This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, October 23
* Cats: With Love Now and Forever benefit concert, featuring Mark Agnes, Arminae Reames, Joanna Beck, Anthony Vincent Boya, Lisa Dawn Cave, Jonathan Cerullo, Leslie Ellis, Robert Barry Fleming, Deborah Geneviere Athens, Adrea Gibbs, JoAnn M Hunter, Jack Gaughan, Austin Jettong, BK Kennelly, Deidre Land, Karen Longwell, Aja Kane, Kari Nicolaisen, Bill Nolte, Donna Pompei, Cathy Susan Pyles, Randy Slovacek, Beth Swearinggen, Fred Tallaksen, Christine Toy Johnson, Rachell Rak, Amiee Turner, James Walski, Matt Zarley, and Julie Stiel, streams at 8 PM ET here (and available through Oct. 26).
* Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, filmed at London’s O2 Arena, featuring Liam Neeson (in holography form), Jason Donovan, Ricky Wilson, Marti Pellow, Will Stapleton, and Kerry Ellis, streams at 2 PM ET here (and will remain available for 48 hours).
* Shoshana Bean: Broadway — My Way concert streams at 8 PM ET here.
* Under Construction, The Zoom Series, offering virtual play readings, streams at 6 PM PT at North Hollywood’s Road Theatre Company (and continues tomorrow night).
* “All About Evil,” an interactive murder mystery, by David Carpenter, Kevin Hammons, Caroline Prugh & Jacob Thompson, featuring Samantha Blain, Kim Morgan Dean, Michael Indeglio, Tricia Matthews, Michael Pilato, and Olivia White, streams at 8 PM ET here.
* “Laura Benanti” studio album released here.
Saturday, October 24
* Daisy presentation, by Sean Devine, directed by caryn desai [sic], featuring Ed F. Martin (Bill Bernbach), Alex Dabestani (Sid Myers), Erin Anne Williams (Louise Brown), Matthew Floyd Miller (Aaron Erlich), Phillip Lewis (Clifford Lewis), and David Nevell (Tony Schwartz), begins its streaming run at 7 PM PT at Long Beach’s International City Theatre.
* Bucks County Playhouse – At Home 2020: A Gala Celebration, with special guest Cyndi Lauper, and appearances by Meredith Baxter, Didi Conn, Santino Fontana, Michael Bross, Justin Guarini, Randy Harrison, Marilu Henner, Cheyenne Jackson, Linda Lavin, Marsha Mason, Laura Osnes, Sarah Paulson, Susan Sullivan, and Holland Taylor, streams at 7 PM ET here.
* A Totally Disrespectful Evening of Short Plays by Joy Behar, a virtual benefit for East Hampton’s Guild Hall, featuring Behar, Rachel Dratch, Susie Essman, Dylan McDermott, and more, streams at 8 PM ET here.
* Under Construction, The Zoom Series, offering virtual play readings, streams at 6 PM PT at North Hollywood’s Road Theatre Company
* Seattle’s Fifth Avenue Theatre‘s Live from the West Side concert, featuring Patti Lupone, livestreams at 5 PM PT.
* Waiting for Obama radio play, by John Moore, directed by Brian Freeland, featuring Laurence Curry (Barak Obama), Drew Horwitz (Peter Welby), Chris Kendall (Hank Welby), Leslie O’Carroll (Martha Welby), Jenna Moll Reyes (Jenna), Jessica Robblee (Katie Welby), Luke Sorge (Benny Bunny), and Marc Trevathan (Voice of God), streams at 8 PM ET on Broadway on Demand.
* First Date virtual production, by Austin Winsberg, Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner, directed by Dean Johnson, featuring Samantha Barks (Casey) and Simon Lipkin (Aaron), with Nicholas McLean (Man #2), Rufus Kampa (Young Aaron), and Danielle Steers (Woman #1), closes at London’s Crazy Coqs.
Sunday, October 25
* Howell Binkley: A Celebration of Light and Love tribute, featuring Cameron Macintosh, Jeffrey Seller, Richard Winkler, Thomas Kail, Des McAnuff, David Parsons, Sergio Trujillo, Ariana DeBose, Chita Rivera, Paul Nolan, Bob Gaudio, Lin-Manuel Miranda, along with his former assistants, his family and friends, streams at 8 PM ET here.
* The 2020 Olivier Awards livestreamed at 3 PM ET here.
* The Doo Wop Project: Live in Your Living Room concert, featuring Charl Brown, Dwayne Cooper, John Michael Dias, Russell Fischer, Dominic Nolfi, and Santino Paladino, streams at 7 PM ET here.
* The Seth Concert Series, with special guest LaChanze, streams at 8 PM ET here (and 3 PM ET here on Monday).
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Danai Gurira, Stephen Daldry, and Lynn Nottage will present Act Out: Vote2020 on Thurs. Oct. 29 at 9 PM ET here, The event offers a series of short, all-new monologues and songs encouraging audiences to vote. Click here to subscribe and receive notification reminders.
Luis Alfaro, Ngozi Anyanwu, Will Arbery, Jocelyn Bioh, Lady Dane Figueroa, Edidi, Danai Guira, Ryan J. Haddad, David Henry Hwang, Lisa Kron, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Lynn Nottage, Martha Redbone, Heidi Schreck, and Rhiana Yazzie.
Saheem Ali, Lieana Blain-Cruz, Steve H. Broadnax III, Stephen Daldry, Lia Neugebauer, Leigh Silverman, Whitney White.
