Today’s Highlights:
The Lehman Trilogy, adapted by Ben Power, directed by Sam Mendes, featuring Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, and Adrian Lester, opens at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, directed by John Tiffany, featuring Jamie Ballard (Harry Potter), Susie Trayling (Ginny Potter), Dominic Short (Albus Potter), Thomas Aldridge (Ron Weasley), Michelle Gayle (Hermione Granger), Phoenix Edwards (Rose Granger-Weasley), James Howard (Draco Malfoy), and Luke Sumner Scorpius Malfoy). with Lola Adaja, Samson Ajewole, David Annen, Valerie Antwi, Sue Appleby, Phil Cheadle, Craig Connolly, Robert Curtis, Tim Dewberry, Jim Fish, Thomas Gilbey, Jemma Gould, Rachel Hinds, Jordan Lang, Ronnie Lee, Katrina Lopes, Lucy Mangan, David Mara, Lucia McAnespie, Jayne McKenna, Kathryn Meisle, Gordon Millar, Ian Redford, Thomas Royal, Tom Sturgess, Joshua Talbot, Mark Theodore, Emma-May Uden, Madeleine Walker, Wreh-asha Walton, Noah Alexander, Tom Quinn Alexander, Abby Barnes, Harley Barton, Chase Collard, Samuel Newby and Cici Smith, resumes performances at London’s Palace Theatre.
Celia and Fidel, by Eduardo Machado, directed by Molly Smith, featuring Marian Licha (Celia Sánchez), Andhy Mendez (Fidel Castro), Liam Torres (Manolo Ruiz), and Heather Velaquez (Consuelo), opens at DC’s Arena Stage.
Carter Calvert: Walkin’ After concert opens at PA’s Bucks County Playhouse.
The Visitor, world premiere by Tom Kitt, Brian Yorkey & Kwame Kwei-Armah, directed by Daniel Sullivan, featuring Ari’el Stachel (Tarek), David Hyde Pierce (Walter), and Alysha Deslorieux (Zainab), with Jacqueline Antaramian, Robert Ariza, Anthony Chan, Delius Doherty, C.K. Edwards, Will Erat, Brandon Espinoza, Sean Ewing, Crystal Joy, Marla Louissaint, Ahmad Maksoud, Sahar Milani, Dimitri Joseph Moïse, Takafumi Nikaido, Paul Pontrelli, and Katie Terza, begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Public Theater.
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Reviews for Thoughts of a Colored Man at Broadway’s Golden Theatre:
NY Times (Maya Phillips): At the top of the play…one of the seven black men asks the question that begins the play: “Who is the Colored Man?” It’s a question that Scott’s Broadway debut…doesn’t quite know how to answer… aspires to be a lyrical reckoning with Black life in America but only delivers a gussied-up string of straw-man lessons…But the question remains: “Who is the Colored Man?” The framing of these characters as concepts seems to imply a larger metaphor about Blackness that never comes to fruition. Perhaps we’re meant to deduce that these men taken together make up an entire Black man, with all of his dimensions. Yet Scott’s script teeters between presenting fully drawn characters and firm personifications, ultimately failing at either.
Broadway News (Charles Isherwood): The busy streets of Brooklyn provide the background to Keenan Scott II’s “Thoughts of a Colored Man,” but firmly seizing the foreground are the seven captivating actors who bring to life the dreams, fears, memories, hopes and, yes, all-encompassing thoughts of Black men, both archetypal and piercingly specific, as they move through a single fall day… while one may acknowledge its incidental flaws, the cumulative power of Thoughts of a Colored Man is what remains with you after the curtain falls. “But you don’t hear us though!” is the collective refrain all but shouted in the play’s final moments.
Daily New (Chris Jones): …In many ways, the moralistic, heartfelt 90-minute show, Thoughts of a Colored Man exemplifies what so many of the progressive activists who work in the theater business have said needs to happen far more on Broadway… The characters in the piece are diverse…But it is their shared racial identity that offers the thematic link in the show… To call “Thoughts” a choreopoem in the Shange mode would overstate both the piece and the physicality of what Broadnax tried to do… It also could range yet deeper when it comes to exploring the clash of what we might think of as traditional values…
Hollywood Reporter (Lovia Gyarkye): Thoughts of a Colored Man is the kind of play I make excuses for… a study of Black masculinity and “blends spoken word, slam poetry, rhythm and humor”… And yet, days after seeing this entertaining but emotionally inert play, I am resistant to passing judgment, plagued by the ways it fell short for me… Although some of the monologues come off as clichéd, they hint at the potential within the characters, whose backstories seem ripe for excavation… But Scott doesn’t tease out these narratives as forcefully as he can, and as a result, parts of Thoughts of a Colored Man feel flat despite the emphatic performances…
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David Mamet’s American Buffalo will run Mar. 22 – July 10, 2022 (opening Apr. 14) at Circle in the Square, directed by Neil Pepe.
Laurence Fishburne, Sam Rockwell, and Darren Criss.
Three small-time hustlers want a bigger cut of the American dream.
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Jay Osmond, Julian Bigg & Shaun Kerrison’s The Osmonds: A New Musical will launch Feb. 2, 2022 at the UK’s Leicester’s Curve, directed by Kerrison, with choreography & music direction by Bill Deamer. The tour is currently scheduled to continue through Dec. 3, 2022.
Ryan Anderson (Merrill), Jamie Chatterton (Alan), Alex Lodge (Jay), Danny Nattrass (Wayne), and Joseph Peacock (Donny), with more TBA.
The true story of the five Utah brothers who became a pop sensation.
