This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, January 28
Huntington Theatre‘s The Bluest Eye, by Lydia R. Diamond, directed by Awoye Timpo, featuring Ramona Lisa Alexander (Mama), Brittany-Laurelle (Claudia), Hadar Busia-Singleton (Pecola), Brian D. Coats (Soaphead Church), McKenzie Frye (Mrs. Breedlove), Lindsley Howard (Maureen), Alexandria King (Darlene/Frieda), and Greg Alverez Reid (Cholly), opens at Boston’s Calderwood Pavilion.
Today is My Birthday, by Susan Soon He Stanton, directed by Mina Morita, featuring Atra Sdou, Gabriel Brown, Francis Jue, Emily Kuroda, Chivas Michael, and Jeena Yi, begins previews at Yale Rep.
Dream House, by Eliana Pipe, directed by Laurie Woolery, featuring Darilyn Castillo (Julia), Jacqueline Correa (Patricia), Marianna McClellan (Tessa), with Katie Gonzalez, Kenneth C. Lewis, Blake Lowe, and Shelby Woolridge, begins previews at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre.
Fly, by Trey Ellis & Ricardo Kahn, directed by Clinton Turner Davis, featuring Yao Dogbe, Trevor McGhie, Jeremiah Packer, Calvin Thompson, Omar Edwards, Torsten Hillhouse, Shayne David Cameris, and Ryan Fuchs, begins previews at Syracuse Rep.
Todd Buonopane: All Washed Up livestreamed concert at 7 PM ET at NYC’s Green Room 42.
Kelly Barrett: Study Break! concert, at 8 PM CT at Chicago’s Davenport’s Cabaret.
Saturday, January 29
Hudson Stage‘s What Keeps Us Going staged reading, by Barbara Dana, directed by Austin Pendleton, featuring Anthony Arkin, Amelia Campbell, and Joel Rooks, at 7:30 PM ET at Armonk’s Whippoorwill Hall Theatre.
“The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal,” with special guests Michael James Scott, Rachel Tucker, Tariq Trotter, Kim Steele, Steven Spielberg & Paul Tazewell. airs here (and also on Jan. 30).
Trouble in Mind, by Alice Childress, directed by Nancy Medina, featuring Daniel Adeosun, Naana Agyei-Ampadu, Joe Bannister, Emma Canning, John Hollingworth, Rory Keenan, Gary Lilburn, Tanya Moodie, and Cyril Nri, closes at London’s National Theatre.
Spring Awakening, directed by Rubert Goold, featuring Laurie Kynaston (Melchior), Amara Okereke (Wendla, Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea (Hanschen), Asha Banks (Thea), Carly-Sophia Davies (Ilse), Kit Esuruoso (Otto), Bella Maclean (Martha), Joe Pitts (Georg), Maia Tamrakar (Anna), Stuart Thompson (Moritz), and Zheng Xi Yong (Ernst), with Taylor Bradshaw, Emily Ooi, Catherine Cusack, and Mark Lockyer, closes at London’s Almeida Theatre.
Sunday, January 30
Clue, by Sandy Rustin, Hunter Foster, Eric Price & Michael Holland, directed by Casey Hushion, featuring John Treacy Egan (Colonel Mustard), Donna English (Mrs. White), Kathy Fitzgerald (Mrs. Peacock), Sarah Hollis (Miss Scarlet), Kolby Kindle (Cop & Others), Michael Kostroff (Professor Plum), Alex Mandell (Mr. Green), Isabelle McCalla (Yvette), Mark Price (Wadsworth), Hazel Anne Raymundo (Cook & Others), and Graham Stevens (Mr. Boddy & Others), with Pamela Bob, Jamie LaVerdiere, Alanna Saunders, and Jeff Skowron, opens at NJ’s Paper Mill Playhouse.
