Today’s Highlights:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie, adapted & directed by Mark Shanahan, featuring Shereen Ahmed (Flora Ackroyd) Anthony Cochrane a(Hercule Poirot), Joe Delafield (Ralph Paton), Allen Gilmore (Inspector Raglan), Erin Noel Grennan (Caroline Sheppard), Richard Ruiz Henry (Major Hector Blunt), Tom Hewitt (Parker), John Rapson (Dr. James Sheppard), Nicole Shalhoub (Helen Russell), and Karen Ziemba (Gertrude Ackroyd), opens at CT’s Westport Country Playhouse.
Broad Strokes, by Cat Cohen & David Dabbon, directed by Alex Timbers, featuring Catherine Cohen, begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre.
Guys and Dolls concert presentation, directed by Jeff Calhoun, featuring Julie Benco, Bonnie Milligan, Christopher Sieber, and Ryan Vasquez. closes at Theatre Aspen.
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Paranormal Activity, by will begin previews Aug. 14 and open Aug. 25 at the August Wilson Theatre, directed by Felix Barrett.
Eva Kaminsky (Etheline Cotgrave ), Cher Álvarez (Lou), Travis A. Knight (James), and Shannon Cochran (Carolanne), with Caron Buinis, Caroline Hendricks, and Michael Holding.
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Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody, by Dylan MarcAurele, will run Oct. 7 – Nov. 1 (opening Oct. 13) at the Underbelly Theatre, directed by Alan Kliffer.
Zheng Xi Yong, Joseph Dann, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, with Andrew Berlin, Sylvie Stenson, and May Tether.
The play follows starry-eyed golden boy Shane Hollander on his journey from power center to power bottom.**********************
Dolly: A True Original Musical, by Dolly Parton & Maria S. Schlatter, will begin previews Dec. 7 and open Jan. 19, 2027 at the St. James Theatre, directed by Bartlett Sher.
(note: 3 actresses will rotate as Dolly): Katie Rose Clarke (Dolly Parton), Carrie St. Louis (Dolly Parton), and Quinn Titcomb (Dolly Parton), with Porter Wagoner (John Zdrojeski), and John Behlamnn (Carl Dean).
Video: Sneak peek
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A Christmas Carol will run Dec. 2-24 at Milwaukee Rep, adapted & directed by Mark Clements.
Matt Daniels (Ebenezer Scrooge), Reese Madigan (Bob Cratchit), Mark Corkins (Ghost of Marley), Kevin Cantor (Ghost of Christmas Past), Todd Denning (Ghost of Christmas Present), Joran Anthony Arredondo (Fred), James Pickering (Mr. Fezziwig), Tami Workentin (Mrs. Fezziwig), Aja Alcazar(Belle), and George Lorime (Young Scrooge).
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Red Bull Theater will present How Shakespeare Saved My Life, written & performed by Jacob Ming-Trent, Sept. 15 – Oct. 18 at the Public Theater, directed by Tony Taccone.
In the play, Jacob Ming-Trent dares to rescue himself from the “slings and arrows” of his past. Born with a gift for poetry but rejected as unfit to play the part of the poet, Ming-Trent invites us to take a deep dive into the crevices of his youth. His search for home is relentless, and the results are by turns hilarious and tragic. Calling on the Bard and a host of genius rappers, half-crazed preachers, and soulful poets to throw him a lifeline, he takes us on a propulsive ride that reaffirms the power of language. It all adds up to one man’s attempt to reclaim his life, and through that journey we connect to the deeper parts of ourselves, and, ultimately, to each other.
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The Festival, the first of it’s kind 3-day outdoor Broadway musical festival, will run Aug. 14-16 at Kingston, NY’s Hutton Brickyards, directed by Jerry Mitchell & D.B. Bonds, with choreography by Mitchell & Jon Rua.
Audra McDonald, Kelli O’Hara, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Alex Newell, Christopher Jackson, Brian Stokes Mitchell, , Adrienne Warren, Amber Ardolino, Ben Levi Ross, Cara Rose DiPietro, Casey Likes, Denée Benton, Eva Noblezada, Gianmarco Soresi, JJ Niemann, Jason Robert Brown, Jenn Colella, Julie Benko, Lauren Patten, Mandy Gonzalez, Mitch Wood, Norbert Leo Butz, Reeve Carney, Seth Rudetsky, Talia Suskauer, Tommy Bracco, Tom Kitt, Tyler Joseph Ellis, Adam Pascal, Aiko Nakasone, Anthony Rapp, Byron Utley, Fredi Walker-Brown, Jesse L. Martin, Kristen Lee Kelly, Taye Diggs, Timothy Britten Parker, Rodney Hicks, and Wilson Jermaine Heredia Taye Diggs, Aiko Nakasone, Gianmarco Soresi, and Mitch Wood.
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The world premiere of Jeffrey Sweet’s A Change of Position will run July 30 – Aug. 23 (opening Aug. 1) at New Jersey Rep, directed by James Blossman.
Ephraim Birney , Èilis Cahill, Todd Cerveris, and Sandy Clancy.
Set in a Penslyvania trailer park, the play follows a teenage girl whose difficult home life becomes even more complicated when one of her mother’s regular “clients” presents and unexpected proposition. Filled with Jeffrey Sweet’s signature wit, and keen observations of human nature, this moving new play explores family, resilience, and the choices that can alter the course of life.
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The upcoming concept album of John Ertman & Joseph Mathusek’s Alone will be released Aug. 7 on all major streaming platforms.
Alex Good (Mia), John Ertman (Jack), Laney Yoo (Cassie), Maddie Novak (Kelly), Gray Watson (Cam), and Andy Hartman (Ryan), with Declan Collins and Lilah Wiseman.
The musical centers on Mia, a young woman chafing under her mother’s watchful eye and yearning for control over her own path. When what appears to be an unexpected pregnancy upends her world following a summer romance gone awry, Mia and her closest high school friends find themselves at the epicenter of vicious local gossip.
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The world premiere of Jeffrey Sweet’s A Change of Position will run July 30 – Aug. 23 (opening Aug. 1) at Long Branch’s New Jersey Rep, directed by James Glossman.
Ephraim Birney, Elis Cahill, Todd Cerveris, and Sandy Clancy.
Set in a Pennsylvania trailer park, the play follows a teenage girl whose difficult home life becomes even more complicated when one of her mother’s regular “clients” presents an unexpected proposition.