Today’s Highlights:
* The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus‘ Crescendo: Voices Rising FREE benefit concert, honoring Billy Porter, with special guests Alex Newell and many more, streamed at 7 PM PT.
* Jim Caruso’s Cast Party variety show, with surprise special guests, streamed at 8 PM ET here.
* Seth Concert Series, with special guest Stephanie J. Block, re-airs at 3 PM ET here.
* The Muny 2020 Summer Variety Hour Live, with special guests Beth Malone, Erin Dilly & Stephen R. Buntrock, Maggie Kuntz, Colby Dezelick, Richard Riaz Yoder, and more, livestreamed at 8:15 PM CT here.
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GRACE NOTE Quiz: Starring Mother Goose by Jim Bernhard
Identify these plays and musicals whose titles refer to Mother Goose rhymes:
| 1. Play by Neil Simon | A. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest |
| 2. Musical by Lerner and Loewe | B. The Cradle Will Rock |
| 3. Comedy by Jean Kerr | C. All the Way Home |
| 4. Play by Dale Wasserman | D. Simple Simon |
| 5. Musical alternately titled Sugar, by Peter Stone, Jule Styne and Bob Merrill | E. Come Blow Your Horn |
| 6. Musical by Ed Wynn, Guy Bolton, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart | F. Mary, Mary |
| 7. Musical by Mark Blitzstein | G. Cock Robin |
| 8. Play by Philip Barry and Elmer Rice | H. My Fair Lady |
| 9. Play by Tad Mosel | I. The Little Dog Laughed |
| 10. Play by Douglas Carter Beane | J. Some Like It Hot |
Scroll down for the answers…
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Video: “Stars in the House” — Moments in the Woods Gala, directed by Michael Kushner, with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jason Alexander, Todrick Hall, Mandy Gonzalez, Andréa Burns, Marc Shaiman, Jason Robert Brown, Melissa Errico, Seth Rudetsky, James Wesley, Nya, Max von Essen, Kathryn Allison, Eve Lindley, Ryan Silverman, Georgia Stitt & Family, Doug Shapiro, Caitlin Kinnunen, Caesar Samayoa, Max Crumm, Tiger Brown, Talia Suskauer, Fergie L. Philippe, Olivia dei Cicchi, Anthony Nunziata, Michael Kushner, Gabe Greenspan, Will Bellamy, Justin Albinder, Josh Freilich, Victor Legra, Tucker, Kirrilee Berger, Paloma Aisenberg, Danny Feldman, Alé Lopez, Mariana Goldlust, D. Steele Hamme, Ben Caplan, Adrian Ruz, Devan Hibbard and more TBA. (2:00:02)
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Video: “Stars in the House, a “Regional Theatre Spotlight on the Water Tower Theatre,” with Stephen Cole, Christine Cornish Smith, Larry Gatlin, Brian Gonzales, David Krane, Phyllis Cicero, and Doug Wright. (58:20)
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Video: “Stars in the House,” a John & Jen reunion, with Andrew Lippa, Tom Greenwald, Carolee Carmello and James Ludwig. (1:09:35)
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Video: “Stars in the House,” a Carrie reunion, with Betty Buckley, Linzi Hateley, Charlotte d’Amboise, and Sally Ann Triplett, along with Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford. (1:49:04)
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A virtual Sleep Out: Stage and Screen, in support of Covenant House, will take place beginning Mon. Aug. 24 at 8 PM ET. Click here to find a sleep out near you.
In lieu of the traditional sleep out in NYC (due to Covid-19), participants will take to the floors or yards of their own outdoor spaces. As in years past, the tradition is not to mimic homelessness, but rather to act in solidarity with the people the organization supports.
Audra McDonald, Rachel Brosnahan, Ariana DeBose, Rachel Zegler, Adrienne Warren, Jason Ralph, Sam Pinkleton, Diana DiMenna, Rachel Sussman, Alison Cimmet, Shereen Pimentel, Kyle Selig, Jessica Phillips, and Judy Kuhn, and more TBA.