The Spitfire Grill, directed by Steve Steiner, featuring Julia Hoffman (Percy Talbott), Missy McArdle (Hannah Ferguson), Anneliese Moon (Shelby Thorpe), Alex Canty (Caleb Thorpe), Noah Berry (Sheriff Joe Sutter), Sarah Godwin (Effy Krayneck), Grant Brown (The Visitor), and Glen Rovinelli (The Musician), opens at Laguna Playhouse.
Dawn Lewis concludes her run as Zelma in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
The Play That Goes Wrong, by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields, directed by Mark Bell, featuring Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, closes at London’s Duchess Theatre.
The Streets of New York, adapted & directed by Charlotte Moore, featuring Amy Bodnar (Susan Fairweather), Amanda Jane Cooper (Alida Bloodgood), Richard Henry (Dermot Puffy), David Hess (Gideon Bloodgood), Ben Jacoby (Mark Livingston), Justin Keyes ((Brendan Badger), Daniel J. Maldonado (Patrick Fairweather/Duke Vlad), Polly McKie (Dolly Puffy), Jordan Tyson (Dixie Puffy), Ryan Vona (Paul Fairweather), Price Waldman (Edwards), and DeLaney Westfall (Lucy Fairweather), closes at Off-Broadway’s Irish Rep.
This Beautiful Future, by Rita Kalnejais, directed by Jack Serio, featuring Austin Pendleton, Justin Mark, and Angelina Fiordellisi, closes at Off-Broadway’s Theaterlab.
Toni Stone, by Lydia R. Diamond, directed by Tinashe Kajese-Boden, featuring by Lydia R. Diamond, directed by Tinashe Kajese-Boden, with choreography by Dell Howlett, featuring Kedren Spencer (Toni Stone), Melvin Abston (Alberga), Amar Atkins (Elzie), Dimonte Henning (Woody), Enoch King (Millie), Eric J. Little (King Tut), Laur-rie Roach (Jimmy), Dane Troy (Stretch), and Geoffrey D. Williams (Spec), closes at Milwaukee Rep.
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The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission signed off on The Public Theater‘s plans to revitalize Central Park’s Delacorte Theater. Work is expected to begin this Fall. The update will be the open-air venue’s first after more than six decades of operation.
Plans:
* Updated the venue both backstage and in front of the house, including refurbishments that will increase its accessibility for those living with disabilities.
* Provide accessible and comfortable space for audiences and artists living with disabilities, newly making the theatre in-line with current codes. The venue, which currently has just one access point for those with disabilities and one row of seating. The new designs will make two entry gates wheelchair accessible, add stage accessibility interventions for performing artists with disabilities, and create a wheelchair-accessible cross aisle in the audience area.
* An overhaul of the theatre’s backstage, allowing for more efficient load-ins and load-outs, better dressing rooms, bigger hallways, and climate control in encloses spaces.
* New lighting towers for improved theatrical lighting and additional safety for production crew members.
* Outside the theatre, a new exterior wall will stand outward with a textured wood facade designed to compliment the venue’s part setting.
* A new covered canopy and widened bluestone pathway will improve crowd flow along with creating shelter from rain and sun.
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Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Zippel & Emerald Fennell’s Cinderella has announced a 2022 run on Broadway at a theater TBA.
Casting and additional information TBA.
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Jez Bond’s Whodunnit (Unrehearsed), which ran Off-Broadway in 2019, will return July 15 – 27 at the Park Theatre. The twist — the cast has never seen or rehearsed the script. The production will also feature the recorded voices of Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench.
(rotating): Clive Anderson, Gillian Anderson, John Bishop, Gyles Brandreth, Marcus Brigstocke, Jim Broadbent, Simon Callow, Ronan Keating, Damian Lewis, Maureen Lipman, Joanna Lumley, Juliet Stevenson, Meera Syal, Catherine Tate, Tin Vine, and Ruby Wax.
After a two-week run at the Park Theatre, the show will transfer to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (guest artists and link TBA).
