GRACE NOTES: Monday, February 26, 2024

Today’s Highlights:

  Existentialism, world premiere created & directed by Anne Bogart, featuring Ellen Maddow and Paul Zimet, opens at Off-Broadway’s La MaMa.

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  GRACE NOTES Quiz: Help Wanted by Jim Bernhard

Fill in the missing words in these titles of plays and musicals with an occupation:

1. ____, musical by Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson	A. Florist
2. The Unknown ____ and His Wife, play by Peter Ustinov	B. Banker
3. The Good ____, play by Neil Simon	C. Waitress
4. Death of A ____, play by Arthur Miller	D. Minister
5. The ____, play by Eugene Bertram and Bassett Willard	E. Soldier
6. The Village ____, play by Will M. Cressy and Clarence Harvey	F. Salesman
7. The ____ Shop, play by Oliver Herford	G. Musician
8. The Gay ____, musical by Julian Edwards, Charles J. Campbell and Edward Siedle	H. Engineer
9. The Little ____, play by James M. Barrie	I. Doctor
10. The ____’s Daughter, play by Bronson Howard	J. Lawyer

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  Introducing Billy Barnes: A Benefit Concert for the Billy Barnes Foundation will take place Sun. Apr. 7 at 1 PM at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club, with music direction by Todd Schroeder.

  Eileen Barnett, Kay Cole, Nancy Dussault, Shelly Goldstein, Jane A. Johnston, Jackie Joseph, Roslyn Kind, Karen Morrow, Shawn Ryan, Todd Sherry, Joanne Tatham, and Jo Anne Worley, plus young artists from YATC.

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  A reading of Christopher Monger’s Dear Mr. Thomas: A New Play for Voices will take place  Tues. May 14 at 7:30 PM at NYC’s 92NY.

  Matthew Rhys (Thomas) Keri Russell, and more TBA.

A play about a day in the life of a Welsh fishing village had been rattling around in Dylan Thomas’ head for some time…  By 1950, Thomas was a famous poet, and he was determined to finish the play — the now-iconic Under Milk Wood. But there would be several twists and turns before it would make its US premiere on the stage of The 92nd Street Y. An intimate portrait of an iconic poet struggling to remain dedicated to his craft and bring a masterpiece to life — and how that struggle impacted those around him, including Caitlin and the man who brought him to New York via that fateful letter, John Malcolm Brinnin, 92NY’s Poetry Center Director at the time.

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   The Pantages Theatre has announced its Broadway in Hollywood’s 2024-25 season:

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  Complete casting has been announced for Nathan Tysen, Jason Howland & Kait Kerrigan’s The Great Gatsby, to begin previews Mar. 29 and open Apr. 25 at the Broadway Theatre, directed by Marc Bruni, with choreography by Dominique Kelley.

  Jeremy Jordan (Jay Gatsby), Eva Noblzada (Daisy Buchanan), Noah J. Ricketts (Nick Carraway), Samantha Pauly (Jordan Baker), Sara Chase (Myrtle Wilson), John Zdorieski (Tom Buchanan), Paul Whitte (George Wilson), and Erica Anderson (Wolfsheim), with Raymond Edward Baynard, Austin Colby, Curtis Holland, Traci Elaine Lee, Dariana Mullen, Ryah Nixon, Pascal Pastrana, Kayla Pecchioni, Mariah Reshea Reives , Dan Rosales, Dave Schoonover,  Derek Jordan Taylor, Tanairi Sade Vazquez, and Katie Webber,  Kurt Csolak, Carissa Gaughran,  Samantha Pollino, Alex Prakken, Jake Trammel, and Jasmine Pearl Villaroel.

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  The world premiere of Anna K. Jacobs & Michael R. Jackson’s Teeth has been extended through Apr. 14 at Off-Broadway’s Playwrights Horizons, directed by Sarah Benson.

Alyse Alan Louis (Dawn O’Keefe), Courtney Bassett (Promise Keeper Girl Becky), Phoenix Best (Promise Keeper Girl Fiona), Will Connolly (Brad O’Keefe), Jason Gotay (Tobey/Truthseeker), Jenna Rose Husli (Promise Keeper Girl Trisha), Jared Loftin (Ryan/Truthseeker), Lexi Rhoades (Promise Keeper Girl Rachel), Wren Rivera (Promise Keeper Girl Stephanie), and Helen J Shen (Promise Keeper Girl Keke)

 Based on the 2007 horror comedy film of the same name, Teeth follows evangelical Christian teenager Dawn O’Keefe, whose body bites back when men try to violate her.

