This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, September 19
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, directed & choreographed by Jennifer Werner, featuring Brianna Kothari Barnes (Carole King), Zachary Freier-Harrison (Gerry Goffin), Kailey Boyle (Cynthia Weil), David Socolar (Barry Mann), with Amy Loui as Carole’s mother Genie and Jeff Cummings (Don Kirshner), opens at Stages St. Louis.
Danny Boy, written & directed by Michael J. Harney, Kevin Kelly, Marie Broderick, Lisa Richards, Robert Kerbeck , Ralph Guzzo, Craig Barnett, Carla Barnett, Oscar Best, and Daniel V. Graulau, opens at LA’s The Actors Company.
And Then There Were No More, by Tim Blake Nelson, directed by Mark Wing-Davie, featuring Elizabeth Marvel, Scott Shepherd, Jennifer Mogbock, Henry Stram, Elizabeth Yeoman, William Appiah, E.J. An, Kasey Connolly, and Craig Wesley Divino, begins previews at Off-Broadway’s La MaMa.
Our Town, directed. by Courtney O’Connor, featuring Will McGarrahan (Stage Manager), Thomika Bridwell (Mrs. Gibbs), Marie Bridwell, Amanda Collins ((Mrs. Webb), Josephine Moshiri Elwood (Emily Webb), Dan Garcia (George Gibbs), De’Lon Grant (Mr. Webb), John Kuntz (Professor Willard/Simon Stimson), Will McGarrahan, Robert Najarian (Doc Gibbs), and Darren Paul (Constable Warren/Wally), with Kathy St. George, and with Jacob Less, begins previews at Boston’s Lyric Stage.
Saturday, September 20
West Side Story, directed & choreographed by Jerome Robbins, featuring Gabriella Reyes (Maria) and Duke Kim (Tony) and more, opens at LA’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
The Age of Aquarious: The Songs of Rock and Roll concert, in loving memory of Mara Wells, directed by Victoria Lavan, featuring Melodee Fernandez, Meg Lin, Constance Mellors, David Mingrino, Donald Moore, and Anibal Silveyra, with special guest artists Auriana Chisholm, Harleigh Ford, Joaquin Mengelle, Vertreace Sanders, Preston Simon and Jana Souza, opens at LA’s Theatre West.
Go Play!, written & directed by Barra Grant, featuring Ralph Cole, Janine Venable, Scott Golden, Chris Schellenter, Susan Huckle, Lisa Joffrey, and Peter Pasco, opens at LA’s Odyssey Theatre.
Crooked Cross, world premiere by Sally Carson, directed by Jonathan Bank, featuring Samuel Adams, Liam Craig, Katie Firth, Lily Ganser, Jack Mastriani, Gavin Michaels, Ben Millspaugh, Douglas Rees, and Jakob Winter, begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row.
Lady Patriot, written & directed by Ted Lange, featuring Fred Grandy, Jill Whelan, Josie DiVincenzo, Gordon Goodman, Chrystee Pharris, Derek Powell, and Count Stovall, closes at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row.
Jesus Christ Superstar (Italian production. filmed in Salerno. Italy in 2016), streams for free on YouTube.
Sunday, September 21
A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder, directed by Noelle Marion, featuring Michael Cavinder (Inspector Pinckney), Shinah Hey (Miss Barley/Lady/ Eugenia), Jean Kauffman (Miss Shingle) Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper (D’Ysquith Family), Andrew Polec (Monty, Katy Tang (Phoebe D’Ysquith, and Lauren Weinberg (Sibella, opens at Laguna Playhouse.
The Weekend: A Stockbridge Story, by Ben Diskant, directed by Alan Paul, featuring Bill Army, Sasha Diamond, and Molly Jobe, opens at Boston’s Barrington Stage.
Our Town, directed by Courtney O’Connor, featuring Will McGarrahan (Stage Manager), Thomika Bridwell (Mrs. Gibbs), Marie Bridwell, Amanda Collins ((Mrs. Webb), Josephine Moshiri Elwood (Emily Webb), Dan Garcia (George Gibbs), De’Lon Grant (Mr. Webb), John Kuntz (Professor Willard/Simon Stimson), Will McGarrahan, Robert Najarian (Doc Gibbs), and Darren Paul (Constable Warren/Wally), with Kathy St. George, and with Jacob Less, opens at Boston’s Lyric Stage.
