GRACE NOTES: Monday, July 31, 2023

 

Today’s Highlights:

  Let’s Call Her Patti, world premiere by Zarina Shea, directed by Margot Bordelon, featuring Arielle Goldman, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, and Rhea Perlman, opens at Lincoln Center‘s Claire Tow Theater.

  The Half-God of Rainfall, by Inua Ellams, directed by Taibi Magar, featuring Jason Bowen (Sàngó), Mister Fitgerald (Demi), Patrice Johnson Cheyannes (Osún), Michael Laurence (Zeus), Lizan Mitchell (Elegba), Jennifer Mogbock (Modúpé), and Alexandra Silber (Hera), opens at Off-Broadway’s New York Theatre Workshop.

 Evita in Concert, directed by Bill Deamer, featuring Auli’i Cravallho (Evita), Matt Rawle (Che), with Nathan Amzi, Emily Lane, Lloyd Davies, Robin Kent Langham, Jasmine Leung, Amonik Melaco, Joseph Puolton, Agnes Pure, and Sophie Sass, opens at Londons’ London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

  Amas Musical Theatre‘s The Post Roe Monologues FREE developmental lab readings, by Mimi Zieman, directed by  Maria Torres, featuring Toni Dibuono, Emily Esposito, Badia Farha, Armando Gutierez, Cass Morgan, and Danielle Troiano, opens at NYC’s Ripley Greer Studios. here.

  Daniel Reichard: It’s You I Like concert, 7 PM at NYC’s Birdland.

  Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Maggie Burrows, featuring Robin de Jesús (Seymour), Patti Murin (Audrey), Michael McGrath (Mr. Mushnik), Ryan Vasquez (Orin Scrivello), Nicholas Ward (Voice of Audrey II), Taylor Marie Daniel (Chiffon), Stephanie Gomérez (Ronnette), Kenndy Holmes (Crystal), and Travis Patton (manipulation of Audrey II), closes at the St. Louis Muny.

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  GRACE NOTES Quiz:  The Butler Did It, by Jim Bernhard

Match these butlers in plays and musicals with their employers:

1.  Crichton A.  The Von Trapp Family
2.  Drake B.  Norma Desmond
3.  Franz C.  Bertie Wooster
4.  Jacob D.  Algernon Moncrieff
5.  Jeeves E.  Oliver Warbucks
6.  Lane F.  Dr. Frank ‘N’ Furter
7.  Lurch G.  Lord Loam
8.  Max von Mayerling H.  Mrs. Tottendale
9.  Riff Raff I.  Georges and Albin
10.  Underling J.  The Addams Family

Scroll down for the answers…

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  Second Stage will present Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate, which will begin previews Nov. 28 and open Dec. 18 at the Helen Hayes Theatre, directed by Lila Neugebauer.

  Sarah Paulson (Toni) and more TBA.

Toni is the eldest of of a group of siblings who discover a photo album containing a dark secret among their late father’s possessions.

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Due to the strikes, the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, originally scheduled to air Sept. 18, has been postponed.  The Creative Arts Emmys, originally scheduled for Sept. 9 & 10 have also been pushed.

A new air date is TBA.

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  RIP: Inga Swenson has died at the age of 90. She made her Broadway debut in New Faces of 1956, and was the Standby for Guinevere in the original Broadway production of Camelot.

Inga was also nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Lizzie Curry in 2963’s 11o in the Shade, as well as for Irene Adler in Baker Street (1965).and was the Standby for Guinevere in the original Broadway production of Camelot.

Other theatre credits include Broadway’s The First Gentleman, and Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady at City Center in 1968.

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The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival will offer a special Theatre Night at the Pasadena Playhouse on Thurs. Aug. 3 at 8 PM.

  Stew, by Zora Howard, directed by Tyler Thomas, featuring Lisa Gay Hamilton (Mama), Roslyn Ruff (Lillian), Jasmine Ashanti (Nelly), and  Samantha Miller (Lil’ Mama).  Mamma and the girls are in the kitchen early, preparing her famous stew for a big event in this humorous, haunting, and sharp 90-minute drama. As these three generations of Black women work through the recipe, and their grief, they begin to feel their past and present closing in.

  …followed by an exclusive Post-Show Talkback.

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  Lea Salonga (Aurora Aquino)has extended her run in Here Lies Love through Aug. 19 at Broadway’s BroadwayTheatre.

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  Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking, starring Linda Purl, will run Aug. 4-13 at Pinehurst, NC’s Bradshaw Performing Arts Center,

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  Ghostlight Records has released the cast recording of Barry Manilow & Bruce Sussman’s Harmony, available on all platforms.

  Click here to listen to the song “Harmony.”

The Broadway production will begin previews Oct. 8 and open Nov. 13 at the Barrymore Theatre, directed & choreographed by Warren Carlyle.

