Theatre News Roundup: 8/31-9/1

Hello my dears,

Sorry for another late TNR. I was out seeing Africa My Beautiful. Tonight? Yes. Last night, too? Yes. What? I know. Up until this year (Doctor Zhivago) I'd never seen any show twice, let alone two nights in a row. But it was definitely worth it to go back. The review will be good if I ever get it written. For now, I will say that you owe it to yourself to go. I wouldn't evaluate it as a traditional play because doing so would reflect poorly on material that was so beautifully and honestly presented that it moved me to tears. I also don't want to spoil the experience for you. So for now I will say to just go. The tickets are very affordable. Go with an open mind and prepare to listen. I promise you clear, powerful unamplified voices. What you walk away with from the story is up to you.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Thuli Dumakude and Tanyaradzwa Tawenga share Africa My Beautiful in the intimate Playroom Theatre Off Broadway starting August 31. Performances for the limited engagement will conclude on September 30. Performances are only on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. Book your tickets now.
• Max Posner's Judy begins performances at the New Ohio September 1

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Zachary Levi has replaced Josh Radnor in She Loves Me 
• Jana Robbins will star in the Off-Broadway premiere of Let It Come Down by Eve Lederman. Only 4 performances in September. 
• Casting for Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theatre production of Waterfall
• Complete casting for Therese Raquin
• Complete casting for MTC's Ripcord
• Complete casting for Rothschild & Sons 
• Sydney Lucas joins the Hollywood Arms reading

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Philippa Soo will make her 54 Below solo debut October 19 
• Celebrity Autobiography guests include Brooke Shields, Tate Donovan, Michael Urie, and Jackie Hoffmann

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• Di Goldene Kale, a 1923 Yiddish operetta, will play the Museum of Jewish Heritage December 2-27 
• Daddy Long Legs has announced an open-ended run instead of the previously announced limited engagement

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• If/Then will be released on 2 disc vinyl October 9

They Mean Chicago, Illinois (CHICAGO NEWS)

• The Spongebob Musical will have a Chicago tryout in June 2016. Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Aerosmith, Jonathan Coulton, David Bowie, etc. attached to the project.

Theatre News Roundup: 8/28-8/30

The unexpected passing of Kyle Jean-Baptiste was heartbreaking news. If you can, please consider giving to the scholarship in his name.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• The Christians began performances August 28. Performances continue through October 11 with an opening night on September 17.
• Hamlet in Bed began performances August 28. Performances continue through October 25 with an opening night on September 17.
  

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Whorl Inside A Loop 
• October Sky in Chicago

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Complete casting for Perfect Arrangement 
• Phantom gets a new Christine Alternate and Monsieur Firmin 
• Alfie Boe takes over from Ramin Karimloo in Les Miserables starting September 1

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

• Lynn Nottage's Sweat may be moving Off-Broadway courtesy of The Public
  

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• That Was Then, a one act musical play
• Jason Robert Brown, musical supervisor and arranger for Prince of Broadway, is composing an 8 minute ballet

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• Key Change will have a New York run from January 6 through January 31, 2016 after winning the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh award.
• Tim Firth's Calendar Girls will play Georgia

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• Frances Ruffelle I Say Yeh-Yeh

Theatre News Roundup: 8/25-8/27

Sorry for the delay, my dears. I've been very busy this week. Whorl Inside a Loop opens tonight. You know what I think. I think you should see it. I had a busy but very entertaining day yesterday. First I saw a matinee of Far From Canterbury which is currently playing the 19th annual NYC Fringe Festival. It's great. It's renewed my faith in new work from untested artists. I will write a full review (eventually) but for now I'll just say that it's a very smart take on the Wife of Bath's tale with solid lyrics, good form, and some strong ideas. It was the perfect kind of amateur production to see at Fringe NYC. I also caught Zoe Sarnak's concert at Joe's Pub. Her music is just so fantastic. I'm less of a fan of the harder rock songs because that's just not my style. I find them repetitive. But I've definitely got her Romeo and Juliet and Civil War musicals on my radar, as should you.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Whorl Inside A Loop opens August 27
• A Delicate Ship opens August 27

Closed for Renovations (CANCELLATIONS)

• Some Fringe NYC relocating after AC issues

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• The box office for the first Broadway production of Dames at Sea will open Monday, August 31, 2015 at 10am at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Patrons who go to the box office from 10AM - 6PM will be able to purchase tickets for preview performances for $19.33 each. Limit four per transaction. Between the hours of 10AM - 11AM, dancers will have the opportunity to demonstrate their own original 60-second tap combination for Assistant Director and Choreographer Emily Morgan, to win the chance to join the cast of Dames at curtain call of the Gypsy Run.
• Sheen Center grand opening events. First 100 tickets for paid events are only $10 ($13 with fees)
• Tickets are now on sale for Trip of Love, the 1960's jukebox musical 
• Tickets on sale for A View From the Bridge

