GRACE NOTES: Tuesday, January 26, 2021

 

Today’s Highlights:

* p r i s m, by Ellen Reid & Roxie Perkins, directed by James Darrah, featuring Rebecca Jo Loeb and Anna Schubert, begins FREE streaming at LA Opera.

* The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, world premiere streamed production by Richard Hough & Ben Morales Frost, directed by Charlotte Westenra, featuring Nicola Blackman, Dawn Hope, Mary Moore, Marc Pickering, Yazdan Qafouri, and David Thaxton, with Tom Bales Ryan Pidgen, Vicki Lee Taylor, and Kayleigh Thadani, begins previews at London’s Southwark Playhouse.

* Three Hotels benefit reading, in support of BC/EFA, by Jon Robin Baitz, directed by Moisés Kaufman, starring Bobby Cannavale and Marisa Tomei, begins streaming here (through Jan. 30).

* Crips Without Constraints Part 2, offering readings of 5 brand new short plays celebrating the best talent and creativity of deaf and disabled artists from across the U.K, featuring Harriet Walter, Sharon De. Clarke, Mandy Colleran, Naomi Wirthner, and Julie Graham, streams for FREE here (new episodes released every Tuesday).

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  Video: Jim Caruso’s Cast Party variety show, with special guests Thana Alexa, Bill Brooks, and Lisa Lambert.  (1:28:44)

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Beginning in February, Manhattan Theatre Club will premiere its original series, Virtual Stage 21: Snapshots, with each piece appx. 10 minutes in length and created exclusively for the digital format. The series was created to give artists a forum to express themselves and to stay in touch with our audiences. In this difficult moment, it is more important than ever for us to find ways to connect and to created art which helps us explore our shared experiences.

* Ritual (Feb. 1-6), by Alexis Scheer, directed by Scheer & Gabrielle Carrubba, featuring Carrubba, Octavia Chabez-Richmond, Shirley Chen, Ari Groover, Samantha Williams. A spell for healing and transformation.

* Please Welcome Our Guest (dates TBA), written & performed by Liza Birkenmeier, directed by Trish Harnetiaux.  A personality test / performance piece.

* Camille A. Brown (dates TBA), conceived & created by Camille A. Brown, featuring Juel D. Lane, with original music by Daryl Waters.  A glimpse behind the curtain.

* Untitled Vampire Cowboys Project (dates TBA), by Qui Nguyen, directed by Robert Ross Parker.  An original treat for pop culture nerds everywhere.

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A re-worked version of the UK’s The Color Purple will stream Feb. 16 – Mar. 7 at the Curve Leicester, directed by Tinuke Craig, with music direction by Alex Parker, and choreography by Mark Smith.

T’Shan Williams (Celie), Karen Mavundukure (Sofia), Carly Mercedes Dyer (Shug Avery), Danielle Fiamanya (Nettie), Ako Mitchel (Mister), and Simon Anthony Rhoden (Harpo), with Geoff Aymer, KM Drew Boareng, Owen Chaponda, Perola Congo, Danielle Kassarate, Anelisa Lamola, Rosemary Annabella Nkrumah, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy, Landi Oshinowo, and Jo Servi.

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Romeo and Juliet, filmed at London’s National Theatre, will air Apr. 23 at 9 PM on PBS (check local listings), directed by Simon Godwin.

Jessie Buckley (Juliet), Josh O’Connor (Romeo), Deborah Findlay (Nurse), Tamsin Greig (Lady Capulet), Fisayo Akinade (Mercutio), Lucian Msamati (Friar), Shubham Saraf (Benvolio), David Judge (Tybalt), Alex Mugnaioni (Paris), and Ellis Howard (Sampston).

The adaptation is set in present-day Italy, where Catholic and secular values clash as two young lovers strive to transcend a world of violence and corruption.

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  Long Island’s Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts presents its 30th Anniversary Season Kick-Off Benefit on Wed. Feb. 24 at 6 PM ET, directed by Andy Señor Jr, with music direction by Will Van Dyke.

Special guests TBA.

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Wed. Jan. 27: 18 Voices: A Liberation Day Reading of Young Writers’ Diaries From The Holocaust, presented by The Museum of Jewish Heritage, narrated by Liev Schreiber, and featuring Skylar Astin, Andrea Burns, and Mandy Gonzalez, streams at 8 PM here.

Thurs. Jan. 28: MCC Theatre virtual benefit reading of Alan Bowne’s Beirut, featuring Marisa Tomei, Oscar Isaac, and Patrick Breen, streams at 8 PM ET.

Thurs. Jan. 28: Education Theatre Foundation’s Theatre Alive Gala, featuring Jennifer Hudson, Audra McDonald, Amber Riley, Tina Fey, Wayne Brady, and more, streams at 8:30 PM on Playbill.com.

Fri. Jan. 29: The ShowBiz Quiz, offering 7 rounds of trivia, with prizes and surprises, livestreams at 8 PM here.

