GRACE NOTES: Tuesday, September 24, 2024

 

Today’s Highlights:

  Ghost of John McCain, by Scott Elmegreen & Drew Fornarola, directed by Catie Davis, featuring Jason Tam (John McCain), Luke Kolbe Mannikus (Donald Trump), Aaron Michael Ray (Donald Trump’s Brain), Zonya Love (Kamala Harris/Karen/Eva Peron), Lindsay Nicole Chambers (Hillary Clinton/Daughter-Wife/Sexy Lady Fox News Anchor), and Ben Fankhauser (Roy Cohn/Lindsey Graham/Joe Biden), with Anthony Zambito, Gisela Adisa, and Joshua David Robinson, opens at Off-Broadway’s SoHo Playhouse.

  Manhattan Theatre Club‘s Vladimir, world premiere by Erika Sheffer, directed by Daniel Sullivan, featuring Norbert Leo Butz, Francesca Faridany, Erik Jensen, Olivia Deren Nikkanen, and Johnthan Walker, begins previews at Off-Broadway’s New York City Center Stage 1.

  Hold On to Me Darling, by Kenneth Lonergan, directed by Neil Pepe, featuring Adam Driver (Strings mcCrane), Heather Burns (Nancy), Adelaide Clemens (Essie), Keith Nobbs (Jimmy), CJ Wilson (Duke), and Frank Wood (Mitch), begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre.

  What the Constitution Means to Me, by Heidi Schreck, directed by Laiona Michelle, featuring Kate Baldwin, with Nick Rodriguez, Niara Beckwith, and Wobirba Ekuba Sarpey, begins previews at NJ’s George Street Playhouse.

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  Paul Whitehouse & John Sullivan’s Only Fools and Horses will run Dec. 1 – Jan. 5, 2025 at the Apollo Theatre, directed by Caroline Jay Ranger, with music supervision by Stuart Morley.

  Vinnie Jones (Danny Driscoll0, Paul Whitehouse (Grandad), Sam Lupton (Del Boy), Tom Major (Rodney), Georgina Hagen (Raquel), Craig Berry (Boycie), Nicola Munns (Marlene/Cassandra), Lee VG (Trigger), Bradley John (Denzil), Darryl Paul (Tony Driscoll /Mike the Barman), Peter Watts (Mickey Pearce), Richard J Hunt (Dating Agent), Gloria Acquaah-Harrison (Mrs Obooko), Philip Childs (Alternate Grandad / Phil), Andrew Bryant (Jumbo Mills),Amanda Coutts (Tina), Christopher Arkeston (Monkey Harris), Rhys Owen (Em), Kieran Andrew (Skinner), Katie Paine (Sharon) and Oscar Dobbins (Roy Taylor).

  A trip back in time, where it’s all kicking off in Peckham. While the yuppie invasion  of London is in full swing, love is in the air as Del Boy sets out on the rocky road tofind his  soul mate, Rodney and Cassandra prepare to say ‘I do’, and even Trigger is gearing up
for a date (with a person!). Meanwhile, Boycie and Marlene give parenthood one final shot
and Grandad takes stock of his life and decides the time has finally arrived to get his piles

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  Cheyenne Jackson: Signs of Life will run Sept. 23 – 29 (all at 8 PM) at NYC’s 54 Below.

  Nikki Renée Daniels (Sept. 23), Abby Mueller (Sept. 24), J. Harrison Ghee (Sept. 25), Claybourne Elder (Sept. 27), Jane Krakowski (Sept. 28), and Jessica Vosk (Sept. 29).

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  Soho Rep‘s production of Nia Akilah Robinson’s The Great Privation (How to flip ten cents into a dollar)  will begin previews Feb. 26, 2025 at Playwrights Horizon, directed by Evren Odcikin.

  TBA.

  Set in 1832, The Great Privation follows a mother and daughter keep vigil behind the African Baptist Church in Philadelphia at the grave of a recently deceased loved one. Today, on the same grounds, another mother and daughter (alike yet not the same) work as counselors at what is now a sleep-away camp. Timelines collide, revealing roots to our ancestors that are not as long as we may think.

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  Cockeyed Optimist: Where Hammerstein Found His Hope will run Oct. 26-28, all at 7:30 PM) at NYC’s 92NY.

  Dick Scanlan, Malcolm Gets Kjersti Long, and more TBA.

  A fresh look at Oscar Hammerstein II through his songs for Oklahoma!The Sound of MusicThe King and I, and more, celebrating the American Songbook optimist who explored the dark but always saw the light.

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  John C. Introcaso & Michael Colby’s Dangerous will have a workshop Oct. 17 & 18 in NYC, directed & choreographed by Denis Jones.  here.

