Marty Lauter and David Merino
(Photos: Benji Rivera/Ted Ely Photography)
Here’s a quick roundup of stories you might have missed.
Cabaret Shares Performance Schedule for Replacement Emcees
Cabaret has announced the performance schedule for Marty Lauter and David Merino, the two actors who will share the role of the Emcee, replacing Billy Porter, for the show’s final weeks. Merino will play the Emcee from September 9 through September 11. Lauter will play the role on September 12 through September 18. Merino will be back as the Emcee on September 19 through the final performance on September 21. Lauter is best known to television audiences as Marcia Marcia Marcia from season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race; Merino played Baby Doll in Moulin Rouge! on Broadway.
Could Miss America Be Broadway Bound?
The latest Miss America is a musical theater girlie. Cassie Donegan, who is from Smithfield, Virginia but represented New York in the competition, studied musical theater at Belmont University and went on to starring roles in 9 to 5, Carrie the Musical, Legally Blonde and Mamma Mia! She also performed in last year’s Waitress at the Cape Playhouse. Donegan sang “A Darker Shade of Blue” from the musical Some Like It Hot in the talent portion of Sunday’s competition. Her community service initiative, an integral part of the Miss America competition, is dedicated to arts education in schools.
John Doyle to Direct The Secret Garden at York Theatre Royal
John Doyle will direct a revival of The Secret Garden, the musical based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved story about a spoiled girl and a hypochrondriac, at the York Theatre Royal. The musical, featuring music by Lucy Simon and a book and lyrics by Marsha Norman, opened at Broadway’s St. James Theatre in 1991 and won three Tony Awards—including the award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress, going to 11-year-old Daisy Egan. The production marks a return to the York for Doyle, who served as its artistic director from 1993 to 1997. Performances begin March 19, 2026.
Apocalyptic Ennui Musical Soon Arrives Off-Broadway
Nick Blaemire’s musical Soon, about a young woman named Charlie (Ava Devaney) watching television, eating peanut butter and ignoring the impending apocalypse on her couch, will play the East Village Basement from October 29 through November 9. It will be the venue’s first-ever musical. “A musical about an East Village apartment that takes place in a real East Village apartment is the kind of unique theatergoing experience I crave as an audience member,” said Blaemire, the composer-lyricist of Glory Days, which had a notoriously short run on Broadway in 2008. Soon had its world premiere at Virginia’s Signature Theatre in 2015.
Scenic Designer John Lee Beatty to Receive Award for Lifetime Achievement
Two-time Tony Award-winning designer John Lee Beatty will be honored with the Ming Cho Lee Award for Lifetime Achievement in Design at the Henry Hewes Design Awards. Beatty’s first Broadway scenic design was for 1976’s Knock, Knock; his most recent—according to the Henry Hewes Design Awards, more than 100 designs later—was for Cult of Love. Awards for scenic designer, costume designer, lighting designer, notable effects designer, sound designer and media designer will also be awarded at the 61st annual ceremony, taking place on October 20. Check out the full list of nominees.
