Today’s Highlights:
A Little Night Music concert presentation, adapted & directed by John Doyle, featuring Susan Graham (Desiree Armfeldt), Cynthia Erivo (Petra), Ron Raines (Fredrik Egerman), Ruthie Ann Miles (Countess), Schuler Hensley (Count Carl Magnus), Marsha Mason (Madam Armfeldt), Kerstin Anderson (Anne Egerman), Jin Ha (Frid), Addie Harrington (Fredrika Armfeldt), Ellie Fishman (Mrs. Nordstrom), Samantha Hill (Mrs. Segstrom), Jonathan Christopher (Mr. Erlanson), Jason Gotay (Henrik Egerman), Andrea Jones-Sojola (Mrs. Anderson). and Ross Lekites (Mr.Lindquist), opens at Lincoln Center.
Renaissance Theater Company’s From Here, written & directed by Donald Rupe, featuring Blake Aburn (Daniel), Becca Southworth (Becca), and Omar Cardona (Ricky, opens at Off-Broadway’s Signature Center.
Miss Julie 1925, by August Strindberg, adapted & directed by Robert Greer, featuring Natalie Menna (Julie), Mike Roche (Jean), and Holly O’Brien (Christine), opens at Off-Broadway’s Theater for the New City.
Dream Girls, directed by Robert Clater, featuring Tiffany Mann (Effie Melody White), Aisha Jackson (Deena Jones), Courtnee Carter (Lorrell Robinson), Charl Brown (Curtis Taylor, Jr.), Nick Rashad Burroughs (James “Jimmy” Thunder Early), Ron Himes (Marty), Aramie Payton (C.C. White), Robby Clater (Wayne) and Natalie Kaye Clater (Michelle Morris) with Travante S. Baker, Lamont Brown, Ian Campayno, Kylie Edwards, Lexie Faith, Julia Grondin, Sophia Hillman, Kennedy Holmes, Dan Horn, Gabriel Kearns, ZaKeyia Lacey, Nathaniel Mahone, Collin Milfort, Pershard Owens, Alanna Porter, Kayla Rush, Ranease Ryann, Owen Scales, Duncan Smith, TJ Staten and Richard E. Waits, opens at the St. Louis Muny.
Unbroken Blossoms, by Philip W. Chung, directed by Jeff Liu, Gavin Kawin Lee (James Leong), Ron Song (Moon Kwan), Alexandra Hellquist (Gish/Gilda), Ton Song (Moon Kwan), Arye Gross (D.W. Griffith), Alexandra Hellquist (Lillian Gish/Gilda), and Conlan Ledwith (Richard Barthelmess), with Paul Dateh, Ty Aldridge, and Valeries Rose Lohman, featuring Gavin Kawin Lee (James Leong), Ron Song (Moon Kwan), Alexandra Hellquist (Gish/Gilda), Ton Song (Moon Kwan), Arye Gross (D.W. Griffith), Alexandra Hellquist (Lillian Gish/Gilda), and Conlan Ledwith (Richard Barthelmess), with Paul Dateh, Ty Aldridge, and Valeries Rose Lohman, begins previews at LA’s East West Players.
Sandra, by David Cale & Matthew Dean Marsh, directed by Jared Mezzocchi, featuring Felicia Curry, closes at CT’s Theaterworks Hartford.
Pure Cinema, by David Neipris, directed by directed by Matt Ritchey, featuring Bill Chott, Aaron Caponigro, and Lindsay Seim, closes at LA’s Broadwater Black Box Theatre (6322 Santa Monica Blvd.).
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Next to Normal at the West End’s Donmar Warehouse:
London Theatre, by Olivia Rook
Whats on Stage, by Alex Wood.
The Upcoming, by Jonathan Marshall
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A benefit staged concert version of Rick Elice, Marshall Brickman & Andrew Lippa’s The Addams Family, in support of the Entertainment Community Fund will take place Mon. July 22 at 2 & 6 PM at NJ’s Jackson Library, directed & choreographed by Henry Walker.
(only $5): email jessewalker17@hotmail.com
Bemba Balsirow (Mal Beineke), George Balsirow (Pugsly Addams), Serg Balisirow (Uncle Fester), Lois Blackman (Alice Beinke), Lyle Greene (Lucas Beineke), Sherry Hecker (Alice Beineke), Rachel Levy (Morticia Adams), Kathryn Paidousses (Wednesday Addams), Alessia Secli (Grandma), Ailyah Aulimwnko (various Addams family ancestors), Henry Walker (Lurch), and Jesse Walker (Gomez Addams).
