Today’s Highlights:
Roundabout‘s 1776, with an all-female cast, directed by Jeffrey L. Page & Diane Paulus, featuring Crystal Lucas-Perry (John Adams), Gisela Adisa (Robert Livingston), Nancy Anderson (George Read), Becca Ayers (Col. Thomas McKean), Tiffani Barbour as (Andrew McNair), Carolee Carmello (John Dickinson), Allyson Kaye Daniel (Abigail Adams/Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon), Elizabeth A. Davis (Thomas Jefferson), Mehry Eslaminia (Charles Thomson), Joanna Glushak (Stephen Hopkins), Shawna Hamic (Richard Henry Lee), Eryn LeCroy (Martha Jefferson/Dr. Lyman Hall), Liz Mikel (John Hancock), Patrena Murray (Benjamin Franklin), Oneika Phillips (Joseph Hewes), Lulu Picart (Samuel Chase), Sara Porkalob (Edward Rutledge), Sushma Saha (Judge James Wilson), Brooke Simpson (Roger Sherman), Salome B. Smith (Courier), Sav Souza (Dr. Josiah Bartlett), and Jill Vallery (Caesar Rodney), with Ariella Serur, Grace Stockdale, and Imani Pearl Williams, opens at Broadway’s American Airlines Theatre.
The Band’s Visit, directed by Michael Longhurst, featuring Alon Moni Aboutboul (Tewfiq), Miri Mesika (Dina), Sharif Afifi, Jason Alder, Marc Antolin, Harel Glazer, Levi Goldmeier, Ido Gonen, Michal Horowicz, Emma Kingston, Shira Kravitz, Nitai Levi, Yali Topol Margalith, Ashley Margolis, Carlos Mendoza de Hevia, Peter Polycarpou, Ant Romero, Idlir, Shyti, Maya Kristal Tenenbaum, Sargon Yelda, and Baha Yetkin, opens at London’s Donmar Warehouse.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, directed by James Bundy, featuring René Augesen, Dan Donohue, Nate Janis, and Emma Pfitzer Price, begins previews at CT’s Yale Rep.
Ensemble Theatre Company‘s Carmen Jones, by Oscar Hammerstein II & George Bizet, directed by Jonathan Fox, featuring Fredricka Meed (Carmen Jones), Chauncy Packer (Joe), Zelda Carmen (Cindy Lou), Troy Wallace (Husky), Nataley Carter (Myrt), Ashli Ferguson (Sally), Christopher James Hester (Rum), Michael Howard-dossett (Sergeant Brown/Higgins), Constance Jewell Lopez (Franky), and Desmond Newsom (Dink), begins previews at Santa Barbara’s New Vic.
**********************
Beehive: The 60’s Musical will run Nov. 11 – Jan. 15, 2023 at Milwaukee’s Stackner Cabaret, directed by Laura Braza, with music direction by Tom Vendafreddo, and choreography by David P Roman.
Jackey Boelkow, Sarah Lynn Marion, Tess Marshall, Jamie Mercado, Desiree Tolodziecki, and Amaya White.
**********************
Foundation for New American Musicals (FNAM) will present its next MUSIC-CAL, offering excerpts from new musicals, on Mon. Nov. 7 at 7:30 PM at LA’s Bourbon Room, co-hosted by Clayton Farris & Laura Schein. Performers TBA.
Singing Revolution: The Musical, by Tony Spinosa & James Bearhart. 
A contemporary musical with a Europop score. Taavi Tamm is the leader of the resistance movement who falls in love with the daughter of the enemy. Inspired by the Estonian revolution against the Soviet Union, Taavi leads his fellow countrymen to freedom through the power of song.
57 Bus, by Ryan Luevano. Inspired by a true event that took place on a bus in Oakland, CA in 2013, and 18-year-old high school student’s skirt was set on fire by another student. The musical explores how the lives of these two children are changed forever.
Dorothy – The Musical, by Chuck Strand & George Petersen. The true crime tale of the rise of pioneering journalist Dorothy Kilgallen and her curious death while investigating the assassination of JFK.
Winter Lights (a song from the musical), by Pamela Winslow Kashani & tim Kashani. Through a botched science experiment and a bit of magic, a fantastical holiday character appears to a science-minded teen and takes her, her younger broth, and her robot friend on a wild, funny and entertaining journey to help her face her fears and gain the confidence she needs to create her dream invention.
The Belles Are Swingin’, by Scott DeTurk & James Mellon. Two women – two pitchers – two lifetimes.
“Apple Tree Theatre”, a song from the animated musical series by Laura Schein & Ben Zeadman. When 3rd grader Ellie Beat creates a theatre company in her backyard under the big apple tree, she and her ragtag crew of dramatically inclined friends discover that through the magic of theatre, anything is possible.
**********************
A newly reimagined revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart & Don Black’s Aspects of Love will begin previews May 12, 2023 and open May 25 at the Lyric Theatre, directed by Jonathan Kent.
Michael Ball, and more TBA.
**********************
Starry Soiree benefit concert, in support of Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre, will take place sat. Oct. 8 at 6 PM in the garden of Rubicon staff members Kirby & Beverly Ward. A talk-back with Norm will follow.
Norm Lewis
**********************
NYC’s The Museum of Broadway‘s exhibition of the work of Al Hirschfeld will open Nov. 15. Event link TBA.
