Today’s Highlights:
Best of Enemies, by James Graham, directed by Jeremy Herrin, featuring Zachary Quinto (Gore Vidal), David Harewood (William F. Buckley Jr.), Deborah Alli, Emilio Doorgasingh, Clare Foster, Tom Godwin, John Hodgkinson, Syrus Lowe, Keven McMonagle, and Sam Otto, with David Boyle, Lincoln Conway, Vivienne Ekwulugo, Jamie Hogarth, and Saaj Raj, opens at London’s Noël Coward Theatre.
A Sherlock Carol, written & directed by Mark Shanahan, featuring Drew McVety (Scrooge), Dan Domingues, Isabel Deating, and Mark Price, with Joe Delafield, Alexandra Kopko, and Byron St. Cyr, opens at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages.
A Christmas Carol, directed by Jessica Thebus, featuring Larry Yando (Ebenezer Scrooge), Vikram Konkimalla (Tiny Tim), Presley rose Jones (Ebenezer Scrooge alternate), Presley Rose Jone (Tiny Tim alternate), Justin Amolsch (Marley Dupe), Kareem Bandealy (Ghost of Jacob Marley), Dee Dee Battest (Frida), Jayson Brooks (Abe), Ariana Burks (Martha Cratchit), Thomas J. Cox (Bob Cratchit), Amira Danan (Belle), William Dick (Ortle), Cindy Gold (Mrs. Maud Fezziwig), Gregory Hirte (Dick Wilkins), Susaan Jamshidi (Mrs. Cratchit), Vikram Konkimalla (Tiny Tim), Daniel José Molina (Ghost of Christmas Future), Lucky Stiff (Ghost of Christmas Past), Bethany Thomas (Ghost of Christmas Present), Austin Tichenor (Ebenezer Scrooge Alternate), and Andrew White (Narrator), with Amir Henderson, Presley Rose Jones, Austin Tichenor, Belinda, Rika Nishikawa, Alexander Quiñones, Karla Serrato, Jalen Smith, Penelope Walker, Wai Yim, Molly Bunder, Sam Hyson, Loren Jones, and Tim Kidwell, opens at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
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Reviews for KPOP at Broadway’s Circle in the Square:
NY Times (Jesse Green): …the noisy yet skimpy new musical… it’s true that if you enjoy the precision-drilled dancing, meticulous melisma and auto-tuned sentiments that have turned K-pop into a worldwide sensation over the past 10 years, you are likely to be among those cheering the musical’s Broadway incarnation… But those who aren’t hard-core fans of the genre or don’t understand Korean — let alone those who saw the radically different and far superior Off Broadway version in 2017 — will have a harder time enjoying this one. For them, the musical is less an eye-opener than an ear-pounder, assiduously drowning out any ambitions it may once have had to be more…
Theatermania (Zachary Stewart): A formerly immersive look at a Korean musica factory stalls in a more traditional production… one might assume that the meeting of Broadway and Korean pop music…would make for a happy marriage of super-talented realists who understand the mission brief. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case… Ruby’s…story of thwarted ambition transformed into a drive to push others to succeed will be instantly recognizable to Broadway audiences, and not just because Lee is giving serious Mama Rose energy. Sadly, the Broadway transfer has mostly resulted in a flattening of the story…
Time Out (Adam Feldman): …Sadly, the Broadway transfer has mostly resulted in a flattening of the story… Part of the magic of the off-Broadway run was the feeling of overhearing private conversations and seeing unrehearsed moments… Part of the magic of the off-Broadway run was the feeling of overhearing private conversations and seeing unrehearsed moments… A fascinating chunk of the script about plastic surgery and the lengths performers will go to secure a career has been removed like a distinctive mole, leaving the ladies of RTMIS with precious little conflict.
NY Theatre Guide (Joe Dziemianowicz): …No one could accuse this show celebrating Korean pop music of skimping when it comes to fervent flash and electrifying oomph… On the other hand, KPOP, written by Jason Kim and directed by Teddy Bergman, has scarcely enough compelling substance to sustain its own first act… Beyond the echo-chamber narrative, there’s much to like. There’s an irresistible cast of performers — 18 of them are making Broadway debuts — and attention-getting work by the design team that delivers the goods and then some…
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Science Class, by Jim Bernhard
1. Isaac’s Eye, a play by Lucas Hnath, is about…Isaac Asimov…Isaac Newton…Isaac Watts…Oscar Isaac.
2. Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen deals with the physicist Werner Heisenberg and his mentor…Niels Bohr…Sigmund Freud…Hans Christian Andersen…Copernicus
3. In Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht, Galileo fraudulently claims that he invented a Dutch device known as a…Bunsen burner…Petri dish…microscope…telescope
4. In Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, a teacher is charged with a crime for teaching a theory of…Albert Einstein…Charles Darwin…Gregor Mendel…Hippocrates
5. In Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Physicists, three men who claim to be Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Johann Wilhelm Möbius all reside in…a deserted laboratory…a medieval castle…a sanatorium for the mentally ill…the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
6. In The Alchemist, by Ben Jonson, a con man promises a potential customer that he can use a philosopher’s stone to turn any metal into…diamonds…wine…gold…anything he wishes
7. In Proof, by David Auburn, the principal characters are… biologists…physicists…chemists…mathematicians
8. Monopoly, by Mike Daisey, deals with Nikola Tesla and his frequent adversary…Henry Ford…Alexander Graham Bell…Thomas A. Edison…Carrie Nation
9. The Water Engine, by David Mamet, concerns an invention that can create electricity from…distilled water…dishwater…sea water…soda water
10. Breaking the Code, by Hugh Whitemore, deals with scientist Alan Turing’s work during World War II in deciphering the Nazi code known as Hassenpfeffer…Overlord… Enigma …Mein Kampf
Scroll down for the answers…
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Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, the longest running play in the world, which celebrated its 70th anniversary on Nov. 25, will finally arrive on Broadway (theater TBA) in 2023. Click here for additional information.
Theater, casting, and additional details TBA.
The show has been performed over 28,915 times in London and has been seen by over 10 million people.
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Lyric and Lyricists will present MISS: Broadway’s Women Songwriters Dec. 10-12 at NYC’s 92Y, co-written & directed by Kate Baldwin & Georgia Stitt.
Kay Swift, Mary Rodgers, Micki Grant, Lucy Simon, Elizabeth Swados, Jeanine Tesori, Lisa Kron, Sara Bareilles, Erin McKeown, and Quiara Alegria Hudes.
Kate Baldwin, Kennedy Kanagawa, Bryonha Marie Parham, Nicholas Rodriguez, and Emily Skeggs.
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Video: Trailer for Broadway’s Bad Cinderella, which begins previews Feb. 17 at the Imperial Theatre, starring Linedy Genao.
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NY’s Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival has announced its 2023 Summer season. Specific dates, casting, and addiitional information TBA.
Love’s Labor’s Lost (June – Sept.), featuring original music by Amanda Dehnert & Andre Pleuss, directed by Dehnert,
Henry V (June – Sept.), directed by Davis McCallum, starring Emily Ota.
Penelope (Sept.), world premiere by Alex Bechtel, Grace McLean & Eva Steinmetz, directed by Eva Steinmetz.
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What’s Goin’ On?: Songs of Social Change will run Mar. 25-27, 2023 at NYC’s 92Y, conceived, directed & choreographed by Warren Adams.
Performers TBA.
The concert explores the Black songwriters and artists whose work has been a catalyst for social change.
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RIP: Irene Cara, who played the role of Coco Hernandez in the movie “FAME,” has passed away at age 63 in her home in Florida. The cause of death is TBA. A triple-threat veteran entertainer since she first dazzled audiences at the tender age of five, Irene was the youngest daughter of a Latin musician. She began her career singing and dancing on Spanish television performing with her fathers’ mambo band.
She went on to be a prominent actress with leading roles in theatre, television and films. Cara appeared in several Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, including Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Me Nobody Knows, Maggie Flynn, and also the film “Via Galactica” with Raúl Juliá. In 1983 she starred “Flashdance,” a role that would change her life forever, winning her an Oscar for Best Original Score.
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The 77th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony will take place Mon. June 5, 2023 at 7 PM at a location TBA.
The honorees will be announced in Spring 2023.
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The 2022 Annual Off Broadway Toy Drive will benefit the Henwood Family Residence (a NYC Dept. of Homeless Services family shelter in the the Bronx). Click here for more information.
This year’s goal is to raise at least 800 presents for kids aged 6 months to 18 years old. Toys can be donated by dropping them off at The Theater Center, or by purchasing at Amazaon, Wal-Mart ot any other online retailer and then shipping to Off-Broadway Toy Drive, c/o The Theater Center, 210 West 50th Street, 4th floor, NYC 10019.
Donate a new unwrapped toy worth $10 or more and you will receive a voucher for a free ticket to a participating Off-Broadway show of your choice. Those donating a toy through Amazon, Walmart or any other online company should e-mail the confirmation to offbroadwaytoydrive@gmail.
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The Secret Garden will run Feb. 19 – Mar. 26 (opening Feb. 26) at the Ahmanson Theatre, directed & choreographed by Warren Carlyle.
Sierra Boggess (Lily), Sadie Brickman Reynolds (Mary Lennox), and more TBA.
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Judy On TV!: Celebrating the “Judy Garland Show,” conceived, written, music directed & hosted by Billy Stritch, will run May 6-8, 2023 at NYC’s 92Y .
Klea Blackhurst, Aisha de Haas, Gabrielle Stravelli, and Max von Essen.
