Subscribers: If your software garbles this newsletter, read it at GraceNotesStage.com.

Today’s Highlights:

* Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan, featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Ingrid Craigie, Pádraic Delaney, Sarah Greene, Gillian Hanna, Gary Lilburn, Conor MacNeill, Pat Shortt and June Watson, opens at the West End’s Noel Coward Theatre.

* Shakespeare in the Park‘s Comedy of Errors, featuring Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Hamish Linklater, Becky Ann Baker, Emily Bergl, Jonathan Hadary, Heidi Schreck, Skipp Sudduth, de’Adre Aziza, Keith Eric Chapelle, Robert Creighton, along with J. Clint Allen, Reggie Gowland, Bryan Langlitz and Jessica Wu, opens at NYC’s Delacorte Theater.

* Priscilla Queen of the Desert national tour opens at Las Vegas’ Venetian Hotel.

* Buyer and Cellar, starring Michael Urie, re-opens at Off-Broadway’s Barrow Street Theatre.

* Alexander Gemignani begins his run as Billy Flynn in Chicago at Broadway’s Ambassador Theatre.

* Manhattan Theatre Club‘s Choir Boy, by Tarell Alvin McCraney, featuring Nicholas L. Ashe, Kyle Beltran, Chuck Cooper, Grantham Coleman, Austin Pendleton, Jeremy Pope and Wallace Smith, begins previews at NY City Center Stage II.

* 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Lyricist Sammy Cahn concert, featuring Karen Mason, KT Sullivan, Eric Michael Gillett, Karen Akers, Jonathan Rayson, Stacy Sullivan, Lennie Watts, T. Oliver Reid, Steven Brinberg as Simply Barbra, Suzanne Carrico, Mary Foster Conklin, Baby Jane Dexter, Karen Kohler, Sidney Myer, Karen Oberlin, Ricky Ritzel, Marta Sanders, Rick Skye, Jennifer Sheehan, Deb Berman, Eric Yves Garcia, Susan Winter, Alison Nusbaum, musical comedy duo The Rescignos, Devin Bing, Tony Ponella, Nathan Hajdu, Frank Dain, Lynn DiMenna, Scott Barbarino, The Copa Boys and Carol Fredette, at 8 PM and 10 PM at NYC’s Iridium.

* Jack O’Brien‘s memoir “Jack Be Nimble: The Accidental Education of an Unintentional Director” released in hardcover and Kindle.    Order/Download here.

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  Reviews for A Kid Like Jake at LCT3:

NY Times (Charles Isherwood):  ”Under the smooth direction of Evan Cabnet, Ms. Gugino, a superlative stage actress, brings a simmering intensity to her performance, managing to render human even Alex’s sometimes implausible excesses of vitriol.”

NY Daily News (Joe Dziemianowicz):  ”Daniel Pearle’s thoughtful but overstuffed drama follows a Manhattan couple as they struggle to get their 4-year-old son Jake into the right private school.”

NY Post (Elisabeth Vincentelli):  ”You only wish Pearle had given them chewier material. The subject is sensitively handled — maybe too sensitively. This is a common issue with LCT3, a company that seems to increasingly focus on ‘issue plays’ like this one and the 2013 Pulitzer winner Disgraced, about religion and politics.  Still, the show, smoothly directed by Evan Cabnet, is full of perceptive details about the intense world of affluent parenting, where every child is gifted and the struggle for dominance begins at home.”

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  Broadway Grosses for the week ending June 16:

Frontrunners (by Gross)
1. The Lion King ($1,951,428)
2. Wicked ($1,849,045)
3. The Book of Mormon ($1,721,966)
4. Kinky Boots ($1,474,349)
5. Motown The Musical ($1,441,448)

Underdogs (by Gross)
5. The Trip to Bountiful ($492,591)
4. Rock of Ages ($400,236)
3. The Assembled Parties ($366,549)
2. Macbeth ($264,066) *
1. Ann ($185,623)

Frontrunners (by Capacity)
1. The Book of Mormon (102.63%)
2. Pippin (101.43%)
3. Lucky Guy (101.06%)
4. Kinky Boots  (100.91%)
5. Motown The Musical (100.71%)

Underdogs (by Capacity)
5. Mamma Mia! (78.04%)
4. Nice Work If You Can Get It (77.45%)
3. The Trip to Bountiful (61.18%)
2. Macbeth (55.85%) *
1. Ann (37.10%)

* Number based on six performances.
Data provided by the Broadway League.

