Behind the Curtain: 'A Time to Kill,' 'First Date' to close

Two new Broadway shows that received less-than-enthusiastic reviews and failed to catch on with ticket buyers posted closing notices on Wednesday afternoon. The courtroom drama "A Time to Kill," which marked the first John Grisham novel to be adapted to the stage, will close on Nov. 17. The musical "First Date," which depicts a young pair meeting up at a bar, will also shutter, but not until Jan. 5, perhaps from hopes of selling tickets during the lucrative holiday season.

In an interview with Yahoo Movies, Hugh Jackman revealed that he has been offered the role of Adolpho, the Latin Lothario, in the upcoming film of the musical "The Drowsy Chaperone," which stars Geoffrey Rush as Man in Chair, who revels in listening to his favorite cast album and narrates its plot to the audience.

Manhattan Concert Productions, which produced a starry one-night concert of the musical "Ragtime" at Avery Fisher Hall last season, will now do the same with "Titanic" on Feb. 17. The cast will be made up mainly of members of the original Broadway cast, including Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Brian d'Arcy James, David Garrison and John Bolton.

"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" book writer Glen Berger has revealed in numerous interviews, while promoting his tell-all "Song of Spider-Man," that he is at work on a musical adaptation of the 2007 film "August Rush" with songwriter Mark Mancina, who wrote the score of the film. Although no director has been announced, it's a good bet that it will not be Julie Taymor.