Today’s Highlights:
Broadway’s Company benefit concert, in support of Darkness RISING, featuring Kathyrn Allison, Terence Archie, Nikki Renée Daniels, Matt Doyle, Claybourne Elder, Javier Ignacio, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard, and Bobby Conte Thornton, at 7 PM ET at NYC’s Birdland.
Lee Roy Reams’ Well, Well…Hello, Lee Roy! concert, with music direction by Alex Rybeck, at 7 PM ET at Off-Broadway’s York Theatre‘s temporary new home (Theatre at St. Jean’s, 150 East 76th Street).
Haley Swindle: Back in Business concert, at 7 PM ET at 54 Below.
Zack Zadek: On We Go concert, with special guests Alex Brightman, Jane Bruce, Harrison Chad, Danielle Gimbal, Maya Lagerstam, Jared Loftin, Lauren Marcus, Markesha McCoy, Will Roland, Monet Julia Sabel, Jessie Shelton, Natalie Walker, and Keith White, at 9:45 PM ET at 54 Below.
The Public Theater‘s Merry Wives, adapted by Jocelyn Bioh, directed by Saheem Ali, featuring Abena, Shola Adewusi, Bgenga Akinnagbe, Pascale Armand, MaYaa Boateng, Phillip James Brannon, Brandon E. Burton, Joshua Echebiri, Branden Lindsay, Ebony Marshall-Oliver, Jarvis D. Matthews, Jacob Ming-Trent, Jennifer Mogbock, Julan Rozzell Jr., Kyle Scatliff, David Ryan smith, and Susan Kelechi Watson, closes with a special gala performance at Central Park’s Delacorte Theatre.
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Reviews for Camp Siegfried at London’s Old Vic:
The Guardian (Arifa Akbar): It is 1938 and two American teenagers are at a themed summer camp on Long Island that is led by Nazi ideology. However much this may feel like a Truman Show-type of alternate reality… Teenage passion intersects with dangerous ideology as they meet, chat, fall in love… Katy Rudd’s imaginative direction has time and place changes in sudden whooshes… But the pace feels slow and the stage too big for a story that should have a choking intimacy… The plot flatlines toward the end, but this remains a fascinating and artfully written story with stranger-than-fiction reality at its heart.
Time Out (Andrzej Lukowski): Patsy Ferran and Luke Thallon give superb performances in this sensitive drama about a real-life fascist summer camp on Long Island… However, US playwright Bess Wohl’s ‘Camp Siegfried’ is more subtle than just a historical drama about a place that now of course seems like a lurid historical anomaly… Wohl’s sensitively-wrought play is not an apology for fascism, saying all Nazis are just mixed up kids. But it is a drama about radicalisation, about two lonely teenagers who don’t know how they feel about the world, being exposed to a monolithically certain belief system.
The Independent (Paul Taylor): A consummately clever story about a real-life fascist summer camp on Long Island… Wohl admirably does not treat the young couple with the condescension of sarcasm but with the troubled respect of irony. This is a genuine love story. Luke Thallon and Patsy Ferran – who bring the piece to stunning life – palpably ache with desire for one another. It’s the circumstances that are shocking… Katy Rudd’s production makes extraordinary, telling sense of the physical space in the Old Vic
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Party Time! by Jim Bernhard
1. In Promises, Promises, “Turkey Lurkey Time” is a dance at the office Christmas party performed by three…delivery boys…secretaries…executives…farmers
2. In Mame, the Upsons entertain Mame at a dinner party at which Claude Upson serves daiquiris made with…cognac…illicit Cuban rum…honey…peanut butter
3. In The Sound of Music, at a party that Captain von Trapp gives to introduce Maria to his friends, Kurt asks Maria to teach him to dance…the Viennese waltz…the jitterbug…the tango…the Ländler
4. In Bells Are Ringing, Ella feels out of place at a party with Jeff’s snooty friends, and when it’s over, she sings…“The Party’s Over”…“I’ve Been to a Marvelous Party”…“Two Sleepy People”…“I Could Have Danced All Night”
5. Michael John LaChiusa and Andrew Lippa each wrote a musical during the same theatre season based on the same Joseph Moncure March poem…Let’s Party!…The Wild Party…The Bachelor Party…The Anniversary Party
6. In Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party, Lulu brings a package containing a birthday present for Stanley. It is….a watch…a necktie…a toy drum…a gun
7. “This Was A Real Nice Clambake” in Carouselwas cut from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s earlier musical Oklahoma!, in which it was called “This Was A Real Nice…Barn Dance…Hayride…Box Supper…Roundup”
8. In T. S. Eliot’s The Cocktail Party, the character introduced as “Unidentified Guest” turns out to be…a caterer…the husband of one of the guests…a gate crasher…a psychiatrist
9. Neil Simon’s play about three divorced couples who are brought together is called…The Pity Party…The Breakfast Club…The Dinner Party…The Pajama Party
10. The setting for Mart Crowley’s The Boys in the Band is a party to celebrate Harold’s …birthday…getting a new job…wedding anniversary…being sober for a year
Scroll down for the answers…
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2021 Emmy Award winners. Click here for the complete list of winners.
