October 2016 Theater Openings

October 1, 2016 Leave a comment

October is stuffed — to use the title of one of the many shows opening this month. There are seven shows opening on Broadway alone (eight if you count a concert with a week-long run.) Three are classic plays, a fourth a revival of a beloved musical, a fifth derived from a beloved/classic movie musical.

Off-Broadway, there are revivals of shows by Rent composer Jonathan Larsen,

Horton Foote on the centennial of his birth, and playwright David Hare, as well as a first play by an insult comic (the one who wrote “Stuffed”) and a puppet parody of an old sitcom.

It’s a starry month too, with such familiar faces as Nathan Lane, John Goodman, John Slattery, Jefferson Mays, Holland Taylor and Robert Morse — and they’re all just in one show. Other shows star Diane Lane, Christian Borle, Corbin Bleu, Mary Louise Parker, Andrew Rannells, Rachel Weisz

Below is a selection of the plays, musicals and difficult-to-label theater pieces opening in October, organized chronologically by opening date. Each title is linked to a relevant website.

Color key: Broadway: Red. Off Broadway: Purple, blue or black. Off Off Broadway: Green.

For a look at the entire season, check out Broadway Preview Guide 2016-17 and Off Broadway Fall 2016 Guide

October 2

Afterplay (Irish Rep)

Brian Friel revisits the lives of two of Chekhov’s enduring characters- Sonya, Uncle Vanya’s dutiful niece, and Andrey, the downtrodden intellectual brother of The Three Sisters. They meet by chance in a late night cafe in 1920s Moscow

October 3

That Golden Girls Show, A Puppet Parody (DR2)

Miami’s four favorite girls reunite in this live puppet parody of the old TV series.

October 5

The Roads to Home (Primary Stages at Cherry Lane)

A revival of this play by Horton Foote (on the Centennial of his birth) about three women in the 1920s who have all moved to Houston and are now grappling with the eternal question, “What is home?”

October 6

Holiday Inn, the New Irving Berlin Musical (Studio 54)

Megan Sikora and Corbin Bleu

A stage adaptation of the 1942 film that introduced White Christmas and other Irving Berlin hits.

Daddy Issues (Theatre at St. Clements)

Donald, a gay man in the 1980s, hires the ten-year-old kid from downstairs to play his son in order to get his own parents off his back.

October 7

Stuffed (WP at McGinn/Cazale)

A first play by comedian Lisa Lampanelli about four women — a bulimic, a compulsive eater, a confident overweight gal, and a chronically thin chick.

October 8

Simon Dawes Becomes a Planet (Access Theatre)

Equal parts fable, music hall panto, and modern farce about a boy born the size of a pea who grows to cosmic proportions.

October 9

Slumber (House of Yes)

A girl squad comprised of elite international circus performers and dancers on the last night of their lives….Who lives? Who dies? You decide.

The Folk Singer (Theatre for the New City)

A new musical about a young musician who wants to write songs as relevant today as those of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez were in their heyday

October 10

Oh, Hello (Lyceum)

The comedy duo Nick Kroll and John Mulaney portray their alter egos Gil Faizonand George St. Geegland, “outrageously opinionated, 70-something, bachelors born and bred in New York.”

October 13

Heisenberg (Samuel J. Friedman)

The playwright of A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time penned this play, which debuted Off Broadway last year, starring Mary Louise Parker. “Amidst the bustle of a crowded London train station, Georgie spots Alex, a much older man, and plants a kiss on his neck. This electric encounter thrusts these two strangers into a fascinating and life-changing game.”

Chris Gethard: Career Suicide (The Lynn Redgrave Theater)

The solo show from the Edinburgh Fringe about Gethard’s experiences with mental illness, ethically questionable psychiatry, and finding hope in weird places

October 16

The Cherry Orchard (American Airlines Theater)

John Glover, Diane Lane, Joel Grey

Diane Lane in Chekhov’s play about “a family on the edge of ruin—and a country on the brink of revolution.”

She Stoops to Conquer (TACT at Theatre Row)

The 18th century romantic play by Oliver Goldsmith that pits county manners against city snobbery.

October 18

Sell/Buy/Date (MTC Studio at Stage II)

Sarah Jones (Bridge & Tunnel) portrays multiple characters in a new show inspired by the real-life experiences of people affected by the sex industry.

