Today’s Highlights:
Lincoln Center Theatre‘s Flying Over Sunset, by James Lapine, Tom Kitt & Michael Korie, directed by Lapine, featuring Carmen Cusack (Claire Boothe Luce), Harry Hadden-Paton (Aldous Huxley), Tony Yazbeck (Cary Grant), Emily Pynenburg, Michele Ragusa, Robert Sella, Laura Shoop, and Atticus Ware, with Aria Braswell, Danny Gardner, Kate Marilley, Patrick Scott McDermott, Tony Roach, Kanisha Marie Feliciano, Nehal Joshi, and Michael Winther, opens at Broadway’s Vivian Beaumont Theatre.
Gingold Theatrical Group‘s Village Wooing script-in-hand performance, by George Bernard Shaw, directed by David Staller, featuring Maryann Plunkett and Jay O. Sanders, at 7 PM ET at NYC’s Symphony Space.
The 12th Annual NYC Christmas: A Concert to Benefit ASTEP, directed by Jenn Rapp-Pearl, featuring Kate Baldwin, Montego Glovery, Chester Gregory, Sierra Boggess, Alysha Umphress, David Josefsberg, Kenita Miller, Kuhoo Verma, Eric William Morris, Gerard Canonico, Natalie Joy Johnson, Lauren Marcus, Ben Roseberry, Becca Gottlieb, and Kennedy Kanagawa, at 7 PM ET at Off-Broadway’s Joe’s Pub, as well as FREE streaming here.
Kristin Chenoweth: Christmas at the Met concert at 8 PM ET at NYC’s Metropolitan Opera.
Shoshana Bean: Sing Your Hallelujah concert, at 7:30 PM ET at NYC’s Apollo Theater.
Radial Rising‘s concert, hosted by Nick Rashad Burrow, featuring Eva Noblezada, and an open mic event, at 7 PM ET at NYC’s Swing 46 (349 West 46th Street).
Todd Almond: A Pony for Christmas concert, celebrating his new album, with special guest Betty Buckley, at 7 PM ET at NYC’s Chelsea Table + Stage.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Dramatis Personae, by Jim Bernhard
Match these casts of characters with the plays in which they appear:
| 1. Tobias, Claire, Agnes, Harry, Edna, Julia | A. The Glass Menagerie |
| 2. Willie Clark, Al Lewis, Ben Silverman, Eddie, Registered Nurse, Sketch Nurse, Patient | B. American Buffalo |
| 3. Elyot Chase, Amanda Prynne, Sybil Chase, Victor Prynne, Louise | C. An Inspector Calls |
| 4. The Son, The Daughter, The Gentleman Caller, The Mother | D. The Sunshine Boys |
| 5. Milo Tindle, Andrew Wyke, Inspector Doppler, Detective Sergeant Tarrant, Police Constable Higgs | E. The Caretaker |
| 6. Inspector Goole, Gerald Croft, Arthur Birling, Sybil Birling, Sheila Birling, Edna, Eric Birling | F. Private Lives |
| 7. Tony Wendice, Captain Lesgate, Max Halliday, Margot Wendice, Thompson, Inspector Hubbard | G. No Exit |
| 8. Walter Cole, Donny Dubrow, Bobby | H. A Delicate Balance |
| 9. Inez, Cradeau, Estelle, Bellboy | I. Dial M for Murder |
| 10. Mick, Davies, Aston | J. Sleuth |
Scroll down for the answers…
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Cabaret at London’s Playhouse Theatre:
The Guardian (Arifa Akbar): …from the moment we are “Willkommened” by [Eddie] Redmayne, it is clear he is in control of his material and electric in his part… he is a comically twisted Rumpelstiltskin at the start, uncoiling to a figure resembling a terrible evil fairy or angel of death by the end…He gives an immense, physicalised performance, both muscular and delicate, from his curled limbs to his tautly expressive fingertips. Rebecca Frecknall’s production on the whole lives up to its hype… Jessie Buckley, as Sally Bowles, first emerges as a glassy-eyed, underage sex-bomb – an obscene Shirley Temple in a frou-frou dress. Buckley plays her as the opposite of Liza Minnelli’s fun-loving chanteuse. Here she is a plummy-voiced Sloane who is emphatically unsexy with an edge of severity… Omari Douglas brings a gentle sweetness to his part as the bisexual American novelist, Clifford Bradshaw, but seems hemmed in by the role…
Theater Weekly (Greg Stewart): …Redmayne gives the performance of the year, playing the role differently to notable predecessors; less evil than Joel Grey and less lascivious than Alan Cumming. Redmayne initially comes across as a more caring and compassionate Emcee, almost a reassuring presence, which in itself is disconcerting given what the character is supposed to represent. This changes in the second act when everything becomes much more sinister, but where Redmayne really excels is in the way he conveys sadness, you can see it quite literally in his eyes, and the audience can’t take their eyes off of him. That initial softer angle seems to permeate through the whole production, the ending is less graphically devastating than previous versions… Jessie Buckley gives Sally Bowles this wonderful brash confidence, with just a hint of the vulnerability shining through. Buckley’s vocal performance is worth the ticket price alone…
London Theatre 1 (Chris Omaweng): …the show has a chilling conclusion rather than a happy ending. It’s achieved by the cabaret’s Emcee (Eddie Redmayne) taking up a conductor’s baton. .. Redmayne is remarkable as the central character, committed to the flamboyant role, embodying it with considerable flair and physicality. More emphasis than in some other previous productions has been placed on Sally Bowles (Jessie Buckley), the Kit Kat Club’s headliner. In the title musical number, she becomes so emotionally overwhelmed the audience is effectively denied the traditional delivery of a big showtune… This production is probably subtler than most versions of Cabaret, though if anything it is all the more powerful…
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Diana, The Musical will close Sun Dec. 19 at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre, after 16 previews and 33 performances.
