Today’s Highlights:
Good, by CP Taylor, directed by Dominick Cook, featuring David Tennant (Haler), Elliot Levey (Maurice), and Sharon Small (Helen), opens at London’s Harold Pinter Theater.
Marilyn Maye in an all-new concert, opens at NYC’s 54 Below.
Kimberly Akimbo, by David Lindsay-Abaire & Jeanine Tesori, directed by Jessica Stone, featuring Victoria Clark (Kimberly), Justin Cooley, Steven Boyer, Alli Mauzey, Bonnie Milligan, Fernell Hogan, Olivia Elease Hardy, Michael Iskander, and Nina White, with Colleen Fitpatrick, Jim Hogan, Betsy Morgan, Skye Alyssa Friedman, Miguel Gil, and Alex Vinh, begins previews at Broadway’s Booth Theatre.
Chester Bailey, by Joseph Dougherty, directed by Ron Lagomarsino, featuring Reed Birney and Ephraim Birney, begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Irish Rep.
Queer Radio Hour live radio play, by Nathan Frizzell, directed by Tom Detrinis, featuring Joe Conti, Drew Droege, Nathan Frizzell, Tommy Hobson, Mitch Silpa, Cloie Wyatt Taylor, David Tran, and drag legend Sherry Vine, at 7:30 PM at LA’s Dynasty Typewriter.
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Broadway Grosses for the week ending Oct. 9.
Click here for the complete analysis.
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RIP: Angela Lansbury died peacefully in her sleep on Oct. 11 at the age of 96.
Lansbury came to the U.S. from her native England during the Second World War. She was an immediate hit in films, earning Oscar nominations for her first two movie performances and then settling into a Hollywood career that lasted the better part of two decades. She was already in her late 30s when she made her Broadway debut, and in her 40s when she had her first Broadway smash with Mame.
Click here to read the rest of this wonderful article.
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The world premiere of Catherine Trieschmann’s The Nativity Variations will run Nov. 16 – Dec. 11 at Milwaukee Rep, directed by Shelley Butler.
Ryan Alvardo (Mateo)/Father Juan), Ann Arvia (Peggy), Chiké Johnson (Karl), Adam LeFevre (Hank), Sami Ma (Jules), Eva Nimmer (Devon), and Sadieh Rifai (Vanessa).
How do you improve on the “greatest story ever told?” Comedic mayhem ensues as small-town director Jules and her ragtag amateur theater company attempt to put their own spin on the traditional Christmas Nativity play. Out-of-control puppets, Shakespearean co comedy, and some “very creative” imaginations threaten to their own spin on the traditional Christmas Nativity play.
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Video: The Kennedy Center’s Guys & Dolls in rehearsal (10:02)
James Monroe Iglehart (Nathan Detroit), Jessie Mueller (Miss Adelaide), Steven Pasquale (Sky Masterson), Phillipa Soo (Sarah Brown), Kevin Chamberlin (Nicely-Nicely, Rachel Dratch (Big Jule), Jacqueline Antaramian (General Cartwright), Fred Applegate (Arvide), Eden Marryshow (Lt. Brannigan), Matthew Saldivar (Benny), Jimmy Smagula (Harry the Horse), Jacqueline Antaramian (General Cartwright), Eden Marryshow (Lt. Branigan), Akron Watson (Rusty Charlie), Allison Blackwell (Agatha), Colin Cunliffe (Sorrowful Jones), Michael Fatica (Liverlips Louie/Calvin), Tommy Gedrich (The Greek), Julia Harnett (Allison), Nathan Lucrezio (Scranton Slim), Kristen Faith Oei (Mimi), Lizz Picini (Ferguson), Deon Ridley (Society Max), Anthony Wayne (Angie the Ox), Tanner Wilson (Brandy Bottle Bates), and Kristin Yancy (Martha/Vernon).
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Almog Pail & Stephen Garvey’s Love Goddess: the Rita Hayworth Musical will run Nov. 18 – Dec. 23 at The Cockpit, directed by Steve North, with choreography by Jacqui Jameson, and music direction by Archie Combe.