October 19

Love, Love, Love (RTC’s Laura Pels Theater)

A new play from Mike Bartlett (King Charles III, Cock.) “London, 1967. Beatlemania is in full effect, the “Me” generation is in its prime and Kenneth and Sandra are in a world of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll….But what happens when they have babies of their own.”

October 20

The Front Page (Broadhurst)

Nathan Lane, John Slattery, John Goodman, Jefferson Mays, Sherie Rene Scott, Holland Taylor and Robert Morse star in the fifth Broadway revival of the 1928 comedy about old-time reporters who would do anything for a scoop. Even the supporting cast is hot — Lewis J. Stadlen, Dylan Baker, Micah Stock, Halley Feiffer, et al.

Plenty (Public Theater)

Rachel Weisz and Corey Stoll star in a revival of David Hare’s play about Susan Traherne, a fiercely intelligent British secret agent flown into France during the second world war, who has trouble adjusting in the years after the war.

Tick…Tick…Boom (Keen Company at Theatre Row)

A revival of Rent composer Jonathan Larsen’s autobiographical musical, the story of an aspiring composer questioning his life choices on the eve of his thirtieth birthday.

Puffs (Elektra)

‘Puffs, or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic” is a comedy about a young wizard named Wayne Hopkins and the Puffs–a group of well-meaning, loyal rejects with a thing for badgers.

October 21

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (Lunt-Fontanne)

The group that inspired “Jersey Boys” (which is closing in January) perform for a week their hits “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Oh, What A Night”

October 23

Not That Jewish (New World Stages)

From her show business family in the Bronx, to a WASP wedding, to her first step on a comedy club stage and life as a single mom, Monica Piper shares the milestones and moments that shaped her life with the same signature wit found in her writing on, “Roseanne” and “Mad About You.”

One Flea Spare (Sheen Center)

The 20th anniversary revival of this play by Naomi Wallace set in plague-ravaged 17th-century London, where a wealthy couple is preparing to flee their home when a mysterious sailor and a young girl appear sneaking into their boarded up house. They are all quarantined together for 28 days.

October 24

A Life (Playwrights Horizons)

After another breakup, Nate resorts to astrology. In this new play by Adam Bock, “the answer he receives, when it comes, is shockingly obvious — and totally unpredictable.”

The Harvest (Lincoln Center Theater)

A new play by Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale) about a Mormon missionary who has bought a one-way ticket to the Middle East, but is confronted by his sister, who doesn’t want him to leave.

October 25

Vietgone (MTC City Center)

The award-winning play by Qui Nguyen is a love story about a boy and girl who are refugees from the Vietnam War newly settled in a relocation camp inside Middle America.

October 27

Falsettos (Walter Kerr Theater)

A revival of the 1992 Tony-winning musical about a middle-aged man named Marvin and his decision to leave his wife, Trina, for a man, Whizzer. “Falsettos” combined two early Off-Broadway musicals, the 1981 “March of the Falsettos,” and the 1990 “Falsettoland.” The new production stars Christian Borle, Stephanie J. Block, Andrew Rannells, and Brandon Uranowitz.

The Babies (St. Lukes)

A musical about babies from the womb to preschool; “they sing and dance and tell you what they really think.”

Duat (Soho Rep at the Connelly)

“Two halves of a soul hunt through a hall of records.
A librarian breaks the seal of a mysterious archive.
A teacher and her class prepare the pageant to end all pageants.”

October 30

Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Booth Theatre)

Janet McTeer and Liev Schreiber star in a production from the Donmar Warehouse of the 1985 play about sexual intrigue in 18th century France.

Coriolanus (Red Bull at Barrow Street)

Shakespeare’s play, with some special relevance –” Economic inequality strains the social fabric. Debates rage throughout a nation riddled with dissension and distrust. It’s election year in Rome, 493 B.C.E., and as unscrupulous politicians manipulate public opinion, the hypocrisy and humiliation of political campaigns drive away the country’s finest….” — featuring a cast that includes the incomparable Patrick Page.

Filed under Broadway, Calendar of openings, New York Theater, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway

New York Theater Quiz September 2016

September 30, 2016 Leave a comment

How well were you paying attention to the New York theater news and reviews in September? Answer these 11 questions to find out.

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Nicholas Edwards as Daveed Diggs/Thomas Jefferson in Spamilton

Filed under New York Theater, New York Theater quiz

The Trial of An American President – Review and Pics

September 29, 2016 Leave a comment

President George W. Bush was convicted of war crimes at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, on the night I attended The Trial of an American President, an earnest, informative and flawed mock trial. The jury voted 5-4, which is not bad, considering the circumstances.

After all, the jurors were selected at random from an audience at Theatre Row on the liberal West Side of Manhattan. And if first-time playwright Dick Tarlow and co-author Bill Smith do attempt to provide the 43^rd president with a defense, it’s not an especially vigorous one

Full review at D.C. Theatre Scene

Click on any photograph to see it enlarged

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trial-2-michael-rogers_tony-carlin_photokennahoum

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Filed under DC Theatre Scene, New York Theater, Off-Broadway, politics, Theater Reviews

Judith Light in Neil LaBute Play, All The Ways To Say I Love You: Review, Pics

September 28, 2016 Leave a comment

Those of us who have followed her splendid career since Judith Light returned to the New York stage in 2010 welcomed the news that she would be appearing in a new solo play written by Neil LaBute. As expected, Light is the best thing about it. What’s less expected is how slight the play is.

“All The Ways To Say I Love You” is a monologue less than an hour long by a high school English teacher named Mrs. Johnson, standing in her drab office telling the audience about her experiences with one of her former students. Having been manipulative and deceitful with both the boy and her husband, Mrs. Johnson is in large measure trying to justify her actions to us, and to herself, in the name of love.

Full review at DC Theatre Scene

Filed under DC Theatre Scene, New York Theater, Off-Broadway, Photographs, Theater Reviews

5 Guys Chillin’ Review: Cautionary Tales at Drug-Fueled Gay Sex Party

September 28, 2016 Leave a comment

Elliot Hadley and Cesare Scarpone

There are two ways to take “5 Guys Chillin’,” Peter Darney’s play in the Fringe Encore series that takes place among five half-naked gay characters at a drug-fueled sex party. One is as a seductive entertainment in which fit young performers are dancing and smiling and snuggling and generally seem to be having fun, at least initially. The Soho Playhouse even permits the audience to bring in drinks from the downstairs Huron Club.

The other is as something of a public service announcement by writer and director Peter Darney, who, like the Larry Kramer of his generation, is warning members of the gay community about self-destructive excess. Each member of the audience is handed a package of condoms as they enter the theater.

Darney’s evident intent is to have you react to “5 Guys Chillin’” as both an entertainment and as a powerful – and graphic — cautionary tale. The combination can feel awkward at times, and unrealistic. At first blush, it might seem odd that the characters spend much more of their time talking about past practices and experiences rather than, um, making new ones. There is a scene near the end of the play that could come off as downright ludicrous. One of the characters has just gone into a drug-induced fit and become unconscious; the others sit nearby ignoring him and launching into a series of monologues about dangerous or disappointing encounters they have had in the past.

It is important to know, however, that, according to the playwright, every word the characters utter is true, taken from interviews he conducted with people he met on Grindr and other social media apps who are involved in the chemsex subculture. (which is one of the terms helpfully defined in a glossary included in the program.) The (true) stories they tell bluntly impart a lot of information – about the type of drugs and sexual practices involved, the rules of etiquette of the parties, the racial attitudes of the participants, the varied ways and reasons they got drawn in.

The knowledge that everything the characters say is verbatim (albeit edited) from actual people adds an extra layer of alarm and revulsion at some of the comments: “I like having sex with guys that have Gonorrhea, ‘cause it’s the best lube in the world.”

That line is given to the character R, who is portrayed by Elliot Hadley, one of the five brave and persuasive performers – and one of the cast members who are holdovers from the production at the Edinburgh Festival in August. Another is Adi Chugh, who portrays PJ, the one newcomer to the party (which is one of the ways the playwright tries to justify all the talk of past sex party experience; the other characters are explaining themselves to the newcomer.) PJ is probably the most memorable character. He is of Pakistani descent, in an arranged marriage to a woman from a small Pakistani village, the father of one son and another on the way. “I’m a Pakistani male from a very traditional family, it’s never gonna be accepted, you know? There’s a part of me that…I will never like myself.” When he first started going to sex parties, “I remember I would always feel a little bit embarrassed, and disgusted at myself. But that was also the bit that I liked. I wanted it to match how I felt inside. A little bit disgusted at myself. A little bit ashamed.”

It is PJ that overdoses in “5 Guys Chillin’” It soon becomes clear that the other characters are ignoring his unconscious body not from some flaw in the writing, but as the playwright’s deliberate comment on one of the insidious products of the chemsex scene — indifference.

