Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be limited theatre news for the foreseeable future. I will continue to search for anything meaningful and/or fun to report. Stay safe and healthy.
In addition, with national protests in full swing, I don’t know when more theatre news will be available, so newsletters may be even shorter for awhile…
This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, June 5
* Lincoln Center’s FREE Broadway Friday‘s production of Carousel, featuring Kelli O’Hara, Nathan Gunn, Stephanie Blythe, Shuler Hensley, Jason Danieley, Jessie Mueller, Kate Burton John Cullum, Robert Fairchild, and Tiler Peck, streamed at 8 PM ET here.
* Musical Theatre West‘s “A Friday Night Conversation,” focusing on the inequity and injustice Black Americans endure, with Michael Betts, Lindsay Brooks, Terron Brooks, Dedrick Bonner, Paul David Bryant, Mel Collins, Paul Garman, Gail Meredith, Douglas Senecal, and Bren Thor, at 7 PM PT.
Saturday, June 6
None.
Sunday, June 7
* Works & Process at the Guggenheim‘s Storm world premiere dance, choreographed by Joshua Bergasse, performed by Sara Mearns, with Zoe Sarnak at the piano, and vocals by Margo Seibert, livestreamed at 7:30 PM ET here.
* Kritzerland’s June Is Bustin’ In All Over concert, featuring Brent Barrett, Daniel Thomas Bellusci, Christiane Noll, Kerry O’Malley, Hartley Powers, Sami Staitman, Adrienne Stiefel, and Robert Yacko, with Shannon Cudd, Rebecca Curci, Joe Fiordaliso-Riahi, Sam Linkowski, Oliviana Marie, Hadley Miller, Liam Pearce, and Mackenzie Wrap, streamed at 5 PM PT here.
* San Francisco’s Gay Men’s Chorus’s “Gay Chorus Deep South” documentary, streamed at 4 PM PT here.
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Video: “Stars in the House,” with special guests Devanand Janki and Ronald Dennis. (1:08:14)
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Video: “Stars in the House,” with special guest Mary Wilson. (1:12:40)
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Article: “NYC Theaters Open Doors as Safe Space for Protesters”
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A star-studded Playbill Pride Spectacular concert will take place Sun. June 28, in support of BC/EFA, with music direction by John McDaniel. Link TBA.
The event (which will be available for one night only) will feature iconic musical numbers highlighting LGBTQIA+ stories in musical theatre sung by members of the Broadway LGBTQIA+ community and its allies.
John Cameron Mitchell, Michael R. Jackson, MJ Rodriguez, Caitlin Kinnunen, Jenn Colella, Cheyenne Jackson, Shakina Nayfack, Matt Gould & Griffin Matthews, Matt Rodin, and more TBA.
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Jim Kierstead and Broadway United have announced the launch of a new company, Broadway Virtual, specializing in streamed and recorded content, as well as the education of artist in order to continue development of their work using technology created to develop virtual theatre-related content for streaming and film.
The focus of the company will be to synergistically bring the worlds of theatre, film, and television to work together. The company is being formed to educate and help artists, and not-for-profits to integrate modern technologies into their development process in order to help facilitate the creation of their work whether the eventual goal for the piece is live theatre, film, streaming, or a combination thereof.
Click here to learn more.
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“At Home with Rebecca Luker” will take place Wed. June 17 at 8 PM ET on Zoom, hosted by Santino Fontana, and featuring a conversation with Katie Couric. All proceeds will benefit Prosetin, a promising new drug candidate for ALS.
Click here to register. There is a suggested minimum donation of $25. Instructions and the link for watching will be provided after donating and registering is complete.
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Director Diane Paulus has released a statement regarding the creative process behind Witness Uganda.
Earlier this week, one of the show’s authors, Griffin Matthews, came forward with disturbing accusations of racism behind the scenes of the musical, which Paulus directed at A.R.T. in 2014 and again off-Broadway at Second Stage in 2015.
Click here to read Paulus’ entire statement.
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Music Video: We. Dance., featuring a text written & performed by Hope Boykin. From the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.
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Article: Broadway animal trainer Bill Berloni shares his expert training philosophy, backstage stories with his pups, and his best advice to train your dog while stuck at home.
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LA’s Fountain Theatre presents a reading of Stephen Sachs’ adaptation of Citizen: An American Lyric on Sun. June 7 at 5 PM PT, directed by Shirley Jo Finney.
Bernard K. Addison, Leith Burke, Tony Maggio, Monnae Michaell, Lisa Pescia, and Adenrele Ojo.
In this intensely provocative and unapologetic rumination on racial aggression, seemingly everday acts of racism are scrutinized as part of an uncompromising testimony of “living while Black” in America — from the shooting of Trayvon Martin to the tennis career of Serena Williams to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
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The Broadway Advocacy Coalition will hold a 3-part forum, “For Black Lives Matter Again,” to run June 10-12.
A space for the Broadway community to heal, listen, and hold itself accountable to its history of white supremacy while moving towards becoming an anti-racist and equitable space. The platform advocates for students, artists, organizations, and communities to use the arts as an integral part of their social change work.
Click here to receive updates about the forum.
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London’s National Theatre at Home will re-broadcast Alan Bennett’s The Madness of George III on Thurs. June 11 at 2 PM ET, and will remain free through June 18 at Noon ET.
Mark Gatiss , Adrian Scarborough, Debra Gillett, Nadia Albina, Nicholas Bishop, Amanda Hadingue, Jack Holden, David Hounslow, Stephanie Jacob, Louise Jameson, Andrew Joshi, Adam Karim, Harry Kershaw, Billy Postlethwaite, Sara Powell, Wilf Scolding, and Jessica Temple.
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“Liza Minnelli: Liza with a Z” is now streaming on Amazon Prime. The 1972 film, shot at the Lyceum Theatre in New York, was directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse.
“Liza With a Z” was first broadcast on Sept. 10, 1972. It went on to win four Emmy Awards, and was thought lost until 1999, when original negatives of the film were found. A restored version was released on DVD in 2006.
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Donna Marie Asbury has been entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for having had the longest career playing the same character in a Broadway show.
For 20 years, Asbury played the role of June (“He ran into my knife 10 times!”) and also covered Roxie Hart, Velma Kelly and Mama Morton.
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London’s Royal Court Theatre has made the script of Debbie Tucker Green’s hit play, Ear for Eye (2018), available to read for free here from now through Sept. 3.
The play follows 16 characters and explores how patience is running out and times haven’t changed for the Black British and African-American communities.