This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, January 21
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, by Dan Gillespie & Tom MacRae, directed by Jonthan Butterell, featuring Layton Williams (Jamie), Roy Haylock (Hugo/Loco Chanelle), Melissa Jaques (Margaret), Shobna Gulati (Ray), Gillian Ford (Miss Hedge), David O’Reilly (Laika Virgin), Leon Craig (Sandra Bollock), Richard Appaih-Sarpong (Cy), Zion Battles (Levi), Ryan Hughes (Mickey), Jodie Knight (Fatimah), Harriet Payne (Bex), Adam Taylor (Sayid), George Sampson (Dean), Kazmin Borrer (Vicki), and Talia (Palamathanan (Becca), with Simeon Beckett, Rachel Seirian, and Emma Robotham-Hunt, opens at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre.
High School Play: a Nostalgia Fest, by Vichet Chum, directed by Tiffany Nichole Green, featuring Daniel Velasco (Dara), Richard Dávila (Rich), Sabrina Koss (Kailee), Mai Lee (Allison), Melissa Pritchell (Ms. Blow/Mrs. Dimms), Kiaya Scott (Sophie), Jarred Tettey (Paul), and Todd Waite (Dirkson/Mr. Bland), opens at Houston’s Alley Theatre.
Och & Oy!: A Considered Cabaret, starring Alan Cumming & Ari Shapiro, opens at Santa Monica’s Broad Stage.
Change Agent, written & directed by Craig Lucas, featuring Andrea Abello, Regan Linton, Jeffrey Omura, Kathryn Tkel, and Luis Vega, begins previews at DC’s Arena Stage.
Million Dollar Quartet, directed by Tim Seib, featuring Jacob Bartin (Elvis Presley), Steven Lasiter (Johnny Cash), Trevor Dorner (Jerry Lee Lewis), Nathan Burke (Carl Perkins), Sean Casey Flanagan (Sam Phillips), Taylor Kraft (Dyanne), Justin Bendel (Brother Jay), and Jon Rossi (Fluke), previews at CA’s La Mirada Theatre.
“Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, with Wynton Marsalis” concert, at 8 PM PT at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center.
“Stars on Stage From Westport Country Playhouse” concert, featuring Gavin Creel, Shoshana Bean, and Brandon Victor Dixon, airs at 9 PM on PBS (check local listings).
Symphonic Duke Ellington concert closes at the LA Philharmonic.
Saturday, January 22
Punk Rock Girl, world premiere by Joe Iconis & Rob Rokicki, directed & choreographed by Jennifer Werner, featuring Philippe Arroyo, Kayla Catan, Seth Eliser, Jaylan Evans, Kalonjee Gallimore, Ashley LaLonde, Lauren Marcus, Jackson Mattek, Jordan Leigh McCaskill, Kelly McIntyre, Natalie Powers, Mikaela Rada, Brooke Shapiro, and Brad Weatherford, opens at Long Island’s Argyle Theatre.
Million Dollar Quartet, directed by Tim Seib, featuring Jacob Bartin (Elvis Presley), Steven Lasiter (Johnny Cash), Trevor Dorner (Jerry Lee Lewis), Nathan Burke (Carl Perkins), Sean Casey Flanagan (Sam Phillips), Taylor Kraft (Dyanne), Justin Bendel (Brother Jay), and Jon Rossi (Fluke), opens at CA’s La Mirada Theatre.
Gem of the Ocean, by Augst Wilson, directed by Chuck Smith, featuring Sharif Atkins (Citizen Barlow), Syndey Charles (Black Mary), Lisa Gaye Dixon (Aunt Ester), Gary Houston (Rutherford Selig), Kelvin Roston, Jr. (Caesar), A.C. Smith (Eli) and James A. Williams (Solly Two Kings), begins previews at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
Jenn Colella: Your Are Here concert, at 9:45 PM ET at 54 Below.
Bring It On, by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Kitt, Jeff Whitty & Amanda Green, directed by Guy Unsworth, featuring Vanessa Fisher, Amber Davies, Louis Smith, Alicia Belgarde, Georgia Bradshaw, Ayden Morgan, Samuel Wilson-Freeman, Chloe Pole, Frances Dee, and Marvyn Charles, closes at London’s Southbank Theatre.