Cesare Scarpone, Richard De Lisle, Adi Chugh, Elliot Hadley

Elliot Hadly, Adi Chugh, Cesare Scarpone

5 Guys Chillin’ runs through October 9, 2016 as part of the Fringe Encore Series at Soho Playhouse.

Written and directed by Peter Darney

Lighting design by Sherry Coenen, movement director Chris Cuming, sound design by Jo Walker

Cast: Rick Yale as J, Cesare Scarpone as M, Elliot Hadley as R, Richard De Lisle as B, Adi Chugh as PJ

Running time: 70 minutes with no intermission

Tickets: $45

Filed under gay, New York Theater, Off-Off Broadway, Theater Festival, Theater Reviews

Fences Movie Trailer, Play Review: Denzel Adapts August Wilson

September 27, 2016 Leave a comment

Pictured: Denzel Washington (Troy Maxson) & Viola Davis (Rose)

Denzel Washington’s movie adaptation of “Fences,” August Wilson’s 1987 play, will be in movie theaters nationwide on December 25, 2016. Below is a first movie trailer from Paramount Picures — and below that my 2010 review of the Broadway production, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis (the same stars as in the movie.)

Fences Review: Denzel Washington Bats It In

Troy Maxson, the character played by Denzel Washington in the must-see revival of August Wilson’s “Fences,” is greeted by foot-stamping cheers from the audience in the Cort Theater, surely the most ecstatic whoops of delight ever for a Pittsburgh garbage collector.

There was a time, though, when Troy was himself a star. “Ain’t but two men who ever played baseball as good as you,” his best friend Bono tells him. “That’s Babe Ruth and Josh Gibson.” Bono might just be telling Troy what he wants to hear, but, however good he actually was, he lived at a time when people of Troy’s race were barred from major league baseball – and from much else in American life. But Troy did play in the Negro Leagues, and hit seven home runs off the great Satchel Paige. “You can’t get no better than that,” he tells the youngest of his two sons. He says this proudly, defiantly, but also angrily, and in resignation.

It is a phrase that, perhaps unconsciously, he means literally. It is 1957, he is 53 years old, and however hopeful others might be about the change that will be coming for African-Americans, Troy is convinced that things will in fact never get any better.

Denzel Washington is not as physically large as the actor who, to great acclaim, originated the role of Troy on Broadway in 1987, James Earl Jones. But through the magic of his performance, Washington sometimes seems as big as a bear, whether giving a tremendous hug to his wife (the incomparable Viola Davis) or growling warning at his son. Other times, he seems both small and small-minded. Troy is a compulsive storyteller (“you got more stories than the devil got sinners”), an expansive charmer, and also an embittered, limited and illiterate black man; orderly, hard-working, dutiful; stubborn, unreasonable, irresponsible — a complex and believable human being, and Washington embraces this character in all his mercurial contradictions.

It is a different interpretation than the original one of a giant fenced-in by circumstances, but it is one of the many things that work in a production that does justice to August Wilson’s deeply moving play.

“Fences” is part of what is sometimes called the Pittsburgh Cycle, 10 plays, one for each decade of the 20th century, that was August Wilson’s singular achievement, written over more than two decades and completed the year of his death in 2005. They all offer specific details of time and place and character and yet, individually and taken together, provide nothing less than a portrait of the African-American experience. “Fences” was only the second he wrote in the cycle, and is not the best of them – although good enough to have won every big theater award, from the Tony Award for Best Play to the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and for Frank Rich to have written: “’Fences’ leaves no doubt that Mr. Wilson is a major writer, combining a poet’s ear for vernacular with a robust sense of humor (political and sexual), a sure instinct for crackling dramatic incident and a passionate commitment to a great subject. “

Wilson’s later work more smoothly integrates the turns in the plot so that they seem to spring from the characters rather than feeling imposed by the author. In “Fences,” Troy makes a sensational revelation to his wife in the second act that seems to come out of nowhere. (A careful reading of the script shows that Wilson had actually planted clues in the first act, but it still feels abrupt). In a lesser production, the play might from then on have felt derailed, veering into domestic melodrama.

Viola Davis, best-known on stage for her Tony-winning performance in Wilson’s “King Hedley II” and on screen for her Oscar-nominated performance as the mother of the (possibly) abused student in “Doubt,” seemed to me almost single-handedly responsible for keeping the play on track, her feelings shaded, moving, and not melodramatic. She and Washington are well-matched. I am not sure I have ever witnessed two actors angrily yelling at each other with such clarity and control.

