Today’s Highlights:
Clarkston, by Samuel D. Hunter, directed by Jack Serio, featuring Joe Locke, Ruaridh Mollica, and Sophie Melville, opens at London’s Trafalgar Theatre.
A Chorus Line, directed by Rob Ruggiero, featuring Travante S. Baker (Larry), Haley Bjorn (Kristine) Aaron Patricrick Craven )Don), Karli Dinardo (Cassie), Alex Drost (Al), Lisa Finegold (Bebe), Diego Guevara (Paul), Patrick Higgins (Mark), Beatrice Howell (Val), Caroline Kane (Judy), Liesie Kelly (maggie), Ryan Mulvaney (Bobbie), Jonah Nash (Richie), Emma X. O’Loughlin (Connie), Mario Rizzi (Mike), Clifton Samuels (Zach), Sammy Schechter (Greg), Mikeaela Secada (Diana), and Scarlett Walker (Shelia), with Maggie Mergman, Christian Feliciano, Abbey Friedmann, and Erica Peréz-Gotay. opens at CT’s Goodspeed.
The Weekend: A Stockbridge Story, by Ben Diskant, directed by Alan Paul, featuring Bill Army, Sasha Diamond, and Molly Jobe, begins preives at Boston’s Barrington Stage.
A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder, directed by Noelle Marion, featuring Michael Cavinder (Inspector Pinckney), Shinah Hey (Miss Barley/Lady/ Eugenia), Jean Kauffman (Miss Shingle) Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper (D’Ysquith Family), Andrew Polec (Monty, Katy Tang (Phoebe D’Ysquith, and Lauren Weinberg (Sibella, begins previews at Laguna Playhouse.
**********************
Reviews for Art at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre:
New York Times (Elizabeth Vincentelli) The play itself, however, is a lot more interesting than a mere star vehicle, and is proving to be remarkably resilient. It’s easy to picture similar arguments about buying NFT art, or a Patek Philippe watch, especially in an era when many people define their identity through purchases and cultural tastes…
Theatrely (Juan A. Ramirez): I never thought I’d see Yasmina Reza’s 1994 play, Art, staged. Its central comedic conceit of three friends arguing over one’s $300,000 purchase of a plain white canvas always felt like a relic of that era’s New Yorker style of humor; a Graydon Carter worldliness imposed onto that Seinfeld bit about Grape-Nuts. But as with her other comedy, God of Carnage, about parents fighting over whose kid hit the other, it’s less an exploration of the thing than a clever unspooling of repercussions…
Variety (Daniel D’Addario) …Corden is reasserting himself as a major theater actor, and his turn as the wobbliest vertex of a friendship triangle would, alone, make the new production of this slippery social satire worth seeing…
**********************
Broadway Grosses for the week ending Sept 14.
Click here for the complete analysis.
**********************
Musical Theatre Guild‘s An Evening with the Maestro – MTG Sings Bernstein concert will take place Sun. Sept. 21 at 7 PM at Santa Monica’s Broadstage, directed by Jason Graae.
Carol Lawrence.
Eydie Alyson, Eileen Barnett, Anastasia Barzee, Roger BefelerJennifer Bennett, Jill Marie Burke, Will Collyer, Matthew Patrick Davis, Susan Edwards Martin, Melissa Fahn, Joshua Finkel, Zachary Ford, Julie Garnyé, Maura M. Knowles, Ashley Fox Linton, Melissa Lyons Caldretti, Tonoccus McClain, Dana Meller, Ashley Moniz, Taubert Nadalini, Gabriel Navarro, Domonique Paton, Trisha Rapier, Glenn Rosenblum, Brent Schindele, Trance Thompson, Mary VanArsdel, Diane Vincent, Paul Wong, Robert Yacko, and David Zack, with guest artists Patrick Beller, and Bruno Koskoff,
**********************
Ensemble Theatre Company will present Joe landry’s War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast Oct. 8 – 26 (opening Oct. 11) at Santa Barbara’s New Vic, directed by Jamie Torcellini.
Richard Baird (Freddy Filmore/Orson Welles), Matthew Floyd Miller (Harry Haywood), Ashley Margaret Morton (Lana Sherwood), and Bryan Daniel Porter (Jake Laurents).
