This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, March 24
Paperboy, world premiere by Don Stephenson, Jim Wann & David Shenton, directed by Don Stephenson, featuring students from the school’s Musical Theatre Division, opens at the Manhattan School of Music.
Clyde’s, by Lynn Nottage, directed by Taylor Reynolds, featuring Wesley Guimarães (Rafael), Cyndii Johnson (Letitia), Louis Reyes McWilliams (Jason), April Nixon (Clyde), and Harold Surratt (Montrellous), with Lorrain Kanyike, Gunnar Manchester, Javier David Padilla, opens at Boston’s Huntington Theatre.
The Greatest Love for Whitney: A Whitney Houston Tribute, created & directed by Mark Clements, featuring Alesia Miller, Alina Cherone, and Charlotte Odusanya, opens at Milwaukee Rep.
5 Star Theatricals‘ Ragtime, directed by Jeffrey Polk, featuring Marty Austin Lamar (Coalhouse), Brittany Anderson (Sarah), Misty Cotton (Mother), Michael Scott Harris (Father), Hank Jacobs (Tateh), Samantha Wynn-Greenstone (Emma Goldman), Ceron Jones (Booker T), Monica Ricketts (Evelyn Nesbit), Jeremy Ingraham (Younger Brother), Steven Perren (Grandfather), Jacob Hoff (Harry Houdini), Josh Christoff (JP Morgan), Davis Hamilton (Henry Ford), Lila Dunham (Little Girl), Daxton Bethoney (Little boy), and Jordan Jackson (Sarah’s Friend), with Christopher D. Baker, Emily Cochrane, Domo D’DAnte, BK Dawson, Julia Feeley, Glen Hall, Tyler Marshall, Almand Martin, Jr., Donovan Mendelovitz, Kristen O’Connell, Will Riddle, Zara Saje, Leasa Shukiar, Kumari Small, Tania Pasano Storrs, Dekontee Tucrkile,and more, opens at Thousand Oaks’ Bank of America Performing Arts Center.
Menstruation: A Period Piece, by Miranda Rose Hall & Tova Katz, directed by Katie Lindsay, featuring Kaci Hamilton, Audra Isadora, Kate Lý Johnston, Jane Hae Kim, Jo Lampert, Bibi Mama, and Marnina Schon, opens at LA’s LGBT Center.
New York, New York, by Kander & Ebb, David Thompson, Sharon Washington & Lin-Manuel Miranda, directed & choreographed by Susan Stroman, featuring Clyde Alves (Tommy Caggiano), John Clay III (Jesse Webb), Janet Dacal (Sofia Diaz), Ben Davis (Gordon Kendrick), Colton Ryan (Jimmy Doyle), Anna Uzele (Francine Evans), Oliver Prose (Alex Mann), Angel Sigala (Mateo Diaz), and Emily Skinner (Madame Veltri), with Wendi Bergamini, Allison Blackwell, Giovanni Bonaventura, Jim Borstelmann, Lauren Carr, Mike Cefalo, Bryan J. Cortés, Kristine Covillo, Gabriella Enriquez, Haley Fish, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Richard Gatta, Stephen Hanna, Naomi Kakuk, Akina Kitazawa, Ian Liberto, Kevin Ligon, Leo Moctezuma, Aaron Nicholas Patterson, Dayna Marie Quincy, Julian Ramos, Drew Redington, Benjamin Rivera, Vanessa Sears, Davis Wayne, Jeff Williams, and Darius Wright. Casting is by Jim Carnahan and Jason Thinger, begins previews at Broadway’s St. James Theatre.
Some Like It Hot Broadway cast album released on all platforms.
Saturday, March 25
For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, written & directed by Ryan Calais Cameron, featuring Mark Akintimehin, Emmanuel Akwafo, Nnabiko Ejimofor, Darragh Hand, Arune Halloh, and Kaine Lawrence, opens at London’s Royal Court Theatre.
