Theater buzz: Annette Bening joins 'King Lear' cast

The show "King Lear"

The deal Annette Bening has joined the cast of the upcoming Shakespeare in the Park production of "King Lear," which starts performances on July 22 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. She will play Goneril, one of Lear's not so likable daughters. The cast will also include John Lithgow (as Lear), Jessica Hecht, Christopher Innvar and Jay O. Sanders.

What The Obies

The deal The musical "Fun Home," which played a critically-acclaimed Off-Broadway run at the Public Theater during the fall and is expected to transfer to Broadway next season, dominated the Village Voice Obie Awards, which were given out last week. Sydney Lucas, 10, who was recognized for her performance in "Fun Home," became the youngest person ever to win the award. The musical was also recognized for its music (Jeanine Tesori), lyrics and book (Lisa Kron), and direction (Sam Gold).

The show "Bridges of Madison County"

The deal The Broadway community came out on May 18 to mourn the quick closing of the Jason Robert Brown-Marsha Norman musical "The Bridges of Madison County," which failed to catch on with audiences. In addition to the thundering ovations that showered its final performance, numerous industry figures paid tribute to the show on Facebook. "Even in the coldblooded Darwinian commercial universe of today's Great White Way, this show deserved a better fate," actor Nick Wyman wrote. "A very sad testament to the current state of Broadway that this exquisite show will not be seen by more people," music producer Kurt Deutsch wrote.

The show "School of Rock"

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The deal Andrew Lloyd Webber is thinking of bringing his upcoming musical version of the Jack Black film "School of Rock" straight to Broadway, as reported by The Telegraph. Although one might think that Lloyd Webber is eyeing Broadway because "Stephen Ward," his latest musical, just flopped in London's West End, it may have more to do with looser requirements for hiring child performers in the United States. "You don't have to do all this triple casting, you can cast them as if they're adults," Lloyd Webber told the paper.