Today’s Highlights:
Shhhh world premiere, written & directed by Clare Barron, featuring Janice Amaya, Anny Fang, Nina Grollman, Greg Keller, Clare Barron, and Constance Shulman, opens at Off-Broadway’s Atlantic Theatre.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Where’s the Stage? by Jim Bernhard
Match these resident theatres with their cities:
| 1. Alley | A. Minneapolis |
| 2. Goodman | B. New Haven |
| 3. Old Globe | C. Boston |
| 4. American Conservatory | D. Providence |
| 5. Trinity Repertory | E. Houston |
| 6. Guthrie | F. Chapel Hill |
| 7. Arena Stage | G. Chicago |
| 8. Huntington | H. San Diego |
| 9. Long Wharf | I. Washington, D.C. |
| 10. PlayMakers Repertory | J. San Francisco |
Scroll down for the answers…
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Reviews for Whisper House at Off-Broadway’s 59E59 Theaters:
NY Times (Alexis Solosky): The ghosts, at least, are having fun… The show, about the fear of the unknown and the trust that love requires, can feel indefinite, too… And the music haunts prettily. When the ghosts are singing, anyway. But none of the living characters feel precisely real and the book scenes totter under the weight of metaphor… the trouble with the story, conceived with Keith Powell, is that you have to abandon psychology to make it happen.
NY Stage Review (Elyssa Gardner): In Sheik and Kyle Jarrow’s bleak, beguiling chamber musical Whisper House, two of the seven characters—the ones who open and close the show, and do the most singing in between—address the others, and the audience, from beyond the grave, and they’re among the most alluring and spiteful spirits you’re likely to have encountered… Under Steve Cosson’s direction, the air of doom and gloom that duly pervades Whisper House can generally seem overstated at times; it doesn’t help that Jarrow’s book offers only flashes of dry humor…
Vulture (Helen Shaw): …Duncan Sheik and Kyle Jarrow’s listless new musical… It’s supposedly a thriller, with two homicidal ghosts wafting around. But sadly there are no intentional scares in this show… Indeed, Whisper House is haunted by a sense of waste. Too little happens in its hour and a half, though there seems to be plenty of plot material… It’s a start-and-stop show, full of hasty storytelling that nonetheless feels very slow. Jarrow and Sheik can’t seem to stop interrupting themselves…
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Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch will celebrate the release of their new CD, “The Sunday Set,” on Tues. Jan. 25 at 7 PM ET here.
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The world premiere of Lisa D’Amour & Sxip Shirey’s Ocean Filibuster will run Feb. 24 – Mar. 13 (opening Mar. 2) at Cambridge’s A.R.T., directed by Katie Pearl.
Jennifer Kidwell (Mr. Majority/The Ocean), Marshall Hughes, Rachel Share-Sapolsky, Emerson Sieverts, Evan Spigelman, Dawn L. Troupe, and Nia Weeks.
Inside the Senate chamber of a global governing body, Mr. Majority introduces and “End of Ocean Bill,” designed to shrink Earth’s oceans int a more manageable (and marketable) collection of inland seas. When the floor is opened for debate, the Ocean arrives to speak its own defense… and so begins an epic Human-Ocean showdown.
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Broadway Sings Adele will take place Mon. Feb. 28 at 8 PM ET at NYC’s Sony Hall, directed by Corey Mach, and orchestrated by Joshua Stephen Kartes.
Loren Allred, Lena Hall, Tamika Lawrence, Rosé, Nick Rashad Burroughs, Kayla Davion, Tim Ehrlich, Sam Gravitte, Eric Michael Krop, Corey Mach, Linday Pearce, Jelani Remy, Kate Rockwell, Britton Smith, Raena White, and Rebby Han.
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The Kite Runner, adapted by Matthew Spangler, will run July 6 – Oct. 30 (opening July 26) at the Hayes Theatre, directed by Giles Croft.
Casting TBA.
A haunting tale of friendship spanning cultures and continents that follows one man’s journey to confront his past and find redemption. Afghanistan is a divided country on the verge of war, and two childhood friends are about to be torn apart. It’s a beautiful afternoon in Kabul, and the skies are full of the excitement and joy of a kit-flying tournament. But neither Hassan nor Amir can foresee the terrible incident which will shatter their lives forever.
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The world premiere of Bernardo Cubria’s The Play You Want will run Mar. 1 – Apr. 17 (opening Mar. 4) at North Hollywood’s Road Theatre Company, directed by Michael John Garcés.
. Peter Pasco (Bernardo), Chelsea Gonzalez (Vera), Natalie Llerena (Chloe/Mija/J. Lo), Jonathan Nichols (Gilbert Cruz/Alfred Molina), Roland Ruiz (Lin Manuel Miranda/Mijo/Pablo/John Leguizamo), Christopher Larkin (Sam Gold/Chay Yew/Variety Reporter), Stewart J. Zully (Oskar Eustis/Scott Rudin), and Presciliana Esparolini (Abuela/Gloria Estefan).
Fed up by the theatre world’s desires to box him in, the play sarcastically pitches “Nar-Cocos,” a play about drug dealers on Dia de los Muertos. Much to his surprise, the Public Theatre picks it up. With financial pressures mounting and a newborn at home, this is his chance at commercial success. But when Scott Rudin offers him a Broadway run on the condition he further exploit his identity and the headlines, he must decide just how much he’s willing to compromise in order to finally be accepted.
