Today’s Highlights:
New York City Opera & National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene‘s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, by Ricky Ian Gordon & Michael Korie, directed & choreographed by Richard Stafford, featuring Rachel Blaustein, Brian James Myer, Mary Phillips, Stephen Powell, Victor Starsky, and more, opens at NYC’s Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (36 Battery Place).
The Thanksgiving Play, by Larissa Fasthorse, directed by Jessica Holt, featuring Ryan Clemens (Jaxton), Julian Stetkevych (Caden), Lauren Blumenfeld (Logan), and Jenny Hickman (Alicia), opens at Virginia Stage.
Yoga Play, by Dipika Guha, directed by Octavia Chavez-Richmond, featuring Octavia Chavez-Richmond (Romola), Andrea Cirie (Joan), Rishan Dhamija (Raj), Christopher Gurr (John), and Rocky Pak (Fred), opens at Syracuse Stage.
Tambo and Bones, by Dave Harris, directed by Taylor Reynolds, featuring W. Tré Davis (Tambo) and Tyler Fauntleroy (Bones), with Brendan Dalton and Dean Linnard, begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Playwrights Horizons.
Karen Mason: Birthday Bash return concert, at 7 PM ET at 54 Below.
“Much Ado About Benedick with Grantham Coleman” podversation, livestreams for FREE at 7:30 PM ET Off-Broadway’s Red Bull Theater.
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GRACE NOTES Quote of the Week: “Actors are the opposite of people.” ~ Tom Stoppard
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Click here for Broadway Grosses for the week ending Jan. 16 (scroll down).
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Jeremy O. Harris’ Slave Play will run Feb. 9 – Mar. 13 (opening Feb. 16) at the Mark Taper Forum, directed by Robert O’Hara.
Ato Blankston-Wood, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Jonathan Higginbotham, Devin Kawaoka, Chalia La Tour, Irene Sofia Lucio, Annie McNamara, and Paul Alexander Nolan, with Eboni Flowers, Blake Russell, Luigi Sottile, Elizabeth Stahlmann, and Galen J. Williams.
At the MacGregor Plantation, nothing is as it seems, and yet everything is as it seems. It’s an antebellum fever-dream as three interracial couples converge to rip open history at the intersection of race, love, and sexuality in 21st-century America. It’s a world where the sex is as raw as the emotions, and the twist as salacious as the truth.
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The Kite Runner, adapted by Matthew Spangler, will run July 6 – Oct. 30 (opening July 21) at the Hayes Theatre, directed by Giles Croft.
Casting TBA.
A haunting tale of friendship spanning cultures and continents that follows one man’s journey to confront his past and find redemption. Afghanistan is a divided country on the verge of war and two childhood friends are about to be torn apart. It’s a beautiful afternoon in Kabul and the skies are full of the excitement and joy of a kite flying tournament. But neither Hassan or Amir can foresee the terrible incident which will shatter their lives forever.
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Chicago’s Goodman Theatre presents August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean Jan. 22 – Feb. 17 (opening Jan. 31), directed by Chuck Smith.
Sharif Atkins (Citizen Barlow), Sydney Charles (Black Mary), Lisa Gaye Dixon (Aunt Ester), Gary Houston (Rutheford Selig), Kelvin Roston Jr. (Caesar), A.C. Smith (Eli), and James A. Williams (Solly Two Kings).
Tensions flare into riots across Pittsburgh’s Hill District as chaos threatens a city desperate for freedom. It’s 1904, the dawn of the new century — yet slavery’s shadow looms large. There is solace to be found at the home of 285-year-old Ester Tyler, keeper and transmitter of African American history and cleanser of souls. When a suspicious traveler appears at her door in search of a new life, Aunt Ester guides him on a journey of spiritual awakening.
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NYC Opera has announced the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon & Michael Koris’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, which will run Jan. 27 – Feb. 6 at NYC’s Museum of Jewish Heritage, directed by Michael Capasso & Richard Stafford, and conducted by James Lowe.
Rachel Blaustein (Micól Finzi-Contini), Brian James Myer (Alberto Finzi-Cortini), Mary Phillips (Mama), Franco Pomponi (Papà), Anthony Ciaramitaro (Giorgio), and Matt Ciuffitelli (Malnate), with D’Marreon Alexander, Robert Balonek, Adam Cioffari, Peter Kendall Clark, Dani Goldstein, Spencer Hamlin, Kristee Haney, Rebecca Hargrove, Sarah Heltzel, Adam Klein, Meredith Krinkle, Melanie Long, Violet Paris, Gabe Ponichter, Sami Sallaway, Drew Seigla, Markos Simopoulos, Rosy Anoush Svazlian, Tim Roller, and Rachel Zatcoff.
