Today’s Highlights:
* “Stars in the House,” a 10-hour Election Day Vote-a-Thon, featuring Iain Armitage, Colleen Ballinger, Laura Benanti, Annette Bening, Stephanie J. Block, Betty Buckley, Laura Bell Bundy, Andréa Burns, Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Tom Cavanagh, Michael Cerveris, Will Chase, Javier Colon, Gavin Creel, Marcia Cross, Charlotte d’Amboise, Darius DeHaas, Dana Delany, Colin Donnell, Jill Eikenberry, Melissa Errico, Victor Garber, Peri Gilpin, Josh Groban, Sean Hayes, Marilu Henner, Megan Hilty, Carly Hughes, Jeremy Jordan, Judy Kuhn, Anika Larsen, Laura Leighton, Beth Malone, Melissa Manchester, Terrence Mann, Andrea Martin, Michael McElroy, Lindsay Mendez, Laurie Metcalf, Ingrid Michaelson, Lisa Mordente, Jessie Mueller, Patti Murin, Julia Murney, Kelli O’Hara, Karen Olivo, Adam Pascal, Christine Pedi, Rosie Perez, Anthony Rapp, Caroline Rhea, Chita Rivera, Jenna Russell, Lea Salonga, Glenn Scarpelli, Marc Shaiman, Martin Short, Ben Stiller, Michael Tucker, Jenna Ushkowitz, Vanessa Williams, Schele Williams, Marissa Winokur, BD Wong, Tony Yazbeck, and Bellamy Young, streams from 9 AM – 7 PM ET here.
* “The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage,” featuring Ethan Slater, Gavin Lee, Danny Skinner, Brian Ray Norris, Wesley Taylor, Christina Sajous, and Tom Kenny, released on DVD. 
Order here.
* Halloween Rock ‘N’ Roll Concert, directed by Hunter Foster & Lorin Latarro, featuring Jeremy Kushnier, Brandi Chavonne Massey, and Andrew Polec, closes at Bucks County Playhouse.
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Video: Jim Caruso’s Cast Party variety show, with special guests Julie Julie Halston. (1:17:50)
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“Stars in the House” (link TBA) presents a reading of Shaw’s Man & Superman on Mon. Nov. 16 at 8 PM ET, in support of The Actors Fund, adapted, directed & narrated by David Staller.
Robert Cuccioli, Claybourne Elder, Santino Fontana, Nikki M. James, Christine Toy Johnson, Rob McClure, John-Andrew Morrison, Margaret Odette, Vishaal Reddy, and Lenny Wolpe.
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Off-Broadway’s York Theatre will present a panel discussion & virtual reunion of Tom Leher, Cameron Mackintoch & Robin Ray’s Tomfoolery (1981 revue) on Mon. Nov. 9 at 7 PM ET, hosted by James Morgan and Charles Wright.
Pamela Hunt, Michael Rice, Stephanie d’Abruzzo, Josh Grisetti, Ben Liebert, Michael McCormick, and more TBA.
Some of Leher’s wildly wicked songs in the revue are “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” “The Vatican Rag,” and “The Masochism Tango.”
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LA Opera now offers Opera When You Want It:
Craig Colclough & Jeremy Frank present a program of arias by Verdi, Beethoven, and Wagner, along with songs by Cole Porter, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and more.
Video: Shakespeare Sings, with Katherine Powers. (13:03)
Click here for the complete schedule of events, including Living Room Recitals… Digital Shorts… James Conlon’s Corner… and more.
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12 small independent NYC theater owners, who have been pushing for a re-opening date, have been assigned their day in court.
On Nov. 12, Attorning Jim Mergis and a group of 12 Off-Broadway theaters and comedy club owners will argue by allowing small venues with enhanced air filtration systems to open at 25% capacity, countless artists and theater professionals will be able to go back to work — enabling venues to earn revenue, so they can begin paying rent to landlords also hit hard by the pandemic — a move they say will also provide customers for the thousands of retail stores, restaurants and garages that surround their venues.
When the city shut down on Mar. 16, small theatres and venues were originally grouped with the restaurants and bars. However, when indoor dining at 25% resumed on Sept. 30, the opening of small entertainment venues was never addressed. They are still closed and an advisor for the Governor has referred to the suit files by the small businesses on the verge of collapse as “frivolous.”
“Governor Cuomo has led this city through one of its darkest periods, said Catherine Russell (owner of the Theater Center), but his office is neglecting small venues. We’ve obviously slipped through the cracks when it comes to re-opening.”
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Video: Broadway dancers Alex Smith, Davis Wayne, and Maya Zazzaz perform a Fosse-inspired number to “The Headless Horseman Song” from Disney’s take on the classic “Sleepy Hollow” story, as sung by Bing Crosby.
