This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, October 20
The Rocky Horror Show, directed & choreographed by Karen Azenberg, featuring David Beach (Dr. Scott), Ginger Bess (Magenta), Micki Martines (Columbia), Alanna Saunders (Janet), Alex Walton (Brad), Michael Kalke (Rocky), Jeremiah James (Frank), Andre Jordan (Eddie), and Hernando Umana (Riff Raff), and a rotating selection of notable Utahns as the Narrator, opens at Utah’s Pioneer Theatre Company.
Antaeus Theatre Company‘s SHE, world premiere by Marlow Wyatt, directed by Andi Chapman, featuring Camille Ariana Spirlin (Sojourner Freeman), Lorenz Arnell (Davie Mansaw), Karen Malina White (Bernice), John Chaffin (Mr. Lonnie), Veronica Thompson (Miss Jane), and Gerard Joseph (Othalee), opens at Glendale’s Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center.
Deathtrap, directed by Jamie Torcellini, featuring Geoffrey Lower (Sidney Bruhl), Jill Remez (Myra), Coby Rogers (Clifford Anderson), Michelle Holmes (Helga ten Dorp), and Patrick Vest (Porter Milgrim), opens at CA’s Long Beach’s International City Theatre.
Sally Spectre: The Musical, written & directed by David P. Johnson, featuring Stella Grimaldi, Matthew Hoffman, Hasan Crawford, Steve Nevil, Scottie Nevil, Robert W. Laur, and David P. Johnson, opens at LA’s Theatre West.
Monster, world premiere by April Littlejohn, directed by Bree Pavey, featuring Antwan Alexander II, Lara Blanco, Cassandra Carmona, Crismar Chacín-Ruiz, Nicole Craig, Bryanna Dewar, Angela Fairley, John Goodwin, Leah Haile, Barbera Ann Howard, Hanna Isac, Ritzi Lanier, April Littlejohn, Matt Lorenzo, Sean Alan Mazur, and Madylin Sweeten, opens at North Hollywood’s Loft Ensemble.
Musical Theatre West‘s The Sound of Music, directed by Wayne Bryan, featuring Juliana Sloan (Maria), Jonathan von-Mering (Captain von Trapp), Sarah Wolter (Mother Abbess), Cathy Newman (Frau Schmidt/Sister Berthe), Brandon Keith (Rolf), Erin Dubreuil (Liesl), Brian Kim McCormick (Max Detweiler), Meghan Andrews (Elsa Schraeder), Jaqueline Dennis (Sister Margaretta), Holly Santiago (Sister Sophia), Kevin Symons (Franz), Chuck Saculla (Admiral von Schreiber/Baron Elberfeld), and Damon Kirsche (Herr Zeller), with Christine Negherbon, Eleen Hsu-Wentlandt, Katie Brown, Natalie Gissel, Tucker Boggs, Adam Lendermon, and Danny Bernardo, previews at Long Beach’s Carpenter Center.
The Complete Unknowns concert, featuring the songs of Bob Dylan, with Michael Weiskopf, Michael Weiskopf, Randolph A. Hudson III, Stuart Sherman, Taka Shimizu, Klyph Black, James Benard, Alex Sarkis, and Lauren Matzen, at 8 PM at Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theatre.
Mother of the Year: The Kris Jenner Musical, written by & starring Ryan Raftery, closes at LA’s Bourbon Room.
Saturday, October 21
Musical Theatre West‘s The Sound of Music, directed by Wayne Bryan, featuring Juliana Sloan (Maria), Jonathan von-Mering (Captain von Trapp), Sarah Wolter (Mother Abbess), Cathy Newman (Frau Schmidt/Sister Berthe), Brandon Keith (Rolf), Erin Dubreuil (Liesl), Brian Kim McCormick (Max Detweiler), Meghan Andrews (Elsa Schraeder), Jaqueline Dennis (Sister Margaretta), Holly Santiago (Sister Sophia), Kevin Symons (Franz), Chuck Saculla (Admiral von Schreiber/Baron Elberfeld), and Damon Kirsche (Herr Zeller), with Christine Negherbon, Eleen Hsu-Wentlandt, Katie Brown, Natalie Gissel, Tucker Boggs, Adam Lendermon, and Danny Bernardo, opens at Long Beach’s Carpenter Center.