Hex, by Tanya Ronder, Rufus Norris & Jim Fortune, directed by Norris, featuring Rosalie Craig, Delroy Atkinson, Tamsin Carroll, Michael Elcock, Eleanor Kane, Daisy Maywood, Kat Ronney, Shaq Taylor, and Sargon Yelda, closes at London’s Olivier Theatre.
Poirot and More, A Retrospective, by Sir David Suchet & Liza McLean, starring David Suchet, closes at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre.
Och & Oy!: A Considered Cabaret, starring Alan Cumming & Ari Shapiro, closes at Santa Monica’s Broad Stage.
Sunday, January 23
Long Day’s Journey into Night, directed by directed by Robert O’Hara, featuring Bill Camp (James Tyrone), Elizabeth Marvel (Mary Tyrone), Ato Blanson-Wood (Edmund Tyrone), and Jason Bowen (Jamie Tyrone), opens at Off-Broadway’s Minetta Lane Theater.
I Wish: The Roles That Could Have Been concert, hosted by hosted by Alexandra Silber, featuring Jewelle Blackman, Joe Carroll, Alex Finke, Brittney Mack, Lauren Marcus, Mauricio Martínez, Ben Rappaport, Nicholas Rodriguez, and Presley Ryan, opens at 9:45 PM ET at 54 Below.
“Lorraine Hansberry: The Life Behind A Raisin in the Sun,” by Charles J. Shields, released on Kindle and Hardcover here.
Jonathan Freeman (Jafar) departs The Lion King after 30+ years at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre.
Girl From the North Country temporarily closes at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre. Stay tuned… it will re-open in the Spring at a different Broadway theatre.
The LA Philharmonic’s Symphonic Duke Ellington, conducted by Thomas Wilkins, closes at LA’s Walt Disney Concert Hall.
The Children, by Lucy Kirkwood, directed by Simon Levy, featuring Ron Botitta, Elizabeth Elias Huffman, and Lily Knight, closes at LA’s Fountain Theatre.
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Complete casting has been announced for the world premiere of Mike Lew, Rehana Lew Mirza, Sam Willmott & Deep Singh’s Bhangin’ It: A Bangin’ New Musical, to run Mar. 8 – Apr. 17 (opening Mar. 20) at La Jolla Playhouse, directed by Stafford Arima, with choreography by Rujuta Vaidya.
Ari Afsar (Mary), Aryaan Arora (Mohan), Bilaal Avaz (Amit), Jesse Bhamrah (Gobind), Brandon Contreras (Billy), Laura Dadap (Constance), Henry Walter Greenberg (Noah), Jason Heil (Wallace), Terrance Johnson (Jake), Jaya Joshi (Sunita), Madison McBride (Lily), Anu Mysore (Shetal), Amey Natu (Big Bob), Alka Nayyar (Rekha), Zain Patel (Varun), Devi Peot New Mary), Vinithra Raj (Preeti), and Ramita Ravi (Shilpa), with Nikki Mirza, Gerry Tonella, and Levin Valavil.
A young woman who finds her identity cannot be defined by checking a box and sets off on a quests to dance to her own beat.
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John Robert Allman & Peter Emmerich’s will release the new book in their alphabet series, “B Is For Broadway,” on Oct. 12 here.
The new book celebrates leading men and women, but especially those out of the spotlight who work diligently to make sure each show runs smoothly.
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The York Theatre Company will present the world premiere of Peter Kellogg, Stephen Weiner& Emily Maltby’s Penelope, or How the Odyssey Was Really Written, to run Mar. 22 – Apr. 24 (opening Mar. 31) at Theater at St. Jean’s (150 East 76th Street), directed by Emily Maltby, with music direction by David Hancock Turner.
Casting TBA.
Penelope is married to Odysseus, the King of Ithica, a Green island in the Ionian Sea. She is currently waiting for him to return from the Trojan War. She’s been waiting a long time: twenty year; ten years the war ended. A bevy of suitors have gathered, each wanting to marry her and take over the kingdom. To stall them, Penelope writes letters to herself and pretends they’re from Odysseus, saying he’s on hi way. Little does she know that her letters gathered together are creating the story of “The Odyssey.” (Since no one knows who really wrote “The Odyssey,” this theory is as good as any other. Meanwhile the suitors, having little else to do but eat and drink, form an a cappella group – the acoustics in The Great Hall are terrific.
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Video: Amanda Jane Cooper performs “Oh How I Love Being Rich” from Irish Rep’s The Streets of New York.
