Today’s Highlights:
All The Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villian, written by & starring Patrick Page, directed by Simon Godwin, opens at Off-Broadway’s DR2 Theatre.
Tectonic Theatre Project‘s The Laramie Project benefit reading, by Moises Kaufman & the Tectonic Theatre Project, directed by Dustin Wills, featuring Julie White, Brandon Uranowitz, and Ato Blankson-Wood, at 7 PM at NYC’s Symphony Space.
Alive! concert presentations, by Josh Canfield, directed by David Ruttura, featuring Anthony Chatmon II, Robi Hager, Savy Jackson, Josh Lamon, Stephany Mora, Mary Page Nance, Nic Rouleau, Kyle Selig, and Lauren Zakrin, concludes at Off-Broadway’s Theatre 555.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Game Time by Jim Bernhard
Fill in the missing words in these show and song titles, all of which are names of games.
| 1. The Octette ____ Club by P. J. Barry | A. Rummy |
| 2. “The ____ Game,” song from Woman of the Year | B. Hearts |
| 3. Auction ____, musical by Jean Briquet and Paul Herve | C. Spades |
| 4. The ____ Game by D. L. Coburn | D. Poker |
| 5. Double ____ by Robert Anderson | E. Canasta |
| 6. “Gin ____, I Love You,” song from Stars On Ice | F. Dice |
| 7. “Ace of _____,” song from Bamboola | G. Pinochle |
| 8. “After ____—What?” song from Leonard Sillman’s New Faces of 1952 | H. Gin |
|
I. Solitaire |
| 10. “Hand Me the Wine and the ____,” song from Aspects of Love | J. Bridge |
Scroll down for the answers…
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CT’s Goodspeed Musicals has announced its 2024 season: (casting, creative teams, and additional information TBA).
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Apr. 5 – June 2), by Rupert Holmes
South Pacific (June 4 – Aug. 11)
Maggie (Aug. 23 – Oct. 20), by Johnny Reid, Matt Murray & Bob Foster
A Christmas Story, The Musical (Nov. 1 – Dec. 29), by Joseph Robinette, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul.
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A concert presentation of Nathan A. Fosbinders’ Miss Door County will take place Thurs. Nov. 9 at 7 PM at NYC’s Green Room 42, directed by TBA, with music direction by Matt Lowy.
Sara Gallo (Sophie), Cara Rose DiPietro (Margot) Caroline Lellouche (Crystal Clear), Mike Cefalo (Benjamin), and Ben Roseberry (Frank Marks Sophie’s father), with Khaila Wilcoxon, Gwynne Wood , Devina Sabnis, Alia Cuadros-Contreras, and more TBA.
Sophie Marks lives in a small Wisconsin town, and works at a small Wisconsin cafe, run by her small and sweet Wisconsin father. After the loss of her mom, Sophie thinks the answer to her problems is to get out of Whitefish Bay, until Agatha Monroe, a Former Miss Wisconsin runner-up (from either twenty or five years ago, depending on her state of mind), blows in to town and convinces Sophie to compete in the Miss Door County Pageant. Will Sophie, along with her oddball best friend Margot, and hopeless (and hapless) coworker Benjamin, be able to defeat local mean girl and pageant legend Crystal Clear? Or will Sophie discover that the real prize is something that can’t be covered in sequins and tulle?
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Ossie Davis’ Purlie Victorious: A Non Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch has been extended through Feb. 4, 2024 at the Music Box Theatre, directed by Kenny Leon.
Leslie Odom Jr. (Purlie), Kara Young (Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkens), Heather Alicia Simms (Missy Judson), Billy Eugene Jones (Idella Landy), Jay O. Sanders (Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee), Billy Timoney (Sheriff), and Noah Pyzik (Deputy), with Donald Webber Jr., Melvin Abston, Willa Bost, and Brandi Porter.
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After a sold-out run, An Evening of One-Acts by Ethan Coen will return Nov. 7-12 at Hollywood’s Hudson Guild Theatre, directed by Cameron Watson.
Elliot White, Harry White, Cooper McAdoo, Isabella Costa, Scott Thiede, Avan Delaney, and Will Fulginiti.
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RIP: Celebrated director Shirley Jo Finney passed away on Oct. 10, following an eight-month battle with cancer.
Born July 14, 1949 in Merced, CA, Shirley Jo Finney was a multiple award-winning director and actress. She wore her director’s hat in some of the most respected regional theaters across the country, including the Fountain Theatre, LA Theater Works, Pasadena Playhouse and Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles; the Goodman Theater in Chicago; Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.; the McCarter Theater and Crossroads Theatre Company in New Jersey; the Alabama Shakespeare Festival; Cleveland Playhouse; Humana Festival at the Actors Theater of Louisville; and the Sundance Theater Workshop in Park City, Utah.
An accomplished actress with many television and film credits, she was best known for her portrayal in the historic title role of Wilma Rudolph, the first female three-time gold medalist in the made-for-TV bio picture “Wilma.”