The real plot in “Fences” is in the artful revelation of character, not just Troy’s but the people who surround him — his wife Rose, his long-time friend Jim Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson, a veteran and exquisite interpreter of Wilson’s work); his brain-damaged brother Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson), the older son Lyons whom he all but abandoned (Russell Hornsby), the teenage son Cory (Chris Chalk) — ensemble acting at its finest. Their characters come through in the niggling little arguments (humorous to outsiders) that families repeat endlessly, and in the many stories told to one another of past events and future dreams. Much of what’s happening, as told through incidents on stage but also through recollection, is a tale of fathers and sons, battling one another, escaping one another and becoming one another. Cory wants to play football and has been recruited by a college football team; Troy wants him to work at the local supermarket:

“The white man ain’t gonna let you get nowhere with that football noway. You go on and get your book-learning so you can work yourself up in that A&P or learn how to fix cars or build houses or something, get you a trade. That way you have something can’t nobody take away from you.”

Times have changed, more than one family member tells Troy, his son is just trying to be like him. Times haven’t changed, Troy says; the last person I want him to be like is me.

In addition to Santo Loquasto’s solidly realistic set, Brian MacDevitt’s lighting, and spot-on costumes by Constanza Romero (the playwright’s widow), Branford Marsalis has composed bluesy music for the beginning of each act. It’s nice, but it’s not necessary. This production of “Fences” fills the Cort Theater with music.

Fences by August Wilson at the Cort Theater (138 West 48th Street) Directed by Kenny Leon Original music by Branford Marsalis Set design by Santo Loquasto, costume design by Constanza Romero, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt, sound design by Acme Sound Partners Cast: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Chris Chalk, Eden Duncan-Smith, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Russell Hornsby, SaCha Stewart-Coleman, Mykelti Williamson Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes with one 15 minute intermission Ticket prices: $61.50 to $131.50. Premium seats as high as $326.50. There are apparently no rush or student tickets available. Recommended for age 13 and older. Under 4 not permitted. Through July 11th, 2010.

Filed under New York Theater, Preview, Resurrected review, Theater on Film, video Tagged with Denzel Washington, Viola Davis

2016 NYIT Award Winners: Off-Off Broadway’s Finest

September 26, 2016 Leave a comment

“The Golfer” and “Broken Bone Bathtub” (pictured) were among the big winners of the 2016 New York Innovative Theatre Awards, which honor excellence Off-Off Broadway.

Complete list of winners:

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE

The Golfer

** The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks

Fred Backus, Broderick Ballantyne, Rebecca Gray Davis, Lex Friedman, Ian W. Hill, Bob Laine, Matthew Napoli, Timothy McCown Reynolds, Alyssa Simon, Anna Stefanic

Connected, Project Y Theatre Company

Gus Birney, Joachim Boyle, Robby Clater, Ella Dershowitz, Midori Francis, Dana Jacks, Thomas Muccioli, Aria Shahghasemi

Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey, Life Jacket Theatre Company

Andrew Dawson, Phil Gillen, Aidan Sank

Street Theater, TOSOS

Tim Abrams, Chris Andersson, Christopher Borg, Éilis Cahill, Jonathan Cedano, Desmond Dutcher, Russell Jordan, Josh Kenney, Jeremy Lawrence, Michael Lynch, Joe MacDougall, Rebecca Nyahay, Patrick Porter, & Ben Strothmann

The Further Adventures Of…, TOSOS

Tim Burke, Mark Finley, & Jamie Heinlein

Unity (1918), Project: Theater

Wendy Bagger, Alicia Dawn Bullen, Jessi Blue Gormezano, Doug Harris, Beth Ann Hopkins, Joshua Everett Johnson, Joe Jung, Alexandra Perlwitz, Melanie Rey

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

**Siobhan O’Loughlin

Broken Bone Bathtub, Elephant Run District

David Carl

David Carl’s Celebrity One Man Hamlet,

Project Y Theatre, PM2 Entertainment and Richard Jordan Productions in associate with Underbelly

