Today’s Highlights:
Tim Murray Is WITCHES cabaret, with special guest Jenna Leigh Green, opens at 9:30 PM at NYC’s Green Room 42.
1919, world premiere by J. Nicole Brooks, directed by Gabrielle Randle-Bent & Tasia A. Jones, featuring Sheldon D. Brown, Demorris Burrows, Jessica Dean Turner, Max Thomas, Sola Thompson, and Alexis Jean Ward, opens at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre.
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, by Steve Rosen & Gordon Greenberg, directed by Greenberg, featuring Kathy Fitzgerald (Dr. Westfeldt/Renfield), David T. Patterson (Dracula), Dan Rosales (Jonathan Harker), Cathryn Wake (Lucy/Kitty), Jeremy Webb (Mina/Jean Van Helsing) and Brenny Campbell (cover for all roles), opens at Albany’s Capital Rep.
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Reviews for Manhattan Theatre Club’s Cost of Living at Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre:
NY Times (Maya Phillips): How do we connect with people? How do we care for them? And what does it all cost, both fiscally and emotionally? These are just a few of the questions Martyna Majok poses in her wrenching 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Cost of Living… Majok’s poignant, socially conscious work… tenderly directed by Jo Bonney… [whose] deft negotiation of these separate settings and stories is just one of the ways Cost of Living impressively teeters between two main axes — the body, and the economy of its care — without toppling over… Majok’s sharp writing is never predictable… Bonney’s direction adds an extra layer of cohesion to the story: subtle connections that bridge the worlds…
New York Daily News (Chris Jones): Martyna Majok’s resonant, prismatic, Pulitzer-Prize-winning play… the play is exploring the day-to-day life of the disabled, a population for whom at least one aspect of the cost of living is demonstrably greater… You’ll quickly see here that Majok is a highly skilled writer and one of her most impressive qualities is her ability to flip the action on a moment’s notice, to shock the audience or to suddenly pull the characters in an unexpected direction… The actors, working under the direction of Jo Bonney, are honest and solid… the performance from [Kara] Young is on its own plane. She’s a formidable young star in the making, richly detailed, moving, present and profoundly vulnerable.
New York Stage Review (Frank Scheck): Gregg Mozgala and Katy Sullivan superbly repeat their roles from the 2017 Off-Broadway production, while newcomers Kara Young and David Zayas prove equally affecting… this is really a beautifully observed play about the human condition in general… The chronology can be confusing, and the final scene feels a bit tacked-on. But those are minor flaws considering that its dialogue and situations resonate with emotional truth about loneliness, financial desperation and the vulnerability of disabled people forced to rely on others to assist them with basic human needs…
Variety (Naveen Kumar): What gives life value and makes it worth our daily toil? What does it mean to need another person, and what do we owe each other? It is a testament to the brilliant craft of Martyna Majok…There’s writing specific characters that shimmer with universal truth, then there’s managing to capture, in the span of 100 minutes, how it feels to be alive… achieves insights about the human condition by zooming in on its particulars, compelling audiences to question what we take for granted and what might happen if we didn’t. It’s a heart-opening exercise in empathy deftly suited to the form, the kind of theater that imprints on the body and lives in your bones.
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Broadway Grosses for the week ending Oct. 2.
Click here for the complete analysis.
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Complete casting has been announced for Danny Robins’ 2:22 – A Ghost Story, to run Oct. 29 – Dec. 4 (opening Nov. 4) at the Ahmanson Theatre, directed by Matthew Dunster.
Constance Wu (Jenny), Finn Wittrock (Sam), Anna Camp (Lauren), and Adam Rothenberg (Ben).
Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, Lauren and Ben. Belief and skepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they are going to stay up until 2:22 AM… and then they will know. An intriguing, funny, and scary supernatural thriller.
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Andrew Lloyd Webber, Emerald Fennell & David Zippel’s Bad Cinderella will begin previews Feb. 17, 2023 and open Mar. 23 at the Imperial Theatre, directed by Laurence Connor, with choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter.
Linedy Genao (Cinderella) and more TBA.
This modern retelling of the classic fairytale is set in the exceptionally beautiful kingdom of Belleville. Our Cinderella is no longer the damsel in distress who needs saving. She finds herself and her prince in new circumstances which cause them to rethink what “happily ever after” really means.
Video: Title song
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The world premiere of Robert Horn, Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally’s Shucked will run Oct. 28 – Nov. 12 at Salt Lake Theatre’s Pioneer Theatre Company, directed by Jack O’Brien, with choreography by Sarah O’Gleby, and music supervision by Jason Howland.
John Behlmann (Gordy), Kevin Cahoon (Peanut), Andrew Durand (Beau), Caroline Innerbichler (Maizy), Ashley D. Kelley (Storyteller 1), Alex Newell (Lulu), and Taylor Trensch (Storyteller 2), with Miki Abraham, Dwayne Clark, Rheaume Crenshaw, Kaitlyn Davidson, Jaygee Macapugay, Scott Strangland, Esteban Suero, Yasmeen Sulieman, Quinn VanAntwerp, and Alan Wiggins.
