This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, June 23
Tick, Tick … Boom!, directed by Eric Rosen, featuring Andy Mientus, Krystina Alabado, and Noah J. Rickets, opens at PA’s Bucks County Playhouse.
Proud Out Loud FREE LGBTQIA reading series of short plays and monologues, opens at LA’s Theater West.
Flex, by Candice Jones, directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, featuring Brittany Bellizeare, Christiana Clark, Renita Lewis, Erica Matthews, Ciara Monique, and Tomalili, begins previews at 7 PM at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.
Audible’s live performance of Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For – One Night Stand, adapted by Madeleine George, directed by Leigh Silverman, featuring Jenn Colella, Lauren Patten, and Roberta Colindrez, at Off-Broadway’s Minetta Lane Theatre.
An Evening with Brian Stokes Mitchell concert, at 8 PM at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center.
Saturday, June 24
Disney Pride in Concert, directed & conducted by Ernest H. Harrison, featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, opens at LA’s Disney Concert Hall.
Crazy for You, directed & choreographed by Susan Stroman, featuring Charlie Stemp (Bobby), Carly Anderson (Polly), Tom Edden (Bela Zangler), Natalie Kassanga (Irene Roth), Mathew Craig (Lank Hawkins), Duncan Smith (Everett Baker), Marilyn Cutts (Lottie Child), Sam Harrison (Eugene Fodor), Rina Fatania (Patricia Fodor), and Jack Wilcox (Standby Bobby Child), with. Kayleigh Thadani, Kate Parr, Lila Anderson, Harriet Samuel-Gray, Imogen Bowtell, Laura Hills, Ella Valentine, Tara Yasmin, Marc Akinfolarin, Lucas Koch, Philip Bertioli, Jason Battersby, Ashley-Jordon Packer, Nicholas Duncan, Nathan Elwick, Liam Wrate, Joshua Nkemdilim, Nell Martin, Bradley Trevethan, Bethan Downing, Ryan Jupp, Jinny Gould, and George Bray, begins previews at London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre.
VA’s Signature Theatre‘s Broadway In The Park concert, directed by Matthew Gardiner, featuring Megan Hilty, Lea Salonga, Phillip Attamore, Austin Colby, Felicia Curry, Katie Mariko Murray, Kevin McAllister, Tracy Lynn Olivera, Nova Y. Payton, and Bobby Smith, at 8 PM at VA’s Wolf Trap.
Alison Porter: The Songs That Made Me concert, at 8:30 PM at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club.
New Works Summer Festival, offering readings of new plays, closes at Off-Broadway’s Irish Rep.
Celebration Theatre‘s A New Brain, by William Finn & James Lapine, directed by Khanisha Foster, featuring Amanda Kruger (Gordon Schwinn), Yassi Noubahar (Roger Delli-Bovi), Gina Torrecilla (Mimi Schwinn), Sadé Ayodele (Rhoda), Richardson Cisneros-Jones (Mr. Bungee), Whitney Avalon (Lisa), Jason Ryan (The Minister), Mitchell Johnson (Dr. Jafar Berensteiner), Gabi Van Horn (Nurse Nancy/Waitress), and Ryan O’Connor (Nurse Richard), Hannah Crews, Tal Fox, Emily King Brown, Laura Obiorah, Jason Ryan, Sal Sabella, and Mitchell Johnson, closes at LA’s LGBT Center.
Proud Out Loud FREE reading series, with plays by Benjamin Scuglia, Dina Morrone, Mimi Kmet, Arden Etersa Lewis, Mara Wells, Michael Van Duzer, and more, featuring Heidi Appe, Mimi Kmet, Mara Wells, Christopher Landis, Olivia Bates, Paul Cady, Benjamin Scuglia, Anne Ldyden, Leesa Freed, Sandra Tucker, Ashley Tay, Dina Morrone, and more, closes at LA’s Theatre West.
Stockholm Syndrome, world premiere written & directed by Kamal John Iskander, featuring Ohad Bitton, Joey Bothwell, Sean Hemeon, and Clarissa Park, closes at Hollywood’s McCadden Theatre.
Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act, by David Stuart Davies, directed by Gareth Armstrong, featuring Nigel Miles-Thomas, closes at Hollywood’s The Broadwater.
Sunday, June 25
A Simulacrum, written & directed by Lucas Hnath, starring Steve Cuiffo, opens at Off-Broadway’s Atlantic Theatre Company.
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), opens at LA’s Kirk Douglas Theatre.
“Just For Us: Alex Edelman in Conversation with Josh Groban” at 7 PM at NYC’s 92NY.
