Today’s Highlights:
Honoring Black Women in Music! concert, directed by Dev Bondarin, featuring Katelyn Bowman, LaDonna Burns, Kyrie Courter, Keisha Gilles, Olivia Griffin, Karissa Harris, Ashley Jossell, Lexi Lawson, Zachary A. Myers, Sarita Amani Nash, Nattalyee Randall, Alicia Thomas, Anita Welch, and Alyssa Wray, at 9:30 PM at NYC’s 54 Below.
Backstage Babble Celebrates Tony Awards History concert, featuring Willy Falk, Penny Fuller, Anita Gillette, John-Andrew Morrison, Jill O’Hara, Lee Roy Reams, Austin Pendleton, Virgtinia Seidel, Jane Summerhays, and Martin Vidnovic, with Elena Bennett and Damon Evans, and a video message from Daisy Eagan, at 7 PM at NYC’s 54 Below.
“Rose Marie Centential Virtual Party,” FREE screening available on YouTube. (1:58)
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Play Time by Jim Bernhard
Provide the missing words in these song titles:
| 1. “I Ain’t Gonna Play No ____,” from Bullets Over Broadway | A. Orchestra |
| 2. “Play A Simple ____,” from Watch Your Step | B. Time |
| 3. “Play ____,” from A Beautiful Noise: the Neil Diamond Musical | C. Melody |
| 4. “Play, ____, Play,” from Oh, Coward! | D. Blues |
| 5. ”The ____ Plays On,” from Flying Over Sunset | E. Violin |
| 6. “____ to Play,” from The School of Rock | F. Drum |
| 7. “You Don’t Want to Play With Me ____,” fromThe Boy Friend | G. Music |
| 8. “He Plays the ____,” from 1776 | H. Second Fiddle |
| 9. “That Fellow Played the ____,” from The Passing Show | I. Concertina |
| 10. “When Seraphina Plays the ____,” from The Girl from Up There | J. Me |
Scroll down for the answers…
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The national tour of Moulin Rouge will launch Sept. 27 at Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center, directed by Alex Timbers. Click here for the complete tour schedule.
Nick Rashad Burroughs (Toulouse-Lautrec) Andrew Brewer (The Duke of Monroth). Gabrielle McClinton (Satine), Christian Douglas (Christian), Robert Petkoff (Harold Zidler), Sarah Bowden (Nini), and Danny Burgos (Santiago), with Nicci Claspell, Max Heitmann, Harper Miles, Sam J. Cahn, Jada Simone Clark, Darius Crenshaw, Mark Doyle, Tyler Eisenreich, Jimena Flores Sanchez, Tommy Gedrich, Tamrin Goldberg, E.J. Hamilton, Cameron Hobbs, Jordan Fife Hunt, Nathaniel Hunt, Melissa Hunter McCann, Chloe Rae Kehm, Kamal Lado, Tyler John Logan, Tanisha Moore, Pepe Muñoz, Kenneth Michael Murray, Brayden Newby, Elyse Niederee, Kent Overshown, Arianna Rosario, Stefanie Renee Salyers, Adéa Michelle Sessoms, Preston Taylor, Halli Toland, Denzel Tsopnang and Shaun-Avery Williams.
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The pre-Broadway production of David Foster, Susan Birkenhead & Bob Martin’s BOOP! The Musical will run Nov. 19 – Dec. 24 at Chicago’s CIBC Theatre, directed & choreographed by Jerry Mitchell.
Casting TBA.
Betty Boop’s dream of an ordinary day off from the super-celebrity in her black-and-white world leads to an extraordinary adventure of color, music, and love in New York City— one that reminds her and the world, “You are capable of amazing things.” Boop-oop-a-doop!**********************
An Evening with Justin Paul & Friends will take place Sat. Sept. 9 at 8 PM at CT’s Westport Country Playhouse, directed by Caley Beretta, with music direction by Mat Eisenstein.
Justin Paul, Kelli O’Hara, James Naughton, and Greg Naughton
Lauren Allred, Andrew Barth Feldman, Mykal Kilgore, Aaron Tveit, Jessica Vosk,Raissa Katona Bennett, John Treacy Egan, Ben Fankhauser, Jacob Heimer, and Stacie Morgain Lewis.
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Gavin Creel: Walk on Through will run Nov. 13 – Dec. 10 at Off-Broadway’s MCC Theatre.
