Today’s Highlights:
Freshplay Online Summer Festival begins streaming for FREE at Off-Broadway’s MCC Theater.
**********************
Funday Monday Quiz: If You Knew Susie, by Jim Bernhard
Match these characters named Susan with the musicals or plays in which they appear:
| 1. Susan Trexel (bored society matron) | A. I’ll Eat You Last |
| 2. Susan B. Anthony (women’s rights activist) | B. Man and Superman |
| 3. Susan Brady (village girl in County Mayo) | C. Sugar |
| 4. Susan Gilbert Dickinson (sister-in-law of poet Emily) | D. Finian’s Rainbow |
| 5. Susan (the Silent) Mahoney (sister of union leader Woody) | E. Bells Are Ringing |
| 6. Sue Summers (owner of “Susanswerphone”) | F. The Playboy of the Western World |
| 7. Susan Ramsden (sister of civic reformer Roebuck) | G. Onward Victoria |
| 8. Ensign Sue Yeager (Navy nurse) | H. The Belle of Amherst |
| 9. Sue Mengers (talent agent) | I. Susan and God |
| 10. Sweet Sue (band leader) | J. South Pacific |
Scroll down for the answers…
**********************
Video: Stars in the House, offering Stars on the Rise, with guest host David Katz, a special appearance by Chita Rivera, and guests Commodore Primous, Kristen Weiss, Audrey Wilson, Jake Workman, and many more. (1:18:18)
**********************
The Theatre Channel‘s next episode, a celebration of Stephen Schwartz, will premiere Sept. 17, directed by Fabian Aloise, and narrated by Schwartz.
Louise Dearman, Christine Allado, Stewart, Melanie La Barrie, Cedric Neal, Anthony Starr, Danny Becker, Kayliegh Thadani, M-Jae Cleopatra Isaac, Vicki Lee Taylor, and the cast of London’s Charing Cross Theatre production of Pippin.
**********************
& 
Adam Blanshay’s web series, “The Theatre Channell,” will celebrated Stephen Schwartz on its Sept. 17 episode here, directed by Fabian Aloise. Schwartz will narrate the episode, offering insights as he looks back over his career and the continual renovation of his work.
Alice Fearn, Louise Dearman, Christine Allado, Stewart Clarke, Melanie La Barrie, Cedric Neal, The Café Five (Anthony Starr, Danny Becker, Kayliegh Thadanai, M-Jae Cleopatra, and Vicki Lee Taylor, performing “Magic to Do.”
**********************
LA’s Theatre West continues Week 2 of its next Writers Workshop through Aug. 23.
* Matriarch, by Mimi Kmet
* Meet Battling Bella Abzug, by Amy Simon
* First Impressions, Second Changes, by Ashley Taylor
* Saturday’s Game, by Suzanne Collins
* In the Door, by Tom Walla
Tangie Ambrose, Jeanine Anderson, Heidi Appe, Kathie Barnes, Kira Brannlund, Paul Bugallo, Vito D’Ambrosio, Ashley Felkner, Constance Forslund, Cecil Jennings, Colin Thomas Jennings, Maria Kress, Mimi Kmet, Paula Long, Anne Leyden, Arden Lewis, Joan Lynch, Barbara Mallory, Keyara Milliner, David Mingrino, Nick Mcdow Musleh, Joe Nassi, Bill Sehres, Tatum Shank, Harris Shore, Amy Simon, Ashley Taylor, Diane Travis, and Abhi Trivedi.
**********************
Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theater presents The Devil is in the Details — A Tribute to Tony Walton, on Thurs. Aug. 26 at 5 PM ET, hosted by Melissa Errico.
Alec Baldwin, Kate Burton, Stephen Schwartz, Jerry Zaks, and more.
**********************
Video: Trailer for Ryan Murphy’s “American Crime Story: Impeachment,” starring Beanie Feldstein as Monica Lewinsky.
The cast also features Sarah Paulson, Clive Owen, Edie Falco, Taran Killam, George Salazar, Billy Eichner, and Margo Martindale.
The series will premiere Sept. 7 on FX.
**********************
Foster Hirsch’s “Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King” (updated edition) will be released in Paperback and Kindle on Oct. 26 here.
Hirsch reveals the genius and torture behind the renowned director and producer. Known as “Otto the Terrible,” Preminger brought to the screen a balanced style and steadfast belief in his actors’ underacting that was ad odds with his hot-tempered personality. Yet it was this fire and determination to get his way that allowed this native European to become one of America’s most progressive directors. He undermined the Production Code of the Motion Picture Association of America and the Catholic Legion of Decency in some of his most important films, defying their demands for changes that betrayed his artistic vision. He broke many social barriers by becoming the industry’s lead employer of both the African American and blacklisted performers, and, later, by shooting American’s first-ever scene in a gay bar. In this full-scale biography of the controversial, underrated, yet greatly admired move titan. Hirsch’s book show us the man – enraging and endearing – and his brilliant work.
**********************
Adam Pascal…So Far will stream stream Tues. Aug. 17 at 9 PM ET on Stellar.
