Today’s Highlights:
Broadway by the Boardwalk FREE concert, featuring Ramin Karimloo, at 6:30 PM at NYC’s Hudson River Park’s Clinton Cove.
54 Sings The Rink concert, with music direction by Michael Lavine, featuring Quinn Corcoran, Sara Gettelfinger, Ilene Graff, Bruce Landry, Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Andrew Leggieri, Stephanie Pope, Karen Ziemba, John Bolton, Ben Davis, Scott Ellis, Mark Jacoby, Bianca Marroguín, Karen Mason, Caroline O’Connor, Stephanie Pope, Mary Testa, Quinn Corcoran, Danny Gardner, Bruce Landry, and Andrew Leggieri, at 7 PM at NYC’s 54 Below.
the people vs. Lenny Bruce, adapted by Susan Charlotte, directed by Antony Marsellis, featuring Matthew Arkin, Michael Citriniti, Nicholas Guest, Martha Hackett, Scott Marshall, Greg Mullavey, Larry Pressman, and Alex Purcell, closes at Burbank’s Garry Marshall Theatre.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: A Dash of Flavor by Jim Bernhard
The missing words in these titles of plays and musicals are all names of condiments, spices, or herbs.
| 1. A Taste of ____ | A. Ginger |
| 2. A Taste of ____ | B. Onions |
| 3. A Taste of ____ | C. Honey |
| 4. Lettice and ____ | D. Vinegar |
| 5. Sweet ____ | E. Pepper |
| 6. Time Out for ____ | F. Caper |
| 7. The ____ Tree | G. Salt |
| 8. The ____ of the Earth | H. Bay |
| 9. The ____ Mill | I. Lovage |
| 10. Hummingbirds and ____ | J. Lavender |
Scroll down for the answers…
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The previously announced Maybe Happy Ending, by Will Aronson & Hue Park, will now begin previews Oct. 16 and open Nov. 12 at the Belasco Theatre, directed by Michael Arden.
Darren Criss (Oliver), Helen J Shen (Claire), Dez Duron, Marcus Chor, and more TBA.
Set in South Korea, the musical follows a Helperbot 3 that has been deemed obsolete. When his Helperbot neighbor drops by to borrow a charger, a bond is formed, the beginning of a surprising and romantic adventure. The original work features music by Aronson and lyrics by Park, and both have collaborated on the book.
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Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop will run Aug. 30 – Sept. 22 at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden.
TBA.
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Jay Paul Deratany, Coyote Joe Steven & Keaton Wooden’s The Civility of Albert Cashier will run Aug. 31 – Sept. 22 (opening Sept. 7) at Burbank’s Colony Theatre, directed by Richard Israel, with music direction by Anthony Lucca.
TBA.
The astonishing true-story of a Civil War soldier whose life defied definition. Transformed into a powerful new musical, more timely than ever. In August of 1862, Private Albert Cashier enlisted in the Union Army and fought valiantly during the Civil War, until being honorably discharged on August 17, 1865, at which point he received a military pension in recognition of his service. But there was more to Albert than most people knew … he had a secret … this heroic American soldier was actually born a female.
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Video: Audra McDonald performs “Climb Every Mountain”
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The world premiere of Susan Ecker, Harrison David Rivers & Lloyd Ecker’s Last of the Red Hot Mamas has been extended through July 28 at PA’s Bucks County Playhouse, directed & choreographed by Shea Sullivan.
Ryann Redmond (Sophie Tucker), Rheaume Crenshaw (Mollie Elkins), DeWitt Fleming Jr. (Bojangles Robinson) and Stephanie Gibson (Nora Bayes), with Willie Clyde Beaton II, Lincoln Belford, Natalie Bellamy, Kelly Bolick, Jonathan Hadley, Jenny Kay Hoffman, Hannah Hubbard, Daniel Lopez, Bobby MacDonnell, Michael Persson, Danny Rutigliano, and Rachel Stern.
Before Mae West, Bette Midler or Queen Latifah, there was Sophie Tucker. A fabulously full-figured teenager, Sophie was determined to conquer vaudeville – whatever the cost. With the help of two former Harlem headliners, Sophie’s rise from a deli to international fame is told with song, tap dancing, and a big dose of Sophie’s ground breakingly sassy humor.
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The world premiere of Sasha Velour & Moses Kaufman’s Velour: A Drag Spectacular will run Aug. 13 – Sept. 8 (opening Aug. 18) at La Jolla Playhouse, directed by by Kaufman.
Sasha Velour, Ezra Reaves, Moscato Sky, and Amber St. James, with Shaun Tuazon.