Step back in time to October 30, 1938, and relive the legendary broadcast that sent the nation into panic! This immersive 90-minute production (with no intermission) recreates the infamous radio drama that blurred the line between fiction and reality, perfectly launching ETC’s season theme of “Truth and Illusion.” Audiences will witness the behind-the-scenes drama as a talented radio troupe performs H.G. Wells’ science fiction masterpiece live, complete with vintage sound effects, period music, and the raw energy that made Orson Welles’ broadcast a cultural phenomenon.
**********************
The Group Rep (1900 Burbank Bv. in North Hollywood) will present Doug Haverty & Adryan Russ’ My Spirits Soar: A Musical Ghost Story Sept. 26 – Nov. 2, directed & choreographed by Kathleen R. Delaney.
Casey Alcoser, Sarah Bruce, Océane Rose Laurent, Catherine Clenahan, Brian Paul “BP” Mendoza, Savannah Mortenson, HaleyO’Brian, Marc Antonio Pritchet, Rob Shaumann, Kevin Spirtas, Abigail Stewart, and Sean Michael Williams.
A young coed from America encounters more challenges than she bargained for as she embarks on her junior year abroad. The once fearless, problem-solving, undaunted wunderkind astounds everyone with her ingenuity, bravery and creativity until she is confronted with the one thing she swore she’d avoid doing at all costs: fall in love. Ghosts. Magic. Art. Music. Love. Dancing. It all spins together in a sometimes humorous, sometimes chilling effervescent evening in the theater. This is a contemporary take on a beloved short story and the music style is Broadway-Pop.
**********************
The Very Thought of You: Steve Ross sings Love Songs will take place Thurs. Oct. 9 at 8 PM at London’s PizzaExpress.
**********************
Jocelyn Bioh Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, directed by Whitney White, will run Oct. 1 – Nov. 9 at LA’s Mark Taper Forum.
TBA.
Step into the vibrant world of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, a beloved Harlem hotspot where West African immigrant braiders work their magic on the locals’ locks. Amidst the lively buzz of a scorching summer, love ignites, dreams soar, and secrets unravel. But beneath the surface of this riotous comedy lies a current of uncertainty, pushing this close-knit community to confront the challenges of being outsiders in their own neighborhood.
**********************
Gingold Theatrical Group‘s Pygmalion will run Oct. 22 – Nov. 22 at Theatre Row, directed by David Staller.
Carson Elrod (Colonel Hugh Pickering), Mark Evans (Henry Higins), Synnove Karlesn (Eliza Doolittle), Teresa Avia Lim (Clara Eynsford-Hill), Lizan Mittchell (Mros. Higgin/Mrsl. Pearce), and Matt Wolpe (Freddy Eynsford Hill/Alfred Doolittle)
**********************
The Off Broadway Alliance has announced its 20 at 20 deal (ct. 20-29).
$20 tickets, 20 minutes befor the curtain for the complete run.
Click here for all participating shows.
**********************
Bucks County Playhouse remembers Robert Redford.
Bucks County Playhouse mourns the passing of Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor, director and founder of the Sundance Institute and Film Festival. He was 89.
Redford made his professional stage debut at Bucks County Playhouse in 1959 in “Tiger at the Gate.” Later that year, he made his first Broadway appearance in “Tall Story.” He returned to the Playhouse in 1963 to star in Neil Simon’s pre-Broadway production of “Nobody Loves Me,” regarded as Redford’s breakout role. The Playhouse production, directed by Mike Nichols, moved to Broadway in October 1963, where it was retitled “Barefoot in the Park.”
“Of all the starry names that have appeared at Bucks County Playhouse over the years, I’ve been most impressed with Robert Redford’s two stints on our stage (Grace Kelly is a close second),” said Alexander Fraser, producing director of Bucks County Playhouse. “His first Playhouse role, ‘Tiger at the Gate,’ was a retelling of the Trojan War, with Redford as Paris — a very handsome party boy. His memoir even recounts the director’s command that he dye his hair blond. The second play, ‘Barefoot in the Park,’ made him a star when it moved to Broadway. I wrote to him in 2019 inviting him to our 75th anniversary celebration. He replied immediately, reflecting on fond memories of New Hope and the importance of the Playhouse to his career. Because of COVID-19 he said he wasn’t traveling, but he sent his best. We’ll remember him with the greatest respect.”