Theater

Level Forward, a production company led by Abigail Disney, has acquired the rights to adapt Walter Tevis's novel "The Queen's Gambit" into a stage musical.

“It is a privilege for Level Forward to lead the charge of bringing ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ to the stage through the beloved and enduring craft of musical theater,” so Level Forward CEO Adrienne Becker and producer Julia Dunetz. “Told through a brave and fresh point of view, audiences are already sharing in the friendship and fortitude of the story’s inspiring women who energize and sustain Beth Harmon’s journey and ultimate triumph. The story is a siren call amidst our contemporary struggles for gender and racial equity, and we’re looking forward to moving the project forward.”

Magician and tiger tamer Siegfried Fischbacher has died at the age of 81. According to a report in the "Bild" newspaper, he had suffered from terminal pancreatic cancer. The malignant tumor had been removed, but there was no prospect of a cure, the newspaper reported. Together with his colleague and partner Roy Horn, Fischbacher had achieved world fame with tiger and lion acts. In May 2020, Roy died at the age of 75 as a result of a Covdi-19 infection.

After abruptly closing on March 12, 2020, the Broadway theatres will be shut down at least until May 30, 2021. There is no exact date for the performances to resume, but producers are offering refunds and exchanges for tickets purchased for shows through May 30.

Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, said: "We are working tirelessly with multiple partners on sustaining the industry once we raise our curtains again."