Today’s Highlights:
* The Last Five Years, a socially distanced production, directed by Jonathan O’Boyle, featuring Molly Lynch and Oli Higginson, begins previews at London’s Southwark Playhouse.
* iViva Broadway! Hear Our Voices FREE benefit concert, in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, by Eric Ulloa, directed & choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, featuring special guests Lucie Arnaz, Julio Copello, Nilo Cruz, Gloria Estefan, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Moisés Kaufman, Alex Lacamoire, John Leguizamo, Matthew López, Jaime Lozano, Justina Machado, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Luis Miranda, Christina Quintana, Chita Rivera, Michelle J. Rodriguez, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jon Secada, Josh Segarra, Thalía, Sergio Trujillo, Eric Ulloa, and Benjamin Velez, with Rubén Blades, Ricky Rojas, Enrique Acevedo, Angie Alcázar, Yassmin Alers, Joan Almedilla, Kristina Alonso, Reed Armstrong, Antonio Banderas, Melissa Barrera, Angelica Beliard, Miguel Ángel Belotto, Albert Bolea, Andréa Burns, Soledad Buss, Jaime Camil, Chad Carstarphen, Natalie Caruncho, Lucía Castro, Max Chernin, Javier Cid, Aaron Cobos, Anna Coll, Florencia Cuenca, Alma Cuervo, Juan Cupini, Janet Dacal, KC de la Cruz, Robin De Jesús, Ariana DeBose, Fran Del Pino, Daniel Délyon, Natascia Diaz, Ryan Duncan, Alberto Escobar, Julia Estrada, Roberto Facchin, Pol Galcerà, Henry Gainza, Daniel Garod, Linedy Genao, Diana Girbau, Carlos Gomez, Carlos E. Gonzalez, Mandy Gonzalez, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Charles Gray, Christopher Hernandez, Ivan Hernandez, Cassandra Hlong, Zachary Infante, Christopher Jackson, Nina LaFarga, Garrett Long, Emmanuel López Alonso, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Jaime Lozano, Hector Maisonet, Juan José Marco, Fernando Mariano, Enric Marimon, Yani Marin, Bianca Marroquín, Jesús E. Martínez, Mauricio Martinez, Mary Jo Mecca, Anthony Lee Medina, Olga Merediz, Marielys Molina, Doreen Montalvo, Graciela Monterde, Fran Moreno, Beatriz Mur,Marcela Nava, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Karen Olivo, Joél Pérez, Shereen Pimentel, Ivo Pareja-Obregón, Lucrecia Petraglia, Christie Prades, Pablo Puyol, Anthony Ramos, Desireé Rodriguez, Al Rodrigo, Eliseo Román, Celeste Rose, Estibalitz Ruiz, Gabrielle Ruiz, Richard Henry Ruiz, Jamila Sabares-Klemm, Luis Salgado, Caesar Samayoa, Zuhaitz San Buenaventura, Carmen Sanchez, Tricia Aida Sánchez, Lorena Santiago, Sarah Schielke, Martín Solá, Mica Spina, Jim Stanek, Philippa Stefani, Eric Ulloa, Angélica Vale, Vajen Van Den Bosch, Tanairi Sade Vasquez, Ana Villafañe, and Jennifer Leigh Warren, streams at 8 PM ET here (and will remain live until Oct. 5 at PM ET).
* LA Opera‘s Living Room Recital: Taylor Raven streams for FREE at 4 PM PT.
* The Skvvies: Classic Undie Rock concert, with special guests Matt Doyle and Tamika Lawrence, streams at 7 PM ET here.
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Video: “Stars in the House,” offering The Ladies from Jerome Robbins’ Broadway cast reunion, featuring Faith Prince, Debbie Gravitte, JoAnn M. Hunter, Susann Fletcher, MaryAnn Lamb, and Charlotte d’Amboise. (1:11:12)
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Vocal selections from 2 musicals have been released:
* Jagged Little Pill 
Order here
* The Prince of Egypt 
Order here
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“The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage” will be released Nov. 3, featuring Ethan Slater, Gavin Lee, Danny Skinner, Brian Ray Norris, Wesley Taylor, Christina Sajous, and Tom Kenny. 
here.
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Dramatists Play Service presents a reading of Natalie Margolin’s The Party Hop on Sat. Oct. 3 at 3 PM ET, directed by Josh Margolin. 
here.
