Today’s Highlights:
Stomp re-opens at Off-Broadway’s Orpheum Theatre.
“Backstage Babble” podcast, created by Charles Kirsch, with special guests Lee Roy Reams, Brad Oscar, Gerard Alessandrini, Lawrence Leritz, livestreams for FREE at 7 PM ET here.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth: A Virtual Live-Action Graphic Novel, directed by Ben Donenberg, featuring Keith David (Macbeth), Geoffrey Owens (Banquo, Duncan, Doctor), Simone Moore (Lady Macbeth), Emmie Nagata (First Witch, MacDuff, Narrator), Fiona Cheung (Second Witch, Fleance, Lady MacDuff, Gentlewoman), Sheldon Donenberg (Murderer, Sergeant, Narrator), and Evelyn Spahr (Third Witch, Macduff’s Child, Seyton), concludes streaming at Shakespeare Center LA.
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Andrew Lloyd Webber released a statement regarding his production of Cinderella, announcing that the musical would not open. Over the past weekend, the production was forced to cancel both performances set to take place on July 17, due to “Covid related precautionary measures.”
Lloyd Webber’s statement: “Today, on this ‘Freedom Day,’ I have been forced to take the heart-breaking decision not to open my Cinderella… My sadness for our cast and crew, our loyal audience and the industry I have been fighting for is impossible to put into words. Freedom Day turned into closure day.”
As for the show’s future, a spokesperson said, “It’s hard to see a route forward under the current rules, but we will do everything we can to come back.”
The show’s star, Carrie Hope Fletcher, wrote: “Belleville will open its gates eventually. Just not today.”
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Off-Broadway’s Rattlestick Playwrights Theater will offer an expanded hybrid season of in-person and digital productions for its 2021-22 season:
Ni Mi Madre (Aug. 14 – Sept. 19), solo show by Arturo Luis Soria, directed by Danilo Gambini, starring Soria. 
The play focuses on the storming relationship between a Brazilian woman and her queer son.
In the Southern Breeze (Nov. 3 – Dec. 12), an in-person & virtual production by Mansa Ra, directed by Christopher Betts. The story centers on five men who meet in the afterlife following their murders.
Addressless (Jan. – Feb., 2022), a virtual, interactive theatrical game from Martin Boross, adapted by Jonathan Payne. The piece will be presented online, and challenges audiences with a series of decisions to make for their homeless character.
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Lincoln Center Theater presents LCT Summersongs, a series of outdoor concerts. all available through the TodayTix Lottery.
Brian Stokes Mitchell: Out with the Old, In with the New (July 21-23 and Aug. 12-14, all at 8 PM ET) at Damrosch Park. Details.
Concerts at Hearst Plaza (the week of Aug. 15, all at 8 PM ET), featuring John Gallagher Jr., The Bengsons, Grace McLean & Them Apples, and Michael Jackson.
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NYC’s Public Theater has postponed opening night (July 27) of the return of Shakespeare in the Park. Jacob Ming-Trent, who plays Falstaff in Jocelyn Bioh’s adaptation of Merry Wives at the Delacorte Theatre, sustained an injury onstage during a recent performance. The new official opening will now take place on Aug. 9, to support his full recovery. The production, directed by Saheem Ali, continues through Sept. 18.
Abena (Anne Page), Shola Adewusi (Mama Quickly), Gbenga Akinnagbe (Mister Nduka Ford), Pascale Armand (Madam Ekua Page), Mayaa Boateng (Fenton/Simple), Phillip James Brannon (Pastor Evans), Jacob Min-Trent (Falstaff), Julian Rozzell Jr. (Shallow), Kyle Scatliffe (Mister Kwame Page), David Ryan Smith (Doctor Caius), and Susan Kelechi Watson (Madam Nkechi Ford), with Brandon E. Burton, Branden Lindsay, Ebony Marshall Oliver, Jarvis D. Matthews, Jennifer Mogbock,
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The world premiere of What Happened?: The Michaels Abroad, written & directed by Richard Nelson, will run Aug. 28 – Oct. 8 at Hunter College (Frederick Loewe Theater).
Charlotte Bydwell, Haviland Morris, Maryann Plunkett, Jay O. Sanders, Matilda Sakamoto, Rita Wolf, and Yvonne Woods.
The play is set on Sept. 8, 2021 as the Michaels, a family with deep roots in the modern dance world, crawl out from under this deadly pandemic. They are once again in a kitchen, though now in Angers, France, and asking themselves – what just happened? As they cook and eat and dance.
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This week only, TDF is running a special raffle for Springsteen on Broadway.
Enter here to win 2 tickets to the final scheduled performance on Sept. 4 at Broadway’s St. James Theatre.
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A new documentary (as yet untitled) about Liza Minnelli’s rise to fame, is currently in development.
The film will reportedly begin following the death of Judy Garland, and will follow Minelli on her rise to fame, beginning in the 1970s, and chronicling her various accolades.
Minnelli said she is looking forward to collaborating with Atlis on the project. Said Minnelli, “A few years back, I found old films in a storage closet and had absolutely no idea what they were about. When they were transferred and I got to see them it was like reliving that fabulous time in the 70’s when all things were new and everything was possible. I look forward to collaborating with the team to bring this personal story and very special era to life.”