Laura Hooper

Crumble, MORA Theater

Peter Michael Marino

Late With Lance!, PM2 Entertainment

Colin Summers

Steve: A Docu-Musical, New York Neo-Futurists

Yolanda K. Wilkinson

Bible Study for Heathens, New York Neo-Futurists

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE

**Timothy McCown Reynolds

The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks

Deven Anderson

The Pillowman, Variations Theatre Group

Joseph D. Giardina

Natural Life, T. Schreiber Studio

Alex Grubbs

Utility, The Amoralists

Ryan Johnston

Harper Regan, T. Schreiber Studio

Mike Phillips Gomez

Harper Regan, T. Schreiber Studio

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE

**Midori Francis

Connected, Project Y Theatre Company

Kelly Barbarito

A Chorus Line, The Secret Theatre

Adrian Grace Bumpas

A Chorus Line, The Secret Theatre

Anwen Darcy

Romeo And Juliet, The Drilling Company

Noelle McGrath

Natural Life, T. Schreiber Studio

Lauren Nordvig

Rush, Team Awesome Robot

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE

**Fred Backus

The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks

Adam Belvo

Butcher Holler Here We Come, Aztec Economy

Dave Klasko

Gordy Crashes, Ricochet Collective

Lee Slobotkin

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Astoria Performing Arts Center

Charles Socarides

How to Live on Earth, Colt Coeur

Jonny Stein

A Chorus Line, The Secret Theatre

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE

Maeve Yore

**Maeve Yore

Harper Regan, T. Schreiber Studio

Becca Andrews

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Astoria Performing Arts Center

Holly Heiser

Natural Life, T. Schreiber Studio

Christina Elise Perry

Wait Until Dark, Variations Theatre Group

Geena Quintos

A Chorus Line, The Secret Theatre

Vanessa Vaché

Utility, The Amoralists

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY/MOVEMENT

**Becky Baumwoll

Above Below, Broken Box Mime Theater

Corrie Blissit

In the Soundless Awe, New Light Theater Project

Nikita Chaudhry& Ian Fields Stewart

Untameable, The Unsoft War and Highly Impractical Theatre

Patrice Miller

City of Glass, Untitled Theater Co. #61

Katie Proulx

Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey, Life Jacket Theatre Company

Geena Quintos

A Chorus Line, The Secret Theatre

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR

**Fritz Brekeller

Composure, WorkShop Theater Company

Michael Bello

In the Heights, The Gallery Players

Kirk Gostkowski& John Arthur Long

Wait Until Dark, Variations Theatre Group

Ian Harkins

She Stoops To Conquer, Hudson Warehouse

Travis Russ

Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey, Life Jacket Theatre Company

Terry Schreiber

Harper Regan, T. Schreiber Studio

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

**Aaron Gonzalez

Wait Until Dark, Variations Theatre Group

Chelsie McPhilimy

Rush, Team Awesome Robot

John Narun

Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey, Life Jacket Theatre Company

Kia Rogers

Rizing, Flux Theatre Ensemble

Govin Ruben

Exposure, Next In Line Productions LLC

Serena Wong

Gordy Crashes, Ricochet Collective

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

**Kaitlyn Elizabeth Day

The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks

Mary Cann

Hot L Baltimore, T. Schreiber Studio

Viviane Galloway

A Little Night Music, Theater 2020

Jennifer A. Jacob

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Astoria Performing Arts Center

Emily Rose Parman

She Stoops To Conquer, Hudson Warehouse

Ashley Soliman

Fatty Fatty No Friends, Mind The Art Entertainment

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN

**George Allison

Hot L Baltimore, T. Schreiber Studio

Aaron Gonzalez

Wait Until Dark, Variations Theatre Group

Jennifer Neads

Rush, Team Awesome Robot

Kate Noll

Gordy Crashes, Ricochet Collective

Travis Russ & Carl Vorwerk

Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey, Life Jacket Theatre Company

Sandy Yaklin

Office Politics, One Wild Jew Productions

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN

**Joe Jung& KJ Sanchez

Unity (1918), Project: Theater

Andy Evan Cohen

In the Soundless Awe, New Light Theater Project

M.L. Dogg

How to Live on Earth, Colt Coeur

Ian W. Hill

The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks

Matt Sherwin

Gluten!, Adjusted Realists

Mark Van Hare

Gordy Crashes, Ricochet Collective

OUTSTANDING INNOVATIVE DESIGN

**Berit Johnson

(Props Design)

The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks

Andy Evan Cohen

(Video Design)

Natural Life, T. Schreiber Studio

Aaron Gonzalez & David Rey

(Projection Design)

The Pillowman, Variations Theatre Group

John Narun

(Projection Design)

Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey, Life Jacket Theatre Company

Gil Sperling

(Video Design)

City of Glass, Untitled Theater Co. #61

Lynda White

(Mask Design)

