GRACE NOTES will return Tuesday, February 20.
This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, February 16
The Play That Goes Wrong, by Henry Lewis, Henry Shield & Jonathan Sayer, directed by Melissa Rain Anderson, featuring Marc Alkins, Josh Bates, Michael Doherty, Farah El-Ashram, Victoria Alev Duffy, Blake Henri, Dylan Ireland, Ben Liebert, Alfredo Ruiz, and Joz Vammer, opens at Cleveland Playhouse.
Mack & Mabel staged presentation, directed & choreographed by Scott Thompson, featuring Dermot Mulroney (Mack), Jenna Lea Rosen (Mabel), Caroline O’Connor (Lottie), Chad Doreck (William Desmond Taylor), Lee James (Frank Capra), Michael Shepperd (Soundstage Watchman), Robert Yacko (Kleinman), Glenn Rosemblum (Fox), Arthur L. Ross (Fatty Arbuckle), and Myriam Ali (Ella The Pianist), with Nichole Beeks, Amanda Carr, John Dellaporta, Brody Ensor, Cole Fletcher, Skylar Gaines, Ariana Nicole George, Sylvie Gosse, Flynn Henry, Shira Jackman, Danielle LaRauf, David Leppert, Holden Maples, Mark Marchillo, Julia Marley, Donovan Mendelovitz, Alexandra Mitchell, Gabby Rosales, Iva Erwin, and Erica Schaeffer, opens at North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre.
Becoming a Man, written & directed by P. Carl & Diane Paulus, featuring Petey Gibson (Carl), Justin Davis (Eddie), Elena Hurst (Lynette), Christopher Liam Moore (Carl’s Father), Stacey Raymond (Polly), Susan Rome (Carl’s Mother), and Cody Sloan (Nathan), begins previews at Cambridge’s A.R.T.
Coney Island Land or The Great Existential Actuality at The End of The Universe, world premiere by Timothy Braun, directed by Lucy Smith Conroy, featuring Tate Evans and Thoms Piper, previews at North Hollywood’s Theatre 68 Arts Complex.
Saturday, February 17
Black Rock Theater’s Cinderella, directed by Connor Dean, featuring Cady Huffman (Marie), Kaitlyn Davidson (Cinderella), Tate McElhaney (Jean-Michel), William Ryall (Sebastian), Antonio Cipriano (Prince Topher), and Ta’Rea Campbell (Madame), opens at CT’s Westport Country Playhouse.
Sweeney Todd, directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, featuring Geoff Elliott (Sweeney Todd), Cassandra Marie Murphy (Mrs. Lovett), Jeremy Rabb (Judge Turpin), Josey Montana McCoy (Tobias Ragg), Kasey Mahaffy (Adolfo Pirelli), Joanna A Jones (Johanna), James Everts (Anthony Hope), Harrison White (Beadle Bamford), Amber Liekhus (Beggar Woman), and Josey Montana McCoy (Tobias), with Grace Albano, Samantha Atilano, Ella Blain (Ethan Clayton), Ariel Davis, Rachel K. Han, Sebastian Rodriguez, Sarah Randall Hunt, and Michael Solomon, opens at Pasadena’s A Noise Within.
Coney Island Land or The Great Existential Actuality at The End of The Universe, world premiere by Timothy Braun, directed by Lucy Smith Conroy, featuring Tate Evans and Thoms Piper, opens a at North Hollywood’s Theatre 68 Arts Complex.
Sex With Strangers, by Laura Eason, directed by Kate Sargeant, featuring Sarah Wylie and Jonathan Dylan King, opens a Hollywood’s McCadden Place Theatre.
Kansas City Actors Theatre‘s Gaslight, by Patrick Hamilton, directed by Cinnamon Schultz, featuring Ashlee LaPine, Matthew J. Williamson, and John Rensenhouse, opens at City Stage in Union Station.
My Son’s a Queer (but what can you do), written by & starring Rob Madge, directed by Luke Sheppard, begins previews at Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre.
Michael Feinsten in Lovers and Strangers concert, with special guest Sheryl Lee Ralph, at 8 PM at LA’s Mark Taper Forum.
Sunday, February 18
Cinderella, directed by Connor Dean, featuring Cady Huffman (Marie), Kaitlyn Davidson (Cinderella), Tate McElhaney (Jean-Michel), William Ryall (Sebastian), Antonio Cipriano (Prince Topher), and Ta’Rea Campbell (Madame), opens at CT’s Westport Country Playhouse.
