GRACE NOTES: Friday, July 29, 2022

 

This Weekend’s Highlights:

Friday, July 29

  Get It Together, world premiere written & directed by Michael Quinn, featuring Joseph Basquill (Harold) and Hadley Durkee (Mary), opens at LA’s Zephyr Theatre.

  Secondo, world premiere by Jacques Lamarre, directed by Rob Ruggiero, starring Antoinette LaVecchia, begins previews at TheaterWorks Hartford.

  Luna & The Starbodies concert, by Truth Future Bachman, featuring Blu Morpho, Truth Future Bachman, Z Infante, Mariye, and Zia, at 8 PM ET at Off-Broadway’s Public Theater.

  Amas Musical Theatre‘s The Gospel According to Heather developmental lab presentation, by Paul Gordon, directed & choreographed by Rachel Klein, featuring Travis Artz, Bradley Dean, Baria Farha, Gabrielle Green, Darron Hayes, Bryson Jacobi Jackson, Chloé McSwain, Nancy Opel, Marissa Rosen, Adi Roy, and Brittany Nicole Williams, at 1 PM ET at Off-Broadway’s Signature Center.

Saturday, July 30

  Lavender Men, by Roger Q. Mason, directed by Kate Burton, featuring Alex Esola (Elmer Ellsworth), Roger Q. Mason (Taffeta), and Pete Ploszek (Abe Lincoln), begins previews at LA’s Skylight Theatre.

Sunday, July 31

  The Panic of ’29, by Graham Techler, directed by Max Friedman, featuring Will Roland, Olivia Puckett, Erik Lochtefeld, Joyelle Nicole, Johnson, Jaela Cheeks-Lomax, Rachel B. Joyce, Julia Knitel, Jared Loftin, Jack Maloney, Will Turner, and RJ Vaillancourt, with Devin Kessler, Brian Morabito, Jacob Presson, and Rachel Ravel, opens at Off-Broadway’s 59E59 Theaters.

  Here There are Blueberries, world premiere by Moisés Kaufman & Amanda Gronich, directed by Kaufman, featuring Scott Barrow, Charles Browning, Rosina Reynolds, Jeanne Sakata, Elizabeth Stahlmann, Charlie Thurston, Grant James Varjas, and Frances Uku, with Abby Huffstetler, Noah Keyishian, and Sabrina Liu, opens at La Jolla Playhouse.

  Chita: The Rhythm of My Life concert, at 2 PM ET at Pittsfield, CT’s Colonial Theatre.

  Company, directed by Marianne Elliott, featuring Katrina Lenk (Bobbie), Patti LuPone (Joanne), Matt Doyle (Jamie), Christopher Fitzgerald (David), Christopher Sieber (Harry), Jennifer Simard (Sarah), Terence Archie (Larry), Etai Benson (Paul), Bobby Conte (P.J.), Nikki Renée Daniels (Jenny), Claybourne Elder (Andy), Greg Hildreth (Peter), and Rashidra Scott (Susan), with Kathryn Allison, Britney Coleman, Jacob Dickey, Javier Ignacio, Anisha Nagarajan, Nicholas Rodriguea, Heath Saunders, Tally Sessions, and Matt Wall, closes at Broadway’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, after 32 previews and 268 performances.

  Beanie Feldstein concludes her run as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre.

  Fat Ham, by James Ijames, directed by Saheem Ali, featuring Nikki Crawford (Tedra), Chris Herbie Holland (Tio), Billy Eugene Jones (Rev/Pap), Adrianna Mitchell (Opal), Calvin Leon Smith (Larry), Marcel Spears (Juicy), and Benja Kay Thomas (Rabby), with RJ Foster, Tanesha Gary, Marquis D. Gibson, and Alexandria Brienne Lewis, closes at Off-Broadway’s Public Theater.

  Dear Evan Hansen national tour, featuring Anthony Norman (Evan Hansen), Stephanie La Rochelle (Zoe Murphy), Jessica E. Sherman (Heidi Hansen), Kelsey Venter (Cynthia Murphy), Nikhil Saboo (Conor Murphy), John Hemphill (Larry Murphy), Jared Goldsmith (Jared Kleinman), Ciara Alyse Harris (Alana Beck), and Sam Primack (Evan Hansen alternate), with Haile Ferrier, Matthew Edward Kemp, Coleen Sexton, Daniel Robert Sullivan, and Keely Vasquez, closes at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre.

  Most Happy in Concert, Daniel Fish’s newly adapted & directed version of The Most Happy Fella, featuring Mary Testa, Tina Fabrique, Maya Lagerstam, Erin Markey, April Matthis, Mallory Portnoy, Kiena Williams, and Gwynne Wood, closes at  MA’s Williamstown Theatre Festival.