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• Edenville, a new musical from Joe Drymala, will have a developmental reading

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Reviews of Benedict Cumberbatch's Hamlet

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Amy Yakima, winner of SYTYCD, will take over as Peter Pan in Finding Neverland for fellow SYTYCD winner Melanie Moore 
• An Act of God with Sean Hayes in LA
• Kevin Bacon will return to the stage this fall in the world premiere of Rear Window in Connecticutt
• Misty Copeland begins her run in On the Town August 25

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Lillias White is set to perform at this year's Bucks County Cabaret, a one-night-only concert produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The event will take place October 24 at the Bucks County Playhouse.
•  The Broadway Sings concert series will continue this fall with its ninth installment, titled Broadway Sings Sara Bareilles.
• Drama League Up Close speakers/guests announced

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• Africa My Beautiful August 31- September 30 
• Project Shaw

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• Broadway stars featured on upcoming album from Jonathan Reid Gealt released November 9
• Track list for upcoming compilation album "We Love Disney" featuring Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Kacey Musgraves, Yuna, etc.

Theatre News Roundup: 8/23-8/24

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• A.R. Gurney's Love and Money officially opens August 24

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• Box office open for Sam Shepard's Fool for Love 
• Onstage seating for A View From The Bridge. $50 during previews; $135 after opening

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical private industry reading

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Forest Whitaker will make his Broadway debut in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's Hughie
• Complete casting for Clever Little Lies 
• New cast announced for The Flick
• Charlotte Kate Fox to play Roxie in Chicago on Broadway November 2-15. She will then play the role in Tokyo and Osaka.

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• RENT to play Long Island City, Queens in the fall

We Open in Venice, We Next Play Verona (TOURS)

• Alan Cumming will tour Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs across the US
• Hugh Jackman will perform a 5-city tour of his show Broadway to Oz in Australia

They Mean Chicago, Illinois (CHICAGO NEWS)

• The 1973 musical La Revolution Francaise with music by Schönberg and Raymond Jeannot, original text by Boublil and Jean-Max Riviere, and English adaptation of book and lyrics by Michael Mahle will be performed in concert September 28 at Thalia Hall in Chicago.
• The Black/White Love Play (The Story of Chaz and Roger Ebert) has cast Kevin Pollack as Roger Ebert. Performances will begin in September.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• Soho Rep 2015-2016 season

Theatre News Roundup: 8/22

Sorry for the late TNR, my dears. For some unknown reason Google Chrome refuses to open on this computer and I am subject to the emotional whims of my electronic devices.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

•  Off-Broadway's Mint Theater Company begins performances of its summer revival of Harold Chapin's comedy The New Morality Aug. 22, starring Christian Campbell.  
•  Erasmus Fenn's Drop Dead Perfect officially opens Off-Broadway Aug. 23 starring Everett Quinton. Previews began Aug. 19. 

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

•  The Off-Broadway world premiere of Douglas Carter Beane's semi-autobiographical play Shows for Days, starring Patti LuPone and Michael Urie, concludes its Lincoln Center Theater run Aug. 23 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Carly Hughes returns to Chicago August 22- September 4

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

•  Stephanie J. Block and Aaron Lazar will join forces to take part in the New York Pops' annual A Cabaret Evening at 54 Below. The event will take place on September 28 and serve as a benefit for the Pops' PopsEd Programs and Ronald McDonald House New York.

A Musical (MUSICALS)

•  From October 6-November 8 at the Connelly Theater, Soho Rep. and Ars Nova will present the New York premiere of Futurity, a new musical by César Alvarez and the Lisps.

Theatre News Roundup: 8/21

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• Lorenzo Thione and Andrew Treagus, producers of the forthcoming new Broadway musical Allegiance, have announced a partnership with Inspire Change, an arts program that works alongside commercial theatre productions to provide students across the tri-state area with no-cost and low-cost tickets paired with educational programming.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• A reading of the new musical The Sting, based on the 1973 film of the same name, was held in Manhattan. Bob Martin has teamed up with Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis to adapt the film for Broadway. The reading featured Tony winner Shuler Hensley and Mandy Gonzalez as, respectively, the mob boss and Billie.

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Reviews of Waitress at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Canada's Theatre Calgary has announced casting for the world premiere of The Little Prince – The Musical, adapted and composed by Nicholas Lloyd Webber — son of Andrew Lloyd Webber — and James D. Reid. The cast will feature Sarah Caraher in the title role of the Little Prince, Adam Brazier as The Pilot, Mamma Mia!'s Louise Pitre as The Snake and Elicia MacKenzie as The Rose. The ensemble comprises Chelsey Duplak, Kevin Forestell, Julio Fuentes, Jocelyn Gauthier, Keely Hutton, Joe Matheson, Andrew McAllister, Jennie Neumann, Alexander Nicoll, Nicole Norsworthy, Justin Raisbeck, Yemie Sonuga and Jena VanElslander.

