Today’s Highlights:
A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, by Christopher Renshaw, Andrew Delaplaine, & Aurin Squire, directed by directed by Renshaw, featuring James Monroe Iglehart (Louis Armstrong), James T. Lane (Louis Armstrong at certain performances), Darlesia Cearcy (Lucille Wilson), Dionne Figgins (Daisy Parker), Kim Exum (Alpha Smith), Jennie Harney-Fleming (Lil Hardin), Lucile Wilson (Daisy Parker), Kim Exum (Alpha Smith), and Jennie Harney-Fleming (Lil Hardin), Trista Dollison Jr. (Lincoln Perry), Jason Forbach (Crooner), Gavin Gregory (King Joe Oliver), and Jimmy Smagula (Joe Glaser), with DeWitt Fleming, Brandon L. Armstrong, Wesley Barnes, Willie Clyde Beaton II, Ronnie S. Bowman, Jr., Eean S. Cochran, Kate Louissaint, Matt Magnusson, Jodeci Milhouse, Alysha Morgan, Khadijah Rolle, Tally Sessions, Brett Sturgis, Renell Taylor, Meridien Terrell, and Dori Waymer, opens at Broadway’s Studio 54.
New Faces Sing Broadway Now concert, directed by Frankie Leo Bennett, featuring Diana Marilyn Alvarez, Maddie Brunner, Dakota Hughes, Andrew MacNaughton, Lorenzo Shawn Parnell, Callan Roberts, Maliha Sayed, Peyton Schoenhofer, and Ava Stovall, opens at Chicago’s Porchlight Music Theatre.
York Theatre Company‘s Founders Awards ceremony honoring Bernadette Peters and producer Ted Snowdon, with special guestsAndrew Rannells, Alex Newell, Jelani Remy, and more, directed by Stephen DeAngelis, at 6 PM at NYC’s Edison Ballroom.
Love Letters presentation, by A.R. Gurney, starring Linda Purl and Patrick Duffy, at 8:30 PM at Florence, Italy’s Teatro Niccolini.
Puttin’ On the Ritz: Steve Ross Sings Fred Astaire and Friends concert, at 7 PM at NYC’s Birdland.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: People of Note by Jim Bernhard
Name these characters from plays:
| 1. Prince of Tyre | A. René |
| 2. Merchant of Venice | B. Barabas |
| 3. Moor of Venice | C. Figaro |
| 4. Merchant of Yonkers | D. Edmond Dantès |
| 5. Prince of Denmark | E. Pericles |
| 6. Barber of Seville | F. Horace Vandergelder |
| 7. Jew of Malta | G. Antonio |
| 8. Count of Luxembourg | H. Hamlet |
| 9. Man of La Mancha | I. Othello |
| 10. Count of Monte Cristo | J. Alonso Quijano |
Scroll down for the answers…
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Additional casting has been announced for David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, with Spring 2025 dates TBA at a theatre TBA, directed by Patrick Marber. Click here to learn more.
Kieran Culkin (Richard Roma), Bob Odenkirk (Shelly Levene), and Bill Burr (Dave Moss), Michael McKean (George Aaronow), Donald Webber Jr. (John Williamson), Howard W. Overshown (Baylen), and John Pirrucello (James Lingk).
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Jocelyn Bioh’s Rebel with a Cause: The Artistry and Activism of Nina Simon, starring Amber Iman, will run Dec. 7-9 at NYC’s 92NY, with music direction by Michael O. Mitchell.
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Interact Theatre Company will present a series of monthly free staged readings, which will take place Jan. – May 2025 at LA’s Studio City Library.
Casting TBA.
Wit, (Jan. 11, 2025 at 2 PM), by Margaret Edson, directed by Rob Adler.
Buried Child (Feb. 8 at 2 PM), by Sam Shepard, directed by Rob Brownstein.
God of Carnage (Mar. 8 at 2 PM), directed by directed by Christina Carlisi.
Rabbit Hole (Apr. 12 at 2 PM), by David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Cate Caplin.
Fences (May 10 at 2 PM) by August Wilson, directed by Michael A. Shepperd.
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The Broadway production of Once Upon a Mattress will run Dec. 10 – Jan. 5 (opening Dec. 13) at the Ahmanson Theatre, directed by Lear deBessonet, with choreography Lorin Latarro.
Sutton Foster (Winnifred), Michael Urie (Prince Dauntless), Ana Gasteyer (Queen Aggravain), Brooks Ashmanskas (The Wizard), Daniel Breaker (The Jester), Will Chase (Sir Harry), Nikki Renée Daniels (Lady Larken), David Patrick Kelly (King Sextimus) Ana Gasteyer (Queen Aggravain), and Kara Lindsay (Winnifred standby), with Daniel Beeman, Wendi Bergamini, Cicily Daniels, Taylor Marie Daniel, Ben Davis, Sheldon Henry, Oyoyo Joi, Amanda Lamotte, Sarah Michele Lindsey, Michael Olaribigbe, Adam Roberts, Jeffrey Schecter, Darius Wright and Richard Riaz Yoder.