  Next to Normal, a 60-minute reimagining, directed by Simon Pittman, featuring Alice Ripley (Diana Goodman) and Adam Pascal (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine), with Andy Señor Jr., Jade Laurel, Eloi Gomez, and Lewis Edgar, closes at Festival Grec de Barcelona. 

  Legally Blonde The Musical, directed by Maggie Burrows, featuring Kyla Stone (Elle Woods), Fergie L. Phillipe (Emmett Forest), Patti Murin (Paulette), Sean Allan Krill (Professor Callahan), Hayley Podschun (Brooke Wyndham), Kelsey Ann Brown (Margot), Gabi Campo (Serena), Kerry George (Enid), Khailah Johnson (Pilar), Dan Tracy (Warner Huntington III), and Olivia Kaufman (Vivienne Kensington (Mackenzie Bell), with Mackenzie Bell, Gregory Lee Rodriguez, Dave Schoonover, Andrés Acosta, Angela Birchett, Veronica Sofia Burt, Shea Coffman, Taylor Marie Daniel, Abigail Isom, Sydney Jones, Emily Madigan, UJ Mangune, Alora Tonielle Martinez, Adelina Mitchell, Natalia Nieves-Melchor, Ben Nordstrom, Liam Pearce, Gabriel Reyes, Matt Rivera, Cristina Sastre, Rochelle Scudder, Christopher De’Shawn Tipps, Julien Valme, Ricke (Bruiser), and Myrtle (Rufus), closes at the St. Louis Muny.

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  The world premiere of Eric Roth’s stage adaptation of High Noon will open on Broadway in 2023 (theater TBA) directed by Michael Arden.

The first Western play to premiere on Broadway in decades, the show will unfold in real time like the film, which follows a town marshal faced with confronting a group of killers on his own or leaving town with his new wife.

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  Complete casting has been announced for the world premiere of Jocelyn Bioh, Michaeal Thurber & Saheem Ali’s Goddess, to run Aug. 13 – Sept. 25 at CA’s Berkely Rep, directed by Ali, with choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie, and music direction by Marco Paguia.

Abena (Rashida), Melessie Clark (Mosi), Rodrick Covington (Ahmed), Zachary Downer (Sameer), Amber Iman (Nadira), Grasan Kingsberry (Jaali), Kingsley Leggs (Hassan), Kecia Lewis (Siti), Isio-Maya Nuwere (Safiyah), Aaron Patterson (Yusef), Destinee Rea (Cheche), Phillip Johnson Richardson (Omari), Awa Sal Secka (Zawadi), Lawrence Stallings (Madongo), Teshomech (Tisa), Quiantae Thomas (Amina), Wade Watson (Musa), and Reggie D. White (Balozi).

A mysterious singer arrives at Moto Moto, a steamy Afro-jazz club in Mombasa, Kenya. She cast an entrancing spell on everyone, including a young man who has returned home from studying in American. Will the big plans for. his life — stepping into a political legacy and marrying his fiancée — be upended?

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  The world premiere of Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo & Bradley Bredeweg’s Invincible – The Musical will run Nov. 22 – Dec. 17 at Beverly Hills’ The Wallis, directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene, with music directed by Jesse Vargas.

A re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which is set in the modern, war-torn metropolis of Verona where the newly elected Chancellor Paris vows to destroy the progressive resistance and return the city to its traditional roots. The star-crossed lovers’ story, exploring how love and equality battle for survival in times of great transformation, envisions peace in a divided world.

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  Video: “Children Will Listen” from Broadway’s Into the WoodsScroll down.

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  Amas Musical Theatre will present staged readings of Eric Sorrels & Cheeyang Ng’s MĀYĀ on Aug. 22 (6 PM ET) & 23 (2 & 7 PM ET) at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row, directed by Arpita Mukherjee, with music direction by Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh.

: boxoffice@amasmusical.org

  Meetu Chilana, Max Chlumecky, Devin Kolluri, Yamuna Meleth, Manu Narayn, and Kuhoo Verma.

  Set in the time of Gandhi’s Non-Violent Independence Movement and the waning British MĀYĀ tell the story of a female poet’s awakening to the political troubles of India.

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  National Theater Live presents Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie, directed by Justin Martin, on Aug. 7 & 20 at UCLA’s James Bridges Theatre.

  Jodie Comer

Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from working class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross examining and winning. An unexpected event for her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge. The play takes us to the heart of where emotions and experience collide with the rules of the game.

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  CRUDE: A Completely Unauthorized Play About The Baddest of The Rock and Roll Bad Boys will run Aug. 19-21 at Hollywood’s The Complex, written & directed by David Lucarelli.