Almog Pail (Rita Hayworth), and more TBA.
The musical deals head-on with the struggles experienced by Old Hollywood icon Rita Hayworth, ranging from the pressures of her bombshell image, her marital strife, and her early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 62.
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“Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?” will premiere Dec. 9 on Disney+, directed by Anne McCabe.
The film will feature never-before-seen performance footage alongside raw and vulnerable interviews, the documentary follows Idina on an intimate journey as she juggles the challenges of being a working mom and wife on a grueling travel schedule while preparing to take the stage at the legendary arena. We watch Menzel on a national tour over the course of 16 shows on the road, and we watch never-before-seen footage of Menzel throughout her life, from home videos of her early days as a singer at just 17 years old to her beginnings at the premiere of Rent in 1996, to preparing for the original role of Elphaba in Wicked, and the creation and subsequent phenomenon that was Frozen. And much more…
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A Very Darren Crissmas: Live at Café Carlyle will run Nov. 29 – Dec. 10 at NYC’s Cafe Carlyle.
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A private industry reading of James Hindman’s new play Spinning the Bottle will take place Oct. 18 in NYC, directed by Alan Souza. For more information: email michael@cinetheatrix.com.
Dana Brooke, Biko Eisen-Martin, Darius rose and Robbie Simpson.
The play takes place in the home of Kyle and his husband James. When Tia and her fiancé Stuart start renting the upstairs apartment, secrets from long ago start coming out.
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The Dramatist Guild Foundation‘s 60th Anniversary Gala will take place Mon. Oct. 24 at 6 PM at NYC’s Ziegfeld Ballroom,
Bernadette Peters will offer a tribute to Stephen Sondheim.
Kate Baldwin, Heather Christian, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Lisa Kron, Andrew Lippa, Todd London, Samantha Massell, Madeline Myers, Zeniba Now, Clint Ramos, Stephen Schwartz, Max Vernon, and Kara Young.
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The world premiere of Vinny DePonto & Josh Koenigsberg’s Mindplay will run Nov. 8 – Dec. 18 (opening Nov. 17) at the Geffen Playhouse, directed by Andrew Neisler.
Vinny DePonto
A love letter to the imperfect mind. DePonto leads us on a raucous romp through the back channels of our innermost thoughts, exploring the fragmented and flawed nature of our memories, and asks us to question whether we can trust the voice inside our heads. In the spirit of the Geffen’s long tradition of magic comes an entirely new theatrical event in which your thoughts play a leading role.
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Complete casting for National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s 34th Annual Festival of New Musicals, to run Oct. 20-21 at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages. Click here to register. 
There is also a day-of standby line for FREE admission (based on availability).
Baked! The Musical, by Jord Liu & Deepak Kumar, directed by May Addrales. When she doesn’t receive the scholarship that would send her to her dream school, Jane Huang, with her best friend and he class degenerate, secretly builds a Chinese bakery cannabis edible empire.
Blackout, by Steven Gallagher & Anton Lipoyetsky, directed by Asher Lloyd Ehrenberg. On Aug. 14, 2003, Toronto was plunged into chaos when the largest blackout in North American history left millions stranded in the dark. Inspired by real events, the musical tells three stories of hope, resilience and connection that unfold when the city is dark, and strangers band together to find the light.
The Female Pope, by Shannon Burkett & Heather Christian, directed byMei Ann Teo. A highly disputed story about a woman in the 9nth century who rose to the papacy. A young girl’s father cdesperate to keep her safe – disguises her as a boy, with the promise of an education. This unlocks a passion for learning that propels her to the most powerful position in the world – a stunning achievement that threatens the very existence of the Catholic Church itself.
Get Out Alive, by Nikki Lynette, Matt Hennessy, Clay Bail, Malcom Fong, Savid Livins & Zeke Macumber. directed by Roger Ellis. A new autobiographical afrogoth musical which raises mental health awareness through the lens of an underground concert. With music that is equal parts punk, hip hop, alternative rock and pop, Nikki’s true story shows that when life leads us to a bad place, we can always make it out alive.
