Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be limited theatre news for the foreseeable future. I will continue to search for anything meaningful and/or fun to report. Stay safe and healthy.
In addition, with national protests in full swing, and many events being postponed or cancelled, I don’t know when more theatre news will be available, so newsletters may be even shorter for awhile…
Today’s Highlights:
* National Theatre at Home’s The Madness of King George, featuring Mark Gatiss , Adrian Scarborough, Debra Gillett, Nadia Albina, Nicholas Bishop, Amanda Hadingue, Jack Holden, David Hounslow, Stephanie Jacob, Louise Jameson, Andrew Joshi, Adam Karim, Harry Kershaw, Billy Postlethwaite, Sara Powell, Wilf Scolding, and Jessica Temple, livestreamed for FREE here (final day) (2:12:04)
* 92 Y‘s “Harvey Granat on Leonard Bernstein” discussion & song, with special guests Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano, at 11:30 AM ET.
* Musical Theatre Audition MasterClass, with instructors Debbie Gravitte & Michael Orland, special guests Ben Lipitz, Shereen Pimentel and Syndee Winters, and singers Jillian Hubler-McManus, Lauren Effertz, Bryan Smith, and Will Parry, at 1 PM PT/4 PM ET on Zoom (ID: 663 981-0058, no password required).
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2020 Drama League Award winners:
Click here for the complete list of winners.
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Video: “Plays in the House” presents “Free Speech: Volume III: Next Generation: Spoken Word, Song, and Dance,” with Naima Alakham, Brittany-Laurelle, Janelle Clayton, Jonathan Duvelson, Ronnita Freeman, Kalonjee Gallimore, Lauryn Hobbs, Ashley Hurd, Elliot Johnson, Jonah Nash, Mukta Phatak, Tavia Riveé, Daja M. Rice, Grace Rivera, Vanessa Sierra, Justin Sudderth, Dai Thompson, Welinton Vallejo, Jasón Wells, and Adrienne Witt. (1:01:06)
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HBO will present Paul Rudnick’s satire, “Coastal Elites,” in September (premiere date TBA), produced entirely under quarantine.
Bette Midler, Kaitlyn Dever, Dan Levy, Sarah Paulson, and Issa-Rae.
Exploring our current world of deeply divided politics and the universal pursuit of human connection, the piece features a series of confessionals from five main characters.
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Goodspeed Musicals has announced that South Pacific, which was to run this Fall, has been postponed to 2021.
Dates, casting, and additional information TBA.
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CA’s Rubicon Theatre Company has announced Rubicon Goes Retro, a Safe-Distance Drive-In Theatre Concert Series, to run July 6 – Sept. 9.
Patrons can enjoy a series of five 75-minute concerts from the safety and comfort of their cars (parked 6 feet apart) in the parking lot of the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
July 6-8: Drive-In Hits (July 6-8), featuring Christian Hoff, Travis Cloer, and friends from Jersey Boys and Million Dollar Quartet.
July 20-22: 2 AM at the Sands: Samonsky Sings Sinatra (July 20-22), with Andrew Samonsky backed by a 9-piece swing band.
Aug. 3-5: Forever Plaid: The 30th Anniversary Concert, featuring Stan Chandler, David Engel, Jason Graae, and Larry Raben.
Aug. 17-19: Jimmy Messina and Friends, with special guest Kenny Loggins on Aug. 19, and surprise guests on Aug. 17 & 18.
Sept. 7-9: Music of the Knights: The Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Elton John and Paul McCartney, featuring Teri Bibb, Davis Gaines, and Ted Neeley.
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The Lyric Opera of Chicago, which was to launch its new season on Sept. 17, will now remain dark through 2020.
A new 2021 season schedule will be announced at a later date.
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BroadwayWorld is seeking a New York theatre critic with unique and diverse voices to join its team. The writer would head up a paid weekly column covering current trends, news, and events in the industry as well as review Broadway, Off-Broadway, and theatrical events in NYC.
BroadwayWorld is seeking a New York theatre critic with unique and diverse voices to join our team. The writer would head up a paid weekly column covering current trends, news, and events in the industry as well as review Broadway, off-Broadway and theatrical events in NYC.
BroadwayWorld’s longtime Broadway critic, Michael Dale, will be stepping back as our lead critic, focusing more on a weekly column, feature writing, and covering less-reviewed works in New York City.
BroadwayWorld is committed to diversifying the perspectives in our theatre coverage and BIPOC, trans/non-binary/gender non-conforming, and queer writers are highly encouraged to apply.
