This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, November 13
* Reconnected, starring mentalist Jason Suran, opens (virtually) on Broadway here.
* “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” featuring Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Madalen Mills, Sharon Rose, Kieron Dyer, Justin Cornwell, Lisa Davina Phillip, Hugh Bonneville, and more, premieres on Netflix.
* Oedipus El Rey FREE virtual reading, by Luis Alfaro, directed by Chay Yew, featuring Alex Alpharoah, Romi Dias, Michael Manuel, Peter Mendoza, Xavi Moreno, Israel López Reyes, Geoff Rivas, Sabina Zúñiga Varela, and Juan Franisco Villa, streams at 5 PM PT at LA’s Center Theatre Group (and available through Jan. 20).
* West End Unplugged Vol. 1 FREE virtual concert, featuring Aisha Jawando, Alice Fearn, Ben Goddard, Tim Howar, Sandra Marvin, and Mazz Murray, streams at 2 PM ET here.
* Sierra Boggess in concert, recorded live at NYC’s Birdland, streams at 7 PM ET here.
* “Fiddler” A Miracle of Miracles” documentary, featuring Joseph Stein, Sheldon Harnick, Hal Prince, Austin Pendleton, Chaim Topol, Harvey Fierstein, Danny Burstein, Joel Grey, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Fran Lebowitz, Calvin Trillin, and Nathan Englander, airs at 9 PM on PBS (check local listings).
* The Last Five Years, a socially distanced production, directed by Jonathan O’Boyle, featuring Molly Lynch and Oli Higginson, closes at London’s Southwark Playhouse.
Saturday, November 14
* Six resumes performances at London’s Lyric Theatre, with a reduced seating capacity.
* The Anonymous Lover, FREE opera, by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, directed by Bruce Lemon Jr, featuring Tiffany Townsend (Léontine), Robert Stahley (Valcour), Alaysha Fox (Dorothée), Michael J. Hawk (Ophé Gabriela Flores (Jeannette), and Jacob Ingbar (Colin), premieres at 5 PM PT at LA Opera (and remains available for 2 weeks.
* Fifth Avenue Theatre‘s Live from the West Side concert, featuring Laura Benanti, livestreams at 5 PM PT.
* “Stars in the House,” a Pippin reunion, with John Rubinstein, Michael Rupert, Dean Pitchford, and Stephen Schwartz, streams at 8 PM ET here.
* The Last Five Years, a socially distanced production, directed by Jonathan O’Boyle, featuring Molly Lynch and Oli Higginson, closes at London’s Southwark Playhouse.
* [title of show], directed by Josh Seymour, featuring Marc Elliot (Jeff), Tyrone Huntley (Hunter), Lucie Jones (Heidi), Jenna Russell (Susan), and Josh Seymour (Larry), concludes streaming at the London Coliseum.
* Lee Roy Reams in concert, with music direction by Alex Rybeck, concludes streaming at Off-Broadway’s York Theatre.
Sunday, November 15
* The Who and the What filmed production, by Ayad Akhtar, directed by Aneesha Kudtarkar, featuring Rajesh Bose (Afzal), Jessica Jain (Zarina), Sanam Laila Hashemi (Mahwash), and Stephen Elrod (Eli), opens at Theaterworks Hartford.
* Until the Flood solo show, written & performed by Dael Orlandersmith, directed by Neel Keller, begins streaming at 8 PM ET here.
*The Seth Concert Series, with special guest Lillias White, streams at 8 PM ET here (and available through 3 PM ET tomorrow).
* The Perfect Fit, The Musical: A Perfectly Distant Concert, adapted from Joshua Turchin’s original musical, featuring Joshua Turchin, Carly Glendell, Gianna Harris, Kimberly Marable, Jennifer Sánchez, Ellie Kim, Grace DeAmicis, Daniel Dunlow, Jenny Mollet, JF Bruno, Courtney, Mormino, Tyrah Skye Oldoms, and Carlos Carreras, along with virtual cast members Fabi Aguirre, Noah Baird, Audrey Bennett, Swayam Bhatia, Lily Brooks O’Briant, Alexa Lasanta, Luke Naphat, Ava Ulloa. Katherine Xu, Alemay Fernandez, and Maya Raisha, livestreams at 7 PM ET here.
* Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy, by Sarah Gancher, directed by directed by Jared Mezzocchi & Elizabeth Williamson, featuring Danielle Slavick (Masha), Mia Katigbak (Ljuba), Haskell King (Egor), Ian Lassiter (Steve), and Greg Keller (Nikolai), closes virtually at TheaterWorks Hartford.
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Video: “Stars in the House,” a “Legally Blonde: The Musical — The Search for Elle Woods” reunion, featuring Autumn Hurlbert, Emma Zaks, Lena Hall (FKA Celina Carvajal), Cassie Silva, Natalie Lander, Lauren Zakrin, and Rhiannon Hansen. (1:30:40)
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Goodspeed Musicals will release the Original Concept Recording of music from Matte O’Brien & Matt Vinson’s Anne of Green Gables, which will run during the 2021 season (dates TBA). The 9-track digital album will be released on Nov. 20.
To celebrate, Goodspeed will host an exclusive album launch event on its website on Tues. Nov. 24 at 7 PM ET. Felicia Fitzpatrick will lead a conversation with the show’s authors. Plus, you’ll be the first to find out who’s playing Anne Shirley in Goodspeed’s world premiere.