Stay tuned for additional information.
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Pass Over, which begins previews Aug. 4 at the August Wilson Theatre, has announced safety policies for the month of August.
* Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination with an FDA or WHO-authorized vaccine will be required for entry.
* Guests under the age of 16 who are unvaccinated and those who are unvaccinated due to a disability or religious belief, will be required to proved proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken with 72 hours of the performance start time, or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken withing 6 hours of the performance.
* Masks will be required until audience members reach their seats, at which point masks are optional.
* Whenever audiences are moving within the theatre, lobby, or restroom spaces, masks will be required.
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“50 Women in Theatre” will be released Oct. 7. The link for ordering is TBA.
The book profiles 25 legendary women of post-war theatre, and includes interviews with 25 women working in theatre today.
Audra McDonald, Lynn Nottage, Caryl Churchill, Sonia Friedman, Garry Hynes, and many more.
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Crown City Theare Company presents Durang!, 4 one-act plays by Christopher Durang, to run Aug. 8-27 (various dates), directed by Kristin Towers-Rowles.
* For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls
* ‘dentity Crisis
* Wanda’s Visit
* The Actor’s Nightmare
Michelle Bonebright-Carter, Megan Cochrane, James Everts, Shayna Gabrielle, Don Lovato, Michael J. Marchak, Michael Mullen, Will Potter, Chris Ramirez, Jen Talton, Neil Unger, and Mouchette Van Helsdingen.
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John Doyle (Artistic Director), will depart Classic Stage Company in Summer 2022, and has revealed his final season:
Assassins (Nov. – dates TBA). directed by John Doyle, featuring Adam Chanler-Berat, Eddie Cooper, Tavi Gevinson, Brad Giovanine, Andy Grotelueschen, Bianca Horn, Judy Kuhn, Whit K. Lee, Rob Morrison, Steven Pasquale, Ethan Slater, Will Swenson, Wesley Taylor, Brandon Uranowitz, and Katrina Yaukey.
black odyssey (Winter 2022), by Marcus Gardley, directed by Stevie Walker-Webb. A vibrant re-imagining of the Odysseus saga set in modern-day Harlem, telling the epic tale of Ulysses Lincoln, a soldier facing the most daunting of voyages to reunite with his family.
Snow in Midsummer (Spring 2022), by Frances Ya-chu Cowhig, directed by Zi Alikhan.
The Injustice to Dou Ty that Moved Heaven and Earth (Spring 2022), by Guan Hanging, directed by Zi Alikhan. When a wealthy businesswoman takes ownership of a factory in a remote drought-devastated town, she learns of a curse placed on the town by a woman executed for crime she did not commit. Weaving together parallel stories in a community torn apart by injustice and ecological disaster, this is a spellbinding ghost story that explores the weight of generational trauma and restorative justice.
A Man of No Importance (Fall 2022), by Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty & Lunn Ahrens, directed by John Doyle.
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Complete casting has been announced for the West End premiere of Frozen, to begin previews Aug. 27 and open Sept. 8 at the Theatre Royal Drury, directed by Michael Grandage, with choreography by Rob Ashford and music supervision by Stephen Oremus.
Samantha Barks (Elsa), Stephanie McKeon (Anna), Obioma Ugoala (Kristoff), Craig Gallivan (Olaf), Oliver Ormson (Hans), Richard Frame (Weselton), Mikayla Jade & Ashley Birchall (alternating as Sven), Minaii K, Sasha Watson-Lobo, Freya Scott & Tilly-Raye Bayer (all sharing the role of Youn Elsa), and Kanon Narumi, Asanda Masike, EllieShenker & Summer Betson (all sharing the role of Youn Anna), with Jeremy Batt, Cameron Burt, Lauren Chia, Laura Emmitt, Emily-Mae, Hannah Fairclough, Danielle Fiamanya, Chris Fung, Matt Gillett, Joe Griffiths-Brown, Emily Lane, Justin-Lee Jones, Jason Leigh Winter, Jacob Maynard, Leisha Mollyneaux, Gabriel Mokake, Sarah O’Connor, Jemma Revell, Joshua S. Clair, Jacqui Sanchez, Jak Skelly, Jake Small, Kerry Spark, Isabel Snaas, Monica Swayne, and Anna Woodside.
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Lincoln Center Theater‘s Flying Over Sunset, by James Lapine, Tom Kitt & Michael Korie, directed by Lapine, with choreography by Michelle Dorrance, has changed its dates at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.
The musical will now begin previews Nov. 11 and open Dec. 13.
Harry Hadden Paton (Aldous Huxley), Carmen Cusack (Clare Boothe Luce), and Tony Yazbeck (Cary Grant). with more TBA.
Set in the 1950’s, Flying Over Sunset is a work of fiction inspired by the lives of three extraordinary and accomplished people – write Aldous Huxley; playwright, diplomat, and congresswomen Clare Boothe Luce, and film legend Cary Grant – each of who in real life experimented with the drug LSD. At a crossroads in their lives the three come together, and under the influence of the drug, take a trip and confront the mysteries of their lives and their world.