GRACE NOTES: Tuesday, August 1, 2023

 

Today’s Highlights:

  Second Stage Theater‘s Toros, by Danny Teiera, directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch, featuring Abubakr Ali, Frank Wood, and Juan Castano, opens at Off-Broadway’s McGinn/Cazale Theater.

  Amas Musical Theatre’s The Post Roe Monologues FREE developmental lab readings, by Mimi Zieman, directed by  Maria Torres, featuring Toni Dibuono, Emily Esposito, Badia Farha, Armando Gutierez, Cass Morgan, and Danielle Troiano, closes at NYC’s Ripley Greer Studios. here. Amas Musical Theatre’s The Post Roe Monologues FREE developmental lab readings, by Mimi Zieman, directed by Maria Torres, featuring Toni Dibuono, Emily Esposito, Badia Farha, Armando Gutierez, Cass Morgan, and Danielle Troiano, opens at NYC’s Ripley Greer Studios. here.

  Tales From The Guttenberg Bible, written by & starring Steve Guttenberg, directed by directed by David Saint, opens at Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theatre.

  MJ the Musical national tour, directed by Christopher Wheeldon, featuring roman Banks (Michael Jackson), Jamaal Fields-Green (MJ Alternate), Brandon Lee Harris (Michael), Josiah Benson (Little Michael), Ethan Joseph (Little Michael), Devin Bowles (Joseph Jackson/Rob), Mary Kate Moore (Rachel, J. Daughtry (Berry Gordy/Nick), Josh A. Dawson (Tito Jackson/Quincy Jones), Jaylen Lyndon Hunter (Little Marlon), Matt Loehr (Dave), Da’Von Moody (Alejandro), and Anastasia Talley (Katherine Jackson/Kate), with JoJo Carmichael, Croix DiIenno, Kellie Drobnick, Kyle Dupree, Zuri Noelle Ford, Jahir L. Hipps, Bryson Jacobi Jackson, Rajané Katurah, Jordan Markus, Matteo Marretta, Janayé McAlpine, Jay McKenzie, Kendrick Mitchell, Chelsea Mitchell-Bonsu, Zion Pradier, Ayla Stackhouse, Brion Marquis Watson, Charles P. Way, and Malcolm Miles Young, begins previews at Chicago’s Nederlander Theatre.

  Faith Healer, by Brian Friel, directed by Julianne Boyd, featuring Christopher Invar (Frank), Mark H. Dold (Teddy), and Gretchen Egolf (Grace), begins previews at MA’s Barrington Stage Company.

  Evita in Concert, directed by Bill Deamer, featuring Auli’i Cravallho (Evita), Matt Rawle (Che), with Nathan Amzi, Emily Lane, Lloyd Davies, Robin Kent Langham, Jasmine Leung, Amonik Melaco, Joseph Puolton, Agnes Pure, and Sophie Sass, closes at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

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  LA Times review of Everybody Rise: A Sondheim Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on July 30.

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   Fall 2023 Broadway season:

  L MAGO POP (Aug. 17 – 27, opening Aug. 20), at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre Antonio Díaz, “El Mago Pop”, the most successful illusionist the continent of Europe has ever produced, will make his Broadway debut with a special version of his wildly successful, eponymous show.

  Gutenberg! The Musical! (Sept. 15 – Jan. 28, 2024, opening Oct. 12) at the James Earl Jones Theatre, by Scott Brown & Anthony King, directed by Alex Timbers, featuring Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells. Broadway runs on three things: big dreams, minuscule odds, and lots and lots of unearned confidence. Oh, and star power! Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells, the most acclaimed musical comedy duo of their generation, finally reunite after more than ten years in this full throated celebration of the ancient, universal, and incredibly foolish urge to put on a show.

  Harmony (begins previews Oct. 18, opens Nov. 13) at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, by Barry Manilow & Bruce Sussman, directed by Warren Carlyle, featuring Chip Zien, Sierra Boggess, Julie Benko, and the six Comedian Harmonists: Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman and Steven Telsey.

  The Wiz (Spring 2024) at a theatre TBA, by William F. Brown & Amber Ruffin, directed by Schele Williams, with choreography by JaQuel Knight, featuring Wayne Brady (The Wiz), Deborah Cox (Glinda) and Melody A. Betts (Aunt Em/Eyillene), Kyle Ramar Freeman (Lion), Phillip Johnson Richardson (Tinman), Avery Wilson (Scarecrow), and more TBA.  A national tour will take place prior to the Broadway production (casting TBA).

…and more TBA…

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  The next Songbook Sundays series, Can’t Help Lovin’ Jerome Kern, will take place Sun. Aug. 13 at 5 & 7:30 PM (with a web broadcast on Aug. 13)  at NYC’s Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club, with music direction by Billy Stritch, and hosted by Deborah Grace Winer.

La Tanya Hall, Margo Seibert, Robbie Lee, and Billy Stritch. 