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Shaun McKenna, Matthew Warchus, A.R. Rahman, Värttinä & Christopher Nightingale’s’s The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale will run July 10 – Sept. 1 (opening July 16) at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, directed by Paul Hart.
Spencer Davis Milford (Frodo Baggins), Tom Amandes (Gandalf), Lauren Zakrin (Galadriel), Rick hall (Bilbo Baggins), Tony Bozzuto (Gollum), Michael Kurowski (Hobbit), Ben Mathew (Hobbit), and Eileen Doan (Hobbit), with Justin Albinder, Tom Amandes, Tony Bozzuto, Eileen Doan, Joey Faggion, Rick Hall, Suzanne Hannau, Mia Hilt, Will James, Jr., Michael Kurowski, Ian Maryfield, Ben Mathew, James Mueller, Jarais Musgrove, Hannah Novak, Jeff Parker, Adam Qutaishat, Laura Savage, Bernadette Santos Schwegel, Alina Jenine Taber, Arik Vega, and Matthew C. Yee.
As the Hobbits celebrate Bilbo Baggins’ eleventy-first birthday in the Shire, he gifts his nephew Frodo his most precious belonging—a gold ring. This fateful moment launches Frodo on a legendary and perilous quest across Middle-earth to the darkest realms of Mordor, to vanquish evil with his loyal Fellowship.
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The LA Phil will present The Music of Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, and More: Boublil and Schönberg’s Do You Hear The People Sing on Sun. July 28 at 7:30 PM at the Hollywood Bowl, conducted by Kevin Stites.
Patrick Wilson, Skylar Astin, Emily Bautista, Jon Jon Briones, Nikki Renée Daniels, Rachel Tucker, and Marie Zamora.
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Broadway Barks: The 26th Annual Broadway Barks Adoption Event will take place Sun. Aug. 3 from 3-6:30 PM at Broadway’s Shubert Alley, hosted by Bernadette Peters and Sutton Foster.
The event is in support of BCEFA.
Bernadette will again be joined by Elaine Paige as they co-host West End Woofs (and Meows) one week later, on Sat. Aug. 10 in London at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden.
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The Little Mermaid will run July 8-16 at the St. Louis Muny, directed by John Tartaglia, with choreography by Patrick O’Neill, and music direction by Annbritt duChateau.
Savy Jackson (Ariel), Michael Maliakel (Prince Eric), Nicole Parker (Ursula), Christopher Sieber (Chef Louis), Ben Davis (King Triton), Fergie L. Philippe (Sebastian), Leia Rhiannon Yogi (Flounder), Jen Cody (Scuttle), Kennedy Kanagawa (Flotsam), Adam Fane (Jetsam), and Rich Pisarkiewicz (Grimsby), with Matt Dean, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Ryan Lambert, Samantha Littleford, Nathaniel Mahone, Daniel Brooks McRath, Ruben Guadalupe Medina-Perez, Michael Milkanin, Georgia Monroe, Sydni Moon, Grace Marie Rusnica, Michael Santomassimo, Gordon Semeatu, Kelly Sheehan, Cecilia Snow and Meridien Terrell.
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Musical Theatre Guild has announced its 2024-25 season at Santa Monica’s Broad Stage. Creative teams and casting TBA.
The Light in the Piazza (Oct. 29)
The Drowsy Chaperone (Mar. 23, 2025)
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The York Theatre Company will present NEO 2024: A Concert Celebration of Emerging Musical Theatre Writers on Mon. July 15 at 7 PM at NYC’s Green Room 42, directed by Annette Jolles, with music direction by Beth Falcone, and hosted by Debra Walton
RJ Chistian, Amy Engelhardt & Molly Horan, Danielle Koenig & Justin D. Cook, Ron Spivak & Michiru Oshima, Jessica Wu, and TJ Rubin.
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After the surprise Tony Awards red carpet bombshell that Andrew Rannells would not appear in the upcoming Broadway transfer of Tammy Faye as originally announced, it has been revealed who will be starring as Faye’s incendiary husband, Jim Bakker: two-time Tony winner Christian Borle. The production will begin previews Oct. 19 at the newly refurbished Palace Theatre, with opening night set for Nov. 14.
According to Rannells, the original announcement that he would reprise his Olivier-nominated performance in the musical’s Broadway transfer was released prematurely and before he’d actually signed a contract. “Unfortunately, we got into a situation where we couldn’t quite find terms that made everyone happy, which is really disappointing, which is why normally they don’t announce an actor before the contract.”
Borle will be co-starring with two-time Olivier winner Katie Brayben in the title role, reprising her performance from the musical’s 2022 London world premiere. Additional casting is TBA.
