Today’s Highlights:
Soft, world premiere by Donja R. Love, directed by Whitney White, featuring Leon Addison Brown (Mr. Cartwright), Biko Esisen-Martin (Mr. Isaiah), Dharon Jones (Antoine), Essence Lotus (Dee), Travis Raeburn (Bashir), Shakur Tolliver (Kevin), Dario Vazquez (Jamal), and Ed Ventura (Eddie), opens at Off-Broadway’s MCC Theater.
Love Letters, by A.R. Gurney, directed by Roy Marsden, starring Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl, opens at the UK’s Theatre Royal Windsor.
Cock, by Mike Bartlett, directed by Taubert Nadalini, featuring Annika Chavez, Dennis Delsing, Mathew Dunlop, and Sean Hemeon, opens at Hollywood’s LGBT Center.
New 42‘s Find Your Light Gala, featuring Deneé Benton, Matt Doyle, Norm Lewis, John Benjamin Hickey, Bill Irwin, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Beth Leavel, John Lithgow, Arian Moayed, and more, at 7 PM ET at NYC’s Plaza Hotel.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Everything’s Coming Up Roses by Jim Bernhard
Fill in the missing words in these show titles:
1. A ____ of Roses, play be William Inge
2. A ____ Irish Rose, play be Anne Nichols
3. The ____ Was Roses, play be Frank D. Gilroy
4. “Every Rose Has Its ____,” song from Rock of Ages
5. ____ Roses for Me, play by Sean O’Casey
6. The Rose ____, play by Tennessee Williams
7. “Rose Stopnick Can ____,” song from Caroline, or Change
8. Rose-____, musical by Rudolf Friml, Herbert W. Stothart, Otto Harabach, and Oscar Hammerstein III
9. The Rose and the ____, play be Hettie Louise Mick from the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray
10. “I Won’t ____ Roses,” from Mack and Mabel.
Scroll down for the answers…
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Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt’s Almost Famous will begin previews Sept. 13 and open Oct. 11 at a Shubert theater TBA, directed by Jeremy Herrin, with choreography by Sarah O’Gleby.
Chris Wood, Anika Larsen, Solea Pfeiffer, Drew Gehling, and Casey Likes, with Rob Colletti, Matt Bittner, Chad Burris, Gerard Canonico, Julia Cassandra, Brandon Contreras, Jakeim Hart, Van Hughes, Jana Dejenne Jackson, Katie Ladner, Danny Lindgren, Erica Mansfield, Alisa Melendez, Emily Schultheis, Daniel Sovich, Libby Winters, and Mattew C. Yee.
Video: “Everybody’s Coming Together” (opening number)
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A concert presentation of Jennifer Crittenden & Gabrielle Allen’s Female Troubles will take place Sat. June 18 at 7:30 PM ET at PA’s Buck’s County Playhouse.
Ananda Green, Curtis Moore, Lesli Margherita, and more TBA.
Elinor Benton and her Lady’s Maid both find themselves surprisingly and undeniably knocked up! Since they are unmarried and it is England in the 19th century, they have a big problem. They set off on a hilarious carriage trip to London to find a solution to their “female troubles.” This uproarious comedy takes a clear-eyed view of the present through the lens of 1810.
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The 2022 Theatre World Awards presentation will take place tonight at 7 PM ET at Off-Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre, directed by Tom D’Angora & Michael D’Angora, and hosted by Peter Filichia. Click here for more information.
Andre DeShields and Andrea McCardle
* Outstanding Ensemble Award: The Music Man, for its 21 casting members making their Broadway debut.
* Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater: Michael Oberholtzer
* John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre: Harvey Fierstein
* Performances Awards: Patrick J. Adams (Take Me Out), Yair Ben-Dor (Prayer for the French Republic), Kearstin Piper Brown (Intimate Apparel), Sharon D. Clarke (Caroline, Of Change), Enrico Colantoni (Birthday Candles), Justin Cooley (Kimberly Akimbo), Crystal Finn (Birthday Candles), Gaby French (Hangmen), Miles Frost (MJ), Jaquel (A Strange Loop), Shannon Tyo (The Chinese Lady), and Kara Young (Clyde’s).
