What happened to the dog days of summer? Sure this weekend saw the 26th annual Broadway Barks starry pet adoption event with hosts Bernadette Peters and Sutton Foster. But that’s just one dog day, even for Sutton, who will find no rest this month; she’s starring in “Once Upon A Mattress,” opening soon. (August 2024 New York Theater Openings)
As August begins, there is no let-up to the political drama, after a month with nothing but — oddly connected to what’s been happening in New York theater. (Take my Political Theater Quiz for July 2024)
This past week also exploded with starry news – full cast announcements of four shows opening on Broadway this Fall, and some exciting Broadway debuts, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first full musical theater score since “Hamilton,” although there’s something of catch. See below.
August 2024 New York Theater Openings
The Week in New York Theater Reviews
That this two-character play about a therapy session written by a little-known 29-year-old playwright is opening on Broadway is the theatrical equivalent, I suppose, of going viral…But if Broadway audiences wind up closer to my own demographic and sensibility than those who were Off-Broadway, I suspect the production will be in trouble, because my reaction hasn’t changed much. “Job” sacrifices its potential as thought-provoking drama for horror movie-level theatrics. Full review
In June 2016, at the height of the Presidential election, a Russian lawyer named
Natalia Veselnitskaya met at Trump Tower with Donald Trump Jr. and six other people, reportedly telling the candidate’s son that she had incriminating information about Trump rival Hillary Clinton. One of the eight people at the meeting was the Russian-American interpreter Veselnitskaya had hired, because she didn’t speak English….I could see an engaging play fashioned from the interpreter’s story, perhaps a way to add clarity and perspective to what is in some ways a continuing saga. But “The Meeting: The Interpreter” is not that play. Indeed, it’s flabbergasting how hard the production works at self-sabotage. Full review.
Emotions are raw among the characters mourning at the weekly grief support group in “Someone Spectacular,” a play written by Doménica Feraud while she herself was mourning the unexpected death of her own mother at 51. But the bickering, resentful, guilt-ridden — grieving — characters also offer each other support – which some audience members might find as well from this low-key play as it unfolds as if in real time. Full review
“Six Characters” is full of possible clues to its possible meaning(s). These are moments that reveal the playwright’s erudition about the theater, and suggest he’s establishing an extended metaphor connecting the power imbalance in the theater with that in society, past and present…Much of the audience will be uncertain what’s going on in “Six Characters” much of the time…Full review
The Week in New York Theater News
“Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis announced Thursday that they will release a 26-song concept album of their musical, Warriors, on Oct. 18. Based on the 1979 film The Warriors, itself adapted from Sol Yurick’s novel, Warriors follows a fictitious New York City gang from Coney Island to the Bronx and back when they are framed for the murder of a respected gang leader, Cyrus.” (Entertainment Weekly)
Will it wind up on Broadway? “Hamilton,” after all, began as “Hamilton Mixtape,” a concept album. “There are currently no plans in place for a Broadway run of Warriors.“
Keanu Reeves will make his Broadway debut, and reunite with his co-star from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Alex Winter, starring in director Jamie Lloyd’s production of Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” on Broadway sometime in the Fall of 2025
Adam Driver will star in a new production of Kenneth Lonergan’s Hold on to Me Darling this fall drected by Neil Pepe, at Off Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theater. On learning of his mother’s death, country music icon Strings McCrane (Driver) finds himself in an existential tailspin. The only way out, he decides, is to abandon superstardom in favor of the simple life, so he moves back to his hometown in Tennessee.
Full Cast Announcements:
Hills of California , opening September 29 at Broadhurst Theater:
Joining the cast who led the play in London — Laura Donnelly as Joan/Veronica; Leanne Best as Gloria; Ophelia Lovibond as Ruby; Helena Wilson as Jill; Nancy Allsop as Young Gloria; Sophia Ally as Young Ruby; Lara McDonnell as Young Joan; and Nicola Turner as Young Jill – will be Bryan Dick, Richard Short, David Wilson Barnes, Richard Lumsden, Ta’Rea Campbell, Sawyer Barth, Ellyn Heald, Cameron Scoggins, and Max Roll. The company understudies are Erin Rose Doyle, Sadie Veach, Liz Pearce, Jessica Baglow, Liam Bixby, and Q. Smith.
McNeal, opening September 30 at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater:
Robert Downey Jr., Brittany Bellizeare, Rafi Gavron, Melora Hardin, Andrea Martin, Ruthie Ann Miles, and Saisha Talwar.
Yellow Face, opening October 1 at Roundabout’s Todd Haimes Theater:
Daniel Dae Kim as “DHH,” will be joined by Kevin Del Aguila as “Actor A,” Ryan Eggold as “Marcus,” Francis Jue as “HYH & Others,” Marinda Anderson as “Actor B,” Greg Keller as “Reporter/NWOAC,” and Shannon Tyo as “Leah & Others.”
Death Becomes Her, opening November 21, 2024 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater:
Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard, Christopher Sieber and Michelle Williams will be joined by Marija Abney, Lauren Celentano, Sarita Colon, Kaleigh Cronin,Natalie Charle Ellis, Taurean Everett, Michael Graceffa, Neil Haskell,Kolton Krouse, Josh Lamon, Sarah Meahl, Ximone Rose, Sir Brock Warren,Bud Weber, Ryan Worsing, Warren Yang, Kyle Brown, Lakota Knuckle,Johanna Moise, and Amy Quanbeck
Michael Cerveris is joining the cast as Reverend Jerry Falwell in “Tammy Faye,” opening November 14 at the Palace.
For a rundown on these and the other shows opening in the new season, check out Broadway 2024-2025 Season Preview Guide.
Cats: The Jellicle Ball has extended yet again at PACNYC, now closing September 8
Soho Rep is giving up its space at 46 Walker Street this January after more than 30 years and moving in with Playwrights Horizons. Its last hurrah in Soho will be “Give Me Carmelita Tropicana!” by Alina Troyano and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Oct 23-Dec 1.
This Week’s Theater Video