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Neil Patrick Harris will star in the Broadway premiere production of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s cult classic musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch in the spring of 2014. Michael Mayer will direct.

Dates, venue and cast TBA.

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Peter and the Starcatcher national tour schedule:

Denver: Aug. 15 – Sept. 1, Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Dallas: Sept. 17-29, AT&T Performing Arts Center
Houston: Oct. 15-20, Hobby Center
San Antonio: Oct. 22-27, Majestic Theatre
Seattle: Oct. 30 – Nov. 3, Moore Theatre
San Francisco: Nov. 5 – Dec. 1, Curran Theatre
Los Angeles: Dec. 3 -Jan. 12, Ahmanson Theatre
Tempe: Jan. 14-19, Gammage Auditorium
East Lansing: Jan. 22-26, Wharton Center
Washington, DC: Jan. 28 – Feb.16, Kennedy Center
Hartford: Feb. 18-23, Busnhell
Providence: Feb. 25 – Mar. 3, Providence PAC
Minneapolis: Mar. 11-16, Orpheum Theatre
Palm Desert: Mar. 28-30, McCallum Theatre
Chicago: Apr. 2-13, Bank of America Theatre
Charlotte: Apr. 29 – May 4, 2014, Knight Theater
Baltimore: May 6-18, Hippodrome Theatre

Click here for more information.

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Off-Broadway’s Classic Stage Company has announced its 2013-14 season:

* Romeo and Juliet (September), directed by Tea Alagic, with Elizabeth Olsen and Finn Wittrock.

* Julius Caesar  (October), part of the Monday Open Rehearsal Series

* The Last Two People on Earth: An Apocalyptic Vaudeville (December), conceived and performed by Mandy Patinkin and Taylor Mac, directed by Susan Stroman.

* A Man’s a Man (January), by Bertolt Brecht, with new music by Duncan Sheik, directed by Brian Kulick.

* Brecht Fest (January)

* The Heir Apparent (March), by David Ives, with new music adapted from the play by Jean-Francois Regnard, directed by John Rando.

* The Tempest (March), part of The Young Company, directed by Jimmy Maize.

* First Look Festival: Caryl Churchill (April)

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The 2013 Tony Awards telecast is now available on iTunes.

  Download here.

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The world premiere of King Kong at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre has been extended through Aug. 18.

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Mary Testa will star in My Brilliant Divorce, a one-woman play by Geraldine Anron, at FL’s Asolo Rep June 23 – July 14 (opening June 26), directed by Michael Donald Edwards.

“Angela Kennedy-Lipsky is the middle-aged American wife of Max, a Brit who has run off with his lover and left Angela high and dry in London,” press notes state. “Once a professional window dresser, Angela gave up her career to be a wife and mother and now finds herself adrift in a sea of shifty solicitors, Christmas on her own, and her confidence at an all-time low. Should she fight to keep her husband? Or should she sign the divorce papers and move on? Bizarre dates, a trip to the adult toy store, a telephone call to a suicide hotline, a near reconciliation with the ex, then a singles weekend that brings about a surprise meeting and a glimmer of hope…”

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Zoe Sarnak’s A Lasting Impression June 29 (7 PM) concert at Joe’s Pub has announced additional performers

Newly announced: Alice Ripley, Kacie Sheik and Andrew Kober
Previously announced: Meghann Fahy, Preston Sadleir and Taylor Noble

A Lasting Impression ”is the story of two sisters, Kali, a composer, and Simone, a painter, told through the eyes of a jaded young journalist, Josh, who is searching for his ‘next big story.’ As Josh recounts his interviews with these two artists living in modern-day Brooklyn with their mother, he uncovers the secrets of a crumbling family. Through musical and visual elements, the sisters’ artwork is woven through Josh’s narrative. A Lasting Impression is about the impact we make through love and art.”

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A revised production of Neil LaBute’s In the Company of Men has extended its run through July 28 at Chicago’s Profile Theatre.

