John Lithgow
On Broadway we have John Lithgow in Stories By Heart at the American Airlines. Already in previews the show is the first to open in the 2018 season. John Lithgow will bringing to life characters created by Ring Lardner and P.G. Wodehouse, opening January 11, 2018.
It is Off Broadway where the openings multiply.
January 5: Enda Walsh’s Disco Pigs, is marking the 20th anniversary of its explosive British debut. Disco Pigs comes to the Irish Repertory Theatre starring Evanna Lynch (Harry Potter, My Name is Emily) and Colin Campbell (Dublin by Lamplight, Through A Glass Darkly).
January 6: A new solo play from acclaimed Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlander. Until The Flood (January 6–February 18), draws on interviews with St. Louis residents following the tragic death of Michael Brown.
January 8: Writer-director Robert O’Hara (Bootycandy, Barbecue) returns Off-Broadway to Playwrights Horizons with Mankind, a new play that imagines a future in which men can give birth and women have gone extinct from centuries of mistreatment. Run through January 28
January 9: Second Stage Theater presents the world premiere of Greg Pierce’s Cardinal, a new drama about big ideas and a changing America. Sweat director Kate Whoriskey directs a cast that includes Emmy nominees Becky Ann Baker and Anna Chlumsky as well as Happy Endings star Adam Pally.
January 10: Actor, playwright, and director Ngozi Anyanwu makes her Off-Broadway playwriting debut with The Homecoming Queen at Atlantic Theater Company. Mfoniso Udofia stars as a novelist returning to Nigeria to care for her father, a trip that forces her to confront a painful past, her culture, and a deep, unexpected love. Awoye Timpo directs.
January 11: Playwrights Horizons stages a limited return engagement of the hit show Miles For Mary, a comedy from ensemble company The Mad Ones with direction by Lila Neugebauer. Set in 1988, the play tracks the meetings and politics of the planning committee for Garrison High School’s ninth annual Miles For Mary Telethon.
January 11: The Civillians’ The Undertaking returns Off-Broadway following a hit run at the 2016 BAM Next Wave Festival for a limited run at 59E59 Theaters through February 4.
January 16: From the best-selling author and performer of The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler, comes a new stage adaptation of her acclaimed memoir: In the Body of the World. The American Repertory Theater production, directed by Diane Paulus, is co-presented Off-Broadway with Manhattan Theatre Club. The new solo show will play MTC’s New York City Center stage.
January 16: Kevin Armento and Bryony Lavery’s tennis drama Balls, a theatrical re-telling of the 1973 Battle of the Sexes tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, debuts at 59E59 Theaters in a production from One Year Lease Theater Company and Stages Repertory Theatre directed by Ianthe Demos and Nick Flint.
James Cusati-Moyer, Douglas Hodge, Marsha Mason, Marin Mazzie
January 17: In his newest play, Fire and Air, four-time Tony-winning playwright and musical book writer Terrence McNally explores the rich history behind Sergei Diaghilev’s preeminent company Ballet Russes. Tony winner Douglas Hodge stars as Diaghilev alongside James Cusati-Moyer as celebrated dancer Vaslav Nijinsky in the John Doyle-helmed world premiere at Classic Stage Company. The production also stars Broadway favorites John Glover, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Marin Mazzie, Marsha Mason, James Cusati-Moyer and Douglas Hodge.
January 18: Stanley Houghton’s comedy Hindle Wakes receives its first New York City revival in 95 years in a production from Mint Theater Company at the Clurman Theater at Theatre Row. When the play premiered in London in 1912, it was considered controversial, but was praised for its depiction of two young people seeking pleasure before marriage.
January 18: Theatre For a New Audience presents the world premiere of Adrienne Kennedy’s first play in nine years: He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box, a story of segregation, yearning, and doomed love. Told through monologues and images, the drama weaves tales of Jim Crow, Nazism, and sexual hypocrisy. Evan Yionoulis directs the debut production at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Brooklyn.
January 18: The Olivier Award-winning Royal Court Theatre production of Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen, directed by Matthew Dunster, makes its U.S. debut at the Atlantic Theater Company. Game of Thrones star Mark Addy plays Harry, the second-best hangman in England on the day that hanging is abolished.
January 23: Terrence Mann and Will Swenson star in The New Group’s musical Jerry Springer – The Opera at the Pershing Square Signature Center. The comic opera features a score by Richard Thomas, who also penned the book and lyrics with Stewart Lee, with direction by John Rando and choreography by Chris Bailey. Will Swenson and Terrance Mann star.
January 24: Mashuq Mushtaq Deen at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Draw the Circle, Deen (January 24–February 18) shines a light on the experiences of family and friends when a person transitions from one gender to another.
