Judy Kaye joining 'Anastasia,' and more theater news

THE SHOW "Anastasia"

THE DEAL Two-time Tony Award winner Judy Kaye will take over for Mary Beth Peil as the Dowager Empress in the Broadway hit beginning Sept. 28. Veteran actress Kaye, who made her Broadway debut in the 1970s as Rizzo in "Grease," last appeared on Broadway in 2016 as Madame Morrible in "Wicked." She won Tonys for her roles as Duchess Estonia Dulworth in "Nice Work If You Can Get It" in 2012 and as Carlotta in "Phantom of the Opera" in 1988.

THE SHOW "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child"

THE DEAL An album of music from this year's best play Tony Award winner will be released on Nov. 2, the show's producers have announced. "The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is written, composed, performed and recorded by Grammy winner Imogen Heap. The album will consist of four contemporary musical suites, each showcasing one of the play’s theatrical acts. To pre-order, go to HarryPotter.lnk.to/HARRYPOTTERANDTHE CURSEDCHILDPR

WHAT The Metropolitan Opera

THE DEAL The Met has reached an agreement with the unions representing its musicians and chorus that will allow Sunday matinees to become part of its regular performance schedule beginning next season. The news comes as a relief to operagoers who are unable to sit through a four-plus-hour work by Wagner on a weeknight. As part of the agreement, the unions will receive a wage increase and improved pension benefits. The annual season will also be restructured to include a midseason break in February and extend the season into mid-June.

THE SHOW "Theater Talk"

THE DEAL The no-frills public television series featuring in-depth interviews with prominent theater artists has ended after a 26-year run. In a statement on social media, producer and host Susan Haskins-Doloff said that the show recently ended its relationship with the CUNY TV studio  because of a disagreement over “editorial and creative control” and has been unable to find a suitable “producing partnership elsewhere.”