BY NAVEEN KUMAR
> Andrew Lloyd Webber announced his new project, a musical adaptation of Richard Linklater and Mike White's 2003 film School of Rock starring Jack Black, will come to Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre in November 2015. Featuring songs from the movie as well as new music by Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater (Sister Act) and a book by Downton Abbey-creator Julian Fellowes, the show will follow the movie's story of a wily wannabe rock star who poses as a substitute teacher and forms a band with his students. Directed by Laurence Connor (Les Misérables), the production will begin casting in January.
> Director Bill Condon's reimagined revival of Side Show, Henry Kreiger and Bill Russell's 1997 musical about the trials of conjoined twins, announced a closing date of January 4 at the St. James Theatre. Starring Emily Padgett and Erin Davie, the new production will close after just 77 performances, several weeks shorter than the original run, which ranks among Broadway's most notable flops. Despite proof of middling ticket sales, lead producer Darren Bagert told the New York Times the production was pressured to close by theatre owner Jujamcyn to make room for another show. Read about the drama here.
> Side Show will step aside to make room for Something Rotten!, a new musical comedy produced by Kevin McCollum and directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (Aladdin, Book of Mormon), starting performances at the St. James on March 23, 2015 and opening April 22. With book and lyrics by brothers Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick and book by John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick, the show tells the story of two brothers in 1595 England who pen the world's first musical in attempts to outdo Shakespeare. The show's original out-of-town tryout in Seattle was cancelled to hasten the Broadway premiere. Brian d'Arcy James and Christian Borle are expected to star.
> Manhattan Theatre Club announced Sam Shepard's Fool for Love as its first Broadway production of the 2015-16 season, beginning performances in September at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Directed by Daniel Aukin and starring Nina Arianda (Tony-winner for Venus in Fur) and Sam Rockwell, the production was previously produced in Williamstown Theatre Festival's 2014 season. This will mark the Broadway premiere of Shepard's 1983 play about dueling former lovers in the American West.