Today’s Highlights:
Nye, by Tim Price, directed by Rufus Norris, featuring Michael Sheen (“Nye” Bevan), Remy Beasley, Matthew Bulgo, Dyfan Dwyfor, Roger Evans, Ross Foley, Jon Furlong, Daniel Hawksford, Bea Holland, Stephanie Jacob, Kezrena James, Tony Jayawardena, Michael Keane, Nicholas Khan, Rebecca Killic, Oliver Llewellyn-Jenkins, Mark Matthews, Rhodri Meilir, Ashley Mejri, Lee Mengo, David Monteith, Mali O’Donnell, Sara Otung, and Sharon Small. Casting is by Alastair Coomer and Chloe Blake, opens at London’s National Theatre.
Opening Night, world premiere by Rufus Wainwright & Ivo van Hove, directed by van Hove, featuring Sheridan Smith, Hadley Fraser, Shira Haas, Nicola Hughes, Amy Lennox, John Marquez, and Benjamin Walker, opens at London’s Gielgud Theatre.
Dreamgirls, directed by by Lili-Anne Brown, featuring Ta-Tynisa Wilson (Deena), Keirsten Hodgens (Lorrell), Trejah Bostic (Effie), Evan Tyrone Martin (Curtis), Jos N. Banks (CC), Saint Aubyn (Jimmy), and Robert Cornelius (Marty), with Chuckie Benson, Shantel Cribbs, Arnold Harper II, Alia Hodge, Alfred Jackson, Melanie Loren, Kwame M. Remy, Aalon Smith, Montria Walker, Sean Walton, and Jalisa Williams. Swings are Lois Ellise and Joel Oliver, opens at NJ’s McCarter Theatre Center.
The Three Musketeers, by Ken Ludwig, directed by Tom Quaintance, featuring Chandler Alston, Keighton Bell, Brandon Bradley, Joey Cassella, Jeff Davis, Derion Felton, Davis Haymes, Mia Haymes, Brooklynn Jacobs, Christopher Marquis Lindsay, Gabriel Mensah, Adam E. Moskowitz, Meredith Noël, Shad Ramsey, Meg Rodgers, Jason Paul Tate, Scott Witchmann, and Lauren Wilkerson, opens at Virginia Stage Company.
Avaaz, written & performed by Michael Shayan, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, begins previews at VA’s Olney Theatre.
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Broadway Grosses for the week ending Mar. 3.
Click here for the complete analysis.
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Mark Rosenblatt’s Giant will run Sept. 20 – Nov. 16 at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by Nicholas Hytner.
John Lithgow (Roald Dahl), and Elliot Levey (Tom Maschler).
The play comes on the heels of a broader cultural conversation about Dahl’s work and the prejudice that was embedded in many of his most beloved stories. In 2023, hundreds of words in the author’s books were either altered or omitted from future printings in order to remove countless negative references to race, skin color, ethnicity, gender, disabilities, and more. Set in 1983 when a particularly vicious public outburst of antisemitism drew public outcry against Dahl shortly before the publication of his story “The Witches, Giant.”**********************
Houston’s Alley Theatre has announced its 2024-25 season:
And Then There Were None (July 19 – Aug. 25), directed by Elizabeth Williamson.
Noises Off (Sept. 27 – Oct. 27), by Michael Frayn, directed by Brandon Weinbrenner.
The Janeiad (Oct. 11 – Nov. 3), by Anna Ziegler, directed by Rob Melrose. The play follows Jane, a woman who has spent 20 years longing for her husband to return to her after 9/11, a parallel to the way Penelope awaits Odysseus’ return in The Odyssey.
A Christmas Carol (Nov. 14 – Dec. 29), adapted & directed by Rob Melrose,
The Night Shift Before Christmas (Dec. 5-24), by Isaac Gómez, directed by KJ Sanchez. The adult holiday comedy follows Margot, a drive-thru employee who must confront late-night visits from spirits during a Christmas Eve overnight shift.
December: a love years in the making (Jan. 17 – Feb. 22, 2025), written by Marisela Treviño Orta, directed by Marcela Lorca. The play follows two Texans connecting over literature and music.
Seared (Feb. 7 – Mar. 2), by Theresa Rebeck. The play considers where art ends and business begins when it comes to the relationship between an up-and-coming chef and a consultant hired to elevate the restaurant. Weinbrenner will direct the culinary comedy.
The Glass Menagerie (Feb. 21 – Mar. 16), directed by Rob Melrose.
Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (Apr. 4-27), by Ken Ludwig, directed by Eleanor Holdridge.
Primary Trust (May 2-25), world premiere by Eboni Booth, directed by Niegel Smith. The play follows Kenneth, a bookstore worker who has lived the same routine every day for the past 15 years, until he is forced to change up his routine.
Private Lives (May 23 – June 15), by Noël Coward, directed by KJ Sanchez.
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MasterVoices will conclude its 2023-24 season with a concert performance of Ricky Ian Gordon & Michael Korie’s The Grapes of Wrath, to take place Wed. Apr. 17 at 7:30 PM at Carnegie Hall, conducted & directed by Ted Sperling.