The event looks a Garland’s iconic talent through the lens of her landmark 1963-64 weekly television broadcasts.
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Off-Broadway’s Park Avenue Armory has announced its 2023 season:
LOVE (Feb. 25 – Mar. 25), by Alexander Zeldin. The play delves into the lives of families living in temporary public housing in the days before Christmas and how a broken welfare system has placed them there. Details here.
The Doctor (June 3 – Aug. 19), written & directed by Robert Icke. A doctor prohibits a priest from visiting a dying patient. Details here.
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Jason Graae: Graaetest Hits – The Sequel will take place Fri. Dec. 16 at 8 PM at North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre, with music direction by Gerald Sternbach/
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. RIP: Michael Feingold, longtime chief theatre critic of the Village Voice, has passed away at the age of 77. He was 77.
Mr. Feingold graduated from Columbia University in 1966, and later the Yale School of Drama where he served as the literary manager of the Yale Repertory Theatre. Prior to his career in theatre criticism, he was the literary director of The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN and the literary manager of the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA.
Mr. Feingold was the chairman of the Obie Awards from 2006 to 2011, and later returned to the post from 2012 to 2014. He served as a committee member for the honors for decades. In his later years, Mr. Feingold wrote for New York Stage Review and TheaterMania.
In addition to his work as a critic, Mr. Feingold was a playwright, and a translator of German- and Italian–language plays and operas into English for Off-Broadway productions. His translations include Kurt Weill’s Happy End and The Threepenny Opera, Gerhart Hauptmann’s The Beaver Coat, The Venetian Twins, The Barber of Seville, The Mistress of the Inn, Der Vampyr, and Mary Stuart. For his efforts on Happy End, he was twice Tony nominated when the piece transferred to Broadway, where he received nominations for both his English lyrics and his adapted book.
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Broadway Book Club has just been announced here. Five scripts will be curated quarterly or your own library or for your favorite theatre person.
Curated in 2023 by playwrights Paula Vogel, Lucas Hnath, Jocelyn Bio, and Lloyd Suh. Each will curate one of the four shipments included in the subscription program, selecting one of their own works plus six other titles. Altogether, subscribers will receive 28 play scripts representing the best of American theatre from 1936 – 2022.
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Valen Shore & Alison Zatta’s Chriskirkpatrickmas: A Boy Band Christmas Musical will run Dec. 1-11 at The Actors Company, directed by Valen Shore & Alison Zatta), with music direction by Taylor Williams, and choreography by Lili Fuller.
Riley rose Critchlow (Lance), Elizabeth Ho (Joey), Emily Lambert (Lou), Mia-Carina Mollicone (J.C.), Valen Shore (Chris), Nicole Wyland (Justin), and Alison Zatta (Marky Mark).
Holiday entertainment just got magical. Think “A Christmas Carol” meets “It’s a Wonderful Life” meets NSYNC. It’s Christmas Eve 2009 and Chris Kirkpatrick has a decision to make. This musical parody mashup of holiday classics features 12 original songs in a celebration of the season.
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LA’s Center Theatre Group has announced its “ticket drop” deals.
Ticket Drop Tuesday now drops a new block of $20 tickets every Tuesday —and removing all the fees!
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Stacy Krayand Yair Evnine’s Love The Struggle in concert will take place Mon. Dec. 5 at 7 PM at NYC’s Joe’s Pub, with music direction by Anna Ebbesen.
Damon Daunno, Amber Gray, Grace McLean, and Margo Seibert.
The new musical is about the French existential philosophers and social activists Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, who shunned marriage in favor of a vow of “essential love” that allowed them each to take “contingent lovers,” so long as they told each other everything about the “contingents, a practice they followed for 50 years until Sartre’s death. Their joint grave in Paris has since been covered in kisses by admirers from all over the world.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Science Class
1. Isaac’s Eye, a play by Lucas Hnath, is about Isaac Newton.
2. Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen deals with the physicist Werner Heisenberg and his mentor, Niels Bohr.
3. In Life of Galileo, by Bertolt Brecht, Galileo fraudulently claims that he invented a Dutch device known as a telescope.
4. In Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, a teacher is charged with a crime for teaching a theory (evolution) of Charles Darwin.
5. In Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Physicists, three men who claim to be Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Johann Wilhelm Möbius all reside in a sanatorium for the mentally ill.
6. In The Alchemist, by Ben Jonson, a con man promises a potential customer that he can use a philosopher’s stone to turn any metal into gold.
7. In Proof, by David Auburn the principal characters are mathematicians.
8. Monopoly, by Mike Daisey, deals with Nikola Tesla and his frequent adversary, Thomas A. Edison.
9. The Water Engine, by David Mamet, concerns an invention that can create electricity from distilled water.
10. Breaking the Code, by Hugh Whitemore, deals with scientist Alan Turing’s work during World War II in deciphering the Nazi code known as Enigma.