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Video: Behind the scenes footage of “tick,tick…Boom!” (28:37)
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Trey Ellis & Ricardo Kahn’s FLY will run Jan. 28 – Feb. 20 (opening Feb. 1) at Syracuse’ Capital Rep, directed by Clinton Turner Davis, with choreography by Hope Clarke.
Yao Dogbe, Trevor McGhie, Jeremiah Packer, Calvin Thompson, Omar Edwards, Torsten Hillhouse, Shayne David Cameris, and Ryan Fuchs.
This is the story of the World War II squadron of Black American pilots who flew wartime bomber and escort missions, and is told through a combination of traditional drama, spoken-word narration and dance.
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Judy Kuhn: Love to Me will take place Mon. Feb. 14 at 7 PM at NYC’s Green Room 42, with music direction by Dan Lipton.
Brandon Uranowitz.
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Due to a COVID-19 breakout, Off-Broadway’s Classic Stage Company has postponed its upcoming production of Marcus Gardley’s Black Odyssey, directed by Steve.
The production plans to open later this season.
The play is a vibrant re-imagining of the Odysseus saga set in modern-day Harlem, telling the epic tale of Ulysses Lincoln, a soldier facing the most daunting of voyages to reunite with his family. While fate may seem in control of Ulysses’ destiny, his ancestors and their buried history will help guide his journey home.
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The Merchant of Venice will run Feb. 19 – Apr. 9 at Shakespeare’s Globe, directed by Abigail Graham.
Raymond Anum (Gratiano), Daniel Bowerbank (Lorenzo/Morocco), Ben Caplan (Arragon/Duke/Solania), Michael Gould (Antonio), Michael Marcus (Bassanio), Sophie Melville (Portia), Adrian Schiller (Shylock), Tripti Tripuraneni (Nerissa), Aaron Vodovoz (Launcelot Gobbo), and Eleanor Wyld (Jessica).
Looking at the story in a contemporary context, the production asks us to confront and question our own prejudices in the here and now.
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FIRED Harry Potter and the Cursed Child lead James Snyder has been fired from the production at Broadway’s Lyric Theatre.
Snyder’s contract was terminated following a complaint from fellow cast member, Diane Davis, who plays Ginny Potter. She has made a personal choice to take a leave of absence from the production.
The production received the complaint, which is not detailed in the statement, about Snyder on Nov. 19, 2021. After receiving the complaint, Snyder was suspended while a third party conducted an independent investigation into the matter.
“At the conclusion of the investigation, the producers decided Mr. Snyder should not return to the production and terminated his contract,” a statement from the production reads.
Steve Haggard has taken over the role of Harry Potter. Ginny Potter is currently being played by understudies Judith Lightfoot Clarke and Rachel Leslie.
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& 
NYC’s 92 Y presents “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” in conversation on Tues. Jan. 25 at 8 PM ET, both in person and online.
Amy Sherman-Palladino, Daniel Palladino, Rachel Brosnahan, Tony Shalhoub, Marin Hinkle, Michael Zegen, Caroline Aaron, and Luke Kirby.
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Video: Christine Baranski segment on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
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Susan Soon He Stanton’s Today is My Birthday will run Jan. 28 – Feb. 19 (opening Feb. 3) at Yale Rep, directed by Mina Morita.
Atra Sdou, Gabriel Brown, Francis Jue, Emily Kuroda, Chivas Michael, and Jeena Yi.
Emily Chang’s life is falling apart. A nasty breakup and a stalled writing career send her packing from Manhattan back to O’ahu. But her fantasy of a picture-perfect homecoming collides with reality as she begins to discover how little she really knows about those she loves most — and how difficult it is to let her true self be known to others.
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A musical version of the London TV series “The Great British Bake Off ,” titled Bake Off Musical will have its world premiere, by Jake Brunger & Pippa Cleary, beginning July 22 at Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre.
Creative team, casting and additional information TBA.
The musical will explore the trials and lives of the eight bakers involved in the series.
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. Performances of Off-Broadway’s Perfect Crime and The Office: A Musical Parody, have temporarily closed due to a real-life perfect crime: the theft of the theater’s copper pipes, which supplies water and heat to the entire Theater Center (210 West 50th St.), in which both shows perform.
Replacing the doors, pipes, and installing new ones will take several days, at an estimated cost of at least $25,000.
Performances of both productions are expected to resume by Thurs. Jan. 27.
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Video: Apple+ TV’s “Central Park” has released Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez’s new number called “You are the Music,” performed by Josh Gad, Rory O’Malley, Tituss Burgess and Emmy Raver-Lampman.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Where’s the Stage?
1.-E. Alley, Houston
2-G. Goodman, Chicago
3-H. The Old Globe, San Diego
4-J. American Conservatory, San Francisco
5-A. Guthrie, Minneapolis
6-I. Arena Stage, Washington, D.C.
7- D. Trinity Repertory, Providence
8-C. Huntington, Boston
9-B. Long Wharf, New Haven
10-F. PlayMakers Repertory, Chapel Hill
6-I. Arena Stage, Washington, D.C.
7-D. Trinity Repertory, Providence
8-C. Huntington, Boston
9-B. Long Wharf, New Haven
10-F. PlayMakers Repertory, Chapel Hill