This will be a truncated version of the newsletter. I’m not sure when the complete version will return. Thank you all for your patience.
Today’s Highlights:
High Spirits: The 60th Anniversary Concert of an Improbable Musical Comedy, by Hugh Martin & Timothy Gray, directed, adapted & hosted by Walter Willison, featuring Jud Kaye, Adrienne Angel, Joy Franz, Walter Willison,, and Dennis Buck, at 7 PM at at NYC’s 54 Below. **********************
Grace Notes Quiz: Arch-Enemies by Jim Bernhard.
Match these characters with their arch-enemies:
| 1. Henry Higgins | A. Euphemia Andrew |
| 2. Curly McLain | B. Agatha Hannigan |
| 3. Harold Hill | C. Caldwell B. Cladwel |
| 4. Jean Val Jean | D. Jud Fry |
| 5. Mary Poppins | E. Harry Callahan |
| 6. Tracy Turnblad | F. Inspector Javert |
| 7. Annie Warbucks | G. Dwight Babcock |
| 8. Elle Woods | H. Zoltan Karpathy |
| 9. Mame Dennis | I. Velma Von Tussle |
| 0. Bobby Strong | J. Charlie Cowell |
Scroll down for the answers…
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The pre-Broadway engagement of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends will run Feb. 8 – Mar. 9 (opening Mar. 25) at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre, directed by Matthew Bourne.
Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga.
The production is in advance of the Broadway premiere at the Manhattan Theatre Club on Mar. 25.
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The Sphere of Fixed Stars in the Heavens, written & directed by J. Holtham, will will run Feb. 13-23 at North Hollywoods’ Theatre 68 Arts Complex.
Tiffany Smith and VonDexter Montegut II.
On a rooftop in North Hollywood, Owen and Elodie meet at a friend’s birthday party. Then they meet again. And again. And again. They get to know each other, learn about each other, and maybe start to like each other. Again. And again. And again. For both, this one encounter challenges what they know about love, desire, hope, and time. They discover that nothing lasts forever … except for the things that do.
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The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival will take place March 27- 30 at various L.A. locations, with the overall theme of “Stronger Together.”
Click here for the complete details.
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ItamarMoses,David Yazbek & Erik Kella Penna’s Dead Outlaw will open Apr. 27 at the Longacre Theatre, directed by David Cromer, with choreography by Ani Taj, and music supervision by Dean Sharenow.
Andrew Durand (Elmer McCurdy), Jeb Brown as(Band Leader/Jarrett), Eddie Cooper (Coroner Johnson), Dashiell Eaves (Louis/Charles Patterson), Julia Knitel (Helen/Maggie), Ken Marks (George), Trent Saunders ( Andy Payne), and Thom Sesma (Coroner Noguchi), with Emily Fink and Max Sangerman.
A darkly hilarious and wildly inventive musical about the bizarre true story of outlaw-turned-corpse-turned-celebrity Elmer McCurdy. As Elmer’s body finds even more outlandish adventures in death than it could have ever hoped for in life, the show explores fame, failure, and the meaning – or, utter meaninglessness – of legacy. Dying is no reason to stop living life to its fullest.
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The world premiere of Jay Martell’s Parents in Change will run Mar. 12-30 at Santa Barbara’s New Vic, directed by Andy Fickman.
Sharon Lawrence
A hilarious and inventive new play that captures the chaos and heart of modern family life in a way that’s fresh and unforgettable. The script is razor-sharp, and the innovative use of text messaging as a storytelling device adds a uniquely contemporary twist.
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Red Bull Theater‘s Running of the Bulls Gala Benefit, will take place Mon. May 5 at 6 PM at NYC’s Bowery Hotel, hosted by Charlayne Woodard.
John Douglas Thompson
Performers TBA.
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The world premiere of Dolly Parton & Maria S. Schlatter’s Dolly: An Original Musical will run July 18 – Aug. 17 (opening Aug. 8) at Nashville’s Bellmont Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, directed by Bartlett Sherr.
Casting and additional information TBA.
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The Wedding Singer will run in June (dates TBA) at Burbank’s Colony Theatre.
Dates, creative team, link, and casting TBA.
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I’ts Complicated, in support of Theatre Palisades Youth and the Pasadena Playhouse Education Department, will take place Wed. Feb. 12 at 8:30 PM at LA’s Catalina Jazz Club, directed by Wendy Rosoff, with music direction by Anthony Zediker.
Eileen Barnett, Roger Befeler, Jennifer Bennett, Melissa Lyons Caldretti, Will Collyer, Matthew Patrick Davis, Joshua Finkel, Tal Fox, Kim Huber, Susan Edwards Martin, Kevin Matsumoto, Tonoccus McClain, Barbara Minkus, Ashley Moniz, Kyle Montgomery, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Gabriel Navarro, Lisa Picotte, Wendy Rosoff, Mary VanArsdel, Diane Vincent, Shannon Warne, Paul Wong Robert Yacko, and David Zack.
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Hamlet will run Feb. 5-23 (opening Feb. 8) at Santa Barbara’s New Vic, adapted & directed by Margaret Shigeko Starbuck.
Will Block (Hamlet), Jono Eiland (Horatio), Matt Foyer (Polonius/Captain/Gravedigger), Rafael Goldstein (Laertes/First Player/Barnardo), Sammy LInkowski (Marcellus/Orsic/Guildenstern/Priest), Corey Jones (Orsic/Guildenstern/Priest), Paige Lindsey White ((Gertrude), and Ana Nicolle Chavez (Ophelia/Francisco).
Darkly funny, emotionally raw, and deliciously self-aware, this Hamlet reinvents the classic for a new generation,pulling you into a world where the personal is political, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
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Grace Notes Quiz answers: Arch-Enemies
1-H. Henry Higgins – Zolta Karpathy – My Fair Lady
2-D. Curly McLain – Jud Fry – Oklahoma!
3-J. Harold Hill – Charlie Cowell – The Music Man
4-F. Jean Val Jean – Inspector Javert – Les Miserables
5-A. Mary Poppins – Euphemia Andrew – Mary Poppins
6-I. Tracy Turnblad – Velma Von Tussle – Hairspray
7-B. Annie Warbucks – Agatha Hannigan – Annie
8-E. Elle Woods – Harry Callahan – Legally Blonde
9-G. Mame Dennis – Dwight Babcock – Mame
10-C. Bobby Strong – Caldwell B. Cladwell – Urinetown