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BC/EFA‘s Broadway Bares: XXX will take place Sun. June 26 at 9 PM & Midnight ET at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom, directed by Laya Barak.
Laya Barak, Nick Kenkel, Al Blackstone, Jessica Castro, Chloe Davis, Armando Farfan, Richard J. Hinds, Stephanie Klemons, Sekou McMiller, Michael Lee Scott, Gabby Sorrentino, Kellen Stancil, and Andrew Turteltaub.
Nathan Lee Graham, Lesli Margherita, Bonnie Milligan, Maulik Pancholy, and more TBA..
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David Foster held industry presentations last week for his new musical, Betty Boop, which has been in the works for 14 years, co-written with Susan Birkenhead, and directed & choreographed by Jerry Mitchell,
Audio: “Something to Shout About,” performed by Katherine McPhee.
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Transport Group will present Rodgers & Hammerstein: A Broadway Celebration on Mon. June 28 at 8 PM ET at NYC’s Merkin Concert Hall, directed by Jack Cummings III, with music direction by Joey Chancy.
Paolo Montalban, Mikaela Bennett, Sherry D. Boone, Donna Lynne Champlin, Hannah Elless, Danyel Fulton, Erika Henningson, Rachal Bay Jones, Sean McLaughlin, Betsy Morgan, Tally Sessions, Alexandra Silber, Jacob Keith Watson, and Sally Wilfert.**********************
Tom Jones has written a new version of The Fantasticks, which continues through June 19 at MI’s Flint Repertory, directed by Michael Lluberes, with choreography by Brad Willcuts.
Jeremiah Porter (Matt), Neil McCaffrey (Lewis), Jason Briggs (Henry), Ben Cherry (El Gallo), Janet Haley (The Mute), Diane Hill (Hattie Mae), Richard Payton (Mortimer), and Catherine Shaffner (Mildred).
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Grease will run July 8-24 (opening July 9) at Long Beach’s Musical Theatre West, directed by Snehal Desai, with choreography by Corey Wright, and music direction by Jan Roper.
Monika Pena (Sandy), Jonah Ho’okano (Danny), Stephanie Bull (Jan), Janaya Jones (Marty), Rachel Kay (Frenchy), Isa Briones (Rizzo), Brian Whiteall (Kenickie), Kris Bona (Doody), Laura Leo Kelly (Sonny), Jalon Mattews (Roger), Austin Owens Kelly (Eugene), Devan Watring (Patty Simcox), Aurelia Michael (Cha-Cha), and AJ Rafael (Johnny Casino), with Quintan Craig), Kurt Kemper, Anyssa Navarro, Max Torrez, and Virginia Trent.
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Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles will present A Salute to Sondheim on Aug. 13 (at 7 PM PT) & Aug. 14 (at 2 PM PT) at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
John Holiday
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A Little Night Music will run Aug. 6-28 at Pittsfield, MA’s Barrington Stage, directed by Julianne Boyd, with choreography by Robert La Fosse, and music direction by Darren R. Cohen.
Emily Skinner (Desiree), Jason Danieley (Frederick), Sierra Boggess (Charlotte, Mary Beth Peil (Madame Armfeldt), Cooper Grodin (Count Carl Magnus), Liesl Collazo (Anne Egerman), Noah Wolfe (Henrik Egerman), Sophie Mings (Petra), Kate Day Magocsi (Fredrika), Adam Richardson (Mr. Lindquist), Rebecca Pitcher (Mrs. Nordstrom), Stephanie Bacastow (Mrs. Anderssen), Andrew Maughan (Mr. Erlanson), Leslie Jackson (Mrs. Segerstrom), and Slater Ashenhurst (Frid).
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Off-Broadway’s The Flea has commissioned Ebony Noelle Golden, James Scruggs, and Chanon Judson to devise & stage public performances, June 11-19, in celebration of “Juneteenth,” in partnership with the Black and Brown Equity Coalition of Fire Island, to support the 2nd Annual Mx. Juneteenth Drag Pageant on Fire Island. The works will occur simultaneously across NYC and Fire Island.
Stay tuned for further details…
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Video: First look at Sister Act at NJ’s Papermill Playhouse, which officially opened June 5.
