Today’s Highlights:
Theater Hall of Fame‘s 52nd Annual Gala, honoring Mandy Patinkin, Bebe Neuwirth, Judd Hirsch, Laurie Metcalf, JoAnne Akalaitis, John Weidman,r Maury Yeston and, (posthumously), playwright Amiri Baraka, at 7 PM at Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre.
Second Stage Theatre‘s Sapphire’s Anniversary Gala, honoring Sarah Paulson, directed by Elena Araoz, featuring Kate Baldwin, Leanna Rae Conception, Alan H. Green, Lisa Howard, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Derek Klena, Lindsay Mendez, and Betsy Wolf, at 6:30 PM at NYC’s Cipriani’s.
Roundabout‘s Fallen Angels benefit reading, directed by Scott Ellis, featuring Rose Byrne (Jane Banbury), Kelly O’Hara (Julia Sterroll), Santina Fontana (Willy Banbury), Jason Butler Harner (Fred Sterroll), Tracee Chimo Pallero (Saunders), Morgan Spector (Maurice Duclos), and Steve Ross (Special Guest at the Piano), at 7:30 PM at Broadway’s American Airlines Theatre.
Amas Musical Theatre‘s The Post-Roe Monologues presentation, a play with music by Mimi Ziemanby, directed by Maira Torres, featuring Mary Beth Peil, Roberta Maxwell, Amir Arison, Lilla Crawford, Badia Farha, Judy Gold, Alex Joseph Grayson, Emma Pritzer Price, Allyson Tucker, Mary Bacon, Jeannette Bayardelle, Emily Bergl, Ari Brand, Danielle Troiano, and Natalie Woolams-Torres, at 7 PM at NYC’s Merkin Concert Hall.
Mamie Parris Surrender: An Andrew Lloyd Webber Thrill Ride live & livestreamed concert, directed by Ben Rimalower, at 7 PM at NYC’s Green Room 42.
Open Fist Theatre Company‘s Blood at the Root, by Dominique Morisseau, directed by Michael Shepperd, featuring Malik Bailey, Deandra Bernardo, Emma Bruno, Nychelle C.E. Hawk, Nicholas Heard, Jeremy Reiter II, Caroline Rose, Jack David Sharpe, Grace Soens, Amber Tiara and Azeem Vecchio, closes at LA’s Atwater Village Theatre.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Hi, Mom! by Jim Bernhard
Match these mothers with the actresses who played them in the original Broadway productions:
| 1. Mary Cavan Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night | A. Mildred Dunnock |
| 2. The Mother (Amanda Wingfield) in The Glass Menagerie | B. Chita Rivera |
| 3. Mama in I Remember Mama (musical) | C. Cathleen Nesbitt |
| 4. Mrs. Higgins in My Fair Lady | D. Claudia McNeill |
| 5. Mrs. Paroo in The Music Man | E. Laurette Taylor |
| 6. Big Mama in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | F. Maria Karnilova |
| 7. Mrs. Banks in Barefoot in the Park | G. Pert Kelton |
| 8. Golde in Fiddler on the Roof | H. Florence Eldridge |
| 9. Anna in The Rink | I. Mildred Natwick |
| 10. Lena Younger in Raisin in the Sun | J. Liv Ullmann |
Scroll down for the answers…
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Reviews for Pal Joey at New York City Center:
New York Times (Jesse Green): …It’s not often that the standout star of a show is its music supervisor, arranger or orchestrator, but in the gala presentation of Pal Joey at New York City Center through Sunday, all three are one man, Daryl Waters… makes a clear case in beautiful sound for its investigation into the melting pot of American music… the rest of the revival (really a new creature, made from spare parts) is more suggestive than convincing… there has never been a satisfactory Pal Joey… In choosing to alter the racial frame of the story, the current version’s adapters, Richard LaGravenese and Daniel Koa Beaty, have made a powerful and promising intervention… Sykes, a Tony nominee for Ain’t Too Proud, is excellent at making his cunning charismatic, he is no longer shallow… What really never worked, and still does not, is the way the songs hang with the story… Satisfying as that then-and-now duality is in theory, it adds to a rather large list of confusing and incomplete choices overall…
