Today’s Highlights:
A Christmas Carol tour, adapted by adapted by Jack Thorne, directed by Matthew Warchus, featuring Bradley Whitford (Ebenezer Scrooge), Kate Burton (Ghost of Christmas Past), Alex Newell (Ghost of Christmas Present/Mrs. Fezziwig), Chante Carmel (Mrs. Cratchit), Dashiell Eaves (Bob Cratchit), Brandon Gill (Fred), Alex Nee (Ferdy/Nicholas), Sebastian Ortiz & Cade Robertson (alternating as Tiny Tim), Brett Ryback (George), Harry Thornton (Young Ebenezer), Glory Yepassis-Zembrou (Little Fan), and Grace Yoo (Jess), with Celia Mei Rubin, and Andrew Mayer, opens at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre. Discount $30 tickets available Dec. 2-5 here.
New Stages Festival opens at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
Remember the Ribbon: A Tribute to World AIDS Day event, directed by Bryan Campione, hosted by Karl Schmid, featuring Javier Muñoz, Lena Hall, Judith Light, Charles Busch, Rema Webb, Corey Mach, Hernando Umana, producer Tom Kirdahy, Alan Menken, Billy Porter, Chita Rivera, and Beth Leavel, begins FREE streaming here.
A Jolly Holiday: Celebrating Disney’s Broadway Hits, by Sandy Rustin, directed by Casey Hushion, featuring Major Attaway, Dan DeLuca, Kara Lindsay, Jarran Muse, Killy Simmons, Cailen Fu, and Dion Simmons Grier, begins previews at NJ’s Paper Mill Playhouse.
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GRACE NOTES Quote of the Week: “There are no human beings in Major Barbara: only animated points of view.” ~ William Archer
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Video: Stars in the House, celebrating Sharon Gless and her new memoir. (1:41:01)
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Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy, adapted by Ben Power, and running at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre, will be turned into a TV series.
Timeline, casting, platform, and additional information TBA.
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The holiday edition of Dennis Hensley’s The MisMatch Game will run Dec. 4 (8 PM PT) & 5 (7 PM PT) at Hollywood’s LGBT Center.
Dec. 4: Julie Brown (Queen Elizabeth), Danté (Jack Nicholson), Drew Droege (Tanya Roberts), Daniele Gaither (Wendy Williams), Rebekah Kochan (Paris Hilton), and Mitch Silpa (TBA).
Dec. 5: Drew Droege (Tanya Roberts), Nadya Ginsburg (Cher), Christopher Lyons (TBA), Felix Pire (Santa), Marc Samuel (Morgan Freeman), and Lory Tatoulian (Sharon Osbourne).
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Audio: Claybourne Elder and Christina Bianco perform “Color and Light” from Sondheim Unplugged, along with Nicholas Rodriguez, Brian Charles Rooney, Teri Ralston, Liz McCartney, Sally Mayes, Danielle Ferland, Alton Fitzgerald White, and Annie Golden.
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“Live in Front of a Studio Audience: ‘The Facts of Life’ and ‘Diffrent Strokes’” will air Tues. Dec. 7 at 8 PM on ABC.
Ann Dowd (Edna Garrett), Jennifer Aniston (Blair), Gabrielle Union (Tootie), Allison Tolman (Natalie), and Kathryn Hahn (Jo).
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“Reopening Night,” a new documentary covering The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park production of Jocelyn Bioh’s Merry Wives will premiere Mon. Dec. 20 on HBO and HBO Max.
Jocelyn Bioh, Saheem Ali,Oskar Eustis, Beowulf Boritt, FArai Malianga, Abigail Jean-Baptiste, and cast members.
Chronicling the 12-week journey to opening night in summer 2021, “Reopening Night” looks at the challenges to mount an outdoor production with new health and safety guidelines in addition to exploring the Black experience in theatre.
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Steve Ross and Friends will open Winter Rhythms on Tues. Dec. 7 at 7 PM ET at Off-Broadway’s Urban Stages.
Tony Cangelosi, Shana Farr, Romulus Drake and Madalyn Matthews.
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Video: Broadway Salutes Stephen Sondheim at the 1993 “Kennedy Center Honors.” (20:29)
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The Public Theater has announced its 2022 Under the Radar Festival, which will run Jan. 12-30.
Mud / Drowning (Jan. 12-30), by María Irene Fornes, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, with music by Philip Glass.
seven methods of killing kylie jenner (Jan. 12-29), by Jasmine Lee-Jones. 
