Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be limited theatre news for the foreseeable future. I will continue to search for anything meaningful and/or fun to report. Stay safe and healthy.
Today’s Highlights:
* Broadway On Demand’s “A Night of Covenant House Stars,” FREE benefit celebration, in support of Covenant House, hosted by Audra McDonald & John Dickerson, featuring Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Jon Bon Jovi, Rachel Brosnahan, Stephen Colbert, Martin Short, Dolly Parton, Dionne Warwick, Stephanie J. Block, Tony Shalhoub, Charlie Day, Chris O’Dowd, Zachary Levi, Zachary Quinto, Robin Thicke, Deborah Cox, Quentin Early Darrington, Ariana DeBose, Darius de Haas, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Eden Espinosa, Jordan Fisher, Stephanie Hsu, Randy Jackson, Capathia Jenkins, Jeremy Jordan, Ramona Keller, Alex Newell, Karen Olivo, Dawn O’Porter, Laura Osnes, Benj Pasek, Jodi Picoult, Shereen Pimentel, Andrew Rannells, Keala Settle, Jake David Smith, Will Swenson, Bobby Conte Thornton, Ana Villafane, Frank Wildhorn, the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir, Covenant House Youth, …and more, at 8 PM ET here.
* 92 Y: An Evening of Gratitude and Hope FREE event, at 4 PM ET here.
* Red Bull Theater‘s Coriolanus FREE reading, directed by Michael Sexton, featuring Patrick Page, Lissa Harrow, Stephen Spinella, Dion Johnstone, Matthew Amendt, Zachary Fine, Rebecca S’Manga Frank, Merritt Janson, Aaron Krohn, Edward O’Blenis, Olivia Reis, and Lily Santiago, livestreamed at 7:30 PM ET.
* Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party – Ep. 7 livestreamed concert, featuring Elizabeth Stanley, Melissa Errico, Michael Cavanaugh, Travis Nesbitt, Brianna Davies, John Davidson, and Mary Wilson, at 8 PM ET here.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz – If I Were King by Jim Bernhard
Match these kings in plays and musicals with the actors associated with them:
| 1. King Arthur in Camelot | A. Anthony Quinn |
| 2. King of France in Dubarry Was a Lady | B. Yul Brynner |
| 3. King Pellinore in Camelot | C. Tim Curry |
| 4. The King of Siam in The King and I | D. Eric Berry |
| 5. King Charles in Pippin | E. Michael Nouri |
| 6. King Henry II in The Lion in Winter | F. Richard Burton |
| 7. King Henry II in Becket | G. Tim Pigott-Smith |
| 8. King Charles III in King Charles III | H. Robert Coote |
| 9. King Marchan in Victor/Victoria | I. Bert Lahr |
| 10. King Arthur in Spamalot | J. Robert Preston |
Scroll down for the answers.
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Video: “Stars in the House” — a “Bombshell/Smash” reunion, with Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee, Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Neil Meron, and Robert Greenblatt. (1:25:05)
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Video: “Stars in the House,” with a reading of Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, starring Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams. (1:37:55)
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Video: “Stars in the House” presents An Evening with Chita Rivera. (1:18:50)
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Video: “Stars in the House,” with cast members from Broadway’s Diana: A True Musical Story, with Erin Cavie, Roe Hartrampf, Judy Kaye, and Jeanna de Waal, with composer/lyricist David Bryan. (48:48)
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Video: “Stars in the House,” with special guests Montego Glover and James Monroe Iglehart. (1:02:56)
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The 50th Anniversary of Pride’s The Lavender Effect will take place Sun. May 31 at 12 PM PT/3 PM ET on Zoom and Facebook, with Grand Marshall Alexandra Billings. 
Click here for FREE virtual tickets.
Lily Tomlin, Judith Light, Bradley Whitford, Kathryn Hahn, Amy Landecker, Sally Kirkland, Lady J, Lindsay Pearce, Bruce Vilanch, Michael Musto, Jason Stuary, Chad Michaels, Miss Barbie-Q, Kay Sedia, and Diane Anderson.
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Article: Chita Rivera recounts her West Side Story audition journey.
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Video: Barbershop Chronicles, by Inua Ellams, directed by Bijan Sheibani, featuring Fisayo Akinade, Hammed Animashaun, Peter Bankolé, Maynard Eziashi, Simon Manyonda, Patrice Naiambana, Cyril Nri, Kwami Odoom, Sule Rimi, Abdul Salis, David Webber, and Anthony Welsh, at London’s National Theatre Available through May 21. (2 hours)
This heartwarming, hilarious, and insightful play leaps from a barber shop in Peckham to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lago, and Accra over the course of course of a single day.
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Forever Plaid 30th Plaidiversary Concert will be livestreamed on Wed. May 20 at 7 PM PT on Facebook.
David Engel, Larry Raben, Stan Chandler, Jason Graae, Guy Stroman, and writer/director Stuart Ross.
The gang will share memories, show clips, and behind-the-scenes stories about the show and movie.
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Video: Woodland creatures sing a Bellini opera. in a very short film (1:30). Fabulous. Thanks to Mary Van Arsdel.
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Lincoln Center at Home has announced it next Broadway Fridays streamed productions in June (all at 8 PM ET).