The show intermixes a coming-of-age story with a history lesson on drag and queer expression, drawing inspiration from Velour’s own upbringing as a small-town, genderfluid kid. Press notes share that audiences can expect “innovative projection mapping, video animation, awe-inspiring lip-sync performances, and bold personal storytelling.
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Table 17, world premiere by Douglas Lyons, will run Aug. 14 – Sept. 15 (opening Sept. 6) at MCC Theater, directed by Zhailon Levingston.
Kara Young and Michael Rishwan.
If your ex wanted to meet up again, would you? Previously engaged, Jada and Dallas reunite for dinner to hash out the good, the bad, and the ugly from their romantic past. Despite the intrusion of sassy waiters, complicated memories, and their best efforts to keep things casual, the estranged couple find themselves cornered by the truth.
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Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop will run Aug. 30 – Sept. 22 (opening Sept. 6) at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden.
Rob Demery (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr). and Jade Paylton (Camae).
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Flayed, written & performed by Josiah Blount, will be presented Aug. 9 and Sept. 7 (both at 8 PM) at Hollywood’s LGBT Center, directed by David Bridel.
The story of a man on the verge of a breakdown, or maybe, spiritual enlightenment. Joshua is fresh out of pastor’s college and delivering his first sermon to a conservative church in Southwest Virginia. This trial run sermon will determine if he joins the church staff as an Associate Pastor, something he’s longed for his whole life. However, Joshua is queer, deeply closeted, and on the precipice of a mental breakdown. As his sermon progresses, his pristine public self begins to falter and his messy, complex, internal world is revealed. His mind is a fantasy landscape full of eclectic characters who express all his sinful rage, lust, and violence. Will he be able to hide the hell fire within? Or will his whole identity go up in flames?
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The Oyster Radio Hour will run July 31 – Aug. 4 at Little Island (8-10 PM).
Amber Gray and Amber Iman.
A live 3-act-family-friendly radio show combining science, story and song that celebrates the resilience of oysters and their crucial ecological roles. Beginning at 8PM each evening, the show blends hope and interconnectedness, spotlighting the humble oyster’s journey of revival.
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Kyle Falconer, Laura Wilde & Johnny Wilde’s No Love Songs will run Sept. 27 – Oct. 20 at CT’s Goodspeed, directed by Andrew Panton & Tashi Gore.
TBA.
The story of Jessie and Lana―young and in love one second and pregnant the very next. When Jessie is called away to tour with his band in America and post-partum depression sets in for Lana, they must learn to navigate the unique challenges of their new lives as parents.
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The world premiere of Mary Leeholland’s Are You Listening will run Aug. 9-25 at Hollywood’s Actors Co-op, directed by Chloe Babbes & Mary Leeholland.
TBA.
As Ruth, a clumsy yet determined aspiring actress, leaves both the confines and comfort of small town Mississippi to prove herself in the big City of Angels, she is soon confronted with the reality that if things are going to “happen” for her, it won’t come easily. As she journeys through loneliness, failed relationships, and identity crisis on the way to her dreams, she searches for guidance in the prayers prayed out her small apartment window. Ultimately she must confront the question she’s been running from, “What is she left with if nothing goes according to plan?”
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Billy Recce & Yoni Weiss’ Fowl Play will run Aug. 8-17 at the AMT Theater, directed by Recce, with choreography by Anthoyn Murphy, and music direction by Cole P. Abod.
Selma Nilla , Jayke Workman, Stephen Brower, Mamie Parris, Max Clayton, Darius Rose, William H. Martin, Daniel Quadrino, Burgandy Williams, and Maya Lagerstam.
The show follows two queer best friends who are tasked with writing an apology musical for a homophobic fried chicken restaurant chain. Press notes describe it as a “love letter to the industrial musicals of the 1960s and a side-splitting satire of rainbow capitalism.”
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The national tour of David Lindsay-Abaire & Jeanine Testori’s Kimberly Akimbo will launch Sept. 22 at the Denver Center, directed by Jessica Stone, with choreography by Danny Mefford and music supervision by Chris Fenwick. Click here for tour dates and more.
Carolee Carmello (Kimberly), and more TBA.
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La Cage aux Folles will run Nov. 12 – Dec. 15 (opening Nov. 17 ) at Pasadena Playhouse, directed by Sam Pinkleton, with choreography by Ani Taj, and music direction by Darryl Archibald.
Cheyene Jackson (Georges), Kevin Cahoon (Albin), and more TBA.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: A Dash of Flavor
1. A Taste of Honey
2. The Proper Caper
3. The Green Bay Tree
3. The Green Bay Tree
5. Sweet Lavender
6. Time Out for Ginger
7. The Vinegar Tree
8. The Salt of the Earth
9. The Pepper Mill
10. Hummingbirds and Onions