‘Addams Family’ will open in April

‘Addams Family’ will open in April

NEW YORK — “The Addams Family” musical has found a home on Broadway.

Its producers say the show will open April 8 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Previews begin March 4 after a Chicago tryout that starts in mid-November.

It’s based on the delightfully ghoulish cartoons that originated in The New Yorker magazine and became TV series and movies.

As previously announced, Nathan Lane will play Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth will be Morticia in the production. Also in the cast are Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester, Jackie Hoffman as Grandma and Zachary James as Lurch.

Jay-Z will replace Beasties at festival

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Jay-Z will make his U.S. festival debut when he replaces the Beastie Boys at the All Points West Music & Arts Festival in New Jersey.

The Grammy winner stepped in after the Beastie Boys were forced to cancel their opening night appearance July 31. The trio scrapped their current schedule because member Adam Yauch must undergo surgery and treatment for a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland.

The three-day festival at Liberty State Park in Jersey City also features Tool, Coldplay and more than 65 artists.

‘Finian’s Rainbow’ lands on Broadway

NEW YORK — Will “Finian’s Rainbow” find its pot of gold on Broadway?

A revival of the satiric musical fantasy about an Irish immigrant, his feisty daughter and a leprechaun who follows them to America will open Oct. 29 at the St. James Theatre. Previews begin Oct. 8.

The cast will include Jim Norton as Finian, Kate Baldwin as his daughter, Christopher Fitzgerald as the leprechaun, Chuck Cooper as a Southern politician and Cheyenne Jackson as the labor organizer who woos the young woman.

The revival, directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, is based on last spring’s acclaimed concert production at City Center.

‘Star Wars’ concert tour will open in October

LOS ANGELES — A worldwide “Star Wars” concert tour will hyperdrive across the planet.

“Star Wars in Concert” will feature a symphony orchestra and choir performing composer John Williams’ music from the six “Star Wars” films. C-3P0 actor Anthony Daniels will narrate, accompanied by a three-story-tall high-definition screen displaying movie footage synchronized to live music.

Organizers plan to land the tour in several North American cities before embarking on a global journey. “Star Wars in Concert” will launch at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Oct. 1, and make stops in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Jose, Calif.; Seattle; Portland; Tulsa, Okla.; and Oklahoma City. Other cities will be announced later.

Today’s birthdays

Actress Marjorie Lord (“Make Room For Daddy”) is 91. Movie director Blake Edwards is 87. Actor James Best (“The Dukes of Hazzard”) is 83. Singer Dobie Gray is 69. Singer Darlene Love is 68. Singer Brenton Wood is 68. Singer Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones is 66. Actress Helen Mirren is 64. Drummer Roger Taylor of Queen is 60. Actress Susan George is 59. Actor Kevin Spacey is 50. Singer Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen) is 48. Actress Sandra Bullock is 45. Singer Jim Lindberg of Pennywise is 44. Actor Jeremy Piven is 44. Singer Wayne Wonder is 43. Actor Cress Williams (“Close to Home”) is 39. Host Chris Harrison of “The Bachelor” is 38. Actress Kate Beckinsale (“The Aviator,” “Pearl Harbor”) is 36. Drummer Dan Konopka of OK Go is 35.