Broadway
Theatre News: American Buffalo, Street Fair, Some Lovers, $ For Theatre’s, Goosebumps and
Three small times hustlers still want their cut of the American Dream. Emmy & Tony Award® winner Laurence Fishburne, Academy Award® & Golden Globe winner Sam Rockwell and Emmy Award & Golden Globe winner Darren Criss will star in the Broadway revival of David Mamet’s American Buffalo, directed by Neil Pepe (Speed-the-Plow, A Life in the Theatre). The production will officially open at the Circle in the Square Theatre (235 W 50th Street) on Wednesday, April 14, 2022, exactly two years after it was originally scheduled to open, for a strictly limited 16-week engagement. Performances for American Buffalo will begin the week of March 22, 2022.
On Saturday, October 9, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Broadway between 47th Street and 57th Street will be closed for a street fair.
Broadway Records has released the world premiere concept recording of “Some Lovers” written by six-time Grammy and three-time Academy Award Winner Burt Bacharach (Promises, Promises; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and Grammy, two-time Tony, and Olivier Award Winner Steven Sater (Spring Awakening, Alice By Heart). The album features Colton Ryan and Molly Gordon (co-stars from Alice by Heart), Betsy Wolfe and Tracie Thoms (co-stars from Falsettos), Ethan Slater and Lilli Cooper (co-stars from SpongeBob SquarePants and Edge of the World), Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele (co-stars from Spring Awakening and “Glee”), Katrina Lenk and Ari’el Stachel (co-stars from The Band’s Visit), Conrad Ricamora and Ashley Park (co-stars from The King and I), Christy Altomare and Derek Klena (co-stars from Anastasia), Ramin Karimloo (Les Misérables and Anastasia), Jennifer Holliday(Dreamgirls), Kristin Chenoweth (Promises, Promises), Santino Fontana and Laura Osnes(co-stars in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella and My Marcello), and Graham Phillipsand Auli’i Cravalho (co-stars from The Little Mermaid Live!).
Some Lovers follows the story of a couple caught between their present and their past.
The album is availablewherever digital music is sold and on BroadwayRecords.com
The Theatre Leadership Project (TTLP) has been approved by New York State as a qualifying diversity and arts job training program for the state’s $100 million New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit, a two-year program designed to accelerate the return of entertainment and tourism industries devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Productions may satisfy the requirement for the training program by having staff participate in TTLP’s state Tax Credit fellowship program. TTLP will assist in the recruitment and continued development of BIPOC creative producers and company managers by offering supplemental opportunities for continued learning and mentorship.
TTLP seeks to create lasting change in American theatre by installing BIPOC leadership in the industry. The goal of the program – which was launched in April by Broadway producers Barbara Broccoli, Lia Vollack, Alecia Parker, Patrick Daly and Travis Ballenger – is to equip BIPOC arts leaders with the practical skills, knowledge and professional networks within the commercial management sector by administering three-year fellowships in general management, company management and creative producing. The program helps to eliminate barriers to participation; provide sustained funding and support over three years; and works towards permanent job placement of its fellows.
“TTLP looks forward to working with Broadway productions to actualize our efforts towards a more diverse and equitable field that will strengthen our industry for years to come,” said TTLP Program Manager Leah Harris.
Productions interested in working with TTLP as an approved tax credit program should write to info@ttlp.org to request an application. TTLP will work collaboratively with the producer and their new hire to map out learning goals and design a bespoke fellowship for each individual that identifies and addresses areas of growth and ensure their continued development.
Ghostlight Records will releaseGoosebumps® The Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium (Original Studio Cast Recording) in streaming and digital formats on Friday, October 29, just in time for Halloween. The show is based on the book by R.L. Stine published by Scholastic Inc.®, and features music and lyrics by Danny Abosch and book and lyrics by John Maclay. This announcement celebrates Stine’s 78th birthday today, Friday, October 8. The all-star cast includes Krystina Alabado (Mean Girls, American Psycho), Alex Brightman (Tony nominee for Beetlejuice), Noah Galvin (Waitress, “The Real O’Neals”), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Tony nominee for Dreamgirls), Will Roland (Dear Evan Hansen, Be More Chill), and Stephanie Styles (Kiss Me Kate, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”), in addition to a special appearance from R.L. Stine himself.