In his theatrical songwriting debut, Creel takes us on an intimate, relatable journey of discovery and transformation through the lens of the art that captured his imagination. Whether you are a museum lover or a fellow novice, this show invites you to take a walk with Creel and engage with art, song, and the creative process in a fresh and new way.
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N. Richard Nash’s The Rainmaker will run Sept. 20 – Oct. 8 (opening Sept. 24) at Laguna Playhouse, directed by Andrew Branicle.
Richard Baird (Noah Curry), Andrew Barnicle (Sheriff Thomas), Andy Hoff ((File), Jeffrey Markle (H.C. Curry), James Taylor Odom (Bill Starbuck), Nick Tag (Jimmy Curry), and Lizzie Zerebko (Lizzie Curry).
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Nicholas Dunn’s The Value will run Sept. 8 – Oct. 1 at North Hollywood’s Loft Ensemble‘s Sawyer Theatre, directed by Calvin Picou.
Hanna Isac, Ingacio Navarro, Matthe Scheel, and Nate Thurman.
While hiding out in a motel room, a trio of thieves learn the real worth of the art they stole. They must face the truth within themselves, their place in society, and what they really value.
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Survivors presentation, by Wendy Kout, directed by Evie Abat, featuring Yahm Steinberg, Almanya Narula, Nyani Totty, Casey Adler, Michael Boose, and Andrew Abaria, with Sheer Aviram and Seth Keller, will take place Sun. Sept. 10 at 4:30 PM at LA’s Museum of Tolorance.
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Tales as Old as Time: The Songs of Howard Ashman will run Oct. 28-30 at NYC’s 92NY, directed by & starring Christian Borle.
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Sanaz Toossi’s Wish You Were Here will run Oct. 5-28 (opening Oct. 12) at CT’s Yale Rep, directed by Sivan Battat.
Anita Abdinezhad, Vaneh Assadourian, Bahar Beihaghi, Sahar Bibiyan, Ava Lalezarzadeh, and Shadee Vossoughi.
It’s 1978 and protests are breaking out across Iran, encroaching on the suburb where a tight-knit circle of girlfriends plans weddings, trades dirty jokes, and tries to hang onto a sense of normalcy. But as the forces of revolution escalate, each woman must choose whether to join a wave of emigration or to remain in their country, where the future is uncertain.
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LA’s Celebration Theatre (link TBA) will present 40 Years of Celebration, to take place Wed. Oct. 18 at 7 PM at Hollywood’s LGBT Center.
Casting and additional details TBA.
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Josh Gad & Andrew Rannells will discuss their new Broadway musical, Gutenberg! The Musical! on Mon. Oct 9 at 7:30 PM at NYC’s 92NY.
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Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre has announced its 2023-24 season:
Sanctuary City (Sept. 14 – Nov. 18), by Martyna Majok, directed by Steph Paul, featuring Grant Kennedy Lewis, Brandon Rivera, and Jocelyn Zamudio.
Potus, or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive (Oct. 26 – Dec. 3), by Selina Fillinger, directed by Audrey Francis, featuring Celeste M. Cooper, Caroline Neff, Sandra Marquez, and Karen Rodriguez.
Purpose (Mar. 14 – Apr. 21, 2024), by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Phylicia Rashad, featuring Alans Arenas, Glenn Davis, and Jon Michael Hill. For decades, the influential Jasper family has been a pillar of Black American Politics: civil rights leaders, pastors and congressmen. But like all families, there are cracks and secrets just under the surface. When the youngest son Nazareth returns home to Illinois with an uninvited friend in tow, the family is forced into a reckoning with itself, its faith and the legacies of Black radicalism.
The Thanksgiving Play (Apr. 25 – June 2), by Larissa Fasthorse, directed by Jess McLeod, featuring Audrey Francis, Tim Hopper, and more TBA.
Untitled (June 13 – July 21), by Samuel D. Hunter, directed by Joe Mantello, featuring Laurie Metcalf. Here’s what we know. Samuel D. Hunter is writing. Joe Mantello is directing. Ensemble member Laurie Metcalf is starring. They all want to work together at Steppenwolf. Who are we to get in their way?
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Cheyenne Jackson in concert will run Sept. 19-23 at NYC’s 54 Below.
