This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, Mar. 21
Stripped: Recurring, by Madeline Barr, directed by John Gould Rubin, featuring Natalie Bond, Raúl Castillo, Molly Collier, Kasandra Cruz, Catherine Curtin, and Aaron Matteson, opens at Off-Broadway’s Labyrinth Theater.
Muse/Que 2025: Make Some Noise: Music and Stories of American Defiance and Hope, with music direction by Rachael Worby, featuring Brandon Victor Dixon and the DC6 Singers Collective, opens at LA’s Mark Taper Forum.
Sunny Afternoon, by Ray Davies & Joe Penfall, directed by Edward Hall, featuring Emma Grace Bailey, Joy Campbell, John Carlin, Sean Fortunato, Marya Grandy, Jared D.M. Grant, Oliver Hoare, Danny Horn, Will Leonard, Michael Lepore, Ana Margaret Marcu, Ben Mayne, Kieran McCabe, Joseph Papke, and Kayla Shipman, opens at Chicago’s Shakespeare Theatre.
York Theater‘s Who is Jimmy Pants?, by Joseph Church & Jeff Bienstock, directed by Benamin Weiss, featuring Steven Booth, Jim Conroy, Avery Elledge, David Garrison, Aaron Harrington, Michael Notardonato, Charlette Belle Odusanya, Kirston Scott, and John Wascavage, opens at Off-Broadway’s Theatre at St. Jeans.
Drat the Cat, directed by Bruce Kimmel, featuring Ben Anderson, April Audia, Christina Conte, Riley Croman, Sydney DeMaria, Lareen Faye, Amy Goldring, Lee Grober, Doug Haverty, Angie Lin, Hisato Masuyama, Savannah Mortenson, Maxwell Oliver, Lloyd Pedersen, Alec Reusch, RobSchaumann, Nicole Statin, Melissa Strauss, and Steve Young, opens at North Hollywood’s Group Rep.
I’m Not a Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce solo show, starring Ronnie Marmo, at 8 PM at CA’s La Mirada Theatre.
Saturday, Mar. 22
Ensemble Theatre Company‘s Parents in Chains, world premiere by Jay Martel, directed by Andy Fickman, featuring John Ross Bowie, Melora Hardin, Sharon Lawrence, Joshua Mailina, Jane Lynch, Thomas Sadoski, Gina Torres, Matt Walsh, Gina Torres, and James Urbaniak, opens at Santa Barbara’s New Vic.
York Theatre‘s Who is Jimmy Pants?, by Joseph Church & Jeff Bienstock, directed by Benamin Weiss, featuring Steven Booth, Jim Conroy, Avery Elledge, David Garrison, Aaron Harrington, Michael Notardonato, Charlette Belle Odusanya, Kirston Scott, and John Wascavage, previews at Off-Broadway’s Theatre at St. Jeans.
Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival (online for free from 10 AM – 4:30 PM PDT) here.
Speak Easy Stage‘s A Man of No Importance, by Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens, directed by Paul Daigneault, featuring Eddie Shields, Aimee Doherty, Kerry A. Dowling, Jennifer Ellis, Meagan Lewis-Michelson, Will McGarrahan, Billy Meleady, Keith Richardson, Rebecca Rae Robles, Sam Simahk, and Kathy St. George, closes at Boston’s Calderwood Pavilion.
“Company: The Making of the Original Cast Recording” (1970 documentary) will premiere here. at 2 PM ET.
Sunday, Mar. 23
Othello, directed by Kenny Leon, featuring Denzel Washington (Othello), Jake Gyllenhaal (Iago), Molly Osborne (Desdemona), Andrew Burnap (Cassio), Anthony Michael Lopez (Roderigo), Daniel Pearce (Brabantio), and Kimber Elayne Sprawl (Emilia, begins opens at Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
York Theatre’s Who is Jimmy Pants?, by Joseph Church & Jeff Bienstock, directed by Benamin Weiss, featuring Steven Booth, Jim Conroy, Avery Elledge, David Garrison, Aaron Harrington, Michael Notardonato, Charlette Belle Odusanya, Kirston Scott, and John Wascavage, opens at Off-Broadway’s Theatre at St. Jeans.
Old Black & White Hollywood, world premiere by ShaWanna Renee Rivon, directed by Bree Pavey & Cassandra Carmona, featuring Bita Arefnia, Shannon Estabrook, Harry Fakoura, Brianne Ingram, Robert Jolly, Christopher Leon, Brieyonna Monét, Ignacio Navarro, Sarah Nilsen, Ravyne Payne, Quan’Darius, Kyle Wallen, and Tasia Williams, opens at North Hollywoods’ Loft Ensemble.
Jason Alexander’s 23rd Annual Celebrity Poker Tournament benefit event, at 11:30 AM at at LA’s Skirball Center.
