GRACE NOTES: Tuesday, January 23, 2024

 

Today’s Highlights:

  Tribute to Jerome Robbins opens at New York City Ballet.

  Brushstroke, world premiere by John Ross Bowie, directed by Casey Stangl, featuring James Urbaniak (Ted), Malcolm Barrett (Marvin), Brendan Hines (Allan), and Evangeline Edwards (Susan), begins previews at LA’s Odyssey Theatre.

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   2024 Oscar nominationsClick here for the complete list.

The awards ceremony will air Sun. Mar. 10 at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

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  The Wiz, currently on tour, will begin previews Mar. 9 and open Apr. 17 at the Marquis Theatre, directed by Schele Williams, with choreography by JaQuel Knight and music direction by Paul Byssainthe Jr.

   Nichelle Lewis (Dorothy), Deborah Cox (Glinda), Melody A. Betts (Aunt Em / Evillene), Kyle Ramar Freeman (Lion), Phillip Johnson Richardson (Tinman), Avery Wilson (Scarecrow), and Wayne Brady (The Wiz), with Maya Bowles, Shayla Alayre Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George,  Collin Heyward, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Polanco Jones, Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareem Marsh, Anthony Murphy, Cristina Rae, Matthew Sims Jr, Avilon Trust Tate, Keenan D. Washington, and Timothy Wilson.

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   Goodspeed (link TBA) has announced its 2024 workshop season at the Terris Theatre:

  A Complicated Woman (May 20 – June 2), by Ianne Fields Stewart, Jonathan Brielle & Sam Salmond, directed by Jeff Calhoun. Casting TBA.    John Kenley was a theatre impresario who brought Hollywood stars like Gene Kelly and Ann Miller to Ohio’s summer stock stages. But when summer ended, he wintered in Florida where John disappeared… and Jean came to life. A Complicated Woman is a new musical that features a Golden Age score and a gender-diverse cast.  Join us for the intriguing story of a theatre legend who had to navigate the joy, pain and pitfalls of leading a double life.

  Ask for the Moon! (July 19 – Aug. 11), by Darko Tresnjak & Oran Eldor, directed by Tresnjak.     Set sail on the Jewel of the Sea ocean liner with a scheming widow, a vengeful lawyer, and a volatile nurse. Enjoy the vocal stylings of Misha and Grisha, the squabbling Carpathian twins. Get the latest fashion tips from Persimmon De Vol, stylist par excellence. But only venture into the Poseidon Suite at your own peril… Madness and hilarity abound in a diabolical new musical comedy that is sure to make waves. Bon voyage!

  Unamed musical  (Sept. 27 – Oct. 27). Writers, director, plot line, and casting TBA.

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  Peter Morgan’s Patriots will run Apr. 1 – June 23 ( opening Apr. 22) at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, directed by Rupert Goold.

  Michael Stuhlbarg (Boris Berezovsky), Will Keen (Putin), Luke Thallon (Abramovich), and more TBA.

  The play explores the rise and fall of Berezovsky, and his business and personal relationships with politican Vladimir Putin and fellow oligarch Roman Abramovich.

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  Netflix‘s 2024 holiday film, “Our Little Secret,” by Hailey DeDominicis, will be released next Fall (date TBA), directed by Shephen Herek.

  Kristin Chenoweth and Lindsay Lohan, with Ian Harding, Jon Rudnitsky, Chris Parnell, Tim Meadows, Dan Bucatinsky, Henry Czerny, Katie Baker, Ash Santos, Jake Brennan, and Brian Unger.

  Two resentful exes end up spending Christmas together after discovering that their current partners are actually siblings.

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  The world premiere of Tina Howe’w final work, Where Women Go, a series of 3 one-acts, will run Feb. 9-25 at the Tent Theatre Company, directed by Aimée Hayes.

 Almeria Campbell, Brenda Currin, Jessica DiGiovanni, Peter Ganim, Breezy Leigh, Matthew Maguire, Tirol Palmer, Yessenia Rivas, and Yeena Sung.

  The somewhat absurdist work follows a recently widowed New Yorker with herbs somehow sprouting out of her legs. Over the three acts, she visits a dermatologist, eats lunch with a friend at Subway, and shops at a street bazaar.