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Holidaze Harmony will stream Wed. Dec. 16 at 7 PM PT (and available on demand through Dec. 20) at Burbank’s Garry Marshall Theatre.
Terron Brooks and Kamilah Marshall (the self-proclaimed “Black Donny and Marie”).
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Video: Jason Graae (and Murray) perform “The 1/2 a Minute Waltz,” by Marc Shaiman & F. Chopin.
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RIP: A stagehand (name not released) at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre died Nov 12, after falling from above-the-stage scaffolding around 8:45 AM.
A representative for the Shubert Organization, which owns and operates the Broadway and 50th Street theatre, confirmed the incident. NYPD and OSHA were both at the scene following the tragic event to conduct an investigation into the circumstances.
The worker worker was clearing the set of Beetlejuice, which was running at the Winter Garden up until the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The 54-year-old man was taken to St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center but could not be resuscitated.
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The 24 Hour Plays Broadway Gala will livestream Tues. Dec. 1 at 8 PM ET here. Director TBA.
Genevieve Angelson, Kelly AuCoin, David Cross, Hugh Dancy, Merle Dandridge, Andra Day, Dagmara Domínczyk, Mike Doughty, Rachel Dratch, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Jesse Eisenberg, Noah Galvin, Joel Marsh Garland, Michelle Gomez, Adam Gwon, Josh Hamilton, Marcia Gay Harden, Amy Hargreaves, Russell G. Jones, Matt Lauria, Vella Lovell, Katherine McNamara, Portia, Solea Pfeiffer, AnnaSophia Robb, Sheila Vand, M. Ward and more to be announced. They will perform pieces written by Rachel Axler, David Lindsay-Abaire, J. Holtham, christopher oscar peña, Jonathan Marc Sherman, and Lauren Yee, and more TBA.
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“Cabaret Conversations,” with special guest Chita Rivera, will stream Mon. Nov. 16 from 6-7 PM ET at NYC’s 92Y.
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Off-Broadway’s Amas Musical Theatre will present Scott Elmegreen, Rona Siddiqui, Linda Chichester & David Coffman’s Hip Hop Cinderella – A New Musical, will stream Dec. 10 at 7 PM ET (and available on demand through Dec. 27), directed by Christopher Scott, with music direction by Evan Alparone.
Alexis Aguiar, Cassandra Barckett, Jamiel Tako, L. Burkhart, Brian Criado, Emily Lang, and Lexy Piton.
Teenage Cinderella and her rapping robot companion Runka live on planet Zolla. They toil under the thumb of Cinderella’s stepmon, Lady Zurka, and her two social media-obsessed stepsisters, Zig and Zag. The galaxy has lost its groove, and the Prince is throwing a Hip Hop Ball and Rap Competition to turn the beat around. Traveling via a quantum time warp, Cinderella transforms into “Ella C” and fights to win the competition. Upon returning to planet Zolla, Ella C is forced into a royal rap battle against Lady Zurka with a suprising result.
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“Stars in the House” presents a reading of Shaw’s Man and Superman on Mon. Nov. 16 at 7 PM ET (link TBA), directed & narrated by David Staller.
Robert Cuccioli, Claybourne Elder, Santino Fontana, Nikki M. James, Christine Toy Johnson, Rob McClure, John-Andrew Morrison, Margaret Odette, Vishaal Reddy, and Lenny Wolpe.
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Liz Callaway‘s new holiday album, “Comfort and Joy – An Acoustic Christmas” will be released Dec. 4 on all platforms.
1. Merry Christmas Darling
2. Hard Candy Christmas
3. Walking in the Air (theme from “The Snowman.” featuring Jann Klose)
4. God Bless My Family
5. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Carol of the Bells
6. Love is Christmas
7. Christmas Eve (Could Not Ask for More
8. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
9. O Holy Night
10. Christmas Time is Here
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Video: Bernadette Peters sings “Losing My Mind” from Follies. at the 2014 Olivier Awards ceremony.
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Off-Broadway’s Red Bull Theater will present a benefit reading of Ana Caro’s The Courage to Right A Woman’s Wrongs, to take place Mon. Nov. 16 at 7:30 PM ET here, directed by Melia Bensussen.
Anita Castillo-Halvorssen, Helen Cespedes, Natascia Diaz, Carson Elrod, Anthony Michael Martinez, Sam Morales, Alfredo Narcisco, Ryan Quinn, Luis Quintero, and Matthew Saldivar.
A comedy of wild intrigue and lively ingenuity in which Leonor crosses geographical boundaries and defies social expectations of gender in order to bring her fickle lover to justice and restore her lost honor. Through this stirring tale of a woman’s courage to right the wrongs she has suffered, the play holds up to the scrutiny of contemporary notions of masculine honor and offers in their place a vision that opens up space for women and their agency.
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Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theater present Season For Joy, starring Melissa Errico, on Thurs. Dec. 10 at 8 PM ET, with music direction by Tedd Firth.
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Cast members from Broadway’s The Coast of Utopia will reunite on Thurs. Dec. 17 at 6 PM ET at Lincoln Center.
Playwright Tom Stoppard, director Jack O’Brien, and cast members Billy Crudup, Jennifer Ehle, Ethan Hawke, Brián F. O’Byrne, and Martha Plimpton.