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  Video: “All That Jazz,” as part of the Jan. 24 Save Birdland benefit, featuring Chita Rivera, Bebe Neuwirth, Jacqueline Arnold, Brenda Braxton, Aisha de Haas, Michelle Dowdy, Mandy Gonzalez, Deidra Goodwin, Amy Hillner Larsen, Amanda Lopez, Karen Mason, Christine Pedi, Randy Rainbow, Mary Testa, Amra-Faye Wright, and Karen Ziemba.

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The John Gore Organization has announced the Tamsen Fadal is launching the “Broadway Profiles Show Spotlight Series,” which will feature national touring theatrical productions. The first episode will stream here on Jan. 25 and will feature Hadestown.

AnaÏs Mitchell, Rachel Chavkin, André De Shields, Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, and producers Mara Isaacs and Dale Franzen.

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  “Reading Toni Morrison” will livestream this Winter & Spring at NYC’s 92Y.

Feb. 25: “The Bluest Eye, with Yvette Christiansë
Mar. 25: “Sula,” with Farah Jasmine Griffin
Apr. 29: “Song of Solomon.” with Hilton Als
May 27: “Tar Baby,” with Carolyn Denard.

Subsequent lectures will be announced this April.

  92Y brings together a group of the nation’s most celebrated Black scholars, critics and writers for a year-long series on all the novels of Toni Morrison. Each scholar will deliver a 45-minute lecture on a novel and then answer questions posed via Zoom’s chat feature.

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  Off-Broadway’s New York Theatre Workshop presents its 2021 Annual Gala, in celebration of Rent, to stream Tues. Mar. 2 at 8 PM ET (and available through Mar. 6 at 8 PM ET).  A limited number of FREE tickets will be available through an exclusive lottery on TodayTix.

  Scott Schwartz and Roman Roth, featuring original cast members Gilles Chiasson, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Rodney Hicks, Idina Menzel, Aiko Naksone, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Byron Utley, along with Sebastian Arcelus, Annaleigh Ashford, Martha Banta, The Bensons, Adam Chanler-Berat, Linda Chapman, Nicholas Christopher, Paul Clay, Wilson Cruz, Brandon Victor Dixon, Wendy Ettinger, Stephen Graham, Michael Greif, Janet Harckham, Jeremy O. Harris, Neil Patrick Harris, Victoria Hoffman, Telly Leung, Kamilah Marshall, Kevin McCollum, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anaïs Mitchell, Shakina Nayfack, James C. Nicola, Eva Noblezada, Dael Orlandersmith, Ben Platt, Billy Porter, Will Power, Councilmember Carlina Rivera, Jai Rodriguez, Jeffrey Seller, Rona Siddiqui, Leigh Silverman, Ali Stroker, Ephraim Sykes, Bernie Telsey, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, Tracie Thoms, Ivo van Hove, Tom Viola, Tim Weil, Angela Wendt, Marlies Yearby, and more.

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   Variety has announced its next conversation series:

VideoPete Davidson and Glenn Close 

Video: Jamie Dornan and Eddie Redmayne

Video: Ben Affleck and Sacha Baron Cohen

Video: George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer

Video: Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins

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  The Homebound Project, which benefits children affected by the pandemic, will stream Jan. 27-31 here, with special performances by Sting and Amanda Seyfried.

The playwrights were given the simple prompt of “2021.”  Note: All previously purchased view-at-home ticket donations will be honored at that time.

Christopher Abbott, Deirdre O’Connell, Lucy Thurber, Caitriona McLaughlin… Dylan Bake, Becky Ann Baker, David Lindsay-Abaire, Paul Mullins… Jojo Brown, Cece Suazo, Jenna Worsham… Michael Chernus and Adam Rapp… Dalia Davi, Ren Dara Santiago, Jenna Worsham, Nicholas Gorham, Brian Otaño, Tatiana Pandiani… Emily Kuorda, Kate Cortesi, Jenna Worsham… Malyn and Catya McMullen… Carolyn Ratteray, Bekah Brunstetter… Stacey Karen Robinson,  Sharon Bridgeforth… Sparks, Brian Watkins, Danya Taymor… Babak Tafti, Colette Robert, Taylor Reynolds… and Daigi-Ann Thompson and Julissa Contreras.

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 Celebrating the life of Ann Reinking

Video: with Chita Chita Rivera, Don Correia, Dylis Croman, Sandy Duncan, Marilu Henner, Bebe Neuwirth, Ben Vereen, and Treat Williams.
Video: “Roxie”
Video: “There’ll Be Some Changes Made”
Video: Broadway pays tribute

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 Reading Shakespeare with James Shapiro will take place Tuesdays, Feb. 9, 16, and 23, all at 2:30 PM ET at NYC’s 92Y.

Dive into the Bard’s remarkable long narrative poems.

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A Contemporary Theatre of Connecticut will present a filmed version of Michael Scheman & David Stern’s Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook, using the songs of Stephen Schwartz, with additional material by David Krane, Seth Friedman, Mara Kauffman, Alan Menken, and Charles Strouse, to stream Feb. 13-28, directed by Daniel C. Levine, with music supervision by Bryan Perri, and choreography by Sara Brians.

Casting TBA.

The story of a couple on the verge of divorce after 30 years of marriage, and how they reconnect as they go through a hidden suitcase containing decades-old photographs charting their relationship.

 

 


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