What’s Going On?: Songs of Change presentation, written, directed & choreographed by Warren Adams, featuring Charl Brown, Patrice Covington, Valisia LeKae, Naturi Naughton, Ryan Shaw, Eric B. Turner, and Daniel J. Watts, opens at NYC’s 92Y.
Picnic, directed by John Farmanesh-Bocca, featuring Monti Washington (Hal Carter), Mattie Harris Lowe & Caitlin O’Grady (alternating as Madge Owens), Symphony Canady (Millie), Yolanda Snowball (Flo), Ahkei Togun (Alan Seymour), Sydney A. Mason (Rosemary Sydney), Ronin Lee & Derrick Parker (alternating as Howard Bevans), Rosemary Thomas (Helen Potts), and Erika L. Holmes (Irma Kronkite), opens at LA’s Odyssey Theatre.
The Thanksgiving Play, by Larissa FastHorse, directed by Rachel Chavkin, featuring D’Arcy Carden, Katie Finneran, Scott Foley and Chris Sullivan, begins previews at Broadway’s Helen Haye’s Theatre.
Faith Prince & Jason Graae Are a Little Bit Off concert, at 7 PM at North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre (Monroe Forum).
Group Rep‘s Halpern & Johnson staged reading, by Lionel Goldstein, directed by Stephen Rockwell, featuring Apollo Dukakis (Halpern), Mitchell Edmunds (Johnson), Maggie Abeckerly (Narrator), and Endre Balogh (on the violin), at 7 PM at North Hollywood’s Lonny Chapman Theatre.
Aaron Tveit concludes his limited return to Moulin Rouge at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
& Juliet, by David West Read & Max Martin, directed by Luke Sheppard, featuring Nicolas Colicos (Lance), Billy Nevers (Francois), Joe Foster (May), Miriam-Teak Lee (Juliet), Cassidy Janson (Anne Hathaway), Oliver Tompsett (William Shakespeare), Tom Francis (Romeo), and Malinda Parris (Angelique), with Ebony Clarke, Bessy Ewa, Collette Guitart, Cassandra Lee, Nathan Louis-Fernand, Zara MacIntosh, Carl Man, Christian Maynard, Rachel Moran, Owen Saward, Aaron Shales, Benjamin Terry and Suki Wong, who join Ivan De Freitas, Rhian Duncan, Alex Tranter, Sophie Usher, and Rhys Wilkinson, closes at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre.
Women, Beware the Devil, by Lulu Raczka, directed by Rupert Goold, featuring Leo Bill, Carly-Sophia Davies, Aurora Dawson-Hunte, Ionna Kimbook, Nathan Laryea, Lydia Leonard, Alison Oliver, and Lola Shalam, closes at London’s Almeida Theatre.
Trouble in Butetown, by Diana Nneka Atuona, directed by Tinuke Craig, featuring Samuel Adewunmi (Nate), Rita Bernard-Shaw (Connie), Ifan Huw Dafydd (Patsy), Zaqi Ismail (Dullah), Gareth Kennerley (Detective Hughes), Bethan Mary-James (Peggy), Nathan Nolan (Officer Reid), Sarah Parish (Gwyneth), and Zephryn Taitte (Norman), closes at London’s Donmar Warehouse.
NIMROD, world premiere by Phinneas Kiyomura, directed by Alina Phelan, featuring Kirsten Vangness (Nimrod), Hiwa Chow Elms, Isaiah Alexander, Lisa Clifton, Shayne Eastin, Asha Noel Iyer, Sarah Lilly, Chloe Madriaga, Sierra Marcks, Edward Moraycski, Josh Odess-Rubin, Robert Paterno, Joel Scher, Niall Sulcer, and Dan Wingard, closes at Hollywood’s Theater of Note.