January 28: Kate Benson’s upside-down romantic comedy [Porto]—a collaboration from WP Theater, The Bushwick Starr, and New Georges—makes its official splash on the Off-Broadway stage following an acclaimed world premiere at the Starr earlier this year. Obie winner Lee Sunday Evans directs.
January 30: House of Cards actor and Pulitzer-nominated playwright Eisa Davis and Community star Gillian Jacobs go head to head in Sarah Burgess’ Kings, a new comedy about money, politics, and the state of the American republic. Tony-winning Hamilton director Thomas Kail teams up again with playwright Burgess (Dry Powder) for the world premiere at The Public Theater. The production also stars Aya Cash (You’re the Worst) and Zach Grenier (The Good Wife).
January 31: Ensemble Studio Theatre and The Radio Drama Network present the world premiere of Sylvia Khoury’s Against The Hillside, a new drama about a drone pilot and a young Pakistani woman that examines the human cost of drone warfare. William Carden directs.
The countdown is on and the winners of the 2022/2023 season will be announced in a live televised ceremony on Sunday, June 11.
Here is who we think will win and who should.
Best Scenic Design of a Play
The Nominees
Miriam Buether, Prima Facie
Tim Hatley & Andrzej Goulding, Life of Pi
Rachel Hauck, Good Night, Oscar
Richard Hudson, Leopoldstadt
Dane Laffrey & Lucy Mackinnon, A Christmas Carol
Most if the technical awards will and should go to this amazing visual production
Will win: Tim Hatley & Andrzej Goulding
Should win: Tim Hatley & Andrzej Goulding
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
The Nominees
Beowulf Boritt, New York, New York
Mimi Lien, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Michael Yeargan & 59 Productions, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Scott Pask, Shucked
Scott Pask, Some Like It Hot
The theatre community is going to want to honor New York, New York in some way, but it is Sweeney Todd that has our vote.
Will win: Beowulf Boritt
Should win:Mimi Lien
Cast of Broadway’s ‘Ain’t No Mo’ Photo by Joan Marcus
Best Costume Design of a Play
The Nominees
Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes & Finn Caldwell, Life of Pi
Dominique Fawn Hill, Fat Ham
Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Leopoldstadt
Emilio Sosa, Ain’t No Mo’
Emilio Sosa, Good Night, Oscar
Emilio Sosa is up for two nominations but will win for Ain’t No Mo’ in order to honor this show.
Will win: Emilio Sosa
Should win:Emilio Sosa
Best Costume Design of a Musical
The Nominees
Gregg Barnes, Some Like It Hot
Susan Hilferty, Parade
Jennifer Moeller, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Clint Ramos & Sophia Choi, KPOP
Paloma Young, & Juliet
Donna Zakowska, New York, New York
Hands down this is Gregg Barnes. His costumes are spectacular and make you want to go shopping on that set.
Will win: Gregg Barnes
Should win:Gregg Barnes
Best Lighting Design of a Play
The Nominees
Neil Austin, Leopoldstadt
Natasha Chivers, Prima Facie
Jon Clark, A Doll’s House
Bradley King, Fat Ham
Tim Lutkin, Life of Pi
Jen Schriever, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Ben Stanton, A Christmas Carol
Most if the technical awards will and should go to this amazing visual production
Will win: Tim Lutkin
Should win: Tim Lutkin
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
The Nominees
Ken Billington, New York, New York
Lap Chi Chu, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Heather Gilbert, Parade
Howard Hudson, & Juliet
Natasha Katz, Some Like It Hot
Natasha Katz, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Natasha Katz is up for two nominations but will win for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in order to honor this show.
Will win: Natasha Katz
Should win:Natasha Katz
photo credit achristmascarollive.com
Best Sound Design of a Play
The Nominees
Jonathan Deans & Taylor Williams, Ain’t No Mo’
Carolyn Downing, Life of Pi
Joshua D. Reid, A Christmas Carol
Ben & Max Ringham, A Doll’s House
Ben & Max Ringham, Prima Facie
The sound design in this show by Joshua D. Reid was spectacular and made the show.
Will win: Joshua D. Reid
Should win: Joshua D. Reid
Joshua Henry, Gavin Creel Into the Woods Photo credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Best Sound Design of a Musical
The Nominees
Kai Harada, New York, New York
John Shivers, Shucked
Scott Lehrer & Alex Neumann, Into the Woods
Gareth Owen, & Juliet
Nevin Steinberg, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Will win: Scott Lehrer & Alex Neumann
Should win:Nevin Steinberg
Broadway
Countdown to The Tony Awards: Who Will and Who Should Win Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography and More
The countdown is on and the winners of the 2022/2023 season will be announced in a live televised ceremony on Sunday, June 11.
Here is who we think will win and who should.