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In addition to its live run, London’s Almeida Theatre will stream its production of The Tragedy of Macbeth Oct. 27-30, directed by Yaël Farber. Note: The in-person run has been extended through Nov. 27.
James McArdle (Macbeth), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Macbeth), Michael Abubakar (Malcolm), Ross Anderson (Banquo), Emun Elliott (Macduff), William Gaunt (Duncan), Akiya Henry (Lady Macduff), Reuben Joseph (Angus), and Richard Rankin (Ross), with Diane Fletcher, Maureen Hibbert & Valerie Lilley (Wyrd Sisters), with Aoife Burke, Gareth Kennerley, and Adam McNamara. Splitting the role of Macduff Brother are Myles Grant, Emet Yah Khai, K-ets Yah Khai, Dereke Oladele, Jamie-Lee Martin and Henry Meredith.
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Jason Kravitz: Off the Top will take place Mon. Nov. 1 at 8 PM ET at NYC’s Birdland. Special guests TBA.
The lights come up, the music starts, and Jason Kravits walks on stage with… nothing. No script, no songs, no story. Over the course of an exhilarating 75 minutes, he keeps you on the edge of your seat by using audience suggestions pulled from a fishbowl to write songs… on the spot!
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Suni Reid, a former Hamilton ensemble member and understudy for several principal roles, has filed a legal complaint against the show, saying their contract for the current Los Angeles engagement was rescinded during negotiations after they requested a gender-neutral dressing room. Reid, who identifies as a Black non-binary, transgender individual, says they were subject to discrimination and retaliation by the production and members of the company.
Reid first joined the show as part of the Broadway company in fall 2017—prior to openly identifying as non-binary—and the complaint outlines instances of ridicule and harassment during that time. Such behavior escalated when they joined the Chicago company of the Tony-winning musical, including after they had publicly came out and changed their pronouns, according to the complaint. Episodes recounted include being physically threatened by one company member and misgendered by others.
Click here to read the article in its entirety.
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Off-Broadway’s Keen Company has announced its 22nd Annual Benefit Gala, to stream Mon. Oct. 25 at 7 PM ET, hosted by John-Andrew Morrison, with music direction by Benjamin Rauhala.
Pearl Cleage.
Phylicia Rashad, Krysta Rodriguez, Tamika Sonja Lawrence, Tayari Jones, Zachary Noa Piser, and Rachel Christopher.
A virtual evening of extraordinary performances, musical entertainment, and backstage stories from stars of stage and screen.
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Jack Thorne’s new interpretation of A Christmas Carol will run Nov. 30 – Jan. 1, 2022 (opening Dec. 1) at the Ahmanson Theatre, directed by Matthew Warchus.
Bradley Whitford (Ebenezer Scrooge), Kate Burton (Ghost of Christmas Past), Alex Newell (Ghost of Christmas Present/Mrs. Fezziwig), Chante Carmel (Mrs. Cratchit), Dashiell Eaves (Bob Cratchit), Brandon Gill (Fred), Evan Harrington (Fezziwig), Chris Hoch (Father/Marley), Sarah Hunt (Belle), Alex Nee (Ferdy/Nicholas), Sebastian Ortiz & Cade Robertson (alternating as Tiny Tim), Bret Ryback (George), Harry Thornton (Young Ebenezer), Glory Yepassis0Zembrou (Little Fan), and Grace Yoo (Jess), with Celia Mei Rubin.
A magical new interpretation, with dazzling staging, moving storytelling, and 12 cherished Christmas carols.
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Cast changes in the Broadway production of Waitress at the Barrymore Theater:
* Erich Bergen will return to the role of Dr. Pomatter Oct. 19-24 and Nov. 2-7.
* Drew Gehling will return as Dr. Pomatter Oct. 26-31 and Nov. 9-24.
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Video: Trailer for Apple TV +’s “Harriet the Spy,” starring Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch.
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Charles J. Shield’s “Lorraine Hansberry: The Life Behind A Raisin in the Sun“ will be released in January, 2022 (date TBA). 
here.
The book examines the parts of Hansberry’s life that have escaped public knowledge: the influence of her upper-class background, her fight for peace and nuclear disarmament, the reason why she embraced Communism during the Cold War, and her dependence on her white husband – her best friend, critic and promoter. Many of the identity issues about class, sexuality, and race that she struggled with are relevant and urgent today.
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Walter Bobbie’s A Grand Night for Singing: A Celebration of Rodgers & Hammerstein continues through Nov. 28 at CT’s Good Speed Musicals, directed by Rob Ruggiero, with music direction by Adam Souza, and choreography by Lainie Sakakura.
Jasmine Forsberg, Mauricio Martínez, Jesse Nager, Mamie Parris, and Diane Phelan, with Kathryn Boswell and Kevin Schuering.
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Douglas Carter Beane’s Fairycakes (see details in the Highlights section above), has just launched a $25 rush ticket policy with TodayTix.
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Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3 will present the world premiere of Bryna Turner’s At the Wedding, to run Feb. 12 – Mar. 27, 2022 (opening Feb. 28) at the Claire Tow Theater, directed by Jenna Worsham.
Mary Wiseman (Carlo) and Rebecca S’Manga (Frank), with Keren Lugo, Carolyn McCormick, Will Rogers, and Han Van Sciver.
A story of loss, love and redemption, this new comedy follows the world’s loneliest (and wittiest) single woman, Carlo, as she crashes her ex-girlfriend’s wedding to a man. Through a series of flirtations, conversations, and collisions with past lovers, old enemies, new friends, and perfect strangers, Carlo strives to understand whether or not heartbreak is a permanent human condition.