Today’s Highlights:
Bay Street Theatre‘s Camelot in concert, directed by Scott Schwartz, featuring Jeremy Kushnier (Arthur), Britney Coleman (Guenevere), Deven Kolluri (Lancelot), Amaya Grier (Tom of Warwick), and Aaron Dalla Villa (Mordred), with Kyle Lopez Barisich, Hope Hamilton, James Harkness, David LaMarr, Cecelia Ticktin, and Kevin Wang, opens at a Bridgehampton outdoor location.
Most Happy in Concert, offering Frank Loesser’s songs from The Most Happy Fella, conceived & directed by Daniel Fish, featuring Mikaela Bennett, Tina Fabrique, Jules Latimer, April Matthis, Erin Markey, Mallory Portnoy, and Mary Testa, opens at NY’s Bard Summerscape.
Musical Theatre West‘s Forever Plaid 30th Anniversary Reunion Concert, featuring Stan Chandler, David Engel, Jason Graae, and Larry Raben, opens at Long Beach’s Blair Field.
TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, featuring Aisha Jawando, Angela Marie Hurst, Ashley Zhangazha, Ava Brennan, Cameron Bernard Jones, Chloe Chambers, Daniella Bowen, Derek Aidoo, Francesca Jackson, Gavin Alex, Hanna Jay-Allan, Irene-Myrtle Forrester, Jammy Kasongo, Jyme Lee-Zanoncelli, Josephy Richardson, Joshua Da Costa, Kibong Tanji, Lejaun Sheppard, Oscar Batterham, and Samuel J Weir, re-opens at London’s Aldwytch Theatre.
John Doyle in conversation with Chita Rivera begins streaming for FREE at 6 PM ET here.
Marie Antoinette reading, by David Adjimi, directed by Rebecca Taichman, featuring Marin Ireland, David Greenspan, Jennifer Ikeda, Karl Miller, Will Pullen, Steven Rattazzi, Chris Stack, Kat Elizabeth Williams, Carmen Zilles and Jo Lampert, begins streaming at 7 PM ET here (and available through Aug. 9).
Theatre for One, the mobile performance space for one actor and one audience member, returns to live performances with a series of 6 new micro-plays written by Jaclyn Backhaus, Lydia R. Diamond, Stacey Rose, DeLanna Studi, Regina Taylor, and korde arrington tuttle, directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene, Rebecca Martinez, returns to Manhattan West.
One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga concert, at 8 PM ET at Radio City Music Hall.
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Reviews for Anything Goes at London’s Barbican Theatre:
BritishTheatre.com (Douglas Mayo): Douglas Mayo has been left Delirious with joy by tonight’s opening… Headed by a true Broadway star in the form of the one and only Sutton Foster, it was though Christmas had arrived early… We revelled in her star power and stood for no less than three standing ovations… Samuel Edwards as Billy Crocker was a knockout as the lovelorn suitor… Robert Lindsay’s public enemy number 13 – Moonface Martin showing his legendary comic chops…
Broadway World (William J. Connolly): It’s the outward sigh and the unexpected pause of two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster as she makes her first entrance onto the Barbican stage…that travels through your body like the greatest sense of relief: theatre is back… But what works so well isn’t just the safety you feel in the arms of Foster, but the thrilling contributions by the whole cast. Robert Lindsay, Felicity Kendal and Gary Wilmot are each worthy of their top billing… this production is as close to perfect as you can get.
What’s On Stage (Alex Wood): …Kathleen Marshall… crams the two-hour ride with cheesy, feel-good moments: this is vintage stage magic at its most explosively joyous… Foster returns to the role of Sweeney with the same wildfire energy that won her a Tony Award… “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” in particular building to a bombastic crescendo that coaxed a further standing ovation from the audience (one of three)… a masterclass in tap dancing from the entire company. Only a crook could steal the show, and Robert Lindsay was clearly born to play gangster Moonface Martin… A stand-out turn also comes from Carly Mercedes Dyyer…as Moonface’s partner-in-crime Erma.
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Video: Stars in the House, a Jessie encore, with special guests Debby Ryan, Peyton List, Skai Jackson, Karan Brar, Kevin Chamberlin, and Carolyn Hennesy. (1:25:16)
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A live taping of Broadway’s Come From Away will premiere on Sept. 10 on Apple TV Plus.
Jenn Colella (Beverly), Petrina Bromley (Bonnie), Joel Hatch (Claude), Caesar Samayoa (Kevin J.), Q. Smith (Hannah), Astrid Van Wieren (Beulah), Sharon Wheatley (Diane), Tony Le Page (Kevin T.), De’Lon Grant (Bob), Emily Walton (Janice), Jim Walton (Nick), and Paul Whitty (Oz).