Michael Arden
Direction of a Musical
The Nominees
Michael Arden, Parade
Lear deBessonet, Into the Woods
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot
Jack O’Brien, Shucked
Jessica Stone, Kimberly Akimbo
Parade is another of the theatre communities darlings and it is well deserved. Arden is Tony nominated and never won. Nicholaw has been nominated 6 times as a director, won for Book of Mormon. As much as I think he deserves this award, I just don’t see it happening,
Will win: Michael Arden
Should win: Casey Nicholaw
Casey Nicholaw Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
Best Choreography
The Nominees
Steven Hoggett, Sweeney Todd
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot
Susan Stroman, New York, New York
Jennifer Weber, & Juliet
Jennifer Weber, KPOP
There really is no beating Casey Nicholaw’s choreography in this show. It is powerful, joyous, in perfect harmony as they dance and move as one.
Will win: Casey Nicholaw
Should win: Casey Nicholaw
Outstanding Book of a Musical David Lindsay-Abaire, Kimberly Akimbo
Best Book of a Musical
The Nominees
David West Read, & Juliet
David Lindsay-Abaire, Kimberly Akimbo
David Thompson and Sharon Washington, New York, New York
Robert Horn, Shucked
Matthew López & Amber Ruffin, Some Like It Hot
The theater community loves Kimberly Akimbo and they love David Lindsay-Abaire. Robert Horn won for Tootsie and now with Shucked, you laugh at his pure and corny entertainment, but this is a tough category this year and even Matthew López & Amber Ruffin for Some Like It Hot deserve the prize.
Will win: David Lindsay-Abaire
Should win: Robert Horn
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Nominees
Tom Kitt (music & lyrics) and Cameron Crowe (lyrics), Almost Famous
Jeanine Tesori (music) and David Lindsay-Abaire (lyrics), Kimberly Akimbo
Helen Park and Max Vernon, KPOP
Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, Shucked
Marc Shaiman (music & lyrics) and Scott Wittman (lyrics), Some Like It Hot
Shaiman and Wittman’s score knocks you over with a feather, while you wish to be bad. They will ride out the storm and kick out those darker shades of blue to Zee Bap to take it up a step!
Will win: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Should win: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Best Orchestrations
The Nominees
Bill Sherman and Dominic Fallacaro, & Juliet
John Clancy, Kimberly Akimbo
Jason Howland, Shucked
Charlie Rosen & Bryan Carter, Some Like It Hot
Daryl Waters & Sam Davis, New York, New York
These two make Shaiman and Wittman’s score sound hotter than hot.
Will win: Charlie Rosen & Bryan Carter
Should win: Charlie Rosen & Bryan Carter
Broadway
Theatre News: Doubt: A Parable, Here Lies Love, Prayer for the French Republic, Eisenhower and Hell’s Kitchen
Tyne Daly and Liev Schreiber will star in a revival of Doubt: A Parable on Broadway. The production is to begin performances next February at the American Airlines Theater.
The new production is produced by the Roundabout Theater Company, and will be directed by Scott Ellis, who has been serving as the nonprofit’s interim artistic director since the death of artistic director Todd Haimes in April.
The play, by John Patrick Shanley, is about a nun who suspects a priest has sexually abused a student at a Catholic school. In 2005, the year it first opened on Broadway, it won both the Pulitzer Prize for drama and the Tony Award for best play; it was later adapted into a film and an opera.
Daly, who will play the nun who serves as the school principal, and Schreiber, who will play the parish priest, are both Tony winners. Daly, is known for her role in “Cagney & Lacey”. She won the 1990 Tony Award for her portrayal as Mama Rose in the revival of Gypsy. Schreiber, is the star of Showtime’s “Ray Donovan.” He won a Tony Award in 2005 for a revival of Glengarry Glen Ross.
Doubt is one of three plays to be staged by Roundabout this coming season. The others are I Need That, a new play by Theresa Rebek starring Danny DeVito alongside his daughter, Lucy, and Home, a 1979 revival, directed by Kenny Leon, by Samm-Art Williams.
David Byrne, Fatboy Slim and Here Lies Love are causing controversy with their July Broadway debut. The show’s extensive use of prerecorded music has the American Federation of Musicians’ Local 802, up in arms. The Local’s Broadway musical contract stipulate that productions employ 19 live musicians.
In response to the union’s concerns, Byrne and the show’s PR team released a statement on Instagram to lay out the production’s revolutionary format and genre-bending originality. Here Lies Love is not a traditional Broadway musical. The music is drawn outside of the traditional music genre. The performance of the live vocals to pre-recorded, artificial tracks is paramount to its artistic concept. Production has ripped out the seats in the theater and built a dance floor. There is no longer a proscenium stage. The Broadway Theater has been transformed into a nightclub, with every theatergoer immersed in the experience.
