Today’s Highlights:
* The New Group‘s The Jacksonian benefit reading, by Beth Henley, featuring (original cast) Juliet Brett (Rosy Perch), Ed Harris (Bill Perch), Amy Madigan (Susan Perch), and Bill Pullman (Fred Weber), with Jane Krakowski (as Eva White, originally performed by Glenne Headly), streams at 7 PM ET.
* Goodnight Tyler benefit reading, by B.J. Tindal, in support of the National Black Theatre, directed by Kent Gash, featuring Jelani Alladin, Johanna Braddy, Danielle Deadwyler, Jack Quaid, Alex Gibson), and Michele Shay, livestreams at 7 PM ET here (and available through Aug. 31).
* Godspell in concert, directed by Michael Strassen, featuring Sam Tutty, Ria Jones, and Jenna Russell (both from the 1993 London production), Jodie Steele, Danyl Johnson, Jenny Fitzpatrick, Natalie Green, John Barr, Sally Ann Triplett, Gerard McCarthy, Alison Jiear, Shekinah McFarlane, Lucy Williamson, Ronald Brian, and Jermone Bell, streamed in London here (available through Aug. 29).
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Video: “Stars in the House” discussion of What Makes a Show? with special guests Jorge Avila, David Calhoun, Joseph Pittman, Xavier Rubiano and Stephen Spadaro. (1:04:41)
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Jason Graae chats with Claudette Sutherland, star of the original Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
Jason: Hellooooo Claudette Sutherland! What an incredible, varied career you’re having! Broadway, TV, Film, Writing, Writing Instructor. I think the burning question on all our readers’ minds is this — Where did you first meet me?
Claudette: I met Jason on the island of Kauai for a long weekend. No more needs to be said.
Jason: Where were you born, where did you go to school, when did you move to NYC?
Claudette: I was born in Portland, Oregon because that’s where my parents were racing greyhounds. I was on the road from then on until I left home for college. We followed the racing seasons which meant we crossed the country pulling a trailer of dogs from track to track. I went to school wherever we were. I went to NYC in 1965 or so from Yale.
Jason: Aaaand how long did it take you to land and ORIGINATE the role of Smitty in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying?
Claudette: It was my first audition. So it didn’t take long. Sorry, not a sad tale.
Jason: Had I been in NYC then, I would’ve hated you. How closely did you work with Bob Fosse? What were your impressions?
Claudette: I wasn’t a dancer, but Bobby staged the musical numbers. Gwen was often there, too. He was intense and talented. He smoked. All the time. Even dancing.
Jason: You also did Shadow Box on Broadway? Incredible play!
Claudette: I covered two roles as a stand-by in Shadow Box, then took over for (oh dear) someone. I think the role was Agnes. I did the ill-fated revival of The Women.
Jason: So many questions, so little time. I’ve taken your class for 6 months and it’s been the highlight of the quarantine, he said, hoping to get an A. When did you veer into writing?
Claudette: My career spanned 30 years. I supported my theater habit with a multitude of on-camera commercials which were well funded. Then moved into voice-over and radio which I loved dearly. I came to LA when I was 50 and guest starred here until the business began to drift away from my age group. So I began doing creative writing workshops almost 25 years ago. It turned out to be the best fit I could have imagined. Now I don’t have to endure the grinding, exhaustive wait for my agent to call.
Jason: Thank you for talking to Graae Notes @ Grace Notes, dear Claudette.
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A developmental reading of Georgeta Rae’s Joni: The Musical will take place in Spring 2021, directed by Mitchell Walker, with musical arrangements by Jeremy Tolsky.
Christy Altomare, and more TBA.
A tribute to Joni Mitchell, the musical takes us on an incredible journey with Joni, from playing Cowboys and Indians with the boys and overcoming polio at age 9, to Joni in her 50’s. The bulk of the show centers on her years in between filled with frenetic relationships and a free-for-all lifestyle that includes relationships with James Taylor, Graham Nash, Chuck Mitchell and an “out-of-this-world” encounter with Miles Davis. Joni’s maddening experiences combined with her prevailing attitude ultimately result in many of folk’s greatest hits such as “Circle Game,” “Both Sides Now,” and “Big Yellow Taxi.” Joni the Musical will also feature music by Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Cass Elliot, and James Taylor.
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The world premiere of Cavan Hallman & Nancy Hill Cobb’s The Suffragist will run July 16-18, 2021 at the University of Northern Iowa (Gallagher Cludorn PAC), directed by Rachel Klein.
Nany Opel (as Chapman Catt), and more TBA.
The musical features major characters from the movement, such as Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, Lucy Burns, and Inez Milholland, and centers on the bravery and persistence of the women who fought for the rights that we have today, despite the abuses they endured.
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Video: “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” with a virtual choir, orchestra, 15 countries, and 300 people. Glorious.
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NYC’s 92Y offers “Geraldo Cadava: Hamilton’s America,” a 5-session class (Sept. 2-30, all at 7 PM ET) mashing history into pop culture and back again.
Why did Alexander Hamilton’s story — captured in Ron Chernow’s biography — captivate Lin-Manuel Miranda? Why has his story captivated the millions who made the show the hottest ticket on Broadway … ever? How did hip hop make history irresistible? What about Hamilton’s America is relevant to our America right now? Or is there little that isn’t?
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A reading of Donald Margulies’ Dinner With Friends, in support of The Actors Fund, will take place Fri. Sept. 4 at 7 PM ET here, directed by Alison Tanney.
Ben Davis, Ali Ewoldt, Kenita Miller, and more TBA.
A funny yet bittersweet examination of the married lives of two couples who have been extremely close for dozens of years. Although it seems to be treading on familiar ground, the play keeps changing its perspective to show how one couple’s breakup can have equally devastating effects on another’s stability.
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Video: Bye Bye Birdie‘s “The Telephone Hour,” featuring Natalie Toro, Orville Mendoza, Marc de la Cruz, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Orville Mendoza, Rheaume Crenshaw, Diana Huey, Marc de la Cruz, Jonathan Burke, Martin Sola, Devin Trey Campbell, Shelley Thomas-Harts, Andres Quintero, Kuhoo Verma, and more.
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LA Theatre Works has announced its 2021 season (dates TBA):
* A Soldiers Play, by Charles Fuller. A Black sergeant is murdered on a Louisiana army base int 1942, and the ensuing investigation uncovers a web of self-hatred and recrimination as dangerous as the enemy across the sea.
* Flyin’ West, by Pearl Cleage. A contemporary classic about the strength of black women and their role as pioneers in the settlement of the American West.
* Junk, by Ayad Akhtar. Inspired by the junk bond scandal of the 80s and set in the high-stakes shark tank of Wall Street, the play takes us on a whirlwind ride into the genesis of debt financing which was the root cause of the recent housing crisis in this country. A live-in-performance of the play’s LA premiere.
* Mourning Becomes Elektra, by Eugene O’Neill, adapted by Gordon Edelstein. General Ezra Mannon and his son Orin return home as war heroes, only to find that their one-proud home is stricken with the festering woulds of bitterness, infidelity and unbridled lust.
* Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, by Tom Stoppard. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been summoned by the King of Denmark to glean what afflicts their old college friend, Prince Hamlet.
* The Murder on the Links, newly adapted by Kate McAll. Hercule Poirot receives receives an urgent letter from Paul Renauld, summoning him to France. When he arrives, Poirot and his companion Hastins find they are too late to save M. Renauld, as he now lies dead, face down in a grave on the edge of the golf course he was building.
* The Winslow Boy, by Terence Rattigan. When a pilfered postal-order leads to a legal case that draws the attention of the nation, a family risks everything to clear their son’s name.
* Lucy Loves Desi: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom national tour, by Gregg Oppenheimer. Who would have thought that to get on the air, they had to battle both a network and a sponsor who thought the show couldn’t possibly succeed?
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Musical Theatre West presents Keep The Lights On on Fri. Aug. 28 at 7 PM PT. Watch anytime between 7 PM – 11:59 PM PT on Fri. Aug. 28 or Wed. Sept. 2.
David Engel, Larry Raben, and Bets Malone