Today’s Highlights:
Prince Charming, You’re Late, written by & starring Billy Hipkins, directed by Perry Dell’Aquila, opens at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row.
Man of God, by AnnaOuyang, directed by Maggie Burrows, featuring Shirley Chen (Samantha), Emma Galbraith (Jen), Erin Rae Li (Mimi), Albert Park (Pastor), and Ji-young Yoo (Kyung-Hwa), opens at Williamstown Theatre Festival.
Mary Poppins, directed by John Tartaglia, featuring Jeanna de Waal (Mary Poppins), Corbin Blue (Bert), Nehal Joshi (George Banks), Erin Davie (Winifred Banks), Darlesia Cearcy (Bird Woman), Gabe Cytron (Michael Banks), Laila Fantroy (Jane Banks), Erin Davie (Winifred Banks), Zoe Vonder Haar (Mrs. Brill), Barrett Riggins (Robertson Ay), Whit Reichert (Admiral Boom/Bank Chairman), Jade Jones (Mrs. Corry), and Debby Lennon (Queen Victoria/Miss Andrew), with Taylor Marie Daniel, Matthew Davies, Joel Douglas, Francine Espiritu, Duane Martin Foster, Kaitlyn Frank, Anna Gassett, Alyssa Giannetti, Brett-Marco Glauser, Lynn Humphrey, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Abigail Isom, Maggie Kunta, Ryan Lambert, Devin Neilson, Rich Pisarkiewicz, Michael James Reed, Michael Santomassimo, Dave Schooner, Kelly Sheehan, Wesley Slade, Nathaniel Washington, and Erin Wilson, opens at the St. Louis Muny.
Hershey Felder: Chopin in Paris, directed by Joel Zwick, opens at Beverly Hills’ The Wallis.
ROE staged readings, by Lisa Loomer, directed by Vanessa Stallings, featuring John Achorn, Kenya Alexander, Sufe Bradshaw, Pamela Dunlap, Aleisha Force, Christina Hall, Susan Lynskey, Ed Martin, Kate Middleton, Rob Nagle, Xochitl Romero, open at LA’s Fountain Theatre.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: Play, Orchestra, Play, by Jim Bernhard
| 1. “I Love a ____,” song from Stop! Look! Listen! | A. Trombones |
| 2. “Loudly Let the ____ Bray,” song from Iolanthe | B. Violin |
| 3. “____ Grinder’s Swing,” song from Stardust | C. Trumpet |
| 4. “(That) Syncopated ____,” song from Canary Cottage | D. Harpsichord |
| 5. “Playing the ____,” song from The Singing Rabbi | E. Piano |
| 6. “Seventy Six ____,” song from The Music Man | F. Drums |
| 7. “The Old ____, “ song from Oh, I Say! | G. Horn |
| 8. “Young Man With a ____,” song from Sing for Your Supper | H. Harp |
| 9. “Follow the ____,” song from Rosalie | I. Organ |
| 10. “He Plays the ____,” song from 1776 | J. Clarinet |
Scroll down for the answers…
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Say It With Pride: Disney+ Celebrates Pride 365 is now streaming for FREE here (34:53)
Angelica Ross, Alan Menken, Alex Newell, DCapella, Jessica Darrow, Nina West, Rueby Wood, and the LA Trans Chorus, with discussions featuring jack Hughes, Jenny Lorenzo, Katie Barnes, Topher Ngo, and Victoria Alonso.
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NYC’s Green Room 42 has announced its Rooftop Movie Series and the Celebrity Cruises Rooftop Garden Cinema Series, all of which begin at 8:45 PM ET, with food and beverage service available before and during each film.
July 7: “Serendipity”
July 8: “Encanto”
July 9: “Last Holiday”
July 10: “Anchorman”
July 11: “The Wizard of Oz”
July 14: “Sunset Boulevard”
July 15: “Psycho”
July 16: “Ratatouille”
July 17: “Sister Act”
July 18: “Little Shop of Horrors”
July 21: “Mean Girls”
July 22: “The Silence of the Lambs”
July 23: “Eat Pray Love”
July 24: “Beetlejuice”
July 25: “Mamma Mia”
July 28: “Crazy Rich Asians”
July 29: “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”
July 30: “Alice in Wonderland”
July 31: “Pitch Perfect”
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Presentations of Trey Ellis & Shelton L. Becton’s The Songs of Dorothy Dandridge! The Musical will take place July 17 & 18 (both at 7:30 PM ET) at Carnegie Hall, directed by Tamara Tunie.
