This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, July 14
Chanteuse, by Alan Palmer & David Leggs, directed by Dorothy Danner, featuring David Legg, opens at Off-Broadway’s HERE Arts Center.
Fire Island Dance Festival, hosted by Alan Cumming, opens at NY’s Fire Island Pines.
Williamstown Theatre Festival‘s 2023 Summer Season’s Friday’@3 Reading Series begins.
Pump Up the Volume concert presentations, by Jeremy Desmon & Jeff Thomson, directed by Dave Solomon, featuring Graham Rowat (Lieutenant Hunter), Michele Ragusa (Principle Cresswood), Liam Pearce (Mark/Hard Harry), Christina Jones (Nora), Michael Morley (Malcoln), John El-Jor (Mazz), Lison Tunick (Paige), Haley Beauregard (Stacey), Alexandra Cooke (Tracie), and Richard Putorti (Ricky), with Lauren Taylor Berkman and vinnie Canale, opens at the Adirondack Theatre Festival.
Cinderella, directed by Yvette Lawrence, featuring Camryn Hamm (Ella), Tyler Burk (Topher), Emily King Brown (Madame), Kevin Bailey (Sebastian), Regina Fernandez (Marie), Sarah Hinrichsen (Gabrielle), Kelsie Piini (Charlotte), Frankie Zabilka (Jean-Michel), and Landen Starkaman (Lord Pinkleton), with Georgia Bresnillian, Lucy Bollier, Aaron, Camites, Mary Kate Chapman, Anna Dreslinksi, Lila Dunham, Andrew Ge, Kayla Goldsberry, Matthew San Jose, Bruno Kosskoff, Kailyn Leilani, Sharon Logan, Laufen Lorati, Sammy Linkowski, Rachel McLaughlan, Andrea Pantazis, Luke Prynor, Coby Rogers, Cole Sisser, Joshua Tanenbaum, and Abigail Thompson, opens at CA’s Thousand Oaks’ Kavli Theatre.
Ironbound, by Martyna Majok, directed by Susan Leslie, featuring Matt Bushell, Shea Depmore, Isaiah Frazilus, and Dniel Shawn Miller, opens at LA’s Broadwater Second Stage.
Penthesilea, world premiere by Danielle Ozymandias, directed by Bree Pavey & Ozymandias, featuring Dawn Sam Alden, Lemon Baardsen, Lara Blanco, Cassandra Carmona, Nicole Craig, Jennifer DeRosa, Madylin Sweeten Durrie, Barbera Ann Howard, Hanna Isaac, Sean James, Zenarra James, Xavier LeFlore, April Littlejohn, Matt Lorenzo, Maia Luer, and Stephanie Mayer, opens at North Hollywood’s Loft Ensemble.
The Half-God of Rainfall, by Inua Ellams, directed by Taibi Magar, featuring Mister Fitzgerald (Demi), Jason Bowen ( Sàngó), Patrice Johnson Cheyannes (Osún), Michael Laurence (Zeus), Lizan Mitchell (Elegba), Jennifer Mogbock (Modúpé), and Alexandra Silber (Hera), begins previews at Off-Broadway’s New York Theatre Workshop.
Honky Tonk Angels, by Ted Swindley, directed & choreographed by Gary John La Rosa, featuring Erin Edelle (Angela), Elizabeth Nestlerode (Darlene), and Kara-Tameika Watkins (Sue Ellen), begins previews at Albany’s Capital Rep.
Rhinegold concert presentation, by Jim Steinman & Barry Keating, featuring Andre De Shields, Bradley Dean, and Andrew Polec, at 9:30 PM at at Off Broadway’s Laurie Beechman Theatre.
Jason Kravits: Off the Top, a completely improvised concert, with song suggestion topics suggested by the audience, at 7 PM at NYC’s Joe’s Pub. Highly recommended!
Allons Enfants! La Vie Est Belle concert, featuring Steve Ross and Jean Brassard, with special guest Karen Akers, at 7 PM at NYC’s Pangea.
Saturday, July 15
Jeremy Jordan begins his limited return to Little Shop of Horrors at Off-Broadway’s Westside Theatre.