Musical Theatre Guild‘s The Drowsy Chaperone concert presentation, directed by Lewis Wilkenfeld, featuring Michael Kostroff (Man in Chair), Ashley Moniz (Janet), Matthew Patrick Davis (Robert), Diane Vincent (Drowsy), Trance Thompson (Aldolpho), Keven Symons (Feldzieg), Jasmin Ejan (Kitty), Joshua Finkel (George), Will Collyer (Gangster #1), Leslie Stevens (Gangster #2), Barbara Carlton Heart (Mrs. Tottendale), Robert Yacko (Underling), Domonique Paton (Trix), andGabriel Navarro (Super), at 7 PM at Santa Monica’s Broad Stage.
Fog and Filthy Air, by Tom Diriwachter, directed by Jonathan Weber, featuring Robert Homeyer, Kate A. McGrath, and Steve Gamble, closes at Off Broadway’s Theatre for the New City.
Muse/Ique’s According to Ray: Ray Charles Message to America, featuring Brandon Victor Dixon and DC6 Singers Collective, closes at LA’s Mark Taper Forum.
Topdog/Underdog, by Suzan-Lori Parks, directed by Gregg T. Daniel, featuring Brandon Gill (Booth) and Brandon Micheal Hall (Lincoln), closes at Pasadena Playhouse.
Hard Road to Heaven, world premiere by Willy Holtman, David Spangler, Jerry Taylor & Marty Dodson, directed by Jackson Gay, featuring Jackie Burns (Jenny Dixon), Leah Hocking (Linnell Dixon), Elizabeth Teeter (Anna Grace Dixon), J. Robert Spencer (Hank Dixon), Bryan Fenkart (Jimmy Lee Stewart), Jerry Dixon (Charlie Morgan), Nathaniel Hackmann (Kellin Wayne) and Marcus Gladney, Jr. (Marcus Dorsey), with Imani Brissett, Grad Greer, Alec Ludacka, Christopher McCrewell, Claire Newumann, Shannon Stasiulis, and Cecilia Trippiedi, closes at PA’s Bucks County Playhouse.
King James, by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Monteze Freeland, featuring Blake MOrris (Shawn) and Doug Harris (Matt), closes at Cleveland Playhouse.
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Reviews for Operation Mincemeat at Broadway’s Golden Theatre:
New York Times (Jesse Green): …neither the authors, a collective called SpitLip, nor the director, Robert Hastie, appear to have given sufficient thought to our different senses of humor. Theirs you will recognize. It combines Oxbridge snootiness with panto ribaldry to create a self-canceling middlebrow snark… the diverting if irksome musical … In short, Operation Mincemeat, as this real World War II operation was called, works. But is it funny? … neither the authors, a collective called SpitLip, nor the director, Robert Hastie, appear to have given sufficient thought to our different senses of humor (U.S. or Lodon)….
Variety (Frank Rizzo) …his ludicrous 1943 espionage plot involving a corpse, fake papers and amazing good fortune also lends itself to absurdity… Think of it as Monty Python on speed, and then throw in some Ealing Studio wit and a bit of “Beyond the Fringe” slyness. Too British? Not if you want to laugh uproariously — and perhaps even unexpectedly shed a tear or two… The five-actor ensemble, under the nimble direction of Robert Hastie, takes a cuckoo — and a wee bit horrifying — premise and mines it for every gem of a laugh, be it big, small or shameless. Then the creators add an infectious and eclectic score that includes expositional rap (thank you, “Hamilton”), sea shanties, ballads, and even an electronic dance music number with K-Popping Nazis (thank you, Mel Brooks).
Vulture (Sara Holdren): …The Brits—and the Welsh, for reasons that will become clear—have been telling the wilder-than-fiction story of Operation Mincemeat pretty much since the event itself occurred. But if you’re an American who doesn’t necessarily trip over herself to watch anything with Matthew Macfadyen, here’s a primer… the vivaciously silly and quite charming musical… isn’t exactly blazingly clever—the jokes fly thick and fast, and they tend toward broad grin-crackers rather than breathless zingers—but it overflows with good humor and heartfelt commitment… The cheeky satire is where Operation Mincemeat really sparkles…
New York Post (Johnny Oleksinki): …The madcap World War II comedy from London, which opened Thursday night at the Golden Theatre, is an often tiring wallop of frenetic hyperactivity. There’s ample cleverness and some witty lines, but the Red Bull tweeness gets grating. Like any Broadway show, the musical Operation Mincemeat sells merchandise and drinks at intermission. Might I also suggest Adderall? The madcap World War II comedy from London … is an often tiring wallop of frenetic hyperactivity. There’s ample cleverness and some witty lines, but the Red Bull tweeness gets grating.
