Today’s Highlights:
The Lehman Trilogy, directed by Sam Mendes, featuring Michael Balogun (Emanuel Lehman), Hadley Fraser (Mayer Lehlem), and Nigel Lindsay (Henry Lehman), with Ravi Aujla, Will Harrison-Wallace, Leighton Pugh, Erika Gundesen, and pianist Yshani Perinpanayagam, opens at London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre.
Manhattan Theatre Club‘s The Best We Could, world premiere by Emily Feldman, directed by Daniel Aukin, featuring Aya Cash (Ella), Brian D. Coats (Marc), Maureen Sebastian (Maps), Constance Shulman (Peg), and Frank Wood (Lou), begins previews at Off-Broadway’s New York City Center Stage.
The National Black Theatre‘s Amani, world premiere by a.k. payne, directed by Josiah Davis, featuring Omari K. Chancellor (Robert Richards/Davion/Lamar Davis/A Series of Men), Kai Heath (Kofa), Denise Manning (Amani), Eden Marryshow (Smith), and Mars Rucker (Daisa), begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Rattlestick Theater.
NIMROD, world premiere by Phinneas Kiyomura, directed by Alina Phelan, featuring Kirsten Vangness (Nimrod), Hiwa Chow Elms, Isaiah Alexander, Lisa Clifton, Shayne Eastin, Asha Noel Iyer, Sarah Lilly, Chloe Madriaga, Sierra Marcks, Edward Moraycski, Josh Odess-Rubin, Robert Paterno, Joel Scher, Niall Sulcer, and Dan Wingard, begins previews at Hollywood’s Theater of Note.
Fifty Key Stage Musicals: The Concert, featuring George Lee Andrews, Caitlin Belcik, Jim Brochu, LaDonna Burns, Len Cariou, Kevin Chamberlin, Alexandra Amadeo, Beth Fowler, Janine LaManna, Lee Roy Reams, and Mark William, at 7 PM at NYC’s 54 Below. Live tix here. Livestream tix here.
Richard Skipper Celebrates Musical Theatre Guild’s Grey Gardens event, with Eileen Barnett & Trisha Rapier, and the entire cast, livestreams for FREE at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT here.
Sunset Boulevard, directed by Sammi Cannold, featuring Stephanie J. Block (Norma Desmond), Derek Klena (Joe Gillis), Auli’j Cravalho (Betty Schaefer), Nathan Gunn (Max von Mayerling), Michael Maliakel (Artie Green), Kevin Pariseau (Sheldrake), Tyley Ross (Manfred), and Paul Schoeffler (Cecil B. DeMille), with David André, Lauren Blackman, Julio Catano-Yee, Colin Cunliffe, Haile Ferrier, Emily Harvey, Wonza Johnson, Aubrie Knapp, Ryland Marbutt, Lance Roberts, Maria Cristina Posada Slye, and Kristin Yancy, closes at The Kennedy Center.
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Broadway Grosses for the week ending Feb. 5 Click here for the complete analysis.
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Evita will run Nov. 27 – Jan. 13, 2024 at Leicester’s Curve, directed by Nikolai Foster.
Casting, creative team, and additional information TBA.
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Ayad Akhtar, Matthew Decker, Justin Hurwitz and Benj Pasek & Justin Paul’s musical adaptation of “La La Land” is hopefully Broadway bound, directed by Bartlett Sher.
Casting, dates, creative teams, and additional information TBA.
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Video: Anthony Rapp and Jenn Colella perform “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent.
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The Hollywood Bowl has announced its 2023 Summer Season:
Click the link above for the complete list of events from Apr. 1 – Oct. 17.
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A screening of the London production of David Hare’s Straight Line Crazy will take place Sun. Feb. 26 at 3 PM at UCLA’s James Bridges Theatre.
Ralph Fiennes (Robert Moses), Alisha Bailey (Mariah Heller), Samuel Barnett (Ariel Porter), David Bromley (Stamford Fergus), Al Coppola (Walter McQaude), Siobhán Cullen (Finnuala Connell), Ian Kirkby (Lewus Mumford), Alana Maria (Shirley Hayes), Dani Moseley (Carol Ames), Guy Paul (Henry Vanderbilt), Helen Schlesinger (Jane Jacobs), Mary Stillwaggon Stewart (Nicole Sawyer), and Danny Webb (Governor Al Smith).
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Red Bull Theater has announced complete casting for Jeffrey Hatcher & Kathryn Walat’s adaptation of Arden of Faversham, to run Mar. 6 – Apr. 1 (opening Mar. 16) at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, directed by Jesse Berger.
Cara Rickets (Alice), Thomas Jay Ryan (Arden), and Tony Roach (Mosby), with Veronica Falcón, Zachary Fine, Emma Geer, Joshua David Robinson, Thom Sesma, David Ryan Smith, and Haynes Thigpen.
It’s Valentine’s Day and Alice Arden wants her husband dead. He’s come into money and all she can think about is her lover, Mosby. S, to the pair enter into a pact to. murder Arden and engage a cluster of killers to do the deed. If only the weren’t so spcatacularly inept. Inspired by actual events, this sexy thriller of unknown authorship – some say, Shakespeare – is a bloody, dark comic Elizabethan noise.
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Ava DuVernay’s new film, “Caste,” began shooting last year. The film is based on Isabel Wilkerson’s book “Caste: The Origins of Our discontents.” Details of how the film will adapt the text for the screen are not yet clear.