Sunday, March 26
Sweeney Todd, directed by Thomas Kail, featuring Josh Groban (Sweeney Todd), Annaleigh Ashford (Mrs. Lovett), Jordan Fisher (Anthony), Gaten Matarazzo (Tobias), Ruthie Ann Miles (Beggar Woman), Maria Bilbao (Johanna), Jamie Jackson (Judge Turpin), John Rapson (Beadle Bamford), Nicholas Christopher (Pirelli/Sweeney Todd Standby), and Jeanna de Waal (Standby for Mrs. Lovett and Beggar Woman), with Galyana Castillo, Jonathan Christopher, Dwayne Cooper, Kyrie Courter, Taeler Cyrus, Timothy Hughes, Paul-Jordan Jansen, Alicia Kaori, Michael Kuhn, Raymond J. Lee, Patricia Phillips, Mia Pinero, Samantha Pollino, Lexi Rabadi, Nathan Salstone, Kristie Dale Sanders, Stephen Tewksbury, Daniel Torres, Felix Torrez-Ponce, DeLaney Westfall, and Hennessy Winkler, opens at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Kiss of the Spiderwoman (the play), directed by Michael Michetti, featuring Ed F. Martin (Molina) and Adrían González (Valentin), begins previews at Pasadena’s A Noise Within.
Manhattan Theatre Club‘s The Best We Could (a family tragedy), world premiere by Emily Feldman, directed by Daniel Aukin, featuring Aya Cash, Brian D. Coats, Maureen Sebastian, Constance Shulman, and Frank Wood, closes at NYC’s City Center Stage 1.
Black Odyssey, by Marcus Gardley, directed by Stevie Walker-Webb, featuring James T. Alfred (Deus), Tẹmídayọ Amay (Benevolence), Harriett D. Goy (Aunt Tee), Marcus Gladney Jr. (Malachai Lincoln), Sean Boyce Johnson (Ulysses Lincoln), Adrienne C. Moore (Alsendra Sabine), Keith Randolph Smith (Paw Sidin), Lance Coadie Williams (Artez Sabine), and D. Woods (Nella P. Lincoln), closes at Off-Broadway’s Classic Stage Company.
The Rewards of Being Frank, a sequel to The Importance of Being Earnest, by Alice Scovell, directed by Stephen Burdman, featuring Christine Pedi (Lady Bracknell), Moboluwaji Ademide Akintilo (Frank), James Evans (Algernon), Kelly Mengelkoch (Gwendolyn), Tora Nogami Alexander (Cecily), and Jeremy Dubin (Ernest), closes at Off Broadway’s A.R.T. / New York Theatres.
Paperboy, world premiere by Don Stephenson, Jim Wann & David Shenton, directed by Don Stephenson, featuring students from the school’s Musical Theatre Division, closes at the Manhattan School of Music.
The Secret Garden, directed & choreographed by Warren Carlyle, featuring Sierra Boggess (Lily Craven), Terron Brooks (Major Shelley), Mark Capri (Ben Weatherstaff), Peyton Crim (Major Holmes), Derrick Davis (Archibald Craven), Susan Denaker (Mrs. Medlock), Kelley Dorney (Mrs. Winthrop/Cholera), Ali Ewoldt (Rose Lennox), William Foon(Colin Craven alternate), Ava Madison Gray (Mary Lennox alternate), John Krause (Captain Albert Lennox), Aaron Lazar (Dr. Neville Craven), Julia Lester (Martha), Reese Levine (colin Craven), John-Michael Lyles (Yamuna Meleth (Ayah), Cassandra Marie Murphy (Mrs. Shelley), James Olivas (Lieutenant Wright), Sadie Brickman Reynolds (Mary Lennox), Kyla Jordan Stone (Alice), and Vishal Vaidya (Fakir), with Randi De Marco, Sam Linkowski, and Ariel Neydavoud, closes at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre.
