Today’s Highlights:
Merrily We Roll Along, directed by Maria Friedman, featuring Daniel Radcliffe (Charley Kringas), Jonathan Groff (Franklin Shepard), Lindsay Mendez (Mary Flynn), Krystal Joy Brown (Gussie Carnegie), Katie Rose Clarke (Beth Shepard), and Red Rogers (Joe Josephson), with Sherz Aletaha, Leana Rae Concepcion, Morgan Kirner, Corey Mach, Talia Robinson, Amanda Rose, Jamila Sabares-Klemm, Brian Sears, Evan Alexander Smith, Christian Strange, Koray Tarhan, Vishal Vaidya, Natalie Wachen, and Jacob Keith Watson, opens at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre.
Manhattan Theatre Club‘s Poor Yella Rednecks, by Qui Nguyen, directed by May Adrales, featuring Jon Hoche, Ben Levin, Samantha Quan, Jon Norman Schneider, Maureen Sebastian, and Paco Tolson, begins previews at Off-Broadway’s New York City Center.
The New Group‘s Sabbath’s Theater, by John Turturro & Ariel Levy, directed by Jo Bonney, featuring John Turturro (Mickey Sabbath), Elizabeth Marvel (Drenka), and Jason Kravits (additional roles), begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Signature Theatre.
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Merrily We Roll Along at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre:
NY Times (Jesse Green): …with the opening of its first Broadway revival, after 42 years in the wilderness and the death of Sondheim in 2021, Merrily is no longer lost. Maria Friedman’s unsparing direction and a thrillingly fierce central performance by Jonathan Groff have given the show the hard shell it lacked. Now heartbreaking in the poignant sense only, Merrily has been found in the dark… Friedman has thrown in her lot with the coruscating insight of the songs, making a tactical decision — successful but not without consequences — to deprioritize everything else, including the score’s brassy élan… Friedman has apparently made her peace with Furth’s final Frankensteined version; though its pieces are coarsely sutured and don’t quite line up, at least the thing walks… Radcliffe’s wit and modesty, combined with Mendez’s zing and luster, provide perfect settings for what is now (as it has never been previously) the inarguably central performance…
Chicago Tribune (Chris Jones): Broadway never saw a better triple-act than Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe, the triumphant triumvirate at the heart of the gorgeous new revival of Merrily We Roll Along… What a delight they are to watch as life kicks their ever-hopeful characters in the teeth… “Not a Day Goes By”…For anyone who has loved and lost and wondered why, the song is just devastating. In all the right ways. Shivers will blow through your aisle… If you can’t find yourself somewhere in “Merrily,” which was first seen on Broadway in 1981, you’ve got no pulse… Friedman unlocked many previously problematic aspects of this show, but one of the main keys was to understanding that Mary (Mendez), the sidekick to the aspiring writer-composer team of Franklin Shepard (Groff) and Charley Kringas (Radcliffe) is not the third wheel but the lead….
Theatermania (David Gordon): …Maria Friedman’s revival of Merrily We Roll Along for you, a reputation-rescuing take on Sondheim and Furth’s legendary flop… this Merrily is one of those transcendent productions I’ll look back on fondly forever… Friedman refocuses the show as a memory play, where Frank’s past swirls to life around him in Soutra Gilmour’s airy mansion set, as vast and empty as his life. Friedman casts actors who’ve all had their fair share of life to tell this story. Groff, Mendez, and Radcliffe create a Frank, Mary, and Charley that burst with energy. They’re giving career-best performances, and you not only buy them as friends, but palpably sense their joys and crushing disappointments… Brown has found a way into Gussie that gives depth to the crumbs of villainy that Furth left for her, while Reg Rogers…expertly conveys a different version of mile-high success and crushing failure. Clarke’s “Not a Day Goes By” is filled with the perfect level of heartbreak — you can really sense that she and Frank loved each other once… Friedman’s production is a theatrical miracle, finding the heart at the center of this story…
AMNY (Matt Windman)… At long last, to quote the author: “It’s a hit! It’s a hit! It’s a palpable hit!”… this production is not just a triumph but a homecoming and a vindication… Groff, who combines the looks and charisma of a young matinee idol with tender sensitivity, is the ideal Frank–someone who everyone else can’t help but fall in love with, which is why his pals self-destruct when Frank loses his way… Radcliffe and Mendez give outstanding performances… The production ends with a visual that is simple, stunning, and extremely hopeful, making one believe that maybe Frank really can turn his life around and reunite with Charley and Mary…
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Daisy Prince, Jason Robert Brown & Jonathan Marc Sherman’s The Connector will run Jan. 12 – Feb. 18 (opening Feb. 6), 2024 at MCC Theater, directed by Prince, with music direction by Tom Murray, choreography by Karla Puno Garcia, and conducted by (every performance) by Jason Robert Brown.
Scott Bakula, Ben Levi Ross, and Hannah Cruz, with Joanna Carpenter, Max Crumm, George Dvorsky, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Danielle Lee Greaves, Mylinda Hull, Daniel Jenkins, Cedric Lamar, Jessica Molaskey, Fergie Philippe, Eliseo Román, Ann Sanders, Kyle Sherman, and Michael Winther.
The story of a young journalist determined to get the ultimate scoop, and an assistant copy editor forced to decide how far she’ll go to stop him. Brown will lead the band at every performance.