Applicants should be industry enthusiasts with excellent writing skills, great attention to detail, and a strong, self-motivated work ethic, and should live in the NYC area.
Send an email to apply@broadwayworld.com with subject ‘NYC Critic.’ Please include a cover letter, resume, social media/website links, and any clippings.
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Video: “I Go to Rio,” from a 20th anniversary reunion with the original cast of the Australian production of The Boy from Oz.
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Podcast: NYC casting director “Jay Binder…A Life in Casting” has been released on all podcast platforms.
Told over 5 episodes, Binder looks back on his film, television, and stage career, which began in regional theatres and eventually working with Neil Simon eleven times on Broadway, as well as casting over 70 Broadway productions, including The Lion King, A Genteleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Gypsy, The Kind and I, and Lost in Yonkers. Podcast guests includes Kate Burton, Jack Viertel, Laura Benanti, Terrence Mann, and Ryan Stana.
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Video: “All By Myself” sung by a virtual choir. Lovely.
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BroadwayHD will offer a FREE sing-along watch party of Lincoln Center’s Falsettos, in support of BC/EFA, on Thurs. June 25 at 8 PM ET (link TBA). #FalsettosSingAlong
Christian Borle, Stephanie J. Block, Andrew Rannells, Brandon Uranowitz, Anthony Rosenthal, Tracie Thoms, and Betsy Wolfe,
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Video: “No Day But Today,” from The Seoul, South Korea‘s production of Rent.
And read the open letter below the video.
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LA’s Celebration Theatre, IAMA Theatre Company, and Echo Theater Company present a Juneteenth special with a reading of Vincent Terrell Durham’s Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids livestreamed on Fri. June 19 at 6 PM PT on Zoom, directed by Andi Chapman.
Christine Woods, Todd Grinnell, Brandon Scott, Garrett Mercer, Tesiana Elie, Kacie Rogers, and Sheldon White.
With a perfect blend of wit, pathos, and humor, the play speaks to gentrification, white fragility, the Black Lives Matter movement, and police violence and Black bodies.
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Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club, like so many other venues, is facing financial difficulties, and finds itself struggling to meet all its monetary obligations.
Please consider donating here.
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Cameron Mackintosh confirmed that the West End run of Hamilton, along with London stagings of Les Misérables, Mary Poppins, and The Phantom of the Opera will remain closed in London until 2021.
It was hoped that these shows would be able to re-open on Aug. 22, 2020.
Specific re-opening dates are TBA.
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Off-Broadway’s Abingdon Theatre Company has announced its Fall Festival of Short Plays, a 2-week virtual festival shedding light on stories by people of color, to run Oct. 19-30.
Submissions will be accepted July 13 -Aug. 17. The selection of 6 new short plays will announced Mon. Sept. 28.
For submission guidelines and additional information: email bcavalieri@abindontheatre.org
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Black Women on Broadway will present “Black Women in Theatre Appreciation Day” on Mon. June 29 at 12 PM ET , moderated by Danielle Brooks
The all-day virtual conference, featuring workshops and panels, will celebrate the legacy of Black women in the industry and empower the next generation. All events will be featured on YouTube and/or Zoom (links TBA).
* Meditation & Movement, with Pilin Anice (12 PM ET)
* Money Talks, with Jamila Souffrant (1:15 PM ET)
* Producing, with Alia Jones-Harvey & Rashad V. Chambers (2:30 PM ET)
* Mastering the Art of the Self Tape (3:45 PM ET)
* Girl Talk, with Amber Iman (5 PM ET)
* The Main Event, with Lillias White & Audra McDonald (6:30 PM ET)
* Ladies Night: Let’s Dance!, with DJ Cocoa (8-9:30 PM ET)
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Two documentaries about Broadway alums, will premiere this summer (dates TBA) on ABCinemaNOW.
July 9: “Olympia,” directed by Harry Mavromichalis, which explores Olympia Dukakis‘ career as she struggled to find creative freedom and what the performer did once she found her voice, including her founding of the Whole Theater Company in New Jersey, featuring Laura Linney, Whoopi Goldberg, Armistead Maupin, and her cousin, 1988 U.S. presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. 
Video: Trailer
July 14: “Kaye Ballard – The Show Goes On!” (July 14), which looks back on the life of the performer, who passed away last year. A who’s-who of Broadway celebrities appear throughout, including Ann-Margret, Carol Burnett, Harold Prince, Carol Channing, Michael Feinstein, and Rex Reed. Video: Trailer