The album cover is a new original work by Tim Jacobus, illustrator of the iconic original Goosebumps art. Starting today, customers who pre-order the digital album will immediately receive the track “Goosebumps.” To pre-save or pre-order the album, please visit: ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/GoosebumpsTheMusicalPR
Brooke and Zeke are thrilled to be starring in a mysterious show called The Phantom, and not the least bit frightened by the old legend that the play is cursed. But when strange, spooky messages start appearing, and a masked menace starts disrupting rehearsals, they begin to wonder: what if there really is a ghost haunting their school, determined to stop the show?! Prepare to get goosebumps as they race to solve the mystery in this thrilling—and chilling—new musical, based on the classic series by R.L. Stine.
Repertorio Español announces the winners of The 2021 Miranda Family Voces Latinx Playwriting Competition, an initiative to develop and promote Latinx plays that resonate with and accurately depict the Latinx experience. The competition is inclusive of all playwrights who are at least 18 years of age and residents of the United States or Puerto Rico.
| 1st Place: (Award: $3,000) From The Fountain by Joel Pérez from New York, NY. Joel Pérez is an award-winning actor and writer living in NYC. His theater work includes Fun Home (Broadway), Kiss My Aztec! (La Jolla Playhouse) and Sweet Charity (New Group; Lortel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical). TV work includes Jesus Christ Superstar Live! (NBC), Person of Interest (CBS) and Odd Mom Out (Bravo). He writes and performs with the musical theater sketch show SHIZ. He recently wrote and performed Black Beans Project at The Huntington Theatre and his new solo musical comedy Playing With Myself at Ars Nova. His play, The Church of the Holy Glory, premiered at Ars Nova ANTFest 2018. He is a 2021 TimeWarner 150 Artist Grant recipient for his original comedy pilot You’re Tired. You’re Poor. He is a 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Playwriting from NYFA. Follow him at @misterjoelperez and visit www.joelperez.com After an extended self-imposed exile, Fernando returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his Pentecostal pastor father, Ernesto, at the church he grew up in. Memories flood Fernando’s mind as he attempts to sort through the wreckage of his fractured family. From the Fountain is a play about faith, home, and what we are willing to sacrifice for our family. 2nd Place: (Award: $2,000) Machine Learning by Francisco Mendoza from Brooklyn, NY. Francisco Mendoza is an Argentinian writer currently living in Brooklyn, NY, after spending several years in Brazil. His work has been developed or presented at The New Group, the MacDowell Colony, and Northern Stage, among others. His scripts include stage plays Machine Learning (The Lark’s Playwrights Week, Yale Drama Series Runner Up, San Diego Rep Latinx Festival), Tooth For Tooth (Finalist, Sundance Theater Lab; Finalist, Princess Grace Fellowship), and Patriarch (Great Plains Theatre Conference). notrealmendoza.com In Machine Learning, his estranged, alcoholic father is diagnosed with liver cancer, computer scientist Jorge dreams up a nursing app to manage the disease in his stead. As the machine’s capabilities grow, however, the possibility of leaving it in charge of the treatment becomes more real, forcing Jorge to reckon with his responsibilities as a son—and as a creator. 3rd Place: (Award: $1,000) Agosto Infinito by Antonio García del Toro from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Antonio García Del Toro is a Puerto Rican playwright, theatre director, and professor of language and literature, backed by a vast trajectory in professional theatre from a young age. His works in literary criticism and creation have been published in numerous specialized magazines. For more than fifty years he has been an active participant in the world of professional Puerto Rican theatre, most recognized for his direction and dramaturgy. Dr. García del Toro, recently retired from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico where he taught courses in Puerto Rican Language and Literature, Italian, and Theatre for more than thirty years. Following the death of his young son, a professor and his wife flee from a country ruled by one of the most fearsome dictators of the Twentieth Century. Under a new assumed identity, the couple open and operate a bookstore in a small city and spend the following years under the fear of their past catching up to them. The arrival of a young psychologist disrupts their present forcing them to relive the past and helping them make way towards a better future. Runners Ups (Award: $500) The El Paso Play: 23 Acts of Kindness by Gregory Ramos from Rancho Mirage, CA Professor and Chair of the University of Redlands Department of Theatre Arts where he teaches directing, playwriting, and diversity in the U.S. American Theater. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, began his professional career as a dancer, and has taught at the University of Texas at El Paso and The University of Vermont. MFA, Playwriting UCLA. He’s a member of the Actor’s Equity Association and The Lincoln Center Director’s lab. About The El Paso Play: 23 Acts of Kindness: Inspired by interviews with community members in El Paso, Texas in the months after the mass shooting at Walmart in 2019 and told through 12 characters’ stories and impressions of the event, the play explores immigration, gun control, and the rise of white supremacy in America. Part docudrama, part theatrical montage, and part prayer for the future of America, a community reaches toward our shared humanity and collective healing. Princess Clara Of Loisada by Matt Barbot from Brooklyn, NY Matt Barbot is a writer from Brooklyn, NY. His play El Coquí Espectacular and The Bottle of Doom received its world premiere at Two River Theater in January of 2018. The Venetians was a winner of Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2019 Columbia@Roundabout New Play Series. Matt received his MFA from Columbia University and was recently a New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellow and a member of The Civilians’ R&D Group. Princess Clara Of Loisada: With Mamá long gone and Papá in a trance, Lower East Side middle schooler Clara and her older brother José try to distract themselves from their bleak reality with fanciful stories. When strange events make the siblings realize these stories might be true – that, in fact, they may be making them come true – Clara is faced with a choice, and José will fight a magical battle for his sister’s destiny. |
The show starts as the seven autistic kids, playing the seven autistic kids in the show introduce themselves. They are Desmond Edwards, Amelia Fei, Marc J. Franklin, Madison Kopec, Liam Pearce, Imani Russell, Conor Tague and Ashley Wool. Their enthusiasm, has us and our hearts in the palm of their hands. This new musical How to Dance in Ohio – inspired by Alexandra Shiva’s Peabody Award-winning documentary of the same name is breaking ground, as it opened last night at the Belasco Theatre.
What makes this show remarkable is that the book and lyrics by Rebekah Greer Melocik, music by Jacob Yandura, choreography by Mayte Natalio and direction by Sammi Cannold are all making their Broadway debuts. These newcomers are showing Broadway how it is done, when it is done well.
Photo Curtis Brown
How to Dance in Ohio is endearing, heartfelt and shows us how much we all have the desire to connect and need courage to put ourself out into the world. As a group of seven autistic young adults prepare for their first ever formal dance they face challenges that breaks open their routines as they experience love, stress, excitement, and independence. How to Dance in Ohio is a story about people on the cusp of the next phase of their lives, facing down hopes and fears, ready to take a momentous first step…and dance.
Based on actual events, these youngsters are in a support group for autistic young adults in Columbus, Ohio. The group is run by the supportive Dr. Amigo (Caesar Samayoa), who also over steps the boundaries and doesn’t know when to stop pushing. While trying to help his clients make college plans, the doctor decides that the group should plan a spring formal to celebrate their milestones. The idea causes considerable anxiety for these people who for the most part have never even had a date, dressed up or even danced.
Liam-Pearce Photo by Curtis Brown
The show leads up to this event with each dealing with their own deep seated anxiety and getting over it and expanding their horizons. There’s Drew (a winning Pearce), who is bright and has college’s wanting him, but he’s not ready or willing to live home. He likes the new girl Marideth (Kopec), who is socially withdrawn and retreats into her books that give her facts and a stability. Tommy (Tague), wants his his drivers license, so he can drive his brothers car. Remy (The fabulously funny Edwards), whose gender inclusive costumes he is uploading. Caroline (Fei), has her first boyfriend who is abusive and her friendship with Jessica (Wool), is suffering because of it. Jessica dreams of leaving home, no longer wanting to take the bus and is crushing on Tommy and Mel (Russell), works at a pet store, reads self-help books and wants to get to the next level.
