This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, December 19
Woman Is … Eden Espinosa concert, directed by Rachel Chavkin, at 7:30 PM at LA’s The Wallis.
Saturday, December 20
A screening of John Caird & Paul Gordon’s Estella Scrooge, featuring Betsy Wolfe, Patrick Page, Danny Burstein, Laurten Patten, and more, will stream here (not sure if there is a start time or if it will be available all day).
If We Kiss, by Rachel Vail, directed by Zachary Elkind, featuring Jordan Bellow, Caroline Grogan, Katie Hartke, Jeffrey Omura, and Frankie Placid, closes at Off-Broadway’s A.R.T.
Noises Off, directed by Shelley Butler, featuring Rhett Guter(Garry LeJeune), Robert Mammana (Lloyd Dallas), David Manis (Selsdon Mowbray), Linda Mugleston(Dotty Otley), Kilty Reidy( Tim Allgood), Terence Archie (Frederic Fellowes), Sarah Marie Joyce (Belinda Blair), Olivia Kaufmann (Brook Ashton), Olivia Kaufmann (Brooke Ashton), and Avneet Kaur Sandhu Poppy Norton-Taylor, closes at Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Theatre.
Anthony Rapp: Home for the Holidays concert closes at Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre.
Sunday, December 21
Sidney Meyer Rides Again! concert opens at NYC’s Pangea (178 2nd Ave.)
ART, by Yazmina Reza, directed by Scott Ellis, featuring Bobby Cannavale, James Corden, and Neil Patrick Harris, closes at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre.
Red Bull Theater‘s Richard II, directed by Craig Baldwin, starring Michael Urie, closes at Off-Broadway’s Astor Place Theatre.
NewYorkRep‘s The American Soldier, written & performed by Douglas Taurel, closes at Off-Broadway’s A.R.T.
Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson closes at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre.
Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern, by David Carpenter, David Andrew Laws & Sarah David Reynolds, directed byMichael Fess, featuring Will Champion, RJchristian, and Jasmin Malave, closes at LA’s Montalbán Theatre. Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern, by David Carpenter, David Andrew Laws & Sarah David Reynolds, directed byMichael Fess, featuring Will Champion, RJchristian, and Jasmin Malave, closes at LA’s Montalbán Theatre.
A Kidman Carol: A Gay Dementia on Australian Dames, written & directed by Kevin Zak, featuring Marla Mindelle (Nicole Kidman) and Josh Sharp (Cate Blanchett), with Renée Albulario, Robi Hager, and Phillip Taratul, closes at Off-Broadway’s Theater 511.
Christmas On The Rocks, directed by Rob Ruggiero, featuring Jen Cody, Richard Kline, and Matthew McGloin, closes at TheaterWorks Hartford.
A Sherlock Carol, by Mark Shanahan, directed by Ilyse Robbins, featuring Leigh Barrett, Christopher Chew, Mark Linehan, Paul Melendy, Michelle Moran, and Jon Vellante, closes at Lyric Stage Boston.
Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Selina Cadel, featuring Deborah Hay (Beatrice) and Craig Bierko s(Benedick), with Debo Balogun, Mark Bedard, Joey Chelius, Sean Fortunato, Kevin Gudahl, Suzanne Hannau, Colin Huerta, Samuel B. Jackson, Mi Kang, Jaylon Muchison, Felicia Oduh, Yona Moises Olivares, Jeff Parker, and Tiffany Scott, closes at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
The Long Beach Nutcracker closes at CA’s Long Beach Ballet.
Write Act Rep‘s Pieces of December, a series of one-act plays, by Susan C. Hunter, David Lvov, Thomas J. Misuraca, Dmitry Parkhomchuk, Abigael Peltonen, Jorge A. Pulido and Darrin Yalacki, Susan C. Hunter, David Lvov, Laura Lineback, Dmitry Parkhomchuk. Abigael Peltonen, Jorge A. Pulido and Darrin Yalack, directed by Susan C. Hunter, David Lvov, Laura Lineback, Dmitry Parkhomchuk. Abigael Peltonen, Jorge A. Pulido and Darrin Yalacki , featuring Alicia Agramonte, Bruce Anderson, Lance Bagley, Allison Delaney, Lisa Eve, Katie Mary Garland, Sonja Hansen, Kimo Keoke, Mike Knox, Adam Kroksh, Michael Kulukundis, Ceci Laiche, Nneka, Jesse O’Freel, Marquice Perrera, Jack Searer, and Ally Jo Williams, closes at North Hollywood’s Brickhouse Theatre.
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, directed by David Ralphe, featuring Joey Langford, Jack Rodgers, Dawn Michelle, KiSea Katikka, Peter Fair, Beth Stockton, Anna Marie Melendrez, Lexi Windisch and Will Palo, closes at North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre.
Die Heart: The Director’s Cut, by the Troubadour Theater Company, directed & choreographed by Matt Walker, featuring Beth Kennedy, Rick Batalla, Mike Sulprizio, Clinton Roane, Chelle Denton, John Paul Batista, Trey McIntyre, Philip McNiven, Lara Lafferty, Benji Kaufman, Luis Martinez, Sofia JoAnna, and Matt Walker, closes at Burbank’s Colony Theatre.
Bob’s Holiday Office Party, by Rob Elk, directed by Matt Roth, featuring Joe Keyes, Rob Elk, Mark Fite, Judy Heneghan, Johanna McKay, Peter Breitmayer, Andrea Hutchman, Sirena Irwin, Johanna McKay & Pat Towne, closes at LA’s Odyssey Theatre.
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Reviews for Broadway’s Amahl and the Night Visitors at Broadway’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre.
Click here for all the reviews.
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David Ireland’s Ulster American will run Mar. 6 – May 10 (opening Mar. 15) at Irish Rep, directed by Ciarán O’Reilly.
Matthew Broderick, Geraldine Hughes, and Max Baker.
On the evening before rehearsals begin for her new work, Ulster-born playwright Ruth Davenport visits the home of English director Leigh Carver, along with Oscar-winning Hollywood star Jay Conway who has just arrived in London to star in the world premiere. What begins as a cordial gathering to discuss the upcoming production quickly descends into a brutal psychological brawl as egos, ideologies, and historical baggage collide. A theatrical hand grenade disguised as a drawing-room comedy, Ulster American explosively reveals some raw contradictions at the heart of modern storytelling and political posturing.
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Julie Benko: From Standby to Standing Ovation will take place Mon. Feb. 23 at 7: 30 PM at NYC’s 92Y.
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Sweeney Todd will run Jan. 30 – Feb. 22 (opening Jan. 31) at CA’s La Mirada Theatre, directed by Jason Alexander, with music direction by Darryl Archibald, and choreography by Lee Martino.
Will Swenson (Sweeney Todd), Lesli Margherita (Mrs. Lovett), Chris Hunter (Anthony), Allison Sheppard (Johanna), Norman Large (Judge Turpin),Nicholas Mongriardo-Cooper (Beaddle), Austyn Myers (Tobias), Andrew Polec (Pirelli), Meghan Andrews (Beggar Woman), and Jeff Lowe (Overseer), with Gabbie Adner, Anthony Cannarella, Ryan Dietz, Grant Hodges, Bets Malone, Drew Margolis, Michael McClure, Hassan Nazari-Robati, Lizzy Sheck, Rianny Vasquez, Toni Elizabeth White, Davide Costa and Maddie Miller Lacambra.
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Will Friedwald, Adrian Galante, Ted Firth & Jack Lewin’s Going Bacharach: The Songs of an Icon will run Jan. 8 – Feb. 15 at the Marjorie S. Deane Theatre, directed by David Zippel, with musical supervision by Ted Firth.
Adrian Galante, Hilary Kole, John Pagano, and TaTynisa Wilson.
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Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience will run Jan. 31 – Mar. 29 at the Fountain Theatre, directed by Raymond O. Caldwell.
America Covarrubias, Naseem Etemad, Kita Grayson, Mackenzie Mondag, Savannah Schoenecker, and Janet Song.
Part performance, part concert, part revolution, Poetry for the People weaves together Jordan’s electric poetry with live music and movement to illuminate the life and legacy of a woman who believed that poetry is a political act.
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Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy, adapted by Ben Power, will run Jan. 13 – Feb. 8 at Milwaukee Rep, directed by Dan Hasse.
Edward Gero (Henry Lehman), William Sturdivant (Emanuel Lehman), and Max Wolkowitz (Mayer Lehman).
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Douglas Carter Beane’s Finding Dorothy Parker will run Jan. 15-22 at the West Bank Café, directed by Beane.
Julie Halston, Ann Harada, Jackie Hoffman, and Anika Larsen
Dorothy Parker was the razor-sharp wit of the Roaring Twenties, a cocktail-sipping literary firecracker who made her mark with her words and her style. Parker’s dazzling wit graced the pages of Vanity Fair (where she was a staff writer and theater critic), The New Yorker (where she was one of its earliest contributors), Vogue, Life, The Saturday Evening Post, and her short stories, poems, and reviews have been collected into several books. Whether she was penning scathing reviews, unforgettable one-liners, or melancholic poetry, Parker’s unapologetic brilliance and biting humor made her a legend. Dorothy Parker – An intoxicating mix of biting social commentary and campy fabulousness that continues to sparkle like a glass of champagne.