Today’s Highlights:
Relax … let go … let fly…
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Going Back by Jim Bernhard: Where are these people “going back” (or in some cases “not going back”) to?
| 1. Ella in Bells Are Ringing | A. The good old days |
| 2. The Scottsboro Boys in The Scottsboro Boys | B. The bottom of the garden |
| 3. The “Social Mixer” in a song in At Home With Ethel Waters | C. The waltz |
| 4. Lady Eve in If The Shoe Fits | D. To what used to be |
| 5. Allie in The Notebook | E. To college |
| 6. Ruth and Eileen in Wonderful Town | F. Where you stayed last night |
| 7. Kate Monster, Nicky and Princeton in Avenue Q | G. The Bonjour Tristesse Brassiere Company |
| 8. Nell Henderson in Mr. President | H. New York |
| 9. Conrad Birdie in Bring Back Birdie | I. Ohio |
| 10. Sarsfield O’Brien in The Girl from Brighton | J. Home |
Scroll down for the answers…
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David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson & Zoë Roberts’ Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, will launch its Golden Preview Draw, offering fans the chance to purchase a limited number of $39 tickets on Sat. Feb. 15. Winners will be selected at 10 AM on Feb. 12 for all previews performances and will have 24 hours to purchase their tickets. Directed by Robert Hastie, the production will begin previews Sat. Feb. 15, with an opening night set for Mar. 20 at the Golden Theatre.
David Cumming (Charles Cholmondeley), Claire Marie Hall (Jean Leslie), Natasha Hodgson (Ewen Montagu), Jak Malone (Hester), and Zoë Robers (Johnny Becan), with Brandon Contreras Sam Hartley, Gerianne Pérez, Jessi Kirtley: and Amanda Jill Robinson.
This secret military operation takes place during World War II that used a stolen corpse to mislead the Nazis. The musical is a mix of farce, thriller, and spy caper.
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Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, currently in previews, directed by Matthew Bourne, featuring Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, Jacob Dickey, Jasmine Forsberg, Kate Jennings Grant, Bonnie Langford, Beth Leavel, Gavin Lee, Jason Pennycooke, Joanna Riding, Jeremy Secomb, Kyle Selig, Maria Wirries, Daniel Yearwood, Kevin Earley, Paige Fauer, Alexa Lopez, and Peter Neureuther, opens Thurs. Feb. 13 (and continues through Mar. 9) at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre.
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The Civil Twilight, by Shem Bitterman, has been extended through Feb. 23 at Hollywood’s Broadwater Studio Theater, directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky.
Taylor Gilbert and Andrew Elvis Miller
The play takes place over a single night during a once-in-a-century storm. When a popular radio personality winds up trapped in a motel room in the Midwest with his biggest fan, a deadly game of trust and recrimination is played.
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George Clooney & Grant Heslov’s Good Night, and Good Luck will begin previews Mar. 12 and open Apr. 3 at the Winter Garden Theatre, directed by David Cromer.
George Clooney (Edward R. Murrow), Mac Brandt (Colonel Anderson), Will Dagger (Don Hewitt), Christopher Denham (John Aaron), Glenn Fleshler (Fred Friendly), Ilana Glazer (Shirley Wershba), Clark Gregg (Don Hollenbeck), Paul Gross (William F. Paley), Georgia Heers (Ella), Carter Hudson (Joe Wershba), Fran Kranz (Palmer Williams), Jennifer Morris (Millie Green), Michael Nathanson (Eddie Scott), Andrew Polk (Charlie Mack), ansd Aaron Roman Weiner (Don Surine), with R. Ward Duffy, Joe Forbrich, Imani Rousselle, Greg Stuhr, JD Taylor, and Sophia Tzougros.
We tune in to the golden age of broadcast journalism and Edward R. Murrow’s legendary, history-altering, on-air showdown with Senator Joseph McCarthy. As McCarthyism casts a shadow over America, Murrow and his news team choose to confront the growing tide of paranoia and propaganda, even if it means turning the federal government and a worried nation against them. The play chronicles a time in American history when truth and journalistic integrity stood up to fearmongering and disinformation—and won.