Once, directed by Steve Steiner, featuring Grace Belt (Girl), Grant Brown (Andrej), Mary Ann Carlisle DiPietro (Baruska), Keaton Echhoff (Guy), Morgan Hollingsworth (Eamon), Will Huse (Billy), Becca last (Ivonka), Chris McGraw (Svec), James Michael McHale (Bank Manager), Michael Naishtut (Da), Caitlin Ort (Emee), and Laufen Witman (Ex-Girlfriend), closes at Laguna Playhouse.
Cowboy Bob, world premiere by Molly Beach Murphy, Jeanna Phillips, Annie Tippe & Alex Thrailkill, directed & choreographed by Annie Tippe, featuring Jackie Burns (Peggy Jo Tallas), Ashley Pérez Flanagan (Rena), Adam Gibbs (Cop Hank), Brandon Hearnsberger (Manager Bill), Susan Koozin (Jerry “Ma” Tallas), Julia Krohn (Kathy), Camryn Nunley (Cop Roy), Jamila Sabares-Klemm (Tanya), and Nathaniel Tenenbaum (Stan), closes at Houston’s Alley Theatre.
Kinky Boots, directed by Jason Loewith, featuring Vincent Kempski (Charlie Price), Soloman Parker III (Lola), Candice Shedd-Thompson (Nicola), Stephen Schmidt (Charlie’s dad), Chris Genebach (Don), Alex De Bard (Lauren), Ricardo Blagrove (Simon Sr.), Karl Kippola (George), Calvin McCullough (Harry), Stephen Murray (Richard), Kaiyla Gross (Pat), and Sarah Anne Sillers (Trish), with Shane Hall, Connor Reilly, Robbi Duncan, Quadry Brown, David Singleton, Malachi Alexander, Henry Harleston, Grayden Goldman, Dustin Sardella, Alexis Krey, Catrina Brenae, and Tyrell Stanley, closes at MD’s Olney Theatre.
LA Theatre Week concludes at various locations.
Calvin Berger, by Barry Wyner, directed by Richard Israel, featuring Corinne Miller, Jordan Quisno, Frankie A. Rodriguez, and Jasmine Sharma, closes at Burbank’s Colony Theatre.
Rogue Machine‘s Come Get Maggie, world premiere by Diane Frolov & Susan Justin, directed by Michael Pressman, featuring Phillip Casnoff (Ziskin), Beth Egan (Little Ruthie), Melissa Jove (Mrs. Wyberry), Nicole Ledous (Kwee), Melanie Neilan (Maggie), Bruce Nozick (Gen Winthrop/Mr. Myberry), Chase Ramsey (Hugh), Dennis Renard (Varex), Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield (Auntie Ruthie), and Eddy Vona (President/Rodney), with Alan Tranci, closes at LA’s Matrix Theatre.
The Turn of the Screw, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, directed by Jeramiah Peay, featuring Megan Cochrane, Shayna Gabrielle, and Michael Mullen, closes at the Hollywood Arthouse Theatre.
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Reviews for Bad Cinderella at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre:
NY Times (Jesse Green): First: Bring earplugs. Not just because the songs…are so crushingly loud. The dialogue, too, would benefit from inaudibility… For that matter, bring eye plugs: The sets and costumes are as loud as the songs. If there were such a thing as soul plugs, I’d recommend them as well… It has none of the grit of the Grimm tale, the sweetness of the Disney movie or the grace (let alone the melodic delight) of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Instead, it’s surprisingly vulgar, sexed-up and dumbed-down: a parade of hustling women in bustiers and shirtless pec-rippling hunks… Despite that, and a series of effortful numbers Genao sings bravely… the unrelievedly pompous direction by Laurence Connor….
Variety (Naveen Kumar): … The addition of “bad” to the title of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella which opened at the Imperial Theater Thursday night, isn’t good. Composed by Webber and with lyrics by David Zippel, it is a muddled and momentum-less retooling of the familiar fairy tale in search of a coherent point of view as if it were a glass-slippered foot… it is a muddled and momentum-less retooling of the familiar fairy tale in search of a coherent point of view as if it were a glass-slippered foot… the book…is an illogical head-scratcher… But it is also very horny, which is its primary claim to fun… presumes to know what a sizable fraction of its audience wants, and panders to them shamelessly with varying degrees of success.