An exploration of cultural appropriation and queerness.
Our Country (Jan. 12-23), by Annie Saunders & Becca Wolff. A Sophocles-meets-Western.
Otto Frank (Jan. 13-23), by Roger Guenveur Smith & Marc Anthony Thompson. A sound-performance piece, inspired by the father of Anne Frank.
LatinXoxo (Jan. 13-20), by Migguel Anggelo, C. Julian Jimenez, directed by Adrian Alexander Alea.
The Motown Project (Jan. 18-22), by Alicia Hall Moran.
An Evening With an Immigrant (Jan. 18-20), written by & starring Inua Ellam.
Various cabarets and concerts TBA.
….and more TBA…
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Actor James D. Beeks has been suspended indefinitely from the national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar after being arrested on charges related to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.
Beeks, who was performing under the stage name James T. Justis, was playing the role of Judas in the production, and was charged last week by the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, CD, with obstruction of Congress and unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds. He was arrested on Nov. 23, made an appearance at the Eastern District court of Wisconsin, and was released prior to further proceedings. At a pre-trial video conference on Nov. 29, Beeks agreed to continue observing pre-trial release conditions including a curfew and GPS monitoring.
The actor was identified by law enforcement officials in part from the Michael Jackson “Bad” tour jacket he can be seen wearing in photographs from the Jan. 6 events.
Beeks has appeared in the Broadway casts of Kinky Boots (Lola understudy), Aida, Ragtime, and Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and has been with the Jesus Christ Superstar tour since 2019.
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Kathleen Turner: Finding My Voice will take place Thurs. Dec. 16 at 8 PM ET at NYC’s Town Hall., directed by Andy Gale, with music direction by Mark Jana.
A behind-the-scenes journey of Turner’s extensive and well-documented career, peppered with songs from the Great American Songbook.
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“Adrienne,” will premiere on HBO today.
Adrienne Shelly was a vibrant actor, writer, director, and playwright who is the lesser-known force behind one of Broadway’s biggest hits. Shelly wrote, directed, and co-starred in the 2007 film “Waitress,” which she would not live to see released. At 40, she was murdered in a senseless act of violence on the verge of finding out that the film had been accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. Shelly’s widower, Andy Ostory, has continued his wife’s mission of spotlight female artists and filmmakers. The film is a harrowing and heartbreaking story of her life, death, and her husband’s quest for truth which continues to this day. It’s at once a story of Adrienne but also a story of a husband’s love and ability to channel his grief into something much bigger than life itself.
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D.H. Lawrence’s The Daughter-in-Law will run Feb. 3 – Mar. 10 (opening Feb. 17) at the Mint Theater, directed by Martin Platt.
Casting TBA.
Set against the background of a pit strike, this is the story of Luther Gascoyne, a young miner, and he newly wed wife Minnie, a former governess. The tensions and misunderstandings they suffer as a result of their different backgrounds are exacerbated by the powerful influence of Luther’s mother and brought to open conflict when it is discovered that Luther, before his marriage, has made another woman pregnant. As the labor unrest comes to a boil, so does the shimmering conflict between Luther and Minne.
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The cast album from Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” will be released Dec. 3 on digital and CD platforms. 
on iTunes here.
The album will include 21 songs from the film.
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Conor McPherson’s Girl From The North Country will launch a UK tour on June 22, 2022 at Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre, directed by McPherson. 
Click here for the tour schedule.
Casting and additional information TBA.
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A new production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof will begin previews Jan. 14 and open Jan. 23 at Theater at St. Clements, directed by Joe Rosario. this is the first production of the play that Tennessee Williams’ estate has allowed to be produced Off-Broadway.
Sonoya Mizuno (Maggie), Matt de Rogatis (Brick), Christian Jules Le Blanc (Big Daddy), Alison Fraser (Big Mama), Austin Pendleton (Doc Baugh), Milton Elliott (Rev. Tooker), Tiffan Borelli (Mae), Carly Gold (The No Neck Monsters), and Spencer Scott (Gooper).
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The Human Voice, adapted & directed by Ivo van Hove, to run Mar. 17 – Apr. 9 (opening Mar. 22) at the Harold Pinter Theatre.
Ruth Wilson
A heartbreaking and deeply human monologue. A woman alone with only her phone as companion, Cocteau explores the nature of intimate relations through inanimate objects. In a world in which are all addicted to and dependent on our phones, this play from the 1930s couldn’t feel more prescient.