This Weekend’s Highlights:
Friday, September 24
Moulin Rouge the Musical, directed by Alex Timbers, featuring Aaron Tveit (Christian), Natalie Mendoza (Satine), Danny Burstein (Harold Zidler), Sahr Ngaujah (Toulouse-Lautrec), Tam Mutu (The Duke of Monroth), Ricky Rojas (Santiago), Robyn Hurder (Nini), and Ashley Loren (Satine Alternate), with Jacqueline B. Arnold, Holly James, Jeigh Madjus, Joe Beauregard, Keely Beirne, Giovanni Bonaventura, Olutayo Bosede, Maya Bowles, Kyle Brown, Sam J. Cahn, bobby Daye, Mia DeWeese, Karlie Dinardo, Tilly Evans-Krueger, Aaron C. Finley, Bahiyah Hibah, Ericka Hunter, Cameron Mitchell Jackson, Tasia Jungbauer, Jose-Luis Lopez Jr, Reed Luplau, Kara Menendez, Kaitlin Mesh, Fred Odgaard, Dylan Paul, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Benjamin Rivera, Julius Anthony Rubio, and Branden Stonestreet, resumes performances at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
“The Tragedy of Macbeth,” world premiere film, written & directed by Joel Coen, starring Denzel Washington (Macbeth) and Frances McDormand (Lady Macbeth), opens at Lincoln Center‘s Alice Tully Hall.
& Juliet, by David West, directed by Luke Sheppard, featuring Miriam-Teak Lee (Juliet), Cassidy Janson (Anne Hathaway), David Bedella (Lance), Oliver Tompsett (William Shakespeare), Jordan Luke Gage (Romeo), Melanie La Barrie (Nurse), and Tim Mahendran (Francois), and Alex Thomas-Smith (May), with Roshani Abbey, Jocasta Almgill, Josh Baker, Ivan De Freitas, Rhian Duncan, Kieran Lai, Nathan Lorainey-Dineen, Jaye Marshall, Grace Mouat, Antoine Murray-Straughan, Billy Nevers, Kerri Norville, Christopher Parkinson, Kirstie Skivington, Alex Traner, Sophie Usher, and Rhys Wilkinson, resumes performances at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre.
Designing Women, by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, directed by Amy Herzberg & Harry Thomason, featuring Carmen Cusack (Julia Sugarbaker), Amy Pietz (Suzanne Sugarbaker), Sarah Colonna (Mary Jo Shively), Elaine Hendrix (Charlene Frazier), Carla Renata (Cleo Bouvier), Kim Matula (Haley McPhee), and Elizabeth Ofodile (Alfie), opens at Fayetteville, Arkansas’ Theater Fayetteville.
A Grand Night for Singing: A Celebration of Rodgers & Hammerstein concert, directed by Rob Ruggiero, featuring Jasmine Forsberg, Mauricio Martínez, Jesse Nager, Mamie Parris, and Diane Phelan, with Kathryn Boswell and Kevin Schuering, opens at CT’s Goodspeed Opera House.
SpeakEasy Stage‘s The Sound Inside, by Adam Rapp, directed by Bryn Boice, featuring Nathan Malin and Jennifer Rohn, opens at Boston’s Calderwood Pavilion.
Burbank’s Garry Marshal Theatre‘s New Works Festival, featuring presentations of the five 2021 finalists, begins FREE streaming.
Our Man in Santiago, by Mark Wilding, directed by Charlie Mount, featuring Presciliana Esparolini, Nick McDow Musleh, Steve Nevil, George Tovar, and Michael Van Duzer, opens at LA’s Theatre West.
Chess in Concert, directed by Daren A.C. Carollo & Danny Cozart, featuring Trixie Aballa, Jillian Bader, Faustino Cadiz, Sean Doughty, Nathanael Fleming, Katie Francis, Will Giammona, Cate Hayman, Lauren Jiang, Christopher Juan, Kamren Mahaney, Jennifer Martinelli, Nick Rodrigues, Johann Santos, B Noel Thomas, Katie Trim, and Jaron Vesely, opens at San Francisco’s 42nd Street Moon.
Be Here Now, by Deborah Zoe Laufer, directed by Courtney O’Connor, featuring Samantha Richert, Barlow Adamson, Shani Farrell, and Katherine C. Shaver, opens at Boston’s Lyric Stage.
“Dear Evan Hansen” film, directed by Stephen Chbosky, featuring Ben Platt (Evan Hansen), Julianne Moore (Heidi), Amy Adams (Cynthia Murphy), Danny Pino (Larry Murphy), Kaitlyn Dever (Zoe Murphy), Amandla Stenberg (Alana Beck), Colton Ryan (Connor Murphy), and Nik Dodani (Jared Kleinman), with DeMarius Copes, Gerald Caesar, Isaac Powell, and Liz Kate, opens nationwide in movie theaters.