New York Daily News (Chris Jones) Bad Cinderella says it all… Why, one wonders aplenty as one watches, did such a distinguished personage of the musical theater as the incomparable Andrew Lloyd Webber choose to spend some of his precious remaining time on Earth on a musical updating of a beloved fairytale that (a), has no demonstrable respect whatsoever for the dramaturgical structure of the source and (b), comes with a crass and mostly tasteless sense of humor that feels woefully out of sync with the moment?… Lloyd Webber has penned a self-defining title number, which is catchy and belted out by Genao with genuine chops… along with JoAnn M. Hunter’s choreography, in a few places, that’s about all this pretty terrible show has on its list of positives…
Time Out (Adam Feldman): …now there is Bad Cinderella…but has tacked the word Bad in front of its title to make its U.S. debut. That’s a minor victory for truth in marketing, at least. As the old expression goes: If the shoe fits… In fairness, this Cinderella is only half-bad, but its virtues are in all the wrong places… a box of costume jewels: flashy but short on value… The show is most successful when it hews to campiness… The musical collapses at the center, because Cinderella is an attitudinal bore… For one thing, she’s never convincingly unconventional… The writing fails Cinderella throughout; she has none of the outsider wit she is meant to display, and her big moments clunk… The score, by Lloyd Webber and lyricist David Zippel, goes in one ear and comes out the other without troubling anything in between… is the kind of show that seems destined to be left behind. It’s a shiny glass slip-up.
Audio: “Bad Cinderella,” with Linedy Genao
Audio: “I Know I Have a Heart (Because you Broke It),” with Linedy Genao
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Following Broadway’s limited engagement, Mischief Company’s Peter Pan Goes Wrong will run Aug. 6 – Sept 10 (opening Aug. 11) at the Ahmanson Theatre, directed by Adam Meggido.
Barltley Booz, Matthew Cavendish, Bianca Horn, Harry Kershaw, Chris Leask, Henry Lewis, Ellis Morris, Charlie Russell, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields, Greg Tannahill, Nancy Zamit, Stephen James Anthony, Ryan Vincent Anderson, Fred Gray, and Brenann Stacker.
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The world premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ The Comeuppance will run May 16 – June 25 at the Signature Theatre, directed by Eric Ting.
Casting TBA.
A self-proclaimed “Multi-Ethnic Reject Group” reconvenes for the first time in years to pre-game for their 20th high school reunion. They re-familiarize themselves with new versions of old selves over drinks, other substances, and a not-so-innocent truth-telling game.
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Danny Rubin & Tim Minchin’s Groundhog Day will run May 20 – Aug. 12 (opening May 26) at The Old Vic, directed by Matthew Warchus, with choreography by Lizzi Gee, and music direction by Alan Berry.
Andy Karl (Phil Connors), Rita Hanson (Tanisha Spring), Kamilla Fernandes (Debbie), Aimée Fisher (Joelle), Nick Hayes (Ralph), Jacquiline Hughes (Piano Teacher), Ashlee Irish (Larry), Chris Jenkins (Gus), Andrew Langtree (Ned Ryerson), Bill Nevers (Fred), Eve Norris (Nancy), Mark Pearce (Sheriff), Ben Redfern (Buster), Tanisha Spring (Rita Hanson), Durone Stokes (Deputy), Alex Stoll (Billy), Jez Unwin (Jenson), and Annie Wensak (Mrs. Lancaster), with Jasman Colangelo, Kelly Ewins-Prouse, Zack Guest, and Matthew Whennell-Clark.
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Video: Parade stars Ben Platt & Micaela Diamond perform “This Is Not Over Yet” on the Today Show.
