Today’s Highlights:
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company‘s The Tempest, directed by Steven Maler, featuring John Douglas Thompson (Prospero), John Lam (Ariel), Remo Airaldi (Antonio), Siobhan Juanita Brown (Gonzala), Nora Eschenheimer (Miranda), John Kuntz (Trinculo), Nael Nacer (Caliban), Richard Noble (Alonso), Maurice Emmanuel Parent (Sebastian), Fred Sullivan, Jr. (Stephano), and Michael Underhill (Ferdinand), with Marta Rymer, Ekemini Ekpo, Duncan Gallaher, Jessica Golden, and Dylan C. Wack, opens at the Boston Commons.
Pittsburgh CLO‘s 75th Anniversary: A Broadway Musical Celebration, directed by Baayork Lee, featuring Norm Lewis, Robbie Fairchild, Jackie Burns, Patrick Cassidy, Ali Ewoldt, Joshua Grosso, Manu Narayan, Genny Lis Padilla, Joe Serafini, Stephanie Umoh, Max Von Essen, and Allison Walsh, with Sophie Aknin, Jamary Gil, Akina Kitazawa, Connor McRory, Jerreme Rodriguez, and David Wayne, opens at Heinz Field.
An Evening with Lin-Manuel Miranda, a conversation with special guests Quiara Alegria Hudes and Jeremy McCarter to discuss their new book, “In the Heights: Finding a Home” at 6 PM ET (and then on demand) here.
**********************
GRACE NOTES Quote of the Week: ” You spend all your life trying to do something they put people in asylums for.” ~ Jane Fonda
**********************
Video: Stars in the House, offering The Road to The Olympics Game Night!, with special guests Lillias White, Natasha Yvette Williams, Allyson Tucker, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Darius de Has, Tamara Tunie, Jack Plotnick, and Jon LaPook, (1:40:01).
**********************
DC’s Signature Theatre presents Broadway in the Park on Fri. Sept. 3 at 8 PM ET at VA’s Wolf Trap, with music direction by Jon Kalbfleisch.
Renee Elise Goldsberry, Brian Stokes Mitchell. Christian Douglas, Rayshun LaMarr, Katie Mariko Murray, Tray Lynn Olivera, Nova Y. Payton, Awa Sal Secka, and Bobby Smith.
**********************
The world-premiere concept recording of Ethan Slater & Nick Blaemire’s Edge of the World, will be released digitally Aug. 6 on Broadway Records.
Lilli Cooper, Norbert Leo Butz, Ethan Slater, Nick Blaemire, and more.
Ben is a young man who moves to remote Alaska with his father, only to find that the line between lie and reality begins to blur in isolation.
**********************
Carousel will run July 31 – Sept. 25 at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, directed by Timothy Sheader, with choreography by Drew McOnie, and music supervision by Tom Deering.
Carly Bawden (Julie Jordan), (Carrie Pipperidge), Declan Bennett (Billy Bigelow), John Pfumojena (Enoch Snow), Joanna Riding (Nettie Fowler), Sam Mackay (Jigger Craigin), Jo Eaton-Kent (Mrs. Mullins), Natasha May Thoms (Louise Bigelow), Brendan Chaleson (Mr. Bascombe), Ediz Mahmut (Young Enoch), and Christing Modeston, with Chanelle Anthony, Craig Armstrong, William Atkinson, Shay Barclay, Sarah Benbelaid, Madeline Charlemagne, Freyda Field, Sebastian Goffin, Amie Hibbert, Tim Hodges, Lukas Hunt, Tessa Kadler, Lindsay McAllister, Matthew McKenna, Jack Mitchell, Charlotte Riby, Lisa Ritchie, and Daisy West.
**********************
DC’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company has announced its 2021-22 season:
Teenage Dick (Sept. 20 – Oct. 17), by Mike Lew, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel.
Where We Belong national tour (in association with Folger Shakespeare Library), written by & starring Madeline Sayet, directed by Mei Ann Teo (dates TBA).
A Strange Loop (Nov. 22 – Jan. 2, 2022), by Michael R. Jackson, directed by Stephen Brackett, with choreography by Raja Feather Kelly, and music direction by Rona Siddiqui.
Hi, Are You Single?, written by & starring Ryan J. Haddad, directed by Laura Savia.
Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower (Apr. 28-29), by Toshi Reagon & Bernice Johnson Readon, directed by Eric Ting.
There’s Always the Hudson (dates TBA), world premiere written by & starring Paola Lazaro, directed by Jess McLeod.
**********************
“Dramarama,” written & directed by Jonathan Wysocki, will receive a limited release on Aug. 13, followed by a digital distribution on Sept. 7.
Nico Greetham, Anna Grace Barlow, Megan Suri, Danielle Kay, Zak Henri, and Nick Pugliese.
Set in Escondido, CA, the story revolves around Gene, who wants to come out of the closet to his theatre geek friends as they gather for a final murder mystery slumber party before they leave for college. The film celebrates drama nerds and the intense friendship of youth.
**********************
The Catskill’s Forestburgh Playhouse has announced its new Works~In the Woods Festival, to run Sept. 9-12.