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Manhattan Theatre Club‘s Lackawanna Blues, written, directed by & starring Ruben Santiago-Hudson, currently in previews, will open Sept. 18 and close Oct. 31 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
In a 1950s boarding house on outside Buffalo, Nanny, as she was affectionately called, opened her doors to anyone and everyone in need of kindness, hope, compassion, and care. The play celebrates this strong, big0hearted woman who raised him: Miss Rachel.
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Off-Broadway’s York Theatre will present The 2021 Oscar Hammerstein Award on Mon. Nov. 1 at 6 PM ET at NYC’s Edison Ballroom, directed by Michael Unger, with music direction by Deniz Cordell.
Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire.
Loni Ackerman, George Lee Andrews, Sierra Boggess, Christian Borle, Kerry Butler, Liz Callaway, Margerie Cohen, Jenn Colella, Josh Dela Cruz, George Dvorsky, Santino Fontana, Montego Glover, Adam Gopnik, Norm Lewis, Charlotte Maltby, Sally Mayes, Christiane Noll, Kelly O’Hara, Bryonha Marie Parham, Sal Viviano, and John Weidman.
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Beetlejuice will resume performances Apr. 8, 2022 at the Marriott Marquis Theatre.
Casting and additional information TBA.
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What is it that we’re living for? On Wed. Sept. 22 at 8 PM ET here, the answer will be the reunion of 1970’s Applause, hosted by Charles Kirsch.
Len Cariou, Penny Fuller, Lee Roy Reams, and Brandon Maggart, along with Marilyn D’Honau, Michael Misita, and Bonnie Franklin, along with the show’s press agent, Susan L. Schulman.
The reunion will also feature members of the creative team gathering to share never-before-heard stories and memories of the creation of the musical. They will also discuss changes to the show, cast replacements, the magic of Lauren Bacall, and more.
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Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles will run Oct. 12 – Nov. 14 (opening Nov. 1) at the Signature Theatre, directed by Taibi Magar.
Elena Hurst, Wesley T. Jones, Francis Jue, Karl Kenzler and Tiffany Rachelle Stewart.
The play follows the aftermath of the police officers’ acquittal in Rodney King’s police brutality case, which sparked unrest throughout the city. Smith responded by dissecting the events: she interviewed over 350 Los Angelinos in preparation for the show.
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Bill Corbett’s The Medievalists continues streaming through Sept. 22 HERE, in support of the Vidiots Foundation, directed by Casey Stangl. Use code GoTeamVenture for $5 tickets (while supplies last).
Paget Brewster, Jason Ritter, Rhea Seehorn, Inger Tudor, and James Urbaniak.
The hilarious new comedy follows a once-respected history scholar who crashes and burns on the set of the cheesy TV series adapted from this work. His family rides in on a quest to save the day.
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& 
The world premiere of Mike Kenny’s Rapunzel Alone will audiostream Oct. 1-31 HERE. The live performances will run Mar. 12-19, 2022 at Beverly Hills’ The Wallis, followed by a run Mar. 26 – May 1, 2022 at LA’s 24th Street Theatre.
A sophisticated reimagining of the classic fairy tale. It’s 1944 and bombs are falling in London. With her mum and dad on the front line, Lettie is evacuated to the country, where she finds refuge on Miss Pearce’s farm. But at what price? Is finding safety for a 12-yea-old, mixed-race girl in a rural, homogenous community akin to isolating her in a tower?