The exhibition will take visitors through nine decades of Hirschfeld’s landmark images capturing the American theatre from 1928-2002. Among the shows represented will be the original productions of Fiddler on the Roof, The Phantom of the Opera, The King and I, Sunday in the Park With George, Funny Girl, Ragtime, Beauty and the Beast, and Hairspray, along with portraits of such figures as Meryl Streep, Stephen Sondheim, Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli, and John Leguizamo. Also on display will be show posters, album covers, and Playbill covers designed by Hirschfeld; a replica of the barber chair Hirschfeld worked in; and sketchbooks the artist used to plan some of his most iconic artworks.
**********************
Congratulations to Nick Blaemire and Ana Nogueira on the birth of their baby, Faye, who was born on Sept. 30 at 1:32 AM.
**********************
A new film documentary, “Mad About the Boy – The Noël Coward Story,” in currently in development, and is expected to be released in 2023.
Stay tuned for further details…
**********************
Complete casting has been announced for Off-Broadway’s Ensemble Studio Theatre‘s 38th Marathon of One-Act Plays, which will run Oct. 16 – Nov. 13. Ten plays will be presented across two different series.
Directors: Sivan Battat, Dominic Colón, nicHi Douglas, Chika Ike, Cameron Knight, Rebecca Martinez, Jonathan McCrory, Jess McLeod, Keenan Tyler Oliphant, Erin Tripp, and Elizabeth Van Dyke
(Series A): Catalina Chang, Brenda Crawley, José Espinosa, Daniela Gonzalez y Perez, Ethan Joseph, Denise Manning, Marcus Naylor, Ashley Marie Ortiz (amo), Roudlerson Calvin Pierre, Cristina Pitter, Justin Rodriguez, Deandre Sevon, Mark Vaughn, Ed Ventura, Eric R. Williams, Jo Yang, and the voice of William Jackson Harper.
(Series B): Biko, Ashley Bufkin, David Cork, Sydney Lolita Cusic, Will Dagger, Alisha Espinosa, Fernando Gonzalez, Sarah Nina Hayon, Kai Heath, Kendyl Ito, Margaret Odette, and Monique Robinson.
**********************
San Francisco’s 42nd Street Moon will present Gypsy in Concert in 2 locations, directed by A.C. Carollo, with choreography by Staci Arriaga, and music direction by Daniel Thomas.
Performances will take place Nov. 3-4 at Campbell’s Heritage Theatre and Nov. 12-13 at San Francisco’s Alcazar Theatre.
Melinda Meeng (Rose) and more TBA.
**********************
Complete casting has been announced for Patrick Pacheco, Erik Forrest Jackson, Jason Howland & Amanda Yesnowtiz’s Christmas in Connecticut – A New Musical, to run Nov. 18 – Dec. 30 (opening Dec. 7) at CT’s Goodspeed Musicals, directed by Amy Corcoran, with music direction by Adam Souza.
Audrey Cardwell (Liz Sandor), Ed Dixon (Alexander Yardley), Matt Bogart (Victor Beecham), Josh Breckenridge (Jefferson Jones), Raymond J. Lee (Dudley Beecham), James Judy (Felix Bassenak), Tina Stafford (Norah O’Connor), and Rashidra Scott (Gladys Higgenbottom), with Matthew Curiano, Rachel Fobbs, Julie Kavanagh, Emily Larger, Brendan McGrady, Melvin Tunstall III, Ty-Gabriel Jones, and Jamie Zeidman.
**********************
The world premiere of Kate Prince, Priya Parmar, Josh Cohen & DJ Walde’s Sylvia will run Jan. 27 – Apr. 1, 2023 (opening Feb. 14) at the Old Vic, directed & choreographed by Prince.
Beverley Knight (Emmeline Pankhurst), Sharon rose (Sylvia Pankhurst, Kelly Agbowu (Mrs. Drummond/Mrs. Savoy), Verity Blyth (Clementine Churchill/Mrs. Scurr), Kimmy Edwards (Emily Davison/Lillie Hardie/Mrs. Watkins), Alex Gaumond (Keir Hardie), Jade Hackett (Lady Jennie Churchill/Mrs. Payne), Todd Holdsworth (Silvio Corio), Stevie Hutchinson (Lloyd George/Lord Curzon), Kate Ivory Jordan (Mrs. Parsons), Razak Osman (Harry Pankhurst/Sir Almroth Wright), Jay Perry (Winston Churchill/George Lansbury Pankhurst/Sir Almroth Wright), Sharon Rose (Sylvia Pankhurst), Kirstie Skivington (Adela Pankhurst), and Ellena Vincent (Christabel Pankhurst), with Hannah Khemoh, and more TBA.
The piece follows feminist activist Sylvia Pankhurst and her work with the women’s suffrage movement.
**********************
& 
A staged reading of Shelli Pentimall’s Call Me Abigail will take place Mon. Oct. 17 at 7:15 PM at NYC’s TheaterLab, directed by Christina Sajous.
Brenda Braxton and Marc Kudisch, with Britney Coleman, Gabrielle McClinton, and Adie Merrell.
A father and daughter are embroiled in conflict over politics and the adult entertainment industry, shining a spotlight on art and censorship.