Theatermania (David Gordon): …The creators (and there are a lot of them) of the New York City Center 2023 gala-week revival of Pal Joey certainly have a vision they’re chasing… What they’ve created, though, isn’t Pal Joey… it should at least have more than just the bare skeleton of the plot and a few of the songs… The writers have jettisoned half the original score and replaced it with hits from the Rodgers and Hart canon: There are more songs from other Rodgers and Hart musicals—from Babes in Arms to The Boys From Syracuse—than there are from Pal Joey… In some ways, this production is a Frankenstein musical, and it certainly feels that way as it lumbers across the stage as slowly as the distracting stagehands moving the furniture… The resulting product is a case of too many cooks with their own singular visions, none of which coalesce…
The Wrap (Robert Hofler): …their radical overhaul of the 1940 Broadway production… have dumped a half dozen songs (from “Love Is My Friend” to “Take Him”) that were heard in the original and substituted many more from the Rodgers and Hart trunk… The bigger change, however, has to do with the title character, who now has a purpose in life beyond money. Joey is a Black musician who wants to sing “our sound,” which — he tells us incessantly — is “new”… As rewritten musicals go, the mess that Aaron Sorkin made out of last season’s Camelot looks downright inspired compared to the misbegotten Pal Joey… Odd, isn’t it, that Rodgers and Hart never wrote a song about cultural appropriation. Nor did they write a song about how a wealthy white woman (Vera) has the hots for a young Black man (Joey)… Since the legendary songwriting team never wrote about these things, LaGravenese and Beaty must. They do so in excruciating detail…
Video: Highlights
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Rick Elice & Pigpen Theatre Company’s Water for Elephants will run Feb. 24 – Sept. 8, 2024 (opening Mar. 21) at the Imperial Theatre, directed by Jessica Stone, with choreography by Jesse Robb.
Grant Gustin, Isabelle McCalla, Gregg Edelman, Paul Alexander, Stan Brown, Joe De Paul, Sara Gettelfinger, Wade McCollum, and more TBA.
After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life—and love—beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age.
Video: Grant Gustin and Isabelle McCalla perform “Wild”
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A Merry Christmas Carol will run Nov. 25 – Dec. 24 at Virginia Stage, directed by Tom Quaintance, with choreography by Jordan Setzer, and music direction by Refiye Tappan.
Casting TBA.
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Michael Feinstein: Coming Home – The Holiday Celebration will take place at 7 PM at LA’s Feinsteins at the Taper,
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Maury Yeston & Peter Stone’s “Titanic the Musical,“ captured lived on stage, will screen Sat. Nov. 18 at 3 PM at UCLA‘s James Bridges Theatre.
Martin Allanson (J. Bruce Ismay), Valda Aviks (Ida Straus), Graham Bickley (Captain Edward Smith), Sam Brown (Frederick Fleet), James Darch (Edgar Beane), David Delve (isador Straus), Catherine Digges (Head Maid), Adam Filipe (Frederick Barrett), Adam Filipe (Frederick Barrett), Emily George (Kate Murphy), Luke Harley (Andrew Latimer), Emma Harrold (Lady Caroline Neville), Alastari Hill (Harold Bride), Abi Hudson (Maid), Barnaby Hughes (Herbert Pitman/Henry Etches), Paul Kemble (Josephy Boxhall), Niamh Long (Kate Mullins), Matthew BcDonald (Charle Clarke), Ian McLarnon (Thomas Andrews), Danny Michaels (Joseph Bell), Chris Nevin (Jim Farell), Jack North (Charles Lightoller), Joseph Peacock (Bellboy/Wallace Hartley), Billy Roberts (William McMaster Murdoch), Bree Smith (Alice Beane), and Lucie Mae-Summer (Kate McGowan).
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Two’s Company will take place Sat. Dec. 2 at 8 PM at North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre, with music direction by Gerald Sternbach.
