This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, May 21
Wine in the Wilderness reading, by Alice Childress, directed by Dominique Rider, featuring Amara Janae Brady, Keith Randolph Smith, Brandon Gill, Chris Myers, and Pat Bowie, begins streaming for FREE at Roundabout Theatre.
For The Record: The Brat Pack Reunion Concert, featuring James Byous, Emily Lopez, Parissa Koo, Patrick Ortiz, Doug Kreeger, and Kenton Chen, begins streaming at Beverly Hills’ The Wallis.
“The Bite” series, starring Audra McDonald, Taylor Schilling, and Steven Pasquale, premieres on Spectrum.
2021 Drama League Awards ceremony, livestreams at 7 PM ET here.
Broadway Stories & Songs with Ted Sperling & Friends, with special guest Elizabeth Stanley, streams at 8 PM ET here.
Saturday, May 22
Walden, by Amy Berryman, directed by Ian Rickson, featuring Gemma Arterton (Stella), Fehinti Balogun (Bryan), and Lydia Wilson (Cassie), opens live at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre.
Blackademics, by Idris Goodwin, directed by Ansley Valentine, featuring Mariah Burks, Colleen Longshaw, and Lisa Marie Schueller, begins streaming at Cleveland Playhouse.
20 & Under Sing 20 & Over: Act II benefit concert, with music direction by Jorden Amir, featuring Beth Leavel, Joshua Dela Cruz, Ali Ewoldt, Catherine Brunell, Paige Davis, Joshua Franklin, Liana Hunt, Sasha Hutchings, Kara Lindsay, Ashley Spencer, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Leisa Brescia, David Caddick, Clare Halse, Kimberly Grigsby, John Kander, Diane Paulus, Randy Zuckerberg, with Lexi Bentinganan, Victory Brinker, Gracie Bryant, Chloe Cheers, Mariangeli Collado, Erin Engleman, Kaileigh Fiorillo, Mia Cherise Hall, Ty-Gabriel Jones, Hayden Poe, JP Ross, and more, streams for FREE at 8 PM ET here.
Musical Theatre West presents Madison Claire Parks in a live outdoor concert, at 7:30 PM PT at Long Beach’s The Grand.
“Broadway Profiles with Tamsen Fadal,” with special guests Renée Elise Goldsberry, Ephraim Sykes, David Korins, Nina Grollman, and Jodi Picoult, streams for FREE at 6:30 PM ET here.
Sunday, May 23
The 23rd annual Broadway Barks and 2nd Broadway Barks Across America pet adoption event, in support of BC/EFA, hosted by Bernadette Peters, featuring a plethora of Broadway stars, streams for FREE at 7 PM ET here.
Callaway Hideaway concert, with Ann Hampton Callaway & Liz Callaway, livestreams at 7 PM ET here.
The Forbidden City audio play, by Bill Gunn, directed by Seret Scott, featuring James T. Alfred, Spencer Scott Barros, Derrick Baskin, Kyle Beltran, Ato Blankson-Wood, Jason Bowen, Alfie Fuller, John Benjamin Hickey, Roscoe Orman, Brenda Pressley, and Ray Anthony Thomas, concludes FREE streaming at Lincoln Center Theatre.
Light virtual reading, by Jarrin Davis, directed by Angelisa Gillyard, featuring Tamieka Chavis (Peaches), Felicia Curry (Emma), Clayton Pelham, Jr. (Trey), Christopher Michael Richardson (Bobo), Owen Tabaka (Durell), and Dorrian Wilson (Ella), concludes FREE streaming at DC’s Signature Theatre.
Two Sisters and a Piano virtual production, written & directed by Nilo Cruz, featuring Jimmy Smits, Florencia Lozano, Gary Perez, and Daphne Rubin-Vega, concludes streaming on demand at New Normal Rep.
For The Record: The Brat Pack Reunion Concert, featuring James Byous, Emily Lopez, Parissa Koo, Patrick Ortiz, Doug Kreeger, and Kenton Chen, concludes streaming at Beverly Hills’ The Wallis.
Nicholas, Anna & Sergei, co-world premiere by Hershey Felder, featuring Hershey Felder (Sergei Rachmaninoff), J. Anthony Crane, Ekaterina Siurina (Natalia Alexandrovna Rachmaninoff) , and Igor Poleitsky (Dr. Golitzin), concludes streaming at Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre.
Nicholas Anna & Sergei co-world premiere, by Hershey Felder, featuring Hershey Felder (Sergei Rachmaninoff), J. Anthony Crane, Ekaterina Siurina (Natalia Alexandrovna Rachmaninoff), and Igor Polesitsky (Dr. Golitzin), concludes streaming at Chicago’s Porchlight Theatre.
Ella Fitzerald: First Lady of Song, starring Alexis J Roston, closes at Milwaukee Rep.
I and You, by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Melissa Crespo, featuring Phoebe Holden (Caroline) and Cole Taylor (Anthony), concludes streaming at Syracuse Stage.
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Video: Stars in the House, a Game Night! Elphabas vs Glindas, with special guests: Glindas (Brittney Johnson, Alli Mauzey, and Patti Murin), and Elphabas (Stephanie J. Block, Lilli Cooper, and honorary Elphaba Seth Rudetsky. (1:42:01).
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The pre-Broadway tryout for Larry Kirwan, Jason Howland, Nathan Tysen, Christina Anderson, Marcus Gardley, Craig Lucas & Masi Asare’s Paradise Square will run Nov. 2 – Dec. 5 at Chicago’s Nederlander Theatre, directed by Moisés Kaufman, with choreography Bill T. Jones. The musical features original songs as well as a re-imagining of the songs of Stephen Foster.
