Today’s Highlights:
Notre Dame de Paris, adapted by Richard Cocciante & Luc Plamondon, directed by Gilles Maheu, featuring Angelo Del Vecchio (Quasimodo), Hiba Tawaji (Esmeralda), Daniel Lavoie (Frollo), Gian Marco Schiaretti (Gringoire), Yvan Pedneault (Phoebus), Jay (Clopin), and Emma Lépine (Fleur de Lys), opens at Lincoln Center‘s Koch Theatre.
Most Happy in Concert, Daniel Fish’s newly adapted & directed version of The Most Happy Fella, featuring Mary Testa, Tina Fabrique, Maya Lagerstam, Erin Markey, April Matthis, Mallory Portnoy, Kiena Williams, and Gwynne Wood, opens at MA’s Williamstown Theatre Festival.
Oresteia, directed by Robert Icke, featuring Anastasia Hille (Klytemnestra), Angus Wrightas (Agamemnon/Aegisthus), Luke Treadaway (Orestes), Kirsty Rider (Doctor), Peter Wright (Menelaus), Joshua Higgott (Talthybius), Tia Bannon (Electra), and Michael Abubakar (Calchas), with David Rintoul, Hara Yannas, Gilbert Kyem Jr., Ross Waiton, and Marty Cruikshank begins previews at NYC’s Park Avenue Armory.
Mary Poppins, directed by John Tartaglia, featuring Jeanna de Waal (Mary Poppins), Corbin Blue (Bert), Nehal Joshi (George Banks), Erin Davie (Winifred Banks), Darlesia Cearcy (Bird Woman), Gabe Cytron (Michael Banks), Laila Fantroy (Jane Banks), Erin Davie (Winifred Banks), Zoe Vonder Haar (Mrs. Brill), Barrett Riggins (Robertson Ay), Whit Reichert (Admiral Boom/Bank Chairman), Jade Jones (Mrs. Corry), and Debby Lennon (Queen Victoria/Miss Andrew), with Taylor Marie Daniel, Matthew Davies, Joel Douglas, Francine Espiritu, Duane Martin Foster, Kaitlyn Frank, Anna Gassett, Alyssa Giannetti, Brett-Marco Glauser, Lynn Humphrey, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Abigail Isom, Maggie Kunta, Ryan Lambert, Devin Neilson, Rich Pisarkiewicz, Michael James Reed, Michael Santomassimo, Dave Schooner, Kelly Sheehan, Wesley Slade, Nathaniel Washington, and Erin Wilson, closes at the St. Louis Muny.
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Reviews for Between the Lines at Off-Broadway’s Tony Kiser Theatre:
New York Stage Review (Frank Scheck): …Between the Lines seems mainly geared to younger female audiences who may finally be tired of seeing Wicked for the umpteenth time… It will all be very familiar, at least to any jaded adults. Fortunately, the musical features many fun moments courtesy of Timothy Allen McDonald’s wittily amusing book riffing on fairy tale conventions and Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson’s tuneful pop-lite score reminiscent of Disney animation… Unfortunately, the show’s virtues threaten to become submerged by too many unnecessary plot elements crammed into the overlong running time… The same lack of discipline applies to the overstuffed score…
New York Theatre Guide (Joe Dziemianowicz): We’ve all heard the time-worn remark about leaving a show humming the scenery. After the final note of Between the Lines, a new musical about 17-year-old Delilah who escapes into books (in more ways than one), you’re bound to exit buzzing about the projections… These show-stealing visual effects ingeniously depict what’s happening in a children’s fairytale also titled Between the Lines… the top-notch company deftly assembled and guided by director Jeff Calhoun… Delilah (an outstanding Arielle Jacobs)… Timothy McDonald’s script could use tightening in act one, but it’s also peppered with spicy one-liners… For all of the show’s charms and pleasures, there’s a nagging haze of familiarity hanging over it…
CitiTourNewYork (Brian Scott Lipton): …maybe not surprisingly, Jeff Calhoun’s ultra-polished production seems ready to move from the Tony Kiser Theatre to the other side of Eighth Avenue on a moment’s notice. Much credit is due to the sensational cast, led by strong-voiced Arielle Jacobs…and Kate Anderson’s catchy and heartfelt score… Still, some judicious trimming is in order before its next incarnation. There’s just a bit too much exposition and repetition in the first hour of the story… I particularly enjoyed the storybook-land scenes, which occur in both acts. They are funny and whimsical, with the entire cast sharply doubling as its fictional characters.