N’Kenge (Dorothy Dandridge), John Cariani (Earl Mills), Aisha de Haas (Ruby Dandridge), Phillip Attmore (Harold Nichols), Jeremy Webb (Otto Preminger), Dawn Derow (Marilyn Monroe), Dominic Nolfi (Jack Dennison), Trisha Jeffrey (Vivian Dandridge), Natalie Renee (Etta Jones), Dewitt Fleming Jr. (Phil Moore), and Grace Field (Marilyn Monroe standby).
Dandridge, who was the first African American woman to be nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, was an actor, dancer, and vocalist who died at the age of 42. The musical explores her life through a mixture of American Songbook classics and a contemporary score.
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Audio (scroll down): Composer Elton John performs “Dress Your Way Up” from his new musical The Devil Wears Prada
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Boston’s Lyric Stage has announced its 2022-23 season:
Fabulation, or the Re-education of Undine (Sept. 16 – Oct. 9), by Lynne Nottage, directed by Dawn M. Simmons.
The Play That Goes Wrong (Nov. 11 – Dec. 4), by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields, directed by Fred Sullivan Jr.
Preludes (Jan. 6-29, 2023), by Dave Malloy, directed by Courtney O’Connor, with music direction by Dan Rodriguez.
The Great Leap (Feb. 24 – Mar. 19), by Lauren Lee, directed by Michael Hisamoto.
Sister Act (Apr. 7-30), directed by Leigh Barrett.
Rooted (June 2-25), by Deborah Zoe Laufer, directed by Courtney O’Connor. When you find yourself up a tree, something is bound to take root.
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The Wrecking Crew Golden Hits plus A Taste of Motown will take place Sat. Aug. 31 at 8 PM PT at North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre (link TBA).
Don Peake on guitar, Don Randi on keyboard, and Chuck Berghofer on base, with Lamont Dozier Jr. and Kiki Ebsen on vocals.
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RIP: Director Peter Brook passed away July 2 at the age of 97.
Mr. Brook’s career spanned eight decades, and included exemplary work onstage in opera, plays, and musicals, as well as work on screen in film and television.
Mr. Brook was nominated for four competitive Tony awards, winning two, and received a special Tony award for Outstanding Achievement in the Musical Theatre for his reimagining of the opera La Tragedie de Carmen.
From 1947 – 1950, he was the Director of Productions for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; his tenure was controversial, in particular a highly debated production of Salome, which featured set design by the surrealist Salvador Dalí.
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The Williamstown Theatre Festival‘s 2022 Summer Season has announced additional casting:
Man of God (July 5), by Anna Ouyang Moench, directed by Maggie Burrows, features Shirley Chen, Emma Galbraith, Erin Rae Li, Albert Park, and Ji-young Yoo.
Abortion Road Trip (July 8) reading, by Rachel Lynett, directed by Jess McLeod, featuring Rami Margron, Emma Ramos, and Carmen LoBue. Sisters Minnie and Lexa hire Driver to take them on a road trip from San Antonio to New Mexico for Lexa to get an abortion. While on their journey, the three women discuss the baggage they carry with them and how the circumstances leading to three very different abortions shaped them into who they are.
Most Happy in Concert (July 13-31), a new production celebrating The Most Happy Fellow, directed by Daniel Fish, with choreography by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, features Mary Testa, Tina Fabrique, Erin Markey, Mallory Portnoy, Maya Lagerstam, April Matthis, Kiena Williams, and Gwynne Wood.
God Save the Queer (July 15), by Zackary Grady, directed by Portia Krieger, featuring Sebastian Beacon, Carol Mazhuvancheril, and Alison Pill. In the year 2046, Prince George is now in his thirties, married to a man, and next in line for the British throne. But when he and his husband share news with his sister, Princess Charlotte, and his brother, Prince Lous, a sibling fight breaks out that could destroy not only their family, but one of the last surviving monarchies in the world.