West Side Story, directed by Rob Ruggiero, featuring Christian Douglas (Tony), Kanisha Feliciano (Maria), Jersha Cavazos (Anita), Yurel Echezarreta (Bernardo), Ken Page (Doc), Kyle Coffman (Riff), Drew Battles (Gladhand), James A. Butz (Officer Krupke), Cedric Leiba, Jr. (Chino), Michael James Reed (Lt. Schrank), Ethan David Zeph (Action), Caylie Rose Newcom (Anybodys), Ethan Van Slyke (Baby John), Daniel Assetta (A-Rab), Tanner Ray Wilson (Big Deal), and RJ Higton (Snowboy), with with Gabriel Amato, Angelica Maria Beliard, Jonathan Bryant, Veronica Sofia Burt, Devin Cortez, Daniela Delahuerta, Abbey Friedmann, Henry Julian Gendron, Yoni Haller, Eloise Kropp, Francis Lawrence, Macy McKown, Natalia Nieves-Melchor, Tatiana Nuñez, Courtney Ortiz, Daniel Pahl, Daniel Powers, Grace Marie Rusnica, and Ronan Ryan, opens at the St. Louis Muny.
Let’s Call Her Patti, world premiere by Zarina Shea, directed by Margot Bordelon, featuring Arielle Goldman, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, and Rhea Perlman, begins previews at Lincoln Center’s Claire Tow Theater.
A Pink Floyd Affair: Burbank concert, at 7:30 PM at Burbank’s Colony Theatre.
The Motive and the Cue, by Jack Thorne, directed by Sam Mendes, featuring Johnny Flyn (Richard Burton), Mark Gatiss (John Gielgud), Tuppence Middleton (Elizabeth Taylor), and Janie Dee (Eileen Herlie), with Aaron Anthony, Tom Babbage, Allan Corduner, Elena Delia, Ryan Ellsworth, Phoebe Horn, Aysha Kala, Luke Norris, Huw Parmenter, David Ricardo-Pearce, David Tarkenter, Kate Tydman, Laurence Ubong Williams, and Michael Walters, closes at London’s Lyttelton Theatre.
Tick, Tick … Boom!, directed by Eric Rosen, featuring Andy Mientus, Krystina Alabado, and Noah J. Rickets, closes at Bucks County Playhouse.
Singin’ in the Rain, directed by Jayme McDaniel, featuring Max Clayton (Don Lockwood), Christian Probst (Cosmor Brown), Chiara Trentalange (Kathy Selden), Greg Jackson (Roscoe Dexter), Kate Loprest (Lina Lamont), and Lance Roberts (R.F. Simpson), with Katie Brunson, Calvin L’Mont Cooper, Nick Davis, Lianne Marie Dobbs, Alex Drost, Jaime Foord, Leeds Hill, Will Jewett, Dot Kelly, Joey Kummert, Maddy Miller, Jordon Taylor, Jake Urban, Alex Temple Ward, Jillian Wessel, Elizabeth Yanick, Tyler Zydel, Gino Bloombeg and Taylor Kurtz, closes at ME’s Ogunquit Playhouse.
Sunday, July 16
Stew, by Zora Howard, directed by Tyler Thomas, featuring LisaGay Hamilton (Mama), Roslyn Ruff (Lillian), Jasmine Ashanti (Nelly), and Samantha Miller (Lil’ Mama), opens at Pasadena Playhouse.
Fifty Key Stage Musicals: The Concert! — Part Three, with music direction by Michael Lavine, featuring Christine Andreas, Paige Davis, Stephen Mo Hanan, Lee Roy Reams, Steve Ross, Talia Suskauer, Mark William, Sabrina Brush, Hilary Cole, Molly Stilliens, and Joseph C. Townsend, with Bryan Austermann, Catherine DeLuce, Kali Evonne, Alex Frost, Caleb Funk, Mario Greiner, Christina Emily Jackson, Logan Lee, Tyler Mell, Jeremiah O’Sullivan, and Molly Samson, at 7 PM at NYC’s 54 Below.
