Today’s Highlights:
Britannicus, adapted by Timberlake Wertenbaker, directed by Atri Banerjee, featuring Nathaniel Curtis, William Robinson, Sirine, Saba, Hanna Khogali, Helena Lymbery, Nigel Barrett, and Shyvonne Ahmmad, opens at London’s Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.
Fat Ham, by James Ijames, directed by Saheem Ali, featuring Nikki Crawford (Tedra), Chris Herbie Holland (Tio), Billy Eugene Jones (Rev/Pap), Adrianna Mitchell (Opal), Calvin Leon Smith (Larry), Marcel Spears (Juicy), and Benja Kay Thomas (Rabby), with RJ Foster, Tanesha Gary, Marquis D. Gibson, and Alexandria Brienne Lewis, opens at Off-Broadway’s Public Theater.
Lessons in Survival: 1971, co-conceived by Marin Ireland, Peter Mark Kendall, Tyler Thomas, Reggie D. White, and created with The Commissary, directed by Tyler Thomas, featuring Carl Clemons-Hopkins (James Baldwin) and Crystal Dickinson (Nikki Giovanni), opens at Off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre.
Lillias White: Divine Sass, a tribute to the Divine One – Sarah Vaughan opens at NYC’s 54 Below.
1776, directed by directed by Jeffrey L. Page & Diane Paulus, featuring (all identify as female, non-binary, and trans): Gisela Adisa (Robert Livingston), Nancy Anderson (George Read), Becca Ayers (Col. Thomas McKean), Tiffani Barbour (Custodian / Andrew McNair), Allison Briner Dardenne (Stephen Hopkins), Allyson Kaye Daniel (Abigail Adams / Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon), Elizabeth A. Davis (Thomas Jefferson), Mehry Eslaminia (Charles Thomson), Joanna Clushak (John Dickinson), Shawna Hamic (Richard Henry Lee), Eryn LeCroy (Martha Jefferson / Dr. Lyman Hall), Crystal Lucas-Perry (John Adams), Liz Mikel (John Hancock), Patrena Murray (Benjamin Franklin), Oneika Phillips (Josheph Hewes), Lulu Picart (Samuel Chase), Sara Porkalob (Edward Rutledge), Sushama Saha (Judge James Wilson), Brooke Simpson (Roger Sherman), Salome Smith (Courier), Sav Souza (Dr. Josiah Bartlett), Jill Vallery (Caesar Rodney), and Grace Stockdale (Standby), opens at Cambridge’s A.R.T.
Lincoln Center Theater‘s Epiphany, by Brian Watkin, directed by Tyne Rafaeli, featuring Francois Battiste, Marylouise Burke, Heather Burns, Jonathan Hadary, Omar Metwally, Colby Minifie, David Ryan Smith, C.J. Wilson, and Carmen Zilles, begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Mitzi Newhouse Theatre.
The Father and the Assassin, by Anupama Chandrasekhar, directed by Indhu Rubasingham, featuring Sagar Arya, Ayesha Dharker, Shubham Saraf, and Peter Singh, opens at London’s Olivier Theatre.
A Chorus Line, directed & choreographed by Luis Villabon, featuring Jonathan Van Dyke (Zach), James Vinson (Larry), Katie Van Horn (Cassie), Natalie Kastner (Sheila), Haley Ayers (Val), Daniella Castoria (Diana), Ava Cusitor (Judy), Presley Nicholson (Kristine), Kristen Daniels (Maggie), Ellery Smith (Bebe), Erika Harper (Connie), AJ Love (Mike), William Nelson (Richie), Johann Santos (Paul), Dorian Quinn (Don), Benji Godley-Fisher (Mark), Patrick Murray (Gregory), Ryan Mulvaney (Bobby), and Bryce Bayer (Al), with Samantha Borthwicke, Lucy Swinson, Kyle Urbaniak and Izzy Valdez Ayres-Kaplan, begins previews at La Jolla Playhouse.
The Realistic Joneses, by Will Eno, directed by Max Mayer, featuring Melissa Webber Bales, Terry Walters, Brian Letscher, and Bruce Nozick, begins previews at Venice, CA’s Pacific Resident Theatre.
Ann Kittredge: reIMAGINE concert, directed by Barry Kleinbort, at 7 PM ET at Off-Broadway’s Laurie Beechman Theatre.
