Today’s Highlights:
Backstairs Billy, by Marcelo Dos Santos, directed by Michael Grandage, featuring Penelope Wilton (Queen Mother) and Luke Evans (William “Billy” Tallon), with Emily Barber, Iwan Davies, Ian Drysdale, Ilan Galkoff, Eloka Ivo, Michael Simkins, and Nicole Sloane, with David Buttle, Amy Newton, Keanu Adolphus Johnson, Georgie Rhys, and Jacob Ethan Tanner, opens at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre.
John Phillip: Oceans of Love and Life concert, created & directed by Marilyn Maye, opens at NYC’s Don’t Tell Mama.
The Witches, world premiere by Lucy Kirkwood & Dave Malloy, directed by Lyndsey Turner, featuring Katherine Kinglsey (Grand High Witch), Daniel Rigby (Mrs. Stringer), Sally Ann Triplet (Gran), Laura Medforth (Mum), Richard David-Caine (Dad), Ekow Quartey (Mr. Jenkins), Maggie Service (Mrs. Jenkins), Irvine Iqbal (Chef Chevalier at Hotel Magnificent), with witches Julie Armstrong, Chrissie Bhima, Zoe Birkett, Maddison Bulleyment, Miracle Chance, Daniele Coombe, Molly-May Gardiner, Tiffany Graves, Bobbie Little, Tania Mathurin, Amira Matthews, and Alexandra Waite-Roberts, along with Adrian Grove, Jacob Maynard, and Ben Redfern, and many more, begins previews at London’s Olivier Theatre.
Babbitt, world premiere by Joe DiPietro, directed by Christopher Ashley, featuring Matthew Broderick (George Babbitt), Genevieve Angelson (Tanis Judique/Zilla Riesling/Eunice Littlefield/Storyteller 5), Anna Chlumsky (Seneca Doane/Tinka Babbitt/Lucille McKelvey/Storyteller 4), Julie Halston (Mrs. Frink/Mrs. Bumbleworth/Oopal Mudge/Miss McGoun/Storyteller 6), Ann Harada (Myra Babbitt/Storyteller 1), Francis Jue (Paul Reisling/Doc Littlefield/Storyteller 2), Matt McGrath (Charlies McKelvey/Storyteller 3), and Chris Myers (Ted Babbitt/Stanley Graf/Fabio/Storteller 7), with Jalen Davidson, Iris Feng, Victor Flores, Kya Lee, and Linda Libby, begins previews at La Jolla Playhouse.
To Joni Mitchell On Her 80th Birthday: a Tribute to the Icon benefit concert, with music direction by Michael Orland, featuring Alison Porter, Tierney Sutton, Brenna Whitaker, Alison Lewis, Frankie Jordan, Tamara Lalayan, Joan Ryan, Shelley Segal, Melanie Taylor, and Arthur Zakiyan, at 8:30 PM at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club.
Barbra Streisand’s “My Name Is Barbra” autobiography, released on most platforms.
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Audra McDonald in Concert will take place Sat. Dec. 2 at 7:30 PM at LA’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, with music direction by Andy Einhorn. 
Tickets start at only $29.
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A Christmas Carol will run Nov. 18 – Dec. 31 (opening Nov. 26) at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, directed by Jessica Thebus, with music direction by Malcolm Ruhl, and choreography by Tommy Rapley.
Larry Yando (Ebenezer Scrooge), Austin Tichenor (Ebenezer Scrooge for 8 performances), Christian Lucas (Tiny Tim), Kareen Bandealy (Marly/Young Marley/Topper), Dee Dee Batteast (Frida), Dee Dee Batteast (Frida), Thomas J. Cox (Bob Cratchit/Wreath Seller), Amira Danan (Belle), Tafadzwa Diener (Martha Cratchit), Susaan Jamshidi (Mrs. Cratchit), Daniel José Molina (Young Scrooge/Ghost of Christmas Future), Rika Nishikawa (Belinda Cratchit), Robert Schleife (Mr. Fezziwig), Lucky Stoff (Ghost of Christmas Past), Leighton Tantillo (Peter Cratchit), Bethany Charwoman/Ghost of Christmas Present), Austin Tichenor (Alternate Ebenezer Scrooge), Penelope Walker (Crum/Mrs, Fezziwig), Andrew White (Narrator), and Wai Yim (Ortle), with Adeoye, Hillary Bayley, Viva Boresi, Mark Bedard, Viva Boresi, Jalbelly Guzmán, Amir Henderson, Detra Payne.
