Today’s Highlights:
Giant, world premier by Mark Rosenblatt, directed by Nicholas Hytner, featuring John Lithgow (Roal Dahl), Rachael Stirling (Felicity Crosland), Romola Garai (Jesse Stone), Tessa Bonham Jones (Hallie), Richard Hope (Wally Saunders), and Elliot Levey (Tom Maschler), with Tessa Bonham Jones, and Romola Garai Hope, opens at London’s Royal Court Theatre.
Fatherland, written & directed by Stephen Sachs, featuring Ron Bottitta (Father), Patrick Keleher (Son), Anna Kahja (US Attorney), and Larry Poindexter (Defense Attorney), opens at Off-Broadway’s New York City Center Stage II.
Soup in the Second Act, world premiere written & directed by Barry Primus, featuring Paul Coates (Austin), Kip Gilman (Warren), Equiano Mosieri (Gavin), Zora Rasmussen (Rene), Connor Stewart (Stagehand), Bill Waters (Stagehand) and Sam Wiek, opens at Off-Broadway’s Theatre for the New City.
My Best Friend’s Wedding, world premiere by Ron Bass & Jonathan Harvey, directed by Kathleen Marshall, featuring Krystal Joy Brown (Julianne), Matt Doyle (Michael), Lianah Sta. Ana (Kimmy), Morgan Bryant (Samantha), Zoe Jensen (Amanda), Telly Leung (George), Mark Lotito (Walter), Austin Phillips (Scotty), and Soara-Joye Ross (Isabelle), with Kailey Boyle, Daniel Brackett, Runako Campbell, Deanna Cudjoe, Aaron Graham, Harris Matthew, Jessica Sheridan, Mikayla Thrasher, and Craig Waletzko with Kaitie Buckert and Raphe Gilliam, opens at ME’s Ogunquit Playhouse.
Blood/Love, by Carey Sharpe, Dru DeCaro, Erin Boehme & Adam “Snake” Kobylarz, directed by Daniel LeClaire, featuring Cam Anthony, Brennin Hunt, and Daniel Franzese, opens at Hollywood’s The Crimson (6356 Hollywood Blvd).
Left on Tenth, by Delia Ephron, directed by Susan Stroman, featuring Julianna Margulies (Delia) and Peter Gallagher (Peter), with Peter Francis James and Kate MacCluggage, begins previews at Broadway’s James Earl Jones Theatre.
Romeo + Juliet, directed by Sam Gold, featuring Kit Conner (Romeo), Rachel Zegler (Juliet), Gabby Beans (Mercutio/The Friar), Tommy Dorfman (The Nurse/Tybalt), Nihar Duvvuri (Balthazar), Sola Fadiran (Capulet/Lady Capulet), Daniel Bravo Hernández (Abraham, Taheen Modak (Benvolio, Jasai Chase Owens (Gregory), and Gían Pérez (Samson/Paris/Peter), with Missy Malek, Timothy Oh, Susannah Perkins, and Daniel Velez, begins previews at Broadway’s Circle in the Square.
Someone Is Sending A Message staged reading by Susan Charlotte, directed by Anthony Marsellis, featuring Roberta Wallach, Penny Fuller, and James Naughton, at 2 PM at NYC’s Ethical Culture Society (2 West 64th St.), in the Ceremonial Hall). 
info@causecelebreproductions.org
Common Ground 8: Stories of Transformation presentation, directed by Brian Graves & Lizzy Kimball, Allan Wasserman, Ann Hearn Tobolowsky, Jolene Kay, and Rob Brownstein, performed by Maurie Gonzalez, Jason Culp, Michelle Gillette, Allan Wasserman, and Jolene Kay , at 8 PM at North Hollywood’s Road on Magnolia.
**********************
Pittsburgh CLO has announced it’s Summer 2025 season:
Creative teams and casting TBA.
Camelot (June 17-22)
Back the Future (July 1-6)
Frozen (Frozen (July 18 -27)
**********************
Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind will run Oct. 4 – Nov. 10 at Actors Co-op, directed by Kimberly Hébert Gregory.
Rodrick Jean-Charles (Sheldon Forrester), Larry Eisenberg (Henry), Freedom (John Nevins), Sophia Kalugin (Judy Sears), JohnMarzilli (Bill O’Wray), Spencer Rowe (Al Manners), Brendan Shannon (Eddie Fenton), Lorinda Hawkins Smith (Millie Davis), and Kimi Walker (Wiletta Mayer).
Set during rehearsals for a Broadway show, the story centers on Wiletta Mayer, an African American actress who has long been cast in stereotypical roles. As rehearsals progress, Wiletta’s fight for dignity clashes with the realities of the industry's racial biases, threatening her career.
**********************
Video: Adam Lambert and Auli’i Cravalho perform Cabaret‘s “Willkommen”
**********************
George Brant & E. Faye Butler’s Marie and Rosetta will run Oct. 22 – Dec. 22 at Milwaukee Rep, directed by E. Faye Butler.
