This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, February 28
A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Rebecca Frecknall, featuring Paul Mescal (Stanley Kowalski), Patsy Ferran (Stella), Anjana Vasan (Blanch), Dwane Walcott (Mitch), Eduardo Ackerman (Pablo Gonzales), Rob Dempsey (Doctor), Janet Etuk (Eunice Hubbel), Gabriela Garcia (Flower Seller/Nurse/Singer), Francesca Knight (Eunice Hubbel), Tom Penn (Doctor/Drummer), with Curtis Patrick, Constanza Ruff, and Jabez Sykes, opens at Brooklyn’s BAM.
Old Black & White Hollywood, world premiere by ShaWanna Renee Rivon, directed by Bree Pavey & Cassandra Carmona, featuring Bita Arefnia, Shannon Estabrook, Harry Fakoura, Brianne Ingram, Robert Jolly, Christopher Leon, Brieyonna Monét, Ignacio Navarro, Sarah Nilsen, Ravyne Payne, Quan’Darius, Kyle Wallen, and Tasia Williams, opens at North Hollywoods’ Loft Ensemble.
Willing Suspension of Disbelief, by Katherine James, directed by Rachel Berney Needleman, featuring Marwa Bernstein, Tara Brown, Suzanne Ford, Nick Marini, and Rachel Townsend, opens at CA’s Pacific Resident Theatre.
Saturday, March 1
Louder Than Words: The Songs and Legacy of Jonathan Larson concert, featuring Shaina Taub, Michael R. Jackson, and more, opens at NYC’s 92NY.
You Cannot Know the Hour, by Katrina Wood, directed by Trace Oakley, featuring Kristin Towers-Rowles, Raquis Da’Juan Petree, Jazmine Ramay, and Jennifer Skiffington, opens at North Hollywood’s Sherry Theatre (11052 Magnolia Bvd.).
King James, by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Monteze Freeland, featuring Blake MOrris (Shawn) and Doug Harris (Matt), begins previews at Cleveland Playhouse.
Hard Road to Heaven, world premiere by Willy Holtman, David Spangler, Jerry Taylor & Marty Dodson, directed by Jackson Gay, featuring Jackie Burns (Jenny Dixon), Leah Hocking (Linnell Dixon), Elizabeth Teeter (Anna Grace Dixon), J. Robert Spencer (Hank Dixon), Bryan Fenkart (Jimmy Lee Stewart), Jerry Dixon (Charlie Morgan), Nathaniel Hackmann (Kellin Wayne) and Marcus Gladney, Jr. (Marcus Dorsey), with Imani Brissett, Grad Greer, Alec Ludacka, Christopher McCrewell, Claire Newumann, Shannon Stasiulis, and Cecilia Trippiedi, begins previews at PA’s Bucks County Playhouse.
Sunday, March 2
The Antiqutities, by Jordan Harrison, directed by David Cromer & Caitlin Sullivan, featuring Cindy Cheung (Woman 3), Marchánt Davis (Man 2), Layan Elwazani (Woman 4), Andrew Garman (Man 3), Aria Shahghasemi (Man 1), Kristen Sieh (Woman 1), Ryan Spahn (Man 4), Julius Rinzel (Boy), and Amelia Workman (Woman 2), closes at Off Broadway’s Playwrights Horizons.
Sleeping Giant, by Steve Yockey, directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky, featuring Jackie Misaye (The Naif), Eric Patrick Harper (The Raconteur), Justin Lawrence Barnes (The Messenger), and Andrea Flowers (The Convert), closes at North Hollywood’s Road Theatre Company.
You Cannot Know the Hour, by Katrina Wood, directed by Trace Oakley, featuring Kristin Towers-Rowles, Raquis Da’Juan Petree, Jazmine Ramay, and Jennifer Skiffington, closes at North Hollywood’s Sherry Theatre (11052 Magnolia Bvd.).
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Conor McPherson’s The Hunger Games will begin previews Oct. 20 and open on a date TBA at the Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, directed by Matthew Dunster.
TBA
The play is adapted from the first in Suzanne Collins’ epic book series, initially published in 2008, and its 2012 film version. The dystopian series is in a future in which children from poverty-stricken districts are selected via a lottery to participate in a televised death match. Everything is thrown into disarray when Katniss Everdeen is chosen as tribute from her district and rises to become the head of a new rebellion.
