Today’s Highlights:
A Mirror, by Sam Holcroft, directed by Jeremy Herrin, featuring Jonny Lee Miller (Čelik), Tanya Reynolds (Mei), Geoffrey Streatfeild (Bax). and Samuel Adewunmi (Adem), begins previews at London’s Trafalgar Theatre.
Red Bull Theater‘s reading of Edward Young’s The Revenge, directed by Nathan Winkelstein, featuring John Douglas Thompson, Sarin Monae West, Christian Coulson, Merritt Janson, Ismenia Mendes, and Matthew Rauch, at 7:30 PM both live and livestreamed, at Off-Broadway’s Peter J. Sharp Theatre.
Prospect Theater Company & Latiné Musical Theatre Lab’s New Musicals Mixtape concert, offering selections from new musicals, hosted by Joel Perez and Ana Vaillfañe, directed by Rebecca Aparicio, featuring Genesis Adelia Collado, Cornelius Davis, Gabriela Gomez, Ishmael Gonzalez, Arturo Hernandez, Jade Jones Adelina Mitchell, Emiliano Morales, Ramone Nelsoon, and Paloma de Vega, at 5 & 8 PM at Off-Broadway’s Chelsea Factory.
Chryssie Whitehead: In My Own Little Corner: My World in Progress with Bipolar Disorder concert, directed by Bryan Knowlton, at 7 PM at Off-Broadway’s Abrons Art Center.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Toyland by Jim Bernhard
Fill in the missing words in each show title with the name of a toy:
| 1. ____s in the Attic by Lillian Hellman | A. Train |
| 2. The French ____ by George Gershwin, Gus Edwards, B.G. Desylva, Will D. Cobb | B. Soldier |
| 3. Flower ____ Song, by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, David Henry Hwang, Joseph Fields | C. Bicycle |
| 4. A Thousand ____s by Herb Gardner | D. Toy |
| 5. The Band ____ by George S. Kaufman, Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz | E. Blocks |
| 6. Two ____s Running by August Wilson | F. Drum |
| 7. Park Your ____ in Harvard Yard by Israel Horowitz | G. Clown |
| 8. The Chocolate ____ by Oscar Strauss, Leopold Jacobson, Rudolph Bernauer | H. Doll |
| 9. Two ____ Away by Aaron Hoffman | I. Car |
| 10. ____ Ride to Nevada by Robert Thorn | J. Wagon |
Scroll down for the answers…
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Peter Morgan’s Patriots will begin previews Apr. 1 and open Apr. 22 (for 12 weeks) at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, directed by Rupert Goold.
Michael Stuhlbarg (Boris Berezovsky), Will Keen (Vladimir Putin), Luke Thallon (Roman Abramovich), and more TBA.
The story of Vladimir Putin’s rise to power after the fall of the Soviet Union. Billionaire Boris Berezovsky supports Putin’s political ascent until it threatens his own reign, sparking near-Shakespearean conflict between the two men.
Video: Trailer
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Off-Broadway’s MCC Theater has announced its annual Miscast 24, which will take place Mon. Apr. 15 at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom.
Creative team, casting, and additional information TBA.
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The world premiere of Jacob Yandua & Rebekah Greer Melocik’s How to Dance in Ohio, directed by Sammi Cannold, will close Feb. 11 at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre, after 27 previews and 72 regular performances.
Desmond Edwards, Amelia Fei, Madison Kopec, Liam Pearce, Imani Russell, Conor Tague, and Ashley Wood, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Haven Burton, Darlesia Cearcy, Carlos L. Encinas, Nick Gaswirth, Melina Kalomas, Nick Gaswirth, Melina Kalomas, and Marina Pires, with Elana Babbitt, Corinne Ferrer, Zach Simpson, Imri Leshed, and Nicole Fazia.
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The world premiere of Brendan Pelsue’s adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities will run Feb. 21 – Mar. 17 (opening Feb. 28) at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, directed by Leora Morris.
Grant Chapman, Tiffany Hobbs, Tess Malis Kindaid, Joe Knezevich, Louis Reyes McWilliams, Lee Osorio, Brad Raymond, and Stephen Ruffin, with Brant Adams, Daniel Annone, Sean Dale, Rebecca Gunn, Danielle Montgomery, and Ryan Siegel.
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The York Theatre Company will present two readings of Lynne Halliday, James Hindman, Jeffrey Lodin & Mark Waldrop’s Now Comes The Fun Part (The How-the-F*-Did-I-Get-This-Old-Musical) on Mon. Jan. 29 at 3 & 6:30 PM at Off-Broadway’s Pearl Studios, directed by Waldrop, with music direction by Jeffrey Lodin.
: boxoffice@yorktheatre.org
Klea Blackhurst, George Dvorsky, Rebecca Eichenberger, and Eddie Korbich.
A hilarious look at the appalling indignities and rude awakenings that await anyone lucky enough to make it past that dreaded AARP birthday. From the first colonoscopy to early retirement (the pros and the cons!), from empty nesting to wading back into the dating scene, it’s a musical celebration of life’s third trimester. You’ll laugh; you’ll cry; you’ll be uplifted! And rest assured, if you can’t relate to any of this, the magic eight-ball says: you will eventually!
