Arts

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Electrical fire forces closure of Broadway theater that hosts 'The Book of Mormon'

NEW YORK (AP) — A fire broke out Monday in the Broadway theater that hosts “The Book of Mormon,” forcing the long-running musical to close, at least temporarily, as the historic venue undergoes repairs.The blaze, which began in an electrical room, caused “substantial damage” to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, according to New York Fire Department Assistant Chief David Simms. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.“Everyone has been safely removed from the theater,” the theater’s owner, ATG Entertainment, said in a statement. “We will keep all parties abreast of this developing situation.”It wasn’t immediately clear how long the 1,108-seat theater would be out of operation. A spokesperson for “The Book of Mormon” did not immediately respond to messages. The show’s next scheduled performance is Tuesday.Simms said the damage was largely confined to the fourth floor area and a backroom containing lighting equipment and dangling chandeliers. There was some water damage as well, he said.Firefighters initially struggled to knock down the flames due to catwalks and rigging in the theater, but were eventually able to bring it under control, he said. One firefighter suffered minor injuries.“The Book of Mormon” is among Broadway’s longest running shows, with more than 5,000 performances since opening at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in 2011.The theater, which opened in 1925, has previously hosted productions of “Sweeney Todd,” a revival of Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and the rock musical “Spring Awakening,” among many other performances.Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Marcus Chen

ArtsWPLG Local 10•May 4

Cruise ship with huge Broadway stars to steam off to Mexico and Bahamas in spring 2027

NEW YORK (AP) — A star-studded cruise ship with some of Broadway's biggest names — including Tony Award-winners Patti LuPone, Darren Criss, Norbert Leo Butz and Adrienne Warren — is setting sail from Florida to Mexico and the Bahamas next spring.The Broadway Cruise — heading roundtrip from Miami to Cozumel and Great Stirrup Cay from April 15-20, 2027 — will also feature Tony nominees Norm Lewis, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Laura Bell Bundy, Micaela Diamond and Kerry Butler.In addition to performances, the cruise will offer multiple interactive theatrical events, Q&As, workshops, discussions on how to create a show and dance classes.There will also be full performances of “Mama I’m a Big Girl Now!,” with Winokur, Bundy and Butler, who met starring as Tracy, Penny and Amber in “Hairspray” and reunite to sing Broadway hits and share behind-the-scenes stories.Tony-winning composer Marc Shaiman — fresh off publishing his memoir “Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner” — will be onboard, as well as three-time Tony-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, behind such shows as “Kinky Boots” and “La Cage aux Folles.”“This isn’t just a fan experience, it’s Broadway without walls, an all-access experience at sea where fans and legends collide. For five extraordinary nights, the ship becomes the stage, the backstage, and everything in between. Nothing else comes close,” said Jeff Cuellar, CEO at Sixthman, in a statement.This will be the fourth Broadway Cruise, which borrows the Norwegian Jewel for its themed trips.Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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ArtsWPLG Local 10•May 4

Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, Stellan Skarsgård among Cannes Film Festival jurors

Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao and Stellan Skarsgård are among the jurors who will decide the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, organizers announced Monday.Just about a week before the 79th Cannes begins May 12, organizers unveiled the nine-member jury that will deliberate on the films in competition at the annual French Riviera festival. As already announced, South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook is president of the jury.Along with him, Moore, Zhao and Skarsgård, the jurors are: Irish-Ethiopian actor Ruth Negga, Belgian director and screenwriter Laura Wandel, Chilean director and screenwriter Diego Céspedes, Ivorian American actor Isaach De Bankolé and Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty.Moore and Skarsgård have both in recent years co-starred in films at Cannes that ultimately earned them Oscar nominations. Moore's “The Substance” premiered at the festival in 2024. Last year, “Sentimental Value,” with Skarsgård, launched at Cannes.The festival runs May 12-23.Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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ArtsWPLG Local 10•May 4

Berlin's Pergamon Museum will reopen in mid-2027 as a lengthy restoration moves forward

BERLIN (AP) — Berlin's Pergamon Museum, traditionally one of the German capital's top tourist attractions, will reopen next year after the first part of a painstaking restoration effort that has kept its centerpiece out of the public eye for more than a decade.The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which oversees many of Berlin's museums, announced Monday that the museum will reopen on June 4, 2027.The museum's centerpiece is the 2nd-century B.C. Pergamon Altar. Decorated with a marble frieze, it was built between 197 and 156 B.C. in what is now Bergama, Turkey.The Pergamon Museum has been closed altogether since October 2023. The part of the building containing the Pergamon Altar has been closed for far longer, since 2014.Some parts will remain closed for work even after next year's reopening, notably the wing containing Babylon's Ishtar Gate. The museum is slated to reopen fully in 2037.The museum is being restored as part of a long-term plan to overhaul the neoclassical Museum Island complex, which was built between 1830 and 1930 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.Parts of the island were badly damaged during World War II, and cash-strapped communist East Germany never fully restored it. Work on three of the five museums has already been completed and a new entrance building for the complex, the James Simon Gallery, was opened in 2019.Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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ArtsWPLG Local 10•May 4

Shares of eBay take off on a $56 billion buyout bid from GameStop's Ryan Cohen

Shares of eBay are soaring before the opening bell Monday as Ryan Cohen's GameStop pursues an approximately $56 billion takeover of the company, seeing it as a vehicle to compete with online retail giant Amazon.The national gaming retailer said that its approximately 1,600 U.S. stores could become drop-off and shipping locations. One proposal includes live sales broadcasts from GameStop locations featuring eBay products.“EBay has the second largest commerce franchise and there’s a big opportunity to do something much larger,” Cohen said in a CNBC interview Monday.GameStop's bid is $125 per share in cash and stock. The equity value of the proposed deal is $55 billion on paper.EBay confirmed the huge bid on Monday and said that it has had no talks with GameStop or received any outreach from the company before it received the proposal.The company's board, along with financial and legal advisors, will review the offer and determine what course of action to take, eBay said.GameStop said that it started accumulating shares in eBay beginning in February and currently has a 5% stake.The company is looking to lower costs at eBay, saying that the online seller spent $2.4 billion on sales and marketing in fiscal 2025 while only adding 1 million net active buyers. GameStop says it will achieve $2 billion in annualized cost cuts within a year of the proposed transaction's closing.Cohen, who owns about 9% of GameStop, would serve as CEO of the combined company. He would only be compensated based on the combined company's performance.Cohen became CEO of GameStop in 2023. At the time the position had become a rotating door with the company trying to survive as streaming upended the gaming industry. GameStop became one of the most well-known meme stocks to create a frenzy among retail traders on Wall Street. The company’s shares took off in 2021 after a band of smaller-pocketed investors helped boost its stock by 1,000% in two weeks.GameStop shares have fallen since then, but are still up more than 30% this year.Shares of eBay jumped more than 7% in premarket trading, while GameStop's stock declined nearly 3%.Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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