Nick Gaswirth, Madison-Kopec Photo by Curtis Brown
In the meantime the doctor betrays his clients by meddling in Drew’s college plans behind his back and when a newspaper reporter (Melina Kalomas), and a local blogger (Carlos L Encinias) wants the story, it is only his needs that matter. For a doctor, this one is flawed in more ways than one way. He also cares more about his own feeling than that of his daughter Ashley (Cristina Sastre), who has returns home due to a dance injury from Juilliard and is now re-thinking her path.
Darlesia Cearcy, Haven-Burton. Photo by Curtis Brown
Another added plot is the mothers (Haven Burton and Darlesia Cearcy) of Caroline and Jessica, are so excited that their autistic daughters are “Getting Ready For The Dance,” and are finally being able to live their lives they way they wished for them.
The score makes Pearce shine with “Waves and Wires” and “Building Momentum.” Edwards also has a chance to take over in “Nothing At All.”
Robert Brill’s set design, Bradley King’s lighting design and Sarafina Bush’s costume’s make this show take flight.
Mayte Natalio’s choreography services the show, after all these are not dancers, nor should they be made to look like it, but it is infectious and joyous. The book is a little overstuffed, but the direction grabs your heart and utilizes these terrific kids who are having the time of their lives. I left loving life and thrilled to be attending.
How To Dance In Ohio: Belasco Theatre, 111 W. 44th Street.
Broadway’s newest show Appropriate starring Sarah Paulson, at Second Stage’s Hayes Theatre nearly sold out their first week. The play, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and co-starring Elle Fanning and Corey Stoll, opens December 18th.
Paulson has received an Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Awards in her three-decade career. She made her Broadway debut in 1994 as an understudy in Wendy Wasserstein’s The Sisters Rosensweig. She later took on the role of Tess Goode in the production. She returned to the stage in two other Broadway productions: 2005’s The Glass Menagerie (as Amanda Wingfield) and 2010’s Collected Stories (originating the role of Lisa Morrison). She also appeared in six Off-Broadway productions between 1994 and 2013, including Crimes of the Heart, Still Life,Colder Than Hereat the Lucille Lortel Theatre, Killer Joeat SoHo Playhouse, Talking Picturesat Signature Theatre andthe Pulitzer-nominated Talley’s Folly with Roundabout Theatre Company.
Paulson is perhaps best known for starring in nine seasons of Murphy’s American Horror Story, first appearing on the show in 2011. Her performances collectively earned nine Emmy Award nominations.
In 2023, after 10 years away from the New York stage, Paulson returns to Broadway as Toni in Appropriate, the Broadway-debut play of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.
As we head into the holiday season, The Algonquin Hotel’s December event lineup is open to both hotel guests and New York City locals. The hotel will spread holiday cheer with a variety of festive performances, cocktails, and experiences including:
- Cocoa and Carols Happy Hour: Daily, 5-8PM, Every evening this December, all are invited to enjoy Specialty Cocoa while Christmas carols chime at the Blue Bar. Drinks will include Mexican Hot Chocolate spiked with mezcal
- KT Sullivan Cabaret: December 5th, 12th and 19th, Sullivan will perform her iconic Christmas Cabaret. As noted by The New York Times, Sullivan is a thrilling Off-Broadway performer with over eight published albums
- Rocco Dellaneve’s Rat Pack Christmas: December 7th, 14th and 21st, Rocco Dellaneve will perform iconic songs from the Rat Pack Christmas album with special inclusions of Santa with Sinatra, Rocco of the Snow, Rudolph and the Rat pack
- The Serafina’s and Broadway Vocalists: December 8th, 15th and 22nd, enjoy the high kicking – precision line dancing Christmas tradition around The Algonquin tree. The Serafina’s will be available for pictures and autographs from 6pm to 7pm, followed by special Broadway vocalists
A portion of proceeds from all events will be donated to Toys for Tots.
Beyond the December events, The Algonquin Hotel is located in a prime position nestled in the heart of Times Square and Fifth Avenue, making it the perfect launchpad for a New York City holiday experience. The hotel is a historical jewel that emphasizes the importance of making unique, storied experiences. Since its opening in 1902, The Algonquin Hotel is famous for its timeless style and desire to honor the literary and cultural elite. The distinguished Round Table Restaurant and Blue Bar offer tasteful dining inclusions and curated cocktails that are sure to excite everyone.