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  A Mile in My Shoes, written & performed by Kathryn Taylor Smith, will take place Sat. Feb. 3 at 8 PM at Sherman Oaks’ Whitefire Theatre, directed by Zadiia Ife.

 Ester is a homeless woman with an impressive collection of shoes. She is a self-described “shoe whisperer.” Every shoe tells a story. Over the course of ninety minutes, she (and we) will encounter eighteen of her neighbors and others across Los Angeles, among them a transgender teen, a young mom,  a mentally ill substance abuser, a high school valedictorian, a police officer, concerned citizens at a city council meeting, and more.

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  Martin M. Zuckerman’s A Perfect Place will run Feb. 28 – May 18 (opening Mar. 11) at Theatre at St. Clements, directed by Hersh Ellis & Susan Kohn Green.

  Ephie Aardema, Iris Bahr, Yair Ben-Dor, Donald Corren, Talia Sulla, and Max Wolkowitz, with Max Katz and Rebecca Salzhauer.

  A mix of drama, comedy, poetry, and consciousness-raising theatre. Creator-writer-performer Kathryn Taylor Smith portrays 19 characters inspired by research and personal interviews with past and present members of the homeless community as well as those who advocate for them. The socially conscious and socially relevant piece speaks to the audience from a raw, uncensored, unapologetic perspective.

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  Video: Watch 3 songs from After Midnight at NJ’s Paper Mill Playhouse.

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  Cayenne Douglass’ Maiden Voyage will run Mar. 2-17 (opening Mar. 5) at the Flea Theatre, directed by Alex Keegan.

  Arianne Banda, Georgia Kate Cohen, Brenda Crawley, Shimali De Silva, Rachel Griesinger, Nataxha Hakata, Kait Hickey, and Tricia Mancuso Parks.

  The play charts the first all-female patrol aboard a US submarine. We are spectators in these women’s lives, until mechanics and interpersonal relationships go awry. Motivated by a subconscious need to overcompensate for gender inequality, The Captain slowly chips away at her integrity in order to have a successful mission. 

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  The world premiere of Steven Antin & Kate Wetherhead’s Burlesque the Musical will run June 13-29 at the Manchester Opera House, adapted by Antin’s film of the same name, directed & choreographed by Nick Winston. The piece will has songs by Christina Aguilera, Sia, Diane Warren, Todrick Hall, Jess Folley, and Kate Wetherhead.

  Jess Folley (Ali Rose), George Maguire (Vince), Billie-Kay (Sophia), B Terry (Georgie), Jess Qualter (Daphne), Yasmin Harrison (Brenda), Lily Wang (Fifi), and Hollie-Ann Lowe (summer), with Alessia McDermott.

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  Norm Lewis: Summertime (Special Tony Edition) will run June 6-8 & 10-12 at NYC’s 54 Below, directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, with music direction by Joseph Joubert.

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     Miriam Battye’s Scenes with Girls will run Jan. 25-28 at off-Broadway Theaterlab (357 W. 46th St.  … and … Feb. 3-4 at Off-Broadway’s Theaterlab, directed by Britt Berke. Click here for the link to both theaters.

  Kitty Hawthore (Tosh) and Lily Lester (Fran).

  The play explores the complexities of love and friendship through the lens of two 24 year-old best friends, Lou and Tosh, as they investigate the power of their genuine connection. Other friends have come, got boyfriends, and gone. So what? Tosh and Lou have each other. They’re not interested in becoming clichés. They’ll never be like other girls. This is love. This is enough.

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  Video:  Highlights from Broadway’s Days of Wine and Roses, starring Kelli O’Hara and Brian d’Arcy James.

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  David Cale’s Harry Clarke will run Mar. 9 – May 11 at the Ambassadors Theatre, directed by Leigh Silverman.

  Billy Crudup

  A shy, Midwestern man masquerades as a highbrow Londoner who has recently   moved to New York City. As he charms his way into a wealthy family’s life, his increasingly risky and dangerous behavior threatens to unravel his persona.

 


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