Today’s Highlights:
The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, by Shaun McKenna, Matthew Warchus, A.R. Rahman, Värttinä & Christopher Nightingale, directed by Paul Hart, featuring Spencer Davis Milford (Frodo Baggins), Tom Amandes (Gandalf), Lauren Zakrin (Galadriel), Rick hall (Bilbo Baggins), Tony Bozzuto (Gollum), Michael Kurowski (Hobbit), Ben Mathew (Hobbit), and Eileen Doan (Hobbit), with Justin Albinder, Tom Amandes, Tony Bozzuto, Eileen Doan, Joey Faggion, Rick Hall, Suzanne Hannau, Mia Hilt, Will James, Jr., Michael Kurowski, Ian Maryfield, Ben Mathew, James Mueller, Jarais Musgrove, Hannah Novak, Jeff Parker, Adam Qutaishat, Laura Savage, Bernadette Santos Schwegel, Alina Jenine Taber, Arik Vega, and Matthew C. Yee, begins previews at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
Edge of the World concert presentation, by Nick Blaemire & Ethan Slater, featuring Norbert Leo Butz (Henry), Lilli Cooper (Kath), and Ethan Slater (Ben), at 7 PM at Off-Broadway’s Classic Stage Company.
The Little Mermaid, directed by John Tartaglia, featuring Savy Jackson (Ariel), Michael Maliakel (Prince Eric), Nicole Parker (Ursula), Christopher Sieber (Chef Louis), Ben Davis (King Triton), Fergie L. Philippe (Sebastian), Leia Rhiannon Yogi (Flounder), Jen Cody (Scuttle), Kennedy Kanagawa (Flotsam), Adam Fane (Jetsam), and Rich Pisarkiewicz (Grimsby), with Matt Dean, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Ryan Lambert, Samantha Littleford, Nathaniel Mahone, Daniel Brooks McRath, Ruben Guadalupe Medina-Perez, Michael Milkanin, Georgia Monroe, Sydni Moon, Grace Marie Rusnica, Michael Santomassimo, Gordon Semeatu, Kelly Sheehan, Cecilia Snow and Meridien Terrell, closes at the St. Louis Muny.
West Side Story, directed & choreographed by Baayork Lee, featuring Sabina Collazo (Maria), Spencer LaRue (Tony), Adriana Negron (Anita), Giuseppe Bausillio (Bernardo), Davis Wayne (Riff), Grace G. Arnold (Braziella), Jenniellen Beattie (Margarita), Ken Bolden (Doc), Bianca Bulgarelli (Consuelo), Emanuel Cologne (Pape), Ixchel Cuellar (Teresita), Joy Del Valle (Rosalia), Maggie McCown (Velma), Macy McKown (Anybody’s), J. Alex Noble (Krupke), Maile C. Oravitz (Pauline), Coty Perno (Toro), Eric Rivas (Luis), Ronan Ryan (Snowbaby), Maya Santiago (Francisca), Allan Snyder (Schrank), BB Stone (Minnie), and Dixie Surewood (Gladhand), Cole N. Zeiser (Diesel), and David Grindrod (John E. Viso), with Drew Tanabe, David Grindrod, and John E Viso, closes at Pittsburgh CLO.
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Complete casting has been announced for Once Upon a Mattress, which begins previews July 31 and opens Aug. 12 at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre, directed by Lear deBessonet, with choreography by Lorin Latarro, and music supervision by Mary-Mitchell Campbell.
Sutton Foster (Winnifred), Michael Urie (Prince Dauntless), Brooks Ashmanskas (The Wizard), Daniel Breaker (The Jester), Will Chase (Sir Harry), Nikki Renée Daniels (Lady Larken), David Patrick Kelly (King Sextimus), Ana Gasteyer (Queen Aggravain), and Kara Lindsay (Winnifred standby) with Daniel Beeman, Wendi Bergamini, Cicily Daniels, Taylor Marie Daniel, Ben Davis, Sheldon Henry, Oyoyo Joi, Amanda Lamotte, Sarah Michele Lindsey, Michael Olaribigbe, Adam Roberts, Jeffrey Schecter, Darius Wright and Richard Riaz Yoder.
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Video: Highlights from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
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August Wilson’s Jitney will run Aug. 6-18 at Arkansas Rep, directed by Ken-Matt Martin.
Steve H. Broadnax III (Doub), Victor Musoni (Youngblood), Ryan Broussard (Booster), Robert Cornelius (Becker), Anthony Irons ( Turnbo), Ireon Roach (Rena), Aaron Smith (Fielding), and Will Adams (Shealy).
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Off-Broadway’s MCC Theatre has announced it’s partial 2024-25 season:
Table 17 (Aug. 14 – Sept. 22), world premiere by Douglas Lyons, directed by Ahailon Levingston, featuring Kara Young, Biko Eisen-Martin, and Michael Rishawn. 
A pair of exes, Jada and Dallas, reunite for dinner to hash out the good, the bad, and the ugly from their romantic past.
Shit. Meet. Fan (Oct.-Nov. dates TBA), by Robert O’Hara. The chaos that occurs when a group of long-time friends gather to play on the night of the eclipse.