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Article: How Stephen Spielberg’s “West Side Story” finally solved the problem of “I Feel Pretty.”
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Chris Mouron & Terry Truck’s adaptation of The Little Prince, will run Mar. 4 – Aug. 14, 2022 (opening Mar. 17) at the Broadway Theatre, directed by Anne Tournié & Chris Mouron, with choreography by Anne Tournié.
Lionel Zalachas (Little Prince), Aurélien Bednarek (The Aviator), Chris Mouron (The Narrator), Laurisse Sulty (The Rose/The Snake alternate), Adrien Picaut (The Businessman/The Switchman), Antony Cesar (The Vain Man), Andre Kamienski (The Drunkard), Marcin Janiak (The Lamplighter), Srilata Ray (The Snake), and Dylan Barone (The Fox/The King), with Marie Menuge, Joän Bertrand, George Sanders, William John Banks, Madison Ward, and Jayesh Palande.
After an aviator descends from the sky to find himself in the middle of the desert, he meets the Little Prince, a young hero on an extraordinary adventure, as he meets many fascinating characters who help him learn how to follow his heart.
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Click here for the complete nominations for the 2022 Golden Globe Awards.
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Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory stream Dec. 18 & 19 (both at 4:30 PM PT) at LA’s Pacific Resident Theatre, directed by Michael Peretzain. Both readings will be followed by a Zoom Talkback.
Alley Mille Bean and Michael Tulin.
The play traces the relationship between seven year old Buddy and his elderly female best friend and cousin, Sook, during a Christmas in 1930.
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Article: Stephen Sondheim on watching his “West Side Story” for the first time.
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The Prince of Egypt will close Jan. 8 at London’s Dominion Theatre, directed by Scott Schwartz. 
However, the production was filmed, with a release date TBA.
Luke Brady (Moses), Liam Tamne (Ramses), Christine Allado (Tzipporah), Alexia Khadime (Miriam), Joe Dixon (Seti), Debbie Kurup (Tuya), Oliver Lidert (Jethro), Mercedesz Csampai (Yocheved), Adam Pearce (Hotep), Nardia Ruth (Nefertari), and Silas Wyatt-Barke (Aaron), with Simbi Akande, Casey Al-Shaqsy, Jordan Anderton, Joe Atkinson, Danny Becker, Felipe Bejarano, Pàje Campbell, Catherine Cornwall, Adam Filipe, Soophia Foroughi, Natalie Green, George Hankers, Jack Harrison-Cooper, Kalene Jeans, Christian Knight, Jessica Lee, Daniel Luiz, Jay Marsh, Scott Maurice, Carly Miles, Alice Readie, Samuel Sarpong-Broni, Christopher Short, Molly Smith, Marco Venturini, Ricardo Walker, Niko Wirachman and Sasha Woodward together with young performers Chenai Broadbent, Cian Eagle-Service, Maiya Eastmond, Jersey Blu Georgia, Taylor Jenkins, George Menezes Cutts, Iman Pabani, and Vishal Soni.
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Kathleen Turner: Finding My Voice will take place Thurs. Dec. 16 at 8 PM ET at NYC’s Town Hall, directed by Andy Gale.
A behind-the-scenes journey of Turner’s extensive and well-documented career, peppered with songs from the great American songbook.
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Jeremy O’Harris’ Slave Play will run Feb. 9 – Mar. 16 (opening Feb. 16) at the Mark Taper Forum, directed by Robert O’Hara.
Ato Blankson-Wood, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Jonathan Higginbotham, Devin Kawaoka, Chalia La Tour, Irene Sofia Lucio, Annie McNamara, and Paul Alexander Nolan, with Eboni Flowers, Blake Russell, Luigi Sottile, Elizabeth Stahlmann, and Galen J. Williams.