Is This a Room, by Lucas Hnath, directed by Tina Statter, featuring Emily Davis (Reality Winner), Becca Blackwell (Unknown Male), Will Cobbs (Agent Taylor), and Pete Simpson (Agent Garrick), with Duane Cooper and Katherine Romans, begins previews at Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre.
What to Send Up When It Goes Down, by Alesha Harris, directed by Whitney White, featuring Rachel Christopher (One/Made), Ugo Chukwu (Six/Miss), Kambi Gathesha (Two), Denise Manning (Eight/Song Leader), Javon Q. Minter (Seven), Adrianna Mitchell (Three), and Beau Thom (Five/Man/Driver), begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Playwrights Horizons.
Clue, by Sandy Rustin, Hunter Foster, Eric Price & Michael Holland, directed by Casey Hushion, featuring Jeff Skowron (Wadsworth), Heather Ayers (Mrs. White), Ted Barton (Professor Plum), Mary Birdsong (Mrs. Peacock), Sarah Hollis (Miss Scarlet), John Shartzer (Mr. Green), Cassie Simone (Yvette), and Harrison White (Colonel Mustard), with Rachel McLaughlan, Michael Cavinder, and James Tolbert, previews at CA’s La Mirada Theatre.
Sally Wilfert: Just in Time – I Happen to Like New York FREE concert, with music direction by Joseph Thalken, at 7:30 PM ET at NYC’s Merkin Concert Hall.
Saturday, September 25
Les Misérables, featuring Jon Robyns (Jean Valjean(, Bradley Jaden (Javert), Gerard Carey (Thénardier), Josefina Gabrielle (Madame Thénardier), Harry Apps (Marius), Chanice Alexander-Burnett (Fantine), Jordan Shaw (Enjolras), Charlie Burn (Cosette), and Sha Dessi (Eponine), with Kelly Agbowu, Emma Barr, Richard Carson, Cellen Chugg Jones, Rodney Earl Clarke, Danny Colligan, Matthew Dale, Matt Dempsey, Jessie Hart, Connor Jones, Jessica Joslin, Michael Kholwadia, Sarah Lark, Georgie Lovatt, Ellie Ann Lowe, Luke McCall, Leo Miles, Claire O’Leary, Kathy Peacock, Mark Pearce, Sam Peggs, Sake Wijers, Mared Williams, Phoebe Williams, and Samuel Wyn-Morris, re-opens at London’s Sondheim Theatre.
Clue, by Sandy Rustin, Hunter Foster, Eric Price & Michael Holland, directed by Casey Hushion, featuring Jeff Skowron (Wadsworth), Heather Ayers (Mrs. White), Ted Barton (Professor Plum), Mary Birdsong (Mrs. Peacock), Sarah Hollis (Miss Scarlet), John Shartzer (Mr. Green), Cassie Simone (Yvette), and Harrison White (Colonel Mustard), with Rachel McLaughlan, Michael Cavinder, and James Tolbert, opens at CA’s La Mirada Theatre.
Bonnie Milligan & Natalie Walker Celebrate Fifty Years of Friendship concert, opens at 54 Below.
The Lehman Trilogy, adapted by Ben Power, directed by Sam Mendes, featuring Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, and Adrian Lester, resumes previews at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre.
Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic, directed by Torya Beard, featuring Ayodele Casel, Amanda Castro, Naomi Funaki, John Manzari, Anthony Morigerato, and Kurt Csolak, begins previews at Cambridge’s A.R.T.
Stupid Kids benefit reading, by John C. Russell, directed by Michael Mayer, featuring John Clay III (Jim Stark), Lauren Patten (Jane “Kimberly” Willis), Ali Stroker (Judy an), and Taylor Trensch (John “Neechee” Crawford), with stage directions read by Christian Borle, concludes FREE streaming HERE.
Carousel, directed by Joanna Bowman, featuring Carly Bawden (Julie Jordan), Declan Bennett (Billy Bigelow), Christina Modestou (Carrie Pipperidge), John Pfumojena (Enoch Snow), Joanna Riding (Nettie Fowler), Natasha May Thomas (Louise Bigelow), Brendan Charleson (Mr. Bascombe), Joe Eaton-Kent (Mrs. Mullin), Sam Mackay (Jigger Craigin), and Ediz Mahmut (Young Enoch), with Chanelle Anthony Craig Armstrong, William Atkinson, Shay Barclay, Sarah Benbelaid, Madeline Charlemagne, Freya Field, Sebastian Goffin, Amie Hibbert, Tim Hodges, Lukas Hunt, Tessa Kadler, Lindsay McAllister, Matthew McKenna, Jack Mitchell, Charlotte Riby, Lisa Ritchie, and Daisy West, closes at London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
Hamlet, directed by Sean Mathias, featuring Ian McKellen (in an age-blind interpretation of the young Prince), Ben Allen, Francesca Annis, Steven Berkoff, Emmanuella Cole, Llinos Daniel, Alis Wyn Davis, Ashley D Gayle, Nick Howard-Brown, Jonathan Hyde, Asif Khan, Lee Knight, Missy Malek, and Jenny Seagrove, closes at London’s Theatre Royal Windsor.