Jared Zirilli (Jake), Jill Paice (Rose), N’Kenge (Jazz), Preston Truman Boyd (Klaus von Schuler), Nicholas Cortazzo (Meyer Lansky/Simon Ben-Ezra), Henry Gainza ( Percival Bouchard), Danny Gardner (Inspector Kittering), ​Nigel Jamal Hall (Dolsy Davis), Candice Hatakeyama (Olga Chikalov), Trisha Jeffrey (Monique), Kuppi Alec Jessop (Gregor Lawaich), Kaitlyn Mayse (Senator Rosland Pike), Jon J. Peterson (Jilly/Nelson), Alex Pouloutides (Reva Akkerman), Yash Ramanujam (Abbu Mussad), James Rana (Qasif Halim), Megan Sikora (Myrtle), Bobby Underwood (Monk Genna/Hornbeck, and Stuart Zagnit (Professor Zweben).

  A historical fiction told in the style of film noir, Dangerous is a love letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood set against the smoky backdrop of the late 1930s.

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  Bess Wohl’s Barcelona will run Oct. 21 – Jan. 11 at the Duke of York’s Theatre, directed by Lynette Linton.

  lily Collins and Alvaro Morte.

  Late night in Barcelona. An American tourist goes home with a handsome Spaniard. What begins as a carefree, one-night stand becomes an invitation to danger, as the personal and political catastrophically intertwine.

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  Two performances of Melissa Leilani Larson, Kjersti Long & Jeremy Long’s  Little Piece of You – An Atypical Musical will take place Oct. 31 & Nov. 1 at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane, directed by Jennifer Tang & Joshua Long,

  Kjersti Long (Sidney Hill),  Mica Paris (Shannon), David Bedella (Ethan), and Dujonna Gift (Britt).

  The new musical follows mother and daughter Shannon and Britt, as they confront their family’s hidden struggles and embark on a transformative journey.

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  The Funny Thing about Men, written & performed by Mandy Williams, will take place Mon. Oct. 6 at 8:30 PM  at the Hollywood Independent Theater Festival (Stephanie Feury Studio Theater- 5636 Melrose Ave.), directed by Christian Levantino.

  Mandy humorously explores domestic life and the inner thoughts of women. Through a comedic lens, she offers a poignant view of the serious dynamics of modern relationships, capturing the fun, faith, and frailty of becoming a middle-aged woman. Williams fearlessly performs using song, dance, roller skates, and the occasional ukulele solo to showcase her hilarious observations on life and love.

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  Little Piece of You — An Atypical Musical, by Melissa Leilani Larson, Kjersti Long, Jeremy Long, Melissa Leilani Larson, Chantry Johnson, Michelle Zarlenga, Wendy Parr, Paul Moak, and Hunter Wolf,  will run Oct. 31 – Nov. 1 at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane, directed byJennifer Tang & Joshua Long.

  Kjersti Long (Sydney Hill), Mica Paris (Shannon), David Bedella (Ethan), and Dujonna Gift (Britt).

   This groundbreaking production intertwines raw family drama with the dynamic pulse of modern rock and pop. Follow Shannon and Britt, a courageous mother and daughter, as they confront their family’s hidden struggles and embark on a transformative journey. Together, they shatter the silence that has long held them back and step into a future of hope and resilience.

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  Nell Benjamin, Vishal Dadlani & Sheykhar Rivjiani’s Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical will run May 29 – June 21, 2025 at the Manchester Opera House, directed by Aditya Chopra, with choreography by Shruti Merchant.

  TBA.

  The new musical is based on one of the biggest blockbuster films in the history of Indian cinema, “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.”  the original director of the Hindi-language film, which is the longest-running title in Indian cinema history, playing continuously in Mumbai since its release in 1995.

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  This Piece of Ground, written & directed by Richard Hellesen, will run Sept. 27 – Oct. 27 at MD’s Olney Theatre, directed by Peter Ellenstein.

  John Rubinstein.

  A candid and fascinating fictional eavesdropping on the 34th President at his Gettysburg, Pennsylvania farm.

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  The Tempest will run Dec. 7 – Feb. 1, 2025 (opening Dec. 19) at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, directed by Jamie Lloyd.

  Sigourney Weaver (Prospero), Jude Akuwudike (Alonso), Jason Barnett (Stephano), Selina Cadell (Gonzalo), Mathew Horne (Trinculo), Mara Huf (Miranda), Forbes Masson (Caliban), Mason Alexander Park (Ariel), James Phoon (Ferdinand), Oliver Ryan (Sebastian), and Tim Steed (Antonio).

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  The world premiere of DIVA The Play, written & performed by Vivienne Powell, will run Nov. 1-10 at LA’s Zephyr Theatre., directed by Leah Patterson.

  The story of world-renowned Australian opera singer Louisa McCrae reliving her life through the lens of a fractured mind. As she unpacks a suitcase full of memories, she is transported back to powerful moments that shaped her extraordinary life. As her mind starts slipping, can she hold onto the memories long enough to revive her broken heart?

 


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