Chip Zien, Sierra Boggess, Julie Benko, Allison Semmes, Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman, and Steven Telsey.

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   Video: Derek Klena performs “Come What May” from Broadway’s Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

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  Cambrigde’s A.R.T. production of Evita closed early last week due to COVID cases within the company.

Directed by Sammi Cannold, the cast featured Shereen Pimentel (Eva Perón), Gabriel Burrafato (Magaldi), Omar Lopez-Cepero (Che), Caesar Samayoa (Perón), and Naomi Rose (Mistress), with Martín Almiron, Julian Alvarez, Adrienne Balducci, Leah Barsky, bianca Bulgarelli, Camila Cardona (Melody Celatti, Estaben Domenichini, rebecca Eichenberger, Sean Ewim, Nicole Fernandez-Coffaro, David Michael Garry, Eddie Gutierrez, Eric Anthony Lopez, Jonatan Lujan, Caleb Marshall-villarreal, Ilda Mason, Jeremiah Valentino Porter, Leonay Shepherd, Maria Cristina Posada Slye, Sky Vaux Fuller, Marissa Barragán, Mathew Bautista, Isabella Lopez, Miguel Angel Vasquez, and Jeniysys Oliver-Joseph.

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  Waiting for Godot will run Nov. 4 – Dec. 3 at Brooklyn’s Polonsky Shakespeare Center, directed by Arin Arbus.

  Michael Shannon (Estragon), Paul Sparks (Vladimir), Jeffrey Biehl (Lucky), and Ajay Naidu (Pozzo).

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  The world premiere of Michael Tucker’s A Tailor Near Me continues through Aug. 27 at Long Branch’s New Jersey Rep, directed by James Glossman.

  Richard Kind and James Pickens Jr.

A man goes to a tailor to have his suit pants let out because he’s gained some weight since he last wore them. The tailor convinces him that what he really needs is a new suit, which leads to a negotiation, which leads to the making of a bespoke suit, which leads to alterations in both of their lives.

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  Video: Highlights (scroll down) from Broadway World’s 20th Anniversary Concert Celebration, which took place May 21 at NYC’s Sony Hall, hosted by Chita Rivera, featuring Shoshana Bean, Liz Callaway, Mario Cantone, Jenn Colella, Kurt Domoney, Myles Frost, Debbie Gibson, Olivia Hardy, Brittney Johnson, Constantine Maroulis, Donna McKechnie, Orfeh/”>Orfeh, Hugh Panaro, Seth Rudetsky, Marc Shaiman, Christopher Sieber, Blair St. Clair, Paulo Szot, Elizabeth Teeter, Natalie Toro, Jessica Vosk, Josh Walden. 

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  Initial casting has been announced for the world premiere of Kait Kerrigan, Jason Howland & Nathan Tysen’s The Great Gatsby, to run Oct. 12 – Nov. 12 (opening Oct. 22) at NJ’s Papermill Playhouse, directed by Mark Bruni, with choreography by Dominique Kelley, and music direction by Daniel Edmonds.

  Jeremy Jordan (Jay Gatsby), Eva Noblezada (Daisy Buchanan), and more TBA.

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  An all-new cast recording of Oklahoma will be released on Sept. 5 on most platforms.  This album marks the first complete recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s score in the original Robert Russell Bennett orchestration, restored by Bruce Pomahac, and conducted by John Wilson.

 Sierra Boggess, Nathaniel Hackmann, Rodney Earl Clarke, Jamie Parker, Louise Dearman, Sandra Marvin, Nadim Naaman, Leo Roberts, Juan Jackson, Will Richardson, and Sejal Keshwala.

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  A return engagement of Getting There!, written & performed by Rebecca OBrien, will take place Wed. Aug. 16 at 8:15 PM at Hollywood’s Hudson Guild Theatre, directed by Cameron Watson.

  A funny, heartwarming show that celebrates the miracles of traveling with strangers with her little service dog, as Rebecca commutes to and from the clinic for treatments for a life-threatening illness.

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  GRACE NOTES Quiz answers:  The Butler Did It

1-G.  Crichton –  Lord Loam in The Admirable Crichton

2-E.  Drake – Oliver Warbucks in Annie

3-A.  Franz – the Von Trapp Family in the Sound of Music

4-I.  Jacob – Georges and Albin in La Cage aux Folles

5-C.  Jeeves – Bertie Wooster in By Jeeves

6-D.  Lane – Algernon Moncrieff in the Importance of Being Earnest

7-J.  Lurch – The Addams Family in The Addams Family

8-B.  Max von Mayerling – Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard

9-F.  Riff Raff – Dr. Frank ‘N’ Furter in The Rocky Horror Show

10-H.  Underling – Mrs. Tottendale in The Drowsy Chaperone

 


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