Oklahoma, National Theatre’s production, directed by Trevor Nunn, featuring Hugh Jackman (Curly), Maureen Lipman (Aunt Eller), Josefina Gabrielle (Laurie), Shuler Hensley (Jud Fry), Vicki Simon (Ado Annie), Jimmy Johnston (Will Parker) and Peter Polycarpou (Ali Hakim), screens in movie theaters worldwide (also July 18 & 19).
Notre Dame de Paris, directed by directed by Gilles Maheu, featuring Angelo Del Vecchio (Quasimodo), Elhaida Dani (Esmerelda), Daniel Lavoie (Frollo), Gian Marco Schiaretti (Gringoire), Jay (Clopin), Jérémy Amelin (Phoebus), and Alyzée Lalande (Fleur-de-Lys), with Robert Mariel, Jaime Bono, Eric Jetner, Philippe Tremblay, and Mike Lee, along with acrobats Jonathan Gajdane, Nathan Jones, Andrea Nevroz, Arek Szynal, Ivan Urbano, Lorenzo Arnouts, Antonio Balsamo, Giulia Barbone, Marina Barbone, Wilfried Bernard, Alessandra Berti, Rodolphe Duquesne, Giuseppe Marino, Gabriel Nabo, Alessia Papale, Sonia Picone, Valentin Piers, Anaïs Replumaz, Ivan Trimarchi, Vaia Venetis and Roberta Zegretti, closes at Lincoln Center‘s David H. Koch Theater.
Days of Wine and Roses, world premiere by Craig Lucas & Adam Guettel, directed by Michael Greif, featuring Kelli O’Hara, Brian d’Arcy James, Steven Booth, Sharon Catherine Brown, Bill English, Nicole Ferguson, Olivia Hernandez, Byron Jennings, David Jennings, Ted Koch, Ella Dane Morgan, Scarlett Unger, and Kelcey Watson, closes at Off-Broadway’s Atlantic Theater Company.
The Gospel According to Heather, by Paul Gordon, directed & choreographed by Rachel Klein, featuring Katey Sagal, Lauren Elder, Badia Farha, Maria Habeeb, Darron Hayes, Jeremy Kushnier, Maya Lagerstam, Wayne Wilson, and Brittany Nicole Williams, with Armando Gutierrez, Georgia Kate Haege, Sarita Amani Nash, and Zach Rand, closes at Off-Broadway’s Theatre 555.
Uncle Vanya, directed by Jack Serio, featuring David Cromer (Vanya), Will Brill (Astrov), Julia Chan (Yelena), Will Dagger (Telegin), Martin Ireland (Sonya), Bill Irwin (Serebryakov), Nathan Malin (Yefim), Ann McDonough (Maria), and Virginia Wing (Marina), closes at a private loft in NYC’s Flatiron District.
Dancers Responding to AIDS‘ Fire Island Dance Festival closes at NY’s Fire Island Pines.
FREE Staged Reading Series concludes at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
The Sound of Music, directed & choreographed by Marc Robin, featuring Hanley Smith (Maria), Will Ray (Captain Von Trapp), Daniella Dalli (Mother Abbess), Maddie Dick (Liesl Von Trapp), Blake Hammond (Max Detweiler), Katie Sina (Elsa Schraeder), Susan Cella (Frau Schmidt), Sam Greene (Rolf) Erika Strasburg (Sister Mararetta), Anna Bakun (Sister Sophia), Rebecca Robins (Sister Berthe), J Alex Noble (Franz), Carlianna Connors (Brigitta), Emily Harajda (Louisa), Aubree Liscotti (Gretl), Sloan Masula (Marta), Max Peluso (Fredrick), Henry Thomas (Kurt), and many more, closes at Pittsburgh CLO.
Pump Up the Volume concert presentations, by Jeremy Desmon & Jeff Thomson, directed by Dave Solomon, featuring Graham Rowat (Lieutenant Hunter), Michele Ragusa (Principle Cresswood), Liam Pearce (Mark/Hard Harry), Christina Jones (Nora), Michael Morley (Malcoln), John El-Jor (Mazz), Lison Tunick (Paige), Haley Beauregard (Stacey), Alexandra Cooke (Tracie), and Richard Putorti (Ricky), with Lauren Taylor Berkman and vinnie Canale, concludes at MA’s Adirondack Theatre Festival.