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Reviews for the Pre-Broadway production of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre:
Boston Globe (Don Aucoin): …Diamond has the great good fortune to have Will Swenson playing him in A Beautiful Noise… The power of Swenson’s electric performance nearly blows the roof off the old joint… Whether singing or speaking, Swenson uncannily channels Diamond’s voice as well as the way he moved during concerts in his heyday… Swenson manages to both inhabit and heighten the real-life character he’s playing… The ensemble does a first-rate job from start to finish, and so does the onstage band… The general story line…An entertainer strives for stardom, then achieves it, but at a personal cost, with happiness remaining elusive. That familiarity leads to a slackening in the musical’s momentum in spots…
WBUR (Jacquinn Sinclair): …the vibrant A Beautiful Noise…plagued by ennui… The swagger-filled Will Swenson as Diamond, along with a terrific ensemble comprised of more than a dozen talented actors and singers…accompanied by an energetic band, all under the inspired direction of Michael Mayer… The cast’s upbeat choreography and excellent singing chops help the show feel like a real concert… The swagger-filled Will Swenson as Diamond…performed robust renditions of the singer’s greatest hits…accompanied by an energetic band, all under the inspired direction of Michael Mayer.
Patriot Ledger (Dana Barbuto): …the good times never felt so good … destined to be a smash when it shifts its strobe lights and sequins to New York’s Broadhurst Theatre in November… They’re a powerful one-two punch…Swenson, in the flashier part, captures the spirit and sparkle of Diamond, not to mention his unique sound, while Jacoby delivers the emotional gut punch, as the older man taking stock… Andrew McCarten…wrote the book for A Beautiful Noise, infusing the story with an emotional depth extending beyond typical jukebox musicals… McCarten doesn’t shy away from the darker side of Diamond’s life…
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Broadway Grosses for the week ending July 10. Click here for the complete analysis.
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GRACE NOTES Quote of the Week: “Theatre is just a way to which you can inflict yourself to a maximum number of people.” ~ Quentin Crisp
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Complete casting has been announced for Death of a Salesman, to run Sept. 19 – Jan. 15, 2023 (opening Oct. 9) at the Hudson Theatre, directed by Miranda Cromwell.
Wendell Pierce (Willy Loman), Sharon D Clarke (Linda Loman), Khris Davis (Biff), McKinley Belcher III (Happy), André De Shields (Ben), Blake DeLong (Howard/Stanley), Lynn Hawley (The Woman/Jenny), Grace Porter (Letta/Jazz Singer), Kevin Ramessar (Musician), Stephen Stocking (Bernard), Chelsea Lee Williams (Miss Forsythe), and Delaney Williams (Charlie).
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The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts will celebrate its Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (launched originally in 1970) in a new exhibition, “Focus Center Stage: 50 Years of the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive,” which will run July 14 – Feb. 25, 2023.
Spanning two floors of the Library, the exhibition features excerpts from the many productions the division has filmed, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theatre production, as well as interviews with theatre profeessionals and behind-the-scene photos. Attendees can expect to view the work of Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter, Meredith Willson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeanine Tesori, Lorraine Hansberry, Tennessee Williams, Martin McDonagh, Lynn Nottage, Paula Vogel, and many m ore.
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Video: “Jeopardy” musical theater question. Do you know the answer?
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The eight-episode new series on Showtime, “Fellow Travelers,” by Ron Nyswaner, will be released on a date TBA. Filming begins later this month in Toronto.
Jonathan Cailey, Matt Bomer, and Allison Williams, with more TBA.
The handsome and charismatic Hawkins avoids emotional entanglements – until he meets Tim Laughlin, a young man brimming with idealism and religious faith. They begin a romance just as Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn declare war on “subversives and sexual deviants,” initiating one of the darkest periods in the 20th century American history. War protests of the 1960s, the drug-fueled disco hedonism of the 1970s and the AIDs crisis of the 1980s, while facing obstacles in the world and in themselves.
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At This Performance, the concert series that pays tribute to Broadway & Off Broadway standbys, understudies, and alternates, will return July 18 at 7 PM ET to NYC’s Green Room, hosted by Stephen DeAngelis, with music direction by Eugene Gwozdz.
Ephie Aardema, Kathryn Allison, Kyle Ramar Freeman, Dan Hoy, Aubrey Matalon, Mary Kate Moore, Aramie Payton, and Nevada Riley.
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Due to a prior commitment, Gavin Creel (The Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince) will temporarily take a leave of absence from Into the Woods at the St. James Theatre from July 24 – Aug. 2.