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  Chicago Shakespeare Theatre continues its 75–minute version of Romeo and Juliet through Mar. 16, adapted & directed by Mikael Burke.

 Kenneth La’Ron Hamilton (Romeo), Felicia Oduh (Juliet), Adeoye  (Prince/Apothecary), Bobby Bowman (Gregory/Lord Montague), Ronald L. Conner (Lord Capulet), Jack DeCesare  (Paris/Abraham), Barbara Figgins (Nurse), Rasell Holt (Mercutio), Carolyn Kruse (Lady Capulet), Ian Maryfield (Tybalt), Alex Benito Rodriguez (Benvolio), Donovan Session  (Sampson/Peter), and Jonah D. Winston (Friar Laurence), with  Benjamin Jenkins, Diego Longoria, Carlos Olmedo, Bradford Stevens, Priscilla Torres, and Sarafina Vecchio.

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   Red Bull Theater‘s reading (in-person only) of Antony & Cleopatra will take place Mon. Mar. 25 at 7:30 PM at Off-Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre, directed by Aron Arbus.

  Isabel Arraiza, Shirine Babb, Jimonn Cole, Dakin Matthews, Nicole Ari Parker, Tom Pecinka, Matthew Rauch, Derek Smith, John Douglas Thompson, and more TBA.

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    Celebration Theatre will present its Awards Gala on Sat. Mar. 23 from 2-5 PM at Hollywood’s Renberg Center.

  Boni Alvarez, Socks Whitmore, and David Tran for LGBTQ+ arts advocacy.

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  Make Me Gorgeous, written & directed by Donnie, has been extended through Mar. 24 at Off-Broadway’s Theatre at St. Lukes.

  Wade McCollum

The fabulous and incredible true story of Kenneth Marlowe, an oft-overlooked trailblazer in LGBTQ history. Described as one of mid-Century America’s gayest and most openly homosexual personalities, Marlowe took on many roles in life. Kenneth was private hairdresser to the stars; the madam of a notorious gay prostitution ring in Hollywood; an author; a hustler; a female impersonator; a private in the U.S. Army, a call boy; a Christian missionary, a mortuary cosmetologist; a newspaper columnist … and for the final decade of an incredibly lived life, Marlowe was a woman, having transitioned to become Kate Marlow.

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  George Brant’s Into the Breeches will run Mar. 21 – Apr. 27 at at Beverly Hills’ Theatre 40 (link TBA), directed b Louis Fantasia.

  Caroline Westheimer, Maria Brodeur, David Datz, Jean Mackie, Kevin Dulude, Nakasha Norwood, Tricia Cruz, and Holly Sidell.

  Providence, 1942: Oberon Play House’s director and leading men are off at war. Determined to press on, the director’s wife sets out to produce an all-female version of Shakespeare’s Henry V, assembling an increasingly unexpected team united in desire, if not actual theater experience.

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  Initial casting has been announced for The Kennedy Center production of Bye Bye Birdie, to run June 7-15, directed by Marc Bruni, with choreography by Denis Jones.

  Christian Borle (Albert Peterson), Krysta Rodriguez (Rosie Alvarez), Ephraim Sykes (Conrad Birdie), and more TBA.

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    As part of Lincoln Center’s 2024 Gala, a staged reading of Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike till take place Tue. May 7 at 6:30 PM at Broadway’s Vivian Beaumont Theater, directed by Bartlett Sher.

  Original cast: Sigourney Weaver, David Hyde Pierce, Kristine Nielsen, David Hull, Shalita Grant, and Genevieve Angelson.

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  Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World will run Apr. 19 – May 25 at Hollywood’s Celebration Theatre, directed by Brittney S. Wheeler, with choreography by Brin Hamblin, and music direction by Anthony Lucca.

  TBA.

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  2024 Producers Guild Awards

Click here for the complete list of winners

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  GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Help Wanted

1-C.  Waitress, musical by Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson

2-E.  The Unknown Soldier and His Wife, play by Peter Ustinov

3-I.  The Good Doctor, play by Neil Simon

4-F.  Death of A Salesman, play by Arthur Miller

5-H.  The Engineer, play by Eugene Bertram and Bassett Willard

6-J.  The Village Lawyer, play by Will M. Cressy and Clarence Harvey

7-A.  The Florist Shop, play by Oliver Herford

8-G.  The Gay Musician, musical by Julian Edwards, Charles J. Campbell and Edward Siedle

9-D.  The Little Minister, play by James M. Barrie

10.  The Banker’s Daughter, play by Bronson Howard