What do you get when you pair a semi-neurotic, New York comedy writer with two music superstars from Nashville? A hilarious and audacious farm-to-fable musical about the one thing Americans everywhere can’t get enough of: corn.
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Niki Haris & Donna De Lory: Songs and Stories will take place Sun. Oct. 16 at 7:30 PM at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club.
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Danny Robin’s 2:22 – A Ghost Story will run Oct. 29 – Dec. 4 (opening Nov. 4) at the Ahmanson Theatre, directed by Matthew Dunster.
Constance Wu (Jenny), Anna Camp (Lauren), Adam Rothenberg (Ben), and Finn Wittrock (Sam).
Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and skepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer. So, they’re going to stay up until 2:22… and then they’ll know.
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Off Broadway’s Mint Theater Company has announced two upcoming productions, which will run at NY City Center Stage II.
The Rat Trap (Nov. 1 – Dec. 10, opening Nov. 21), by Noël Coward, directed by Alexander Lass, featuring James Evans, Elisabeth Gray, Ramzi Khalaf, Heloise Lowenthal, Cynthia Mace, Claire Saunders, and Sarin Monae, with Emily Bosco, Jason Eddy, and Kate Hampton. Written when Coward was only 18 years old, this remarkably mature drama tells the story of a newlywed couple looking towards a bright future together, two promising writers vowing to support and love each other through the challenges of creative and professional endeavors. Thins go even worse than you might imagine – the result is a drama of caustic realism, mixed with flashes of Coward’s brilliant, biting wit. Click here for details.
Becomes a Woman (Feb. 7 – Mar. 18, 2023) world premiere by Betty Smith, directed by Britt Berke. Casting TBA. The play, original titled Francie Nolan, focuses on 19-year-old Francie, who lives with her family in Brooklyn and works at a five and dime store as a singer at the sheet music counter. Her co-workers describe her as “afraid of her family, afraid of the boss, afraid to make a date. Afraid that something might happen to her. But just you wait! She’s the kind that some smooth-tongued fellow will get hold of someday. When he’s through, she’ll be broken like that.” Which is exactly what happens to Francie, leaving her to pick up the pieces with a shocking display of independence and courage. Click here for details.
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Look to the Rainbow/The Songs of Yip Harburg will take place Wed. Oct. 26 at 6 PM at Lincoln Center‘s Rose Hall, hosted by Andrea Marcovicci. 
This concert is part of the 33rd New York Cabaret Convention.
Karen Akers, Ari Axelrod, Danny Bacher, Elena Bennett, Anna Bergman, Leanne Borghesi, Michael-Demby Cain, Clearly Now (Sean Harkness, Lina Koutrakos, Marcus Simeone, Tovah Feldshuh, Christian Holder, Paula Dione Ingram, Maude Maggart, Madalynn Mathews, Marissa Mulder, Todd Murray, Marta Sanders, Josephine Sanges, Those Girls (Eve Eaton, Rachel Hanser, Karen Mack, Wendy Russell), and Andrew Walesch.
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Complete casting has been announced for Merrily We Roll Along, to run Nov. 21 – Jan. 21, 2023 (opening Dec. 12) at New York Theatre Workshop, directed by Maria Friedman, with choreography by Tim Jackson, and music direction by Alvin Hough Jr.
Jonathan Groff (Franklin), Lindsay Mendez (Mary), Daniel Radcliffe (Charley), Sherz Aletaha (Scotty/Mrs. Spencer/Auditionee), Krystal Joy Brown (Gussie), Katie Rose Clarke (Beth), Leana Rae Concepcion (Newscaster/Waitress/Auditionee), Carter Harris & Colin Keane (Frank Jr. (alternate as Frank Jr.), Corey Mach (Tyler/Make-Up Artist), Talia Robinson (Meg), Reg Rogers (Joe), Jamila Sabares-Klemm (Dory/Evelyn), Brian Sears (Photographer/Bunker), Christian Strange (RU/Newscaster/Reverend), Vishal Vaidya (Jerome), Natalie Wachen (KT), and Jacob Keith Watson (Terry/Mr. Spencer, with Morgan Kirner, Amanda Rose, Evan Alexander Smith, Koray Tarhan.
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Nathan Frizzell’s Queer Radio Hour will take place Wed. Oct. 12 at 7:30 PM at LA’s Dynasty Typewriter, directed by Tom Detrinis.
Joe Conti, Drew Droege, Nathan Frizzell, Tommy Hobson, Mitch Silpa, Cloie Wyatt Taylor, David Tran, and drag legend Sherry Vine.
A modern-but-not-modern twist on the Golden Age of Radio, the show is an over-the-top nod to the style and humor of old broadcasts.