King of Pangaea, by Martin Storrow, directed by Richard Israel. After a sudden loss shatters his world apart, 21-year-old Christopher Crow travels back to the imaginary island of his childhood in hopes of finding answers that will bring the pieces back together, and examines what it means to become king or queen of one’s own heart.
The Pelican, by Will Lacker & Dylan Glatthorn, directed by Alan Muraoka. In the not-too-distant future, The Pelican Bar is almost all that remains of a Florida coastal town devastated by climate change. When a new category of hurricane approaches, the new offbeat residents that remain must make a choice: exchange their freedom for safety in a nearby Corporate City, or risk the storm to keep their town alive.
Perpetual Sunshine & the Ghost Girls, by Sara Cooper & Lynne Shankel, directed by Ann Yee. Featuring an all women cast, this original through-composed 1920s – 2020s mashup score, the musical tells the true story of the capitalist exploitation and knowing radium poisoning of workers by the U.S. Radium Corporation – and the women who fought back.
Pup! A Chew Story – A New Musical, by Marcus Terrell Smith & Robin Schäfer, directed by Rachel Klein. Is finding a forever home at the heart of every dog? Or are they meant for greater things? The strength of friendship is put to the ultimate test when two inseparable companions – a tri-pawed pit bull and his chew toy – embark on a quest for a forever home in Hollywood
How to: You, by Joriah Kwame
Afterwords, by Zoe Sarnak
In Pieces, by Joey Contreras
Liana Sta. Ana, Will Blum, Benai Alicia Boyd, Nick Bruno, Benjamin Camenzuli, Michael Castillo, Kai An Chee, Genesis Adelia Collado, Nadia Dandashi, Kayla Davion, Diana DeGarmo, Tsebiyah Mishael Dickey, Michelle Dowdy, Alan H. Green, Megan Masako Haley, Darron Hayes, Lauryn Hobbs, Timothy Huang, Diana Huey, Steven Huynh, Arica Jackson, Asher Edgecliffe Johnson, Jade Jones, Olivia Kaufman, Ray Kay, Tamika Lawrence, Darius Jordan Lee, Fay Ann Lee, Angel Lin, Jacob Louchheim, Zonya Love, Matilda Luz Concha Pearson, Wade McCullum, Judy McLane, Mary Kate Morrissey, Nicole Vanessa Ortiz, Shereen Pimentel, Sam Primack, Michelle J. Rodriguez, Graham Rowat, Nora Schell, Terran Scott, Herman Sebek, Helen J. Shen, Mary Testa, Mariand Torres, Ching Valdes-Aran, Timothy Warmen, Nicole Weiss, Max Wilcox, Lenny Wolpe, Amra-Faye Wright, Audrey Rose Young, and Sumi Yu.
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Lillian Hellman’s Watch on the Rhine will run Dec. 9 – Feb. 4, 2023 (opening Dec. 15) at the Donmar Warehouse, directed by Ellen McDougall.
Kate Duchêne, Caitlin FitzGerald, Patricia Hodge, and more TBA.
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Try It Like This: Directors and Choreographers Take the Stage, in support of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), conceived by Jerry Mitchell and directed by Keenan Tyler Oliphant, will take place Mon. Oct. 17 at 7:30 PM at NYC’s 54 Below, hosted by Baayork Lee.
Steve H Broadnax, Rachel Chavkin, Moisés Kaufman, Lorin Latarro, Pam MacKinnon, Jerry Mitchell, Leigh Silverman, Susan Stroman, Maria Torres, Sergio Trujillo, Michael Wilson Michael Arden, Stephen Brackett, Jonathan, Trip Cullman, Dormeshia, Aaron De Jesus, Shadia Fairuz, Amber Gray, Angelique Ilo, Michael R. Jackson, Naomi Kakuk, Rory Kaplan, Andy Karl, Orfeh, CJ Pawlikowski, and Helen White.
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Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop will close Jan. 15, 2023 at Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre, after 13 previews and 301 regular performances, directed by Stephen Brackett.
Jacquel Spivey, Antwayn Hopper, James Jackson, Jr., L Morgan Lee, John-Michael Lyles, John-Andrew Morrison, and Jason Veasey.