Mickey Mantle play in the works, and other theatre in the news

1. Mickey Mantle play in the works from pop music author David Leaf by Mike Boehm [LATimes.com]
March 1, 2013

It looks like “batter up!” again on the theatrical boards: Mickey Mantle is the subject of a new play that writer-producer David Leaf is working on with the cooperation of Danny and David Mantle, sons of the incredibly talented but careless New York Yankees star, who died in 1995.

Broadway World reports that Leaf has begun putting a team together for the show, which has Broadway ambitions. ...

2. Idina Menzel to return to Broadway next spring in a new musical by Patrick Healy [ArtsBeat.Blogs.NYTimes.com]
February 28, 2013

The Tony Award-winning actress Idina Menzel will return to Broadway next spring for the first time since “Wicked” to star in a new musical, “If/Then,” about a woman who moves to New York seeking a fresh start as she prepares to turn 40, the show’s producer, David Stone, announced on Thursday.

“If/Then” will also be the first Broadway production by the composer Tom Kitt and the lyricist and book writer Brian Yorkey since their critically acclaimed 2009 musical, “Next to Normal,” which won three Tonys – including one for best score – as well as the Pulitzer Prize for drama. ...

3. How will the NEA be affected if Congress doesn't avert the sequester? [Blogs.ArtInfo.com]
February 24, 2013

While Congress may have averted the “fiscal cliff” at the New Year, in actuality all it did was move the deadline for automatic spending cuts to go into effect from January 1 to March 1, effectively killing the scary-sounding fiscal cliff hype and replacing it with the much more obscure (and boring) term “the sequester” — all-but-ensuring that the average American cares much less about it. Fast forward two months. The sequester deadline is rapidly approaching, and you know what that means for the art world: even more cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts. ...

4. Still in previews on Broadway, Cinderella took in $1 million last week by Patrick Healy [ArtsBeat.Blogs.NYTimes.com]
February 20, 2013

The Broadway musical “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” achieved a relatively rare feat last week, grossing more than $1 million even though the show is still in preview performances and has no star actors, according to box office data released on Tuesday.

Previews are traditionally a monthlong period when ticket prices are sharply discounted as the cast and creative team continue honing the production ...