Alexis J Roston and Bethany Thomas.
Before Little Richard, Johnny Cash, and Jimi Hendrix, Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s groundbreaking blend of gospel music, swing rhythms and fierce electric guitar made her an unconventional music superstar in the 1930s and 40s. Acclaimed writer George Brant (Grounded) unearths the unsung roots of the fearless “Godmother of Rock ’n’ Roll” and her wide-eyed protégée Marie Knight, as they begin their revolutionary ascent to become one of the most influential teams in music history.
**********************
A developmental workshop of Jay Martel’s Parents in Chains will take place Sept. 30 & Oct. 1 (both at 8 PM) at Hollywood’s Whitley Theatre, directed by Andy Fickman.
Jason Alexander, Kristen Bell, Yvette Nicole Brown, Tom Everett Scott, Jackie Tohn, and Gary Anthony Williams.
In LA, six LA parents exchange texts as their 17 year old daughters drive home from a weekend in San Francisco during the approach of a hurricane. The trip and the inclement weather bring out both the best and the worst in the parents, as they confront, as a group, as couples, and as individuals, what it means to let go of their kids. by turns viciously calm and poignant, the play is a valentine to the most difficult, most failure-prone job in the world… parenting.
**********************
Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge will run Oct. 30 – Nov. 17 (opening Nov. 3) at Laguna Playhouse, directed by David Ellenstein.
Richard Baird (Eddie Carbone), Lowell Byers ((Marco), Frank Corrado (Alfieri), Steve Froehlich (Mike/Tony/ Immigration Officer), Coby Rogers (Rodolpho), Matthew Salazar-Thompson (Louis/First Immigration Officer), Margot White (Beatrice), and Marie Zolezzi (Catherine).
**********************
Broadway’s Once Upon a Mattress will run Dec. 10 – Jan. 5, 2025 at the Ahmanson Theatre, directed by Lear deBessonet, with choreography by Lorin Latarro, and music supervision by Mary-Mitchell Campbell.
Sutton Foster (Princess Winnifred the Woebegone), Michael Urie (Prince Dauntless, Ana Gasteyer (Queen Aggravain),Brooks Ashmanskas (Wizard), Daniel Breaker (Jester), Will Chase (Sir Harry), Nikke Rnéee Daniels (Lady Larken), David Patrick Kelly (King Sextimus the Silent), and Kara Lindsay (Standby for Princess Winnifred), with more TBA.
Video: Inside rehearsals.
**********************
London’s The Motive and the Clue, a new play by jack Thorne, directed by Sam Mendes, will screen Oct. 6 & Nov. 7 (both at 3 PM) at UCLA’s James Bridges Theatre.
Mark Gatiss (John Gielgud) and Johnny Flynn (Richard Burton).
1964: Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new Broadway production of Hamlet under John Gielgud’s exacting direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.
**********************
New York Stage and Film‘s 2024 Annual Gala will take place Mon. Dec. 9 at 6:30 PM at City Winery NYC (25 11th Ave.).
Amanda Lipitz (writer) and Raúl Esparza.
**********************
Frozen will run Oct. 24 – Jan. 5, 2025 at MD’s Olney Theatre, directed by Alan Muraoka. with music direction by Christopher Youstra, and choreography by Kelly Crandall d’Amboise.
Alex De Bard (Anna), Gabriela Hernandez (Elsa), Kennedy Kanagawa (Olaf), Ricky DeVon Hall (Kristoff), and more TBA.
**********************
Group Rep will present Suzanne Buhrer, Gene Casey & Jan Casey’s The Orphan’s Revenge (or Abandoned at Cooper’s Crossing) Oct. 4 – Nov. 10 at North Hollywood’s Lonny Chapman Theatre, directed by Stan Mazin, with music direction by Andy Howe.
Shared roles: Sean Babcock & Jackson Bethel (Orphan), George Bufford & Eas
Bufford (Benjamin Cox), with Joseph Eastburn (Victor Van Rooper), and Lareen Faye, Brad Kahn, Jessica Kent, Hisato Masuyama, Casey Murry Belle, Tack Sappington, Rob Schaumann, Kyra Schwartz, Arden Shia, Suzan Solomon, Abigail Stewart, Melissa Strauss, Scarlett Strauss, Hannah Sun, Kristin Towers Rowles, and Janet Wood.
The current crop of unstoppable Marvel-inspired feature films all got their start from
the tremendously popular melodramas of the 1800s with the heroine, hero and
dastardly villain. Our selfless heroine sacrifices herself to keep the orphanage from
being recycled into a saloon. And to make this even more enjoyable, all this fun is
wrapped in a musical format! Originally produced by the Group Rep, this was one of the
most successful productions in GRT’s 50-year history, eventually wending its way to the
Ford Theatre in Washington, DC. It is tongue-planted- ferociously-in-cheek.