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Micharne Cloughley’s 43 Stages of Grieving: A Comedy will run Mar. 8-25 at The Tank, directed by Clouhley.
Clara Francesca (Taya), Tara Pacheco (Anne), and Alysia Reiner (Voice of Mary).
The story of a pregnant, dying robot, and a human who attempted to live forever. Together, they consider the stages of grief and the technological status of the world.
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Soul Picnic: The Songs and Legacy of Laura Nyro will run Mar. 2-4 at NYC’s 92NY.
Judy Kuhn
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Samuel D. Hunter’s A Permanent Image has been extended through Feb. 25 at Venice, CA’s Pacific Resident Theatre, directed by Andrew D. Weyman.
Phil Cass (Martin), Terry Davis (Carol), Scott Jackson (Bo), and Dalia Vosylius (Ally).
In 2011 on Christmas Eve, photojournalist Bo (Scott Jackson) has returned home to his parents’ house in small town Idaho to attend his father’s funeral. He finds, to his shock, that his mother Carol (Terry Davis) has painted everything inside the house white, including the furniture and pictures on the walls.
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Message in a Bottle dance show, using the songs of Prince, with choreography by Kate Prince, will run Feb. 6-11 at the Pantages Theatre.
Dancers not reported.
The piece sees a village alive with joyous celebrations suddenly come under siege. In the chaos, three siblings – Leto, Mati and Tana – are separated from their parents. They undertake a perilous journey to new lands and set out on their own extraordinary adventures.
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The world premiere of Deb Margolin’s This is not a time of peace will run Feb. 20 – Mar. 16 at Theatre Row, directed by Jerry Heymann.
Charlotte Cohn (Alina), Roger Hendricks Simon (Hillel), Simon Feil (Alina’s Husband), Ken King (Alina’s lover), Frank Licato (Adolf Berle), Steven Rattazzi (Joseph McCarthy), and Richard Hollis (Russian Metallurgist).
Alina, the play’s protagonist and only female character, is grief-stricken to find her father, Hillel, consumed by memories of losing his livelihood after he was accused of Communist affiliations during the McCarthy era. In his terror, Hillel has stopped eating and drinking. Alina struggles to relieve his sorrow by sorting the facts from the elderly man’s distorted memories. Her anger at the country’s betrayal of her father is put in a moral context by her own betrayal of her husband and daughter: she is embroiled in a passionate and brutal affair with a man whose vanity she likens to the madmen of history. As temporal boundaries collapse, Alina confronts Joe McCarthy directly and violently. A coalescence of all forces enables Alina to recognize her own humanity in the worst and most ordinary aspects of history.
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Tony Danza: Standards & Stories will run Feb. 22-24 (all at 8:30 PM) at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club.
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Frederick Knott’s Dial “M” for Murder will run Jan. 24 – Feb. 11 at Virginia Stage, directed by Mark Shanahan.
Michelle Liu Coughlin (Margot Wendice), Joe Delafield (Max Halliday), Dan Domingues (Tony Wendice), Steve Pacek (Captain Lesgate), and Jan Neuberger (Inspector Hubbard),
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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, adapted by Isaac Gómez will run Feb. 3-25 at the Greenway Court Theatre, directed by Sara Guerrero.
Gabriela Machuca (Julia), Heather Lee Echeverria (Olga), Presciliana Esparolini (Ama), Michael Uribed (Apa), Christian Zamudio (Junga), Jacob Cherry (Connor), Andrew Colford (Mr. Ingman), and Noelle Howe (Lorena).
The play follows Julia, a Chicago high school student as she navigates trials and tribulations of following her dreams of becoming a writer alongside the death of her sister, Olga—who might not have been quite as perfect as she seemed. A love story of young Chicanas who, in trying to find the truth about the people and the world around them, end up finding themselves.
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Labyrinth Theatre‘s Lab: Stripped, offering staged readings of new works in progress, will run Feb. 20 – Mar. 24 at 59E59. Casting TBA.
The Complicated, by Cusi Cram, directed by Dina Janis. A dark comedy about an eccentric, cultural-melting-pot of a family struggling to survive New York in the 1980’s. It is a wild ode to folks from mixed backgrounds who were raised by wolves, single mothers, teachers, god brothers, and their own killer instincts.
lolita lolita, by Elizabeth Narciso, directed by Alfredo Narciso. A a time-traveling joyride through the history of the patriarchy! Helen of Troy, Salome, and Lolita employ all the powers at their disposal: poetry, pop culture, and cherry cake to set the record straight.
GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Toyland
1-D. Toys in the Attic by Lillian Hellman
2.-H The French Doll by George Gershwin, Gus Edwards, B.G. Desylva, Will D. Cobb
3-F. Flower Drum Song, by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, David Henry Hwang, Joseph Fields
4-G. A Thousand Clowns by Herb Gardner
5-J. The Band Wagon by George S. Kaufman, Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz
6-A. Two Trains Running by August Wilson
7-I. Park Your Car in Harvard Yard by Israel Horowitz
8-B. The Chocolate Soldier by Oscar Strauss, Leopold Jacobson, Rudolph Bernauer
9-E. Two Blocks Away by Aaron Hoffman
- Bicycle Ride to Nevadaby Robert Thorn