Babe (Fall 2024 at the Signature Center), by Jessica Goldberg, directed by Scott Elliott, starring Marisa Tomei. From grunge to femme punk hits, Abby and Gus have produced it all. Their work marriage is legendary and Gus has the platinum records to prove it. But when Katherine, a fresh A&R hire, calls Abby out on the compromises she’s made in her work union, Abby must face the music and fight to survive.
Curse of the Starving Class (Winter 2025), by Sam Shepard, directed by Scott Elliott, starring Calista Flockhart, Cooper Hoffman, Christian Slater, and more TBA.
The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse (Spring 2025), by Micahel Breslin, Patrick Foley & Michael Breslin, directed by Rory Pelsue, with choreography by Jack Ferver, and music direction by Dan Schlosberg. In 2006, The New York Post infamously labeled Paris, Lindsay and Britney “The Three Bimbos of the Apocalypse.” But who is the fourth girl in that famous photo? Today, three Gen Z internet sleuths investigate that icon – Coco, an early 2000’s one-hit wonder who mysteriously vanished. Their epic musical quest leads them to uncover the truth, deliver justice and rewrite pop history.
Bowl EP (Spring 2025), written & directed by Nazareth Hassan. Kelly K Klarkson and Quentavius da Quitter need to find a name for their rap group. Through flirty interludes, cringy overshares and practicing their ollies, they grow increasingly closer. Skating and Smoking. Skating and Drinking. Skating and exorcizing a demon. With live skating and original music, enter Bowl EP: a skateboard park, in the middle of a wasteland, at the edge of the galaxy.
Miscast Gala (Spring 2025)
…and more TBA.
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Romeo and Juliet will run Sept 5 – Oct. 6 at Cambridge’s A.R.T., directed by Diane Paulus.
Terrence Mann (Friar Laurence), Rudy Pankow (Romeo), and Emilia Suárez, with more TBA.
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A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, by Christopher Renshaw, Andrew Delaplaine & Aurin Squires, will begin previews Oct. 16 and open Nov. 11 at Studio 54. directed by Renshaw.
James Monroe Iglehart (Louis Armstrong) and more TBA.
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Complete casting has been announced for Britton Smith and Britton & The Sting’s Mama, to run July 24-28 (opening July 25) at NYC’s Little Island, directed & choreographed by Ebony Williams.
Britton Smith and Britton & The Sting, with Tiffany Mann, Ines Nassara, Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere, Andrew Jagannath, Malachi Mabson, and Josh Roberts.
The piece showcases 13 new songs created specifically for Little Island, where sonic adventure embodies the transformative power of water, life, and connection.
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Milwaukee Rep will present the world premiere of Craig Lucas, Daniel Messé & Sean Hartley’s Prelude to a Kiss Sept. 10 – Oct. 19 at the the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, directed by Kenneth Ferrone, with music director Wiley DeWeese, and choreography by Julia Rhoads.
Karen Ziemba (Rita’s Mom) Andrew Montomery Coleman (Taylor), Jonathan Gillard Daly (Julius), Julie Garnyé (Leah), Caitlin Houlahan (Rita), Chris McCarrell (Peter), and James Moye (Rita’s Dad), with Bella Hicks, Caroline Pernick, and Robert Zelaya.
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PBS will air Waitress, on Nov. 15 at 9 PM ET on PBS, and will then be available to stream on PBS.org and the PBS App.
Sara Bareilles (Jenna), Christopher Fitzgerald (Ogie), Drew Gehling (Dr. Omatter), Chaity Angél Dawson (Becky), Caitlin Houlahan (Dawn), Eric Anderson (Cal), Dakin Matthews (Joe), and Joe Tippett (Earl), with Tyrone Davis, Jr., Matt DeAngelis, Andrew Fitch, Henry Gottfried, Molly Jobe, Emily Koch, Max Kumangai, Anastacia McCleskey, Gerianne Pérez, Stephanie Torns, and Nyla Watson.
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“Smash” TV series is now available to stream on Peacock.
Christian Borle, Jaime Cepero, Will Chase, Jack Davenport, Megan Hilty, Jennifer Hudson, Anjelica Huston, Raza Jaffrey, Brian d’Arcy James, Jeremy Jordan, Katharine McPhee, Debra Messing, Andy Mientus, Leslie Odom Jr., Krysta Rodriguez, and Uma Thurman.
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The Prom will run July 26 – Aug. 11 at CT’s Sharon Playhouse, directed by Carl Andress, with choreography by Krystyna Resavy, and music direction by Eric Thomas Johnson.
Kate Baldwin (Dee Dee Allen), Danny Drewes (Trent Oliver), Hannah Jane Moore (Emma Nolan), Sophie Nassiri Morvillo (Alyssa Greene), Ryan Palmer (Sheldon Saperstein), Erick Pinnick (Tom Hawkins), Tracy Liz Miller (Mrs. Greene), John Scherer (Barry Glickman), and Savannah Stevenson (Angie), with Zoe Benjamin, Anissa Greigo, Ethan Pugh, Nick Traficante, Erik Daughterman, Mackenzie Farrell, Melissa Goldberg, Jonathan Reyes, Gabi Roller, and Henrique Sobrinho.