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Peter Danish’s Last Call will run Mar. 12 – May 4 (opening Mar. 16) at New World Stages, directed by Gil Mehmert.
Helen Schneider (Bernstein) and Lucca Züchner (Karajan).
For half a century, American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein and Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan were the world’s most celebrated figures in classical music – and the fiercest of rivals. Their influence transcended music into popular culture, politics, and almost every facet of the modern landscape. Late in their lives these titans of classical music unexpectedly crossed paths one last time at the Sacher Hotel in Vienna. Inspired by true events, Last Call brings us to this meeting as both men struggle to find common ground through their music and their lives over one last drink. The play mixes storytelling and music, giving audience members a glimpse into the complex minds of these two music titans.
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Omri Schein, David Ellenstein & Daniel Lincoln’s The Remarkable Mister Holmes will run Mar. 5-30 (opening Mar. 9) at Laguna Playhouse, directed by David Ellenstein.
Darcy Rose Byrnes (Rosa), Susan Denaker (Mrs. Hudson), Jason Graae (Mar, 5 – 23), Michael Scott Harris (Gustav Von Schwanz), Katie Karel (Gerda von Schwanz), Martin Kildare (Inspector Lestrade), Shannon O’Boyle (Sheila Watson), Paul Slade Smith Sherlock Holmes), and Pat Towne (Corpse), Justin Michael Wilcox, and (Artemis)
The play is adapted from the first in Suzanne Collins’ epic book series, initially published in 2008, and its 2012 film version. The dystopian series is in a future in which children from poverty-stricken districts are selected via a lottery to participate in a televised death match. Everything is thrown into disarray when Katniss Everdeen is chosen as tribute from her district and rises to become the head of a new rebellion.
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Brian Belding & Natalie Brice’s White Rose: The Musical, currently in previews, will open Mar. 4 and continue through Apr. 13 at the Marylebone Theatre, directed by Will Nunziata.
Collette Guitart (Sophie) Tobias Turley (Hans), Owen Arkrow (Will), Danny Colligan (Max), Charley Robbie (Lila), Thomas Sutcliffe (Karl), Danny Whelan (Christoph), Mark Willshire (Kurt Huber), and Ollie Wray (Frederick), with Millie Robins and Nathan Shaw.
The musical is based on a true story, which follows a group of university-level student activists who stood up to Hitler in Nazi Germany, risking everything by creating and distributing leaflets that challenged his propaganda.
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Elizabeth LeCompte & Spalding Gray’s Nayatt School Redux will run Mar. 8 – 29, at the Wooster Group, directed by LeCompte.
Ari Fliakos, Andrew Maillet, Michaela Murphy, Suzzy Roche, Scott Shepherd, Maura Tierney, Kate Valk, and Omar Zubair.
Nayatt School Redux opens with a monologue from longtime Wooster Group member Kate Valk, revealing newly-restored archival video recordings of Gray’s opening monologue from the original production. In it, Gray described his beginnings in the theatre and played LPs from his record collection, including an LP of T.S. Eliot’s The Cocktail Party.
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Evita will run June 14 -Sept. 6 at the London Palladium, directed by Jamie Lloyd.
TBA.
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The world premiere of Damon Cardasis, James Ijames, Honey Dijon, & Sia’s Saturday Church will run in Fall 2025 (dates TBA) at New York Theatre Workshop, directed by Whitney White, with choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie.
Casting TBA.
The story of Ulysses—New York City kid, devoted son and the fiercest acolyte at his aunt’s church. A chance encounter on the subway introduces him to the world of Saturday Church, a thrilling sanctuary for LGBTQ+ youth. Caught between these two worlds, Ulysses wrestles with family, faith and identity as he strives to find the place where he can love and be loved—in all his fabulousness. This new musical captures the exhilaration of the ballroom scene and the profound power of faith, with a score that soars from the transcendence of gospel to the liberating vibrations of house music. Saturday Church boldly asks, “is faith only for the Holy?” and, more importantly, “are there any queens in the house?!!!!”
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The Lehman Trilogy will run Mar. 7 – Apr. 6 at Albany’s Capital Rep, directed by Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill.
Kevin McGuire (Henry Lehman), Oliver Wadsworth (Mayer Lehman), and William Oliver Watkins (Emanuel Lehman).