GRACE NOTES: Monday, March 24, 2025

 

Today’s Highlights:

  York Theatre Company‘s All Dancing, All York 2025 Spring Gala, directed by Mark Waldrop, featuring Karen Ziemba, Jelani Remy, Ben Vereen, Christine Pedi, Tony Yazbeck, and American Dance Machine, at 7:30 at Off-Broadway’s Theater at St. Jeans.

  Red Bull Theater‘s The Jew of Malta reading (both live & on-demand), by Chistopher Marlowe, directed by Jesse Berger, featuring Samuel Adams, Jason Bowen, Steven Boyer, Sheldon Donenberg, Zack Fine, Andy Grotelueschen, Priyanka Kedia, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Fareeda Pasha, Matthew Rauch, Socorro Santiago, Derek Smith, and Sarin Monae West, begins at Off-Broadway’s Symphony Space.

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  Reviews for Othello at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre:

Click here to read the reviews.

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GRACE NOTES  Team Players by Jim Bernhard

One word in each of these show titles has been replaced by a location. Substitute the name of a professional sports team from that location to find the show’s title:

1. The Well of the New Orleans, play by John Millington Synge

2. Damn New York, musical by Richard Adler, Jerry Ross, George Abbott and Douglas            Wallop

3. Doctor Utah, musical by Luther Henderson and Buster Davis

4. The Effect of Gamma Tampa Bay on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, play by Paul            Zindel

5. The Mineola Minnesota, play by Paula Vogel

6. Fallen Los Angeles, play by Noël Coward

7. The Pittsburgh of Penzance, operetta by William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

8. Miami Lightning, play by Leon Abrams and George Abbott

9. The Orlando Show, musical by Stephen Schwarz and Bob Randall

10. Oklahoma City Rock, play by Robert Ardrey

Scroll down for the answers…

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  Ken Davenport & AnnMarie Milazzo’s  Joy: A New True Musical will begin previews June 21 and open July 20 at the Laura Pels Theatre, directed by Lorin Latarro, with choreography by Joshua Bergasse, and music supervision by Andy Einhorn.

  Betsy Wolfe, Charl Brown, Adam Grupper, and Mauricio Martinez.

  this is  he uplifting story of entrepreneur and inventor Joy Mangano, following her journey from single motherhood and financial struggles to building a business empire. The show follows how she went from a divorced, bankrupt single mother to a successful businesswoman who now has 71 patent families and 126 distinct patent publications.Feb 18, 2025

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We Do the Same Thing Every Week, Robert Leverett’s new one-act comedy, will run May 2-17 at Off-Broadway’s A.R.T. (502 W. 53rd St.), directed by Liza Causer.

 Tora Alexander, Kate Budney, Justin Choi, Robert Leverett, Jessica Nesi, and Casey Worthington.

   Dick and Jane are bored on a rainy Sunday afternoon. A six-foot tall cat shows up, and hijinks ensue. Later, elsewhere, Dick and Jane are bored on a rainy Sunday afternoon. A six-foot tall cat shows up, and hijinks ensue. Everywhere, space is a false vacuum waiting to decay. Try not to think about it while your boredom gnaws away at you. A one-act comedy about repetition, boredom, and the delicious, refreshing taste of Coca-Cola.

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  John Cameron Mitchell & Stephen Trask’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch will run Apr. 15 – June 22 at DC’s Signature Theatre, directed by Ethan Heard, with choreography by Ashleigh King and music direction by Marika Countouris.

  Sawyer Smith (Hedwig) and Vanessa (V) Sterling (Yitzhak).

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   Johna Adams’ Gidion’s Knot will run Mar. 28 – Apr. 14 at Pacific Resident Theatre, directed by Elina de Santos.

   Melissa Paladino and Jennifer Pollono

  Some knots only tighten the more they are pulled. The play unfolds over a charged parent-teacher conference where grief, truth and responsibility collide. As the conversation unravels, painful questions emerge — ones with no easy answers.

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Lawrence Kern adaptation of Frankenstein will run Apr. 25-27 at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, directed by  Kern.