Manhattan Concert Productions‘ Children of Eden, by Stephen Schwartz & John Caird, directed by Tony Yazbeck, featuring Auli’i Cravalho (Yonah), Nikki Renée Daniels (Eve/Mama Noah), Norm Lewis (Father), David Phelps (Adam/Noah), Donald Webber, Jr. (Cain/Japeth), and Lucas Pastrana (Abel/Ham), with Jennifer McGill, Jesse Nager, Marcus Paul James, Rema Webb, Runako Campbell, Dylis Croman, Karli Dinardo, Tyler Hanes, Jakob Karr, and Zelig Williams, at 8 PM at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.
Blue Grass Mass concert, conducted by Dr. Tucker Biddlecombe, featuring the Downtown Voices, at 2 PM at NYC’s Carnegie Hall.
The Boy Who Listened to Paintings, by Dean Kostos & Paul Kirby, directed by Lissa Moira, featuring Louisa Bradshaw, William Broderick, Thom Brown III, Donovan W. Counts, Alisa Ermolaey, Matthew James Fitzgerald, Alyxon Reim Friedman, Michael A. Green, Milo Longenecker, Zack Martin, Lissa Moira, and The Ziylik Brothers (Luka and Niki), with Maude Elizabeth Burke, Anthony Deceno, Joshua Credle, Dominique Ernewein, Patrick Kenner, Taryn Lynch, Bradley Nowacek, Amelia Sasson, and Tony Renee Taylor, closes at Off-Broadway’s Theatre for the New City.
Melissa Erico: A Manhattan Valentine concert closes at NYC’s Birdland.
Highway Patrol, world premiere by Dane Laffrey & Jen Silverman, directed by Mike Donahue, featuring Dana Delany, Dot-Marie Jones, and Thomas Murphy Molony, closes at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
Loving and Loving, by Beto O’Byrne, directed by Amelia Acosta Powell, featuring Nemuna Ceesay (Mildred Loving), Shane Kenyon (Richard Loving), and Morgan Anita Wood (Maya), closes at Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Illinoise, by Justin Peck & Jackie Sibblies Drury, directed & choreographed by Peck, featuring Kara Chan, BenCook, Jeanette Delgado, Gaby Diaz, Robbie Fairchild, Christine Flores, Jada German, Zachary Gonder, Rachel Lockhart, Dario Natarelli, Tyrone Reese, Craig Salstein, Ahmad Simmons, Byron Tittle, Ricky Ubeda, and Alejandro Vargas, closes at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
Little Women, by Kate Hamill, directed by Marti Lyons, featuring Rebecca Cort (Amy March), Amelio García (Jo March), Macall Gordon (Hannah/Mrs. Mingott), Chiké Johnson (Mr. Laurence), Colleen Madden (Marmee March), Cy Paolantonio (Meg March), Katie Peabody (Beth March), Richard Nguyen Sloniker (John Brookes), and Austen Winters (Laurie), closes at Milwaukee Rep.
Mack & Mabel staged presentation, directed & choreographed by Scott Thompson, featuring Dermot Mulroney (Mack), Jenna Lea Rosen (Mabel), Caroline O’Connor (Lottie), Chad Doreck (William Desmond Taylor), Lee James (Frank Capra), Michael Shepperd (Soundstage Watchman), Robert Yacko (Kleinman), Glenn Rosemblum (Fox), Arthur L. Ross (Fatty Arbuckle), Myriam Ali (Ella The Pianist), with will include Nichole Beeks, Amanda Carr, John Dellaporta, Brody Ensor, Cole Fletcher, Skylar Gaines, Ariana Nicole George, Sylvie Gosse, Flynn Henry, Shira Jackman, Danielle LaRauf, David Leppert, Holden Maples, Mark Marchillo, Julia Marley, Donovan Mendelovitz, Alexandra Mitchell, Gabby Rosales, Iva Erwin, and Erica Schaeffer, concludes at North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre.
Ensemble Theatre Company‘s The Pianist of Willesden Lane, adapted & directed by Hershey Felder, featuring Mona Golabek, closes at Santa Barbara’s New Vic.