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Two private industry staged readings of Strange Faces, a new musical by Andrea Grody about young people with Asperger’s syndrome, will be held June 25 in NYC.

Directed by John Rando, the cast includes Sean Drohan, Matthew Gumley, Leah Holleran, Amy Justman, Derek Klena, Fred Rose and Remy Zaken.

“Strange Faces explores the lives and families of three young people with Asperger’s syndrome,” press notes state. “Peter, Laura, Jamie, and their loved ones come to life in a collage of soaring music and idiosyncratic humor. Inspired by real-life interviews,Strange Faces tackles the universal themes of love, relationships, commitment and the countless ways we use those words.”

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Cher and Deborah Cox will perform at Heritage of Pride‘s annual fundraising dance party, Dance on the Pier, June 30 from 3-10 PM at NYC’s Hudson River Park’s Pier 26 in Tribeca.

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Mother Divine: The Musical, inspired by the real-life events of Harlem evangelist Father Divine, will run July 11-20, as part of NYMF‘s Next Link Project, at NYC’s PTC Performance Space.  With book and lyrics by Laurel Klinger Vartabedian and music by Bill Evans, the production will be directed by Adam Hester and choreographed by Randy Davis, with musical direction by Julianne Merrill.

The cast includes Danielle Lee Greaves, Randy Donaldson, Howie Michael Smith, Allyson Tucker, Erick Carter, Jenavene Hester, Daisy Hobbs, Mike Longo, Ashley Parizek, Rose Pedone and Chris Sams.

Mother Divine ”is inspired by the real life events of a charismatic Depression era Harlem evangelist named Father Divine who, as legend has it, rode around town in a flashy Duesenberg and espoused his own brand of Christian doctrine mixed with capitalism, socialism, mysticism and some wild ideas including the notion that heaven was already on earth, he was God and his followers immortal. After taking an older wife whom he endowed with the title of ‘Mother Divine’ his preaching hit a supernatural snag when she passed away unexpectedly. Father D then rationalized marrying a much younger woman with the notion that Mother desired a body more fitting of her righteous spirit. Thus he ‘reincarnated’ Mother Divine as a twenty something blond bombshell whom he presented to his flock as ‘Mother in the Second Body.’ Here the story takes a comic departure as the first Mother Divine returns to earth and with the help of a bumbling IRS agent is determined on proving that it’s never too late for a first wife to get her revenge! Everyone is chasing someone else’s secrets in this rollicking romp set to a rousing Gospel-tinged score.”

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NY’s Chautauqua Theater Company has announced its 2013 summer season:

* Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (June 28 – July 7), directed by Lisa Rothe, featuring Harris Yulin, Candy Buckley, Carly Zien, Peter Mark Kendall, Matt Raich, Mallory Portnoy and David Vegh.

* Clybourne Park (July 19-28), directed by DAvis McCallum, featuring Marin Hinkle Andy Weems, Sean Dugan, Tangela Large, Stephen Spencer, Mary Wiseman and Landon Woodson.

* The Comedy of Errors (Aug. 9-16), directed by Andrew Borba, featuring John Seidman and CTC Conservatory actors.

* The Romeo & Juliet Project (July 27), conceived and directed by Vivienne Benesch

* Dark Radio (July 11-13) workshop, by Colin McKenna.

* Transit (Aug. 1-3) workshop, by Kait Kerrigan.

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#UntitledPopMusical, the new musical conceived and written by Michael Kimmel, with music and lyrics by Drew Gasparini, will have its debut concert June 24 at 7 PM at NYC’s (le) Poisson Rouge.

The cast will feature Julia Mattison, Lauren Pritchard, Lisa Brescia, Andrew Kober, F. Michael Haynie, Preston Sadleir, Gabriel Violett, Remy Zaken and Keith White.

“Dance songs, crotch shots, public meltdowns, twitter rants, little monsters, mean girls, media overload, paparazzi, drugs, clubs…any of this sound familiar? #UntitledPopMusical tells the story of the meteoric rise and fall of international pop sensation Jenna Styles, and what instant fame means now in our digital world.”

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  Bernard Sahlins, who, as the co-founder of Second City, the legendary improvisational comedy theatre group, had an incalculable affect on generations of American comedy, died June 16 in his home. He was 90.