The Bacchae, The Faux-Real Theatre Company in association with LaMaMa ETC

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MUSIC

**Matt Sherwin

Gluten!, Adjusted Realists

Christian De Gré

Fatty Fatty No Friends, Mind The Art Entertainment

Jonathan Elliott,Mark Greenfield,Tony Naumovski& Emily Serotta

The Bacchae, The Faux-Real Theatre Company in association with LaMaMa ETC

James Brandon Lewis

Dvorak In America, GOH Productions

Ryan McCurdy

Rush, Team Awesome Robot

Anna Stefanic

The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SHORT SCRIPT

**Kim Katzberg

Strays, Kim Katzberg in collaboration with Nora Woolley and Raquel Cion

Keelay Gipson

Time in the Penn, The Fire This Time Festival

Ayun Halliday

Fawnbook, Gemini CollisionWorks

Jiréh Breon Holder

God Will Know The Difference, The Fire This Time Festival

Roger Q. Mason

Hard Palate, The Fire This Time Festival

Siobhan O’Loughlin

Broken Bone Bathtub, Elephant Run District

Christopher Torres

We Come Here as part of Astoria Stories, Astoria Performing Arts Center

Kathleen Warnock

The Further Adventures Of…, TOSOS

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL FULL-LENGTH SCRIPT

**Scott C. Sickles

Composure, WorkShop Theater Company

Jamal Abdunnasir, Tim Craig, Peregrine Heard, Lauren LaRocca, Emily Stout,Beatrice Vena, & Ayana Wilson

Black Protagonist, The Associates Theater Ensemble

Niki Hatzidis& Anastasia Rutkowski

Steel Birds, manhattan theatre source’s Estrogenius Festival

Lia Romeo

Connected, Project Y Theatre Company

Emily Schwend

Utility, The Amoralists

Seanie Sugrue

One Way To Pluto!, Locked In The Attic Productions

Colin Summers

Steve: A Docu-Musical, New York Neo-Futurists

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE ART PRODUCTION

**Above Below

Broken Box Mime Theater

Broken Bone Bathtub

Elephant Run District

City of Glass

Untitled Theater Co. #61

Electronic City

The New Stage Theatre Company

Nord Hausen Fly Robot: (Invisible Republic #3)

Gemini CollisionWorks

War of the Worlds

Radiotheatre

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

**Steve: A Docu-Musical

New York Neo-Futurists

A Chorus Line

The Secret Theatre

A Little Night Music

Theater 2020

Fatty Fatty No Friends

Mind The Art Entertainment

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Astoria Performing Arts Center

The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit

WorkShop Theater Company

OUTSTANDING PREMIERE PRODUCTION OF A PLAY

**Utility

The Amoralists

Composure

WorkShop Theater Company

Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey

Life Jacket Theatre Company

Natural Life

T. Schreiber Studio

One Way To Pluto!

Locked In The Attic Productions

Steel Birds

manhattan theatre source’s Estrogenius Festival

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY

**Street Theater

TOSOS

Connected

Project Y Theatre Company

Harper Regan

T. Schreiber Studio

Hot L Baltimore

T. Schreiber Studio

Unity (1918)

Project: Theater

Wait Until Dark

Variations Theatre Group

Special Awards:

2016 Ellen Stewart Award

The Fringe NYC

Carmelita Tropicana

2016 Artistic Achievement Award

Carmelita Tropicana

2016 Caffe Cino Fellowship Award

New Stage Theatre Company

Outstanding Stage Manager Award
Jodi Witherell

Maeve nyit.jpg

Filed under Awards, New York Theater, Off-Off Broadway

Nat Turner in Jerusalem: Review and Pics

September 26, 2016 Leave a comment

Nat Turner in Jerusalem, a new play by Nathan Alan Davis at New York Theatre Workshop, is yet another retelling of Nat Turner’s 1831 slave insurrection, a story that has been told and retold for nearly two centuries – and will be told again in The Birth of a Nation, a film by Nate Parker opening October 7.

…the experience of actually sitting through the 90 minutes of Nat Turner in Jerusalem is not as rewarding as one would hope…Yet there is no denying the beguiling presence at the center of the play – that of Phillip James Brannon’s performance as a Nat Turner who is both uncommonly intelligent and otherworldly.

Full review at DC Theatre Scene

Click on any photograph below to see it enlarged.