Love, Sex, and Misery, by Jeff Gould & Jake Gould, directed by Jeff Gould, Morris Schorr, Anthony Backman, Anita Tellez-Mansy and Sean Dube, featuring BriAna Wagner, Jason Pierce, Jean Fiumara, Ian Nemser, Anthony Backman, Jake Gould, Tim Trobec, Adam Fox, Tina Walsch, Piper Major, Kriss Dozal, Domenick DiDiane, Amye Partain, Olivia Spirz, Marco Parra, Auri Brown, Alexander Hall, Ashley Alva, Shelby Janes, Corbin Timbrook, Chuck Lacey, Ari Litman-Weinberg, and Karen Brundag, opens at LA’s 905 Cole Theatre.
King Lear, directed by Kenneth Branagh, featuring Kenneth Branagh (King Lear), Mara Allen (Curan), Deborah Allij (Goneril), Raymond Anum (Burgundy), Melanie-Joyce Bermudez (Regan), Doug Colling (Edgar), Dyland Corbett-Bader (France), Eleanor de Rohan (Kent), Chloe Fenwick-Brown (Oswald), Joseph Kloska (Gloucester), Corey Mylchreest (Edmund), Hughie O’Donnell (Cornwall), Caleb Obediah (Cornwall), and Jessica Reyell (Cordelia/The Fool), begins previews at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre.
Two Wong Foo, world premiere by Douglas Carter Beane & Lewis Flinn, directed by Beane, featuring Peter Caulfield (Vida Boheme), Gregory Haney (Noxeema Jackson), Pablo Gómez Jones (Chichi Rodríguez), Carolyn Maitland (Carol Ann), Duncan Burt (Sheriff Dollard), Alexander Kranz (Bobby Ray), Arthur Boan (Tommy Paul), Ayesha Maynard (Beulah June), Emily Ooi Bobby Lee), Jermaine Woods (Willie Joe/John Jacob), Lee Harris (Ed Earl/Crazy Elijah), Natalie Day (Mary Lou), Scott Hunter (Billy Budd), Susie Fenwick (Clara Pearl), Samantha Bingley (Rose of Sharon), and Theo Maddix (Rachel Tensions/Jimmy Jack), begins previews at the UK’s UK’sHope Mill Theatre, begins previews at the UK’s Hope Mill Theatre.
The Rehearsal Club‘s Wardrobe Sale, from 2-5 at NYC’s Metro Baptist Church (410 W. 40th St.).
Dead Man Walking, by Jake Heggie & Terrence McNally, featuring Joyce DiDonato (Sister Helen Prejean), Ryan McKinny (Joseph De Rocher), Latonia Moore (Sister Rose), Susan Graham (De Rocher’s Mother), closes at NYC’s Metropolitan Opera.
Shooting Hedda Gabler, by Nina Segal, directed by Jeff James, featuring Antonia Thomas (Hedda), Christian Rubeck (Henrik), Avi Nash (Ejlert), Anna Andresen (Berta), Matilda Bailes (Thea), and Joshua James (Jørgen), closes at London’s Rose Theatre.
The Lifespan of a Fact, by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell & Gordon Farrell, directed bySimon Levy, featuring Ron Bottitta, Jonah Robinson, and Inger Tudor, closes at Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre.