Kyle Oliver (Tom Joad), Margaret Lattimore (Ma Joad), Nathan Gunn (Pa Joad), Bryonha Marie (Mae), Mikaela Bennett (Rose of Sharon), Victor Starsky (Jim Casy), Malcolm MacKenzie (Uncle John), Schyler Vargas (Connie Rivers), Christian Pursell (Noah), and John Brancy (Al).
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The world premiere of The Bengson’s The Keep Going Songs will run Apr. 20 – May 26 (opening May 2) at the Claire Tow Theater, directed by Caitlin Sullivan.
Abigail Bengson and Shaun Bengson
A new group of songs which explore grief and rebirth.
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Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman will run Apr. 4-7 & 11-14 at Hollywood’s Broadwater Main Stage, directed byBrian Allman.
Steven O’Brien (Katurian), Daniel T. McCann (Tupolski),, Paul Ian Stanley (Ariel), and Kimberly DeMarse (Michal).
In a totalitarian state, a writer is interrogated by the authorities about a series of murders. A hypnotic blend of savagery, suspense, macabre fairytale, and the blackest of gallows humor, Martin McDonagh’s play is a powerful, potent, and provocative tour de force. This black comedy, widely regarded as one of the greatest plays of the past 25 years, examines the role of the artist in society and asks, what price do we pay for freedom of expression?
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Sister Act will run Mar. 15 – June 8 at the Dominion Theatre, directed by Bill Buckhurst, with choreography by Alistair David, and music supervision by Stephen Brooker.
Beverley Knight (Deloris Van Cartier), Ruth Jones (Mother Superior), Lesley Joseph (Mother Superior at certain performances), Lesley Joseph (Sister Mary Lazarus), Lemar (Curtis Jackson), Clive Rowe (Eddie Souther), Lizzie Bea (Sister Mary Robert), Alison Jiear (Sister Mary Patrick), and Carl Mullaney (Monsignor O’Hara), with Caroline Bateson, Natalia Brown, Damian Buhagiar, Tricia Deighton, Lori Haley Fox, Lauren Hall, Chloe Hopcroft, Tom Hopcroft, Bradley Judge, Claudia Kariuki, Graham MacDuff, Castell Parker, Emma Ralston, Anne Smith, Michael Ward, and Jermaine Woods.
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Video: Bryonha Marie and Diana Huey Perform “I’ve Known You By Heart” from Golden (new musical by John Hodges and Geordy Wells).
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The world premiere of Julia Mattison, Noel Carey & Marco Pennette’s Death Becomes Her will run Apr. 30 – June 2 at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre, directed by Robert Zemeckis & Christopher Gattelli, with choreography by Gattelli, and music direction by Ben Cohn.
Megan Hilty (Madeline Ashton) Jennifer Simard (Helen Sharp), Christopher Sieber (Ernest Menville) and Michelle Williams (Viola Van Horn), with Marija Abney, Sarita Colon, Kaleigh Cronin, Natalie Charle Ellis, Taurean Everett, Michael Graceffa, Kolton Krouse , Josh Lamon, Sarah Meahl, Diana Vaden, Sir Brock Warren, Bud Weber, Ryan Worsing, Ericka Hunter Yang, Warren Yang, Beau Harmon, Johanna Moise, Amy Quanbeck, and Zach Williams.
Madeline Ashton, the most beautiful actress (just ask her) ever to grace the stage and screen, and Helen Sharp, the long-suffering author (just ask her) who lives in her shadow. They have always been the best of frenemies, until Madeline steals Helen’s fiancé. Their world is suddenly turned upside down by a mysterious woman named Viola Van Horn. After one sip of Viola’s magical potion, Madeline and Helen begin a new era of life (and death) with their youth and beauty restored, and a grudge to last eternity.
Video: Promo
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The world premiere of Ife Olujobi’s Jordans will run Apr. 11 – May 5 (opening Apr. 24) at The Public Theater, directed by Whitney White.
Brontë England-Nelson, Naomi Lorrain, Brian Muller, Toby Onwumere, Matthew Russell, Ryan Spahn, Meg Steedle, and Kate Walsh, with Quinn M. Johnson, Deven Kessler, and Kai Tshikosi. At an overwhelmingly white workplace where appearance is everything, a long-suffering receptionist finds herself in personal, professional, and psychic jeopardy when her ruthless boss hires a hip new employee in an effort to improve the company’s image and “culture.” Suddenly, the two young, Black social climbers are forced together and torn apart by their race, ambition, and otherworldly circumstances.”**********************
James Ijames’ Fat Ham will run Mar. 27 – Apr. 28 (opening Apr. 14), at the Geffen Playhouse, directed by Sideeq Heard.
Nikki Crawford (Tedra), Chris Herbie Holland (Tio), Billy Eugene Jones (Rev/Pap), Adrianna Mitchell (Opal), Marcel Spears (Juicy) Benja Kay Thomas (Rabby) and Matthew Elijah Webb Larry).
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A reading of The Trip to Bountiful will take place Mon. Mar. 11 at 7 PM at CT’s Westport Country Playhouse, directed by Michael Wilson.
Leon Addison Brown, Kimberly Gilbert, Hero Marguerite, and Nancy Robinette.
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Brian Justin Crum in concert will take place Thurs. May 30 at 8:30 PM at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club.