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NYMF will present staged readings of Shawn Cody’s The Water Dream (book, music and lyrics by Cody, additional lyrics, associate music direction and dramaturgy by Emily Otto, additional book by Rob O’Hare, additional lyrics by Ryan Link, additional contributions by Anthony Rapp) July 10 (5 PM) and July 11 (5 PM and 9 PM) at Off-Broadway’s Signature Center, with musical direction by Bill Barclay.

Directed by Jim True-Frost, the cast includes Anthony Rapp, J. Robert Spencer, Karmine Alers, Alexis Hightower, Dee Roscioli, Brian Dykstra, Josh Lamon, writer Cody, Doug Chapman, Adam Kern, Cheo Bourne, Alisa Ledyard and Alana Rader.

“Set in Boston, when his brilliant and beautiful girlfriend dumps him, Colin Burns (Rapp) an unimaginative writer, is haunted by a dragon, a terrifying illusion from his tragic childhood,” according to press notes. “Colin’s sci-fi-fantasy-loving uncle convinces him to write a fantasy novel (that features swimming, walking and flying whales), wherein he can defeat this demon. But can Colin confront tragedy, embrace imagination, and defeat the dragon, all in time to save his real life? Dude. Generation X with a Hero Complex.”

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“Nunsense: 30thAnniversary Cast Recording” (book, music and lyrics by Dan Goggin) has been released on CD and mp3 with the definitive recording of the beloved score with complete orchestrations.  Musical arrangements are by Michael Rice, percussion arrangements by David Nyberg and musical direction by Leo P. Carusone.

The cast features Mary Stout (Mother Regina), Bambi Jones (Sr. M. Hubert), Christine Mild (Sr. Robert Anne), Jeanne Tinker (Sr. M. Amnesia) and Stephanie Wahl (Sr. M. Leo).

  Order/Download here.

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The Broadway Dreams Foundation will present Circle of Dreams, a unique Broadway concert open to the public, on Sat. June 22 at 7:30 PM at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse. This culmination of a week-long Summer Performing Arts Intensive will be directed by Stafford Arima, with choreography by Spencer Liff and musical direction by Roberto Sinha.

Performers: Shoshana Bean, Craig D’Amico, Quentin Earl Darrington, Andrew Palmermo, Nicole Parker and Ryann Redmond, along with LA area BDF students.

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  Video:  Patti Lupone: “Entrances and Exits,” Ep. 5.

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Jason Robert Brown is the first major entertainment personality to participate in the New York Public Library’s witty new amateur songwriting game challenge “Across a Crowded Room.”

“Across a Crowded Room”  - the title taken from the South Pacific lyric in “Some Enchanted Evening” by Oscar Hammerstein  - “provides aspiring composers, lyricists and performers the opportunity to create a performance piece based on a one-sentence jumping-off point provided by an industry professional – such as, in this case, Jason Robert Brown.”

Click here for more information.

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National Theatre Live has announced its 2013-14 season of productions to be broadcast live:

* Othello (Sept. 26 & more US dates), directed by Nichlas Hytner, at the National Theatre
* Macbeth (Oct. 17), starring Kenneth Branaugh, at the Manchester Int’l Fesitval
* National Theatre’s 50th Anniversary Celebration (Nov. 2)
* Coriolanus (Jan. 30), directed by Josie Rourke, at the Donmar Warehouse
* War Horse (2014 dates TBA), at the National Theatre

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Cheyenne Jackson will make an appearance at Macy’s in San Francisco on June 29 at 1 PM to sign copies of his new album, “I’m Blue, Skies,”  which will be released on mp3 June 25.

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London’s Southwark Playhouse will present the U.K. premiere of Beau Willimon’s Farragut North, to run Sept. 11 – Oct. 5 (opening Sept. 13), directed by Guy Unsworth.

Casting TBA.

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London’s Gate Theatre will present a season of three award-winning plays from the U.S. under the umbrella title “These American Lives”:

* George Brant’s Grounded (Aug. 28 – Sept. 21), directed by Christopher Haydon, starring Lucy Ellinson. The play is a “visceral and absorbing look at the life of a pregnant female fighter pilot who switches from flying F16 Jets to piloting remote-controlled Reaper Drones over Pakistan from a trailer in Las Vegas.”