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Guys and Dolls will run Oct. 7-16 at The Kennedy Center, directed by Marc Bruni.
James Monroe Iglehart (Nathan Detroit), Jessie Mueller (Miss Adelaide), Steven Pasquale (Sky Masterson), Phillipa Soo (Sarah Brown), Kevin Chamberlin (Nicely-Nicely, Rachel Dratch (Big Jule), Jacqueline Antaramian (General Cartwright), Fred Applegate (Arvide), Eden Marryshow (Lt. Brannigan), Matthew Saldivar (Benny), Jimmy Smagula (Harry the Horse), Jacqueline Antaramian (General Cartwright), Fred Applegate (Arvide), Eden Marryshow (Lt. Branigan), Matthew Saldivar (Benny), Jimmy Smagula (Harry the Horse), Akron Watson (Rusty Charlie), Allison Blackwell (Agatha), Colin Cunliffe (Sorrowful Jones), Michael Fatica (Liverlips Louie/Calvin), Tommy Gedrich (The Greek), Julia Harnett (Allison), Nathan Lucrezio (Scranton Slim), Kristen Faith Oei (Mimi), Lizz Picini (Ferguson), Deon Ridley (Society Max), Anthony Wayne (Angie the Ox), Tanner Wilson (Brandy Bottle Bates), and Kristin Yancy (Martha/Vernon)
Video: Sneak peek **********************
Kurt Peterson: Proud Ladies will take place Mon. Oct. 1o at 7 PM at NYC’s Merkin Concert Hall, directed by Lisa Asher.
The evening will focus on close encounters with and lessons learned from 23 talented women of the theatre.
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The world premiere of Jacob Yandua & Rebekah Greer Melocik’s How to Dance in Ohio, by by Jacob Yandua & Rebekah Greer Melocik, originally scheduled to close Oct. 9 at Syracuse Stage, has closed early due to numerous Covid cases within the company.
Directed by Sammi Cannold, the cast featured Desmond Edwards, Amelia Fei, Madison Kopec, Liam Pearce, Imani Russell, Conor Tague, and Ashley Wood, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Haven Burton, Darlesia Cearcy, Carlos L. Encinas, Nick Gaswirth, Melina Kalomas, Nick Gaswirth, Melina Kalomas, and Marina Pires, with Elana Babbitt, Corinne Ferrer, Zach Simpson, Imri Leshed, and Nicole Fazia.
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Producer/journalist Marcia Seligson’s new book, “My Mother Would Hate This Book,” which received dozens of 5-star ratings on Amazon, is a hilarious journey through her adventurous escapades as a world-traveled writer and producer of Reprise, Broadway’s Best in L. A sparkling romp through a fascinating life.
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Alexander Dinelaris’ On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan will run Oct. 7 – Nov. 6 (opening Oct. 9) at NJ’s Paper Mill Playhouse, directed & choreographed by Alex Sanchez, with music direction by Andrew David Sotomayor.
Linedy Genao (Gloria), Brandon Espinoza (Emilio), Francisca Muñoz (Gloria Fajardo), Yajaira Paredes (Consuelo), Olivia Andrade-Marin & Natalia Artigas (sharing the role of Little Gloria), and Carlos Carreras (Nayib/Young Emilio/Jeremy), with Jonathan Arana, Mike Baerga, Brigitte Beach, Arthur Joseph Cuadros, Nicholas Cunha, Rubén Flores, Gabriela García, Diego Guevara, Rachel Josefina, Kyle Laing, Ángel Lozada, Risa Nicole, Vincent Ortega, Alexa Racioppi, Janina Rosa, Stefanie Renee Salyers, Vanessa Sierra, Luis Villabon, and Sarah Waite.
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The National Alliance for Musical Theatre has announced preliminary casting for its 34th annual Festival of New Musicals, which will take place Oct. 20 & 21 at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages.
Liana Sta. Ana, Will Blum, Benai Alicia Boyd, Kai An Chee, Genesis Adelia collado, Nadia Dandashi, Kayla Davion, Diana DeGarmo, Jacob Dickey, Michelle Dowdy, Was Garlington, Jared Goldsmith, Alan H. Green, Darron Hayes, Lauryn Hobbs, Diana Huey, Bre Jackson, Jade Jones, Olivia Kaufmann, Rachel Kay, Tamika Lawrence, Fay Ann Lee, Angel Lin, Jacob Loucheim, Zonya Love, Wade McCollum, Judy McLane, Mary Kate Morrissey, Nicole Vanessa Ortiz, Sam Primack, Michelle J. Rodriguez, Graham Rowat, Nora Schell, Helen J. Shen, Kristen Sieh, Mary Testa, Ching Valdes-Aran, Timothy Warmen, Nicole Weiss, Lenny Wolpe, Amra-Faye Wright, Audrey Rose Young, and more TBA.