The Fountain Theatre, where Finney directed eight productions over the course of a decades-long artistic relationship, will host a memorial service in celebration of Finney’s life and accomplishments at a future date to be announced.
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Chicago’s Goodman Theatre has announced its 2023 New Stages Festival, offering new plays:
Revolution(s) (Nov. 30 at 7:30 PM … Dec. 3,6 & 9, all at 7:30 PM, and Dec. 10 (2 PM), by Zayd Ayers Dohrn & Tom Morello, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, with casting TBA. Soldier and aspiring musician Hampton Weems comes home from Afghanistan to find the South Side of Chicago is also occupied territory – and he’s accidentally joined the resistance. This is a punk/metal/hip-hop musical about a young artist finding his voice, why violence is as American as cherry pie, and how young radicals, across generations, are still motivated by love.
Slippin’ Through the Cracks: The Blues Journey of Bobby Rush (Dec. 8 at 7:30 PM), by Bobby Rush & Stephen Helper, directed by Helper & Arminda Thomas. The Blues journey of Bobby Rush takes us from the sharecropped fields and earthy juke joints of the deep south to the hot Chicago Blues scene where he broke the color barrier on Rush Street. In this new musical, created with writer Stephen Helper, the 89-year-old Blues superstar shares his moving, often hilarious story of “slippin’ through the cracks” he found in the walls of prejudice, hardship and loss to arrive at resilience and reconciliation. A celebration of authentic Black culture, more than 25 of his great Blues and Funk songs will tell the tale and rock the house.
Black Bear Island (Dec. 1 at 7:30 PM & Dec. 9 at 10 AM), by Karissa Murrell Myers, directed by Henry Godinez. When her estranged childhood sweetheart mysteriously dies, Amitra returns home after a 16-year absence to Black Bear Island, which legend says is haunted by a monstrous man-killing bear. As she searches for the truth and her memory starts to clear, the forest begins to engulf the house and Amitra’s past collides with her present. Regret, the unreliability of our own memories, and the paths we choose to become who we are unite in this new gothic thriller.
Perry Street (Dec. 2 & 9 at 2 PM), by Lucy Thurber, directed by Thomas Sadoski. Phil and Maggie live a life of leisure in their handsome West Village brownstone. They indulge in the finer things and find special joy bringing aspiring artists into their home and making them part of the family—with a few strings attached. But when their daughter, Becca, returns from Brown University with her new girlfriend, their comfortable dynamic starts shifting in unsettling ways. This provocative new play about family, class and sex asks: what are you willing to pay for the people and things that you desire most?
Cephianne’s Reflection (Dec. 1 at 7:30 PM & Dec. 10 at 10 AM), by Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom, directed by Malkia Stampley. Upon coming of age, the inhabitants of the invisible island of Ma Isle journey into the wilderness, where they are gifted with special abilities. So, it has been for hundreds of years…until Cephianne, the youngest child of their immortal matriarch, fails her seeking ritual, emerging from the woods unchanged and stumbles upon an enthralling man in her mirror. Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom’s new fairytale is penned in homage to the Gullah dialect and colorful culture found off the coast of Georgia, where the descendants of enslaved peoples turn pain into power.
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The world premiere of April Littlejohn’s Monster will run Oct. 20 – Nov. 12 at North Hollywood’s Loft Ensemble, directed by Bree Pavey.
Antwan Alexander II, Lara Blanco, Cassandra Carmona, Crismar Chacín-Ruiz, Nicole Craig, Bryanna Dewar, Angela Fairley, John Goodwin, Leah Haile, Barbera Ann Howard, Hanna Isac, Ritzi Lanier, April Littlejohn, Matt Lorenzo, Sean Alan Mazur, and Madylin Sweeten.
Hannah’s life is a total mess. To get back on track, she must face the Monster who haunts her every thought, trying to destroy her and everyone who loves her.
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The Complete History of the American Musical Theatre of the 1940s will take place Friday, Oct. 27 at 8 PM at LA’s Odyssey Theatre, curated & narrated by Dan Fishbach & Mark D. Kaufman, accompanied by Brad Gardern.
Eileen Barnett, Scot Harlan, Mary Gordon Murray, Sal Sabella, and Brent Schindele.
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“The Bride of Frankenstein” will screen Oct. 27 & 28 (both at 8 PM) at LA’s Theatre at Ace Hotel, with with the original score performed live by the LA Opera Orchestra.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Game Time
1-I. The Octette Bridge Club by P. J. Barry
2-D. “The Poker Game” from Woman of the Year
3-G. Auction Pinochle, musical by Jean Briquet and Paul Herve
4-H. The Gin Game by D. L. Coburn
5-I. Double Solitaire by Robert Anderson
6-A. “Gin Rummy, I Love You,” from Stars On Ice
7-C. “Ace of Spades,” from Bamboola
8-E. “After Canasta—What?” from Leonard Sillman’s New Faces of 1952
9-B. Queen o’ Hearts, musical by Lewis E. Gensler, Dudley Wilkinson, Frank Mandel and Oscar Hammerstein II
10-F. “Hand Me the Wine and the Dice,” from Aspects of Love