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Rhinebeck Writers Retreat Gala: Songs of our Summer from Rhinebeck to Chelsea will take place Mon. Nov. 18 at 6:30 PM at NYC’s Chelsea Table + Stage, hosted by Judy Kuhn and Adam Chanler-Berat.
Lauren Patten, Jerry Dixon, Jelani Remi, Christopher Sears, Adrian Blake Enscoe, Kerstin Anderson, Heath Saunders, and Garnet Williams.
Selections from 8 new musicals developed this year in Rhinebeck will be presented.
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The LA Philharmonic has announced upcoming concerts:
Leslie Odom Jr. The Christmas Tour (Dec. 1 at 7:30 PM). 
here.
Holiday Sing-Along (Dec. 14 at 11:30 AM). here.
Chanticleer Deck the Hall Holliday Concert (Dec. 17 at 8 PM). here.
Jennifer Hudson: The Gift of Love (Dec. 18 at 8 PM). here.
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RIP: Judith Jamison, dancer, choreographer, and beloved longtime artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, passed away Nov. 9 at the age of 91, after a brief illness.
Ms. Jamison was born May 10, 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Tessie Brown Jamison and John Jamison, Sr. She began taking ballet lessons at the Judimar School of Dance at age six. After graduating from Germantown High School, Ms. Jamison enrolled at Fisk University. She eventually left Fisk to study dance and kinesiology at the Philadelphia Dance Academy.
Alvin Ailey invited Ms. Jamison to join the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965. She performed as an Ailey dancer for 15 years, with celebrated performances in works including Cry, Blues Suite, Revelations, and more. Ailey wrote Cry specifically for Ms. Jamison. She also appeared as a guest performer with the San Francisco Ballet, the Swedish Royal Ballet, the Cullberg Ballet, and the Vienna State Ballet.
In 1979, Ms. Jamison made her Broadway debut as “Le Spectre de la Rose” Dancer in Béjart: Ballet of the Twentieth Century. In 1981, she appeared in the Duke Ellington musical revue Sophisticated Ladies, which also starred Gregory Hines.
Ms. Jamison began working as a choreographer in 1980. Her first ballet, Divining, premiered in 1984 with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, with numerous other works to follow, including Forgotten Time, Rift, and more. In 1988, wanting to oversee her own group of dancers, Ms. Jamison founded The Jamison Project Dance Company. The company’s performances included Ms. Jamison’s last solo of her performing career. Then, in 1989, Ms. Jamison took over as artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater upon Ailey’s death. In 1993, she choreographed Hymn, a tribute to Ailey.
While serving as artistic director, Ms. Jamison led the theatre to numerous achievements, including the establishment of its permanent home, the Joan Weill Center for Dance in Manhattan’s West 55th Street; a 50th anniversary world tour to 50 cities; a partnership with Fordham University to offer a joint Bachelor of Fine Arts program; and more.
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Storm Large: Holiday Ordeal will take place Sun. Dec. 15 at 7:30 PM at LA’s Broadstage.
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Mark Wilding’s The Goddam Couple Down the Hall (Oh… and Merry Christmas), continues through Dec. 15 at LA’s Theatre West, directed by Charlie Mount.
Cecil Jennings, Presciliana Esparolini, Sam Gregory, Dave Kumar, John Combs, Steve Nevil, Jill Remez, and Liv Denevi.
It’s Christmas Day in Pasadena, and the Woodruff clan has gathered to celebrate. What promises to be a beautiful day full of good cheer gets turned on its head by the foul-mouthed couple down the hall, who subject the Woodruffs to one screaming match after another. The question soon arises: Has the couple’s mutual hatred escalated to murder?
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Red Bull Theater‘s Two Gentlemen of Verona – The Rock Musical benefit concert, by John Guare, Mel Shapiro & Galt MacDermot, will take place Mon. Dec. 16 at 7:30 PM at Off-Broadway’s Symphony Space, directed by Zi Alikhan, with music direction by Greg Pliska, and choreography by Karla Puno Garcia.
Chuck Cooper, Coby Getzug, Jin Ha, Taylor Iman Jones, Kelvin Moon Loh, John-Michael Lyles, Alisa Melendez, Sam Simahk, Alysha Umphrees, and more TBA. …. and a special appearance by André De Shields.
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Jocelyn Bioh’s Rebel with a Cause: The Artistry and Activism of Nina Simone, will take place Dec. 7-9 at NYC’s 92NY, directed by Reggie D. White, with music direction by Michael O. Mitchell.
Amber Iman.
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Video: Audra McDonald performs in new Gypsy promo.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: People of Note by Jim Bernhard
1-E. Prince of Tyre, Pericles
2-G. Merchant of Venice, Antonio
3-I. Moor of Venice, Othello
4-F. Merchant of Yonkers, Horace Vandergelder
5-H. Prince of Denmark, Hamlet
6-C. Barber of Seville, Figaro
7-B. Jew of Malta, Barabas
8-A. Count of Luxembourg, René
9-J. Man of La Mancha, Alonso Quijano
10-D. Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantès