MONOPOLY ADDS STITCH TO ‘OHANA

“Lilo and Stitch,” one of Disney’s enduring cartoon favorites, is transiting to the game board arena. Well, Stitch is, anyway.

Monopoly has added the rascal Stitch and his popular presence, to its growing franchise. A Lilo and Stitch Monopoly already is available.

But folks young and old, kane and wahine, will be able to venture into the realm of Lilo’s frisky buddy Stitch, the blue alien with his own personality.

No specific details have been released about content, regarding specific elements of game cards, or the mini bills of money, but tokens appear to feature Stitch in different color motifs and the game will retain the usual homes and hotels in the business of bartering.

 But assuredly, there will be  the endearing quote from the original animated show, which is being reimagined as a live-action film.

The quote: “Ohana means family, and family means no one is left behind or forgotten.”

Meanwhile, the live-action feature, filmed in Hawaii, is in post-production.

The cast includes Maia Kealoha as Lilo, Sydney Elizabeth Agudong as Nani, Chris Sanders as the voice of Stitch, Zach Galifianakis as Jamba, Courtney B. Vance as Cobra Bubbles, Tia Carrere as Mrs. Kekoa, Amy Hill as a new character Tutu, Kaipo Dudoit,  pictured, as David, and Billy Magnusson as Pleakley.

Jason Scott Lee, pictured, a veteran Hawaii actor who voiced David in an earlier animated role, will make a brief appearance in the live-action film, in an  unnamed role. 

“I got a little, small [part]. They threw me some bones, and I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely! In any capacity,’” Lee said. “I just wanted to be a part of it, so it’s a three-day cameo, and I think it will be fun.”

Lee plays a luau manager, and he gets to appear with the updated David actor (Dudoit) in the process.

Stitch will, of course, be a CG creation, via Dean Fleischer Camp, who will direct the film destined to be a major release on Disney+. Camp was an Oscar nominee for best animation feature for his “Marcel the Shell with  Shoes On” hit…

Tony nominees to be named Tuesday

Nominees for the 2024 Tony Awards will be announced Tuesday (April 30) from New York.

 The awards gala will be held June 13 at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theatre, with CBS televising the event.

The likely contenders for original plays include “Patriots,” “Stereophonic,” “Mother’s Play,” “Mary Jane,” and “Grey House.”

The roster of original musicals nominees include
“The Notebook,” “Suffs,” “Water for Elephants,” “The Outsiders,” “Back to the Future: The Musical,””Lempicka,” “Illinoise,”  “How to Dance in Ohio,” “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Hell’s Kitchen.”

Play revival candidate include “Doubt: A Parable,” “Uncle Vanya,”
“An Enemy of the Future,” “Purlie Victorious” and “Appropriate.”

Musical revival competitors include “Cabaret at the Kit Klub Club,” “The Wiz,” “Gutenberg!  The Musical,” “Spamalot” and “The Who’s Tommy.”

The American Theatre Wing and Broadway League are sponsors of the Tonys…

‘Forbidden Broadway’ returning this summer.

“Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song,” Gerard Alessandrini’s  beloved poke at Broadway shows and stars, will be a summer-fall attraction on Broadway.”

The show, which traditionally lampoons the attractions and performers then and now, will preview July 15 and open Aug. 5 at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Closing date is Nov. 1.

Alessandrini, pictured, a veteran playwright, is the reigning prince of parody lyrics and reinventions of Broadway fare will target such current shows as “The Notebook,” “Water for Elephants,” “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Back to the Future: The Musical,”  and “Merrily We Roll Along,” along with new interpretations of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company,” “Into the Woods” and “Company.”

Over the decades, “Forbidden Broadway” immortalized legendary figures on the Great Way, including “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Misérables” and “Fiddler on the Roof,” and such iconic spoofs of  Carol Channing, Liza Minnelli, Ethel Merman, Julie Andrews, Chita Rivera, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. In fact, the last “Forbidden Broadway” show I saw on Broadway was entirely focused on Miranda and “Hamilton.”

If you’re in the Big Apple when “Forbidden Broadway” is being staged, this is a gotta-see. Always hilarious, often with belly laughs.

And that’s Show Biz…