Beanie Feldstein, Ben Platt, Ayo Edebiri, Ashley Park, Kaitlyn Dever, and Catherine Cohen, with Molly Gordon, Francesca Carpanini, Kathryn Gallagher, Olivia Puckett, Max Sheldon, Noah Galvin, Hannah Zipperman, Julian Silver, Allie Levitan, Sam Alper, Zoe Worth, Chloe Searcy, and Anna Romanoff.
Set on a Saturday night three years into quarantine, three college sophomores, Ava, Emma, and Nancy, bounce from virtual party to virtual party in what is now a typical night out. However, when Emma and Nancy discover that Ava has not yet had her first kiss, they insist that tonight must be the night.
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“The Witches,” Roald Dahl’s film adaptation, has announced initial casting. Release date and additional information TBA.
Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock, Kristin Chenowith, and more TBA.
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Macbeth: A Surround Sound Experiment will stream Oct. 30 – Nov. 1 at 8 PM ET, in support of The Actors Fund, adapated & directed by Joseph Discher. tickets and additional information here.
Tamara Tunie, Laila Robins, Derek Wilson, Joel de la Fuente, Robert Cuccioli, Geoffrey Owens, Jacob Cogman, Sean Hudock, Rocío Mendez, Tim Nicolai, Mandy Olsen, Shane Taylor, Patrick Toon, and Jeorge Bennett Watson.
A virtual, immersive auditory tale of political ambition, recorded in isolation over 24 hours.
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Video: Liz Callaway sings “99 Miles from L.A.”
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Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s screen adaptation of August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” will premiere Dec. 18 on Netflix, directed by George C. Wolfe.
Viola Davis (Ma Rainey), Chadwick Boseman (in his final film role), (Levee), Michael Potts (Slow Drag), Glyn Turman (Toledo), Coleman Domingo (Cutler), and Jeremy Shamos (Irvin), with Jonny Coyne, Taylour Paige, and Dusan Brown.
Based on Wilson’s 1982 play, the movie explores the exploitation of Black musicians in 1920s Chicago while centering on the title “Mother of the Blues” and her band members during a tense recording session.
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Off-Broadway’s Primary Stages has announced its 2020 Virtual Gala, to take place Wed. Oct. 21 at 8 PM ET, hosted by Judy Gold.
Adam Gwon and NYC Public School teachers
Lynn Ahrens, Deborah S. Craig, Santino Fontana, Jessica Hershberg, Troy Iwata, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Ciara Renée, and more TBA.
here (scroll down)
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Video: Joe Mantello explains how he brought “The Boys in the Band” to life on screen. Scroll down…
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Pasadena Playhouse‘s PlayhouseLIVE is now available for FREE through Dec. 31, 2020.
With your free trial subscription, you can access the theatre’s original series and documentaries.
Click here to learn more and to subscribe.
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Video: Trailer for “Social Distance,” which premieres Oct. 15 on Netflix.
Danielle Brooks, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Okieriete Onaodowan, Becky Ann Baker, Dylan Baker, Max Jenkins, Oscar Nunez, Guillermo Diaz, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Mike Coulter, Asante Blackk, and Steven Weber, along with Misha Brooks, Isabella Ferreira, Miguel Sandoval, Camila Perez, Olli Haaskivi, Giana Aragon, Heather Burns, Ajay Naidu, Shakira Barrera, Helena Howard, Lovie Simone, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Peter Vack, Rana Roy, Peter Scanavino, Ali Ahn, Tami Sagher, Barbara Rosenblat, Michael Mulheren, Sunita Mani, Raymond Anthony Thomas and Marcia Debonis, Kylie Liya Page, Lachlan Watson, David Iacono, Will Meyers, Niles Fitch, and Ava Demary.
The anthology series is set at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a swift reliance on remote communication to keep in touch with loved ones.
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HBO‘s adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between the World and Me” will premiere Nov. 21 at 8 PM, directed by Kamilah Forbes.
Mahershala Ali, Phylicia Rashad, Courtney B. Vance, Oprah Winfrey, Angela Bassett. Alicia Garza, Jharrel Jerome, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Janet Mock, Jason Moran, Joe Morton, Wendell Pierce, Mj Rodriguez, Kendrick Sampson, Yara Shahidi, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Pauletta Washington, Susan Kelechi Watson, Michelle Wilson, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Mimi Jones, Ledisi, Greg Alverez Reid, Nate Smith, and Olivia Washington.
Published in 2015 and written as a long-form letter to Coates’ son, “Between the World and Me” examines what it means to be Black in America today. The presentation combines readings from the book, and incorporates documentary footage from the performers’ home lives, archival footage, and animation.
