Today’s Highlights:
* Pippin open-air production, directed by Steven Dexter, featuring Ryan Anderson (Pippin), Tsemaye Bob-Egbe (Leading Player), Tanisha-Mae Brown (Catherine), Joanne Clifton (Fastrada/Bertha), Harry Francis (Lewis/Theo), and Dan Krikler (Charles), opens at London’s Garden Theatre at The Eagle.
* Broadway Buskers, a virtual concert of originals, featuring Alice Lee, Grace McClean, and Dru Serkes, streams at 7 PM ET on Facebook.
* Ken Davenport’s “The Producer’s Perspectives LIVE!” podcast, with special guest choreographer Sonya Tayeh, streams at 8 PM ET here.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz What’s In A Nickname? by Jim Bernhard
Match these nicknames with the characters in plays and musicals to whom they apply.
| 1. Hotspur | A. Macheath |
| 2. Happy | B. Johnson |
| 3. Big Daddy | C. Henry Percy |
| 4. Wart | D. Nina Yaschenko |
| 5. Little Flower | E. Harold Loman |
| 6. Ninotchka | F. Phil Dolan III |
| 7. Mack the Knife | G. Martin |
| 8. Nicely-Nicely | H. Harvey Pollitt |
| 9. Junior | I. King Arthur |
| 10. Moonface | J. Fiorello LaGuardia |
Scroll down for the answers…
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Video: “Stars in the House,” a Flower Drum Song reunion, with special guests David Henry Hwang, Alvin Ing, Baayork Lee, Jose Llana and Lea Salonga. (1:04:26)
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The world premiere of Richard Nelson’s Incidental Moments of the Day, which reunites the Apply Family for a 3rd time, will take place Thurs. Sept. 10 at 7:30 PM ET here (and will be available for 8 weeks).
Stephen Kunken, Sally Murphy, Maryann Plunkett, Laila Robins, Jay O. Sanders, and Charlotte Bydwell
After 6 months of self-imposed pandemic isolation, the Apple siblings again gather on Zoom for an evening of dinner, conversation, and performance, while the world continues to sputter more and more out of control, amidst anger, loss, death, and a coming election.
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Lincoln Center Theater has announced its new Beaumont New Play Commission Program:
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Lynn Nottage, and Marco Ramirez, with more TBA.
The Beaumont New Play Commission Program will give writers the opportunity to create new work for a large canvas, taking advantage of the size and breadth of the Vivian Beaumont stage (the third largest in New York after the Metropolitan Opera and Radio City Music Hall), as well as providing the production values and resources afforded to a Beaumont production.
Says producing artistic director André Bishop, “We can think of no better way to inaugurate this program than to engage these three artists to use their imagination, creativity, and passion to create new works for the Beaumont stage.”
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Video: “Moonlight Over Brooklyn,” from the hit Off-Broadway production of Romeo and Bernadette at Amas Musical Theatre, with book & music by Mark Saltzman, music adapted from classic Italian melodies, orchestrations by Steve Orich, and featuring the original cast — Nikita Burshteyn, Anna Kostakis, Carlos Lopez, Michael Marotta, Judy McLane, Michael Notardonato, Ari Raskin, Troy Valjean Rucker, Zach Schanne, and Viet Vo.
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The original cast of “The Princess Bride” will reunite for a reading of the film on Sun. Sept. 13 at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT, followed by a Q&A. This reading will only be available at this date & time. 
here.
Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, Carol Kane, director Rob Reiner, and surprise special guests.
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Video: Rebecca Luker rehearses as song for a 2019 summer concert in France.
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The Geffen Playhouse has announced the world premiere of Inside the Box, a live virtual and interactive theatrical experience, written & performed by David Kwong, to run Sept. 29 – Nov. 8 (opening Oct. 8).
Inside the Box takes us into the world of puzzles with magician and NY Times crossword constructor David Kwong. As he regales us with stories of the world’s most extraordinary puzzle-makers through history, we are treated to an entirely interactive event of puzzle-solving, wordplay, multi-layered games, and surprises. The event will take place virtually via Zoom with a maximum of 24 participants per show. Each participant will receive an advance email with a link to download and print a packet of puzzles they will use to participate and interact with Kwong during the live performance.
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Video: “This is Me” (from “The Greatest Showman,” performed by the Interability Chorus.
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A reading of Bulrusher, written & directed by Eisa Davis, will take place Thurs. Sept. 17 at 7 PM ET here, followed by a Q&A with the playwright and Paula Vogel.
