Today’s Highlights:
Hadestown, directed by Rachel Chavkin, featuring Dónal Finn (Orpheus), Grace Hodgett Young (Eurydice), Zachary James (Hades), Melanie La Barrie (Hermes), Gloria Onitiri (Persephone), Bella Brown (Fate), Madeline Charlemagne (Fate), and Allie Daniel (Fate), with Lauren Azania, Tiago Dhondt Bamberger, Beth Hinton-Lever, Waylon Jacobs, and Christopher Short play the Workers, with Lucinda Buckley, Ryesha Higgs, Miriam Nyarko, and Simon Oskarsson, re-opens at London’s Lyric Theatre.
Jelly’s Last Jam, by George C. Wolfe, Jelly Roll Morton, Susan Birkenhead & Luther Henderson, directed by Robert O’Hara, featuring Joaquina Kalukango (Anita), Billy Porter (Chimney Man), Nicholas Christopher (Jelly Roll Morton), John Clay III (Jack the Bear), Tiffany Mann (Miss Mamie), and Leslie Uggams (Gran Mimi), with Mamie Duncan-Gibbs (Hunnie), Stepahnie Pope Lofgren (Hunnie), and Allison M. Williams (Hunnie), opens at NY City Center Encores.
Becoming a Man, written & directed by P. Carl & Diane Paulus, featuring Petey Gibson (Carl), Justiin Davis (Eddie), Elena Hurst (Lynette), Christopher Liam Moore (Carl’s Father), Stacey Raymond (Polly), Susan Rome (Carl’s Mother), and Cody Sloan (Nathan), opens at Cambridge’s A.R.T.
Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, by Richard Hellesen, directed by Peter Ellenstein, starring John Rubinstein, opens at Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre.
Teeth, world premiere of Anna K. Jacobs & Michael R. Jackson, directed by Sarah Benson, featuring Alyse Alan Louis (Dawn O’Keefe), Courtney Bassett (Promise Keeper Girl Becky), Phoenix Best (Promise Keeper Girl Fiona), Will Connolly (Brad O’Keefe), Jason Gotay (Tobey/Truthseeker), Jenna Rose Husli (Promise Keeper Girl Trisha), Jared Loftin (Ryan/Truthseeker), Lexi Rhoades (Promise Keeper Girl Rachel), Wren Rivera (Promise Keeper Girl Stephanie), and Helen J Shen (Promise Keeper Girl Keke), begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Playwrights Horizons.
A Tale of Two Cities, adapted by Brendan Pelsue, directed by Leora Morris, featuring Grant Chapman (Actor Track 5), Tiffany Hobbs (Actor Track 3), Tess Malis Kincaid (Actor Track 6), Joe Knezevich (Actor Track 8), Louis Reyes McWilliams (Actor Track 2), Lee Osorio (Actor Track 4), Brad Raymond ( Actor Track 7,) and Stephen Ruffin (Actor Track 1), with Brant Adams, Daniel Annone, Sean Dale, Rebecca Gunn, Danielle Montgomery, and Ryan Siegel, begins previews at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre.
Faithless, world premiere by John Klein, directed by Maria Gobetti, featuring John Idakitis, Jon Sprik, Melissa Ortiz, and Josee Gourdine, begins previews at Burbank’s Victory Theatre Center.
New York City Opera’s Caruso and His Songs concert, featuring Mark Milhofer and pianist Marco Scolastra, at 7:30 PM at NYC’s Carnegie Hall.
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Broadway Grosses for the week ending Feb. 18:
Click here for the complete analysis.
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Video: Jason Graae (Tateh) performs in the opening number in the recent concert presentation of Ragtime at Carnegie Hall.
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“The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal” will air a special preview on the weekend of Feb. 24 (time TBA). Included will be the creatives & stars. Click here to learn more.
Tamsen Fadal, the Spring Preview episode will feature interviews with Michael Imperioli from An Enemy of the People …. Gayle Rankin from Cabaret …. director Rachel Chavkin of Lempicka …. a Black History Month weekly spotlight on director Schele Williams of The Notebook and The Wiz …. Brody Grant, Sky Lakota-Lynch, Brent Comer, Jason Schmidt, Joshua Boone, Emma Pittman, Daryl Tofa, Dan Berry and Kevin William Paul from The Outsiders …. Grant Gustin, Isabelle McCalla, and Paul Alexander Nolan from Water for Elephants …. and Wayne Brady, with more TBA.
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The 24 Hour Plays will take place Mon. Mar. 18 at 8 PM at the Hudson Theatres.
Rachel Axler, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Matt Schatz, and christopher oscar peña.
Sherri Eden Barber, Jaki Bradley, Jacquelyn Landgraf, Nick Lieberman, Casey Stangl, and Kate Sullivan.
Zoë Chao, Jermaine Fowler, River Gallo, Olli Haaskivi, Erika Henningsen, Patrick Heusinger, Liv Hewson, Gillian Jacobs, Vella Lovell, Sarah Natochenny, Jessica Rothe, Josh Ruben, Rich Sommer, Josie Totah, Vico Ortiz, and Sasheer Zamata.