An Evening with the Maestro: MTG Sings Bernstein benefit concert, written by Michael Kostroff, directed by Jason Graae, with special guest Carol Lawrence, and members of the company: Eydie Alyson, Eileen Barnett, Anastasia Barzee, Roger Befeler, Jennifer Bennett, Patrick Beller, Jill Marie Burke, Melissa Lyons Caldretti, Will Collyer, Matthew Patrick Davis, Susan Edwards Martin, Melissa Fahn, Joshua Finkel, Zachary Ford, Julie Garnye, Bruno Koskoff, Maura M. Knowles, Valerie Larsen, Ashley Fox Linton, Dana Meller, Tonoccus McClain, Ashley Moniz, Taubert Nadalini, Gabriel Navarro, Domonique Paton, Trisha Rapier, Glenn Rosenblum, Brent Schindele, Trance Thompson, and Mary VanArsdel, at 7 PM at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center. Details here.
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club closes at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre, after 18 previews and 592 regular performances.
Good Night, Oscar, by Doug Wright, directed Lisa Peterson, starring Sean Hayes, closes at London’s Barbican Theatre.
The Age of Aquarious: The Songs of Rock and Roll, ’67 to ’72 concert, in loving memory of Mara Wells, directed by Victoria Lavan, featuring Melodee Fernandez, Meg Lin, Constance Mellors, David Mingrino, Donald Moore, and Anibal Silveyra, with special guest artists Auriana Chisholm, Harleigh Ford, Joaquin Mengelle, Vertreace Sanders, Preston Simon and Jana Souza, closes at LA’s Theatre West.
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Off-Broadway’s Red Bull Theater has announced its 2025-26 season:
Richard II, beginning Oct. 28, directed by Craig Baldwin, featuring Michael Urie, With Grantham Coleman and Ron Canada, Kathryn Meisle, David Mattar Merten, James Seol, Daniel Stewart Sherman, Ryan Spahn, Emily Swallow, Sarin Monae West, and Lux Pascal, at the Astor Place Theatre.
The Boys From Syracuse (Dec. 15), a benefit concert, adapted by David Ives, directed by Jesse Berger, featuring Steven Boyer, Eddie Cooper, Nikki Renee Daniels, Christopher Fitzgerald, Santino Fontana, Nikki M. James, Mark Linn-Baker, Sarah Stiles, John Yi, and more TBA, at Symphony Space.
Revelation Reading Series (selections & dates TBA) returns in person & online.
The 6th installment of the series Hispanic Golden Age Classics: The Travels of Teodor, by Lope de Vega (Mon. Nov. 17)
. Red Bull Theater Podcast series (additional information TBA)
….and more TBA.
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Jesus christ Superstar (the complete production, flimed live in Salderno, Italy in 2016, is now available to stream in HD HERE.
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Boston’s Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (link TBA) has announced its 2025-26 season:
Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol (Dec. 6-23), directed by Steve Wargo, featuring Will Lyman (Scrooge) and more TBA.
Romeo and Juliet (dates TBA). Directer and cast TBA.
30th Anniversary Gala (Apr. 11, 2026)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (July 2 – Aug. 9), directed by Steven Maler. FREE production.
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Write Act Rep will present the world premiere of Tales From the Beyond (a series of one act plays), to run Oct. 11-26 at North Hollywood’s Brickhouse Theatre (10950 Peach Grove St.).
Nathaniel Beaver, Susan C. Hunter, David Lvov, Anne Mesa, Mark Alan Rice and Darrin Yalacki.
Lance Bagley, Nathaniel Beaver, David Lvov, and Anne Mesa.
Kate Bachelor, Eden Bailey, Sarah Clevinger, Veli Gonzalez, Sonja Hansen, Gail Harder, Morgan Hill, Constance Jiang, Tony Kim, Gabe Legg, Rollence Patugan, Margo Rowder, and Alison Rubens.