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It seems The Heart has found its company. Today, it was announced that the New York premiere production of The Heart with book and additional lyrics by Kait Kerrigan (The Great Gatsby), music and lyrics by Anne Eisendrath (aka electronic music artist Anniee) and Ian Eisendrath (KPop Demon Hunters), music supervision by Ian Eisendrath, choreography by Mandy Moore (Taylor Swift’s Eras tour) and direction by Tony Award-winner Christopher Ashley (Come From Away) based on Maylis de Kerangal's novel Réparer les vivants has found the cast.
As previously announced, the new musical will begin preview on Thursday, October 8, 2026 with an official opening set for October 29 at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. The engagement runs through Sunday, December 6, 2026.
The production will feature Heidi Blickenstaff (Jagged Little Pill, Something Rotten!) as “Claire,” Lincoln Clauss (Fly, Bat Out of Hell) as “Thomas Driscoll,” Nick T. Daly (MJ: The Musical) as “Simon Lamar,” Drew Gehling (& Juliet, Almost Famous) as “Dr. Breva,” Bre Jackson (The Book of Mormon, MJ: The Musical) as “Cordelia Owl,” Tony Award-winner Joaquina Kalukango (Paradise Square, Slave Play) as “Marianne Lamar,” Max McKenna (Rent, Cabaret) as “Juliette Brooks,” Wren Rivera (Jagged Little Pill, Teeth) as “Marthe,” and Jason Tam (Be More Chill, If/Then) as “Sean Lamar.” Daniel Brackett, Gareth Keegan, Q. Smith and Emily Somé round out the cast as the understudies.
Roundabout is also pleased to announce additional creative and design team for the production which will include music direction by Wendy Bobbitt Cavett (Come From Away), scenic design by Robert Brill (Hell’s Kitchen), costume design by Sarafina Bush (The Outsiders), lighting design by Amanda Zieve (Proof), sound design by Gareth Owen (BOOP! The Musical), video design by Lucy Mackinnon (All Out: Comedy About Ambition), hair and wig design by Drama Desk Award-nominee Alberto “Albee” Alvarado (The Rocky Horror Show), and music production by Juan Ariza and Elin Sandberg. Casting is by The TRC Company - Tara Rubin, CSA. Associate direction by Jacole Kitchen and associate choreography by Ashley Andrews.
It was recently announced that five-time Golden Globe Award nominee Marilu Henner and Shannon Purser (Barb from Stranger Things) will team up and star together on stage this fall in the Off-Broadway commercial premiere of The Ask, by Matthew Freeman and directed by Jessi D. Hill. The Ask had a previous run at The Wild Project back in 2024. This production marks Purser’s New York stage debut.
In The Ask, a donor meeting in an Upper West Side apartment erupts into a gripping battle of wills. Greta (Henner), a longtime donor with strong progressive views, meets with Tanner (Purser), a young ACLU fundraiser sent to secure a significant gift. As the two confront each other with wit, conviction and wariness, their shared ideals give way to unexpected divisions, exposing the cultural and emotional fault lines that separate their generations.
Previews begin Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at Theater 555 with an official opening night set for October 13. The production is set to run through November 22.
The production will feature set design by Craig Napoliello, costume design by Nicole Wee, lighting design by Venus Gulbranson, and sound design by Ben Scheff. Casting is by Geoff Josselson Casting.
For tickets and more information, visit www.TheAskPlay.com
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Late in Act II of Paranormal Activity’s first preview, there’s a fun jump scare that get’s the audience pretty good. Screams and cries echoed around the August Wilson for a few moments before subsiding back down. A few beats later, a man towards the back of the orchestra just yelled out “Shit!” and the whole audience erupted in laughter again.
As a true horror aficionado, I’ve been patiently waiting years for a truly terrifying play to come to New York. We’ve had a few pop up here and there but when whispers of a stage adaptation of Paranomal Activity was in development a few years back, I had high hopes.
Written by Levi Holloway, who gave us Grey House on Broadway back in 2023, Paranormal has had an interesting journey to Broadway. First premiering at the Leeds Playhouse in 2024, the show next went on to play a mini tour across the US with stops at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, the Ahmanson at CTG in Los Angeles, Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC, and finally American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before setting its sights on the August Wilson.
The play is an original story set in the Paranormal universe that follows newly married couple James and Lou who move from Chicago to London for a fresh start. As their lives get turned upside down, they must work together to confront whatever is inside that house…
I was fortunate enough to first catch the production in Los Angeles late last fall. Walking in with two colleagues, none of us knew what we were about to experience. On the other side, we all agreed that it was the most fun we have had seeing a show in years.
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Now on Broadway, I caught the first preview where we celebrated the Broadway debuts of Cher Álvarez, Travis A. Knight, Shannon Cochran, and Bobby J. Howlett. Eva Kaminsky also stars in the production, alongside understudies Caron Buinis, Caroline Hendricks, and Michael Holding.
Before the curtain even went up on Friday night, a woman sat down in the row in front of me gripping her sweater. When I leaned over and asked how she was doing, “Not well” was the response… as the evening went on, I would say “not well” was her general disposition.
At intermission, I checked the app for my Oura Ring and saw for the last hour my heart rate was at a pretty consistent 120 BPM, and I had already seen the show before…
I spoke with a few folks as they entered the theatre and it was clear, everyone was there to be scared, and boy does it deliver. The rush of adrenaline pumping through your veins lets you experience this visceral piece of theatre that is truly unlike anything we have seen on Broadway ever before.
Now of course the question is: just how scary is it? Signs near the box office say this is not for anyone under the age of 15. Everyone’s horror tolerance is different, but you will certainly get some jumps here and there no matter what. And what can be more glorious than 1,200 people all screaming in unison.
Paranormal Activity is now in performances at the August Wilson Theatre through Janaury 3, 2027.
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