Photo credit: The Algonquin Hotel, Autograph Collection
2o days to go! Every year people panic to find the perfect gift. We at T2C have been collecting idea’s all year long to bring you the perfect gift guide at all price levels. When you’re at the end of your rope trying to find the perfect Christmas present this year, come to this guide for some great suggestions.
Chita & Patrick Pacheco at Drama Book Shop event May 15, 2023 Photo by Merle Frimark
There are a lot of books out there this year but we highly recommend Chita: A Memoir , the critically-acclaimed book is written by the legendary Broadway icon Chita Rivera with arts journalist Patrick Pacheco. Chita takes fans behind-the-scenes of all her shows and cabaret acts, she shares candid stories of her many colleagues, friends, and lovers. She speaks with empathy and hindsight of her deep associations with complicated geniuses like Fosse and Robbins, as well as with the mega-talent Liza Minnelli, with whom she co-starred in The Rink. She openly discusses her affair with Sammy Davis, Jr. as well as her marriage to Tony Mordente and her subsequent off-the-radar relationships. Chita revisits the terrible car accident that threatened to end her career as a dancer forever. Center stage to Chita’s story are John Kander and Fred Ebb, the songwriters and dear friends indelibly tied to her career through some of her most enduring work: Chicago, The Rink, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and The Visit.
Chita’s love of performing began as a child in Washington, D.C., when her mother enrolled her in a local ballet school to channel her boundless energy. Still a teenager, she moved to New York to attend the School of American Ballet after an audition for George Balanchine himself and winning a scholarship. But Broadway beckoned, and by twenty she was appearing in the choruses of Golden Age shows like Guys and Dolls and Can-Can. In the latter, she received special encouragement from its star Gwen Verdon, forging a personal and professional friendship that would help shape her career. The groundbreaking West Side Story brought her into the orbit of Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents, Hal Prince, and Stephen Sondheim. After Bye Bye Birdie further burnished her rising star, she reunited with Verdon and her then-husband Bob Fosse to work on the film version of Sweet Charity and the celebrated original Broadway production of Chicago.
Chita: A Memoir was published in English and Spanish and the English audio version of the Memoir was recorded by Chita. A Spanish audio version is also available.
“Chita Rivera blazed a trail where none existed so the rest of us could see a path forward. She has been part of some of the greatest musicals in the history of the form, from Anita in the trailblazing West Side Story through Claire Zachanassian in the underrated masterpiece The Visit, over 60 years later. She is a Puerto Rican Broadway icon and the original ‘triple threat.’ We’re so lucky to be alive in the same timeline as Chita Rivera.” — Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“A frank and fascinating memoir from one of the truly great artists of the American Theater. Lots of stories … Lots of insight … and quite a few caustic statements from Chita’s alter ego, Dolores. An illuminating history and a guaranteed pleasure!” — John Kander
Broadway legend and national treasure Chita Rivera, multi-Tony Award winner, Kennedy Center honoree, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom – has taken no prisoners on stage or screen for seven decades. From her trailblazing performance as the original Anita in West Side Story—for which she tapped her own Puerto Rican roots—to her haunting 2015 star turn in The Visit. Chita has proven to be much more than just a captivating dancer, singer, and actress beloved by audiences and casts alike. In her equally captivating and one-of-a-kind memoir, Written with Patrick Pacheco, the woman born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero shares an incomparable life, both on stage and behind the curtain.
By the way this Memoir has won a Gold Medal for “Best Autobiography – English” at the 2023 International Latino Book Awards. https://www.latinobookawards.org/
Click here to buy your copy.
Here is the amazing cast of Spamalot. Christopher Fitzgerald as Patsy, James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as The Lady of the Lake, Ethan Slater as The Historian/Prince Herbert, Jimmy Smagula as Sir Bedevere, Michael Urie as Sir Robin, Nik Walker as Sir Galahad andTaran Killam as Lancelot.
I was so inspired I drew the whole cast.
To read T2C’s review click here.
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