Today’s Highlights:
* The Homebound Project: Series 5 new works, in support of children affected by Covid-19, featuring plays by Melis Aker, Lloyd Suh, Lena Dunham, Ryan J. Haddad, Sylvia Khoury, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Stephen Karam, Lindsey Ferrentino, Craig Lucas, Basil Kreimendahl, Catya McMullen, and Korde Arrington Tuttle., directed by Tatiana Pandiani, Colette Robert, Maggie Burrows, Jaki Bradley, Scott Ellis, Pam MacKinnon, Samantha Soule, Jenna Worsham, featuring Brian Cox & Nicole Ansari-Cox, Christopher Oscar Peña, Daniel K. Isaac, Andy Lucien, Laurie Metcalf, Kelli O’Hara, Austin Pendleton, Cesar J. Rosado, Amanda Seyfried, and Johnny Sibilly, begins streaming here (through Aug. 9)
* NJ’s Two River Theatre‘s On Borrowed Time benefit reading, by Paul Osborn, directed by Joel Grey, featuring Blair Brown, Michael Cumpsty, Oakes Fegley, Bill Irwin, Bebe Neuwirth, Phillipa Soo, Steven Skybell, and Sam Waterson, streams Act 1 at 7 PM ET (Act 2 streams tomorrow).
* Black Trans Women at the Center: An Evening of Short Plays, FREE stream webinar at 8 PM ET at CT’s Long Wharf Theatre.
* Musical Theatre West‘s Keep the Lights On benefit concert, featuring Brittany Anderson, Dedrick Bonner, Terron Brooks, David Burnham, Mel Collins, David Engel, Eden Espinosa, Richard Gatta, Sam Harris, Rebecca Johnson, Jeffrey Landman, Anna Mintzer, Ryan O’Connell, Larry Raben, and Krystle Simmons, re-streamed at 3 PM PT.
* “Backstage LIVE with Richard Ridge” interview with Liz Callaway, streams at 1 PM ET here.
* Rubicon Theatre‘s drive-in Forever Plaid: The 30th Anniversary Concert, featuring Stan Chandler, David Engel, Jason Graae, and Larry Raben, closes at Ventura’s Fair Grounds.
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GRACE NOTES Quote of the Week: “An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words.” ~ Sanford Meisner
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Video: “Stars in the House,” an “LA Law” reunion, with Corbin Bernsen, Susan Dey, Jill Eikenberry, Michele Greene, Harry Hamlin, Alan Rachins, Jimmy Smits, Michael Tucker, and Blair Underwood. (1:20:10)
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Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix series, “Ratched,” will premiere on Sept. 18. The two-season show is a prequel to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
Sarah Paulson, Cynthia Nixon, and Sophie Okonedo, with Sharon Stone, Judy Davis, Jon Jon Briones, Finn Wittrock, Charlie Carver, Alice Englert, Amanda Plummer, Corey Stoll, and Vincent D’Onofrio.
Video: Trailer
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The first-ever digital edition of Broadway Bares, streamed on Aug. 1, raised $596,504 for BC/EFA.
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Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theatre presents the final four episodes of “Backstage with MMD: Random Notes & Anecdotes From Productions Directed By Marcia Milgrom Dodge,” will continue Mondays through Aug. 31 from 7-8 PM ET on Zoom.
Aug. 10: Euan Morton and Liz Pearce, from The Who’s Tommy
Aug. 17: James Alexander, Q. Smith, and Aurelia Williams, from Ain’t Misbehavin’
Aug. 24: Peter Scolari and Terry Lavel from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Aug. 31: Julie Andrews and Emma Walton from Simeon’s Gift
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Video: “The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues” (available through Aug. 8)
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Audible has released a recording of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking, directed by David Hare, and starring Vanessa Redgrave.
The play explores Joan Didion’s life after she loses her husband of 39 years, John Gregory Dunne, to a sudden heart attack in 2003, and then, in 2004, their 39-year-old daughter, Quintana, of pancreatitis following a year of ill health.
