Today’s Highlights:
King Lear, directed by Kenneth Branagh, featuring Kenneth Branagh (King Lear), Mara Allen (Curan), Deborah Allij (Goneril), Raymond Anum (Burgundy), Melanie-Joyce Bermudez (Regan), Doug Colling (Edgar), Dyland Corbett-Bader (France), Eleanor de Rohan (Kent), Chloe Fenwick-Brown (Oswald), Joseph Kloska (Gloucester), Corey Mylchreest (Edmund), Hughie O’Donnell (Cornwall), Caleb Obediah (Cornwall), and Jessica Reyell (Cordelia/The Fool), opens at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre.
Merry Me, by Hansol Jung, directed by Leigh Silverman, featuring Marinda Anderson, Cindy Cheung, Esco Jouléy, David Ryan Smith, Ryan Spahn, Nicole Villamil, and Shaunette Renée Wilson, opens at Off-Broadway’s New York Theatre Workshop.
Spamalot, directed & choreographed by Josh Rhodes, featuring Taran Killam (Lancelot), Alex Brightman (Lancelot as of Jan. 9, 2024) Christopher Fitzgerald (Patsy), James Monroe Iglehart (King Karthur), Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (The Lade of the Lake), Ethan Slater (The Historian/Prince Herbert), Jimmy Smagula (Sir Bedevere), Michael Urie (Sir Robin, and Nik Walker (Sir Galahad), with David Josefsberg, Graham Stevens, Daniel Beeman, Maria Briggs, Gabriella Enriquez, Michael Fatica, Denis Lambert, Shina Ann Morris, Kaylee Olson, Kristin Piro, Drew Redington, Tyler Roberts, Anju Cloud, Darrell T. Joe, Lily Kaufmann, and Charlie Sutton, begins previews at Broadway’s St. James Theatre.
The Rocky Horror Show, directed & choreographed by Karen Azenberg, featuring David Beach (Dr. Scott), Ginger Bess (Magenta), Micki Martines (Columbia), Alanna Saunders (Janet), Alex Walton (Brad), Michael Kalke (Rocky), Jeremiah James (Frank), Andre Jordan (Eddie), and Hernando Umana (Riff Raff), and a rotating selection of notable Utahns as the Narrator, closes at Utah’s Pioneer Theatre Company.
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Carson Kreitzer & Matt Gould’s Lempicka will begin previews Mar. 19, 2024 and open Apr. 14 at the Longacre Theatre, directed by Rachel Chavkin, with choreography by Raja Feather Kelly.
Eden Espinosa (Tamara De Lempicka) and more TBA.
Spanning decades of political and personal turmoil and told through a thrilling, pop-infused score, Lempicka boldly explores the contradictions of a world in crisis, a woman ahead of her era, and an artist whose time has finally come.
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New York City Ballet will present Kate Prince’s Message In A Bottle, set to the music of Sting, on Fri. Nov. 3 at 9 PM on PBS.
…or stream it now here.
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Tadeusz Stobodzienek’s Our Class will run Jan. 12 – Feb. 4, 2024 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, directed by Igor Gloyak.
Andrey Burkovskiy, Jack DiFalco, José Espinosa, Tess Goldwyn, Will Manning, Alexandra Silber, and Richard Topol.
Ten Polish classmates—five Jewish and five Catholic—grow up as playful friends and neighbors, then turn on one another with life and death consequences. Inspired by real life events surrounding a horrific 1941 pogrom in the small village of Jedwabne, this shocking tale follows their lives from childhood through eight decades.
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Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas, adapted by Paul Morella, will run Dec. 4-31 at MD’s Olney Theatre Center.
Paul Morella (playing 50+ characters)
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The New York Stage and Film‘s annual gala will take place Sun. Nov. 5 at 7 PM at NYC’s Plaza Hotel, directed by Liz Carlson & Sheryl Kaller, with music direction by Nehmiah Luckett.
Billy Porter and GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis.
