Today’s Highlights:
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, directed by Ethan Heard, featuring Sawyer Smith (Hedwig) and Vanessa (V) Sterling (Yitzhak), opens at DC’s Signature Theatre.
Julie Benko: A Star is Born concert opens at LA’s Catalina Jazz club.
Casualty of War presentations, written & performed by Sharon Lesser, 7 PM & 8:30 PM at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row.
The Totality of All Things, world premiere by Erik Gernand, directed by Taylor Nichols, featuring Christina Carlisi (Judith), Meeghan Holaway (DeeAnn), Gloria Ines (Ms. Carter), Gabriel Plama (Gregg), Victor Kallett (Micah), and Carlos Lacámara (Principal Benson), begins previews at North Hollywood’s Road Theatre.
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Reviews for John Proctor is the Villain at Broadway’s Booth Theatre:
New York Times (Jesse Green): … a vital new play in a thrilling production. Defining the word is part of a six-week sex education unit at a rural Georgia high school that doesn’t want to teach it… It is in this hormonal, repressive environment, in 2018, just a year since #MeToo acquired its hashtag… But even for those who have thought little about the subject, the world is about to change, as their lit teacher, the golden Mr. Smith, embarks on a unit about “The Crucible”… Belflower paints these girls, and the director Danya Taymor presents them, as supersmart, sensitive and a little feral… Belflower smartly keeps the play from becoming a polemic by moving on several tracks at once… “John Proctor is one of the great heroes of the American Theater,” Mr. Smith responds, defending his ground perhaps too aggressively. Ebert’s beautifully judged performance gives you the feeling of something tarnished beneath the gold…
Hollywood Reporter (Lovia Gyarkye): It’s a testament to the subtle brilliance of Kimberly Belflower’s writing and Danya Tamor’s direction that you can hardly feel the 105-minute, no-intermission runtime of John Proctor Is the Villain… Lucky for these teens, their beloved English teacher, Mr. Smith (Gabriel Ebert), stumbles upon the heated confrontation and cuts a deal with guidance counselor Miss Gallagher (Molly Griggs): If he signs on as faculty advisor and the girls tie their class reading — Arthur Miller’s The Crucible — into their agenda,.. Many theatergoers will be drawn to John Proctor Is the Villain by Sink, who made her breakthrough in Stranger Things and most recently starred in Searchlight’s musical drama O’Dessa. While the actress holds her own, channeling her character’s mix of teen angst and deeper emotional woundedness, her performance is buoyed by those of the women around her…
Variety (Chirstian Lewis): …They are not receiving much sexual education here, and Mr. Smith is certainly not a good man for the job. But this is the only high school in a one-stoplight town in Appalachian Georgia, so he’ll have to do… Playwright Kimberly Belflower has crafted a compelling rebuttal to “The Crucible” and the way it is most often read (as the title makes clear). She brings the play up to date, transforming Miller’s Red Scare allegory into one more suited to our current political climate. In the process, she makes “The Crucible” feel surprisingly fresh, especially as seen — and rejected — by the teenage girls in the class. Belflower also plays with the allegory, devising a metatheatrical work that adapts “The Crucible,” with various characters becoming stand-ins for Miller’s and similar beats revisited anew,,, Sink gives a spellbinding performance…
New York Post (Johnny Oleksinski ): …playwright Kimberly Belflower’s often entertaining, mostly clever, frequently phony dramedy that opened Monday night at the Booth Theatre could have used another draft… promising play …Proctor, who in Miller’s play had an affair with 17-year-old “I saw Goody Proctor with the devil!” accuser Abigail and beats his worker Mary, suddenly doesn’t look so praiseworthy to Gen Z kids surrounded by bad men of all ages. Still, not every student in the tiny Southern enclave believes the purported victims. Rifts form and clashes ensue, much as in 17th Century Salem… Belflower’s play says the opposite while mirroring Miller’s moral certitude about his own characters’ top-to-bottom guiltlessness. She casts zero doubt on the men being investigated. They absolutely did it… Everybody is memorable, but most believable in a backpack is Fina Strazza as Beth, a whip-smart firecracker who is chummy with Mr. Smith
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Laguna Playhouse (link TBA) has announced its 2026 season. Casting and creative teams TBA.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Sept. 17 – Oct. 5, opening Sept. 21), directed by Noelle Marion.
Beside Myself (Oct. 19 – Nov. 16), by Paul Slade Smith, directed by David Ellenstein. 
Gemma is at her breaking point – stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed. A new medical procedure promises to change all that, giving her a fresh start. But when the “new” Gemma shows up, the original Gemma is still there. Now, with two versions of herself to contend with, Gemma must learn to navigate life, with all its messiness, while figuring out how to keep being herself. From the creator of The Angel Next Door, Paul Slade Smith’s latest comedy is an uproarious journey into the messy, hilarious, and sometimes painful process of trying to reinvent yourself while still being… well, you.
Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground (Jan. 14 – Feb. 1, 2026, opening Jan. 18), by Richard Hellesen, directed by Peter Ellenstein, and starring John Rubinstein.
Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Mar. 4-22), by Neil Simon, directed by Andrew Barnicle.
The Maltese Falcon (Apr. 15 – May 3), by Matthew Salazar-Thompson.directed by Todd Nielsen.
Red (June 10-28), by John Logan, directed by David Ellenstein. In this gripping and thought-provoking play, a famed artist confronts the price of artistic genius and personal sacrifice. Set in the studio of abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, the story follows his turbulent relationship with a young assistant, as they clash over the meaning of art, ambition, and legacy. Ever wondered what it truly takes to create a masterpiece?
