Today’s Highlights:
Sesame Street the Musical, by Jonathan Rockefeller, Tom Kitt, Helen Park & Nate Edmondson, directed by Rockefeller, featuring all your favorite Sesame Street characters, opens at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row.
Clyde’s, by Lynn Nottage, directed by Kate Whoriskey, featuring De’Adre Aziza (Clyde), Kevin Kenerly (Montrellous), Reza Salazar (Rafael), and Garrett Young (Jason), with Danielle Davis, Lewon Johns, Maya Vinice Prentiss, Arik Vega, and Gage Wallace, opens at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
The Piano Lesson, by August Wilson, directed by Latanya Richardson Jackson, featuring Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charels), Danielle Brooks (Berniece), John David Washington (Boy Willie), Trai Byers (Avery), April Matthis (Grace), Ray Risher (Lymon), Michael Potts (Wining Boy), and Nadia Daniel & Jurnee Elizabeth Swan (alternating as Marthea), with Shirine Babb, Charles Browing, Peter Jay Fernandez, Sharina Martin, Warner Miller, Doron JePaul Mitchell, and Kim Sullivan, begins previews at Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
A Wonderful World private NYC industry readings, about Louis Armstrong, by Christopher Renshaw, Aurin Squire & Louis Armstrong, directed by Renshaw, featuring James Monroe Iglehart (Louis Armstrong), Krystal Joy Brown (Alpha Smith), Patrice Covington (Lucille Wilson), Jennie Harney-Fleming (Lil Harden), Aisha Jackson (Daisy Parker), Matt Bogart (Joe Glaser), Kevin Dennis (Johnny Collins), DeWitt Fleming Jr. (Lincoln Perry), Gavin Gregory (King Joe Oliver), and Xavier McKnight (Young Louis), with Rachel Schur Chase, Nigel Jamal Hall, Afra Hines, Joshua Keith, Krystal Imani Mackie, Barrett Martin, Aurelia Michael, Micah Jeremiah Mims, Alysha Morgan, Kevin Ricardo Tate, Sir Brock Warren, and Dori Waymer, at 2:30 PM ET (also tomorrow at 2:30 PM). 
cwhite@martianentertainment.com
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Reviews for Oklahoma at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre
LA Times (Charles McNulty): Of all the impressive feats director Daniel Fish pulls off in his thrilling deconstruction of Oklahoma!, the most impressive might be that in deromanticizing the musical he somehow manages not to kill off the romance at the heart of the show… But this bracing modern production isn’t trying to start a culture war. It just wants us to see the show with fresh eyes… The thrust of Fish’s staging is to get us to hear the musical drama in all its different registers… While it’s not technically accurate to say, as CTG’s email does, that the “revival is radically different from the original production without changing a word of the original text,” Fish in many respects hews closer than most to what Hammerstein wrote, at least until the ending, which requires some sleight of hand with the script.
Entertainment Weekly (Maureen Lee Lenker): …Fish’s in-the-round staging made the action intimate and raw, bringing the text’s sexuality and violence to the forefront… Fish’s revival truly revelatory, his ability to plumb the depths of a musical that has long been whitewashed and revered as a piece of Americana, rather than understood as a critique of it…It’s a shame then that these extremely fine performances from a markedly talented ensemble are blunted by the tour’s staging. Moments that were radical and breathtaking on Broadway feel stagey in this setting, the nuance and intimacy understandably muted in playing to an audience that is miles further away.
Hollywood Times (John Lavitt): Oklahoma! might have the original creators rolling in their graves, but they are rolling around with sly smiles… it is hard to argue against the reality that the reimagined version of Oklahoma! is provocative and probing… today’s version is like a moody school dance in a cafeteria decorated with streamers in a hick town. In some ways, the re-interpretation is a bold attempt at forging new ground, but it also feels smaller than expected… At the Ahmanson Theatre, Sis as Ado Annie Carnes is the new highlight of the show…brings energy and humor to their role with a flair that lights up the production…
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: A Matter of Taste by Jim Bernhard
The missing word in each of these show titles is one of four basic tastes: sweet, bitter, sour, or salt.
- Homer ____ Homer, musical by Mitch Leigh, Albert Marre, et al
- ____ Oleander, play by Federico García Lorca
- Henry, ____ Henry, musical by Bob Merrill and Nunnally Johnson
- My ____ Charlie, play by David Westheimer
- ____ Water, play by Daniel Garrett
- ____ Bird of Youth, play by Tennessee Williams
- ____ Grapes, play by Vincent Lawrence
- ____ River, play by George Abbott
- The ____ of the Earth, play by Joseph Arthur
- ____ ____, musical by Noël Coward
Scroll down for the answers…
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The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest running show ever, will close Feb. 18, 2023 after 35 years at the Majestic Theatre.
The musical has been the largest single generator of income and jobs in Broadway and U.S. theatrical history. In the New York production alone, appx. 6,500 people (including 300 actors) have been employed during its 30+ years run.
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A NYC lab of P.J. Hogan, Kate Miller-Heidke & Keir Nuttall’s Muriel’s Wedding took place last week, directed by Simon Phillips.
Leanne Antonio, Michael Barra, Samuel Cadieux, Hilary Cole, Emma Degerstedt, Kathy Deitch, Natalie Charle Ellis, Tyler Joseph Ellis, David Michael Garry, Sam Gravitte, Mary Claire King, Maggie McKenna, Elle McLemore, Dariana Mullen, Claire Neumann, Pascal Pastrana, Steve Raymond, Khamary Rose, Kiaya Niccolle Scott, Daniel Stewart Sherman, Jake Swain, Aaron Tsindos, and Scarlett Walker.
Video: “Amazing” from the Australian production.
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The New Group has announced complete casting for Will Arbery’s Evanston Salt Costs Climbing, to run Oct. 25 – Dec. 18 (opening Nov. 13) at the Signature Center, directed by Danya Taymor.
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Jeb Kreager, Ken Leung, and Rachel Sachnoff.
The play is set in Evanston, Illinois, where winters keep getting worse and salt truck drivers Peter and Basil battle the ice and snow and pass the time with jokes and stories. Their boss Maiworm has noble visions of a new green technology that would their jobs obsolete, but there may be a more terrifying warning calling out from under the roads.
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York Theatre Company‘s Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood, by Barry Kleinbort, conceived, directed & choreographed by Randy Skinner, which is currently in previews, will open Sept. 22 and close Oct. 16 at Off-Broadway’s Theatre at St. Jeans.
Jeremy Benton, Darien Crago, Kaitlyn Davidson, Danny Gardner, Darrell T. Joe, and Melinda Porto, with Corinne Munsch and Sean Quinn.
Video: Trailer
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TheOff-Broadway production of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Between Riverside and Crazy will begin previews Nov. 30 and open Dec. 19 at 2nd Stage’s Haye’s Theatre, directed by Austin Pendleton.
Common (Junior), Stephen McKinley, Victor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, and Michael Rispoli.
A comedic look at life in rent-controlled New York City, the play follows recently widowed ex-cop Walter “Pops” Washington and his recently paroled son Junior as they try to hold onto their rent-stabilized apartment.
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Harry Connick Jr. – A Holiday Celebration has announced its tour dates:
Click here for the complete tour schedule.
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LA’s Theatre West has announced its annual West Fest presentation of new works over 2 weekends:
Week One: Oct. 7-9:
This Almost Joy, by Barbara Lindsay, directed by Donald Moore, featuring Jeanine Anderson, Bonnie Kalisher, Richard Reich, Bill Sehres. That place of being almost, almost, any moment now, almost but-not-quite,,,,
A Perfect Evening, written & directed by Clara Rodriguez, featuring Philip Sokoloff, Seemah Wilder Idelson, Ari Wojciech, Sara Ballantine Sometimes it’s hard to find love, even in a fancy and romantic restaurant.
150 Years of Walking, by David Lindsey, directed by Veronica Thompson, featuring Daphne Jones, Aron Cobbs, Aneisha Hughes, Joe Nassi, Jarrol Taylor. The more things change, the more they remain the same. Is there a cycle, do we recognize the cycle, and if we see the cycle, can the cycle be broken?
Close Encounter, by Kres Mersky, directed by Paul Gersten, starring Kres Mersky A cosmetologist’s tale.
The Dead Comedian, written & directed by Lloyd J. Schwartz, featuring Cecil Jennings. Dead comedians get the last laugh.
Starry Night, written & directed by Clara Rodriguez, featuring Zoe Echo, Cecil Jennings, and Paige Pederson. Camping can be dangerous…in a lot of different ways.
Neighbors, written & directed by Arden Teresa Lewis, featuring Heidi Appe and Alan Schack. Feuding neighbors find an incongruous bond when a difficult teenager runs away.
Week Two (Oct. 14-16):
Bittersweet Oranges, by Marc Littman, directed by Rick Simone, featuring Mimi Kmet, Ernest McDaniel, Cecil Jennings, and Amelia Vargas.
What happens when a long-simmering dark family secret finally boils over?
Rope, written by & starring Kres Mersky, directed by Paul Gersten. One woman, one rope, one unexpected friendship.
Strangers in a Lost Land, written & directed by Cecil Jennings, featuring Paige Pedersen, Tessa Nesbet, and Charles Smith. (description not provided)
Spider Wars, written & directed by Donald Moore, featuring Rick Simone and Ashley Taylor. On what a tangled bed we leave…
Just Like That, written & directed by James A. Goins, featuring Cynthia Vassor and Ari Wojciech. Complex issue come to surface as political and racial tensions pull apart the hearts and minds of a young married interracial couple.
Death and Cold Cuts, by Garry Kluger, directed by Teresa Lewis, featuring Mary Somers and Amelia Vargas.
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Tony Danza: Standards and Stories will run Nov. 1-5 at 8:30 PM PT at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club
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Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles has announced its Season 44, which will celebrate Motown, women, and the music of Disney, with music direction by Ernest H. Harrison.
A Motown Holiday (Dec. 17 & 18 at Glendale’s Alex Theatre)
I’m With Her (Mar. 25 & 26, 2023 at Glendale’s Alex Theatre), celebrating the music of powerhouse female artists.
Disney Pride (June 24 & 25 at LA’s Walt Disney Concert Hall), featuring classic Disney music with a 25-piece orchestra.
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A concert reading of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own will take place Sat. Oct. 1 at 7 PM ET at Off-Broadway’s Joe’s Pub, directed by Kirsten Z. Cairns.
Mary Bridget Davis.
A landmark in feminist thought and a rhetorical masterpiece, which started life as lectures to the literary societies of Newnham and Girton Colleges, in Cambridge in October 1928. The piece, now a play with music, addressed to audiences of female students in the hothouse atmosphere of interwar creativity, is an unforgettable and passionate assertion of women’s creative originality by one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.
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Video: Cynthia Erivo performs “When You Wish Upon A Star” from “Pinocchio,” the live-action film adaptation that is now streaming on Disney+.
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Provincetown Art House has announced its Fall 2022/Winter 2023 season:
Quickies: 4 Short Plays from Provincetown (Tuesdays & Wednesdays in Sept.)
Mauricio Martinez (Sept. 24)
Seth Rudetsky & Beth Malone (Sept. 30 & Oct. 1)
Melissa Ferrick (Oct. 14 & 15)
Jinkx Monsoon: Spooky Bear Weekend, with Major Scales (Oct. 29)
Christine Ebersole, with Billy Strich (Dec. 31).
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: A Matter of Taste
- Homer Sweet Homer, musical by Mitch Leigh, Albert Marre, et al
- Bitter Oleander, play by Federico García Lorca
- Henry, Sweet Henry, musical by Bob Merrill and Nunnally Johnson
- My Sweet Charlie, play by David Westheimer
- Salt Water, play by Daniel Garrett
- Sweet Bird of Youth, play by Tennessee Williams
- Sour Grapes, play by Vincent Lawrence
- Sweet River, play by George Abbott
- The Salt of the Earth, play by Joseph Arthur
- Bitter Sweet, musical by Noël Coward