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• The Manhattan Theatre Club, which produces both on and Off-Broadway, has announced that the eighth show of the season will be The Ruins of Civilization by U.K. playwright Penelope Skinner, to be staged in Spring 2016.  

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• The It Shoulda Been You album is released digitally Aug. 21. The CD will be released Oct. 9.

Theatre News Roundup: 8/19-8/20

Be sure to read to the end for the Kinky Boots contest! :)

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Previews begin Aug. 20 for the New York premiere of Matthew Lopez's The Legend of Georgia McBride, about an Elvis impersonator turned drag queen. 

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• Broadway Week returns Sept. 7-20. The biannual promotion offers theatregoers the chance to purchase two-for-one tickets to a range of Broadway shows. Tickets are on sale as of Aug. 19.
• Changes in the ticket lottery system have been announced for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. According to a tweet from the official Hedwig Twitter account, "New lottery timing--you may now enter 2 hours before each performance; winners drawn 90 minutes prior to show time."
• IRT Theater proudly presents Troy Deutsch’s In a Tilted Place, a kaleidoscopic play directed by Ashley Brooke Monroe and Courtney Ulrich. Tickets are $18 and are available online at BrownPaperTickets.com or by phone. Tickets are also available to purchase a half hour before each performance.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Alix Korey will play Yente in the forthcoming revival of Fiddler on the Roof, which will begin previews Nov. 12 prior to an official opening Dec. 17 at The Broadway Theatre.
• Casting has been announced for the Cleveland Play House's world premiere of Ken Ludwig's A Comedy of Tenors. The cast will include Ron Orbach (Saunders), Antoinette Lavecchia (Maria), Bradley Dean (Tito/Beppo), Kristen Martin (Mimi), Bobby Conte Thornton (Carlo Nucci), Rob McClure (Max) and Lisa Brescia (Tatiana Racón). 
• Christopher Denham will join Al Pacino in the Broadway debut of David Mamet's China Doll, which will begin previews Oct. 21. Denham replaces Fran Kranz, who had to withdraw from the production due to scheduling issues. It has also been announced that the limited engagement, originally scheduled for 87 performances, will now play 97 shows.
• casting for Carrie the Musical, which will play the historic Los Angeles Theatre, the first theatrical musical at that venue.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Brian Stokes Mitchell will play Café Carlyle Sept. 15-26. Mitchell's new show, entitled Plays With Music, will feature Broadway favorites, standards and jazz. The acclaimed singing actor will be accompanied by a trio led by his long-time pianist and collaborator, Tedd Firth, with Gary Haase on bass and Mark McLean on drums.
• Amanda McBroom will return to 54 Below this fall over two nights with her new solo show, Up Close and Personal. McBroom is a Golden Globe winner for Best Original Song for "The Rose," the Oscar-winning 1979 film starring Bette Midler. McBroom will hit the stage at 54 Below on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in a show that will feature previously unheard songs from her personal songwriter’s trunk, plus music by some of her favorite writers. McBroom's song "Errol Flynn," which she wrote about her father, was recently featured on NPR’s "Songs We Love." 

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• Cirque du Soleil will take over Broadway’s Lyric Theatre next spring for its first-ever made-for-Broadway musical, Paramour, the story of a young poet in Hollywood. The songs are credited to Cirque songwriting team "Bob & Bill" (creative aliases for Guy Dubuc and Marc Lessard) but no librettist is listed. 
• Who's Your Baghdaddy? Or How I Started The Iraq War, the new musical by Marshall Pailet and A.D. Penedo, will begin performances Off-Broadway Sept. 26. The musical comedy follows members of a support group for those who started the Iraq War. With an official opening night slated for Oct. 17, performances will run through Nov. 22 at the Actors Temple Theater.
• Welcome to My World, a new "one-girl musical" written for and about a 14-year-old, will make its world premiere Sept. 10-27 at the Grove Theatre in Burbank, CA. Sami Staitman will star in the limited engagement, which will officially open Sept. 12 at 8 PM.
• Theater for the New City will stage Bike Shop, The Musical next month, helmed by Gretchen Cryer. Bike Shop, The Musical features a libretto by Elizabeth Barkan, who also stars, lyrics by Caroline Murphy and music by Youn-Young Park. Performances will run Sept. 11-27 at TNC's Cino Theater. Told through narrative and song, the musical follows three generations of a bike-obsessed Jewish-American family.