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The Crucible continues through Nov. 26 at Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theatre, directed by Will Pomerantz.
Allen O’Reilly (Reverend Samuel Parris), Kate Fitzgerald (Abigail Williams), Teresa DeBerry (Mrs. Ann Putnam/Rebecca Nurse), Gabiel Portunondo (Thomas Putnam (Gailiff), Sonnie Betts (Mercy Lewis), Anna Francesca Schiavoni (Mary Warren), Joe Pallister (John Proctor), Meg Gibson (Elizabeth Proctor), and Keith Reddin (Reverend John Hale), and Matthew Conlon (Deputy-Governor Danforth).
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The Foundation for New American Musicals‘ MUSI-CAL concert, offering selections from new musicals, will take place Mon. Dec. 4 at 7:30 PM at LA’s Bourbon Room, hosted by Laura Schein & Clayton Farris.
Rebel Genius, by Mathew Pucket. 
based on the lives of Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric. The musical crashes physics and love into one another as Albert and Mileva fall madly in love and struggle to survive together while Albert risks everything to find a perfect Unified Field Theory of the universe.
The Rabbit Queen, by Laura Watkins, Jaime Lyn Beatty & Ilana Gordon. Once upon a time… the world was hoodwinked by a poor illiterate woman named Mary Toft. The year was 1726 and over the course of several months, Mary managed to fool the finest doctors, scientists, and nobles into believing she could give birth to rabbits. Delivering on that promise, Mary performed the mesmerizing spectacle 17 times over, securing her place in history as “The Rabbit Queen”. That is, until one fateful day when she was brought down by a single kernel of evidence.
Roach, by Zach Spound. A Rock Fantasia inspired by Kafka’s Metamorphosis. It is about the friendship between a Jewish man and a queer woman at the outset of World War 2 in Austria, and the community they bring together for the purpose of collective liberation in the face of evil and fascism. (It starts out as Metamorphosis but, as you can tell, becomes something entirely different lol).
The Stages of Love (and a holiday surprise!), by Mina Bloom, David Ghesser & Manoela Wunder. Romance is a roller coaster of ups and downs; Through music and true stories, Ghesser and Bloom explore the chaos of a love connection, past, present and future. And they’ve got a special surprise revealing the truth behind holiday music composers.
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The Dramatist Legal Defense Fund has announced the second edition of “Banned Together: An anti-Censorship Theatre Podcast,” , directed byRaúl Esparza, featuring two episodes, has been released HERE, available through Nov.12.
Danny Burstein, Gabriel Ebert, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Brandon Uranowitz, with Ephie Aadema, Claybourne Elder, Adam Chanler-Berat, Judy Kuhn, Douglas Lyons, Javier Muñoz, and more.
The plays featuring in the podcasts will include The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Company, Anna in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz, Angels in America by Tony Kushner, Indecent by Paula Vogel, and Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress.
The podcast also includes performances of songs from musicals Fun Home by Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron (“Ring of Keys”) … Parade “Rumblin’ and a Rollin’” by Jason Robert Brown & Alfred Uhry … Spelling Bee (“Woe is Me”) by Rachel Sheinkin & William Finn … Hairspray (“Timeless to Me”) by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman … and Rent (“Seasons of Love”) by Jonathan Larson.
In celebration of Banned Theatre Week, the podcast will raise awareness regarding the societal dangers of censorship in the theatre industry, and at large. the. Just as Banned Books Week calls out the perils of censoring books, Banned Theatre Week will address the dire consequences that can arise from banning plays and musicals.
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Ensemble Theatre Company‘s Ring of Fire: the Music of Johnny Cash will run Nov. 30 – Dec. 17 (opening Dec. 2) at Santa Barbara’s New Vic, directed & music directed by Rand Redd.
Glenn Stanton, Valarie Larson, Sammy Linkowski, Kasper, and LJ Benet.
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Patti Lupone in Concert will take place Sat. Apr. 20, 2024 at 7:30 PM at LA’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
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A Tribute to Sheldon Harnick will take place Thurs. Nov. 9 at 2 PM at Broadway’s Music Box Theater. Limited seating will be open to the public on a first come, first served basis.
Danny Burstein, Robert Cuccioli, Jason Danieley, Harvey Fierstein, Rob Fisher, Jessica Hecht, Judy Kuhn, Nancy Opel, David Rockwell, Alan Schmuckler, Elena Shaddow, Alexandra Silber, Emily Skinner, Deborah Grace Winer, Sherman Yellen, and Karen Ziemba.
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Anything Goes will run Jan. 13 – Feb. 25, 2024 at Chicago’s Porchlight Music Theatre, directed by Michael Weber, with choreography by Tammy Made, and music direction by Nick Sula.
Meghan Murphy (Reno Sweeney), Luke Nowakowski (Billy Crocker), Jack Evans (Lord Evelyn Oakleigh), Emma Ogea (Hope Harcourt), J. Steve McDonagh (Moonface Martin), Tommy Bullington (Ship’s Purser), Rachel Dec (Charity), Nick Dorado (Ship’s Captain), Emily Ling Mei (Chastity), Tafadzwa Diener (Erma), Josiah Haugen (Henry T. Dobson), Ciara Hichey (Dippy), Hannah Revian (Virtue), Nataki Rennie (Purity), and Anthony Whitaker (Elisha J. Whiteny) , with Logan Becker+ (Ensemble);, (Henry T. Dobson, Ensemble); Christian Hill+ (Ensemble); Kelsey MacDonald, Jenna Schoppe, Gabriel Solis, Jerod Turner, Genevieve VenJohnson.Gabriel Solis, Mack Spotts, Jerod Turner.
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A world premiere reading of Wendy Rosoff, Nicholas James Connell & Tom DeTrinis’ Mannie! a Musical Theatre Fever Dream will take place place Mon. Nov. 13 at 8 PM at Hollywood’s The Madnani Theater (formerly the Lex Theatre, at 6760 Lexington Ave.), directed by Rosoff, with music direction by Wilkie Ferguson III.
Tom DeTrinis (Mannie), Nicole Mangi Kramer (Sutton/Chava), Nicolas Dromard (Morebucks/Baby June), Tommy Hobson (Dot Catcher/Ben Vereen), Eric B. Anthony (Assistant Dog Catcher/Young Nala), Brittney S. Wheeler (Miss Mannigan/Black Annie), Ryan Garcia (Olive, Krupke.Radio Announcer/DEI Officer/Gretl Von Trapp/Seth Rudetsky VO/Crusty), Ryan Garcia (Balls/Krupke/Radio Announcer/DEI Officer/Gretl Von Trapp/Seth Rudetsky VO/Crusty Old White Man) J. Elaine Marcos (Olive/Chita Rivera/Little Red), Parvesh Cheena (Liat/Patti Lupone/Bob Ross/Dating Game Host/Roosevelt/Punjab), and Jordan Kai Burnett (Barry Weissler/Eponine).
A love/hate letter to all things musical theatre. Think Urinetown meets Forbidden Broadway verrrrrry loosely couched in Annie. Irreverent stupidity and chock full o’musical theatre tropes while shining a light on social inequity and injustice, this shitbox of a musical has something for every theatre nerd, young and old! Come join Mannie and his emotional support animal, Shandy, as they try to teach everyone that even if they are having the worst day ever, there’s always The Next Day.