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Mel Brooks‘ memoir, “All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business” will be released Nov. 30 in hard cover, Kindle, and Audio Book here.
The book details Brooks’ Brooklyn childhood, his World War II service, his marriage to Anne Bancroft, and his award-winning career in show business.
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The world premiere of Lee Hall’s Get Up, Stand Up!, the new bio-musical inspired by the life and songs of Bob Marley, will begins previews Oct. 1 and open Oct. 20 at the Lyric Theatre, directed by Clint Dyer, with choreography by Shelley Maxwell, and music direction by Sean Green.
Arinzé Kene (Bob Marley), Gabrielle Brooks (Rita Marley), Shanay Holmes (Cindy Breakspeare, Sophia Mackay (Judy Mowatt), and Natey Jones (Peter Tosh), with Daniel Bailey, Craig Blake, Charles Blyth, Maxwell Cole, Athena Collins, Michael Duke, Kimmy Edwards, Raphel Estavia, Henry Faber, Cannon Hay, Savanna Jeffrey, Rohan Pinnock-Hamilton, Cleopatra Rey, Julene Robinson, Nate Simpson, Archie Smith, Declan Spaine, Jaime Tait, and Teddy Wills.
From the hills of rural Jamaica, armed only with his overwhelming talent and righteous beliefs, Bob Marley applied himself with resolute determination to achieve international acclaim for his prophetic musical message – a gospel of love and unity.
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Jocelyn Bioh’s Nollywood Dreams will run Oct. 21 – Nov. 28 (opening Nov. 11) at MCC Theater, directed by Saheem Ali.
(reuniting the entire 2020 cast): Abena, Charlie Hudson III, Nana Mensah, Sandra Okuboyeio, Ade Otukoya, and Emana Rachelle.
It’s the 1990s in in Lagos, Nigerian, the Nollywood film industry is exploding and taking the world by storm. Ayamma dream of stardom while working at her parents’ travel agency alongside her lovable and celebrity-obsessed sister Dede. When Ayamma land an audition for a new film by Gbenga Ezie, Nigeria’s hottest director, she comes head-to-head with Gbenga’s former leading lady, Fayola. Tensions flare just as sparks start flying between Ayamma, the aspiring ingenue, and Wale, Nollywood’s biggest heartthrob.
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Video: Highlights from The Sound of Music at the Muny, featuring Kate Rockwell (Maria), Michael Hayden (Captain von Trapp), Bryonha Marie Parham (Mother Abbess), Jenny Powers (Elsa), and John Scherer (Max).
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After suspending its traditional theatre program due to the pandemic, California’s Sundance Institute turned its live performance efforts and support to an Interdisciplinary Program. One outcome of this initiative, released yesterday, shares insights from over 70 theatre artists as they contemplate the current state of an artform brought to a halt and what’s needed in its road to recovery.
The “Emerging From the Cave field study, commissioned by Sundance and executed by longtime advisor Jesse Cameron Alick (the new Artistic Director of Off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre), presents not hard data but rather a collection of ideas, thoughts, feelings frustrations, and more, from 76 individuals. Alick classified these people, to whom he interviewed via Zoom over the course of several months earlier this year, as “performance innovators, field leaders, thought leaders, and field donors.” Participants include Lynn Nottage, Suzan-Lori Parks, Michael R. Jackson, Robert O’Hara, Liesl Tommy, Shaina Taub, Mike Lew, and Ty Defoe.
Alick determines from his findings that skepticism toward commitment to equity and supporting local communities permeates the community, and identifies four calls to action to address this: an exploration of “Collective Leadership” models, long-term “Holistic Artist Support,” and embrace of “Digital Theater and Hybrid Futures,” and continued communal “Filed Ideation.”
Click here to read the results from the entire study.
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“Annette,” directed by Leos Carax, will open in theatres on Aug. 6 and on Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 20.
Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg, and Devyn McDowell.
The film is set in Los Angeles, where Henry, a stand-up comedian, falls in love with Ann, a world-renowned opera singer. With the birth of their first child, Annette, a mysterious little girl with an exceptional destiny, their lives are turned upside down.
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Abigail Barlow & Emily Bear’s The Unofficial Bridgeton Musical concept album, will be released Sept. 10 on all major streaming and downloading music platforms. The album features 15 songs based on the Netflix hit.
Vocals: Abigail Barlow.