At the MacGregor Plantation, nothing is as it seems, and yet everything is as it seems. It’s an antebellum fever-dream as three interracial couples converge to rip open history at the intersection of race, love, and sexuality in 21st-century America. It’s a world where the sex is as raw as the emotions, and the twists as salacious as the truth.
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Norm Lewis (There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays) will run Dec. 16-24 at NYC’s 54 Below, directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, with music direction by Joseph Joubert.
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The current London production of The Prince of Egypt, which will close Jan. 8, will be filmed live at London’s Dominion Theatre, directed by Scott Schwartz, with plans to broadcast the production (dates and additional information TBA).
Luke Brady (Moses), Liam Tamne (Ramses), Christine Allado (Tzipporah), Alexia Khadime (Miriam), Joe Dixon (Seti), Debbie Kurup (Tuya), Oliver Lidert (Jethro), Mercedesz Csampai (Yocheved), Adam Pearce (Hotep), Nardia Ruth (Nefertari), and Silas Wyatt-Barke (Aaron).
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Complete casting has been announced for Jesus Christ Superstar, to run Mar. 24 – Apr. 17 (opening Mar. 26) at Ridegfield’s A Contemporary Theatre of Connecticut, directed by Daniel C. Levine, with choreography by Sara Brians, and music direction by Jeffrey Campos.
Caitlin Kinnunen (Mary), Brett Stoelker (Jesus), and Avionce Hoyles (Judas), with Chris Balestriere, Corinne Broadbent, Reggie Bromell, Susie Carroll, Ben Cherington, Randy Donaldson, Courtney Long, Marlena Hilderly Lopez, Kelly MacMillan, Michael McGuirk, Val Moranto, Ariel Neydavoud, Andrew Stevens Purdy, Isaac Ryckeghem, Sonya Venugopal, Cole Wachman, and Caitlin Witty.
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Article: “Steven Spielberg on Authentic Casting in ‘West Side Story’”
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Universal Pictures has announced that a film verion of “Phantom of the Opera” is in development as a horror musical film set in contemporary New Orleans, with a script by John Fuesco, which is an adaptation of the 1910 Gaston Leroux novel.
Timeline, casting, and additional information TBA.
The film is set in the nightlife of modern-day New Orleans, which is known as the most haunted city in America, and will mix jazz, funk, and soul music with the French Creole culture, voodoo magic, and masquerade of Mardi Gras. The musical sound is reported to be shaped around a “H.E.R.-like” singer who is mentored by a mysterious man while peculiar events occur in a night club that is trying to remain alive.
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Article: “Patti LuPone remembers Stephen Sondheim on opening night.”
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Spike Manton & Harry Teinowitz’s When Harry Met Rehab continues through Jan. 30 at Chicago’s Greenhouse Theater Center, directed by Jackson Gay.
Dan Butler (Harry), Melissa Gilbert (Barb), Chiké Johnson (Vince), Keith D. Gallagher (Isaiah), Elizabeth Laidlaw (Andrea), and Jonathan Moises Olivares (George).
A humorous yet poignant look at how Harry, an alcoholic on the edge of clueless annihilation, ended up in the hands of four imperfect strangers who caught him every time he stumbled and made his denial and excuses disappear.
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Audra McDonald Sings the Great American Songbook will take place Sun. Sept. 25, 2022 at 7 PM GMT at the London Palladium, with music direction by Andy Einhorn.
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The cast album of James Lapine, tom Kitt & Michael Korie’s Flying Over Sunset (which officially opens tonight — see above in Today’s Highlights), starring Carmen Cusack, Tony Yazbeck and Harry Hadden-Paton, will be released digitally on Jan. 8 and on CD Mar. 11. 
here.
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Article: “How West Side Story’s first-class music team preserved the authenticity of Leonard Bernstein’s score.”
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Dramatis Personae
1-H. Tobias, Claire, Agnes, Harry, Edna, Julia – A Delicate Balance
2-D. Willie Clark, Al Lewis, Ben Silverman, Eddie, Registered Nurse, Sketch Nurse, Patient – The Sunshine Boys
3-F. Elyot Chase, Amanda Prynne, Sybil Chase, Victor Prynne, Louise – Private Lives
4-A. The Son, The Daughter, The Gentleman Caller, The Mother – The Glass Menagerie
5-J. Milo Tindle, Andrew Wyke, Inspector Doppler, Detective Sergeant Tarrant, Police Constable Higgs – Sleuth
6-C. Inspector Goole, Gerald Croft, Arthur Birling, Sybil Birling, Sheila Birling, Edna, Eric Birling – An Inspector Calls
7-I. Tony Wendice, Captain Lesgate, Max Halliday, Margot Wendice, Thompson, Inspector Hubbard – Dial M for Murder
8-B. Walter Cole, Donny Dubrow, Bobby – American Buffalo
9-G. Inez, Cradeau, Estelle, Bellboy – No Exit
10-E. Mick, Davies, Aston – The Caretaker