Kerry Butler (Sept. 19), Kate Baldwin (Sept. 20), Shoshana Bean (Sept. 21, Alexandra Silber (Sept. 22), and Gavin Creel (Sept. 23)
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Initial casting has been announced for Molly Davies’ Imposter 22, to run Sept. 23 – Oct. 14 (opening Sept. 29) at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by Hamish Pirie.
Kirsty Adams, Cian Binchy, Housni Hassan, Dayo Koleosho, Stephanie Newman, Lee Phillips, Charlene Salter, Anna Constable, and more TBA.
A co-creation with seven learning-disabled and autistic artists who also perform in the piece.
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Audio: “Every Single Day” from the upcoming Broadway production of Harmony.
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Samuel Baum’s The Engagement Party will run Oct. 4 – Nov. 5 (opening Oct. 12) at the Geffen Playhouse, directed by Darko Tresnjak.
Richard Bekins (Conrad), Bella Heathcote (Katherine), Brian Lee Huynh (Kai), mark Jacobson (Alan), Wendie Malick (Gail), Brian Patrick Murphy (Johnny), Jonah Platt (Josh), and Lauren Worsham (Haley).
The champagne is on ice, the hors d’oeuvres are perfectly arranged, and the table is exquisitely set. At a luxurious Park Avenue apartment, a young couple is celebrating their engagement with an intimate gathering of family and friends. When a glass of wine is spilled, the night takes an unexpected turn, unleashing a spiraling sequence of events and revelations that will irrevocably change their lives.
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Off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre has announced its partial 2023-24 season:
Scene Partners (Oct. 26 – Dec. 3, opening Nov. 12), by John J. Caswell, directed by Rachel Chavkin, featuring Dianne Wiest, and more TBA. Meryl decides late in life to leave Milwaukee for Hollywood to become a movie star.
Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy (Jan. 25 – Mar. 3, 2024 opening Feb. 3), world premiere by Sarah Gancher, directed by Darko Tresnjak. A political satire set in St. Petersburg’s Internet Research Agency just prior to the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
…and 2 additional productions TBA.
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The world premiere of Sea of Terror, written & directed by Sam Catlin will run Sept. 29 – Oct. 29 (opening Sept. 30) at Hollywood’s Hudson Mainstage.
John Ales, Julie Dretzin, Paul Schulze, and Amy Scribner.
Life is a relentless sea of terror and peril. And nothing is scarier than impending social plans. When a couple is faced with an evening hosting friends for a casual get-together, their anxious unraveling around this routine socialization takes us on a gut-busting ride we can all identify with. A dark comedy for anyone who has made plans they wish they could cancel.
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San Francisco’s 42nd Street Moon has announced its 2023-24 season. Casting, creative teams, and additional information TBA.
Mame (Nov. 2-19)
Falsettos (Feb. 29 – Mar. 17, 2024)
Forever Plaid (Apr. 18 – May 5)
Bright Star (June 6-23)
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The Latino Theater Company will present Luis Alfaro’s The Travelers Sept. 21 – Oct. 15 (opening Sept. 23) at the LA Theatre Center, directed by Sean San José.
Sean San José (Brother Santo), Daniel Duque-Estrada (Brother Daniel), Kinan Valdez (Brother Nancho), Guillermo Yiyo Ornelas (Brother Yiyo), Ogie Zulueta (Brother Ogie, and Juan Amador (Brother Juan).
The play takes place in a monastery alongside Highway 99 in Grangeville, California, population 496 and home to migrant workers. When a stranger stumbles in with a gunshot wound, he is nursed by the brothers of the 936-year-old Carthusian Order — even as the Archdiocese is cutting financial support, casting a shadow.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Play Time
1-H. “I Ain’t Gonna Play No Second Fiddle,” from Bullets Over Broadway
2-C. “Play A Simple Melody,” from Watch Your Step
3-J. “Play Me,” from A Beautiful Noise: the Neil Diamond Musical
4-A. “Play, Orchestra, Play,” from Oh, Coward!
5-G.” The Music Plays On,” from Flying Over Sunset
6-B. “Time to Play,” from The School of Rock
7-D. “You Don’t Want to Play With Me Blues,” fromThe Boy Friend
8-E. “He Plays the Violin,” from 1776
9-F. “That Fellow Played the Drum,” from The Passing Show
10-I. “When Seraphina Plays the Concertina,” from The Girl from Up There