* Ethan Lipton’s No Place to Go (Nov. 15 – Dec. 14).  ”Combining music, song and the spoken word, this Obie Award-winning production tells of the story of a man who loses his job after his office is relocated to Mars.”

* Dan O’Brien’s The Body of an American (Jan. 16 – Feb. 1)

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NYMF will present staged concerts of Song Moments: Daniel Maté in Concert July 15 at 6:30 PM and 9:30 PM at Off-Broadway’s Signature Center, directed by Max Friedman, with musical direction by Brian Usifer.

The cast features Hannah Elless, Brandon Ellis, Angela Grovey, Grace McLean, George Salazar and Bob Stillman.

“Some moments in life are too intense, awkward, or outlandish for words — they deserve music, too. Acclaimed composer-lyricist Daniel Maté, winner of the 2013 Kleban Prize, transforms them into theatre tunes. Join Daniel and an amazing line-up of performers for a thrilling evening of compelling, clever, and catchy Song Moments!”

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Subscribers: If your software garbles this newsletter, read it at GraceNotesStage.com.

Today’s Highlights:

* Daniel Pearle’s A Kid Like Jake, featuring Carla Gugino, Peter Grosz, Caroline Aaron and Michelle Beck, opens at Off-Broadway’s LCT3.

* Spamalot, featuring John O’Hurley, Michelle Ragusa, Kevin Cahoon, John Scherer, David Hibbard, Chris Hoch, Ben Davis and Tally Sessions, opens at St. Louis Muny.

* Sherie Rene Scott‘s Pieces of Meat opens at 54 Below.

* Inside Broadway honors Laura Osnes (Cinderella) and Condola Rashad (The Trip to the Bountiful) at the Broadway Beacon Awards at 7 PM at Joe’s Pub.

* The Public Theater‘s “What Are We Worth? Shakespeare, Money, and Morals” free Public Forum event, featuring Alan Alda, Lily Rabe, Vanessa Redgrave, Liev Schreiber, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Raúl Esparza, Hamish Linklater, Jesse L. Martin, Christine Baranski, Matt Damon and Gloria Reuben, at 8 PM at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater.

* Night Of A Thousand Judys benefit concert, featuring Tituss Burgess, Christiane Noll, Carolee Carmello, Karen Mason, Justin Vivian Bond, Lea DeLaria, Telly Leung, Jaime Cepero, Everett Quinton, Maude Maggart, Rachel Shukert, John Early, Becca Blackwell, Scott Matthew, Natalie Joy Johnson, Nancy Anderson, Martha Wash, Molly Pope, Madeleine Peyroux and Danielle Grabianowski, and more, at 8 PM at NYC’s Merkin Concert Hall.

* TrevorLIVE NY benefit, hosted by Jane Lynch, with Billy Porter, Sara Bareilles, DJ Kiss, Nathan Lane, Andrew Rannells, Andy Cohen, Dallas Roberts, Jenni ‘Jwoww’ Farley, Joy Bryant, Julie Halston, Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi and Tammy Blanchard, at 6 PM at NYC’s Chelsea Piers.

* Transport Group’s Once Upon a Mattress concert presentation, featuring Jackie Hoffman, John “Lypsinka” Epperson, Danny Burstein, John Cariani, Jill Paice, Lewis Cleale, Jonathan Hammond, Stanley Bahorek and David Rossmer, at 7 PM at Off-Broadway’s Signature Center.

* Vineyard Celebrates the Songs of Dory Previn benefit concert, featuring Michael Cerveris, Montego Glover, Julia Greenberg, Judy Kuhn, Nellie McKay, Jessie Mueller, Stew, Gabriel Ebert, Malcolm Gets, Amanda Green, Veanne Cox, Heidi Blickenstaff, Michael Esper, Sarah Stiles, Caissie Levy and Phillipa Soo, at 7 PM at Off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre.

* MCC Theater‘s The Mercy Seat benefit staged reading, by Neil LaBute, starring Julianna Margulies and Paul Rudd, at 7:30 PM at Off-Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre.

* Unsung Musicals‘ Unsung Jimmy Van Heusen concert, featuring Nancy Anderson, Rachel de Benedet, Janine Jones, Isabel Keating, Garrett Long, Christine Pedi and Johnathan Rayson, at 8 PM at NYC’s Cutting Room.