The Guys, by Anne Nelson, concludes streaming on Broadway OnDemand.
Sunday, September 26
The Garden, world premiere by Charlayne Woodard, directed by Patricia McGregor & Delicia Sonnenberg, featuring Charlayne Woodard (Cassandra) and Stephanie Berry (Rose), opens at La Jolla Playhouse.
The Pitch, by Stan Freeman, directed by Danny Eaton, featuring John Haag, Julian Findlay, and Jack Press, begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Jerry Orbach Theatre.
The 2020 Tony Awards ceremony airs on various platforms: at 7 PM on CBS …… live and on-demand on Paramount+, and live and on demand on the CBS app. Click here for the complete list of nominees.
2020 Tony Awards celebration, hosted by Audra McDonald, airs at 7 PM on CBS, Paramount Plus, and the CBS app (check local listings).
“The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal” with special guests Danny Burstein, Elizabeth Stanley, Adrienne Warren, and Joaquina Kalukango, airs at 6:30 PM ET HERE.
The Last of the Love Letters, by Ngozi Anyanwu, directed by Patricia McGregor, featuring Daniel J. Watts and Ngozi Anyanwu, closes at Off-Broadway’s Atlantic Theater.
Huntington Theatre‘s Hurricane Diane, by Madeleine George, directed by Jenny Koons, featuring Esme Allen (Carol Fleischer), Marianna Bassham (Beth Wann), Jennifer Bubriski (Pam Annunziata), Rami Margron (Diane), and Kris Sidberry (Renee Shapiro-Epps), closes a Boston’s Calderwood Pavilion.
LA’s Garry Marshall Theatre‘s New Works Festival, featuring presentations of the five 2021 finalists, concludes FREE streaming.
Chess in Concert, directed by Daren A.C. Carollo & Danny Cozart, featuring Trixie Aballa, Jillian Bader, Faustino Cadiz, Sean Doughty, Nathanael Fleming, Katie Francis, Will Giammona, Cate Hayman, Lauren Jiang, Christopher Juan, Kamren Mahaney, Jennifer Martinelli, Nick Rodrigues, Johann Santos, B Noel Thomas, Katie Trim, and Jaron Vesely, closes at San Francisco’s 42nd Street Moon.
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Video: Stars in the House, offering a Disney’s Hercules Reunion, with special guests Susan Egan (Meg), Danny DeVito (Phil), Roger Bart (singing voice of Young Hercules), Lillias White (Calliope), LaChanze (Terpsichore), Cheryl Freeman (Melpomene), and Roz Ryan. (1:13:28)
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Complete casting has been announced for Tony Kushner & Jeanine Tesori’s Caroline, or Change, to begin previews Oct. 8 and open Oct. 27 at Studio 54, directed by Michael Longhurst, with choreography by Ann Yee, and music direction by Joseph Joubert.
Sharon D. Clark (Caroline Thibodeaux), Cassie Levy (Rose Stopnick Gellman), John Cariani (Stuart Gellman), Samanthan Williams (Emmie Thibodeaux), Joy Hermalyn (Grandma Gellman), Arica Jackson (The Washing Machine), Tamika Lawrence (Dotty Moffett), Kevin S. McAllister (The Dryer/The Bus), Harper Miles (Radio 3), N’Kenge (The Moon), Nya (Radio 2), Nasia Thomas (Radio 1), Stuart Zagnit (Grandpa Gellman), Chip Zien (Mr. Stopnick), Alexander Bello (Jackie Thibodeaux), Jayden Theophile (Joe Thibodeaux), Richard Alexander Phillips (Joe and Jackie Thibodeaux alternate).
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The world premiere of Ed Curtis’ The Drifters Girl will run Nov. 4 – Mar. 22, 2022 at the Garrick Theatre, directed & music directed by Jonathon Church, with music direction by and choreography by Karen Bruce.
Beverley Knight (Faye Treadwell), with Adam J Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry, and Tosh Wanogho-Maud.
Faye Treadwell was the legendary manager of The Drifters, who alongside her husband, fought for three decades to turn Atlantic Records’ hottest vocal group into a global phenomenon.