Jason Graae and Tregoney Shepherd
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LA’s Greenway Court Theatre has announced its 2023-24 season:
American Born Confused Desi (Nov. 11-19), world premiere by Lily Abja Cratsley, directed by J. Mehr Kaur. Casting not reported.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Feb. 2-25), by Isaac Gómez, directed by Sara Guerrero.
Black Future Exhibition (II) (Feb. 9 & 23, 2024)
8th Annual L.A. Get Down Festival (Apr. 2024, weekends only), directed by Shihan Van Clief & Arianna Basco.
Greenwood 1964 (June 7-30, 2024) world premiere by Mohammed Ali Ojariga
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Rachel Tucker‘s new album, “You’re Already Home” is now available on most platforms.
“It’s Time” (Imagine Dragons)
“He’s My Boy” (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie)
“Party of One” (Brandi Carlile)
“Following the River” (Rolling Stones)
“I’m Gonna Be Strong” (Cyndi Lauper)
“Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” (My Fair Lady)
“I’m Home” (Caroline Kay)
“All Right Now” (Free)
“Happier Than Ever” (Billie Eilish) featuring Jamie Muscato
“It All Fades Away” (The Bridges of Madison County) featuring Jason Robert Brown
“Before You Go” (Lewis Capaldi) featuring Sam Young
“Everything Changes” (Waitress)
“Whole of the Moon” (The Waterboys)
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To Joni Mitchell on Her 80th Birthday, in support of MusiCares and Meals on Wheels (Long Beach), will take place Tues. Nov. 7 at 8:30 PM at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club, with music direction by Michael Orland.
Tierney Sutton, Alisan Porter, Brenna Whitaker, Treynce Cobbins, Alison Lewis, Frankie Jordan, Tamara Lalayan, Joan Ryan, Shelley Segal, and piano virtuoso Artur Zakiyan.
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Karen Mason: 25… and Counting will run Nov. 10-13 at Chicago’s Davenports.
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Stephanie J. Block‘s new album, “Merry Christmas Darling,” is now available on most platforms.
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Holiday Concerts at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center. Most of these events are not yet posted on the website, but call 800-295-5354 for details.
American Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker (Dec. 8-17) Details here.
Silent Night Silent Disco (Dec. 8 at 7 PM). Ring in the holiday season with us this year at the next Silent Night Silent Disco! With three upbeat channels to play on your own light-up wireless headphones, there’s something for everyone to enjoy, with holiday classics or hits from the Top 40.
Holidays Around the World (Dec. 10 at 11 AM & 2 PM). FREE with RSVP.
A Merry Little Christmas with Megan Hilty (Dec. 14-16)
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Dec. 19-24), directed by Matt August, with choreography by Bob Richard. Casting TBA.
Pan American Nutcracker Suite, with Joe McCarthey’s New York Afro Bob Alliance Big Band (Dec. 22 at 8 PM). A global musical adventure that celebrates and unites Tchaikovsky’s timeless masterpiece The Nutcracker Suite, with the beautifully diverse musical traditions of the Americas and beyond! Created and co-arranged by Joe McCarthy and Vince Norman.
Fiesta Navidad (Dec. 12 at 8 PM). Casting TBA.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: answers: Hi, Mom!
1-H. Mary Cavan Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night – Florence Eldridge
2-E. The Mother (Amanda Wingfield) in The Glass Menageerie – Laurette Taylor
3-J. Mama in I Remember Mama (musical) – Liv Ullmann
4-C. Mrs. Higgins in My Fair Lady – Cathleen Nesbitt
5-G. Mrs. Paroo in The Music Man – Pert Kelton
6-A. Big Mama in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Mildred Dunnock
7-I. Mrs. Banks in Barefoot in the Park – Mildred Natwick
8-F. Golde in Fiddler on the Roof – Maria Karnilova
9-B. Anna in The Rink – Chita Rivera
10-D. Lena Younger in Raisin in the Sun – Claudia McNeill