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Center Theatre Group will present a new initiative, offering a series of special events and programing at the Mark Taper Forum:
Amal Walks Across America: Amal’s Wish (Nov. 22 at 6:30 PM), directed by Awoye Timpo. A nationwide journey spanning more than 35 cities and towns, 6,000 miles, 100 events, and 300+ partners over two months this fall. Seventeen of the most influential L.A. cultural institutions and artists are joining forces to welcome Little Amal when she arrives in Southern California. Little Amal is the internationally celebrated 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl, spreading her story of hope as she discovers the beating heart of America, its blended culture, and diverse people.
Alex Edelman’s Just for Us (Nov. 10-26), written, directed & performed by Alex Edelman, directed by Adam Brace. An exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy. In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic rhetoric pointed in his direction online, Alex decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards. What happens next forms the backbone of the shockingly relevant, utterly hilarious, and only moderately perspirant stories that comprise “Just For Us.”
Feinstein’s at the Taper (Dec. 3 … Feb. 10, 2024 and Apr. 13). Michael Feinsten hosts a series of special events. Details TBA.
L.A. Artist Residencies (ongoing). Dates & details TBA.
L.A. Writers’ Workshop Festival (Winter 2024) at the Kirk Douglas Theatre., offering new works by Amy Berryman, Inda Craig-Galván, Isaac Gómez, Ramiz Monsef, Christopher Oscar Peña, and Jasmine Sharma. Additional details TBA.
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A private industry reading of Meghan Kennedy’s Locker Room Talk will take place today in NYC, directed by Jessie Nelson.
Sara Bareilles, Sarita Choudhury, Paige Gilbert, Donna Murphy, Bonnie Milligan, Gayle Rankin, Havana Rose Liu, Cecily Strong, and Charlotte Surak.
The play brings together a complicated, hilarious, diverse group of women in a locker room at a gym. It is an intimate exploration of how women communicate with each other. We see all the insecurities and issues around their bodies emerge, all the impossible standards they have been taught to hold themselves to, and all the walls they put up because of them. In this stripped-down comedy about female community, identity and connection, a truly safe space does ultimately emerge, along with a sense of freedom and empowerment.
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A Gentleman’s Guide To Love And Murder in concert will take place both live and livestreamed on Sun. Oct. 22 at 7 PM ET at NYC’s 54 Below, with music direction by Steven Lutvak.
Jane Carr, Joanna Glushak, Kristen Hahn, Eddie Korbich, Jeff Kready, Mark Ledbetter, Kevin Massey, James Taylor Odom, Bryce Pinkham, John Rapson, Jennifer Smith, Scarlett Strallen, Kathy Voytko, Price Waldman, and Catherine Walker.
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The 5th annual #LightUpMBC benefit event, in support of the National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, will livestream on Fri. Oct. 13 at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT here.
Ali Stroker, Marc Roberge, Bianca Marroquín, Christine Dwyer, and Matt DeAngelis.
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The world premiere of Joe DiPietro’s Babbitt will run Nov. 7 – Dec. 3 (opening Nov. 12) at La Jolla Playhouse, directed by Christopher Ashley.
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.
George F. Babbitt is a middle-aged real estate broker in the Midwestern city of Zenith. By day, he has a prosperous, respectable middle-class existence. By night, he’s plagued by the thought that he has amounted to nothing. Searching for more to life than his top-of-the-line toaster and hickory golf club ― more meaning ― Babbitt leaps with abandon into the most spectacular rebellion of his life ― one that could end up costing him everything.
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Seeing Stars, written & performed by Steve Budd, will take place Wed. Oct. 18 at 7 PM at 7 PM at LA’s Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, directed by Mark Kenward.
Ever wish that someone you love would change overnight? Be careful what you wish for! At 31, Steve moves back in with his parents. He’s always wished his father were different. Less distant. Less gruff. More alive. More engaged. Easier to connect with. Well…Steve is in for a surprise.
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The Right to Cabaret will take place Sat. Nov. 4 at 7 PM at NYC’s Green Room 42, hosted by Hillary Rollins, Mary Jo Mundy & Alexis Fae GGach, with music direction by Alex Rybeck.
Natalie Douglas, Ava Nicole Frances, and John Forster.
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A live stage capture of London’s Titanic the Musical will be screened at more than 700 movie theaters nationwide on Nov. 4 & 8, directed by Thom Sutherland.
Martin Allanson, Valda Aviks, Graham Bickley, Sam Brown, James Darch, David Delve, Adam Filipe, Emily George, Luke Harley, Emma Harrold, Alastair Hill, Abi Hudson, Barnaby Hughes, Paul Kemble, Niamh Long, Matthew McDonald, Ian McLarnon, Danny Michaels, Janet Mooney, Chris Nevin, Jack North, Joseph Peacock, Billy Roberts, Bree Smith, and Lucie-Mae Sumner.
here.
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Two private industry readings of Mike Stoller, Iris Rainer Dart & Thom Thomas’ Beaches will take place Fri. Oct. 13 in NYC , directed by Lonny Price & Matt Cowart, with music direction by Katie Coleman.
Whitney Bashor, Jessica Vosk, Charlotte Sydney Harrington, Jessie Hooker-Bailey, Anne L. Nathan, Matthew Saldivar, Analise Scarpaci, Elizabeth Teeter, Mackenzie Wilder, Azalea Wolfe, and Jared Zirilli.
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LA’s Center Theatre Group has announced its CTG:FWD, a series of special events and programming at the Mark Taper Forum, the Kirk Douglas Theatre, and throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Too much to list in this here, click the link above for the complete series of events.
CTG:FWD provides greater opportunities for community gatherings and conversations, can’t-miss special events, and ways to help center Los Angeles-based artists and the arts community. It also provides a unique opportunity to open the doors of the Mark Taper Forum during this pause in traditional season programming, and welcome members of the community back into that space for some of these special events and programs.