Phillip James Brannon as Nat Turner

Rowan Vickers

Phillip James Brannon and Rowan Vickers

Filed under DC Theatre Scene, New York Theater, Photographs, Theater Reviews

Debate! Politics and Theater. The Week in New York Theater

September 26, 2016 Leave a comment

hillary-clinton-and-donald-trump-puppets-designed-by-rick-lyon
Political theater gets new meanings — and new attention — just six weeks before the Presidential election….and less than three weeks before the cut-off for voter registration.

Avenue Q holds a mock debate today with puppet candidates. But other shows are leaving “mock” behind:

hamiltonvotecap

The cast of Hamilton will register people to vote outside the Richard Rodgers September 28 & October, from 5 to 7 pm #Ham4GivingADamn

Every day through Oct 13, a volunteer will be registering NYers to vote outside @NYTW79 pic.twitter.com/oqjir9wO9j

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 24, 2016

DC theaters launch election reading series, e.g. new “Ivanka: A Medea for Right Now,” by Joshua Harmon.https://t.co/yRcEX6SfdQ

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 23, 2016

Even the Broadway Flea on Sunday had its share of politics:

hillaryatbwayflea

(Notice Christine Pedi at the far right of the photograph. This table sold mostly Newsical memorabilia but, as the man in the Hillary t-shirt put it, “This is the first time the union” — he meant Actors Equity — “has ever endorsed a candidate for President.

The Week in New York Theater News

Ramin Karimloo in Les Miserables

Remember Ramin Karimloo’s Broadway debut in Les Miserables (Who can forget?) He joins cast of Anastasia as Gleb. The musical is set to open April 24.

Bette Midler

Theatergoers bought $9 million worth of tix to Hello, Dolly with Bette Midler, breaking record for first day of Broadway advance sales

Watercolor costume sketch by Lemuel Ayers for the musical St. Louis Woman, starring Pearl Bailey, 1945

The new National Museum of African-American Culture and History in D.C. features hundreds of theater-related items in its permanent collection.

mamieparris

Succeeding Leona Lewis as Grizabella in Cats: Broadway vet Mamie Parris, currently in School of Rock

branden-jacobs-jenkins

Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, theater artist and educator Anne Basting are among among 2016 MacArthur Foundation “genius” fellows

lastblackmanlogo

Cast of #LastBlackMan by Suzan Lori Parks (Opens Nov 13):

lastblackmancast

At ceremony, Pres @BarackObama awarded @NEAarts‘ #NationalMedalofArts to @AudraEqualityMc, @MelBrooks #BerryGordy + 21 pic.twitter.com/34gUyMh9Lq

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 23, 2016

USA’s most produced playwrights who are living: @LalaTellsAStory, @ayadakhtar #RobertAskins #AnnieBaker https://t.co/0eYNVbq5PX pic.twitter.com/0eY0cfmqnd

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 23, 2016

. @playbill has a new editor-in-chief, starting Oct. 3: @MarkPeikert, currently of @Backstage pic.twitter.com/G9yOIaSsN0

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 23, 2016

Q & A w/ @Lin_Manuel, happy to cut off his ponytail after 2 yrs,
since he’s less recognized on the subwayhttps://t.co/zQk5oNKrAM pic.twitter.com/A6t6YsDFx1

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 20, 2016

The pod people: Bernardo Cubria interviews playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis

On @NewVictory marquee, albeit for an instant pic.twitter.com/t5Y43iz57r

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 22, 2016

Winner’s corner at the 30th Annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction?

Filed under New York Theater, New York Theater Weekly Summary, Politics and the Arts Tagged with Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Broadway Flea, genius, Mamie Parris, Ramin Karimloo in Anastasia, voter registration drive

Broadway Flea Map and Schedule

September 25, 2016 Leave a comment

Below is a map showing the location of some 40 tables at today’s 30th Annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Click on it (several times) to see it enlarged.

The shows offering memorabilia will include:
Aladdin, An American in Paris, Avenue Q, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, The Book of Mormon, The Color Purple, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Dear Evan Hansen, Fiddler on the Roof, Finding Neverland, Fun Home, Hamilton, Kinky Boots, Les Misérables, The Lion King, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Matilda The Musical, Naked Boys Singing, NEWSical The Musical, On Your Feet!, Paramour, The Phantom of the Opera, School Of Rock – The Musical, Shuffle Along, Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, Something Rotten!, Waitress and Wicked.

There are also an Autograph Table and Photo Booth, both of which require a donation to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Here is the schedule hour by hour, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., of performers expected for the day, subject to change. Click to see enlarged