The LA theatre communities comes together for one night only to create, rehearse, and perform six new plays.
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Gingold Theatrical Group will present a script-in-hand performance of Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession on Mon. Mar. 18 at 7 PM at NYC’s Symphony Space, directed by Lili Kanter Riopplie.
Tina Benko (Mrs. Kitty Warren), Madeline Seidman (Vivie Warren), Jason Veasey (Praed), Jay O. Sanders (Crofts), Robert Elijah Kollman (Frank Gardner), Arnie Burton (Reverand Sam Bardner), and fareeda Pasha (Narrator).
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Selina Fillinger’s POTUS:, Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive will run Feb. 28 – Mar. 17 (opening Feb. 29) at CA’s Coachella Valley Rep, directed by Courtney Young.
Julie Cardia (Harriet), Michelle Liu Coughlin (Jean), Shannon Mary Dixon (Dusty), Ramika Katon Dongal (Chris), Cas Koenig (Bernadette), Emily Nash (Stephanie), and Marlo Denise Stroud (Margaret).
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The world premiere of Ophelia will run Apr. 12 – May 18 at the Odyssey Theatre, written & directed by Stefan Marks.
Deborah Geffner (Mom), Tatus Langton (Her), and Stefan Marks (Son).
An existential dramedy dealing with time-shifting, finding one’s destiny and the quest to fix a “broken life.”
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Jonathan A. Abrams & Tyler Mitchell’s The Heart of Rock and Roll will begin previews Mar. 19 and open Apr. 22 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, directed by Gordon Greenberg, with choreography by Lorin Latarro, and music direction by Brian Usifer.
Corey Cott, McKenzie Kurtz, Josh Breckenridge, F. Michael Haynie, Zoe Jensen, Tamika Lawrence, Raymond J. Lee, John-Michael Lyles, Orville Mendoza, Billy Harrigan Tighe and John Dossett, with Mike Baerga, Tommy Bracco, TyNia René Brandon, Olivia Cece, Taylor Marie Daniel, Lindsay Joan, Ross Lekites, Robin Masella, Kara Menendez, Joe Moeller, Jennifer Noble, Fredric Rodriguez Odgaard, Michael Olaribigbe, Kevin Pariseau, Robert Pendilla and Leah Read.
Set in 1987, the new musical is inspired b the iconic songs of Huey Lewis and The News and centers on a couple of twenty-somethings on the cusp of their futures—Bobby, a rock and roller who’s traded his guitar for the corporate ladder and his boss Cassandra who’s always put the family business first. When they both get a second shot at their dreams, it’ll take “The Power of Love” and a little help from their friends — to figure out what kind of life they really want.
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Rupert Holmes’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood will run Apr. 5 – June 2 (opening Apr. 17) at CT’s Goodspeed, directed by Rob Ruggiero, with choreography by James Gray, and music direction by Adam Souza.
Lenny Wolpe (Chairman/William Carwright), Liz McCartney (Princess Puffer/Angela Prysock), Mamie Parris (Alice Nutting), Paul Adams Schaefer (Jasper/Clive Paget), Levin Valayil (Neville Landless/Victor Grinstead), Riley Noland (Rosa Bud/Jetta Juriansz), Paul Slade Smith (Crisparkle/Cedric Moncreiff), David Beach (Durdles/Master Nick Cricker), Marcus Montgomery (Deputy/Mister Nick Cricker), and Jamie LaVerdier (Bazzard/Phillip Bax), with Jon Cooper, Benjamin Howes, Albert Jennings, Miyuki Miyagi, Jacqueline Petroccia, Jesse Swimm, Natalie Welch, Megan Arseneau and Noah Rubeck.
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A staged reading of Bella Abzug: That Beautiful, Ballsy Broad Who Gave ‘Em Hell! will take place Sun. Mar. 17 at 2 PM at Theatre West, written & performed by Amy Simon, directed by Karen Ragan-George.
From a hardworking, New York middle-class Jewish family, to the United States Congress, watch Bella in her own words “kick the hell out of the establishment.” Lovingly and painstakingly researched, Bella is brought to life with most of the dialogue coming from books and biographies, interviews, and Bella’s own writings and speeches.
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The New York Theatre Workshop‘s 2024 Gala will take place Mon. Mar. 18 at 6 PM at NYC’s Gotham Hall, directed by Kevin Cahoon, with music direction by Rick Hip-Flores, and hosted by Nicole Ari Parker, directed by Liesl Tommy, with special guests
Shoshanna Bean, Brandon Victor Dixon, Adrienne Warren, Tamika Lawrence, Eisa Davis, Joy Woods, Elizabeth Judd, John Manzari, and more.
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Cinderella continues through Feb. 25 at CT’s Westport Country Playhouse, directed by Connor Dean, with music direction by Garrett Taylor, and choreography by Alexander.
Kaitlyn Davidson (Cinderella), Tate McElhaney (Jean-Michel), William Ryall (Sebastian), Antonio Cipriano (Prince Topher), and Ta’Rea Cambell (Madame).