“For the past couple years, I’ve been doing an acoustic show which is a retrospective of my career. I play something from every show I’ve been in and I talk about where I was in my life when I was in each of these shows. I was commissioned dure the lockdown to do a recorded version of it, and so that’s what I did.”
**********************
Tom MacRae & Dan Gillespie Sells’ Everybody Love Jamie will run Jan. 16 – Feb. 20, 2022 at the Ahmanson Theatre, directed by Jonathan Butterell, with choreography by Kate Prince, and music supervision by Theo Jamieson.
Layton Williams (Jamie New), Roy Haylock (Hugo/Loco Chanelle), and more TBA.
Jamie New is sixteen and lives in public housing in Sheffield, England. Jamie doesn’t quite fit in, he’s terrified about the future, and he’s going to be a sensation. Supported by his loving mum, inspired by local legend Hugo and his alter ego Loco Chanelle, and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight.
**********************
Singin’ in the Rain continues through Sept. 5 at the Sadler Wells Theatre, directed by Jonathan Church, with choreography by Andrew Wright.
Adam Cooper (Don Lockwood), Kevin Clifton (Cosmo Brown), Faye Tozer (Lina Lamont), Charlotte Gooch (Kathy Seldon), Cavin Cornwall (RF Simpson), Sandra Dickinson (Dora Bailey), Michael Matus (Roscoe Dexter), and Imogen Brook (Zelda Zanders), with Briana Craigh, Alistair Crosswell, Lavinia Fitzpatrick, Alex Given, Ryan Gover, Ashleigh Graham, Harriet Samuel-Gray, Molly Rees Howe, Thomas Inge, Robin Kent, Sam Lips, Joshua Lovell, George Lyons, Heather Scott Martin, Amonik Melaco, Ashleigh Morris, Peter Nash, Megan Spiers, and Ellie May Wilson.
**********************
Check out some of the most famous stars of Funny Girl:
Video: Barbra Streisand, “My Man”
Video: Laine Kazan (Streisand’s Broadway understudy)
Video: Mimi Hines (Streisand’s Broadway replacement)
Video: Leslie Kritzer (Paper Mill Playhouse, 2001)
Video: Sheridan Smith (West End 2015)
Video: Christina Bianco (Paris 2019)
Actors Fund benefit concert (2002)
Video: Sutton Foster
Video: Idina Menzel
Video: Kristin Chenoweth
Video: Julia Murney
Video: Lillias White
Video: Jane Krakowski
Video: Judy Kuhn
Video: Carolee Carmello
**********************
Ben Platt’s 2022 North American Tour has been announced. Click here for additional information and tickets.
Feb. 23: Orlando,
Feb. 25: Hollywood, FL.
Feb. 26: Tampa
Feb. 28: Atlanta
Mar. 2: Fairfax, VA.
Mar. 3: Boston
Mar. 4: Atlantic City
Mar. 6: New York City
Mar. 8: Pittsburgh
Mar. 9: Columbus
Mar. 11: Toronto
Mar. 13: Detroit
Mar. 14: Grand Rapids
Mar. 16: St. Louis
Mar. 18: Minneapolis
Mar. 19: Chicago
Mar. 22: Nashville
Mar. 24: Sugar Land, TX
Mar. 25: Grand Prairie, TX
Mar. 28: West Valley City, UT
Mar. 20: Seattle
Mar. 31: Portland, OR
Apr. 2: Las Vegas
Apr. 3: San Diego
Apr. 5: Stanford, CA
Apr. 6: Santa Barbara
Apr. 8: Los Angeles
**********************
Video: “New York State of Mind,” featuring Sara Bareilles, Mario Cantone, Victoria Clark, Cautious Clay, Andy Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Jerry Dixon, Chloe Flower, Alexa Ray Joel, Joseph Joubert, Tom Kitt, The Klezmatics, The Yankees, LaChanze, Idina Menzel, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Brian Newman, Kelli O’Hara, Joan Osborne, Pepperming, Angie Pontani, Anaïs Reno, Mark Rivera, David Rosenthal, Bobby Sanabria, Ben Stiller, Zexhan B., and Suzanne Vega.
**********************
TCG has announced the publication of Caryl Churchill’s play, including “Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp. and Other Shorts” on paperback and Kindle here.
* Seven Jewish Children
* Ding Dong the Wicked
* Pigs and Dogs
* War and Peace
* Gaza Piece
* Tickets now on Sale
* Beautiful Eyes
…and more…
A girl made of glass. Gods and murders. A serial killer’s friends. And a secret in a bottle.
**********************
GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: If You Knew Susie
1-I. Susan Trexel – Susan and God
2-G. Susan B. Anthony – Onward Victoria
3-F. Susan Brady – The Playboy of the Western World
4-H. Susan Gilbert Dickinson – The Belle of Amherst
5-D. Susan (the Silent) Mahoney – Finian’s Rainbow
6-E. Sue Summers – Bells Are Ringing
7-B. Susan Ramsden – Man and Superman
8-I. Ensign Sue Yeager – South Pacific
9-A. Sue Mengers – I’ll Eat You Last
10-C. Sweet Sue – Sugar