Encores’ Light in the Piazza, directed by Chay Yew, featuring Ruthie Ann Miles (Margaret), Anna Zayelson (Clara), Shereen Ahmed (Franca Naccarelli), Andrea Burns (Signora Naccarelli), and Rodd Cyrus (Signor Naccarelli), with Nick Alvino, Daniel Assetta, Jhailyn Farcon, Alex Humphreys, Mary Illes, Jolina Javier, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Matt Leisy, Katerina McCrimmon, Eliseo Roman, Vishal Vidaya, Kathy Voytko, and JD Webster, closes at NY City Center.
This Land Was Made, by Tori Sampson, directed by Taylor Reynolds, featuring Antoinette Crowe-Legacy (Sassy), Leland Fowler (Drew), Matthew Griffin (Troy), Sean Patrick Higgins (Officer Heanes), Yasha Jackson (Gail), Ezra Knight (Mr. Far), Julian Elijah Martinez (Huey), Curt Morlaye (Gene), and Oliver Palmer (Officer Frey), closes at Off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre.
National Black Theater‘s Black Mother Lost Daughter, by Fedna Jacquet, directed by Stevie Walker-Webb, featuring Fedna Jacquet, Ebony Marshall-Oliver, Margaret Odette, and Tom O’Neil, closes at Off-Broadway’s Flea Theatre.
Shaun Cassidy: The Magic of a Midnight Sky concert closes at NYC’s 54 Below.
Exclusion, by Kenneth Lin, directed by Trip Cullman, featuring Tony Nam, Josh Stamberg, Michelle Vergara Moore, Karen Li, Jonathan Feuer, and Ryan Dalusung, closes at DC’s Arena Stage.
A Soldier’s Play, by Charles Fuller, directed by Kenny Leon, featuring Norm Lewis (Captain Richard Davenport), Eugene Lee (Sergeant Vernon C. Waters), Will Adams (Corporal Bernard Cobb), Sheldon D. Brown (Private C.J. Memphis), Malik Esoj Childs (Private Tony Smalls), William Connell (Captain Charles Taylor), Alex Michael Givens (Corporal Ellis), Matthew Goodrich (Captain Wilcox), Chattan Mayes Johnson (Lieutenant Byrd), Branden Davon Lindsay (Private Louis Henson), Tarik Lowe (Private First-Class Melvin Peterson), and Howard W. Overshown (Private James Wilkie), with Brandon Alvión, Ja’Quán Cole, Charles Evertt, Al’Jaleel McGhee, and Alex Ross, closes at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre.
A Transparent Musical, by MJ Kaufman, Joey Soloway & Faith Soloway, directed by Tina Landau, featuring Adina Verson (Ali Pfefferman), Daya Curley (Maura Pfefferman), Liz Larsen (Shelley Pfefferman), Zachary Prince (Josh Pfefferman), Sarah Stiles (Sarah Pfefferman), Kasper (Ezra), Peffermint (Davina), and Murphy Taylor Smith (rabbi Raquel), with Samora la Perdida, Justin Rivers, Futaba Shioda, Natalie Weiss, Robert Pieranuzi, Jimmy Ray Bennett, Pat Towne, and Dahlya Glick, closes at LA’s Mark Taper Forum.
Destiny of Desire, by Karen Zacarías, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, featuring Julio Augustín (Dr. Jorge Ramiro Mendoza), Yesenia Ayala (Pilar Esperanza Castillo), Carolos Gomez (Ernesto Del Rio), Mandy Gonzalez (Hortencia Del Rio), Ariella Kyashny (La Gente), Tito Livas (Dr. Diego Mendoza), Bianca Marroquín (Fabiola Castillo), James Olivas (Sebastián Jose Castillo), Christopher M. Ramirez (La Gente), Al Rodrigo (Armando Castillo), Emilia Suárez (Victoria Maria Del Rio), and Nancy Ticotin (Sister Sonia), with Tara Martinez and Luis Villabon, closes at San Diego’s Old Globe.
Gypsy, directed by Jenn Thompson, featuring Judy McLane (Rose), Talia Suskauer (Louise), Philip Hernandez (Herbie), Laura Sky Herman (Dainty June), Emily Jewel Hoder (Baby June), Cameron Blake Miller (Baby Louise), with Gabriel Amato, Romelda Teron Benjamin, Kelly Margaret Berman, Amahri Edwards-Jones, Carlos Velasquez Escammilla, Thomas Goldbach V, Sunny Lauren Hoder, Victoria Huston-Elem, Edward Juvier, Meadow Nguy, Bianca Belle Palana, Maddie Robert, Ben Sears, Michael Starr, Geoffrey Wade, David Cochise Williams, and Valerie Wright, closes at CT’s Goodspeed.
