Idina Menzel is (finally!) coming back to Broadway. The iconic actress is set to make her return in 2025 at a yet-to-be-announced theater in Redwood, a new original musical that she herself conceived alongside Tina Landau, who is also credited as the writer and director of the production.

The show, which premiered earlier this year at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, will be Menzel’s first Broadway role since her time on If/Then in March of 2014.

According to an official press release, Redwood stars Menzel as Jesse, “a successful businesswoman, mother and wife who seems to have it all but, inside, her heart is broken.” At a turning point in her life, Jesse gets in her car and drivers thousands of miles to the forests of Northern California, “where a chance meeting and a leap of faith change her life forever.” 

“I’m so thrilled to be returning to Broadway, and the fact that I get to do it with Redwood, a musical that means so much to me, makes it even more special,” Menzel said in an official statement. “This show has lived in my bones for fifteen years, from the very first time Tina and I discussed working together. Finally getting to do it on Broadway is really a dream come true.”

In addition to her upcoming theater work, Menzel is also gearing up for her upcoming North American tour, which includes a stop at the Beacon Theatre on August 15. If you just can’t wait to catch the star in Redwood, you might want to snag tickets to her upcoming concerts, where she’ll be performing some of her songs from the upcoming musical.

Details regarding additional Redwood cast members have not been disclosed yet but, regardless of who will join Menzel on stage, we suspect the musical will be highly scrutinized for a variety of reasons: Menzel is a Broadway darling and the show is completely new material, a breath of fresh air given the countless adaptations and revivals that have come to define the industry in recent years. 

* This article was originally published here

Lewis Latimer is one of the most important American figures that you’ve likely never heard of. Among other things, the Black inventor helped develop the telephone alongside Alexander Graham Bell, as well as the lightbulb alongside Thomas Edison. He was also responsible for developing the first iterations of the modern air conditioner and even improved the mechanism used in train bathrooms.

If you want to learn more about this icon—which to be honest, we all should—then you can head to his former home in Flushing, Queens, which is about to reopen ahead of Juneteenth. 

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The Lewis Latimer House Museum had closed temporarily while they built out a new exhibit that you’ll be able to check out starting Saturday, June 15, and they’re kicking off the opening with a big celebration from 1-4pm. That event will include a marching band, sculpture making station, ceramics workshops, an African drum and dance circle, and more. You can register for the reopening party here. 

The house museum contains five galleries, including “Light up the World,” which highlights Latimer’s influence on modern technology and culture; “A Definite Purpose,” which explores Latimer’s life in the context of history, and addresses how his Black identity created challenges throughout his career; “A Legacy of Imagination,” which explores Latimer’s family history, including their involvement in the Civil Rights Movement; and “Community at the Center,” which explores Latimer’s role in the Harlem Renaissance. 

For a more hands-on experience, the Latimer Lab gives younger visitors the chance to get hands-on lessons on science, technology and engineering. 

After Saturday, the Latimer House Museum will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 5pm. Admission is pay-as-you-wish, with a suggested donation of $5 per person. For more information, check out the museum’s website. 

* This article was originally published here

The first official day of summer is still a week away but New Yorkers are urged to prepare for extremely high temperatures starting Tuesday of next week, when a heat dome is expected to settle across the Northeast. 

The heat dome—which usually happens when a pocket of extremely hot air is quite literally “trapped” above a region—will bring 90-degrees-plus temperatures to New York City starting Tuesday, capping out at an expected 95 degrees by Thursday, according to the New York Post.

Although things can obviously change, meteorologists expect the temperatures to stay in the 90s all through next weekend as well. 

What is perhaps most noteworthy is the fact that New Yorkers will still be very hot when the sun sets: experts are forecasting temperatures in the mid-70s every night next week as well. 

The National Weather Service has issued a moderate risk of excessive heat warning through next Friday, June 21. 