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The world premiere of Rob Zellerrs & Kent Gash’s Billy Strayhorn will run Sept. 19 – Oct. 8 at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, directed by Gash, with music direction by Matthew Whitaker.
Casting TBA.
The musical explores Strayhorn’s struggles as a black, queer man in middle America, as well as his artistic triumph with Duke Ellington, and Billie Holiday.
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L.A. Theatre Works will present a live audio theatre performance of The Confession of Henry Jekyll, M.D., adapted by David Rambo, to run Apr. 14-16 at UCLA’s James Bridges Theatre, directed by Anna Lyse Erikson.
Casting TBA.
On the last night of his life, Henry Jekyll records the harrowing story of his years-long struggle to maintain his high-profile, esteemed reputation as a physician and philanthropist while secretly attempting to suppress a voracious beast he had long felt lurking within.
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A staged reading of Garry Michael Kluger’s Death & Cold Cuts will take place Tues. Mar. 28 at 7:30 PM at LA’s Theatre West, directed by Arden Teresa Lewis. RSVP not required.
Mary Elizabeth Somers, Amelia Vargas, Tammy Taylor, Anne Leyden, Ashley Taylor, Sardia Robinson, David Mingrino, and Liv Denevi.
Joni and Beth become roommates and so much more, However, being in love can have its consequences when not everyone is onboard. Love is not always a many splendored thing.
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The world premiere developmental production of Jonathan Prince, Lindy Robbins, Dave Bassett & Steve Robson’s Dark of the Moon will run Mar. 29 – Apr. 16 (opening Apr. 1) at Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre, directed by James O’Neil, with choreography by Christopher Gattelli, and music direction by Brent Crayon.
Ava Delaney (Barbara Allen), Jake David Smith (John), Jennifer Leigh Warren (Conjur Woman), Timothy Warmen (Conjur Man), Lesli Margherita (Raven), Juliette Redden (Arwen), Dylan Goike (Devin), Terri Bibb (Gemma Allen), Joseph Fuqua (Thomas Allen), CJ Cruz (Floyd), Anna Demaria (Ella), and Jane Macfie (Patricia Bergen).
Twilight meets West Side Story. The musical follows John, a witch boy from the Smoky Mountains, who falls i love with Barbara Allen, a beautiful and rebellious mortal girl who longs for more life than she finds in the fictitious Appalachian town of Buck Creek. John is willing to give up anything to be with Barbara Allen, and makes a deal with the conjur people to give up his immortality and become mortal if Barbara and he can stay true to each other for a year.
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Title Wave: 2023 New Works Festival will run May 5-7 at Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theater, all written by female playwrights. Casting TBA.
Another Lovely Day, by Leslie Avyazian, starring John Slattery and Talia Balsam
Come Back, by Lisa Feriend
What I Know Now, written by & starring Julia Motyka
You Have to Promise, by Audrey Lang
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Audio: Mary Testa sings “Three Sisters” from Michael Friedman’s Adventures in Reality studio album, released today on all platforms.
The album also includes Nick Blaemire, Cindy Cheung, Carla Duren, Jackie Hoffman, Jo Lampert, Lauren Molina, Dito van Reigersberg, Brian Charles Rooney, Heath Saunders, Tony Torn, Alison Weller, and Ada Westfall.
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Wall to Wall Women of Soul will take place Sat. Apr. 1 from 3-11 PM at Off-Broadway’s Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, as well as livestreamed Click here for information on both the live & livestream options.
LaChanze, Lulada Club (an all-female salsa band), Mahogany L. Browne (poet), L. Brown (video), Nona Hendryx (with her all women orchestra), J. Hoard, Martha Redbone,, Maria Abney, Marcelle Davies Lashley, Anthony Mills, DJ Elew, Thmbisa Mshaka, and Xavier Smith.
The concert will celebrate not just the undisputed icons of the 1960s and ‘70s, but also the genre’s more distant past and its recent and current innovators.