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The Phoenix Theatre Company has announced a slate of readings of upcoming new musicals:
Tiananmen, (Sept. 23 at 3 PM ET at Nex Gen Studios) by Scott Elmegreen & Drew Fornarola, directed by Telly Leung. With the onset of a new “Cold War” between the United States and China, and authoritarian tendencies rising around the world, this is a timely musical for the modern era.
Americano! (Nov. 19 at 12 & 4 PM ET and Nov. 20 at 11 AM ET), by Michael Barnard & Jonathan Rosenberg, directed by Rosenberg. The true-life story of Antonio Valdovinos, a DREAMER who grew up in Phoenix and learned of his undocumented status on his 18th birthday after trying to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Bar Mitzvah in Birmingham (Sept. 26 as part of the RMT’s Human Rights in Birmingham), by Ben Andron & Nissim Black, directed by Thomas W. Jones. The fictional story of an Orthodox Jewish family which moves to a small town outside Birmingham, AL. As they struggle to adapt to life in the South, their fish-ou-of-water story provides the backdrop for an important dialogue about systemic racism and the “New South.”
Overcome (date TBA), by Raheem Jarbo, Thomas W. Jones II, & Dr. Warren H. Stewart Sr., directed by Jones II The musical focuses on the epic, six-year battle to establish Arizona’s Martin Luther King, jr. Holiday and its important place as a historic chapter in the march for greater civil rights.
The Ghost of John McCain (dates TBA), by Drew Fornarola, directed by Michael Barnard. A serious and satirical musical that compares and contrasts the personal and political journeys of two modern-day mavericks (John McCain and Joe Biden) and their long-time feud to redefine the American political landscape, as well as their own ongoing struggle for the White House.
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While there isn’t much information known yet about Stephen Sondheim’s new musical, here is what we do know…
* The musical’s title is Square One.
* The musical is being written with David Ives (originally the collaboration began with Terence McNally).
* The musical will reportedly follow a similar structure to Merrily We Roll Along, which tells the story in reverse chronological order.
* However, there is no confirmation that this musical and Square One are one in the same.
* Nathan Lane has revealed that he and Bernadette Peters recently participated in a reading.
* Despite rumors, this new musical and Buñuel are not the same project.
* The new musical could arrive on Broadway as early as 2022.
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Matt Werner & Gene Back’s Burning Man The Musical will stream Oct. 1-31 HERE (use code CHAD for a 20% discount), directed by Matt Werner, with choreography by Tyler Milliron, and Music Supervision by Ari Grooves. The live version of the show will run Mar. 26 – May 1, 2022 at LA’s 24th Street Theatre (link and additional information TBA).
Morgan Siobhan Green, Tally Sessions, Max Crumm, Michelle Duffy, Troy Iwata, Allison Griffith, Mila Jam, Ysabel Jasa, Michael F. McBride, and Ari Grooves.
Molly, a promising young tech grad, returns to the playa of Black Rock City — this time employed by the very tech company that, unbeknownst to her, seeks to destroy it. After being given the task of acquiring drugs for her boss’ exclusive party, Molly finds herself on a journey inward – and through the community of Burning Man – finds her truest self.
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Video: New trailer for Stephen Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” which will open Dec. 10.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Party Time!
1. In Promises, Promises, “Turkey Lurkey Time” is a dance at the office Christmas party performed by three secretaries.
2. In Mame, the Upsons entertain Mame at a dinner party at which Claude Upson serves daiquiris made with honey.
3. In The Sound of Music, at a party that Captain von Trapp gives to introduce Maria to his friends, Kurt asks Maria to teach him to dance the Ländler
4. In Bells Are Ringing, Ella feels out of place at a party with Jeff’s snooty friends, and when it’s over, she sings “The Party’s Over.”
5. Michael John LaChiusa and Andrew Lippa each wrote a musical during the same theatre season based on Joseph Moncure March’s poem “The Wild Party.”
6. In Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party, Lulu brings a package containing a birthday present for Stanley. It is a toy drum.
7. “This Was A Real Nice Clambake” in Carousel was cut from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s earlier musical Oklahoma!, in which it was called “This Was A Real Nice Hayride.”
8. In T. S. Eliot’s The Cocktail Party, the character introduced as “Unidentified Guest” turns out to be a psychiatrist.
9. Neil Simon’s play about three divorced couples who are brought together is called The Dinner Party.
10. The setting for Mart Crowley’s The Boys in the Band is a party to celebrate Harold’s birthday.