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HBO‘s adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between the Lines” is in the works, directed by Kamilah Forbes. The premiere date is TBA.
Phylicia Rashad, Courtney B. Vance, and Oprah Winfrey, Alicia Garza, Joe Morton, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Pauletta Washington, and Susan Kelechi Watson, with more TBA.
The work, published in 2015 and written as a long-form letter to Coates’ son, examines what it means to be Black in America today, and will combine readings from the book, as well as documentary footage from the performers’ home lives, archival footage, and animation.
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RIP: Lighting designer Howell Binkley has died at the age of 64 after a 3-year battle with lung cancer. A 10-time Tony nominee, he won twice for Jersey Boys and Hamilton.
After attending East Carolina University, Binkley moved to New York City in 1978. Early on in his theater career, he became enthralled by lighting and mastered the technique during dance performances.
His lighting design for Kiss of the Spider Woman earned him an Olivier Award in 1993, in addition to being a 5-time Helen Hayes Award recipient.
Lighting designs for other Broadway shows in In the Heights, Come From Away, and West Side Story.
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Lena Hall: Obsessed: Alanis Morisette on Demand (available through Sept. 14). 
here.
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North Hollywood’s Group Rep continues streaming its filmed version of Tuesdays with Morrie through Aug. 30., directed by L. Flint Esquerra.
Larry Eisenbert and TJ McNeill
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Jessica Swale will write the screenplay for an upcoming movie adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, starring Felicity Jones.
Timeline, release date, casting and additional information TBA.
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Article: Cameron Mackintosh has made approximately 200 UK theatre employees redundant.
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Laguna Playhouse will present Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone – Live from Florence on Sun. Sept. 13 at 5 PM PT.
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Video: Randy Rainbow re-reads Patti LuPone’s autobiography, where Patti lays out the problems with The Baker’s Wife. Scroll down…
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“IMAGINE THAT! The Sesame Street music of Joe Raposo & Jeff Moss” is now available for pre-orders here (for CD and digital). The album will be released Aug. 28.
Rena Strober, Jason Alexander, French Stewart, Michael-Leon Wooley, and DOTZ (the Blind Children Choir from Los Angeles).
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Video: Chita Rivera performs “Where You Are” from Kiss of the Spider Woman.
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North Hollywood’s Road Theatre Company will stream encore readings of its entire 11th Annual Summer Playwrights Festival.
Every play reading will be available through Aug. 23 at 8 PM PT.
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Video: Stephanie J. Block performs “Believe”
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Starring Mother Goose
1-E. Play by Neil Simon – Come Blow Your Horn (“Little Boy Blue,/Come blow your horn…”)
2-H. Musical by Lerner and Loewe – My Fair Lady – (“London bridge is falling down,/My fair lady…”)
3-F. Comedy by Jean Kerr – Mary, Mary – (“Mary, Mary, quite contrary…”)
4-A. Play by Dale Wasserman – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – (“…Three geese in a flock,/One flew east, and one flew west,/And one flew over the cuckoo’s nest”)
5-J. Musical alternately titled Sugar, by Peter Stone, Jule Styne and Bob Merrill – Some Like It Hot – (“…Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old,/Some like it hot, some like it cold…”)
6-D. Musical by Ed Wynn, Guy Bolton, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart – Simple Simon – (“Simple Simon met a pieman going to the fair…”)
7-B. Musical by Mark Blitzstein – The Cradle Will Rock – (“Rock-a-bye baby in the treetop,/When the wind blows, the cradle will rock…”)
8-G. Play by Philip Barry and Elmer Rice – Cock Robin – (“Who killed Cock Robin?/I, said the sparrow…”)
9-C. Play by Tad Mosel – All the Way Home – (“…And this little piggy cried wee-wee-wee all the way home”)
10-I. Play by Douglas Carter Beane – The Little Dog Laughed – (“Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,/The cow jumped over the moon,/The little dog laughed to see such sport…”)