Today’s Highlights:
Suffs, by Shaina Taub, directed by Leigh Silverman, featuring Shaina Taub (Alice Paul), Nikki M. James (Ida B. Wells), Jenn Colella (Carrie Chapman Catt), Grace McLean (President Woodrow Wilson), Hannah Cruz (Inez Milholland), Kim Blanck (Ruza Wenclawska), Anastacia McCleskey (Mary Church Terrell), Ally Bonino (Lucy Burns), Tsilala Brock (Dudley Malone), Dandashi (Doris Stevens), and Emily Skinner (Alva Belmont/Phoebe Burn), with Hawley Gould, Dana Costello, Jenna Bainbridge, Monica Tulia Ramirez, Ada Westfall, Christine Heesun Hwang, Kirsten Scott, Housso Semmon, and D’Kaylah Unique Whitley, opens at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre.
Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine, by Lynn Nottage, directed by Martavius Parrish, featuring Felicia Curry (Undine – Apr. 18 – May 6), Kedren A. Spencer (Undine – Apr. 19 – May 19), Stephanie Pope (Mother), Evander Duck Jr. (Father), Sharon Hope (Grandma), Mariyea Jaclson (Stephie), Roland Lane (Flow), Tito Livas (Hervé), and Blake Russell (Accountant), with Kimberlee Walker, opens at Brooklyn’s Billie Holiday Theatre.
42nd Street Moon‘s Forever Plaid, directed by Daniel Thomas, featuring Edu Gonzalez-Maldonado, Justin P. Lopez, Kevin Singer, and Matt Skinner, opens at San Fransisco’s Gateway Theatre.
The Two Hander, world premiere by Julia Blauvelt, directed by Suzanne Barabas, featuring Ella Dershowitz and Jill Eikenberry, opens at New Jersey Rep.
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Reviews for The Wiz at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre:
NY Times (Maya Phillips): …This new production..showcases creative visuals and some standout performances, but stops short of bringing modern Blackness to Broadway… Deborah Cox’s Glinda, the good witch, in a shimmering gold gown, looks like a jewel and sounds like one, too, with her crystalline voice switching from jazzy scatting to a sparkling falsetto… There’s just as much color in the choreography, by JaQuel Knight, which offers an evocative mélange of styles… The best performances in the production are likewise grounded in movement: Wilson is a playful scarecrow, his wobbly knees and freely flinging limbs showing off impressive flexibility and acrobatic skill. Freeman’s dramatic prancing and marching as the lion pair perfectly with his character’s … well, leonine theatricality… As Dorothy, Lewis dutifully hits the notes but is dwarfed by the stage and the performers around her… Despite its freewheeling fashions there’s a hemmed-in quality to most of the production. This Dorothy and her adventure, like the overall direction, is bright and tidy but falls short in character…
Chicago Tribune (Chris Jones): …The Wiz to the Great White Way after some 50 years is a cause for celebration… The show is modestly scaled; the quirky set is from Hannah Beachler and the costumes, which are fun and referential, are by Sharen Davis… Wayne Brady has been added to the cast in a title role that’s more of a cameo, really… Brady is well within his wheelhouse and perfectly fine. He does what needs to be done and is bathed in a warm responsive bath… Cox (Glinda), a veteran of many Frank Wildhorn tours and a knockout singer, remains underused… [Amber]Ruffin, a capable wit, has freshened up the book although not invasively so… Avery Wilson’s Scarecrow, Phillip Johnson Richardson’s Tinman (the most moving I’ve seen) and Kyle Ramar Freeman’s Lion, cowardly variety, really are the heart of this particular revival and they’re a delightful quartet when they carry along Nichelle Lewis’ much improved Dorothy…
Theatermania (David Gordon): …Honestly, Brown’s book is a collection of episodes that never really cohered and isn’t all that funny. It’s augmented here with new jokes and roasts from comedian Amber Ruffin, which the actors deliver with relish… Ruffin hasn’t figured out a way to solve the structural problems, but the big heart is still intact.. Pretty much the rest of the production showcases the perils of easing on down the road… The dancers give Knight’s repetitive choreography their all but are clearly bored or tired… Williams’s direction is similar: bare minimum, dead behind the eyes… There’s no connection, no chemistry, no soul. This is as lifeless a production as I’ve ever seen on Broadway, and, quite frankly, it’s shocking…
Variety (Naveen Kumar): …the maximalist revival… following a 13-city national tour, diminishes some of the show’s reliable pleasures with unmitigated, candy-colored exuberance… even kids could use help knowing where to look. Dizzying visuals and overamplification too often swallow both actors and storytelling in a swirling sensory overload… the production begins promisingly with an intimate exchange between Dorothy (newcomer Nichelle Lewis) and Aunt Em (Melody A. Betts)… But that opportunity for connection swiftly gets swept away in the one-way twister to Oz… The already itinerant plot feels all the more disjointed when each scene appears to take place in a different CGI-augmented world…
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The 2024 Sondheim Award presentation, honoring Nathan Lane, will take place Mon. Apr. 29 at 8 PM at DC’s The Anthem at the Wharf. 
