This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, February 5
* John Lewis: A Pioneer for Justice FREE Reading, with Alton Fitzgerald White, streams at 7 PM ET here.
* Stars in the House — Celebrating the Life of Ann Reinking, with special guests Bebe Neuwirth, Rick Elice, Rob Fisher, Greg Butler, Maria DiDia, Caitlin Carter, Jim Borstelman, and William Whitener, streams at 8 PM ET here.
* Broadway for Racial Justice concert, featuring Shaunice Alexander, Shayle Brielle G., and Brandon Michael Nase, streams at 7 PM ET here.
* Broadway Records releases a limited edition two-LP vinyl set of Broadway’s The Color Purple, starring Cynthia Erivo and Jennifer Hudson.
Saturday, February 6
* While I Yet Live benefit reading, by Billy Porter, directed by Sheryl Kaller, featuring the original Off-Broadway cast: Lillias White, S. Epatha Merkerson, Elain Graham, Sheria Irving, Kevyn Morrow, Larry Powell, and Sharon Washington, streams at 7 PM ET here.
* “Own Spotlight: Cicely Tyson” conversation, streams at 10 ET/PT here.
* The Actors Craft: Bringing a Character to Life FREE discussion, with special guest Denis O’Hare, who will explore the character of King Lear, along with Melinda Lopez, Zuzanna Szadkowski, and Kaci Hamilton, streams at 4 PM ET at Boston’s Commonwealth Shakespeare Company.
* Stars in the House, a “Scandal” reunion, with special guests Tony Goldwyn, Bellamy Young, Scott Foley, Jeff Perry, Katie Lowes, Guillermo Díaz, Josh Malina, Kate Burton, and Dan Bucatinsky, streams at 8 PM ET here.
Sunday, February 7
* Talkin’ to This Chick Sippin’ Magic Potion developmental reading, by James Anthony Tyler, directed by Awoye Timpo, featuring Mateo Ferro (Rubén Zorrilla, Jr.), Miriam A. Hyman (Shelba Bathson), Sheria Irving (Jornay Nelson), Jules Latimer (Tiffany Nelson), and Darius McCall (Steve Nelson), begins streaming at TheaterWorks Hartford.
* Hershey Felder as Sholem Aleichem Before Fiddler begins streaming (through Feb. 14) at Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre.
* Citizen Detective, written & directed by Chelsea Marcantel, featuring Morgan Rusler (Mickie McKittrick) and Paloma Nozicka (Andrea), closes at LA’s Geffen Playhouse.
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The 2021 SAG Award nominations have been announced. Click here for the complete list.
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Jeremy Jordan and Ashley Spencer:
Video: Broadway medley
Video: Seth Sing Off
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Off-Broadway’s Keen Company has announced upcoming events:
* Keen After Hours: Keen Couples Edition conversation (Feb. 8), featuring Theresa Flanagan & Cary Donaldson, and Joanna Muhlfelder & Corey Schutzer. Details here.
* Sorry, Wrong Number (Feb. 15) benefit broadcast, featuring Marsha Mason, Heidi Armbruster, Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper, Jasminn Johnson, and Matt Saldivar. Details here.
* Keen After Hours conversation (Feb. 22), with Jonathan McCrory, streams for FREE. Details here.
* Keen After Hours conversation (Mar. 1), with Thomas Jay Ryan streams for FREE. Details TBA.
* Keen After Hours conversation (Mar. 8), with Jennifer Ashley Tepper. FREE. Details TBA.
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“Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” (1997) will premiere Feb. 12 on Disney+, directed by Robert Iscove, with choreography by Rob Marshall.
Brandy (Cinderella), Whitney Houston (Fairy Godmother), Whoopie Goldberg (Queen Constantina), Bernadette Peters (Stepmother), Paolo Montalbán (Prince Christopher), Victor Garber (King Maximillian), Jason Alexander (Lionel), Natalie Desselle (Minerva), and Veanne Cox (Calliope).
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Read: Patrick Page on Shakespeare’s Villains and Building All the Devils are Here.”
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“Live From Mount Olympus,” by Alexie Basil & Nathan Yungerberg, directed by Rachel Chavkin, has announced new episodes streaming every Tuesday through Mar. 9 on all podcast platforms.
André De Shields (Hermes), Amber Gray (Cassiopeia), Divine Garland (Perseus), Vinnie Burrows, Jill Frutkin, Modesto “Flako” Jimenez, Libby King, Ian Lassiter, Christina Liberus, Nehemiah Luckett, Jake Margolin, James Harrison Monaco, Kristen Sieh, and Jillian Walker.
The adventure story follows Perseus and his dangerous quest after making the promise to save his mother from an evil king.
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Video: Erika Henningsen and Kyle Selig sing “Only Us” from Dear Evan Hansen.
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Article: “It’s Their Time: 4 Breakthrough Theatremakers on Creating a Post-Pandemic Broadway
It’s Their Time: 4 Breakthrough Theatremakers on Creating a Post-Pandemic Broadway
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New York City Ballet has announced its Spring 2021 digital season:
* Black is King (premieres Apr. 8), by Kyle Abraham & Beyoncé,
* Solo piece (title TBA) (premieres May 5), by Justin Peck
* Three Sides of Balanchine (premieres Feb. 22), a series exploring three works that demonstrate the choreographer’s narrative, classical, and neoclassical traditions through virtual discussions and performance videos. The first week spotlights “Prodigal Son,” followed by “Theme and Variations” (Mar. 1) and “Stravinsky Violin Concerto” (Mar. 8).
* Digital version of Mar. 9 annual luncheon, which will celebrate principal dancers Maria Kowroski, Gonzalo Garcia, and Ask ls Cour.
* New episodes of “City Ballet The Podcast.”
…and much more.
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The Congress for Jewish Culture will present Megillah Cycle, to premiere Sun. Feb. 21 at 2:30 PM ET, adapted & directed by Mike Burstyn. The production will be presented in Yiddish with subtitle translation.
Mike Burstyn, Shane Baker, Eli Batalion, Jamie Elman, Avi Hoffman, Daniel Kahn, Lia Koenig, Noah Michel, Eleanor Reissa, Joshua Reuben, Allen Lewis Rickman, Yelena Shmuelenson, and Suzanne Toren.
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The cast of Come From Away will create a filmed-live version of the musical, which will be filmed this May at the show’s Broadway home at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
The film is scheduled to be released in September, 2021.
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“Mix Up in the Mediterranean,” starring Jeremy Jordan, will premiere Feb. 20 on the Hallmark Channel.
Jordan plays twin brothers who switch places as one of them competes in a competitive cooking contest.
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Video: Arielle Jacobs sings “A Whole New Story” from the new musical Between the Lines, by Jody Picoult & Samantha van Leer.
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The newest episode of “Broadway Profiles with Tamsen Fadal” will premiere Sun. Feb. 7 at 6 PM ET on WPIX-TV.
Jane Krakowski, Jessie Mueller, David Josefsberg, and mentalist Jason Suran.
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Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theater presents the online world premiere of In Case You Hadn’t Heard: A Conversation Between America’s Past And Its Promise, to stream on Mon. Feb. 22 at 8 PM ET, adapted & directed by Reggie D. White, and hosted by Dr. Georgette Grier-Key.
Darryl Gene Daughtry Jr, Crystal Dickinson, Jason Veasey, and Clarissa Vickerie.
A provocative view of race in America. The adaptation found text to draw on the words of 20 African American thought-leaders of the past and present. Their words are brought together to create a “conversation” between a group of four actors, as they candidly discuss what it means to be black in America. As words from the past and hopes for the future collide, a frank and forthright dialogue pours forth, sounding a call to action.
The piece is drawn from speeches and writings of Houston Baker, James Baldwin, Mary McLeod Bethune, London Breed, Keiajah Brooks, Stokely Carmichael, T-Nehisi Coates, Angela Davis, Dick Gregory, Fannie Lou Hamer, Lorraine Hanberry, Jemele Hill, Marley K., Tamika Mallory, Robert P. Moses, Khalid Abudul Muhammad, Barack Obama, Amber Ruffin, Jesse Williams, and Malcolm X.
To further its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, NEA has continued its partnership with the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including a $20,000 award to the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, and a $25,000 award to the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts.
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After many years in development, it has been announced that Michelle Williams will play Peggy Lee in Todd Haynes’ “Fever.” Stay tuned for more information.
Peggy Lee died in 2002 after a long career on stage and screen. Her one-woman show, Peg, played Broadway in 1983. She wrote and starred in the show herself.
Video: Peggy Lee performs “Fever”
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The National Endowment for the Arts will award over $27.5 million, distributed through 1,073 grants for organizations across the country, as part of its first round of funding in the 2021 fiscal year. Funds will reach institutions across all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
These grants are provided in addition to the pandemic-related emergency funds that have been distributed throughout the past year, including those by the CARES Act and the anticipated Save Our Stages Act. This round, the Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) awards, range from $10,000 to $100,000 and cover 14 disciplines, including dance, theatre, and opera.
Among the 287 grants awarded to New York organizations are funds for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ($80,000), Harlem Stage ($40,000), Ma-Yi Theater Company ($25,000), National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Inc. ($60,000), New York Theatre Workshop ($40,000), Shed NYC ($30,000), The Actors Fund ($20,000), and The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene ($10,000).