Six national tour, featuring Khaila Wilcoxon (Catherine of Aragon), Storm Lever (Anne Moleyn), Natalie Paris (Jane Seymour), Olivia Donalson (Anna of Cleves), Courtney Mack (Katherine Howard), and Gabriela Carrillo (Catherine Parr), with Marilyn Caserta, Kelsee Kimmel, Erin Ramiriz, Cassie Silva, and Kelly Denice Taylor, closes at Cosa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center.
Disney Pride in Concert, directed & conducted by Ernest H. Harrison, featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, closes at LA’s Disney Concert Hall.
Two Sisters and a Piano, written & directed by Nilo Cruz, featuring Helen Cespedes (Sofia), Hiram Delgado (Victor Manuel/Militia Guard), Eden Espinosa (Marie Celia, and Jason Manuel Olazabal (Lieutenant Partuondo), closes at NJ’s Two River Theatre.
Rooted, by Deborah Laufer, directed by Courtney O’Connor, featuring Katherine Callaway, Karen MacDonald, and Lisa Tucker, closes at Boston’s Lyric Stage
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, directed & choreographed by Jerry McIntyre, featuring Chris McCarrell (Joseph), Kelli Rabke (Narrator), Daniel Dawson (Pharaoh/ Levi), Peter Allen Vogt (Potiphar/Jacob), Ellie Barrett (Mrs. Potiphar/Wife), James Everts (Isaachar), Josh Grisetti (Simeon), Juan Guillen (Dan), Ceron Jones (Judah), Kurt Kemper (Gad), Edgar Lopez (Naphtali), Rorey Michelangelo (Zebulun), Dino Nicandros (Reuben), Marcus Phillips (Benjamin), and Brandon Keith Rogers (Asher), with Bernadette Bentley, Johnisa Breault, Jasiana Caraballo, Lauren Decierdo, Andrea Dobbins, Ashley Evangeline, Marie Gutierrez, Callula Sawyer, Rianny Vasquez, Bridget Whitman, Anyssa Navarro and Thomas Whitcomb, closes at CA’s La Mirada Theatre.
Into the Breeches!, by George Brant, directed by directed by Brian Shnipper, featuring Meghan Andrews (Maggie), Nicholas Hormann (Ellsworth Snow), Leslie Stevens (Celeste Fielding), Emillie Doering (Grace), and Brooke Olivia Gatto (June), Sydney A. Mason (Ida Green), Holly Jeanne (Winifred), and Lee James (Stuart Lasker), closes at Long Beach’s International City Theatre.
Ensemble Theatre Company‘s Seared, by Theresa Rebeck, directed by Jonathan Fox, featuring Ronald Auguste (Rodney). Andrew Elvis Miller (Harry), and Angela Sauer (Emily), closes at Santa Barbara’s New Vic.
She Loves Me, directed by Peet Cocke, featuring Marah Stelo (Amalia), Sophia Alawi (Ilona), Will Giammona (Kodaly), Riley McFarland (Georg), Nick Nakashima (Sipos), Roeen Nooran (Arpad), Jourdán Olivier-Verdé (Headwaiter), and Lee Strawn (Maraczek), with Milo Boland, Bekah Lynn Broas, Ben Chau-Chiu, Daniel Gilmer, Deborah Rosengaus, Monica Rose Slater, closes at San Francisco’s 42nd Street Moon.
No Place Like Gandersheim, by Elizabeth Dement, directed by Randee Trabitz, featuring Jamey Hood (Roz), Lauren Gaw (Madlen/Thea), and Charrell Mack (Theophanu/Kaya/Via), closes at LA’s Skylight Theatre.
Sound Trip, interactive audio show, created by Luca Malacrino, Caitlin Morris, Alex Hanno, and Bill Prokopow, closes at Hollywood’s The Broadwater.
Behind the Six, world premiere by Dan Perry, directed by April Littlejohn, featuring Antwan Alexander II, Lemon Baardsen, Lara Blanco, Nathan Bock, Cassandra Carmona, Abram Connor, Travyz Santos Gatz, John Goodwin, Robert Jolly, Xavier LeFlore, Sean Alan Mazur, Alejandro Mungaray, Mitch Rosander, Matthew Scheel, and Kyle Wallen, closes at North Hollywood’s Loft Ensemble.