By Any Other Name, by Deborah Zoe Laufer & Daniel Green, directed by Noah Himmelstein. In this new bluegrass romantic comedy, nine of Shakespeare’s young lovers find themselves magically transported to the same forest, where together they grapple with love, loss, identity, and the constraints of gender roles. Casting TBA.
This Happened Once at the Romance Depot off the I-87 in Westchester, by Gina Femia, directed by Taylor Reynolds. Kevin owns a Romance Depot. Beth needs a vibrator. The two of them form an unlikely relationship that straddles the line between friendship and romance. What happens when two lonely people find one another?
El Otro Oz: La Maravillosa Adventure of Dora Garza, a new bi-lingual musical for young audiences, by Mando Alvarado, Tommy Newman & Jaime Lozano, directed by Rebecca Aparicio. On the day of her quínceañera, Dora Inez Garza gets swept up by a gran tornado that drops her (and her little chihuahua, too) in a strange and magical world where she must slip on the ruby zapatillas and journey down the yellow brick road to find that true power comes from embracing who you truly are.
Catskills Cab Lab, headed by Alan Muraoka, who will develop and direct unique, intimate, musical cabaret evenings with two emerging young talents.
Holding My Own: Journey to the Ring, Part I, a new play written & performed by Didi Conn, with music by David Shire.
“Off the Cuff” creative conversations with a variety of artists, focusing on each person’s creative process.
**********************
Video: American Dance Machine for the 21st Century has released its latest film, “T’aint Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do” from Bullets Over Broadway The Musical, directed by Sam Hoffman, with choreography by Susan Stroman as recreated by James Gray, featuring Clyde Alves, Phillip A. Attmore, Michael Biren, Jim Borstelmann, Preston Truman Boyd, Lamont Brown, Barry Busby, Joshua Buscher, Andrew Cao, Jake Corcoran, Casey Garvin, Dan Horn, Jess Leprotto, Kevin Ligon, Brian Martin, Paul Mcgill, Bobby Pestka, Jonalyn Saxer, Angelo Soriano, Kevin Worley, Richard Riaz Yoder, and Bradley Allan Zarr.
**********************
Off-Broadway’s Cherry Lane Theatre, one of the oldest continuously running theatres in NYC, has been sold for $11 million to The Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation.
It is not know at this time what plans the Foundation has for the building.
**********************
The Public Theater has announced that in-person standby tickets are back for Shakespeare in the Park.
Tickets will be distributed to those with a Public Theater ID as early as 6 PM ET. Each person will receive a maximum of 2 tickets in either the Full-Capacity or Physically Distanced section of the Delacorte Theater.
**********************
Derek Klena – Live at the Bourbon Room will take place July 24 & 25 at LA’s Bourbon Room.
**********************
Casting has been announced for Albaro García Lecuona’s “What If?,” directed by Billy Porter. Additional information, including a release date, is TBA.
Renee Elise Goldsberry, Courtnee Carter, Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, Kelly Lamor Wilson, and Grant Reynolds.
The film follows high school senior Khal, who posts on Reddit about his crush on Kelsa, a trans girl at his school. the tow navigate a high school senior year relationship that neither could have expected.
**********************
Off-Broadway’s Amas Musical Theatre has moved to the Film Center Building at 630 Ninth Ave., 12th floor.
In additional to new office space, the company has created a state of the art rehearsal studio available for auditions, rehearsals, casting, and workshops.
**********************
Video: Hugh Jackman returns to Broadway to rehearse The Music Man with Stephen Colbert.
The Music Man will begin previews Dec. 10 and open Feb. 10, 2022 at the Winter Garden Theatre.
**********************
Lillias White‘s studio album, “Get Yourself Some Happy” will be released July 23 on most platforms. Download on iTunes.
1. “When You Wish Upon a Star”
2. “Accentuate the Positive”
3. “Happy Together”
4. “A Brand New Me”
5. “Put On A Happy Face”
6. “The Twist”
7. “A Little Imagination”
8. “You’re My Best Friend”
9. “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”
10. “Yes”
11. “That’s All”
12. “Make Someone Happy”
13. “It’s Not Where You Start”
14. “Get Happy”
**********************
“Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” will stream 10 episodes on Paramount+ (originally scheduled on HBO Max), created by Annabel Oakes. Casting, release date, and additional information TBA.
Based on the 1972 musical and its 1978 film adaptation, the series will explore the backstory of the Pink Ladies, taking place as the group is just entering Rydell High.
**********************
Putting It Together: a Conversation with James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim will take place Tues. Aug. 3 at 7 PM at NYC’s Town Hall, moderated by Christine Baranski.
**********************
Video: Jason Graae and Mary Testa perform “Rita’s Confession” from Ahrens & Flaherty’s Lucky Stiff.
**********************
Audio: “Love Make the World Go Round,” with Jennifer Lopez and Lin Manuel Miranda.
**********************
Ute Lemper NYC Rooftop Concert: All That Jazz will take place Wed. Aug. 11 at 8 PM ET here.
**********************
Featurette: Audra McDonald, Jennifer Hudson, Tituss Burgess and more cast members of the “Respect” film homage to Aretha Franklin.
**********************