And Then We Were No More (July 22) reading, by Tim Blake Nelson, directed by Mark Wing-Davey, featuring David Aaron Baker, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Bree Elrod, Henry Stram, and Maura Tierney. A lawyer fights for the life of her client in a near future in which criminals deemed “beyond rehabilitation” become no more.
we are continuous (Aug. 2-14), by Harrison David Rivers & Mykal Kilgore, directed by Tyler Thomas, featuring Leland Fowler, Tom Holcomb, and Brenda Pressley. Simon and his mother, Ora, have always been close. She’s been his champion, his defender, and his friend. But when a life-changing secret comes to light, can their bond survive?
Just for Us (Aug. 3-6), written & performed by Alex Edelman. The piece takes the audience through hilarious anecdotes from Alex Edelman’s life – his Olympian brother AJ, an unconventional holiday season, and a gorilla that can do sign language – but at its center is an astonishing and frighteningly relevant story. After a string of anti-Semitic abuse directed at Edelman online, he decides to covertly attend a gathering of White Nationalists in New York City, and comes face to face with the people behind the keyboards.
tiny father (Aug. 5), by Mike Lew, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, featuring Maureen Sebastion and more TBA. After Daniel unexpectedly finds himself the father of a months-premature baby, his only guide to the strange purgatory of hospital life i the NICU is a grizzled, oversharing nurse named Caroline.
Jimmy Naughton & Friends (Aug. 7), with surprise guests. An afternoon of stories and songs.
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The London production of Come From Away will close on Jan. 7, 2023, after 1,048 performances at the Phoenix Theatre.
Jenna Boyd (Beulah and others), James Doherty (Claude and others), Mark Dugdale (Kevin T/Garth and others), Alice Fearn (Beverley/Annette), Kate Graham (Diane and others), Robert Hands (Nick/Doug and others), Jonathan Andrew Hume (Kevin J/Ali and others), Gemma Knight Jones (Hannah and others), Kirsty Malpass (Bonnie and others), Harry Morrison (Oz and others), Emma Salvo (Janice and others), and Lejaun Sheppard (Bob and others), with Chiara Baronti, Ricardo Castro, Stuart Hickey, Alexander McMorran, Sarah Morrison, Lucy Park, Jennifer Tierney, and Matthew Whennell-Clark.
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New legislation in New York aims to curb unfair ticketing practices in the Live Event industry, including Broadway.
“Live entertainment has long been a critical sector in our economy, and as consumers and the industry recover from the pandemic, it is important that we make the ticket-buying experience easier and more transparent,” reported Governor Hochul in a statement. “This bill will expand penalties for malicious ticketing practices that have made live events inaccessible to New Yorkers for too long. Today, we are taking an important step towards ensuring that every New Yorker has a fair opportunity to enjoy the unique arts and cultural experiences that our state has to offer.”
An extension and update of New York’s “Ticketing Law,” the measure bans hidden fees and expands penalties for the use of scalper bots and ticket purchasing software. The legislation also outlaws the sale of free tickets and puts an end to delivery fees on tickets delivered electronically.
“It is important that we make the ticket-buying experience easier and more transparent,” said Governor Hochul in a statement. “This bill will expand penalties for malicious ticketing practices that have made live events inaccessible to New Yorkers for too long.
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Chicago’s Porchlight Music Theatre has announced casting for its FREE concert series, Broadway in Your Backyard, to run July 19 – Sept. 6 at various Chicago locations, directed by Michael Weber, with music direction by Justin Akira Kono.
Lydia Burke, Vasily Deris, Caitlin Dobbins, Carisa Gonzalez, Nik Kmiecik, Just Akria Kono, and Bryan McCaffrey.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz Answers: Play, Orchestra, Play
1-E. “I Love a Piano,” song from Stop! Look! Listen!
2-C. “Loudly Let the Trumpet Bray,” song from Iolanthe
3-I. “Organ Grinder’s Swing,” song from Stardust
4-H. “(That) Syncopated Harp,” song from Canary Cottage
5-D. “Playing the Harpsichord,” song from The Singing Rabbi
6-A. “Seventy Six Trombones,” song from The Music Man
7-J. “The Old Clarinet, “ song from Oh, I Say!
8-G. “Young Man With a Horn,” song from Sing for Your Supper
9-F. “Follow the Drums,” song from Rosalie
10-B. “He Plays the Violin,” song from 1776