Mariska Hargitay will succeed Daniel Radcliffe in ‘Every Brilliant Thing.’
Photo by Emilio Madrid
Mariska Hargitay to succeed Daniel Radcliffe in ‘Every Brilliant Thing’
Emmy and Golden Globe winner Mariska Hargitay — best known for her long-running role as Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” — will make her Broadway debut this spring in “Every Brilliant Thing,” stepping into the acclaimed solo play beginning May 26 at the Hudson Theatre, as the production extends its limited run through June 28. She succeeds Daniel Radcliffe, who concludes his engagement on May 24. The handoff underscores the play’s flexible, performer-driven structure, which is not tied to a specific gender. “Every Brilliant Thing” is an intimate, audience-interactive solo piece in which a narrator reflects on a life shaped by depression and resilience through a running list of small joys — an approach that has made it an international hit.
‘Heated Rivalry’ parody musical to play Off-Broadway
A cult-favorite hockey romance is getting the musical parody treatment Off-Broadway this spring, as “Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody” expands from a string of sold-out concert performances into a fully-staged, eight-week run beginning May 12 at the 6th Floor Theater (formerly The McKittrick Hotel). The show centers on golden-boy Shane Hollander and his complicated connection with rival Ilya Rozanov, leaning into a mix of swoony sincerity and unapologetic camp that appears designed as much for knowing fans as for curious newcomers. The cast includes Jay Armstrong Johnson (“On the Town”) as Rozanov and Jimin Moon (“Sunset Boulevard”) as Hollander.
Stage musicals of ‘The Danish Girl’ and ‘Happy Feet’ in development
A new stage musical adaptation of “The Danish Girl” — the 2000 bestselling novel by David Ebershoff — is in early development, with a first private workshop now underway and plans for a future production in New York. The project will reimagine the story of Lili Elbe, a prominent figure in transgender history, through a contemporary framing device that places her legacy in dialogue with the present. The 2015 film adaptation starring Eddie Redmayne drew criticism for casting a cisgender actor in the role of Lili Elbe, a point that has since become part of a broader industry conversation about trans representation. In a statement, producer George Strus noted that the musical will have a majority-trans creative team.
The animated hit “Happy Feet” is also headed for the stage, with producers announcing plans for a new, Broadway-bound musical adaptation of the 2006 Oscar-winning film. Set in an Antarctic penguin colony where identity is defined by song, the story follows an outcast who cannot sing but discovers a gift for tap dancing. The project brings together director Michael Arden (“Maybe Happy Ending”), book writer Douglas Lyons (“Chicken and Biscuits”), and multiple choreographers.
‘Hadestown’ live capture headed to the movies
A filmed capture of the West End production of the Tony-winning musical “Hadestown” is headed to movie theaters this summer beginning July 24. The capture includes performances by original Broadway cast members Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada, and Patrick Page. Written by Anaïs Mitchell and directed onstage by Rachel Chavkin, “Hadestown,” which opened in 2019, has become one of Broadway’s most durable recent hits.
RSC to debut ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel drama
The Royal Shakespeare Company is venturing into blockbuster fantasy with “Game of Thrones: The Mad King,” a new stage play based on the world of George R. R. Martin that will premiere in summer 2026 at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. The production marks the first stage play set in the “Game of Thrones” universe and functions as a prequel, unfolding in the years before the original story begins, when the Targaryen dynasty still rules and the seeds of rebellion are just beginning to take root. In that sense, it follows a model similar to “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” which also serves as a prequel to a popular screen property, digging into the backstory of familiar characters and events while aiming to stand on its own as a theatrical spectacle.