Sunday, October 22
Here We Are, world premiere by Stephen Sondheim & David Ives, directed by Joe Mantello, featuring Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Bobby Cannavale, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, Rachel Bay Jones, Denis O’Hare, Steven Pasquale, David Hyde Pierce, and Jeremy Shamos, with Bradley Dean, Adam Harrington, Bligh Voth, Adante Carter, Mehry Eslaminia, and Lindsay Nicole Chambers, opens at Off-Broadway’s The Shed.
The Great Gatsby, by Kait Kerrigan, Jason Howland & Nathan Tysen, directed by directed by Marc Bruni, featuring Jeremy Jordan (Jay Gatsby), Eva Noblezada (Daisy Buchanan), Stanley W. Mathis (Meyer Wolfsheim), Samantha Pauly (Jordan Baker), Noah J. Ricketts (Nick Carraway), Paul Whitty (George Wilson), and John Zdrojeski (Tom Buchanan), with Lauryn Adams, Raymond Edward Baynard, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Austin Colby, Colin Cunliffe, Natalie Charle Ellis, Curtis Holland, Brianna Kim, Dariana Mullen, Pascal Pastrana, Mariah Reives, Julio Rey, Dan Rosales, Maya Sistruck, Jake Trammel, Jake Urban, Tanairi Vazquez, and Katie Webber, opens at NJ’s Paper Mill Playhouse.
The Angel Next Door, by Paul Slade Smith, directed by David Ellenstein, featuring Thomas Edward Daugherty (Victor Pratt), Erin Noel Grennan (Olga Molnar), Elinor Gunn (Margot Bell), Taubert Naudalini (Oliver Adams), James Newcomb (Arthurs Sanders), and Barbara E. Robertson (Charlotte Sanders), opens at Laguna Playhouse.
POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, by Selina Fillinger, directed by Annie Tippe, featuring Kim Blanck (Jean), Allison Guinn (Bernadette), Stephanie Pope Lofgren (Margaret), Deirdre Lovejoy (Harriet), Susan Lynskey (Stephanie), Stephanie Styles (Dusty (His Dalliance), and Dominique Ariel Toney (Chris), closes at Berkeley Rep.
King of the Yees, by Lauren Yee, directed by Jennifer Chang, featuring Grant Chang (Larry), Silvia Kwan (Actor 2), Ashley D. Nguyen (Lauren), Jacob Yeh (Actor 1), and Nicholas Yenson (Actor 3), closes at DC’s Signature Theatre.
tick, tick… BOOM!, directed by Martha Banta, featuring Sarah Bishop (Susan), Brady Patsy (Michael), and Ethan Riordan (Jonathan), with Marissa Bucheit and Reel Allen Worth, closes at Pittsburgh CLO.
The Pianist, newly adapted & directed by Emily Mann, featuring Daniel Donskoy (Wladyslaw Szpilman), Claire Beckman (Mother), Austin Pendleton (Father), Paul Spera (Henryk), Arielle Goldman (Regina), Georgia Warner (Halina/Woman), Charlotte Ewing (Magda/Boy), Tina Benko (Janina and others), Robert David Grant (Majorek and others), and Jordan Lage (Jaworski), closes at NJ’s George Street Playhouse.
Run Bambi Run, world premiere by Eric Simonson & Gordon Gano, directed by directed by Mark Clements, featuring John Carlin (Joe/Lawyer), Matt Daniels (Breier), Sarah Gliko (Christine/Gale), Douglas Goodhart (Ira/Eisenberg), Armando Gutierrez (Fred), Tommy Hahn McCann/Tom), Jessica Kantorowitz (judy), Ian Littleworth (Nick/Stu), Megan Loomis (Virginia/Sean), Ken All Neely (Peterson), and Erika Olson (Laurie), closes at Milwaukee Rep.
Hair, directed by James Vásquez, featuring Andrew Polec (Berger), Tré Frazier (Hud), Janelle McDermoth (Dionne), Olivia Oguma (Jeanie), Olivia Puckett (Shelia), Angel Sigala (Woof), Bailey Day Sonner (Crissy), Jordan Dobson (Claude) and Bailey Day Sonner (Crissy), with Darius Wright, Deviin Cortez, Tiffany Frances, and Delaney Love, closes at NJ’s Two River Theater.