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Stephen Sondheim, Craig Lucas, & Norman René’s Marry Me a Little will run June 6, 14, 19 & 22 at the Chromolume Theatre, directed by James Espositto, with music direction by Miki Yokomizo.
Gina Ansaldi and Kendre Scott.
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David Dean Bottrell: Teenage Wasteland: Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen will run May 22 & 23 (both at 8 PM) at Sherman Oaks’ Whitefire Theatre.
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CA’s Segerstrom Center will present A Fabulous 50th: Broadway’s Most Legendary Season concert on Fri. Apr. 18 at 8 PM, produced, directed & hosted by Scott Coulter.
Tony Yazbeck, Eden Espinosa, Klea Blackhurst, Carole J. Bufford, Jason Graae, Stephany Park, and Max Clayton.
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Jack Godfrey’s 42 Balloons will run May 24 – June 29 at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, directed by Ellie Coote.
Charlie McCullagh (Larry Walters) and Evelyn Hoskins (Carol Van Deusen), with Daniel Assetta, Kailin Brown, Devin Cortez, Cameron Anika Hill, Josh Hoon Lee, Minju Michelle Lee, Austin Nelson Jr., Morgan Schoenecker, Lucia Spina, and Akron Watson, with Julia Bain, Lacey Jack, Joshua Messmore, and Luke Nowakowski.
Inspired by an unbelievable true story, 42 Balloons is a soaringly original musical from the award-winning producers of SIX. On July 2, 1982, truck driver Larry Walters defied the odds (and FAA airspace regulations) to achieve his lifelong dream of flying. In a lawn chair attached to 42 weather balloons, Larry—supported by his girlfriend and a community of unlikely heroes—ascended 16,000 feet into the blue sky above LA, and from the moment he landed, their lives would never be the same. Featuring an irresistible ’80s pop-inspired score, 42 Balloons is a funny, moving, and thrillingly staged new musical that asks: How far would you go for your dream… and how far would you be willing to fly?
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NYC’s The Acting Company will present its What Dreams May Come Gala on Mon. Apr. 21 at 6:30 PM at 583 Park Avenue, directed by Nathan Brewer.
Tina Benko and Patrick K. Dooley.
Jordan Donica and Jessica Vosk.
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Project Shaw will present one script-in-hand performance of Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan on Mon. May 12 at Off-Broadway’s The Players, directed by Lily Kanter Riopelle.
Madeline Seidman (Joan), Ben Davis (robert), Ty Jones (Poulengey/Ladvenu), Patrick Page (Archbishop/Inquisitor), Paco Tolson (Dunois), Rob McClure (Warwick), PJ Adzima (Charles), Mark Shanahan (Chaplain), John-Andrew Morrison (Cauchon), Sean McIntyre (La Hire …d’Estivet), Robert Elijah Kollman (Steward/Edward the Page), R.J. Foster (La Tremouille), and Christopher Innvar (bluebeard/English Soldier.
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A Fabulous 50th: Broadway’s Most Legendary Season will take place Fri. Apr. 18 at 8 PM at CA’s Segerstrom Center, directed by Scot Coultter.
Tony Yazbeck, Eden Espinosa, Klea Blackhurst, Carole J. Bufford, Max Clayton,
Jason Graae, and Stephanie Jae Park.
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The digital lottery has been announced for Broadway’s Dead Outlaw at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre.
Entries start at 12 AM, one day before the performance, via rush.telecharge.com and winners are drawn the same day from 10 AM – 3 PM PM. Winners may buy up to 2 tickets at $33 each.
Andrew Durand (Elmer McCurdy), Jeb Brown (Band Leader/Jarrett), Eddie Cooper (Coroner Johnson), Dashiell Eaves (Louis/Charles Patterson), Julia Knitel (Helen/Maggie), Ken Marks (George), Trent Saunders ( Andy Payne), and Thom Sesma (Coroner Noguchi), with Emily Fink and Max Sangerman. The true story of Elmer McCurdy, an outlaw who, after dying in a shootout, becomes a traveling sideshow attraction in a mummified state. The musical explores McCurdy’s life, death, and the bizarre afterlife of his preserved body, which was displayed across the country for decades.
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David Adjimi & Will Butler’s “Sterophonic” is now available for pre-orders from TCG Books.
Winner of five 2024 Tony Awards, including Best Play, Stereophonic has been widely celebrated for its unflinching look at the creative process and the emotional toll of artistic collaboration. Set in a 1970s California recording studio, it’s a gripping and deeply theatrical exploration of music, ego, and genius on the brink.
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A private industry reading of Nolan Phillips’ The Minotaur will take place Fri. Apr. 18 at 2 PM at NYC’s Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage, (132 W. 22nd St.), directed in Conor Bagley.
Samuel H. Levine, Owen Campbell, ChloË Kerwin, Raffi Barsoumian, Tim Martin, and Laila Robins.
Set in the early days of psychoanalysis, The Minotaur follows the complex relationship between Morris Jones, a wealthy psychopath, and an ambitious young psychologist determined to cure him by helping him fall in love. Their unconventional therapeutic relationship is tested when Morris is reintroduced to Rachel, his ex-girlfriend whom he has terrorized with obsessive love—who also bears an uncanny resemblance to his mother. This darkly comic exploration delves into the intersections of love, obsession, and psychological manipulation.