  Rayn Foely (Roberta Walton),  Marissa Bloodgood (Victor Frankenstein), and more TBA.

 Music journalist Roberta Walton is on site to cover the closing of the club, but instead finds a disoriented Victor Frankenstein Andrew Kosnik) and a much more interesting story! The neurodiverse ensemble – composed of 9 actors with varying disabilities and a team of facilitators – will play multiple characters as they bring Frankenstein’s memories to life. The production blends music, movement, and scenes devised by the group into a powerful exploration of ambition, isolation, and the balance between the head and the heart.

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  Ann Talman: Elizabeth Taylor and The Sadow of her Smile will take place Sun. Apr. 6 at 7 PM at PA’s Bucks County Playhouse.

Talman takes audiences on an unforgettable journey, sharing how a chance audition in 1981 led her to become Elizabeth Taylor’s onstage daughter on Broadway in The Little Foxes and, more importantly, a trusted confidante and lifelong friend for the rest of Taylor’s life. “The Shadow of Her Smile” is an evening of story and song about Ann and Elizabeth’s amazing bond, filled with hilarious and touching stories and woven with classic Broadway and Great American Songbook gems.

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  Travis Williams’ To Each Their Own will run Apr. 16 – May 4 (opening Apr. 17) at the Atwater Village Theatre, directed by Brooklyn Sample.

  Jason Madera, James Lemire, Tabitha Trosen, and William Wilson.

  Set in a small-town Ohio tavern, this is the story of three longtime friends who plot a series of bank heists across the Midwest. As loyalty is tested and desperation mounts, the play delves into themes of betrayal, redemption, and the lasting consequences of past choices. Known for his poetic dialogue and masterful storytelling, Williams crafts a narrative reminiscent of Sam Shepard’s gritty realism and David Mamet’s rapid-fire wit.

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   LA’s Odyssey Theatre Ensemble has announced that founding artistic director Ron Sossi passed away onMarch 19, at the age of 85.

In accordance with his instructions, no service or ceremony will be held. It was Ron’s wish that the ongoing vibrancy of the theater he built would serve as his only memorial.

At the helm of the Odyssey for 56 continuous years, Ron was the recipient of numerous awards, including the LA Weekly Career Achievement Award. He was twice honored with the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle prestigious Margaret Harford Award for “demonstrating a continual willingness to experiment provocatively in the process of theater,” as well as with the circle’s Ron Link Award for “consistent quality of direction.” According to a 1982 Los Angeles Times article by Lawrence Christon, “When the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle debated Ron’s merit as this year’s recipient of the Margaret Harford Award—they decided he deserved it—two adjectives that cropped up in discussion were ‘exasperating’ and ‘incorrigible.’” Christon went on to note that Ron “wished they had put ‘incorrigible’ on the award.”

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   The Secret Comedy of Women, written & performed by Barbara Gehring & Linda Klein, will run Apr. 24 – May 18 at Burbank’s Colony Theatre.

 A mix of sketches, improvisation, audience participation, witty songs, and clever videos, the piece celebrates the joys of the journey from girlhood to womanhood. An immersive theatrical experience that rejoices in the challenges of being a woman — from boys to bras and pantyhose to menopause — this two-woman show explores the universal female experience through a rollicking spectacle of sweetly sharp comedy, songs, dances, stories, and spontaneous moments of discovery that all women share.

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GRACE NOTES Answers: Team Players by Jim Bernhard

1. The Well of the Saints, play by John Millington Synge

2. Damn Yankees, musical by Richard Adler, Jerry Ross, George Abbott and Douglas Wallop

3. Doctor Jazz, musical by Luther Henderson and Buster Davis

4. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, play by Paul Zindel

5. The Mineola Twins, play by Paula Vogel

6. Fallen Angels, play by Noël Coward

7. The Pirates of Penzance, operetta by William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

8. Heat Lightning, play by Leon Abrams and George Abbott

9. The Magic Show, musical by Stephen Schwarz and Bob Randall

10. Thunder Rock, play by Robert Ardrey

 


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