here.
Faith Prince, Krysta Rodriguez, James Caverly and more.
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CA’s Berkeley Rep has announced it 2024-25 season:
Mexodus (Sept. 13 – Oct. 29), by Brian Quijada, directed by David Mendizábal. 
History meets hip-hop in this electrifying live-looping musical, composed in real-time by multitalented writer/performers Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson. Mexodus explores the often-untold stories of the Underground Railroad that led south into Mexico. Don’t miss this groundbreaking, theatrical experience of resilience and resistance, celebrating the power of Black and Brown solidarity.
The Matchbox Magic Flute (Oct. 18 – Dec. 8), adapted & directed by Mary Zimmerman.
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding (Nov. 8 – Dec. 15), by Jocelyn Bioh, directed by Whitney White.
The Thing About Jellyfish (Jan. 31 – Mar. 9, 2025), adapted by Keith Bunin, directed by Tyne Rafaeli. During the last week of summer vacation, 12-year-old Suzy Swanson learns that her best friend Franny has drowned. Desperate to make sense of Franny’s death, Suzy immerses herself in her own imagination, where she can circumnavigate the globe, plunge into the terrifying depths of the ocean, explore the collapsed stars of the most distant galaxies, and perhaps even solve the mysteries of the universe.
Uncle Vanya (Feb. 14 – Mar. 23), adapted by Conor McPherson, directed by Simon Godwin.
Here There are Blueberries (Apr. 5 – May 11)), by Moises Kaufman & Amanda Gronich In 2007, a mysterious album featuring Nazi-era photographs arrived at the desk of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist. As curators unraveled the shocking truth behind the images, the album soon made headlines and ignited a debate that reverberated far beyond the museum walls.
The Aves (May 2 – June 8), world premiere by Jiehae Park. In the summer, an old man and an old woman sit on a park bench, talk about the birds, and bet on the rain…but things aren’t as simple as they may seem. With humor, surrealism, and tenderness, the singular imagination and innovative style of acclaimed playwright Jiehae Park turn the ordinary into the extraordinary as the seasons shift, meditating on themes of human connection, memory, and growing older.
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An Intimate Evening with Jennifer Holliday will run Aug. 30 – Sept. 1 at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club.
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Phelim McAleer’s October 7 will run May 2 – June 16 (opening May 13) at the Actors Temple Theatre, directed by Geoffrey Cantor.
Alyssa Simon, Jenny Anne Hochburg, Rebecca Lynn Goldfarb, Jonas Barranca, Lynne Taylor, Marissa O’Donnell, Leora Kalish, Nathan Vincenti, Randy Schein, Paul Louis, René Ifrah, Salma Qaurnain, and Yair Ben-Dor. The verbatim play features testimonials from those who survived, helped survivors, were wounded, or fought back on Israel’s darkest Day.**********************
Donald Margulies’ Dinner with Friends continues through Apr. 28 at the Zephyr Theatre, directed by Peter Allas.
Jack Esformes (Gabe), Marieh Delfino (Karen), Lieth Burke (Tom), and Amy Mottoa (Beth), with Chala Savino and Rick Segall.
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Theater Breaking Through Barriers will present Neil Simon’s I Ought to be in Pictures Apr. 27 -May 25 (opening May 2) at Theatre Row, directed by Nicholas Viselli.
Makenzie Morgan Gomez (Libby), Pamela Sabaugh (Steffy), and Chris Thorn (Herb).
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The Mystery of Edwin Drood, directed by Rob Ruggiero, continues through June 2 at CT’s Goodspeed.
Lenny Wolpe (Chairman/William Carwright), Liz McCartney (Princess Puffer/Angela Prysock), Mamie Parris (Alice Nutting), Paul Adams Schaefer (Jasper/Clive Paget), Levin Valayil (Neville Landless/Victor Grinstead), Riley Noland (Rosa Bud/Jetta Juriansz), Paul Slade Smith (Crisparkle/Cedric Moncreiff), David Beach (Durdles/Master Nick Cricker), Marcus Montgomery (Deputy/Mister Nick Cricker), and Jamie LaVerdier (Bazzard/Phillip Bax), with Jon Cooper, Benjamin Howes, Albert Jennings, Miyuki Miyagi, Jacqueline Petroccia, Jesse Swimm, Natalie Welch, Megan Arseneau and Noah Rubeck.
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Our Name is Barbara, in support of Project Angel Food, will take place Sun. Apr. 21 at 7:30 PM at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club.
Katrina Aguilar, Anastasia Barzee, Patricia Canale, Angelo Divino, Fourplay! Clifford Bell, Mary Pat Bowe, Andrea Press, Kelley Yearout, Julie Garnye, Shelly Goldstein, Jason Graae, Michael J. Libow, Michael Maguire, Gregg Marx, Dana Meller, Mark Arthur Miller, Teri Ralston, Kerry O’Malley, glen Rosenblum, Shawn Ryan, Kirby Tepper, and Nita Whitaker
Musical directors: David Scott Cohen, Michael Collum, David J. Kaminski, Peter Smith, and Gerald Sterbach.
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The world premiere of Taylor Mac & Jason Robert Brown’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil will run June 25 – Aug. 4 (opening July 8) at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, directed by Rob Ashford, with choreography by Tanya Birl.
J. Harrison Ghee (Lady Chablis), Tom Hewitt (Jim Williams), Sierra Boggess (Emma Dawes), Lance Roberts (Bobby Lewis), Austin Colby (Danny Hansford), Bailee Endebrock (Corrine Strong), Shanel Bailey (Lavella Cole), Jessica Molaskey (Alma Knox Carter), Brianna Buckley (Minerva), Mary Ernster (Serena Barnes/Dawn Avery), McKinley Carter (Vera Strong), Maya Bowles (Stacey Brown), DeMarius Copes (Jereiah Jones), Sean Donovan (Luther Driggers), Jason Michael Evans CColonel Atwood/Burt), Christopher Kelley (Bubbles/Gregory), Andre Terrell Malcolm (Josiah Domingo), Aaron James McKenzie (Jethro Myles), Wes Oliver (Jack the One-Eyed Jill), Kayla Marie Shipman (Millicent/Mary), and Rory Shirley (Stefanie Davis), Calvin L. Cooper, with Daryn Whitney Harrell, Kayla Kennedy, Jake DiMaggio Lopez, Justin Thomas Rivers.
A seductive new musical. Southern charm is bountiful in Savannah, Georgia. But behind polite smiles, the eccentric residents are filled with secrets and motives. When wealthy antiques dealer Jim Williams is accused of murder, the sensational trial uncovers hidden truths and exposes the fine line between good and evil — which sparks Lady Chablis and other Savannahians to change the city forever.
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Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey’s If Then in concert will take place Mon. June 24 at 7 & 9:30 PM at NYC’s 54 Below, directed byDavid Alpert, with music direction by Carmel Dean.
Miguel Cervantes, Jenn Colella, Marc de la Cruz, Curtis Holbrook, Stephanie Klemons, Janet Krupin, Tyler McGee, Anthony Rapp, Ryann Redmond, Joe Aaron Reid, James Snyder, and Jason Tam.