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Reviews for Once Upon a One More Time at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre:
NY Times (Elisabeth Vincentelli): …comes up short as a narrative of feminist awakening… the story of a fair-haired princess who, realizing she has been played by a handsome rogue and controlled by an omnipresent father figure, rises up and fights for her emancipation.Hmm, maybe the (fully authorized) apple does not fall far from the tree… But this big, splashy show, which is quite entertaining at times, is hampered by a shambolic jumble of sisterhood 101 messaging and defanged fantasy revisionism… , with Disney updating its operating system one property at a time, and princesses and fairy tales calcifying into common tropes of empowerment pep on Broadway…
Theatermania (Zachary Stewart): …I had high hopes for Once Upon a One More Time… Jon Hartmere’s book presents an interesting premise, and the setting of a benighted fairytale dystopia offers a rare opportunity for second-wave feminism to seem once again revolutionary… The real problem arises from the task of wedging Britney’s greatest hits into the equation… Director-choreographers Keone and Mari Madrid are unable to dispel this dramaturgical fog with their physically impressive yet mostly ornamental staging… Matt Stine and James Olmstead’s uninspired, tinny orchestrations… The actors are blameless, and some even manage to deliver excellent performances…
New York Stage Review (Frank Scheck): …My job, such as it is, is to report on how well the show’s creators succeed in fulfilling their artistic aspirations. Of course, that’s assuming they have any. Based on the fact that it distributes free glowing bracelets to every audience member to wave in the air for the inevitable megamix during the curtain call, they’re not exactly straining for Sondheim-level depth… The problem is that this latest revisionist exhumation of fairy tales arrives shortly after such superior examples of the burgeoning genre as the recent revival of Into the Woods and & Juliet (not a fairy tale, I know, but it feels like one)… The proceedings, which thanks to the sterile, projection-heavy scenic design looks like they take place less in an enchanted kingdom than an understocked Apple Store…
New York Theater (Jonathan Mandell): …If Once Upon a One More Time, opening at Broadway’s Marriott Marquis Theater tonight, is clearly not strikingly original, the story does have a few distinctive touches, and the production Broadway-level pleasures. The design is flashy, and the choreography is thrilling. The talented cast is game… the show is probably best appreciated by taking the advice offered in a different context in the musical by a character called the Narrator: “Don’t overthink it”… The Narrator is one of the show’s distinctive touches, portrayed by another reliable veteran, the terrific British character actor Adam Godley… The premise suggests any number of comic possibilities, but the striking princesses are never the focus of attention… The priority was to cram into the show as many songs as possible that Britney Spears has sung…
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RIP: Sheldon Harnick, who, with composer Jerry Bock, forged one of Broadway’s most successful Broadway composing teams, responsible for such classics as Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me, has passed away. He was 99. He and Jerry Bock were responsible for such classics as Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me.
The worldwide success of Fiddler somewhat overshadowed Mr. Harnick and Mr. Bock’s achievement with She Loves Me…
Mr. Harnick and Mr. Bock were nominated for Tony Awards for Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me, as well as Fiorello!, The Apple Tree, and The Rothschilds. They won for Fiorello! and Fiddler. Other works included Portofino and Tenderloin.
Mr. Harnick’s lyrics were characterized by their prosaic, humanity-rich quality. He favored story and character over cleverness. Always there was craft. Mr. Harnick’s verses could effortlessly express the hopes and fears of the characters without crossing over into sentimentality.
Following The Rothschilds, Mr. Bock and Mr. Harnick went their separate ways. The two were silent on the breakup for decades. Later, however, Mr. Harnick revealed they had had a falling out over the replacement of Rothschilds director Derek Golby by Michael Kidd. Furthermore, Mr. Bock decided then to fulfill a long-held ambition to write his own lyrics. In the years that followed, Mr. Harnick would, conversely, try his hand at composing. However, neither man ever again experienced the success they had enjoyed as a team. By the 1990s, the two writers had become friendly again, working together on the many major revivals of their work. Mr. Bock passed away in 2010.
Mr. Harnick was briefly married married to Elaine May in the early 1960s, with the pair divorcing after a little over a year. They remained close friends for the rest of Mr. Harnick’s life. He later married the actress Margery Gray, with the pair remaining together until Mr. Harnick’s death. The couple were married for 58 years.
Details for a celebration of life will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Gutenberg! The Musical!, by Scott Brown & Anthony King, will run Oct. 3 – Jan. 28, 2024 (opening Oct. 12) at the James Earl Jones Theatre, directed by Alex Timbers.
Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, and more TBA.
Two best pals named Bud and Doug put on a show together because they just love each other so damn much. It’s art imitating life imitating art! Two men … on dream … no chance.
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2023 Off Broadway Alliance Awards. Click here for the complete list of winners.
