Another big-name star is joining the latest Broadway revival of Into the Woods. Deadline has reported that Cheyenne Jackson, known to Broadway and television audiences alike, will be filling in for Gavin Creel in the dual roles of Cinderella’s Prince and The Wolf for one week at the end of the month.
From July 24 to August 2, Jackson will perform the role usually played by Creel as he is away on a scheduled absence. On television, Jackson is known for his recurring roles on 30 Rock and American Horror Story. Additionally, he has appeared on Glee, Watchmen, and The Morning Show. He can be currently seen in a main role on Call Me Kat, which concluded its second season in May. He also starred as Hades in the third entry of the popular Disney franchise Descendants. Jackson has had an extensive theatrical career, making his Broadway debut in 2002 as a replacement in Thoroughly Modern Millie. He since has starred in several Broadway productions including All Shook Up, On the Twentieth Century and Xanadu. Regarding his Broadway return, Jackson said that “I’m honored and elated to have been asked to return to my Broadway roots and join this enchanting production of Into The Woods alongside these beautiful artists”, before highlighting the increased depth of the piece as a father to two children. Into the Woods marks Jackson’s first time on Broadway since 2012’s The Performers.
The latest revival of the James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim musical opened Off-Broadway at the New York City Center this May before being picked up for a limited Broadway run from July 10 to August 21. The Broadway cast consists of Sara Bareilles, Brian d’Arcy James (replacing Neil Patrick Harris), Patina Miller (replacing Heather Headley), Phillipa Soo (replacing Denee Benton), Joshua Henry, Aymee Garcia (replacing Ann Harada), David Patrick Kelly, Julia Lester, and many more. The production is directed by Lear deBessonet (director of Public Theater’s Hercules), music directed by Rob Berman and choreographed by Lorin Latarro.
This is the second of the late Sondheim‘s musicals that is currently running on Broadway, the other being the Tony-award-winning gender-bent revival of Company. The original production of Into the Woods opened on Broadway in 1987. Starring Bernadette Peters, the production was nominated for a total of ten Tonys, winning three. In 2014, Walt Disney Pictures released a film adaptation of the musical starring Meryl Streep.
Watch the highlights from the limited-engagement of Into the Woods at New York City Center below: