Today’s Highlights:
The 2025 Williamstown Theatre Festival opens. Details here.
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Breaking the Binary Theatre‘s 3rd anniversary will present a one-night-concert of Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison, Bob Martin & Don McKellar’s The Drowsy Chaperone on Mon. Oct. 20 at 8PM at NYC’s Carnegie Hall, featuring an all-binary cast, directed by L Morgan Lee.
The star-studded all-trans and non-binary cast includes Laverne Cox (The Drowsy Chaperone), Joslyn Defreece (Underling), Alex Newell (Janet Van De Graaf), Peppermint (Mrs. Tottendale), Jonathan Van Ness (Man in Chair), and Betty Who (Robert Martin0).
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Sheldon Epps, Cheryl L. West & Duke Ellington’s Play On will run Aug. 12 – Oct. 5 at VA’s Signature Theatre, directed by Lili-Anne Brown, with choreography by Breon Arzell, and and music direction by Jermaine Hill.
Wesket H, Barnes (Jester), Chuckie Benson (Rev), Awa Sal Secka (Lady Liv), Alana S. Thomas (CC), Derrick D. Truby Jr. (Sweets), Greg Watkins (Duke), Jalisa Williams (Vy), and Kanysha Williams (Miss Mary), with Bryan Archibald, Montel B. Butler, Ciara Hargrove, Divine Iweha, Vaughn Ryan Midder, Kalen Robinson and Sean Walton, Jared Martin, and Tierra London.
A delightful musical based on Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night and set to the syncopated soundtrack of Duke Ellington’s greatest hits. Aspiring songwriter Vy comes to swinging 1930s Harlem to make it big. But when she discovers the doors of opportunity are closed to women, she disguises herself as a man to pitch her songs to Harlem’s hottest composer, the Duke. However, when her tunes attract the attention of Cotton Club performer Lady Liv, the object of The Duke’s affection, Vy-Man is swept up in a swinging tempest of love, mistaken identity and jazz. If music be the food of love, then Play On’s timeless classics “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Mood Indigo” “I Got it Bad and That Ain’t Good” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” combine with stunning dance to make for a joyous feast in a fun and fresh take on a beloved comedy.
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John LLoyd Young’s Broadway by the Boardwalk will run July 21 at Hudson River Park’s Clinton Cove at (W 55 St. in NYC.).
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The Blank Theatre‘s 22nd Annual Young Playwrights Festival : Week 3, offering 3 of 12 winning plays by young playwrights aged 16–19, to run July 24-27 at LA’s Skylight Theatre (816 N. Vermont Ave).
Casting and additional information here.
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Frozen, directed by Michael Hietzman will run July 18 – 27 at Pittsburgh CLO, directed by Michael Hietzman.
Cate Hayman (Elsa), Daisy Wright (Anna), Matthew Hydzik (Kristoff), Jordan Barron (Sven), Michael Brian Dunn (Weselton), Kevin Hack (Hans), Kyle Kemph (Olaf), Allan Snyder (Sir Dinadin), Hallie Camacho (Young Anna), Hailey Kenyon (Young Elsa), Bellamy Kelly (Young Anna), and Kailey Kenyon (Young Elsa), with Ryan Cavanauth, Lance T Barker, Brett Barthelemy, Bella Bilandzija, Jordon T. Elelon, Matthew Regorek, Laura Culey, Carly Haig, Hom Henke, Liz Leclerc, Justin Mock, Justin O’Brien, Maile Oravitz, Brittany Pent Rohm, Brittany Pend Rhom, Madsen Piper, Michaela Plummer, Kai Sachon, BB Stone, and Jasmine G. Swaby.
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54 Sings Wildcat will take place Mon. July 28 at 7 PM at NYC’s 54 Below, with music direction by Michael Lavine.
Ryan Andes, John Bolton, Mike Cefalo, Paula Leggett Chase, Quinn Corcoran, Ruth Gottschall, Ilene Graff, Marilu Henner, Ben Jones, Nicolas King. Bruce Landry, Luba Mason, Joel Newsome, Eve Plumb, Alexander Rios, Jenna Lea Rosen, Seth Sikes (Dead Outlaw), Lenny Wolpe , and Sara Zahn, as well as a video from original cast member Paula Stewart.
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Juliette Goglia’s Get Her Off This Set! Behind the Scenes Drama from a Former Child Star will take place Sun. July 20 at 7:30 PM at Lyrick Hyperion in Silver Lake.
The audience will hear about the time Goglia was forcefully removed from the set of a TV show and locked in her trailer for hours. Through monologues and music, she tells the story of the most traumatic event of her professional career. In this touching and funny solo show, the audience is taken on a journey from a worst nightmare scenario to the triumph of healing and getting back on set.
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Milwaukee Rep‘s favorite holiday tradition, A Christmas Carol, adapted & directed by Mark Clements, celebrates its 50th anniversary Nov.25 – Dec, 24, in the historic Pabst Theater.
This prodiction makes it the second longest professional production of A Christmas Carol in the United States.
Matt Daniels (Ebenezer Scrooge), Jordan Arredondo (Fred), Mark Corkins (Ghost of Marley), Todd Dennind (Ghost of Christmas Present, Kevin Kantor (Ghost of Christmas Past), George Lorinmer (Young Scrooge), Reese Madigan (Bob Crathit), Emily S. Chang (Belle), Lachrisa Grandberry (Mrs. Crachit), James Pickering (Mr. Fezziwig), and Tami Workentin (Mrs. Fezziwig).
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“Hirschfeld’s Sondheim,” by David Leopold, will be available on Sept. 9 here., as well at most bookstores. Pre-orders are also available.
This beautifully curated new poster book celebrates the legacy of one of the American Theater’s most prolific and celebrated composer/lyricists, Stephen Sondheim, through the pen of the legendary artist Al Hirschfeld. The first volume in a series of deluxe oversized 11 x 14-inch Hirschfeld poster books. The book features an introduction by Bernadette Peters , with a foreword by Ben Brantley (former chief theater critic for The New York Times), and 58 pages with more than 50 Al Hirschfeld drawings of Sondheim and his musicals, plays and films, including 25 full page images, ready-to-frame posters.
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Jesus Christ Superstar will run Aug. 1-3 at at 8 PM at the Hollywood Bowl, directed & choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, conducted by Stephen Oremus.
Cynthia Erivo (Jesus), Adam Lembert (Judas), Raul Esparza (Pilate)Phillipa Soo (Mary Magdalene), and Josh Gad (Herod), Milo Manheim, , Zachary James (Caiaphas), Tyrone Huntley (Simon), and Brian Crum (Ahhas, with Isaiah Bailey, Brad Sharp, John E. Lucas (Pries), Summer Greer (Soul Singer), and Emily Goglia (Maid by the Fire), with John Krause, Nathan Madden, Chris Hernandez, Morgan Marcell, Jennifer Fionentino, Brandan Leffler, Damian Caraballo, Ayana Haviv, Gracie Laboy, Natalie Taylor, and Sara Gomez.