Today’s Highlights:
The American Songbook Association celebrates its fifth annual gala with Ahrens and Flaherty: On the Wheels of a Dream, at 7:30 PM at NYC’s Merkin Kaufman Hall, directed by Susan Stroman, featuring Lillias White, Kate Baldwin, Nikki Renée Daniels, Elizabeth Stanley, Alton Fitzgerald White, Hannah Elless, Robert Anthony Jones, Derek Klena, Ann Kittredge, Janine LaManna, Kecia Lewis, A.J. Shively, Nathan Salstone, and Lili Thomas.
Messy White Gays, by Drew Droege, directed by Mike Donahue, featuring Drew Droege, James Cusati-Moyer, Aaron, Jackson, Zane Phillips, and Pete Zias, begins previews at Off-Broadway’s Duke on 42nd Street.
Jacob’s Ladder benefit reading, in support of The Ali Forney Center, directed by Jim Cooney, featuring Ephraim Birney, Melissa Errico, Mark Mackillop, Mary Page Nance, and Rob Sutton, at 7 PM at Off-Broadway’s Theater 555.
“Do You Remember,” a film tribute celebrating Clive Davis, at 7 PM at LA’s The Wallis.
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From One to Ten by Jim Bernhard.
Provide the missing words in these songs from musicals:
| 1. “One ____ More” – Les Misérables | A. Girls |
| 2. “Two ____” – Cabaret | B. People |
| 3, “Three ____” – She Loves Me | C. Months |
| 4. “Four Black ____” – Pacific Overtures | D. Minutes |
| 5. “Five ____” – On the Twentieth Century | E. Day |
| 6. “Six _____ Out of Every Year” – Damn Yankees | F. Ladies |
| 7. “Seven Million ____” – The Most Happy Fella | G. Zeros |
| 8. “Eight Little ____” – Our Miss Gibbs | H. Crumbs |
| 9. “Nine ____’s Favorite Thing” – [title of show] | I. Dragons |
| 10. “Ten _____Ago ” – Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella | J. Letters |
Scroll down for the answers…
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The world premiere of Levi Holloway’s Paranormal Activity will run Nov. 13 – Dec. 7 (opening Nov. 14) at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre, directed by Felix.
Melissa James and Patrick Heusinger.
James and Lou move from Chicago to London to escape the past…but they soon discover that places aren’t haunted, people are.
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Off Broadway’s MCC Theatre will present a benefit reading of The Bridges of Madison County on Mon. Dec. 15 at 7 PM at Carnegie Hall, directed by Bartlett Sher.
Kelli O’Hara and Steven Pasquale, with Ephie Aardema, Jennifer Allen, Whitney Bashor, Charlie Franklin, Kevin Kern, Caitlin Kinnunen, Katie Klaus, Derek, Klena, Luke Marinkovich, Michael X. Martin, Cass Morgan, Aaron Ramey, and Dan Sharkey.
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Colin Escott & Floyd Mutrux’s Million Dollar Quartet will run Oct. 15 – Nov. 9 (opening Oct. 25) at Ventura, CA’s Rubicon Theatre, directed by Creg Sclavi, with music direction by David Lamoureux.
Blake Burgess (Johnny Cash), Teddy Grey (Elvis Presley), Alexander LaPlante (Jerry Lee Lewis), and Will Riddle (Carl Perkins), with Jonathan Fisher (Sam Phillips), Andrea Fleming (Dyanne), David Lamoureux (Fluke), and Jordan Lamoureux (Jay Perkins).
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The world premiere of Rreston Max Allen’s Caroline has been extended through Nov. 16 at Off-Broadway’s MCC Theatre, directed by David Crome.
Amy Landekcer, River Lipe Smith, and Chloë Grace Moretz.
When Maddie is forced to seek the help of her long-estranged mother, she finds herself unable to shield her daughter Caroline from the inescapable circumstances that fractured their family. A luminous and intimate story about the possibility of redemption and the complex relationships between generations of mothers and daughters.
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The world premiere of William Spatz’s Truman vs. Israel will run Oct. 11 – Jan. 4, 2026 (opening Oct. 16) at Theater at St. Clements, directed by Randy White.
Willy Falk (Truman) and Helen Laser (Bella Abzug), with Matt Caplan and Mark Lotito.
Step into Truman’s home office in 1953 Missouri as Bella Abzug uncovers how Truman grappled with one of history’s most consequential decisions. This unflinching biographical drama explores the man behind the momentous recognition of Israel and decision to drop the bomb—revealing the startling contradictions between his public actions and private thoughts. Through Truman’s own diary entries, personal letters, and recorded conversations, witness the internal struggle of a president whose personal prejudices clashed with political necessity and moral imperative. The powerful drama examines how history’s heroes are often deeply flawed human beings making imperfect choices in impossible circumstances. And finally the real unsung hero of Israel’s birth is disclosed.
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Amas Musical Theatre will present Dare To Be Different, a festival of new musicals & Special Events, to run Nov. 7-30 at Off-Broadway’s A.R.T./NY Theatres (502 West 53rd Street), directed by Will Nunziata.
Janine Lamanna , Natalie Joy Johnson , Douglas Goodhart, Loren Lester, Susie Mosher, Gabriella Palminteri, Justin Sargent, and Cole Thompson.
The wrestling world was never wilder than in this raucous rock musical. When an angry teenager picks the wrong fight at school, she finds herself back in her rural hometown and thrown into a no-holds-barred smackdown for the survival of her family business.
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J. B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls will run Nov. 13 – Dec. 14 at Theatre Forty, directed by Catee. Caplin.
Mouchette Van Helsdingen, Katyana Rocker-Cook, Isaac W. Jay, Arezu Tavakoli, David Hunt Stafford, Diana Angelina, Monty Renfrow, Isabella DiBernardino, and Quinn Ruby DeVries.
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Manhattan Theatre Club‘s Bug, by Tracy Letts, will begin previews Dec. 18 and open Jan. 8, 2026, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, directed by David Cromer.
Carrie Coon (Agnes White), Namir Smallwood (Peter Evans), Randall Arney (Dr. Sweet), Jennifer Engstrom (R.C.), and Steve Key (Jerry Goss).
Set in a seedy Oklahoma motel room, Bug centers on the unlikely romance between a lonely waitress and a mysterious and paranoid drifter. The longer they talk, the more the waitress begins to adopt his neuroses.
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A virtual reunion of Hedwig and the Provocation of Queer Theatre will take place Sun. Oct. 12 from 5-6 PM at the Celebration Theatre. The event is free with a suggested donation. The cast reunites for a virtual conversation reflecting on the legacy of Hedwig and the evolving role of queer theatre in reclaiming freedom.
Wade McCollum, Trystan Reese, and Hilliard Guess.
In 2004, Celebration Theatre staged a landmark production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a “powerhouse production.” The musical, a raw and poetic exploration of queer identity, gender, and self-actualization, resonated deeply with audiences—and with the artists who brought it to life.
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Answers: From One to Ten by Jim Bernhard.
1-E. “One Day More” – Les Misérables
2-F. “Two Ladies” – Cabaret
3-J. “Three Letters” – She Loves Me
4-I. “Four Black Dragons” – Pacific Overtures
5-G. “Five Zeros” – On the Twentieth Century
6-C. “Six Months Out of Every Year” – Damn Yankees
7-H. “Seven Million Crumbs” – The Most Happy Fella
8-A. “Eight Little Girls” – Our Miss Gibbs
9-B. “Nine People’s Favorite Thing” – [title of show]
10-D. “Ten Minutes Ago” – Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella