Today’s Highlights:
Pygmalion, directed by Richard Jones, featuring Bertie Carvel (Professor Henry Higgins), Patsy Ferran (Eliza Doolittle), Lizzy Connolly (Clara Eynsford Hill), Grace Cookey-Gam (Mrs. Eynsford Hill), Penny Layden (Mrs. Pearce), Sylvestra Le Touzel (Mrs. Higgins), Michael Gould (Colonel Pickering), John Marquez (Alfred Doolittle), Taheen Modak (Freddy Eynsford Hill), and Kieran Smith (Aristid Karpathey), with Steven Dykes, Liz Jadav, Caroline Moroney, and Rohan Rakhit, opens at London’s Old Vic.
Bettinger’s Luggage, by Albert M. Tapper, directed by Steven Ditmyer, featuring Richard MacDonald (Lou Bettinger), Connor Stewart (George Bettinger), Lori Marcus (Bessie Bettinger), and Sean Church Gonzalez (Angel Diaz), opens at Off-Broadway’s AMT Theater.
What the Constitution Means to Me, by Heidi Schreck, directed by Kristen van Ginhoven, featuring Kim Stauffer, with Izzy Brown, opens at Albany’s Capital Rep.
Cheyenne Jackson in concert, with special guests Kerry Butler (Sept. 19), Kate Baldwin (Sept. 20), Shoshana Bean (Sept. 21, Alexandra Silber (Sept. 22), and Gavin Creel (Sept. 23), opens at NYC’s 54 Below.
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 Reg Rogers (Joe Josephson), and Max Rackenberg & Brady Wagner (sharing the role of Frank Jr.), with Sherz Aletaha, Maya Boyd, Leana Rae Concepcion, Corey Mach, Talia Robinson, Jamila Sabares-Klemm, Brian Sears, Evan Alexander Smith, Christian Strange, Vishal Vaidya, Natalie Wachen, Jacob Keith Watson, Morgan Kirner, Amanda Rose, and Koray Tarhan, begins previews at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre.
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Lincoln Center has announced Uncle Vanya, newly translated by Heidi Schreck, will begin previews Apr. 2 and open Apr. 24, 2024, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, directed by Lila Neugebauer.
Casting TBA.
It’s about Vanya and his niece Sonya, who manage a country estate for the benefit of Sonya spoiled absentee father, Professor Serebryakov. When the professor returns to the country, it upends life in this small community and reinvigorates old resentments.
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The Human Comedy, written & directed by Thom Babbes, will return Sept. 30 – Nov. 5 to LA’s Actors Co-op.
Laura Esterman, Lee Guthrie, Mark Rosenthal and Jane MacIver.
Set in war front America in 1942, this coming-of-age tale tells the story of Homer Macaulay, a 14-year-old boy who delivers telegrams at night to make money for his family. During the course of two days, Homer grows from an idealistic boy to a mature young man as he struggles with the unfairness of the world around him and the pain of families to whom he delivers the War Department’s death notices. But in the midst of the decaying idealism of small-town America, and the loneliness of growing up, Homer finds hope in humanity through Mr. Grogan, the old alcoholic telegrapher, and Mr. Spangler, the manager of the telegraph office who becomes a father figure. In these men, Homer learns to see the goodness in people no matter how desperate or broken they may be. He also finds the true meaning of home.
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Complete casting has been announced for Rodgers & Hart’s Pal Joey, adapted by Richard LaGravenese & Daniel “Koa” Beaty, to run Nov. 1-5 at New York City Center, directed by Savion Glover & Tony Goldwyn.
Ephraim Sykes (Joey), Elizabeth Stanley (Vera), Aisha Jackson (Linda), Loretta Devine (Lucille), Brooks Ashmanskas (Melvin), and Jeb Brown (Tony), with Krystina M. Burton, Marshall L. Davis Jr., Dormeisha, Jarvis Manning, Brittany Nicole Parks, Mary Antonini, Taylor Marie Daniel, Leandra Ellis-Gaston, Jodeci Milhouse, NaTonia Monét, Rory Shirley, and Allysa Shorte. The revival reimagines the main character to be a Black jazz singer struggling to make it big in the Chicago nightclub circuit.**********************
The Sound of Music will run Oct. 20 – Nov. 5 (opening Oct. 21) at Long Beach’s Musical Theatre West, directed by Wayne Bryan, with music direction by Dennis Castellano, and choreography by Christine Negherbon.
TBA.
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A new national tour of Mamma Mia! will launch Nov. 5 at the Denver CPA, directed by Phylida Loyd, with choreographby by Anthony Van Laast.
Christine Sherrill (Donna Sheridan), Alisa Melendez (Sophie Sheridan), Carly Sakolove (Rosie), Victor Wallace (Sam Carmichael), Jalynn Steele (Tanya), Rob Marnell (Harry Bright), Jim Newman (Bill Austin), and Grant Reynolds (Sky), with Louis Griffin, Patrick Park, L’Oréal Roaché, Haley Wright, Gabe Amato, Adia Olanethia Bell, Xavi Soto Burgos, Emily Croft, Madison Deadman, Jordan De Leon, Nico DiPrimio, Patrick Dunn, Stephanie Genito, Tassy Kirbas, Danny Lopez-Alicea, Makoa, Faith Northcutt, Jasmine Overbaugh, Gray Phillips, Blake Price, Dorian Quinn, and Amy Weaver.**********************
Dennis Richard’s Oswald – The Actual Interrogation will run Oct. 25-26 at Theatre 40, directed by Louis Fantasia.
TBA
Based on the bristling and explosive actual interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald by Dallas Chief of Homicide, Captain William J. Fritz, the play brings one of the most engrossing battles ever brought to the stage, as a defiant 24 year-old, tight-lipped young man goes up against the best homicide detective the Dallas Police Department had to offer. There were no stenographic notes, video or audio tapes of the interrogation, just handwritten notes that Captain Fritz later presented to the Warren Commission. Forty-eight hours and seven minutes after the President of the United States was shot and killed; there was another shot in Dallas. That shot was for Lee Harvey Oswald.
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The Rainmaker will run Sept. 20 – Oct. 8 (opening Sept. 24) at Laguna Playhouse, directed by Andrew Barnicle.
Richard Baird (Noah Curry), Andrew Barnicle (Sheriff Thomas), Andy Hoff (File), Jeffrey Markle (H.C. Curry), James Taylor Odom (Bill Starbuch), Nick Tag (Jimmy Curry), and Lizzie Zerebko (Lizzie Curry).
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Pulse Theatre will present Michel Wallerstein’s Chasing Happy, to run Oct. 11 – Nov. 11 (opening Oct. 19) at Theatre Row, directed by Alex Kelly.
Spencer Aste Jenny Bennett, Schyler Conaway, Christopher James Murray, and Elizabeth Shepherd.
A modern comedy about personal identity, love, acceptance …and the elusive pursuit of happiness. Nick is in love with another man’s boyfriend. (Oops.) Nick’s mother says George Clooney wants to date her. (Really?) Nick’s ex-wife says she has to have surgery. (Now?) …It’s a laugh a minute on an unexpected merry-go-round when you’re chasing happy.
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The world premiere of Jessica Swan’s Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker will run Nov. 14-26 at NY City Center, directed by Joshua Bergasse, with choreography by Jade Hale-Christofi.
Casting TBA.
In its world premiere, Sugar Hill reveals the glamour of the 1930s as seen through the lens of the nonconformist daughter of a high-society Black family in Manhattan and her own fantastic dreamworld in the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Harlem. A jazz-steeped reimagining of the classic tale, this Nutcracker dance-story sends a stirring message that champions individuality and the journey to find the power of your unique self: “Go find what makes you different to find your magic”.
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5-Star Theatricals will present Oliver Oct. 15-22 at CA’s Kavli Theater at the Bank of American Performing Arts Center (formerly the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza), directed by Kati Hayter, with choreography by Chiropher M. Albrecht, and music direction by Anthony Lucca.
Kayden Alexander Koshelev (Oliver), Mark Capri (Fagin), Monika Peña (Nancy), Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper (Bill Sikes), Alkaio Thiele (The Artful Dodger), Andrew Metzger (Mr. Bumble), Janna Cardia (Widow Corney), Alex Boling (Mr. Sowerberry), Clare Snodgrass (Mrs. Sowerberry), Rianny Vasquez (Charlotte Sowerberry), Zander Chin (Charley Bates), Harry Cho (Noah Claypole), Kirsten Adler (Bet) K.J. Rasheed (Mr. Brownlow) Jesus A. Chavarria (Dr. Grimwig), Randi DeMarco (Mrs. Bedwin), and Analia Romero (Old Sally), with Alexandra Anderson, Delilah Mae Bank, Elodie Grace Barker, Ryan Bohmholdt, Aaron Michael-Rees Camitses, Erika Mireya Cruz, Troy Dailey, Harrington Gwin, Rachel Kay, Christopher James Hester, Malia Johnson, Charley Rowan McCain, Jaran Phoenix Real, Oliver Stellan, Bayley Bennet Tanenbaum, Joshua William Tanenbaum, Darby Winn and Michael Zampino.
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Sally Spectre: The Musical, written & directed by David P. Johnson, will run Oct. 20-29 at Theatre West.
Stella Grimaldi, Matthew Hoffman, Hasan Crawford, Steve Nevil, Scottie Nevil, Robert W. Laur, and David P. Johnson.
The story of the ghost of five-year-old Sally. She’s been stuck – alone in the purgatorial bedroom of the New Orleans Victorian mansion in which she was gruesomely murdered nearly fifty years ago! Naturally, the netherworld has had an interesting effect on little Sally- and her increasingly dark imagination has taken over almost everything that surrounds her. But the one thing Sally cannot do is find a way out of the room-for every time she tries to open the door- horrible and frightening things start to happen.
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The next Songbook Sundays concert will take place Sun. Oct. 1 at 5 & 7:30 PM at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club, with music direction by Ted Rosenthal, and hosted by Deborah Grace Winer.
Karen Ziemba, Allison Blackwell, and Georgia Heers.