Audra McDonald, Aunjanue Ellis, Myles Frost, Niecy Nash, Vera Farmiga, Nick Offerman, Connie Nielsen, Jon Bernthal, and Jasmine Cephas-Jones, with more TBA.
The book (published in 2020) explores racism in the United States as an engrained caste system. The consequences of this stratification, and the ways in which it has affected American identity and history, are put on display, and compared to other caste systems throughout the world.
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Barbra Streisand’s “My Name Is Barbra” autobiography will be released Nov. 7 on all platforms. Click here to pre-order.
The new work will chart Streisand’s life and career, from growing up in Brooklyn to her breakout performance in Funny Girl on stage and screen, and the string of successes in every medium that followed. Streisand also recounts her early struggles to become an actor, eventually turning to singing to earn a living… the recording of some of her albums… the years of effort involved in making “Yentl”… her direction of “The Prince of Tides”…her friendships with everyone from Marlon Brando to Madeleine Albright… her political advocacy… and the fulfillment she’s found in her marriage to James Brolin.
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Madhuri Shekar’s A Nice Indian Boy will run Mar. 8 – Apr. 9 (opening Mar. 11) at Maryland’s Olney Theatre, directed by Alikhan.
Carol Mazhuvandheri, Lynette Rathnam, Abhimanyt Katyal, andNoah Israel, with Jessica Jain, Surasree Das, Shaan Sharma, and Taylor Witt.
A meet-cute at the local temple brings Naveen face to the with the man of his dreams: a fellow Marathi-speaking Hindu who loves the same Bollywood films and can cook a mean dal Makhani. If his parents were ever going to accept him, bringing home a boyfriend, Keshay would be that boy except he’s white, raised by Indian foster parents who adopted him. But they’re madly in love, and so off they head to the Gavaskar house, where Naveen’s white boyfriend isn’t the only surprise reading to walk through the door. That additional surprise comes in the form of Naveen’s sister, Arundhathi, fleeing her own more traditional marriage.
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Kevin Murphy & Laurence O’Keefe’s Heathers: The Musical, which continues at London’s Other Palace, will welcome a new cast on Feb. 21, directed by Trevor Ashley.
Miracle Chance (Veronica Sawyer), Ellis Kirik (Jason ‘JD’ Dean), Olivia Barnett-Legh (Heather Chandler), Kia Paris Walcott (Heather Duke), Katherine Pearson (Heather McNamara), Katie Ramshaw (Martha Dunnstock), Will Breckin (Kurt Kelly), Christian Zaccarini (Ram Sweeney), Rachel Breeze (Ms. Fleming), Alexander McMorran (Kurt’s Dad/Veronica’s Dad/Principal), Elliot David Parkes (Beleaguered Geek), Megan Hill (Midwestern Surfer Punk), Georgia Anderson (New Wave Party Girl), Sophie Hutchinson as Drama Club Drama Queen), Georgia Ludica-Davies (Young Republicanette), Bibi Jay (Stoner Chick), Lewis Asquith (Hipster Dork), and Kaine Ruddach (Preppy Stud).
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Pasek & Paul’s “La La Land” is in development as a stage musical, directed by Bartlett Sher, with a book by Ayad Akhtar & Matthew Decker.
Timeline, creative team, casting, and additional information TBA.
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“Rise of the Pink Ladies,” the “Grease” 10-episode prequel series, will be released Apr. 6 on Paramount +.
Jackie Hoffman (Assistant Principle McGee), Shanel Bailey (Hazel), Marisa Davila (Jane), Cheyenne Isabel Wells (Olivia), Ari Notartomaso (Cynthia) Tricia Fukuhara (Nancy), Madison Thompson (Susan), Jonathan Nieves (Richie), Jason Schmidt (Buddy), and Maxwell Whittington-Cooper (Wally), and more TBA.
With no Rizzo, Frenchie, Marty, or Jan in sight, it remains unclear if the Pink Ladies from Grease will be featured.
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Stephen Sondheim & John Weidman’s Pacific Overtures will run Mar. 7 – Apr. 9 at DC’s Signature Theatre, directed by Ethan Heard, with music direction by Alexander Tom.
Eymard Meneses Cabling (Lord Abe), Andrew Cristi (Mother of Shogun), Albert Usueh (Boy), Jonny Lee Jr. (Manjiro), Quynh-My Luu (Tamate), Jason Ma (Reciter), Daniel May (Kayama), Christopher Mueller (Warrior), Chani Wereley (Madam), and Nicholas (Perry), with Alex Koichi Beard, Joey Ledonio, Ashley D. Nguyen, and Ryan Sellers.
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The Entertainment Community Fund will present And All That Jazz: A Celebration of the Legendary Chita Rivera on Mon. Feb. 20 at 7:30 PM at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre, conducted by Luke Frazier, with iconic dance numbers staged by Lloyd Culbreath.
Laura Benanti, Jason Danieley, George Dvorsky, Andy Karl, Nathan Lane, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bebe Neuwirth, Orfeh, Mary Beth Peil, John Riddle, Leslie Uggams, and Betsy Wolfe.
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Alicia Keys & Kristoffer Diaz’s Hell’s Kitchen will have a 3-weekend developmental workshop to be held sometime between May 24 and June 18 (specific dates TBA), directed by Michael Greif, with choreography by Camille A. Brown, and music direction by Adam Blackstone & Erskine Hawkins.
Apparently the principal roles have been cast, but not yet reported.
The work follows a young girl growing up in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood in the 1990s.