Today’s Highlights:
York Theater‘s This is Not a Drill, world premiere by Holly Doubet, Kathy Babylon, John Vester & Joseph McDonough, directed by Gabriel Barre, featuring Caitlin Burke, Victor E. Chan, Bill Coyne, Matthew CurianoChris Doubet, Gary Edwards, Felicia Finley, Kelvin Moon, Sam Poon, Lukas Poost, Marianne Tatum, and Aurelia Williams with Xavier Reyes and T. Shyvonne Stewart, opens at Off-Broadway’s Theatre at St. Jeans.
Punch, by James Graham, directed by Adam Penford, featuring Will Harrison (Jacob), Sam Robards (David), Lucy Taylor (Mum/Wendy), and Camila Canó-Flaviá (Clare/Nicola), begins previews at Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman.
Celebration! The Songs of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt concert, directed by Michael Portantiere, with music direction by by Michael Lavine, featuring AJ Shively, Ali Ewoldt, William Michals, Jay Aubrey Jones, Alec Nevin, Ben Jones and Megan Styrna, with special guest Michael Glenn Smith, at 7 PM at NYC’s West Bank Café. Link NA. Call (212) 695-6909.
**********************
Steve Lawson’s The Fitzgeralds: A Reading with Music will take place Sat. Sept. 27 at 7 PM at CT’s Westport County Playhouse, directed by Stephen Hamilton.
Stephanie Zimbalist and Alec Baldwin.
At the heart of this performance lies the extraordinary correspondence between F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald — letters that reveal a relationship shaped by ambition, artistry, and emotional complexity. Through their own words, we encounter two singular voices whose love and conflict fueled some of the most iconic writing of the 20th century.
**********************
The world premiere of Pointy Scissors, written & directed by Clara Rodrigues, will run Nov. 7 – Dec. 7 at Theatre West (Link TBA).
Angela Bruning, Anibal Silveyra, Richy Storrs, Monika Vidakovic, Danielle Weeks, and Steve Young.
Arnie is a barber in the shop owned by his loving sister Betty. Ernie is a sweet man with self-esteem issues, and he’s possibly mildly autistic. One day, he’s giving a haircut to the meanest, nastiest gangster in town, Carlos, when Ernie accidentally sticks his new pair of pointy scissors into Carlos’ ear. Ernie tries to conceal Carlos’ body when Betty arrives. They are soon joined by Sammy, a fellow who clearly has a yen for Betty and who also owes Carlos a considerable sum of money.
**********************
Levi Holloway, Felix Barrett & Chris Fisher’s Paranormal Activity will run Oct. 8 – Nov. 2 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, directed by Felix Barrett.
Cher Álverez (Lou), Patrick Heusinger (James), Shannon Cochran (Carolanne), Kate Fry (Etheline Contrave), Shannon Cochran (James’ mother Carolanne) and Kate Fry (Mrs. Cotgrave).
James and Lou move from Chicago to London to escape the past… but they soon discover that places aren’t haunted, people are.
**********************
Jocelyn Bioh’s Jaja’s African Hair Braiding will run Oct. 1 – Nov. 9 at the Mark Taper Forum, directed by Whitney White.
TBA.
Step into the vibrant world of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, a beloved Harlem hotspot where West African immigrant braiders work their magic on the locals’ locks. Amidst the lively buzz of a scorching summer, love ignites, dreams soar, and secrets unravel. But beneath the surface of this riotous comedy lies a current of uncertainty, pushing this close-knit community to confront the challenges of being outsiders in their own neighborhood.
**********************
Lady Patriot, written & directed by Ted Lange, will run Sept. 6 – 20 (opening Sept. 9) at Theatre Row.
Fred Grandy and Jill Whelan, with Josie DiVincenzo, Gordon Goodman, Chrystee Pharris, Derek Powell and Count Stovall.
The inner sanctum of Confederate president Jefferson Davis has been breached. Information is leaking to the enemy. Who is the spy? No one is privy to this information except Jeffersons advisors, and they are beyond repute. Based on a true story, Lady Patriot reveals an intimate look into the prejudices and patriotism of three ladies who lived during the Civil War: Varina Davis, Elizabeth Van Lew, and Mary Bowser. Lady Patriot combines Langes signature comedy and drama as it peels away traditional stereotypes prevalent in the South during the Confederacy.