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Musical Theatre Guild will present It’s Complicated, in support of Youth Programs impacted by the Wildfires, will take place Wed. Feb. 12 at 8:30 PM at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club, directed by Wendy Rosoff, with music direction by Jeff Hoeppner.
Eileen Barnette, Roger Befeler, Jennifer Bennett, Melissa Lyons Caldretti, Will Collyer, Matthew Patrick Davis, Joshua Finkel, Tal Fox, Kim Huber, Maura M. Knowles, Susan Edwards Martin, Kevin Matsumoto, Tonoccus McClain, Barbara Mikus, Ashley Moniz, Kyle Montgomery, Gabriel Navaro, Lisa Picotte, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Mary Van Arsdel, Diane Vincent, Shannon Warne, Paul Wong, Robert Yacko, and David Zack
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Audrey Cefaly’s Alabaster will run Feb. 12 – Mar. 30 at the Fountain Theatre, directed by directed by Casey Stangl.
Laura Gardner, Carolyn Messina, Virginia Newcomb, and Erin Pineda.
June lives alone in a small farmhouse in Alabaster, Alabama, three years after a tornado killed her family. June is covered with scars from the catastrophe, with only her two goats, Weezy and Bib, as companions. Alice, a noted photographer from New York, has come to take pictures of June for a photo series on women with scars. But Alice has scars of her own and is desperately trying to outrun her pain. The sensual tension/attraction between June and Alice is immediate, but what they need from each other transcends anything physical. A play about healing and the power of women.
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It is with an extremely heavy heart that we must share with all of you that our beloved, Artistic Director Emerita and founding member of Burbank’s Colony Theatre, Barbara Beckley, has passed away.
Barbara was a Los Angeles theatre icon, mentor, and friend to so many. She made a home for thousands of theatrical artists and theatre lovers. Her legacy will live on forever. There are no words to describe how much we will miss her. Barbara was a Los Angeles theatre icon, mentor, and friend to so many. She made a home for thousands of theatrical artists and theatre lovers. Her legacy will live on forever. There are no words to describe how much we will miss her.
A memorial service to celebrate her incredible life will be announced soon.
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The 2nd Annual Building the Change Gala will take place Mon. Mar. 3 at NYC’s Rainbow Room, directed by TBA.
Committee: David Belafonte, George Faison, Irene Gandy, David Henry Hwang, Hugh Jackman, Sade Lythcott, Jonathan McCrory, Alex Newell, Gigi Pritzker, Clint Ramos, Lauren Reid, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, and Thomas Schumacher.
Performers TBA.
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Barbara Gehring & Linda Klein’s The Secret Comedy of Women will run Apr. 24 – May 18 at Burbank’s Colony Theatre.
Barbara Gehring and Linda Klein.
The play celebrates the joys of the journey from girlhood to womanhood. An immersive theatrical experience that rejoices in the challenges of being a woman — from boys to bras and pantyhose to menopause — this two-woman show explores the universal female experience through a rollicking spectacle of sweetly sharp comedy, songs, dances, stories, and spontaneous moments of discovery that all women share.
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Video: This has nothing to do with the theatre, but I couldn’t resist posting it. Happy Monday.
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GRACE NOTES answers: Going Back:
1-G. Ella in Bells Are Ringing – The Bonjour Tristesse Brassiere Company (“I’m Going Back”)
2-J. The Scottosboro Boys in The Scottsboro Boys – Home (“Go Back Home”)
3-F. The “Social Mixer” in a song in At Home With Ethel Waters – Where you stayed last night (“Go Back Where You Stayed Last Night”)
4-B. Lady Eve in If The Shoe Fits – The bottom of the garden (“I Want to Go Back to the Bottom of The Garden”)
5-A. Allie in The Notebook – The good old days (“I Wanna Go Back”)
6-I. Ruth and Eileen in Wonderful Town – Ohio (“Ohio”)
7-E. Kate Monster, Nicky and Princeton in Avenue Q – To college (“I Wish I Could Go Back to College”)
8-C. Nell Henderson in Mr. President – The Waltz (“Let’s Go Back to the Waltz”)
9-D. Conrad Birdie in Bring Back Birdie – To what used to be (“You Can Never Go Back”)
10-H. Sarsfield O’Brien in The Girl from Brighton – New York (“I Want to Go Back to New York”)