Christine Baranski, Nathan Lane, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Melissa Etheridge, David Burtka, Chuck Cooper, Wilson Cruz, J Harrison Ghee, Nathan Lee Graham, Dominique Jackson, Princess Lockerooo and The Fabulous Waack Dancers, Lenora Nemetz, Mia Pak, Joél Pérez, Brian Quijada, Adina Verson, Lillias White, Virgina Woodruff, and more TBA.
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Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club will begin previews Apr. 1, 2024 and open Apr. 21 at the August Wilson Theatre, directed by Rebecca Frecknall, with choreography by Julia Cheng, and music direction by Angus Macrae.
Eddie Redmayne (The Emcee), Gayle Rankin (Sally Bowles), Ato Blankson-Wood (Cliff), and more TBA.
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Video: Deborah Cox performs “Believe in Yourself” from The Wiz.
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Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot: Holmes for the Holiday will run Nov. 10 – Dec. 17 at Boston’s Lyric Stage, directed by Fred Sullivan Jr.
Dan Garcia (Simon Brigh), Maureen Keller (Daria Chase), Pamela Lambert (Madge Geisel), Gabrielle McCauley (Addie Wheeler), Peter Mill (Inspector Goring), and Sarah Sinclair (Martha Gillette).
It’s a blustery December night in 1936 at the Connecticut mansion of actor William Gillette, whose life was recently threatened by a rogue gunshot while he was onstage performing his most celebrated role, Sherlock Holmes. A cavalcade of quirky friends arrive upon his request for a weekend of revelry all with the intent of finding out who pulled the trigger. But when one of Gillette’s glitzy and glamorous guests is stabbed to death, the survivors are trapped inside a fun house of hidden passageways and trick mirrors where any of them could be the killer. From the director that brought you The Play That Goes Wrong, slapstick and hilarity ensues amid the murder and mayhem that will keep you laughing and guessing until the moment the killer is revealed.
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MUSI-CAL will return to Hollywood’s Bourbon Room on Mon. Dec. 4 at 7:30 PM, co-hosted by Clayton Farris & Laura Schein. The evening will present selections from new musicals. Performers TBA.
Rebel Genius, by Matthew Puckett
The Rabbit Queen, by Laura Watkinds, Jaime Lynn Beatty & Ilana Gordon
In this Body, by Zach Spound
The Stages of Love, by David Ghesser & Mina Bloom
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Tadeusz Slobodzianek’s Our Class will run Jan. 12 – Feb. 4, 2024 (opening Jan. 18) at BAM, directed by Igor Golyak.
Gus Birney (Dora), Andrey Burkovskiy (Menachem), Jack DiFalco (Zygmunt), José Espinosa (Rysiek), Tess Goldwyn (Zocha), Will Manning (Heniek), Stephen Ochsner (Jakub Katz), Alexandra Silber (Rachelka/Marianna), Richard Topol (Abram), and Ilia Volok (Władek).
Our Class is based on real events, and follows 10 classmates — five Jewish and five Catholic — as they grow up as playmates, friends and neighbors, then turn on one another with life and death consequences. Inspired by real life events surrounding a horrific 1941 pogrom in the small village of Jedwabne, Poland, the play follows their lives from childhood through eight decades in a contemporary new production, directed by Jewish, Ukrainian-born director
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RedBull Theater will present a benefit concert reading of The Country Wife, adapted by Maltby & Shire & directed by Maltby, to take place Mon. Dec. 11 at 7:30 PM at NYC’s Symphony Space, directed by Maltby.
Nicholas Christopher, Carson Elrod, Angela Grovey, Eddie Korbich, Kristolyn Lloyd, Ellen Marie Marsh, Gabe Martinez, Jacob Ming-Trent, Brad Oscar, Julian Remulla, Jelani Remy, Christina Sajour, and Lauren Worsham
Harry Horner, a womanizer, convinces his doctor to spread a rumor that he is impotent. Horner hopes news of his impotence will convince married men to permit their wives to visit him. Sir Jasper Fidget, a businessman, leaves his wife, Lady Fidget, and her friends in Horner’s care.
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Jocelyn Bioh’s Jaja’s African Hair Braiding will livestream its final week of performances Nov. 14-19 from Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.