Needless to say, we urge New Yorkers to take appropriate measures given the weather forecast: try to stay indoors or head to a cooling center if your home isn’t properly ventilated (you might even qualify for a free air conditioner!). If you must be outside, try to stay in the shade, drink a lot of fluids and avoid working out. Wearing light clothes and taking cool showers may help as well.

Time for another summer in New York!

* This article was originally published here

Earlier this week, during a press conference, Governor Kathy Hochul revealed that she is considering a ban on face masks in the city’s subway system as a result of antisemitic acts that have been committed by folks donning the coverings.

The politician revealed having already spoken about the matter with Mayor Eric Adams, specifically dissecting how the plan would be put into place and who would be exempt from the ban (think surgical masks, folks using them for health-related issues or religious beliefs).

During the event, Hochul mentioned that, earlier this week, “a group donning masks took over subway cars, scaring riders and chanting” antisemitic remarks. 

The night after, “several members [on the] board of the Brooklyn Museum had their homes vandalized,” the official also said.

Although prohibiting the use of facial coverings on the subway will not necessarily stop people from committing hate crimes, Hochul believes that the behaviors could at least partly be curbed.

“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior,” Hochul said during the press event. “My team is working on a solution, but on a subway, people should not be able to hide behind a mask to commit crimes.”

If the measure ends up becoming law, it wouldn’t be the first time that New Yorkers will be prohibited from wearing face masks in public.

According to the Associated Press, back in the 1800s, New York officials passed similar guidelines “as a response to protests over rent” and things didn’t really change until 2020, when then-Governor Andrew Cuomo suspended the law in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, when masks were made mandatory for subway riders through September of 2022. 

Despite her intentions, Hochul also made clear that a potential ban would be difficult to craft and in need of input from a variety of different sources.

“I assure everyone, we understand how complex this issue is,” Hochul said during the conference. “And we’re just listening to people and addressing their needs and taking them very seriously.”

* This article was originally published here

A nova explosion, sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event that will “fuel the next generation of scientists,” is expected to occur sometime between now and September. So what does this really mean and how do we know about it? Let’s get into it!

What’s a nova explosion?

A nova explosion is when a white dwarf star’s intense gravitational pull causes it to absorb material from a neighboring star. This matter is then stored on the surface until the hydrogen gas pressure becomes too much and explodes.

Where will the nova explosion occur?

The nova explosion will occur among a dark spot in the “Northern Crown” better known as the binary system T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) or “Blaze Star.” It’s 3,000 light years from Earth.

How often does a nova explosion occur?

According to NASA, a nova explosion for T CrB only occurs about once every 80 years. It’s last explosion was in 1946

How do experts know a nova explosion will occur?

“Most novae happen unexpectedly, without warning,” wrote William J. Cooke, NASA Meteoroid Environments Office lead, in an email. “However, T Coronae Borealis is one of 10 recurring novae in the galaxy. We know from the last eruption back in 1946 that the star will get dimmer for just over a year before rapidly increasing in brightness. T Coronae Borealis began to dim in March of last year, so some researchers are expecting it to go nova between now and September. But the uncertainty as to when this will happen is several months — can’t do better than that with what we know now.”

Will the explosion create a new star?

The nova explosion will be so bright that it will look to the naked eye as if a new star has been created. However, that appearance of a “new star” will only be temporary as the eruption will eventually dim into disappearance.

Will the nova explosion be visible from Earth?

The expected explosion will be so bright that it should be visible to the naked eye for around a week following the explosion. To see the spectacle, try your best to identify stars Arcturus and Vega. In between those two brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere, onlookers should be able to locate the Corona Borealis.

Is a nova different than a supernova?

Yes, a nova and a supernova are not the same thing. A supernova occurs when a large star explodes and dies. A nova however also deals with an explosion but the dwarf star remains and releases accreted material throughout space. Moreover, the intact white dwarf star can even experience numerous nova events.

The post Look Up! Impending, Rare Nova Explosion Will Soon Be Visible To The Naked Eye appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here