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Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends will run Sept. 16 – Jan. 6, 2024 (opening Sept. 29) at the Gielgud Theatre, directed by Matthew Bourne & Julia McKenzie, with choreography by Stephen Mear, and music supervision by Stephen Booker.
Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, Christine Allado, Janie Dee, Haydn Gwynne, Damian Humbley, Bradley Jaden, Bonnie Langford, Gavin Lee, Jason Pennycooke, Joanna Riding, Jeremy Secomb, Jac Yarrow, Marley Fenton and Beatrice Penny-Touré, with Harry Apps, Bella Brown, Richard Dempsey and Monique Young.
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Red Bull Theater’s in person & simulcast Short New Play Festival: Forbidden Love will take place Mon. June 26 at 7:30 PM at Off-Broadway’s Theatre 555, as well as streaming on-demand (June 27 – July 2), directed by Nadia Guevara & Ibi Owolabi.
Craig Lucas, Heather Raffo, Peter Gray, Delaney Kelly, Rachel Leopold, Maggie Lou Rader, Jaqui Shiel, and Frank Winters.
Sasha Lee Andrews, Shirine Babb, Renea Brown, Joe Holt, Ismenia Mendez, Tony Roach, and Jaqui Shiel.
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Dial M for Murder, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, will run July 11- 29, at CT’s Westport Country Playhouse, directed by Mark Lamos.
Kate Burton (Inspector Hubbard), Patrick Andrew (Tony Wendice), Kate Abbruzzese (Margot Wendice), Krystel Lucas (Maxine Hadley), and Denver Milord (Lesgate).
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Off-Broadway’s MCC Theater has announced its 2023-24 season:
Mary Gets Hers (Sept. 11 – Oct. 7), world premiere by Emma Horwitz, directed by Josiah Davis. It’s the 10th century! A plague rages on in Germany! Everyone is turning into foam! When two overzealous hermits find an abandoned orphan named Mary, they scheme a saintly rescue mission to protect her purity at any and all costs. Mary, however, has other plans for herself.
Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice (Nov.-Dec.), world premiere written & performed by Cavin Creel, directed by Linda Goodrich. A thrilling new musical event featuring 17 original, infectious, pop-infused songs. In his theatrical songwriting debut, Creel takes us on an intimate, relatable journey of discovery and transformation through the lens of the art that captured his imagination.
The Connector (Jan.-Feb. 2024), world premiere by Jason Robert Brown & Jonathan Marc Sherman, directed by Daisy Prince. A timely new musical about two talented young journalists on increasingly diverging paths. Set in the late 1990s amid a rapidly changing media landscape we meet a fast-rising journalist, Ethan Dobson, and an assistant copy editor, Robin Martinez, at the revered magazine The Connector. In a world that values the next big sensation, Ethan’s writing prowess and ambition force him to confront how far he’ll go for the ultimate scoop and Robin to consider how far she’ll go to stop him.
The Lonely Few (Apr.-June 2024), world premiere by Joe Sarnak & Rachel Bonds, directed by Trip Cullman & Ellnore Scott. Lila and her band, The Lonely Few, have a standing gig at Paul’s Juke Joint in their small Kentucky town. When an established musician, Amy, gives them a chance to join her on tour, they take it. Love blossoms between Lila and Amy on the road, but can it endure?
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A recent private industry reading of Drew Gasparini & Robert Mark Kamen’s The Karate Kid – The Musical took place in NYC, directed by Amon Miyamoto.
Kate Baldwin, Alan H. Green, Jake Bentley Young, Jetta Juriansz, Abby Matsusaka, and Sydney Jones, with Jon Jon Briones , Daniel Marconi, and Mateus Leite Cardoso.
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The “46th Kennedy Center Honors”will air Sun. Dec. 3 on CBS & Paramount+, hosted by Gloria Estefan.
Billy Crystal, Renée Fleming, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah, and Dionne Warwick.
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A reading of Bob Dylan’s “The Philosophy of Modern Song” will take place Mon. July 17 at 7:30 PM at NYC’s 92NY.
André De Shields and Meshell Ndegochello.
In the book, Dylan riffs on 66 songs by other artists.
The dramatic reading will be interspersed with songs detailed in the book, performed by Grammy Award-winning musical artist Meshell Ndegeocello and her band. Michael Almereyda, film director and screenwriter, assembled the script for the performance, and he will direct it. Tickets (from $35) are available on 92NY’s website.
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Fascinating Rhythm will run July 7-16 at Boston’s Lyric Stage Company.
Created & performed by Kirsten Salpini and Jared Troilo.