Guess who's back, back, back again? Well, a couple things. First of all, there's Bette Midler.
According to AM New York, Bette Midler is making her Broadway return in April of 2017, for Hello, Dolly! Midler will play Dolly Gallagher Levi, the matchless matchmaker, in the resurrection of the 1964 musical-comedy written by Jerry Herman.
This will be Midler's first time gracing the Broadway stage since 2011, when she appeared as Sue Mengers in the one-woman play, I'll Eat You Last.
In that play, Midler put on a triumphant performance as Sue Mengers, Hollywood's first woman superagent.
When else was Midler on Broadway's stage? There were a spat of concert events back in the '70s, but otherwise, the only time she appeared was in Fiddler on the Roof in 1967.
We know there have been plenty of women to take the stage as Dolly throughout the years, but none with a brighter blaze than Dolly's original actress, Carol Channing, who won a Tony for her performance. The show will begin previews on March 13th, 2017, and will open on April 20th.
"Many times through the years I've been asked about bringing back 'Hello, Dolly!'" Herman said. "Who is out there that has the necessary stature, warmth, the incredible talent and ability, and especially, the singular, outside personality that I was looking for in a 21st Century Dolly? Only one person: Bette Midler."
While Bette Midler's return to Broadway is absolutely welcome news, we're a little... befuddled at the other return: Cats.
[anad]
The play-- which, to be clear, HAS NO PLOT WHATSOEVER --is based on T.S. Eliot’s book of poetry, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.
It took the stage back in 1982 at the Winter Garden and then ran for 7,485 performances and 18 years. It clocks in as the third-longest run in Broadway history. In this unending time of plotless cat stories, it's won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical.
There's got to be a reason to get excited about it though, right? According to NewYork.com, there just might be.
Tony award-winning choreographer, Andy Blankenbuehler (In the Heights, Hamilton), will inject new life into the stage with moves based on the original choreography. If you haven't seen Hamilton (it's mad expensive and generally sold out), you should fix that to get a taste of what Cats could be.
It will run this summer, giving legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber the incredibly rare distinction of having three Broadway shows running simultaneously (School of Rock and Phantom of the Opera being the other two).
Again, we can't stress enough how little there is to save of Cats. It. Is. Plot. Less. But, hey, revivals are fun, right?
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[Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]