Eileen Barnett: You Must Believe in Spring concert, at 7 PM PT at CA’s Coachella Valley Rep.
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Broadway Grosses for the week ending May 22, 2022 (posted a day later than usual). Click here for the complete analysis.
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Encore’s presentation of Into the Woods will move to Broadway, with a limited run from June 28 – Aug. 21 (opening July 10) at the St. James Theatre, directed by Lear deBessonet, with music direction by Rob Berman, and choreography by Lorin Latarro.
Sara Bareilles (Baker’s Wife), Brian D’Arcy James (Baker), Patina Miller (Witch), Phillipa Soo (Cinderella), Gavin Creel (Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince), Joshua Henry (Rapunzel’s Prince), Ta’Nika Gibson (Lucinda), Annie Golden (Cinderella’s Mother/Grandmother/Giant’s Wife, Albert Guerzon (Cinderella’s Father), Brooke Ishibashi (Florinda), Kenney Kanagawa (Milky White), David Patrick Kelly (Narrator/Mysterious Man), Julia Lester (Little Red Riding Hood), Cole Thompson (Jack), and David Turner (Steward), with Jason Forbach, Mary Kate Moore, and Cameron Johnson, and more TBA.
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream will run July 12 – Aug. 28 at DC’s Folger Theatre, directed by Victor Malana Maog.
Jacob Ming-Trent (Bottom), Rotimi Agbabiaka (Oberon), Danaya Esperanza (Puck), Nubia M. Monks (Titania), Bryan Barbarin (Demtrius), Renea Brown (Helena), John Floyd (Flute), Brit Herring (Snout), Lilli Hokama (Hermia), Jake Lowenthal (Lysander), Shinji Elspeth Oh (Philostrate), John-Alexander Sakelos (Peter Quince), Sabrina Sawyer (Snug), and Kathryn Zoerb (Starveling).
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THE FUNCTION: A Queer Juneteenth Concert Celebration will stream Sun. June 19 (at 9:45 PM ET) at 54 Below, hosted by Ianne Fields Stewart.
Jaime Cepero, Courtney Daniels, J. Hoard, Alfonso Horne, Ianne Fields Stewart, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Jade Jones, Jay Jurden, Kristina Nicole Miller, Alex Newell, Jaida Valenciaga, Darnell White, and Khalifa White.
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Lincoln Center‘s LCT3 present Aya Ogawa’s The Nosebleed will run July 16 – Aug. 28 (opening Aug. 1) at the Claire Tow Theater, directed by Ogawa.
Drae Campbell, Ashil Lee, Aya Ogawa, Saori Tsukada, and Kaili Y. Turner.
An intimate autobiography that explores Ogawa & her siblings’ fractured relationship with their long-deceased and enigmatic father. Though a series of turbulent, absurd, and poignantly comic vignettes, Ogawa reveals the seemingly insurmountable cultural and generational gap between themselves and their father, and the questions they face in their own motherhood today. The play examines how we inherit and bequeath failure, and what it takes to forgive.
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LA Opera‘s Aida continues through June 12 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, conducted by James Conlon.
Latonia Moore (Aida), Melody Moore (Amneris), Russell Thomas (Radames), George Gagnidze (Amonasro), Morris Robinson (Ramfis), Alayshaa Fox (Priestess), Peixin Chen (King of Egypt), and Anthony Ciaramitaro (Messenger).
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Come From Away national tour will run May 31 – June 12 at the Ahmanson Theatre.
Marika Aubrey, Kevin Carolan, Harter Clingman, Nick Duckart, Chamblee Ferguson, Christine Toy Johnson, Julie Johnson, James Earl Jones II, Julia Knitel, Sharone Sayegh, Danielle K. Thomas, Jeremy Woodard, Jenny Ashman, Jane Bunting, Amelia Cormack, Aaron Michael Ray, Kilty Reidy, and Brandon Springman.
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Caring and Daring Together, the benefit performance of the 25th Ojai Playwrights Conference Gala, will take place Sat. June 4 at 6 PM PT at LA’s Kirk Douglas Theatre, produced & directed by Robert Egan.
Luix Alfaro, Jon Robin Baitz, Kimberly Belflower, Bill Cain, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Danai Gurira, Lisa Kron, Jiehae Park, Nikkole Salter, Michael Shayhan, Jeanine Tesori, and Charlayne Woodard.