**********************
An Evening with Bernadette Peters will take place Fri. Mar. 6, 2026 at 8 PM at CA’s La Mirada Theatre. Link TBA.
**********************
John Leguizamo’s The Other Americans has been extended through Oct. 19 at Off-Broadway’s Public Theatre, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
John Legguizamo (Nelson), Lauren Velez (Patti), Bradley James Teje (Eddie), and Sara Nina Hayhon (Veronica, with Juan Francisco Villa, Johnny Anthony, and Odette Gutiérrez de Arroyo), with Rosa Evangelina Arredondo, Kimberli Alexis Flores, Sarah Nina Hayon, Jaime José Hernández, Rebecca Jimenez, John Leguizamo, Trey Santiago-Hudson, and Bradley James Tejeda.
When his son Nick returns from a mental wellness facility after a traumatic incident, Nelson’s world unravels. Committed to protecting his family and business, he tackles racial and identity challenges to achieve his dream, proving his success. Nelson must navigate morality’s murky waters to salvage his future. Will he emerge victorious, or will his past consume everything he holds dear?
**********************
Richard II will run Oct. 28 – Nov. 30 at Red Bull Theater, directed by Craig Baldwin.
Michael Urie (Richard II) and more TBA.
Ambition and betrayal reign supreme in this electrifying reimagining of Shakespeare’s poetic masterpiece. Set in 1980s Manhattan, the neon skyline and shadowy backrooms become an epic battleground of identity and power, where a king’s divine right crumbles beneath the weight of human frailty. Michael Urie’s virtuosic performance and Craig Baldwin’s inventive adaptation make Richard’s tragic descent freshly immediate, staged a stone’s throw from the site of the historic Astor Place Riots, the original American cocktail of politics, insurrection, and Shakespeare.
**********************
Tamara Stern’s I’ll Give You my Heart will run Oct. 2-29 at Burbank’s Colony Theatre, directed by James Mellon.
TBA.
Five years after her fiancé is killed on their wedding day, a traumatized young woman fights to keep her promise to never leave him, while protecting her grief-stricken heart from opening for a familiar stranger.
**********************
“Hirschfeld: Strokes of Genius” will be available online Sept. 10 – Nov. 2, both in person & online at the midtown NYC location, by appointment only, at NYC’s HeliclineFineArt.com
The exhibition includes more than four dozen original drawings and lithographs (all signed and numbered) depicting Broadway.
**********************
It’s a Wonderful Live: A Live Radio Play, adapted by Joe Landry, will run Oct. 31 – Dec. 21. at Milwaukee Rep, directed by Jonathan Hetler.
Daniel Arana (Jake Laurents), Wade Elkins (Harry “Jazzbo” Heywood), David Flores (Freddie Fillmore,) Eva Nimmer (Sally Applewhite), and Melinda Parrett (Lana Sherwood).**********************
Doug Haverty & Adryan Russ’ My Spirits Soar will run Sept. 26 – Nov. 2 (weekends only) at North Hollywood’s Group Rep, directed by TBA.
Kevin Spirtas (Sir Simon, the Ghost of Canterville Chase), and more TBA.
A young coed from America encounters more challenges than she bargained for as she embarks on her junior year abroad. The once fearless, problem-s0lving, undaunted wunderkind astounds everyone with her ingenuity, Bravery and creativity until she is confrontedwith the one thing she swore she’d avoid doing at all costaL fall in love. Ghosts. Magic. Art. Music. Love, Dancing. It all spins together in a sometimes humorous, sometimes chilling effervescent evening in the theater. A contemporary take on the beloved short story. And the music sltyle is Broadway-Pop.
**********************
Hello Dolly will run Oct. 17 – Nov. 2 (Opening Oct. 18) at CA’s Musical Theatre West, directed by Cheryl Baxter, with choreography by Cheryl Baxter, and music direction by Dennis Castellano.
Tami Tappan Damiano (Dolly Levi), with Camren Hamm, Brandon Halvorsen, Sydney DeMaria, Bar Daniel, Ryan Cody, Roger Castellano, Janna Cardia, Ricky Bulda, Jane Papageorge, Landen Starkman, Rachel Beard, Andy Wissink, Matt Wiley, Helen Tait, and Grace Simmons.