Casting and additional in formation TBA.
Set in Manhattan’s Five Points neighborhood during the Civil War, the musical follows the denizens of a local saloon, including the Black woman who owns it, a conflicted newly arrived Irish immigrant, a runaway slave, and a once-great songwriter.
Video: “CBS Sunday Morning” segment about the show.
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Goodspeed Musicals has announced its Goodspeed by the River concert series:
Turn Back Time: Ben & Dee Rock the 70s, 80s, and Beyond (June 10-20), featuring Dee Roscioli & Ben Clark.
Ambassador of Love: Celebrating Pearl Bailey (June 22 – July 18), featuring Rashidra Scott.
Bennet & Babs: The Songs of Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand (June 23 – July 4), featuring Joe Cassidy & Jackie Burns.
Together Again: Max & Celeste Sing Their Broadway Favorites (July 7-18), featuring Max Chernin & Celeste Rose.
Johnny and the Devil’s Box (July 22 – Aug. 1), featuring Douglas Waterbury-Tieman and Annabelle Fox.
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Georgie: My Adventures with George Rose, written by & starring Ed Dixon, will stream May 24 – July 18 here, directed by Eric Schaeffer.
The remarkable, giddy, and moving story of a young actor named Ed Dixon, who finds himself on tour with George Rose. This is a tale of how a chance encounter began a 20-year friendship that flourished until the unimaginable changed everything. An amazing journey for all who love the theatre.
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“Everybody’s Talking About Jamie,” the film adaptation of the West End musical, will premiere Sept. 17 on Amazon Prime (link TBA).
Max Harwood (Jamie New), with Sarah Lancashire, Lauren Patel, Shobna Gulati, Ralph Ineson, Adeel Akhtar, Samuel Bottomley, Sharon Horgan, and Richard E. Grant.
Jamie is a teenager from Sheffield who dreams of life on stage. His secret career ambition is to become a drag queen. His best friend Pritti and his loving mom shower him with support, while local drag legend Miss Loco Chanelle mentors him toward his debut performance. But Jamie also has to contend with an unsupportive father and ignorant school kids.
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Theatre Aspen has announced its 2021 Summer season: Casting TBA.
Chicago (June 30 – July 22), directed & choreographed by Mark Martino, with music direction by Eric Alsford.
Rock of Ages (July 30 – Aug. 21), directed by Hunter Foster, with choreography by Abbey O’Brien, and music direction by Eric Alsford.
Solo Flights (Aug. 25-31), a festival of one-person shows.
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Katori Hall’s Tina: The Tina Turner Musical will resume performances on July 28 at the Aldwych Theatre, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, with choreography by Anthony van Laast, and music supervision by Nicholas Skilbec.
Aisa Jawando (Tina Turner), Jammy Kasongo (Ike Turner), Chanel Hanes (alternate Tina), and more TBA.
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Boston’s Speakeasy Stage has announced its 2021-22 season:
The Sound Inside (Sept. 24 – Oct. 16), by Adam Rapp, directed by Bryn Boice. In the 17 years since she was last published, novelist Bella Baird has almost completely isolated herself from the world. But things chance when she meets Christopher.
BLKS (Oct. 19 – Nov. 20), by Aziza Barnes, director TBA. The play follows three twnty-something Black women trying to find intimacy and purpose in a city that doesn’t seem to care about them.
People, Places & Things (Jan. 7 – Feb. 5, 2022), by Duncan Macmillan, directed by David R. Gammons. An exhilarating new play about surviving in the modern world. Emma, a thirty-something actress who thinks she is having the time of her life, until she finds herself in rehab.
Once on This Island (Mar. 11 – Apr. 16), by Ahrens & Flaherty, directed by Pascale Florestal, with music direction by David Freeman Coleman.
The Inheritance, Parts 1 & 2 (Apr. 22 – June 11), by Matthew Lopex, directed by Paul Daigneault. A generation after the peak of the AIDS crisis, what is it like to be a young gay man in New York?
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Maine’s Ogunquit Playhouse has announced 2021 Summer season. Creative teams and casting TBA.
Spamalot (June 16 – July 10), by Eric Idle, John Du Prez & Neil Innes.
Escape to Margaritaville (July 14 – Aug. 28), by Greg Garcia & Mike O’Malley.
Mystic Pizza: A New Musical (Sept. 1 – Oct. 2), world premiere by Amy Holden Jones & Sandy Rustin, directed by Casey Hushion.
Young Frankenstein (Oct. 6-31), by Mark Baron & Jeffrey Jackson.
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“Hocus Pocus 2” will premiere on Disney+ in 2022 (date TBA). Production will begin this Fall.
(reprising their roles) Bette Midler (Winifred), Sarah Jessica Parker (Sarah), and Kathy Najimy (Mary).
Three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern da Salem, and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.
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The Show Must Go On! Live at the Palace Theatre will livestream for free on June 2 at 2 PM ET (7 PM BST) here, and remain available through June 6.
Aisa Jawando (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical), Zizi Strallen (Mary Poppins), Alice Fearn (Come From Away), Olly Dobson (Back to the Future), Aimie Atkinson (Pretty Woman), and more.
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The upcoming sports film, “National Champions” is currently in development, with a release date TBA.
J.K. Simmons, Stephen James, Kristin Chenowith, Uzo Aduba, Jeffrey Donovan, Alexander Ludwig, Andrew Bachelor, David Koechner, Tim Blake Nelson, and Timothy Olyphant.
Based on the Adam Mervis play, the film centers on a college football team whose star quarterback initiates a players’ strike just before the championship game to fight for fair compensation, equality, an recognition for the amateur athletes bringing in the big bucks for their schools.