  Ryan Ruffing, Phillip-Charlie Daniel, Jeff Skomsky, Roman Guastaferro, Ed Gage, Madison Hansen, Tristan Rewald, and Tamara Torres.

In the early 1980s a band rose from the streets of Hollywood to become a cultural phenomenon, and for one brief shining moment, all things seemed possible.

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  “Ms. Guidance,” Ep. 5: “How to Succeed in Jenny Without Really Trying,” by James Ryan Caldwell, directed by Van Hansis & Melodie Sisk.

Amber Gray, Van Hansis, Tyler Hanes, Ian Unterman, Calli Alden, and Adriane Lenox, with Mark Boyett, Sam Faulkner, Andrew Hollinger, Erin Kommor, Ginna Le Vine, Antonio Marziale, Ashley Austin Morris, Amy Russ, Nikki Snelson, Kit Williamson, Marco Zunino, Michael Urie, and Elliotte Crowell.

  Video (Ep. 5): Jenny has turned over a new leaf, or at least that’s what she wants everyone to think. Pistol is conflicted by a nagging desire to cast Walker as the lead in The Seagull. Bethan uncovers a dirt secret and uses it to her advantage. And Porsche learns how to be good at being bad.

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  Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 will run Aug. 28 – Sept. 24 (opening Sept. 1) at Cambridge’s A.R.T., directed by Taibi Magar.

  Elena Hurst, Wesley T. Jones, Francis Jue, Carl Palmer, and Tiffany Rachelle Stewart.

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  Lena Hall will join the company of Little Shop of Horrors on Sept. 6 in the role of Audrey at the Westside Theatre.

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  The national tour of The Prom will run Aug. 9 – Sept. 11 (opening Aug. 10) at the Ahmanson Theatre, directed & choreographed by Casey Nicholaw.

  Kaden Kearney (Emma), Kalyn West (Alyssa Greene), Courtney Balan (Dee Dee Allen), Patrick Wetzel (Barry Glickman), Emily Borromeo (Angie Dickinson), Bud Weber (Trent Oliver), Sinclair Mitchell (Mr. Hawkins), Ashanti J’Aria (Mrs. Greene), And Shavey Brown (Sheldon Saperstein), Gabrielle Beckford, Ashley Bruce, Maurice Dawkins, Jordan De Leon, James Caleb Grice, Megan Grosso, Marie Gutierrez, Chloe Rae Kehm, Braden Allen King, Brandon J. Large, Alexa Margo, Christopher McCrewell, Adriana Negron, Marcus Phillips, Lexie Plath, Zoë Brooke Reed, Thad Turner Wilson, and Josh Zacher.

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  Video: The German cast of Hamilton performs “The Schuyler Sisters”

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  Milwaukee Rep has announced its 2022-23 season openers:

  Unforgettable: John Mark McGaha Sings Nat King Cole (Sept. 9 – Nov. 6)

  Titanic The Musical (Sept. 20 – Oct. 23), directed by Mark Clements, with music direction by Dan Kazemi, and choreography by Jenn Rosem featuring Emma Rose Brooks (Kate McGowan), Matt Daniels (Pitman/Etches), Kelley Faulkner (Caroline), David Hess (Captain Smith), Carrie Hitchcock (Ida Straus), Brian Krinsky (Jim Farrell), Steve Pacek (Bride), Tim Quartier (Charles), Andrew Varela Ismay), and Steve Watts (Edgar), Cooper Grodin (Andrews), Alex Keiper (Alice), Jeffrey Kringer (Barrett), and Joe Vincent (Isador Straus, with Rána Roman.

  Wife of a Salesman (Sept. 27 – Nov. 6), world premiere by Eleanor Burgess, directed by Marti Lyons, featuring Bryce Gangel (Violet/Mistress), Heidi Armbruster (Heather/Wife), and Bobak Cyrus Bakhtiari (Jim). When a 1950s housewife, from a certain classis American drama, tracks down the woman who is sleeping with her husband, the two discover they have more in common than society would like them to believe.

 The remaining productions in the 2022-23 season are TBA.

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  Group Rep will present the world premiere of Normal Noises, which offers 6 short plays written & directed by Clara Rodriguez, to run Aug. 11 – Sept. 10 at North Hollywood’s Lonny Chapman Theatre.

Melissa Bontempt, Cynthia Bryant, Cheryl Crosland, Michael Gabiano, Mareli Mitchel-Shields, Lloyd Pedersen, Alec Reusch, Neil Thompson and Sascha Vanderslik.

These short, funny, quirky plays are about life — but not just about the big things in life. Sometimes is about the little things that make you want to get out of bed in the morning, or maybe stay in bed, or maybe do both at the same time.

 


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