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Video: VA’s Signature Theatre’s The Signature Show, Episode 1, directed by Matthew Gardner. (29:37)
Heidi Blickenstaff, Natascia Diaz, DeWitt Fleming Jr, Jennie Harney-Fleming, Tom Kitt, Inés Nassara, Christiane Noll, Nova Y. Payton), Jacquelyn Piro Donovan, and Emily Skinner.
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PA’s Bucks County Playhouse presents a reading of Shaw’s Dear Liar on Tues. Sept. 1 at 7 PM ET, directed by Mark Brokaw.
Marsha Mason and Brian Cox
Nobody knows quite what went on between playwright (and vegetarian) George Bernard Shaw and the celebrated, yet temperamental English stage actress, Mrs. Patrick Campbell (Mrs. Pat) for when he created Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion. But for 40 years of their very public lives, these two titanic personalities of the British theatre carried on a very private affair through the exchange of letters. Full of stinging wit and deep emotion, the play brings their epistolary relationship to life — revealing not only the ups and downs of their storied careers, but also illustrating the very stormy infatuation and magnetism that pulled these spirits together even through separation, hardship, and heartbreak.
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The 2020 Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes has been cancelled, and will return in 2021.
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Article: Andrew Lloyd Webber has shared his feelings on the critically lambasted film adaptation “Cats.“
Webber described his reaction to the process, including working with director Tom Hooper: “The problem with the film was that Tom Hooper decided, as he had with “Les Miserables,” that he didn’t want anybody involved in it who was involved with the original show. The whole thing was ridiculous.”
The film is estimated to have lost $100 million.
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A reboot of “Who’s the Boss” is in the works, featuring Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano. Judith Light and Danny Pintauro are not involved with the series at present. Timeline and additional information TBA.
The new show will be set 30 years after the original and will follow Danza’s character Tony Micelli as he navigates his relationship with his daughter Samantha, played by Milano, now a single mother living in the home featured on the original series.
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Video: Sean Hayes performs “Those Were The Good Old Days” from Encore’s Damn Yankees (2008).
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The next installment of The Great American Songbook Concert Series! will stream Thurs. Aug. 13 at 7 PM ET (link available next week).
Jenn Colella and more TBA.
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A film adaptation of “Cyrano,” written & directed by Erica Schmidt, and a score by the National’s Aaron Dessner & Bryce Dessner, is in development.
Peter Dinklage (Cyrano) and Haley Bennett (Roxanne), with Brian Tyree Henry and Ben Mendelsohn.
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The Seth Concert Series, with special guest Liz Callaway, will take place Sun. Aug. 9 at 8 PM ET and Mon. Aug. 10 at 3 PM ET here.
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Video: Pacific Resident Theatre‘s recent interview with playwright Christopher Hampton, who’s plays include Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Sunset Boulevard (stage adaptation), When Did You Last See My Mother, The Philanthropist, Tales From Hollywood, Savages, White Chameleon, The Talking Cure, Appomattox, All About Eve, and the screenplays for “Dangerous Liasons” and “Total Eclipse. (1:16:30)
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Black Lives, Black Words — an international initiative that has developed and fostered works centered around social justice — has launched an online bookstore with several plays by Black writers.
Among the titles available:
* Pipeline, by Dominique Morisseau
* Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, by August Wilson
* Passover, by Antoinette Nwandu
* Blues for Mister Charlie, by James Baldwin
* The National Black Drama Anthology
* Katori Hall Plays One
…and much more…
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Lyric Opera of Chicago‘s annual gala, For the Love of Lyric, will take place Sat. Sept. 12 at 7 PM ET, with music direction by Doug Peck.
Renée Fleming, Heather Headley, Ailyn Pérez, Soloman Howard, J’Nai Bridges, and members of the Opera Center Ensemble and the Chicago Children’s Choir.