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Aaron Sorkin will discuss his Netflix production of “The Trial of the Chicago 7” on Mon. Nov. 9 at 8 PM ET at NYC’s 92Y.
Incorporating film clips, Moderator Annette Insdorf will focus on his recreation of the late 1960s trial following arrests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The cast features Eddie Redmayne (Tom Hayden), Mark Rylance (William Kunstler), Sacha Baron Cohen (Abbie Hoffman), Jeremy Strong (Jerry Rubin), and Frank Langella (Judge Julius Hoffman).
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Song Writing with Amanda McBroom and Michele Brourman. will run Nov. 11 – Dec. 9. Click here to learn more.
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Sarah Gancher’s Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy has been extended through Nov. 15 at TheaterWorks Hartford, directed by Jared Mazzocchi & Elizabeth Williamson.
Danielle Slavick (Masha), Mia Katigbak (Liuba), Haskell King (Egor), Ian Lassiter (Steve), and Greg Keller (Nikolai).
The timely new play about the everyday banality of destabilizing democracy is inspired by the actual transcripts from the Russian government-backed Internet Research Agency in the run-up to the 2016 election.
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NYC’s 92Y presents “The Triumph of Broadway: Michael Riedel in Conversation.”
Nov. 10 at 7 PM ET here, with special guests Rocco Landesman and Tom Schumaker.
Nov. 17 at 7 PM ET here, with special guests Jerry Zaks and Nathan Lane.
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Video: Will Blum (who brought us a fabulous medley from Floyd Collins, fully staged in his own apartment with 476 pieces of cardboard), now brings us a full cast of Broadway stars to safely stage “What Does a Man Do?”, “Have It Your Way”, and “Another National Anthem” from Assassins, again filmed in Blum’s apartment and following all COVID-safety protocols, with music direction by Andy Einhorn. (12:57)
Julia Murney (Emma Goldman), Will Blum (Samuel Byck), Adam Bashian (Leon Czolgosz), John Riddle (John Wilkes Booth), Barret Riggins (John Hinckley), Kendal Hartse (Squeaky Fromme), Elliott Mattox (Giuseppe Zangara), Drew Gehling (Charles Guiteau), Nancy Opel (Sara Jane Moore), Andrew Durand (Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald), and Patrick Cassidy (Radio Announcer),
If you missed Blum’s Floyd Collins, watch it here. It’s quite wonderful. (12:58)
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Playbill will present the Gilead Storytellers series to commemorate World AIDS Day, by re-broadcasting “Remember the Ribbon: A Tribute to World AIDS Day” on Dec. 1, a concert event unlocking performances from BC/EFA video vault. Link and addition information TBA.
Javier Muñoz, Rema Webb, Tom Viola, and many more.
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As the coronavirus infection rate in the U.K. continues to rise, the country readies for a month-long lockdown Nov. 5–Dec. 2. The new restrictions put a damper on plans for many theatres across the country—including some London venues in the West End—that were set to reopen their doors and welcome socially distanced audiences.
London’s National Theatre began performances of its first in-person production since the COVID-19 shutdown, the solo show Death of England: Delroy, Oct. 21. Originally scheduled to run through Nov. 28, the play will now end No. 4.
Nimax Theatres, which owns and operates six West End venues and was preparing to bring new life to the West End this winter, has said it will be in touch with ticket holders for all affected shows, which include Six(which was to start November 14 at the Lyric Theatre), The Play That Goes Wrong (which had planned a Nov. 19 opening at the Duchess), and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (scheduled to resume Nov. 28 at the Apollo, but now moved its first performance to Dec. 12).
Additionally, Nimax’s Palace Theatre was to be the home of The Show Must Go On!, an all-star concert celebration of several West End shows, Nov. 11–15. No official word yet on a revised timeline.
Some West End productions, such as the holiday engagement of Les Misérables—The Staged Concert at the Sondheim Theatre, have start dates after the lockdown. However, their plans could change depending on a potential extension of the restrictions, or if the lockdown hinders rehearsals and necessary precautionary measures in the venue itself.
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Aurora Theatrical Company presents Broadway Celebrates Veterans Day, honoring military veterans and those who have served or are currently serving, in the Armed Forces. The concert will stream Sat. Nov. 7 at 12 PM ET through Wed. Nov. 11, with proceeds benefitting Northeast Florida Women Veterans of Jacksonville and Stage Aurora Theatrical Company.
Robert Cuccioli, Darius de Haas, Jarrod Emick, Darryl Reuben Hall, Janet Hubert, Cady Huffman, Renee Lawless, N’Kenge, Randy Redd, Cody Renard Richard, Desmond Richardson, Angela Robinson, Justin Matthew Sargent, Ben Vereen, Bethaney Wellings-Davies, Natasha Yvette Williams, and Vanessa Williams.