Luis Alfaro, Agyeiwaa Asante, Ben Feldman, Julie Garnyé, Christine Lahti, Raymond Lee, Jake Olson, ZhChrisaria O’Neal, John Ortiz, Tamberla Perry, Jeanne Sakata, Nikkole Salter, Ashley Sengstaken. Michael Shayan, Jimmy Smits, Josh Stamberg, Steven Weber, Michael Weston, Charlayne Woodard, and Zakiya.
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Patricia McGregor will succeed James C. Nicola at the Artistic Director of New York Theatre Workshop.
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The Fire Island Dance Festival will take place July 15-17 at NY’s Fire Island Pines Harbor, in support of Dancers Responding to AIDS.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (presenting Robert Battle’s Takademe), Ahmad Joudeh (Dutch National Ballet), Evan McKie (National Ballet of Canada), Juliano Nunes, Adriana Pierce’s new piece, Buglisi Dance Theatre, Harrison James & Ben Rudisin, Caleb Teicher & Abdiel Jacobsen, Akira Uchida, The Verdon Fosse Legacy, Georgina Pazcoguin, and more…
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LA’s Rogue Artists Ensemble will present staged readings of Eric Fagundes’ Schlitzie: Alive and Inside the Decaying Sideshow, June 22-24 (all at 8 PM PT),each followed by a talk-back, at CA’s Lake Balboa’s Valley Relics Museum at 7900 Lake Balboa Blvd. (a unique pop culture museum located in the Van Nuys Airport in two brand new airplane hangars).
One of history’s most iconic and misunderstood sideshow performers, Schlitzie is best known for his appearance in the no infamous film “Freaks.” Committed to a mental institution when his sideshow was shut down, Schlitzie went on to perform his act in MacArthur Park after his release, where he was lovingly known as “Ratoncito.”
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NAATCO has announced Madhuri Shekar’s Queen will run June 10 – July 1 at A.R.T (502 West 53rd St), directed by Aneesha Kudtarkar.
Stephanie Janssen, Ben Livingston, Keshav Moodliar, and Avanthika Srinivasan.
The play follows PhD candidates Sanam and Ariel, who have spent the better part of the last decade exhaustively researching vanishing bee populations across the globe. Just as these close friends are about to publish a career-defining paper, Sanam stumbles upon an error in their calculations, which would cause catastrophic damage to their reputations, careers, and friendship. No, Sanam is confronted with an impossible choice: look the other way or stand by her principles and accept the consequences.
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Opera Saratoga will present Sweeney Todd June 29-30 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, directed & choreographed by Stephen Nachamie, conducted by Laura Bergquist.
Carolee Carmello (Mrs. Lovett), Craig Colclough (Sweeney Todd), Lojus Tiemann (Anthony Hope), Angela Yam (Johanna), Daniel Mobbs (Judge Turpin), Morgan Mastrangelo (Tobias), Arnold Livingston Geis (Beadle Bamford), Maria De Conzo (Begger Woman), and Brian Yeakley (Pirelli).
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Al Pacino: Live on Stage, in support of the American Jewish University Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, will take place Thurs. June 23 at 8 PM PT at LA’s American Jewish University (Gindi Auditorium).
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Sweeney Todd will run June 29-30 at Opera Saratoga, directed & choreographed by Stephen Nachamie.
Carolee Carmello (Mrs. Lovett), Craig Colclough (Sweeney Todd), Louis Tiemann (Anthony Hope), Angela Yam (Johanna), Daniel Mobbs (Judge Turpin), Morgan Mastrangelo (Tobias), Arnold Livingston Geis (Beadle Bamford), Maria De Conzo (Beggar Woman), Brian Yeakley (Pirelli), and more…
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Samuel D. Hunter’s A Case for the Existence of God has received its third extension, and will now run through June 5 at Off-Broadway’s Signature Theatre, directed by David Cromer.
Kyle Beltran and Will Brill.
The play explores alienation and companionship through the story of Keith and Ryan, two men who unexpectedly choose to open up each of their worlds to the other inside a cubicle in Southern Idaho.
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Erica Schmidt’s Mac Beth (all -female production) continues streaming on demand through Sun. May 29 at 11:59 PM ET at Red Bull Theater, adapted & directed by Erica Schmidt.
Isabelle Fuhrman, AnnaSophia Robb, Sharlene Cruz, Sophie Kelly-Hedrick, Ismenia Mendes, Lily Santiago, and Ayana Workman.