New Year's Day.

(Tipped by JMG reader Brad)

RELATED: Last month Sondheim revealed that he had agreed with Disney's requests for some fairly major plot changes.

Navy Baseball Does Frozen

600K views already.