June 5: Carousel, featuring Kelli O’Hara, Nathan Gunn, Stephanie Blythe, Shuler Hensley, Jason Danieley, Jessie Mueller, Kate Burton John Cullum, Robert Fairchild, and Tiler Peck.
June 12: The Nance, by Douglas Carter Beane, with Nathan Lane, Cady Huffman, Lewis J. Stadlen, Jenni Barber, Andrea Burns, and Jonny Orsini.
June 19: Act One, by Moss Hart, with Tony Shalhoub, Andrea Martin, and Santino Fontana.
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Video: “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Stunning.
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MA’s Tanglewood has cancelled its 2020 Summer programming, and replaced it with a plethora of online concerts from scheduled artists, including Yo-Y0Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with many more.
Video stream performances of 2020 Tanglewood will begin July 4 at 8 PM here, and will continue every Sat. through Aug. 22, including pianist Emanuel Ax, violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Jeremy Denk, violinist Augustin Hadelich and pianist Orion Weiss, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Gil Shaham, pianist Conrad Tao, pianist Daniil Trifonov, and violinist Pinchas Zukerman and cellist Amanda Forsyth.
Boston Symphony Orchestra‘s recital series will begin July 3, and continue every Wed. & Fri. through Aug. 21.
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Video: “A Million Dreams,” with Laura Osnes, Susan Egan, and Courtney Reed. Simply beautiful.
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Project Shaw presents a free reading of Candida on Wed. May 20 at 2 PM on “Stars in the House,” in support of The Actors Fund, adapted & directed by David Staller.
Andréa Burns, Santino Fontana, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Jay O. Sanders, and Michael Benjamin Washington.
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Video: #LifeDuringQuartime, “Happy Together”
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The Public Theater presents We Are One Public on Mon. June 1 at 8 PM ET, directed by Kenny Leon, with music direction by Ted Sperling, and hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, livestreamed at 8 PM ET.
Antonio Banderas, Laura Benanti, Kim Blanck, Ally Bonino, Danielle Brooks, Glenn Close, Jenn Colella, Elvis Costello, Claire Danes, Holly Gould, Danai Gurira, Anne Hathaway, Stephanie Hsu, Oscar Isaac, Nikki M. James, John Leguizamo, Audra McDonlad, Grace McLean, Sandra Oh, Mia Pak, David Hyde Pierce, Phillipa Soo, Trudie Styler & Sting, Will Swenson, Shaina Taub, Kuhoo Verma, Ada Westfall, Kate Wetherhead, and more.
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Video: “A Call to Unite — Alvin Ailey’s Revelations”
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Directors Lab West presents an 8-day series of livestreamed conversations crafted for and by theater directors and choreographers, all at 11 AM PT.
May 23: Institutional Perspectives, Connections, and Support, with Anne Cattaneo and Sheldon Epps.
May 24: A Conversation about Creative Practice and the Shifting Landscape.
May 25: Using Intimacy Direction to Create a Culture of Consent post-COVID.
May 26: Details TBA, with Laurel Lawson and Diana Wyenn.
May 27: Global Perspectives from DLW’s International Alumni.
May 28: Reimagining Liveness and Connection for Virtual Space.
May 29: Reflections on “Remote” Teaching and Community Engagement, with Luis Alfaro and Laurie Woolery.
May 20: The Power of the Arts — Theater and Dance in Systems-Impacted Communities, with Sabra Williams and Laura Karlin.
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Video: Kate Burton performs monologues from House of Blue Leaves… The Price… and Arcadia. (4:15)
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Michael Lavine’s Zoominar: “Broadway Songs about the Jewish Experience You May Not Know” will take place Tue. May 19 at 4:30 PM ET here.
When thinking of Jewish music on Broadway, Fiddler on the Roof is usually the first show that comes to mind. But there are so many Jewish themed songs you may not be familiar with, with shows like The Education of Hyman Kaplan, The Zulu and The Zayda, and The Last Five Years.
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Video: Ramin Karimloo performs “Edelweis”
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The original Off-Broadway cast of Daddy Long Legs (2015) will reunite on Thurs. May 21 at 8 PM ET here, in support of The Actors Fund, hosted by Ken Davenport.
Megan McGinnis, Adam Halpin, Paul Alexander Nolan, John Caird, Paul Gordon, and Michael Jackowtiz.
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Video: Jane Alexander and James Cromwell in the opening scene of Broadway’s Grand Horizons (2020) at the Hayes Theatre.
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Video: The Lion King original cast members perform “He Lives in You.”
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: If I Were King
1-F. King Arthur in Camelot – Richard Burton
2-I. King of France in Dubarry Was a Lady – Bert Lahr
3-H. King Pellinore in Camelot – Robert Coote
4-B. The King of Siam in The King and I — Yul Brynner
5-D. King Charles in Pippin – Eric Berry
6-J. King Henry II in The Lion in Winter – Robert Preston
7-A. King Henry II in Becket – Anthony Quinn
8-G. King Charles III in King Charles III – Tim Pigott-Smith
9-E. King Marchan in Victor/Victoria – Michael Nouri
10-C. King Arthur in Spamalot – Tim Curry