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The Kleban Foundation has announced the winners of its annual Kleban Prize for Musical Theater:
César Alverez (Most Promising Musical Theatre Lyricist)
Isabella Dawis (Most Promising Musical Theatre Librettist)
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Commonwealth Shakespeare Company has announced that Much Ado About Nothing will run July 20 – Aug. 7 at The Boston Common, directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian.
Casting TBA.
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David Rakowiecki’s “Spoiler Alert,” directed by Michael Showalter, is currently in development. The release date is TBA.
Jim Parsons, Sally Field. Nikki M. James, and Bill Irwin, with Antoni Porowski, Jeffrey Self, and more TBA.
Weaving in stories from a 14-year romance, the film charts the emotionally turbulent 11-month journey of Ausiello’s former partner Kit from his diagnosis with terminal cancer to his death.
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The Little Prince, adapted by Chris Mouron & Terry Truck, has changed dates. Originally scheduled to begin previews Mar. 4 and open Mar. 18, the production will now run Mar. 29 – Aug. 14 (opening Apr. 11) at the Broadway Theatre, directed & choreographed by Anne Tournié.
. After an aviator descends from the sky to find himself in the middle of the desert, he meets the Little Prince, a young hero on an extraordinary adventure. Join the Little Prince on his journey as he meets many fascinating characters who help him learn how to follow his heart.
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Video: Trailer for the documentary “Just a Broadway Baby: Mary Ellen Ashley.“
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The Lyrics & Lyricists concert series returns to NYC’s 92Y for its 50th anniversary season:
David Loud: Facing the Music (Mar. 19-21), offering stories of his work with Stephen Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, and others, with behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
here.
The Songs and Life of Sam Cooke (Apr. 23-25), featuring Darius de Haas
here.
Isn’t It Bliss? Sondheim on Love (June 18-20), written, directed, music directed & hosted by Ted Sperling. here.
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Video: “All Is Found”/”Into The Unknown,” from Disney Princess: The Concert, with Susan Egan, Anneliese van der Pol, Arielle Jacobs, and Syndee Winters. (7:38)
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“Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back” will premiere Feb. 1 (and run through 2023 on Starz., directed by John Carluccio.
Chita Rivera, Mercedes Ellington, and Debbie Allen.
The film paints a portrait of Hines, following the entertainer from his tap-dancing childhood to today, including an exploration of what it means to be a Black, gay man in show business.
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City Center Encores‘ The Tap Dance Kid will run Feb. 2-6, adapted by Lydia Diamond, directed by Kenny Leon, with choreography by Jared Grimes, and music direction by Joseph Joubert.
Tracee Beazer (Carole), Alexander Bello (Willie), DeWitt Fleming Jr. (Daddy Bates), Joshua Henry (William), Trevor Jackson (Uncle Dipsey), Shahadi Wright Joseph (Emma), Chance Smith (Winslow), and Adrienne Walker (Ginnie).
In rehearsal:**********************
Complete casting has been announced for the world premiere of David Hare’s Straight Line Crazy, to run Mar. 16 – June 18 (opening Mar. 23) at the Bridge Theatre, directed by Nicholas Hytner.
Ralph Fiennes, Alisha Bailey, Samuel Barnett, David Bromley, Al Coppola, Siobhán Cullen, Ian Kirkby, Alana Maria, Dani Moseley, Guy Paul, Helen Schlesinger, Mary Stillwaggon Stewart, and Danny Webb.
For 40 uninterrupted years, Robert Moses was the most powerful man in New York. Though never elected to office, he manipulated those who were, through a mix of guile, charm, and intimidation. Motivated at first by a determination to improve the lives of New York City’s workers, he created new parks, new bridges, and 627 miles of expressway to connect the people to the great outdoors. But in the 1950s, groups of citizens at grass roots began to organize against his schemes and against the motor car, campaigning for a very different idea of what a city was and for what it should be.