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  North Hollywood’s Loft Ensemble (link TBA) has announced its 2023-24 season:

  The Value (begins Sept. 8), by Nicholas Dunn, directed by Cavin Picou. A trio of petty thieves hides out in a dingy motel room after stealing a work of art, a quick payday on an in and out job. The painting holds a special value to each of them. Money and power are the driving force in this play. While hiding out they learn the real worth of the art they have stolen. They must then face the truth within themselves and their place in society and what is valuable to them and their worth.

  Monster (begins Oct. 20), world premiere by April Littlejohn, directed by Bree Pavey. Hanna has worked herself to the bone for a promotion she doesn’t want, alienated her only friend, and the guy she thinks of as her boyfriend doesn’t want her. To get her life back on track, she must face the Monsters under the bed and in the closet who are there to protect her and help her survive.

#caseyandtommygetmarried (begins May 17, 2024), world premiere by Molly Wagner, directed by Natasha Renae Potts & Madylin Sweeten Durrie    College friends reunite several years after graduation for Tommy’s wedding. But not all of them are onboard with Tommy’s choice of partner. After exclusively dating men in college, Tommy is about to marry a woman. Will the friends get onboard or sabotage the wedding to try and “save” Tommy? And will any of them even make it to the wedding after a night of the most elaborate drinking game you’ve ever seen?

  The Year Without a Summer (begins June 28), world premiere by Greer DuBois, directed by Maia Luer & Danielle Ozymandias.   Set in 1816, a band of European misfits hides and collides in an Alpine villa during the eponymous summer-less summer of 1816, with salonnière Matilda Dembowski presiding over the mischief. Through games, stories, and philosophical conversations, and with the help of a ridiculous cast of characters pulled from history and farce, the recently separated Matilda tries to determine her uncertain future.

  No Desire to Suffer Twice (begins Aug. 9), by Cris Eli Blak.  Brendan, a white kid, was adopted by Cedric’s Black family as a young boy, and the two brothers both dream of going to Harvard Business School. Brendan was accepted but Cedric, the better student, was rejected. When Cedric learns that Brendan has been hiding his acceptance letter and the truth of how he was admitted, the brothers must face a betrayal from which they may never recover.

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Open-Door Playhouse will present Steve gold’s Barren Landscape play, in a podcast form, which will debut Aug. 23, directed by Bernadette Armstrong.

  Ayla Rose Barreau and Rosemary Thomas.

  A woman struggles with her mother’s Alzheimer’s disease.

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  Roundabout Theatre Company‘s world premiere production of Theresa Rebeck’s I Need That will run Oct. 13 – Dec. 23 (opening Nov. 2) at the American Airlines Theatre, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel.

  Danny DeVito, Lucy DeVito, and Ray Anthony Thomas.

 Sam doesn’t get out much. Actually, he doesn’t get out at all, opting instead for the safety of his house in the company of his things—his many, many things. But when a notice from the government arrives alerting Sam that he must clean up his property or face eviction, he’s forced to reckon with what’s trash, what’s treasure, and whether we can ever know the difference between the two.  

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  Isaac Mizrahi: Music Monday will take place Aug. 7 at 8 PM at Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theatre.

Mizrahi will perform with his Ben Waltzer-led band a range of songs from Noël Coward to Grace Jones to Billie Eilish, and dish on everything exciting and new happening in pop culture and social media.

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 Audio:  Title song from the upcoming Broadway production of Harmony.

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  An industry reading of Jason Robert Brown, John Berendt & Taylor Mac’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil will take place Aug. 3 & 4 in NYC, directed by Rob Ashford, with choreography by Tanya Birl.

J. Harrison Ghee (Lady Chablis), Steven Pasquale (Jim Williams), Austin Colby (Danny Hansford), Amber Gray (Minerva), Jennifer Laura Thompson (Vera Strong), Harriet Harris (Serena Barnes), Paul Nolan (Joe Odom), and Lance Roberts (Bobby  Lewis), with Shanel Bailey, Cameron Bond, Maya Bowles, Sean Donovan, Bailee  Endebrock, Wes Garlington, Andre Terrell Malcolm, Miss Dirty Martini, Aaron James  McKenzie, Grace McLean, Jessica Molaskey, Kayla Pecchioni, Ahmad Simmons, Allie  Trim, and Cole Wachman.

  The story of a socially prominent Savannah, Georgia, antiques dealer  who was tried, and retried, for murder.

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  Chris Yogerst’s “The Warner Brothers” will be released in September (date TBA).

  One of the oldest and most recognizable studios in Hollywood, Warner Bros. is considered a juggernaut of the entertainment industry. Since its formation in the early twentieth century, the studio has been a constant presence in cinema history, responsible for the creation of acclaimed films, blockbuster brands, and iconic superstars. These days, the studio is best known as a media conglomerate with a broad range of intellectual property, spanning movies, TV shows, and streaming content. Despite popular interest in the origins of this empire, the core of the Warner Bros. saga cannot be found in its commercial successes. It is the story of four brothers—Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack—whose vision for Hollywood helped shape the world of entertainment as we know it.

 


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