Andre Holland, Kara Young, Tanis Parenteau, Edmund Donovan, and Cody Stoll.
Set in 1955 in San Francisco’s redwood country, the play depicts the life of a multiracial girl in a predominantly white town where the language is peppered with the native Boontling tongue. Found floating in a basket in the river, Bulrusher is an orphan, an outsider and a clairvoyant in this rough and tumble logging town. She discovers an entirely new sense of self when a black girl from Alabama comes to town.
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Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone — Live from Florence will stream Sun. Sept. 13 at 5 PM PT at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre.
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Video: “One of the Great Ones” from the recent Nick Cordero tribute.
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Kritzerland @ Home Again — The 10th Anniversary Show, in support of The Actors Fund, will be streamed Sun. Sept. 13 at 5 PM PT/8 PM ET here, with music direction by Richard Allen.
Petula Clark
Daniel Thomas Bellusci, Jason Graae, Peyton Kirkner, Beth Malone, Pamela Myers, Kerry O’Malley, Hartley Powers, Sami Staitman, Adrienne Stiefel, and Robert Yacko.
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Video: Broadway Inspirational Voices’ “Ivonne (She’s as Tough as Purple Nails),” by Julianne Wick Davis, featuring Adee David, Desiree Rodriguez, Anastasia Talley, and Anastacia McCleskey.
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Article: Without rent relief, 60% of NYC’s independent theaters may close for good.
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Video: Highlights from Manhattan Concert Productions 25th Anniversary concert of The Secret Garden (2016), directed by Stafford Arima, and featuring Sierra Boggess, Nikki Renée Daniels, Daisy Eagan, Cheyenne Jackson, Ramin Karimloo, Telly Leung, Sydney Lucas, Ben Platt, Oscar Williams, Josh Young and more.
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NYC’s Metropolitan Opera has announced this week’s streamed operas:
Sept. 8: Roméo et Juliett (2017, by Gounod, starring Diana Damrau, Vittorio Grigolo, Elliot Madore, and Mikhail Petrenko, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda.
Sept. 9: La Damnation de Faust (2008), by Berlioz, starring Susan Graham, Marcello Giordani, and John Relyea
Sept. 10: Cendrillon, by Massenet (2018), starring Kathleen Kim, Joyce DiDonato, Alice Coote, Stephanie Blythe, and Laurent Naouri, conducted by Bertrand de Billy
Sept. 11: Les Pêcheurs de Perles (2016), by Bizet, starring Diana Damrau, Matthew Polenzani, Mariusz Kwiecień, and Nicolas Testé
Sept. 12: Les Troyens (2013), by Berlioz, starring Starring Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, Karen Cargill, Bryan Hymel, Eric Cutler, Dwayne Croft, and Kwangchul Youn.
Sept. 13: Werther (2-14), by Massenet, starring Lisette Oropesa, Sophie Koch, Jonas Kaufmann, David Bižić, and Jonathan Summers
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Video: “Virtual Halston,” with special guests Debbie Gravitte and Alex Getlin. (1:05:12)
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TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents a workshop reading of Laurel Ollstein’s Pandora, to stream Sept. 24-28, directed by Giovanna Sardelli.
Katy Sullivan, Scott Aiello, Mary Beth Fisher, Jeremy Kahn, Katharine Lorraine, Carrie Paff, and Katherine Hamilton.
The play explores the Pandora’s Box myth. What if a new adult female person — was suddenly created and dropped into the middle of the world now — someone with no preconceived notions of anything. What beauty is, what love it, what violence is. And what if the rest of humanity and gods could suddenly see the world through those clear eyes?
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Video: “Cheering For Me Now,” with John Kander and Lin Manuel Miranda.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers – What’s In A Nickname?
1-C. Hotspur – Henry Percy in Henry IV Part 1
2-E. Happy – Harold Loman in Death of A Salesman
3-H. Big Daddy – Harvey Pollitt in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
4-I. Wart – King Arthur in Camelot
5-J. Little Flower – Fiorello LaGuardia in Fiorello!
6-D. Ninotchka – Nina Yaschenko in Silk Stockings
7-A. Mack the Knife – Macheath in The Threepenny Opera
8-B. Nicely-Nicely – Johnson in Guys and Dolls
9-F. Junior – Phil Dolan III in On Your Toes
10-G. Moonface – Martin in Anything Goes