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Richchie Byrne & Mark Riccadonna’s “Drinks, Jokes and Storytelling” will take place Wed. Sept. 29 at 7 PM NYC’s Westside Comedy Club.
Kathy Fitzgerald and Tom Cotter.
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Jenny Koon’s adaptation of Head Over Heels, featuring the music of The Go-Go’s, will run Nov. 9 – Dec. 12 (opening Nov. 13) at Pasadena Playhouse, directed by Jenny Koons, with choreography by Sam Pinkleton.
Alsaka 5000, Lea DeLarie, Yurel Echezarreta, Tiffany Mann, and Shanice Williams.
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Audio: Margot Seibert and Erik Lochtefeld perform “The Worst Town in New York” from the new cast album of Michael Friedman’s Unknown Soldier.
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Download your printable 2020 Tony Awards ballot HERE
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RIP: George Ferencz, a longtime off-Broadway director and former resident director at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, died on Sept. 14 at the age of 74, following an extended illness.
Upon moving to New York in 1970, he began studying directing with Gene Frankel, and later Carl Weber. In 1975, he co-founded the Impossible Ragtime Theatre with Ted Story, Pam Mitchell, and Cynthia Crane, and the following year, he rose to prominence with his innovative productions of Eugene O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape and Dynamo.
Ferencz served as resident director at La MaMa from 1982-2008.
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David Kwong’s The Enigmatist has been extended through Nov. 14 at LA’s Geffen Playhouse.
Clues are everywhere, so keep your eyes open and be ready for surprises behind every multi-layered illusion.
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Out of the Box Theatrics will presents a site-specific production of Baby Nov. 5 – Dec. 12 (opening Nov. 14) in a 60-seat loft at Theatrelab (357 West 36th Street, 3rd Floor), directed & choreographed by Ethan Paulini, with music direction by Emily Marshall.
Julia Murney (Arlene), Elizabeth Flemming (Lizzie), Johny Link (Danny), Jamila Sabares-Klemm (Nicki), Robert H. Fowler (Alan), and Danielle Summons (Pam), with Jorge Donoso, Marisa Kirby, and Jewell Noel.
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Lucy Kirkwood’s The Children will run Nov. 6 – Jan. 23, 2022 at the Fountain Theatre, directed by Simon Levy.
Ron Botitta, Elizabeth Elias Huffman, and Lily Knight.
What is our responsibility to the future? What legacy do we want to leave? A taught and disquieting thriller about responsibility, reparation and what one generation owes the next. With the outside world in chaos following a devastating environmental disaster, two retired nuclear engineers live a quite life in a remote cottage on the lonely British coast — until a surprise visit from a former colleague upends the couple’s equilibrium and trust.
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will resume performances on Nov. 12 at the Lyric Theatre, directed by John Tiffany.
James Snyder (Harry Potter), Diane Davis (Ginny Potter), James Romney (Albus Potter), David Abeles (Ron Weasley), Jenny Jules (Hermione Granger) and Nadia Brown (Rose Granger-Weasley), Aaron Bartz (Draco Malfoy) and Brady Dalton Richards (Scorpius Malfoy) with Oge Agulué, Kevin Angulo, Chelsey Arce, Quinn Blades, Michela Cannon, Will Carlyon, Lauren Nicole Cipoletti, Judith Lightfoot Clarke, Ted Deasy, Kira Fath, Stephanie Gomérez, Steve Haggard, Ben Horner, Edward James Hyland, Jax Jackson, Jack Koenig, Spencer LaRue, Rachel Leslie, Sarita Amani Nash, Alexandra Peter, Dan Piering, Kevin Matthew Reyes, William Rhem, Antoinette Robinson, Stephen Spinella, Tom Stephens, Maya Thomas and Karen Janes Woditsch.
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A concert version of Andrew Lloyd Webb, Don Black & Christopher Hampton’s Sunset Boulevard will take place Fri. Dec. 3 at 7:30 PM GMT at London’s Royal Albert Hall, conducted by Alex Parker.
Mazz Murray (Norma Desmond), Ramin Karimloo (Joe Gillis), Zizi Strallen (Betty Schaefer), and Jeremy Secomb (Max von Mayerling), with more TBA.
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Sara Bareilles will depart Waitress on Oct. 17 at the Barrymore Theatre.
She will be replaced by Jennifer Nettles on Oct. 19.
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Video: Cynthia Erivo performs “You’re Not Here” from her new album, “ch.1 vs. 1.” 
Download the album HERE.
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A Soldier’s Play will be adapted into a limited series, and re-titled “A Soldier’s Story,” starring David Alan Grier. Timeline, casting, platform and additional information TBA.
The pay takes place in 1944, as a black Sergeant is murdered on a Louisiana Army base, and one tenacious investigator must race against his white leadership to unravel the crime before they unravel him.