Fetch Clay, Make Man, by Will Power, directed by Debbie Allen, featuring Ray Fisher (Muhammad Ali), Edwin Lee Gibson (Stepin Fetchit), Wilkie Gerguson II (Borther Rashid), Alexis Floyd (Sonji Clay), and Bruce Nozick (William Fox), closes at LA’s Kirk Douglas Theatre.
Fascinating Rhythm concert, created & performed by Kirsten Salpini andJared Troilo, closes at Boston’s Lyric Stage Company.
Ironbound, by Martyna Majok, directed by Susan Leslie, featuring Matt Bushell, Shea Depmore, Isaiah Frazilus, and Dniel Shawn Miller, closes at LA’s Broadwater Second Stage.
Group Rep‘s Morning’s at Seven, by Paul Osborn, directed by Doug Engalla, featuring Barbara Brownell (Ida), Milda Dacys (Cora), Jeff Dinnell (Homer), Dawn Halloran (Arry), Belinda Howell (Esther), Stan Mazin (David), Bridget Murray (Myrtle), Lloyd Pederson (Carl), and Neil Thompson (Thor), closes at North Hollywood’s Lonny Chapman Theatre.
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Reviews for In Dreams at the UK’s Leeds Playhouse:
The Guardian (Katherine Love): Jukebox musicals tend to be all about the feelgood factor. It’s ambitious, then, that David West Read – the writer of & Juliet – has chosen to use Roy Orbison’s songs to consider the experiences of death and grief… Within this structure, the show works hard to pack in as many Orbison hits as possible. Read does a good job of coherently stringing the songs together… It’s all rather earnest, but the charm of the performances and the strength of the music just about carry it through to a conclusion that is – despite the subject matter – feelgood after all.
The Stage (Paul Vale): Roy Orbison’s back catalogue provides a poignant backdrop to David West Read’s remarkably adult jukebox musical about love and loss… At face value, the back catalogue of legendary singer-songwriter Roy Orbison seems like an odd choice for a jukebox musical… refreshingly thoughtful and rather poignant show…. Despite tackling challenging themes such as grief and death, Read’s book remains positive and uplifting… [Read’s] comedy is darkly whimsical, which sits well alongside Orbison’s songs… However, the story arc runs into problems in the final third of the show…
Broadway World ( Natalie O’Donoghue): …It is at heart, a love story but not just a romantic one… This is a show all about human connection. It doesn’t fall into the tropes of needing a partner to “save” you… While the book and music are excellent, it’s an exceptional cast that is the true jewel in this crown… I can’t imagine a more perfect casting for Kenna; this loving and sensitive badass character with absolutely killer rock vocals. Oliver Tompsett is incredibly charming as English “plonker” with a heart of gold who has grown up from the young man Kenna knew all those years ago. Leon Craig provides light relief and a lot of heart as Tom, the restaurant’s chef/Heartbreak Radio superfan…
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New York City Center will present Rodgers & Hart’s Pal Joey Nov. 1-5, with a new book by Richard LaGravenese & Daniel “Koa” Beaty, directed by Tony Goldwyn & Savion Glover, with choreography by Savion Glover.
Loretta Devine (replacing Jennifer Holliday as Lucille Wallace), Ephraim Sykes (Joey Evans), Aisha Jackson (Linda English), Elizabeth Stanley (Vera Simpson), Jeb Brown (Ganster) and Brooks Ashmanskas (in an unspecified role), and more TBA.
Smooth-talking, cocky anti-hero Joey Evans worms his way into owning his own nightclub. Along the way, Joey juggles the affections of many women, including Linda English, a naive young woman, and Vera Simpson, a wealthy, married socialite. Vera begins to bankroll Joey’s new club, Chez Joey, until a crooked agent, Ludlow Lowell and his sidekick chorus girl, Gladys Bumps, threaten to tell Vera’s husband about her affair. Joey finally gets a taste of his own medicine when Vera dumps him and cuts the funding for his club. Linda hopes to win Joey’s heart, now that he is newly single, but unfortunately can’t keep the playboy tied down. Joey lands on his feet, not learning anything from his fall from grace, and continues his scheming ways.