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Complete casting has been announced for Terrence McNally, Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman’s Catch Me If You Can, to run Mar. 4 – Apr. 17 (opening Mar. 17) at DC’s Arena Stage, directed by Molly Smith, with choreography by Parker Essee, and music direction by Laura Bergquist.
Christian Thompson (Frank Abagnale Jr.), Nehal Joshi (Carl Hanratty), Jeff McCarthy (Frank Sr.), Rhett Guter (Roger Strong), Hayley Podschun (Brenda Strong), Alexandra Frohlinger (Carol Strong), and Stephanie Pope (Paula), with Cara Rose DiPietro, Jermiah Ginn, Candice Hatakeyama, Ryan Lambert, Jody Reynard, Kyra Louise Smith, Kristin Yancy, Brianna Latrash, Bryan Charles Moore, and Brett-Marco Glauser.
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Piaf & Dietrich: A Cabaret Love Affair, starring Artemisia LeFay, will take place Moon. Feb. 14 at 7 PM ET at NYC’s Don’t Tell Mama.
Marlene Deitrich and Edith Piaf, both cabaret divas of their own accord, were close friend throughout the years of their careers. But were they more than that? Rumors of their romance will be explored through stories and their iconic popular songs.
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Nilo Cruz & Sergio Mendes’ new musical adaptation of 1959’s “Black Orpheus” (title TBA) is aiming for a Broadway debut during the 2022-23 season, directed by Sergio Trujillo.
In addition to new music by Sergio Mendes, the score will include many of the themes by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfa, and Vincicus de Moraes from the film.
The new musical resets the classic Greek love story of Eurydice and Orpheus against the backdrop of a Rio de Janeiro favela during Carnival.
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Due to the challenges and concerns of COVID-19, Virginia Stage Company has postponed its upcoming production of Cat an a Hot Tin Roof, originally scheduled to run in March.
The production will be rescheduled to this Fall, with dates, casting, and additional information TBA.
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DC’s Signature Theatre has announced its 2022 SigWorks: Monday Night New Play Readings season, all available both in-person and livestreamed.
Ada (Feb. 7 at 7 PM ET), by Aeneas Sagar Hemphill. After and “incident” at The Company, dedicated employee Ada must meet with her superior, Joan, for behavioral programming sessions. However, a shocking act of violence throws the institution’s perfectly ordered system into chaos and forces Joan to question not only her managerial experiment, but her entire world view.
Dinner and Cake (Mar. 7 at 7 PM ET), by Tuyet Thi Pham. Mylinh has the chance to boost her career and make connections – all she has to do is translate a simple dinner between American and Vietnamese in-laws. But when the couple clash over the course of the evening, Mylinh must navigate the complicated cultural, national, and social politics between the two countries that make up her identity.
Damn Things Will Kill Ya (May 9 at 7 PM ET), by Olivia Luzquinos.
Ruth has terminal lung cancer – but won’t give up her cigarettes. As her adult children gather around her hospital bedside, old family dynamics erupt under the pressure as they grapple with faith, forgiveness, fear, and how to let it go.
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“An Evening with Lerner and Loewe” will air Sun. Mar. 6 at 6:30 PM on PBS (check local listings).
Jenn Collela, Aaron Lazar, Joe Llana, Michael Maliakel, Aisha Jackson, Sean Thompson, and Bayla Whitten.
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Dominique Morisseau’s Confederates will now run Mar. 8 – Apr. 10 at Off-Broadway’s Signature Theatre, directed by Stori Ayers.
Casting TBA.
The play follows Sara, and enslaved rebel turned Union spy, and Sandra, a tenured professor in a modern-day private university, as they have parallel experiences of institutionalized racism, even while living more than a century apart.
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Drew Gehling and Julia Mattison announced their engagement on Jan. 19. No word yet on a wedding date.
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Disney+ will stream the new upcoming live-action “Little Town” series, a prequel to “Beauty and the Beast,” written by Josh Gad, Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, with music by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater. Liesel Tommy will direct the first episode. No word yet on a release date.
Luke Evans (Gaston), Josh Gad (Louie, formerly known as LeFou), Fra Fee (Prince), Briana Middleton (Tilly), and more TBA.
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The 2nd Annual International Women’s Day Benefit Concert will take place Tues. Mar. 8 at 8 PM ET at NYC’s Town Hall.
Sara Bareilles, Jennifer Nettles, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, and more TBA.
Proceeds from the event will support Girls With Impact, a non-profit that trains over 1 million under-resourced young women through its business and leadership academy.