Nicole Vanessa Ortiz (Deloris Van Cartier), Jennifer Allen (Mother Superior), Akron Watson (Curtis), Belinda Allyn (Mary Robert), Diane J. Findlay (Mary Lazarus), Kara Mikula (Marty Patrick), Jarran Muse (Eddie Souther), John Treacy Egan (Monsignor O’Hara), Anthony Alfaro (Pablo), Ryan Gregory Thurman (TJ), and Jacob Keith Watson (Joey), with Rachelle Rose Clark, Steve Czarnecki, Madeleine Doherty, Denzel Edmondson, Dion Simmons Grier, Kolby Kindle, Ashley Masula, Stephanie Miller, Alaina Mills, Heather Parcells, Chandler Reeves, Michael Schimmele, Alyson Snyder, Anne Fraser Thomas, Ariana Valdes, and Zuri Washington.
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The world premiere of Thomas Lennon, Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner’s Trading Places continues through June 26 at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, directed by Kenny Leon, with choreography by Fatima Robinson.
Aneesa Folds (Billie Rae), Bryce Pinkham (Louis), Marc Kudisch (Mortimer Duke), Lennie Wolpe (Randolph Duke), McKenzie Kurtz (Penelope), Josh Lamon (Beeks), Joe Montoya (Phil), and Don Stephenson (Coleman), with Julia Grondin, Jacob Roberts-Miller, Kevin Zak, Jimmy Ray Bennett, Dana Costello, Kayla Marie Cruz, Benjamin Howes, Raymond J. Lee, James Luc, Malaya Reid, Xavier Reyes, Michael McCorry Rose, and Nyla Watson.
Video: Teaser
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Chicago will run June 13-19 at the St. Louis Muny, directed & choreographed by Denis Jones, with music direction by Charlie Alterman.
Sarah Bowden (Roxie Hart), J. Harrison Ghee (Velma Kelly), Adam Heller (Amos Hart), Emily Skinner (Matron “Mama” Morton), James T. Lane (Billy Flynn), and Ali Ewoldt (Mary Sunshine), with Mackenzie Bell, Joe Bigelow, Darien Crago, Abbey Friedmann, Anna Gassett, Valton Jackson, Madison Johnson, David Paul Kidder, Drew King, Tara Kostmayer, Brian Shimasaki Liebson, Lizz Picini, Michal James Reed, Trevor Michael Schmidt, Diana Vaden, Adam Vanek, Nathaniel Washington, Keli Youngman, Kamal Lado, Gabi Stapula, and Debby Lennon.
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Sam Harris: Openly Gray! will take place June 8 & 9 at 8 PM PT at San Francisco’s Feinstein’s at the Nikko (scroll down), with music direction by Todd Schroeder.
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Artist James McMullan & Broadway Collectors.com will release two variations of a commemorative poster for Stephen Sondheim.
Initially designed for the children’s biography “Sondheim: The Man Who Changed Musical Theatre,” the poster renders the legendary composer lyricist in McMullan’s signature style, surrounded by sketches of his various iconic characters.
A traditional 14×22″ window card variation of the poster is available, in addition to a limited edition signed and numbered 18×32″ variation.
Click here for more information and to purchase.
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Steven Brinberg: Simply Barbra has announced its concert tour, celebrating Barbra Streisand’s 80th birthday year.
June 20: Blue Moon (Rehoboth Beach, DE), with special guest Holy McAllany.
July 18: Chelsea Table and Stage (NYC), with special guest Holy McAllany.
July 31: Acorn Theatre (Three Oaks Michigan).
Sept. 1-2: The Art House (Provincetown).
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Everything’s Coming Up Roses
1. A Loss of Roses, play by William Inge
2. Abies Irish Rose, play by Anne Nichols
3. The Subject Was Roses, play by Frank D. Gilroy
4. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” song from Rock of Ages
5. Red Roses for Me, play be Sean O’Casey
6. The Rose Tattoo, play be Tennessee Williams
7. “Rose Stopnick Can Cook,” song from Caroline, or Change
8. Rose-Marie, musical by Rudolf Friml, Herbert W. Stothart, Otto Harback, and Oscar Hammerstein II
9. The Rose and the Ring, play be Hettie Louise Mick from the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray.
10. “I Won’t Send Roses,” song from Gypsy