He will be temporarily replaced by Cheyenne Jackson. Creel will return to the production on Aug. 6
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Amas Musical Theatre will present workshop performances of Paul Gordon’s The Gospel According to Heather on July 28 (2:30 PM ET) & July 29 (1 PM ET) at Off-Broadway’s Signature Center, directed & choreographed by Rachel Klein.
Travis Artz, Bradley Dean, Baria Farha, Gabrielle Green, Darron Hayes, Bryson Jacobi Jackson, Chloé McSwain, Nancy Opel, Marissa Rosen, Adi Roy, and Brittany Nicole Williams.
Heather Krebs just wants a boyfriend. But how can she even navigate her way through high school if she might be the New Messiah? A small town in Ohio grapples with politics, religion and teenage romance in this eclectic pop musical.
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Video: Stephanie J. Block performs “As If We Never Say Goodbye” (scroll down).
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Hollywood’s Blank Theatre has announced casting for Week Two of the 30’th Annual Young Playwrights Festival of digital shorts, which will stream July 15-21 on Vimeo, offering all new plays by young playwrights aged 15-19.
I’ll Love You Forever, by Spencer Emerson Opal-Levine (age 19), directed by Shelli Boone, directed by Angela Oh, featuring Weston Nathanson, Virginia Schneider, and Teddy Vincent.
Gray Area, by Simone Chaney (age 17), directed by Shelli Boone, featuring Alana Kay Bright and Gabrielle Elyse.
The Legend of Caeneus, by Zander Pryor (age 19), directed by Melissa Coleman-Reed, featuring Alex Blue Davis, Gracie Lacey, Lizzie Peet, and Juan Francisco Villa.
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Michael Kostroff & Julie Garnyé’s “The Stage Actor’s Handbook: Traditions, Protocols, and Etiquette for the Working and Aspiring Professional,” with a forward by Jeff Daniels, is now available on Paperback and Kindle here.
Contributors: Bebe Neuwirth, John Lithgow, Chita Rivera, Alfred Molina, Billy Porter, Betty Buckley, Harvey Fierstein, Sam Waterston, Jason Alexander, Cynthia Nixon, and Sir Patrick Stewart.
The multitude of unwritten yet well-established protocols have finally been assembled into one volume, allowing theatre artists to know in advance what is expected of them. A definitive guide for professionals and aspiring professionals alike, this book details best practices on everything from rehearsal demeanor, backstage etiquette. It also shares the theatre’s unique vernacular and revered superstitions, as well as field-tested guidelines on touring, interactions with the public, and more
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Video: Sneak peek at Broadway’s Into the Woods. Scroll down.
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A benefit concert presentation of All Shook Up, re-imagined by Joe DiPietro, in support of Project ALS, will livestream Tues. July 19 at 8 PM ET here, directed by Jesse Walker.
Drew Duboff (Chad, aka Elvis), Krystina Matos (Natalie), and Jesse Walker (Dennis).
Joe DiPietro puts his own spin on the 12th Knight from Shakespeare. What if you put 12 Knight in modern day 1950’s in a midwestern town of Rt. 66 using Elvis’ 23 #1 hits? Elvis comes to town because his motorcycle breaks down as he shakes the town up a bit. Natalie falls in love with Chad and decides to impersonate her best friend Dennis’ cousin, Ed, to become “one of the guys” to convince Chad to go out with Natalie, but what she doesn’t know is that Dennis has been in love with Natalie since Kindergarten and is trying to get her to fall in love with him.
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& 
Jason Robert Brown, Dan Elish & Robert Horn’s “13” will begin streaming & release the soundtrack on Aug. 12 on Netflix, directed by Tamra Davis.
Debra Messing, Rhea Perlman, Josh Peck, Peter Hermann, Eli golden, Gabriella Uhl, JD McCrary, Frankie McNellis, Lindsey Blackwell, Jonathan Lengel, Ramon Reed, Nolen Dubuc, Luke Islam, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Kayleigh Cerezo Willow Moss, Liam Wignall, and Khiyla Aynne.
1. “13”
2. “Lamest Place in the World”
3. “I’ve Been Waiting”
4. “Opportunity”
5. “The Bloodmaster”
6. “Getting Ready”
7. “Bad Bad News”
8. “It Would Be Funny”
9. “Tell Her”
10. “A Little More Homework”
11. “Brand New You”
12. “Getting Ready (Extended)”
13. “What It Means to Be a Friend”
14. “Tell Her” (Alec Benjamin)