Christopher Wheeldoon
Yvette Nicole Brown, Ryan J. Haddad, Tonia Jo Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Lloyd Knight, Sandra Oh, DeLanna Studi, Ephraim Sykes, and more TBA.
Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Alliance Theater. American Conservatory Theater, Alley Theatre, Arena Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, California Shakespeare Theater, Center Theatre Group, Cleveland Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, East West Players, Guthrie Theater, Horizon Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre Company, New Native Theatre, New Repertory Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Plan-B Theatre Company, The Public Theater, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Syracuse Stage, Trustus Theatre, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
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“The Sixth Reel,” by Charles Busch & Carl Andress, is currently in production. A release date is TBA.
Charles Busch, Julie Halston, Tim Daly, Margaret Cho, André De Shields, Patrick Page, Doug Plaut, Richard Bekins, Heather MacRae, Dee Hoty, Cady Huffman, John Ellison Conlee, T. Oliver Reid and Ashley Austin Morris. T. Oliver Reid and Ashley Austin Morris.
The comedy centers on a down-on-his-luck movie collector who discovers a legendary lost film and becomes entangled in an outrageous adventure to deliver it to the right hands before it is lost forever.
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Listen: “As the Curtain Rises,” a Broadway-themed digital soap opera podcast, written by Dori Berinstein & Mark Peikert, and directed by Berinstein, is now available. New episodes will be released on Thursdays.
Alex Brightman (Narrator), Ariana DeBose (Zoey Taylor), Andrew Barth Feldman (as himself), James Monroe Iglehart, Ilana Levine (CAAA agent), Lesli Margherita (Broadway Texter), Mauricio Martinez (Thomas), Ashley Park (Kay), George Salazar (Maxwell Fernsby), Sarah Stiles (Emma-Olivia), Michael Urie (Bobby), and Lillias White (Cheryl), along with Danny Marin, Peikert, and Jacob Smith.
The “Broadway Disher” leaks news of a top secret, in-the-works, new mega musical, and the Broadway community goes off-the-charts batty. Top-of-their-game Broadway producers Cheryl Philips and Steve Jones, arch enemies, pounce. Who will get the rights?
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RIP: Marge Champion has died at the age of 101.
Born in 1919 in Los Angeles, she was the daughter of Hollywood dance teacher Ernest Belcher and his wife Gladys. When Marge was 14, she was hired by her father’s friend, Walt Disney, to serve as a model for the character of Snow White, as well as the model of Dopey, the Blue Fairy in “Pinocchio,” and many others.
Champion married Disney animator Art Babbitt, who created Goofy, in 1937. They divorced in 1940. She then married Gower Champion in 1947, after meeting him when he was a student at her father’s dance academy. They made 7 movie musicals together, including “Show Boat,” “Give a Girl a Break,” and “Three for the Show.”
Champion made her Broadway debut in 1943 with What’s Up, also performing in Dark of the Moon (1945), Beggar’s Holiday (1946), 3 for Tonight (1955), and the 2001 revival of Follies, playing Emily Whitman. She assisted Gower Champion with choreography on Broadway productions including Lend an Ear, Make a Wish, and Hello, Dolly!
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Video: In case you missed it, here is In Our America: A Concert for the Soul of the Nation, featuring Billy Porter, Judith Light, Derrick Baskin, Laura Benanti, Victoria Clark, Glenn Close, Chuck Cooper, Darren Criss, André De Shields, Renée Elise Goldsberry, John Goodman, Jayne Houdyshell, Jennifer Hudson, James Monroe Iglehart, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Norman Lear, Norm Lewis, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Rita Moreno, Karen Olivo, Ashley Park, Steven Pasquale, Carrie Preston, Kalani Queypo, Chita Rivera, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Phillipa Soo, Ephraim Sykes, BD Wong, the Broadway Dreams Foundation Choir, and the casts of Six and KPOP, and many more. (1:59:25)
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The Perfect Fit, The Musical: A Perfectly Distant Concert, adapted from teenager Joshua Turchin’s original musical, will livestream from Off-Broadway’s New World Stages on Sun. Nov. 15 at 7 PM ET here, with music direction by Julia Schade. Proceeds will benefit The Actors Fund.
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.
The musical explores the drive of teenage professional performers hoping to avoid the dreaded theatrical dead zone as they navigate through a web of stage parents, dance classes, and auditions, while their stories unfold trying to find their perfect fit.
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Antonio Banderas will direct and star (as Bobby) in a Spanish-language production of Company in Fall 2021 at his theatre company, Teatro del Soho Caixabank.
Casting and additional information TBA.
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Chicago’s Porchlight Music Theatre has announced its New Faces Sing Broadway 1987, to run Nov. 6-29, filmed at the historic Studebaker Theatre, directed by Christopher Pazdernik, with music direction and arrangements by David Fiorello, and hosted by Larry Adams.
Anna Marie Abbate, Isabella Andrews, Ciera Dawn, Taylor DiTola, Tim Foszcz, Cameron Goode, Garret Griffin, Parker Guidry, De’Jah Jervai, and Kelan M. Smith.
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Video: Highlights from 3-D Theatricals’ Young Frankenstein (2017)
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Director Stephen Daldry has departed the film adaptation of “Wicked,” due to a scheduling conflict. A replacement has not yet been announced.
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Halloween Rock ‘N’ Roll Concert will stream Sat. Oct. 31 at 7 PM ET at Bucks County Playhouse, directed by Hunter Foster & Lorin Latarro, with music direction by Drew Wutke.
Jeremy Kushnier, Brandi Chavonne Massey, and Andrew Polec.
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Video: Trailer for “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square,” starring Christine Baranski, which premieres Nov. 2 on Netflix.