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Manhattan Theatre Club‘s production of Joshua Harmon’s We Had a World has extended again, now through May 11 at Off-Broadway’s City Center, directed by Trip Cullman.
Andrew Barth Feldman, Joanna Gleason, and Jeanine Serralles.
A dying woman calls her grandson and asks him to write a play about their family. “But I want you to promise me something,” she says. “Make it as bitter and vitriolic as possible.” In this searing, funny, and deeply personal play, the author recreates 30 years of family fights, monstrous behavior, enormous cruelty, and enduring love.
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York Theatre will present Frank Evans, James Scully & Jennifer Paulson-Lee’s According to Howard: A New Musical, which will run Apr. 5-13 at Theatre at St. Jeans, directed & choreographed by Jennifer Paulson-Lee, with music supervision by Scott Cady.
Christine DiGiallonardo, Michael Dikegoros, Matthew Eby, David Elder, Eric Michael Gillett, Michael Halling, Candice Hatakeyama, Michelle Beth Herman, Mya Ison, James Judy, Gina Milo, Jill Paice, Haley Swindal, and Josh Tower.
An unconventional love story and a reminder that money can never buy (or substitute for) what love can offer. It’s about winning—but at what cost? It’s about decisions, choices, ideas, and incredible intuition. Through a score reminiscent of the golden age of Broadway, According to Howard delves into the unique life and times of one of the most fascinating individuals of the 20th Century, a human being who shaped the world of aviation, film, business, and Hollywood gossip: Howard Robard Hughes, Jr.
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Into the Woods will run Mar. 28 – Apr. 13 at Long Beach’s Musical Theatre West, directed by Kari Hayter.
Madison Claire Parks ( Cinderella), Amanda Angeles (Little Red), Daebreon Poiema (Witch,) Cayman Ilika (Baker’s Wife), Derek Manson (Baker), Richard Bermudez (Cinderella’s Prince/ the Wolf), and Wayne Bryan (Narrator/Mysterious Man),
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“Company: The Making of the Original Cast Recording” (1970 documentary) will premiere Mar. 22 here.
It’s a longtime Broadway tradition to record the cast album of a musical on the Sunday following the production’s premiere. For the 1970 Stephen Sondheim musical Company, the situation was no different. The efforts of Sondheim and his dedicated cast to cut the album in one long, intense and difficult Sunday evening are tracked in this film, providing a rare glimpse into the creative and working process of one of America’s most celebrated composers.***********************
Gingold Theatrical Group will present a script-in-hand performance of Noel Coward’s Hay Fever on Mon. Apr. 14 at 7 PM at The Players (16 Gramercy Park South), directed by Carl Andress.
Charles Busch (Judith Bliss), Thomas Hewitt (David Bliss), Evie Shuckman )Sorel Bliss), Rodd Cyrus (Simon Bliss), Dan Domingues (Sany Tyrell), Jennifer Van Dyck (Myra Arundel), David Staller (Richard Greatham), Jenifer Cody (Jackie Coryton), and Annie Golden (Clara).
The play revolves around the eccentric and theatrical Bliss family, where a weekend gathering at their country house exposes the family’s over-the-top theatrical personalities and their messy, often absurd, romantic entanglements
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The Color Purple will run June 21 – July 27 (opening June 30) at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, directed by Lili-Anne Brown.
Brittney Mack (Celie), Aeriel Williams (Shug Avery), Evan Tyrone Martin (Mister), Nicole Michelle Haskins (Sofia), Gilbert Domally (Harpo), Shantel Renee Cribbs (Nettie), Daryn Whitney Harrell (Squeak), Jos N. Banks (Grady), Curtis Bannister (Buster), Sean Blake (Ol Mister), Sharriese Hamilton (Darlene), Ariya Hawkins (Olivia), Reneisha Jenkins (Jarene), Eric Lewis (Bobby), Michael Earvin Martin (Pa), and Juwon Tyrel Perry (Preacher), with Aalon Daeja Smith, Marta Bady, Richaun Shamar Stewart, and Shelbi Voss.
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Kimberly Belflower’s John Proctor is the Villain, currently in previews, will open Apr. 14 at the Booth Theatre, directed by Danya Taymor.
Sadie Sink (Shelby Holcomb), Nihar Duvvuri (Mason Adams), Gabriel Ebert (Carter Smith), Molly Griggs (Bailey Gallagher), Maggie Kuntz (Ivy Watkins), Hagan Oliveras (Lee Turner), Morgan Scott (Nell Shaw), Fina Strazza (Beth Powell), and Amalia Yoo (Raelynn Nix).
A modern reexamination of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible set in a small town in rural Georgia high school in 2018, during the #MeToo movement. Five young women running on pop music, optimism, and fury, are about to shed light on some of the darkest secrets in their one stoplight town.