Today’s Highlights:
Strictly Ballroom UK tour, by Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce, David Foster & Eddie Perfect, directed by Craig Revel Horwood, featuring Kevin Clifton (Scott Hastings), Maisie Smith (Fran), Nikki Belsher (Shirley Hastings), Mark Sangster (Doug Hastings), Gary Davis (Barry Fife), Quinn Patrick (Les Kendall), Oliver Brooks (JJ Silvers), Jose Agudo (Rico), Karen Mann (Abuela), Agnes Pure (Liz), Benjamin Harrold (Ken), Jessica Vaux (Charm), Danielle Cato (Tina Sparkle), Kieran Cooper (Wayne), Maddy Ambus (Vanessa), Adam Davidson (Nathan), and Poppy Blackledge (Pam), with Liv Alexander, Edwin Ray, Stuart Rouse, Hollie Jane Stephens, Michelle Buckley, and Stylianos Thomadakis, launches at Portsmouth King’s Theatre.
The Band’s Visit, directed by Michael Longhurst, featuring Alon Moni Aboutboul (Tewfiq), Miri Mesika (Dina), Sharif Afifi, Jason Alder, Marc Antolin, Harel Glazer, Levi Goldmeier, Ido Gonen, Michal Horowicz, Emma Kingston, Shira Kravitz, Nitai Levi, Yali Topol Margalith, Ashley Margolis, Carlos Mendoza de Hevia, Peter Polycarpou, Ant Romero, Idlir, Shyti, Maya Kristal Tenenbaum, Sargon Yelda, and Baha Yetkin, begins previews at London’s Donmar Warehouse.
Fountain of You concert reading, by Tasha Gordon-Solmon & Faye Chiao, directed by Chloe Treat, featuring Jenni Barber, Jason Veasey, and Maya Days, with Caitlin Ort, Lexi Rabadi, and Allie Re, at 7 PM ET at NYC’s Green Room 42.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Where It’s At, by Jim Bernhard
Fill in the missing words in these song titles that ask “Where?”
| 1. “Where Are ____?’ – Spamalot | A. Times |
| 2. “Where Can You Take A ____?” – Promises, Promises | B. Shoe |
| 3. “Where Did the Good ____ Go?” – Over Here | C. Life |
| 4. “Where Do I ____?” – Hair | D. Girl |
| 5. “Where Do You ____?” – Mean Girls | E. You |
| 6. “Where Is ____?” – Oliver | F. Her |
| 7. “Where Is the ____That Late I Led?” – Kiss Me, Kate | G. Go |
| 8. “Where Shall I Find ____?” – Sail Away | H. Me |
| 9. “Where Would You Be Without ____?” – The Roar of The Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd | I. Belong |
| 10. “Where’s My ____?” – She Loves Me | J. Love |
Scroll down for the answers…
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Reviews for Eureka Day at London’s Old Vic:
The Guardian (Arifa Akbar): … beneath its broadsides, Jonathan Spector’s 2018 play has a serious-minded core which grapples with the organisation of power and the masking of privilege in groups… Directed snappily by Katy Rudd, the first half is full of impeccably polished satire, but we wonder where this can go… ; the script revels in its attack on the liberal left, spending too long taking pot-shots at this flatly drawn gang of entitled types, who use language as ammunition and concealment. “I feel fragile,” says Suzanne, and it sounds cartoonish… But the second half lets much of the satire go in favour of surprisingly earnest debates on social justice, vaccination and the pull of conspiracy theory…
Time Out (Andrzej Lukowski): …At first glance it feels staggering that Jonathan Spector’s comedy about a hyper-liberal American school that goes into meltdown over mandatory vaccination dates from 2018, ie well before the pandemic. On reflection, though, Eureka Day isn’t so much prophetic as perceptive… Spector’s play is not so much *about* vaccine hesitancy; rather it uses it as a device to launch a damning attack on ivory-towered West Coast liberalism… It’s a funny play, with a crack cast of largely US talent [Helen Hunt and Mark McKinney]… Though it starts fairly shallow, the play gains in depth… a pitch-perfect performance from Hunt…
The Stage (Sam Marloe): Given the trauma of the pandemic, you’d think the play would feel needle-sharp. Not so. In Katy Rudd’s highly coloured production, it’s as hollow as the echo chambers it lampoons, its characters cartoonish and its satire of liberal pieties unrevealing, if sporadically entertaining. The presence in the cast of Oscar winner Helen Hunt doesn’t come close to making its wearying verbosity seem worthwhile. She’s perfectly competent; but like everyone here, she simply doesn’t have enough to work with… Passive aggression and competitive virtue-signalling are exposed with a certain bilious wit…
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Adrienne Kennedy’s Ohio State Murders will begin previews Nov. 11 and open Dec. 8 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, directed by Kenny Leon.
Audra McDonald, Bryce Pinkham, and Lizan Mitchell, with more TBA.
A famous writer returns to her alma mater to finally reveal the truth of what happened when she was a student there.
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The New York Philharmonic‘s The Journey will take place Wed. Oct. 26 at 7 PM ET at the David Geffen Hall.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bernadette Peters, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Renée Fleming, Vanessa Williams, and more TBA.
The evening celebrates the successful completion of a 20-year journey to the newly renovated David Geffen Hall.
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RIP: Rita Gardner, who starring as Luisa in the original Off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks (1960), has died at the age of 87 from leukemia.
Broadway credits include Pal Joey, A Family Affair, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Morning’s at Seven, and The Wedding Singer. Rita also appeared in the national tour of Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Off-Broadway credits include The Cradle will Rock, To Be Young, Gifted, and Black, Jacques Brel, Steel Magnolias, Wings, and The Foreigner.
Regional credits include Show Boat, The Impossible Years, Lucky in the Rain, and Eleanor: A Love Story.
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Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations will begin performances Mar. 31, 2023 at the Prince Edward Theatre.
Creative team, casting, and additional information TBA.
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Video: First look at The Notebook at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
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The “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas” cast album will be released Oct. 28 on all platforms.
Jared Freiburg (Jerry Lee Lewis), Kathleen Macari (Dyanne), Bill Scott Sheets (Johnny Cash), Alex Swindle (Elvis Presley), Michael Sinclair (Brother Jay), Jamie Pittle (W.S. “Fluke Holland”), and Mark Andrew Miller (Carl Perkins), with Jonny Baird, Martin Lynds, and Chuck Mead.
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Cabaret will run Jan. 14 – Feb. 12 (opening Jan. 19) at Chicago’s Porchlight Music Theatre, directed by Michael Weber, with choreography by Brenda Didier, and music direction by Linda Madonia.
Josh Walker (The Emcee), Erica Stephan (Sally Bowles), Samuel B. Jackson (Clifford Bradshaw), Mary Robin Roth (Fraulein Schneider), Josiah Haugen (Ernst Ludwig), Mark David Kaplan (Herr Schultz), Neala Barron (Fraulein “Fritzie” Kost), Tim Foszcz (Herman), Frankie Leo Bennett (Emcee and Max standby), Morgan DiFonzo (Texas), Julia Fleckenstein (Helga), Haley Gustafson (Frenchie), Natalie Henry (Rosie), Shane Roberie (Max), Lance Spencer (Victor), TJ Tapp (Lulu), Shaun White (Bobby), and Evan Wilhelm (Hans), with Cam Turner and Jordan Beyeler.
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The two-part “Wicked” film, directed by Jon M. Chu, will be released in 2024 & 2025.
Ariana Grande (Glinda), Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero), and more TBA.
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Bess Wohl’s Camp Siegfried will begin previews Oct. 26 and open Nov. 15 at Second Stage‘s Tony Kiser Theater, directed by David Cromer.
Johnny Berchtold and Lily McInerny.
During a golden summer at the real-life Camp Siegfried, a picturesque campground on Long Island, two teenagers find themselves on a collision course with youthful passion and unbridled extremism. Are they falling in love or falling for something more sinister? Set on the cusp of World War II, this boy-meets-girl-meets cautionary tale about the seductive nature of fascism reveals a shocking part of America’s past and reminds us how easily darkness can sneak up on us.
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The world premiere of Cris Eli Blak’s Mass Graves will run Sept. 30 – Oct. 23 at North Hollywood’s Loft Ensemble, directed by Matt Lorenzo.
Antwan Alexander II, Tor Brown, Mace Bullington, Paul Davis, Les “Eljaye” Jennings, Jemeryas Jordan, Ignacio Navarro, Jazmine Nichelle, Jessica Perkins, Jeff Pitts, Esteban Vasquez, and Aya Washington.
A group of men, struggling with the consequences of their past actions, try to recover their lives inside a confined halfway house. As their cohabitants and families start closing in, each is forced to confront the crimes they committed. Can they redeem themselves or will the past keep pushing them to the edge?
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Endesha Ida Mae Holland’s From the Mississippi Delta will run Oct. 18-30 at CT’s Westport Country Playhouse, directed by Goldie E. Patrick.
Claudia Logan (Woman 1), Tameishia Peterson (Woman 2), and Erin Margaret Pettigrew (Woman 3).
Based on the author’s life, the triumphant journey begins in Greenwood, Mississippi – the Delta – where Phelia works in the cotton fields. Her coming-of-age experiences inspire her to dream, sweeping her into the momentum of the civil rights movement.
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The Seth Concert Series is back, with all new concerts streaming on Sundays. Click here for all streaming concerts.
Michael Cerveris (Oct. 2 at 5 PM ET)
Ali Ewoldt (Oct. 23 at 8 PM ET)
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Where It’s At
1-E. “Where Are You?’ – Spamalot
2-D. “Where Can You Take A Girl?” – Promises, Promises
3-A. “Where Did the Good Times Go?” – Over Here
4-G. “Where Do I Go?” – Hair
5-I. “Where Do You Belong?” – Mean Girls
6-J. “Where Is Love?” – Oliver
7-C. “Where Is the Life That Late I Led?” – Kiss Me, Kate
8-F. “Where Shall I Find Her?” – Sail Away
9-H. “Where Would You Be Without Me?” – The Roar of The Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd
10-B. “Where’s My Shoe?” – She Loves Me