Tiny Little Town, written & directed by Richard Alger, featuring Paula Rebelo, Prisca Kim, Nikhil Pai, Kasper Svendsen, Lamont Oakley, Nick Apostolina, Mark Doerr, Jesse Myers, Ishika Muchhal, Isaiah Noriega, Jose Aquino, and Eddie Vona, closes at Santa Monica’s Broadwater Stage.
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, directed by Wren T. Brown, featuring Karole Forman, with Damon Carter, closes at San Diego’s Cygnet Theatre.
Monday, February 19
Five: The Parody Musical, by Shimmy Braun, Moshiel Newman Daphna & Billy Recce, directed & choreographed by Jen Wineman, featuring Anyae Anasia (Ivana), Gabriella Joy Rodriguez (Marla), Jaime Lyn Beatty (Melania), Gabi Garcia (Stormy), and Hannah bonnett (Ivanka), opens at Off-Broadway’s Theatre 555.
Red Bull Theater‘s reading (both live & livestreamed) of Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid, adapted & directed by Jeffrey Hatcher, featuring Annaleigh Ashford and Mark Linn-Baker, with Jordan Boatman, Will Brill, Arnie Burton, Kelley Curran, and Lorenzo Pisoni, at 7:30 PM at NYC’s Florence Gould Hall.
York Theatre Company’s InunDATED, A New Musical FREE reading, by Alice Scovell & Christine Lavin, directed by Christine Pedi, featuring Sierra Boggess (Lucy) and Josh Grisetti (Everybody Else), at 3 & 7 PM at NYC’s Ripley-Grier Studios. 
: boxoffice@yorktheatre.org
New York City Gay Men’s Chorus benefit concert, honoring Chita Rivera, along with Telly Leung, Solea Pfeiffer and Matt Doyle, at 6 PM at NYC’s Hotel Edison Ballroom.
Steve Ross: Moonlight & Love Songs concert, at 7 PM at NYC’s Birdland.
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An invitation-only reading of Richard Oberacker & Robert Taylor’s Angel of Arkansas will take place Fri. Feb. 23 at NYC’s Perelman Performing Arts Center, directed by Susan Stroman, with music direction by Annbritt duChateau.
Kerry Butler (Ruth), with Andy Mientus, Mauricio Martinez, Josh Strickland, Dudney Elson Joseph Jr, Nic Rouleau, James Harkness, Sam Simahk, Jacob Keith Watson, Shavey Brown, Joel Waggoner, Bud Weber, Nicholas Rodriguez and John Michaelangelo Kraus.
With an original country-pop crossover score, Angel of Arkansas is inspired by the real-life experiences of a young, single mother in the heart of conservative Arkansas, who in 1986 found her way to becoming a tireless advocate, activist and caregiver to untold numbers of men during the height of the AIDS crisis. Embraced by a new community whose capacity to find humor, hope and joy in the face of adversity was unlike anything she had ever known, Angel of Arkansas chronicles one woman’s incredible journey from sheltered innocence to fearless compassion.
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Broadway Backwards, in support of BCEFA, will take place Mon. Mar. 11 at 8 PM at Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre, directed & choreographed by Robert Bartley, with music supervision by Ted Arthur & Mary-Mitchell Campbell, and hosted by Jenn Colella.
Shoshana Bean, Jonathan Bennett, Titus Burgess, Jordan Fisher, Arielle Jacobs, Casey Likes, John McGinty, Shoba Narayan, Alex Newell, Courtney Reed, Jelani Remy, Lillias White, Constance Wu, Chip Zien, and more TBA.
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Steve Yockey’s Mercury, directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky, has been extended through Mar. 2 at North Hollywood’s Road on Magnolia.
Meghan Holaway (Pamela), Andrea Flowers (Heather), Justin Lawrence Barnes (Nick), Danny Lee Gomez (Brian), Billy Baker (Sam), Gloria Ines (Alicia and Christina Carlisi (Olive).
Three stories cross outside of Portland, OR in a pitch black comedy with an illicit affair, a couple hanging on by a thread, bears at the window, the worst curiosity shop on the west coast, and an adorable missing dog named Mr. Bundles. No one’s happy, people stop being nice, and blood spills. This mash up of myth, missing empathy, and “good neighbors” explores what happens when the mercury rises.
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The world premiere of Chris Bohjalian’s The Club will run Feb. 27 – Mar. 17 (opening Mar. 1) at NJ’s George Street Playhouse, directed by David Saint.