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The national tour of Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell & Wayne Kirkpatrick’s Mrs. Doubtfire will launch Sept. 24. Click here for the initial tour dates.
Rob McClure (Euphegenia Doubtfire), Maggie Lakis (Miranda Hillard), and more TBA.
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GRANTS The Shubert Foundation has awarded $37.9 million in unrestricted grants to 635 not-for-profit theaters, dance companies, academic theatre training programs, and related service agencies around the U.S.
Money from the Foundation, the nation’s leading provider of unrestricted funding for the performing arts, will benefit a broad spectrum of theatre and dance organizations, regardless of size in both urban and rural settings. The Shubert Foundation increased access to organizations around the country by revising requirements for those with the smallest budgets.
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Tanglewood hosted a symphonic concert performance (with the Boston Symphony Orchestra) 0f Ragtime on July 8, directed by Jason Danieley, which can be streamed in full on demand online HERE.
Alton Fitzgerald White (Coalhouse Walker, Jr.), Elizabeth Stanley (Mother), John Cariani (Tateh), Nikki Renée Daniels (Sarah), David Harris (Father), A.J. Shively (Mother’s Younger Brother), and Klea Blackhurst (Emma Goldman).
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The Shubert Foundation has awarded $37.9 million in unrestricted grants to 635 not-for-profit theatres, dance companies, academic theatre training programs, and related service agencies around the U.S.
Money from the Foundation, the nation’s leading provider of unrestricted funding for the performing arts, will benefit a broad spectrum of theatre and dance organizations, regardless of size in both urban and rural settings. The Shubert Foundation increased access to organizations around the country by revising requirements for those with the smallest budgets.
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Everybody Rise!: A Sondheim Celebration, conducted by Kevin Stites, will take place Sun. July 30, at 7:30 PM at the Hollywood Bowl, conducted by Kevin Stites.
Patti LuPone, Sierra Boggess, Sutton Foster, Skylar Astin, Norm Lewis, and Brian Stokes Mitchell.
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David Andrew Laws & Williams Shakespeare’s Shrew You will run Aug. 11-18 at Under St. Marks, as part of the 2023 Little Shakespeare Festival, directed by Sophia Carlin.
Azumi Tsuzui, Jillian Cicalese, Afton Paige Welch, and Olivia Ridpath.
A comedic, no boys allowed, one-act rewrite of one of Shakespeare’s most sexist works: The Taming of the Shrew. The cast reimagines and finds some joy in the tragedy of Taming, while also telling the Bard to kindly, on behalf of all women, kiss our collective ass.
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The Bridges of Madison County will run Aug. 8 – Sept. 17 at VA’s Signature Theatre, directed by Ethan Heard, with music direction by Laura Bergquist, and choreography by Kelly Crandall d’Amboise.
Erin Davie (Francesca), Mark Evans (Robert), Christopher Bloch (Charlie), Rayanne Gonzales (Marge), Julia Wheeler Lennon (Carolyn), Nolan Montgomery (Michael), Marina Pires (Marian/Chiara/State Fair Singer), and Cullen R. Titmas ( Bud), with Carla Crawford, Tori Gomez, Alex Stone, and Douglas Ullman, Jr.
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National Theatre Live’s production of James Graham’s The Best of Enemies will be screened Sat. July 22 at 3 PM at UCLA’s James Bridges Theatre, directed by Jeremy Herrin.
David Harewood and Zachary Quinto.
In 1968 America, as two men fight to become the next president, all eyes are on the battle between two others: the cunningly conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and the unruly liberal Gore Vidal. During a new nightly television format, they debate the moral landscape of a shattered nation. As beliefs are challenged and slurs slung, a new frontier in American politics is opening and television news is about to be transformed forever.
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Krysta Rodriguez (Cinderella) has joined the national tour of Into the Woods, currently running through July 30 at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre.