Today’s Highlights:
Dear Evan Hansen, directed by directed by Adam Penford, featuring Ryan Kopel (Evan Hansen), Lauren Conroy (Zoe Murphy) Alice Fearn (Heidi), Helen Anker (Cynthia Murphy), Richard Hurst (Larry Murphy), Killian Thomas Lefevre (Connor Murphy), Tom Dickerson (Jared Kleinman), Vivian Panka (Alana Beck), and Sonny Monaghan (alternate Evan), with Lara Beth-Sas, Will Forgrave, Daniel Forrester, Jessica Lim, Sonny Monaghan, and Shakira Simpson, opens at the UK’s Nottingham Playhouse.
The Hollywood Theatre Club‘s Today Tix’s LA Theatre Week Rooftop Sunset Party from 7-10 PM at NeueHouse Hollywood (6121 Sunset Blvd.), hosted by hosted by Matthew Hoffman.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Nationalities by Jim Bernhard
Complete these titles by adding the correct nationalities:
| 1. An ____ Daisy, musical by Walter Slaughter and Edgar Smith | A. Mexican |
| 2. The ____ Doll, musical by George Gershwin, Gus Edwards, et al | B. Japanese |
| 3. A ____ Honeymoon, play by Constance Cary Harrison | C. Italian |
| 4. ____ Friar, play by John Dryden | D. French |
| 5. The ____ Straw Hat, play by Eugene Labiche and Marc-Michel | E. American |
| 6. The ____ Prime Minister, play by Enid Bagnold | F. Irish |
| 7. A ____ Nightingale, play by William Young | G. English |
| 8. Abie’s ____ Rose, play by Anne Nichols | H. Spanish |
| 9. ____ Hayride, musical by Cole Porter, Herbert and Dorothy Fields | I. Russian |
| 10. The ____ Dream, play by Edward Albee | J. Chinese |
Scroll down for the answers…
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Red Bull Theater‘s Medea: Re-Versed, by Luis Quintero,will run Sept. 12 – Oct. 13 at the Sheen Center, directed by Nathan Winkelstein.
Sarin Monae West (Medea), Siena D’Addario, Melissa Mahoney, Mark Martin, Jacob Ming-Trent, Luis Quintero, and Stephen Michael Spencer.
How do you solve a problem like Medea? Her infamy is larger than life; it resists the constraints of the stage. There have been other terrifying anti-heroes in the history of tragedy, but a woman capable of killing her own children threatens to break the bounds of imagination. Even Lady Macbeth, a theatrical descendant who imagines dashing out the brains of a nursing infant, can’t steel herself to carry out actual violence, and ultimately subsides into madness and suicide. Medea, though, ends her play not beaten down but darkly triumphant. In the final scene of Euripides’ tragedy, she turns up to taunt her defeated husband from a winged chariot suspended above the stage. By occupying the position reserved for the deus ex machina, Medea reminds us that she’s semi-divine, the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. “There’s a deity’s entity in my identity,” she tells us in this brilliant adaptation. A supernaturally powered fury, she refuses to be reduced to human fragility.
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Romeo and Juliet will run Oct. 1 – Nov. 10 at DC’s Folger Theatre, directed by Raymond O. Caldwell.
Cole Taylor (Romeo), Caro Reyes Rivera (Juliet), Todd Scofield (Lord Capulet), Fran Tapia (Lady Capulet), Tony Nam (Lord Montague), Renee Elizabeth Wilson (Lady Mantague), Briovanna Alcântara Drummond (Confidant), John Floyd (Confidant) Alina Collins Maldonado (Tybalt), Luz Nicholas (Nurse), Brandon Carter (Friar Lawrence), Deidra LaWan Starnes (Prince), and Gabriel Alejandro (Paris).
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The world premiere of Soup in the Second Act, written & directed by Barry Primus, will run Sept. 26 – Oct. 20 at Theatre for the New City.
Paul Coates (Austin), Kip Gilman (Warren), Equiano Mosieri (Gavin), Zora Rasmussen (Rene), Connor Stewart (Stagehand), Bill Waters (Stagehand) and one more TBA.
The backstage comedy explores what actors do in the face of the demise of a touring show.
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Musical Theatre Guild will present a concert version of Adam Guettel & Craig Lucas’ The Light in the Piazza on Sun. Sept. 29 at 7 PM at Santa Monica’s Broad Stage, directed by Kirsten Chandler, with music direction by Brad Ellis.
Kim Huber (Margaret), Valerie Larsen (Clara), Gabriel Navarro (Fabrizio), Tal Fox (Franca), Will Collyer (Giuseppe), Robert Yacko (Signor), Eydie Alyson (Signora), and Brent Schindele (Roy), with Maura M. Knowles and David Zack.
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Manhattan Theatre Club will present the world premiere of Erika Sheffer’s Vladimir, to begin previews Sept. 14 and open Oct. 16 New York City Center Stage 1, directed by Daniel Sullivan.
Norbert Leo Butz, Francesca Faridany, Erik Jenson, Jonathan Walker, and more TBA.
This haunting world premiere unfolds in Moscow, where an independent journalist covering Putin’s first term struggles to maintain sanity and hope in increasingly hostile circumstances. She finds herself on the brink of an explosive story — but as danger mounts for her and her sources, she questions whether her bravery will make any difference at all. Written by Erika Sheffer, Vladimir is about standing up to immorality no matter the cost, when you know your nation is headed for disaster.
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Green Day’s American Idiot will run Oct. 2 – Nov. 10 (opening Oct. 9) at the Ahmanson Theatre, in collaboration with Deaf West Theatre, directed by Snehal Desai. The production will be performed in ASL and spoken English.
(including both deaf and hearing actors) Steven-Adam Agdeppa, L.J. Benet, Will Branner, Jerusha Cavazos, Lark Detweiler, Daniel Durant, Kaia T. Fitzgerald, Landen Gonzales, Tyler Hardwick, Otis Jones IV, Milo Manheim, Josué Martinez, Giovanni Maucere, James Olivas, Mason Alexander Park, Monika Peña, Mars Storm Rucker, Mia Sempertegui, Angel Theory, and Ali Fumiko Whitney.
Through powerful performances and immersive staging, the show explores themes of identity and rebellion while amplifying the voices of Deaf and multi-cultural communities. With nods to contemporary culture, this electrifying interpretation pushes boundaries and celebrates the diversity of human experience. Join us for a bold and reimagined take on a modern-day classic like you’ve never seen—or heard—before.
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Othello will run Feb. 24 – June 8, 2025 (opening Mar. 23) at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, diected by Kenny Leon.
Denzel Washington (Othello) Jake Gyllenhaal (Iago), Molly Osborne (Desdemona), and more TBA.
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Ragtime will run Sept. 20 – Oct. 20 at Stages St. Louis, directed by Deidre Goodwin, with choreography by Michelle Potterf, and music direction by E. Renee Gamez.
Tamar Greene (Coalhouse Walker), Shereen Pimentel (Sarah), Marissa McGowan (Mother), Elora Von Rosch (Emma Goldman), Brian Golub (Tateh), Dan Fenaughty (Father), Vera Brown (Sarah’s Friend), Jonathan Cobrda (Harry Houdini), Matthew Cox (Youner Brother), Carline Lynch Desmarais (Kathleen), John Flack (J. P. Morgan), Sarah Ellis (Evelyn Nesbit), Kyle Holmes (Little Boy), Steve Isom (Henry), Omega Jone (Booker T. Washington), Zoe Klevorn (Little Girl), Scott Moreau (Willie), Whit Reichert (Grandfather), with Jasmine Alexis Goburne, Skylar Hagerty, Elinor Harrison, Sophia HIllman, Brandon Hudson, Keith Johnson, Matthew Marvin, Danny McHugh, Joel Oliver, PJ Palmer, Lindsay Roberts Greene, TJ Staten, Caitlin Stebelman, Kieran Thompson.
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Hugh Panaro: Man Without a Mask will take place Thurs. Dec. 5 at 8:30 PM at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club, directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, with music direction by Joseph Thalken
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Red Bull Theater will present the world premiere of Luis Quintero & Nathan Winkelstein’s Medea Re-Versed, to run Sept. 12 – Oct. 13 (opening Sept. 23) at the Sheen Center, directed by Winkelstein.
Siena D’Addario (Medea), Melissa Mahoney, Mark Martin, Jacob Ming-Trent), Luis Quintero, and Stephen Michael Spencer.
An ice-cold, high-octane adaptation of Euripides’ play written in battle rap verse, this brand-new hip-hop version of Medea sheds contemporary light on the classic tragedy of family, power, and revenge – as terrifying and shocking today as it was two thousand years ago. Quintero’s version of the story reignites the sacred rage of our ancestors and illuminates in the most human terms the extraordinary lengths that some people will travel to even the scales of justice.
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A developmental workshop production of Jay Martel’s Parents in Chains will run Sept. 30 & Oct. 1 at Hollywood’s Whitley Theatre, directed by Andy Fickman.
TBA.
Six L.A. parents exchange texts as their 17-year-old daughters drive home from a weekend in San Francisco during the approach of a hurricane. The trip and the inclement weather bring out both the best and the worst in the parents as they confront, as a group, as couples, and as individuals, what it means to let go of their kids.
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Ann Kittredge: Romantic Notions will take place Sept. 27 & Nov. 14 (both at 7 PM) at NYC’s Chelsea Table + Stage, with music direction by Christopher Denny.
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The world premiere recording of the original 2 LP cast album (offering 27 songs) of Stephen Sondheim’s Here We Are is now available on vinyl, as well as most platforms.
Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Bobby Cannavale, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, Rachel Bay Jones, Denis O’Hare, Steven Pasquale, David Hyde Pierce and Jeremy Shamos.
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Santa Barbara’s Ensemble Theatre Company has announced a change to its 2024-25 season.
The world premiere of Hershey Felder’s Rachmaninoff and the Tsar, directed by Trevor Hay, will replace the previously announced George Gershwin Alone. and run Apr. 3-20, 2025
Hershy Felder
The story of the legendary pianist-composer Sergei V. Rachmaninoff who, having safely fled Russia during the 1917 revolution, made his home in the United States. In 1942, at the age of 68, he received American citizenship and bought a home in Beverly Hills, but his soul never left Russia. Six months later, a terminal illness brought forth the memory of a long ago encounter Rachmaninoff had with Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II, and the Tsar’s daughter, the Grand Duchess Anastasia. This memory would haunt him until his death. Felder performs the leading role of Sergei Rachmaninoff and, for the first time, will appear opposite another artist, British-Italian actor Jonathan Silvestri, in the role of Tsar Nicholas II.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: Nationalities
1-G. An English Daisy, musical by Walter Slaughter and Edgar Smith
2-D. The French Doll, musical by George Gershwin, Gus Edwards, et al
3-I. A Russian Honeymoon, play by Constance Cary Harrison
4-H. Spanish Friar, play by John Dryden
5-C. The Italian Straw Hat, play by Eugene Labiche and Marc-Michel
6-J. The Chinese Prime Minister, play by Enid Bagnold
7-B. A Japanese Nightingale, play by Willliam Young
8-F. Abie’s Irish Rose, play by Anne Nichols
9-A. Mexican Hayride, musical by Cole Porter, Herbert and Dorothy Fields
10-E. The American Dream, play by Edward Albee