Grace Experience (Marion Willows), Ryan George (Peter Kendricks), Ali Marsh (Anne Barrows), Brendan Ryan (John Willows), Samaria Nixon-Fleming (Angela Kendricks), Skyler Hensley (Olive Barrows), and Fred Weller (Richard Barrows).
The work centers on three married couples taking refuge from the turbulent outside world, only to find out their suburban living room might not be the asylum they thought it was.
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Musical Theatre Guild will present a concert staging of Matthew Sklar & Chad Beguelin’s The Wedding Singer on Sun. Mar. 10 at 7 PM at Santa Monica’s Broad Stage, directed by Mary Jo DuPrey, with music direction by Cassie Nickols Gonzalez.
Zachary Ford (Robbie), Wendy Rosoff (Linda), Barbara Minkus (Grandma Rosie), Will Collyer (Glen), Krista Feallock (Julia), Ashley Moniz (Holly), Antoine Lee (Sammy), and Lyle Colby Mackston (George), with Matthew Patrick Davis, Tal Fox, Nancy Lam, Taubert Nadalini, Trance Thomps, Marie Guttierez, Janaya Jones and Kyle Montgomery.
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The American Theatre Wing has teamed with the Drama Book Shop to launch the Playreaders Club, a meet-up for reading and discussing plays. The monthly meetings will be held virtually via Zoom and in-person.
The club is open to anyone, and offers tiered levels of membership, ranging in price from $5 – $35 per month.
Each play will be selected by a committee of theatre artists, experts and industry members from the American Theatre Wing Board and Advisory members… which will include Jeanine Tesori (composer), David Henry Hwang (playwright), Clint Ramos z journalist zO, Ayanna Prescod, Leigh Silverman. and author Patrick Pacheco, and talent agent Ben Sands.
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Red Bull Theater has announced its lineup for its 20th Anniversary Festival, a series of workshops and readings of Shakespeare, his contemporaries, and more — set for Apr. 15 – May 13 at Off-Broadway’s Sheen Center.
Too much to post here. Click the link above for the complete schedule.
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The world premiere of Shawanna Renee Rivon’s Power to the Queendom will run Mar. 1-24 at North Hollywood’s Loft Ensemble, directed by Diane Reneé.
Raymond Donahey, Angela Fairley, Michael Houston, Barbera Ann Howard, Shamya Jamerica, Ritzi Lanier, Matt Lorenzo, Demyra Ravyne Payne, Jessica Perkins, Trodarius Provo, Max Reed III, and Kyle Wallen.
Four women of the 1970s Black Panther Party find themselves in hot water after a protest goes awry, causing them to hold a Houston police officer hostage in the chapter headquarters. The cops assaulted an unarmed Black man, and the ladies won’t release their hostage until he answers their questions.
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Dan Redfield, Christina Harding & John Gabriel Koladziej’s Jo: The Little Women Musical is currently in development, directed by JoAnn M. Hunter.
A workshop is currently planned, with a date TBA.
Video: Jenna Lea Rosen & Chris Mann perform “When Nighttime Falls”
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A Party With Betty Comden & Adolph Green will be re-created by Mallory Portnoy & Nick Blaemire Mar. 3 & 4 at NYC’s Café Carlyle, directed by Maggie Burrows.
The revue was first performed Off-Broadway in 1958, transferring to Broadway later the same year. The show featured Comden and Green telling stories from their illustrious career and singing the songs they co-wrote (as lyricists) with such composers as Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, André Previn, and more. The duo brought a revised version of the show back to Broadway in 1977 and then took the show on the road. In 1980, a filmed performance from East Hampton, New York, aired on the PBS series “Summershow.”
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An industry reading of Richard Oberacker & Robert Taylor’s Angel of Arkansas will take place Feb. 23 at NYC’s Perelman Performing Arts Center, directed by Susan Stroman.
Kerry Butler, Andy Mientus, Mauricio Martínez, Josh Strickland, Dudney Elson Joseph Jr, Nic Rouleau, James Harkness, Sam Simahk, Jacob Keith Watson, Shavey Brown, Joel Waggoner, Bud Weber, Nicholas Rodriguez, and John Michaelangelo Kraus.
The new work centers on a real-life single mother who became an advocate, activist, and caregiver to AIDS patients in conservative Arkansas in the ’80s. The story is accompanied by an original country-pop score.