Set on the eve of World War II, this is the story of an aristocratic Italian-Jewish family, the Finzi-Continis, who believe they will be immune to the changes happening around them. As they make a gracious haven for themselves in their garden, walling out the unpleasantness of the world outside, Italy forms it’s alliance with Germany and begins to enforce anti-Semitic racial laws. But the Finzi-Continis discover too late that no one is immune, no one is untouchable.
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Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop will begin previews Apr. 6 and open Apr. 26 at the Lyceum Theatre, directed by Stephen Brackett, with choreography by Raja Feather Kelly.
Jaquel Spivey (Usher), Antwayn Hooper (Thought 6), L. Morgan Lee (Thought 1), John-Michael Lyles (Thought 3), James Jackson (Thought 2), John-Andrew Morrison (Thought 4), and Jason Veasey (Thought 5).
Meet Usher: a Black queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer…
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Complete casting has been announced for South Pacific, to run Feb. 8-20 at Houston’s TUTS, directed by Taibi Magar, with choreography by Courtney D. Jones, and music direction by Stephen W. Jones.
Natalie Ballenger (Nellie Forbush), James D. Sasser (Emile De Becque) Melody Butiu (Bloody Mary), Rei Akazawa-Smith (Liat), Trey Harrington (Luther Billis), Nigel Huckle (Lt. Joseph Cable), Paul Hope (Capt. George Brackett), Philip Kershaw (Commander William Harrison), Logan Keslar (Stewpot), Christopher Tipps (Professor), Jesse Yip (Jerome), and Kelsey Yip (Ngana), with Michael Alonzo, Mateus Barbosa Da Silva, Courtney Chilton, Sophia Clarke, Jeremy Gee, Miles Marmolejo, Riley McShanog, Joline Mujica, Sarah Sachi, Christopher Scurlock, Yasmyn Sumiyoshi, Holland Vavra, Geoffrey Hahn, and Steven Bogard.
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. PBS’ “Great Performances” will present a new documentary exploring the legacy of Company on Fri. May 27 at 9 PM (check local listings).
Filmed over two years, the broadcast takes an inside look at director Marianne Elliott’s creative process of bringing the reimagined gender-swapped production to Broadway during the COVIC-19 pandemic. The piece will feature rehearsal and performance footage, plus new interviews with Elliott, Katrina Lenk, Patti LuPone, Stephen Sondheim, and members of the original 1970 cast.
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Universal’s romantic comedy “Ticket to Paradise” has halted filming in Australia due to a serious COVID outbreak in Queensland state with only two weeks from completion. It is not clear when cameras will be able to roll again.
Stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts have returned to the U.S.
Stay tuned for further updates.
The film follows two divorced parents who rush to Bali to stop their teenage daughter from rushing into an unwise marriage, like their own.
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Nick Rashad Burroughs: Groove Machine Live will take place Mon. Feb. 7 at 8 PM ET at NYC’s Cutting Room, directed by Zhailon Levingston, with music direction by Michael O. Mitchell.
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The Echo Theater Company‘s Echo LABFest 2022 will run Feb. 15-20 at the Atwater Village Theatre, offering readings of seven new plays.
Click the link above for the complete list of readings.
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The Public Theater & the Ma-Yi Theater Company have announced complete casting for Lloyd Suh’s The Chinese Lady, to run Feb. 23 – Mar. 27 (opening Mar. 8) at The Public Theater, directed by Ralph B. Peña.
Daniel K. Isaac, Shannon Tyo, Cindy Im, and Jon Norman.
A tale of dark poetic whimsy and a unique portrait of the United States as seen through the eyes of a young Chinese girl. In 1834, 16-year-old Afong Moy sailed into the New York Harbor and was immediately put on display for a paying public who were mesmerized by her exotic ways and horrified by her tiny bound fee.
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An exclusive Q&A with “Tick…Tick…Boom’s” Andrew Garfield and Lin-Manuel Miranda will take place Thurs. Jan. 27 at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT. Register here.
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“Great Performances: Keeping Company with Sondheim” will air May 27 at 9 PM on PBS (check local listings).
The film will feature rehearsal and performances of the current Broadway production of Company, plus new interviews with director Marianne Elliott, Katrina Lenk, Patti LuPone, and members of the original 1970 cast. Also included is an interview with Stephen Sondheim. Filmed over tow years, the broadcast takes an inside look at Marianne Elliot’s creative process of bringing the reimagined gender-swapped production to Broadway during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Harry Belafonte’s 95th Birthday and the 10th Anniversary of Social Justice Organization Sankofa.org will take place Tues. Mar. 1 at 7 PM ET at NYC’s Town Hall.
Aloe Blacc, John Legend, The Belafonte Alumni Band, Laurence Fishburne, Doug E. Fresh, Danny Glover, Amy Goodman, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Moore, Q-Tip, Tim Robbins, Rev. Al Sharpton, Bryan Stevenson, Sweet Hone in the Rock, Jesse Willams, and Alfre Woodard.
The evening will include musical performances, video tributes, and testimonials by civil rights and racial justice leaders, elected officials, musicians, actors, and more.