Here Lies Love is on Broadway because Broadway must support boundary-pushing creative work. Broadway is also the venue for a well conceived, high-quality show that highlights the valued traditions of specific cultures whose stories have never been on its stages. Here Lies Love does not believe in artistic gatekeepers. Here Lies Love believes in a Broadway for everyone, where new creative forms push the medium and create new traditions and audiences.
I saw Here Lies Love at The Public and not sure what kind of fast talking this is, but this statement rings false and full of how can we cut the costs while sticking it to the audience.
Photo by Murphymade
Prayer for the French Republic, by Joshua Harmon is coming to Broadway this season.This award-winning Off Broadway production played to rave reviews at The Manhattan Theatre Club. The production was the winner of the 2022 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play. Broadway performances will begin previews on Tuesday, December 19, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, with an official opening night on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. David Cromer directs.
Off Broadway: Tony winner John Rubinstein starts previews June 13 at St. Clement’s in one-man show Eisenhower.
Alicia Keys’ musical Hell’s Kitchen will run at The Public Theater from October 24 – December 10, starring Shoshana Bean. Inspired by Keys’ own life, the new musical features an original score by the 15-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, with a book by Kristoffer Diaz. Hell’s Kitchen will be directed by Michael Greif and choreographed by Camille A. Brown.
Leading the cast will be Maleah Joi Moon as Ali, opposite Bean as Ali’s mother Jersey, with Brandon Victor Dixon as Ali’s father Davis, Chad Carstarphen as Ray, Vanessa Ferguson as Tiny, Crystal Monee Hall as Crystal, Chris Lee as Knuck, Jackie Leon as Jessica, Kecia Lewis as Ali’s piano teacher Miss Liza Jane, Mariand Torres as Maria, and Lamont Walker II as Riq.
Completing the cast are Reid Clarke, Chloe Davis, Nico DeJesus, Timothy L. Edwards, Raechelle Manalo, Sarah Parker, and Niki Saludez, with understudies Badia Farha, Gianna Harris, Onyxx Noel, William Roberson, and Donna Vivino.
The musical is described as a coming-of-age story set in a cramped apartment in the neighborhood of the title near Times Square, where 17-year-old Ali is desperate to get her piece of the New York dream. Ali’s mother is just as determined to protect her daughter from the same mistakes she made. When Ali falls for a talented young drummer, both mother and daughter must face hard truths about race, defiance, and growing up.
The production has set design by Robert Brill, costumes by Dede Ayite, lighting by Natasha Katz, sound by Gareth Owens, and projection design by Peter Nigrini.
The countdown is on and the winners of the 2022/2023 season will be announced in a live televised ceremony on Sunday, June 11.
Here is who we think will win and who should.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
The Nominees
Annaleigh Ashford, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sara Bareilles, Into the Woods
Victoria Clark, Kimberly Akimbo
Lorna Courtney, & Juliet
Micaela Diamond, Parade
This to us is a no brainer … Victoria Clark performance has stood out since she brought Kimberly Akimbo to life off-Broadway in 2021. Though Annaleigh is a terrific performer this is Victoria’s year.
Will Win: Victoria Clark
Should Win: Victoria Clark
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
The Nominees
Christian Borle, Some Like It Hot
J. Harrison Ghee, Some Like It Hot
Josh Groban, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Brian d’Arcy James, Into the Woods
Ben Platt, Parade
Colton Ryan, New York, New York
This is another no brainer J. Harrison Ghee gives a textured layered performance. Ben Platt and Josh Groban cancel each other out, though both are riveting performances.
Will win: J. Harrison Ghee
Should win: J. Harrison Ghee
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
The Nominees
Julia Lester, Into the Woods
Ruthie Ann Miles, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Bonnie Milligan, Kimberly Akimbo
NaTasha Yvette Williams, Some Like It Hot
Betsy Wolfe, & Juliet
Bonnie Milligan took the theatre community by storm in Head Over Heels, but it was not her time. This year Milligan commands the stage and you definitely remember her performance.
Will win: Bonnie Milligan
Should win: Bonnie Milligan
Alex Newell photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
The Nominees
Kevin Cahoon, Shucked
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo
Kevin Del Aguila, Some Like It Hot
Jordan Donica, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Alex Newell, Shucked
Many think Alex Newell was snubbed in 2018 for his performance in Once on This Island. Newell gets standing ovations over at Shucked for “Independently Owned” and they are well deserved. Kevin Del Aguila to me was a breath of fresh air and made me love his performance not once, but twice.
Will win: Alex Newell
Should win:Kevin Del Aguila
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Countdown to The Tony Awards: Who Will and Who Should Win in Best Performance in a Musical