Ensemble Theatre Company‘s The Thanksgiving Play, by Larissa FastHorse, directed by Brian McDonald, featuring Meghan Andrews (Logan), Adam Hagenbuch (Jaxton), Ashley Platz (Alicia), and Will Block (Caden), closes at Santa Barbara’s New Vic.
The Group Rep‘s Motel 66, offering 8 new one-act plays in different cities along “Get Your Kicks on Route 66,” closes at North Hollywood’s Lonny Chapman Theatre.
5 Star Theatricals‘ Oliver, directed by Kati Hayter, featuring Kayden Alexander Koshelev (Oliver), Mark Capri (Fagin), Monika Peña (Nancy), Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper (Bill Sikes), Alkaio Thiele (The Artful Dodger), Andrew Metzger (Mr. Bumble), Janna Cardia (Widow Corney), Alex Boling (Mr. Sowerberry), Clare Snodgrass (Mrs. Sowerberry), Rianny Vasquez (Charlotte Sowerberry), Zander Chin (Charley Bates), Harry Cho (Noah Claypole), Kirsten Adler (Bet) K.J. Rasheed (Mr. Brownlow) Jesus A. Chavarria (Dr. Grimwig), Randi DeMarco (Mrs. Bedwin), and Analia Romero (Old Sally), and many more, closes at CA’s Thousand Oaks’ Bank of American Performing Arts Center.
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Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford will depart Sweeney Todd on Sun. Jan. 14, 2024 at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre. Their replacements are TBA.
The production, currently on-sale through Jan. 14, 2024, will extend its run into the spring of 2024, with a new closing date TBA.
In addition, a national tour will launch in late Winter/early Spring of 2025.
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Red Bull Theater will present a reading of John Wolfson’s The Inn at Lydda: A Meeting of Caesar and Christ, on Mon. Nov. 13 at 7:30 PM at NYC’s Symphony Space, directed by Ben Prusiner.
Samuel Adams, Amir Arison, Rajesh Bose, Teagle Bougere, Leovina Charles, Joe Holt, Anthony Michael Martinez, Alfredo Narciso, Christopher Joel Onken, Jay O. Sanders, and Sam Tsoutsouvas.
John Wolfson’s drama of hubris versus humility, is drawn from biblical apocrypha and presented in modern verse, of a face-to-face meeting between Caesar and Christ. In The Inn at Lydda, the mortally ill Roman emperor Tiberius Caesar, hearing tales of a miraculous healer in the province of Judea, sets sail for Jerusalem for an audience with Jesus. Pausing en route in the nearby city of Lydda, he learns of the Nazarene’s crucifixion only a few days earlier and is devastated, not realizing that an event later known as the Resurrection will make the meeting he seeks a possibility.
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Video: Highlights from Goodspeed’s Private Jones.
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Forbidden Sondheim: Merrily We Stole a Song, written & directed by Gerard Alessandrini, will run Oct. 27 – Nov. 27 (Fri. & Sat. evenings at 8 PM) at the Green Room 42, directed by Fred Barton.
Michael West, Dayna Jarae Dantzler, Chris Collins-Pisano, and Jenny Lee Stern, with special guest Christine Pedi.
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Private NYC industry readings of Bill Russell, Janet Hood, Nick Cearley’s & Ron Melrose’s Has Anyone Seen My Mind will take place Thurs. Oct. 26 (3 PM) and Fri. Oct. 27 (1 PM), directed by Justin Ross Cohen, with music direction by Mary Gatchell.
mailto:LosingMyMindRSVP@gmail.com
Jordan Dean, Michelle Duffy, Telly Leung, and Tiffany Man.
Created from Russell’s free verse and lyrics about life and love and everyday frustrations.
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Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival has announced its Summer 2024 season, with dates TBA.
The Play That Goes Wrong, directed by Jennifer Childs, featuring Sean Close, Melanie Cotton, Scott Greer, Justin Jain, Tony Lawton, Eli Lynn, Karen Peakes, and Ian Merrill Peakes.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, directed by Matt Pfeiffer.
The Color Purple, directed by Amina Robinson.
The Last Five Years, directed by Jason King Jone
Cymbeline, directed by TBA.
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The Actors Co-op Theatre will present the world premiere of Dean Batali’s Lewis and Tolkien Oct. 27 – Dec. 3 at Hollywood’s Crossley Theatre, directed by Batali.
Phil Crowley (C.S Lewis), Michael Beattie (J.R.R. Tolkien) and Bianca Akbiyik (Veronica).
Set in Oxford, England in the autumn of 1963 at the famous “Rabbit Room” of
the Eagle and Child Pub, this play is something of a return to the familiar for C.S.
Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia) and J.R.R. Tolkien (who wrote The
Lord of the Rings). Filled with humor, rousing debate, and reconciliation, the two
men learn the true value of their friendship with a little help from a few pints of
beer and the energetically curious barmaid, Veronica.
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Videos (mulitple): In rehearsal for Pal Joey at NY City Center, starring Ephraim Sykes, Aisha Jackson, and more.
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Gordon Greenberg & Steve Rosen’s Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show will run Nov. 17 – Dec. 24 (opening Nov. 21) at the Old Globe, directed by Greenberg, with music direction by Cathryn Wake.
Christopher Sieber (Ebenezer Scrooge), Josh Brekenridge (Bob Cratchit / Jacob Marley / Charles / Mr. Fezzi), Dan Rosales (Young Scrooge / Medium Scrooge / Tiny Tim), Cathryn Wake (Prudence / Saint / Lavinia / Ghost of Christmas Present / Archibald), Jacque Wilke (Gertrude Saint / Ghost of Christmas Past, / Mrs. Cratchit / Jennie), Dan Rosales (Fred / Young Scrooge / Medium Scrooge / Tiny Tim), Cathryn Wake (Prudence Saint / Lavinia / Ghost of Christmas Present / Archibald), and Jacque Wilke (Gertrude Saint / Ghost of Christmas Past / Mrs. Cratchit / Jennie).
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The Flea & the Yale Drama Series will present a staged reading of Jesús Valles’ BATHHOUSE.PPTX on Mon. Oct. 30 at 3 PM at Off-Broadway’s The Flea, directed by Chay Yew. The reading is free and open to the public.
Not reported.
A new epic play following The Presenter, a “young,” queer, Mexican-American public-speaking student, who is thrust into the landscapes of queer intimacy, colonialism and communal spaces for pleasure when his presentation on the history of cleanliness and bathing starts to burst at the seams with the ghosts of a bathhouse at the end of the world including A Conquistador! Wearing One of Those Hats!, A Very Real Twink, and even the appearance of Laura Linney. Valles describes it as, “A group project for perverts. Somewhere between lecture, re-enactment, and cruising ground. A meditation on queer longing, queer grief, and all our queer worlds that will come to pass, that will come to be.”
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Group Rep‘s production of John Kander, Fred Ebb & Norma L. Martin’s 70 Girls 70 will run Nov. 10 – Dec. 17 at North Hollywood’s Lonny Chapman Theatre, directed by Bruce Kimmel, with music direction by Carol Weiss.
Cynthia Bryant, Regan Carrinton, Kay Cole, Fay DeWitt, Dawn Halloran, Doug Haverty, Suzy London, Hisato Masuyama, Barbara Minkus, Judy Nazemetz, Cynthia Payo, Lloyd Pedersen, Leota Rhodes, Rob Schaumann, Sara Shearer and Danica Waitley.