* Celebrity Autobiography reading, featuring Richard Kind, Brooke Shields, Jane Krakowski, Mario Cantone, Janeane Garofalo, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel and Alan Zweibel, at 7:30 PM at NYC’s Stage 72.

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  Reviews for King Kong in Australia:

Herald Sun (Kate Herbert):  ”The six-metre Kong is the runaway star of this new musical and the most fully developed character on stage because of his expressive, almost human face, imposing physicality, majesty and grace….Ann and Kong’s rapport is central to this show’s success and director, Daniel Kramer, effectively shapes their connection into a genuinely poignant, heartfelt and credible relationship.”

The Age (Cameron Woodhead):  ”It’s a show that will leave a colossal footprint. You can taste the future in this unique and visionary theatrical event, and it’s mind-blowing….. But size doesn’t matter if you don’t know what to do with it, and the real wonder is the ingenious physical realism, and the sheer agility and expressiveness of the puppetry.”

3News (Kim Choe): “King Kong has once again taken up residence on stage – and in spectacular fashion…. Thankfully the show’s creators have not been afraid to step outside the traditional ra-ra Broadway style, opting instead for a dark, reflective score with some brave contemporary staging…. King Kong creates such an immersive world that it was a relief to emerge into the night and find that the city of Melbourne was still intact. It is perhaps the closest you will ever get to experiencing the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World.’”

Aussie Theatre (Anne-Marie Peard):  ”Oh King Kong! You gorgeous, sexy, magnificent beast. Your entrance may be the most spectacular thing ever seen on a live stage. Every time you’re on, the audience is yours for the taking, as all around you pale to dull, despite all manner of shiny costume. You are glorious and unforgettable. If only a fraction of the care, love, money and time that went into your creation was put into creating the story you are doomed to play in.”

  Video:  King Kong‘s “Full Moon Lullaby.”

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FUNDAY MONDAY!

  GRACE NOTES Quiz – A Night on the Town, by Jim Bernhard

These night spots appear in which musicals?

1. Kit Kat Klub
2. Hot Box Club
3. Bal du Paradis
4. Trocadero Night Club
5. Chez Joey
6. Seminole-Ritz Hotel Night Club
7. Hernando’s Hideaway
8. Mme. Delphine’s Night Club
9. Fandango Ballroom
10. Jake’s Palace

Scroll down for the answers…

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“Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” John Berendt’s 1994 best-selling book, is being adapted as a Broadway-aimed stage musical by Alfred Uhry, with Rob Ashford attached as director.

Mark Bennett will supervise the score, which will include the music of Johnny Mercer

“The Savannah-set Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil centers around an ‘incident’ at Mercer House, once owned by the great-grandfather of songwriter Johnny Mercer, and explores the murder of a young escort named Danny Hansford and his accused murderer, antiques dealer Jim Williams, a closeted gay man, with whom he had a relationship. Among the compelling characters in the work are nightlife entertainer The Lady Chablis, the Voodoo priestess Minerva, and Sonny Seiler, whose bulldogs are the University of Georgia mascots.”

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NYC’s Café Carlyle has announced its Fall season:

Sutton Foster (Sept. 10-28)
Clint Holmes (Oct. 1-12)
Judy Collins (Oct. 15-26)
John Pizzarella & Jessica Molaskey (Oct. 29 – Nov. 23)
Steve Tyrell (Nov. 26 – Dec. 31)

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  New GRACE NOTES Survey  

It’s that time again, and I would greatly appreciate your support.  The survey will take less than 2 minutes, and is completely anonymous.  Your responses are strictly confidential – neither your name or email will be attached to the survey.  Thank you all so much!

  Click here to take the survey.

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Kritzerland presents The British Invasion - Songs from the UK Musicals of the ‘60s and ‘70s on Sun. July 7 at 7 PM at North Hollywood’s Sterling’s Upstairs at The Federal, with musical direction by Shelly Markham.  Reservations: 818-754-8700.

The cast features Chelsea Emma Franko, Tessa Grady, Kevin Odekirk, Barry Pearl and   Jenna Lea Rosen, with special guests Tony Tanner and Kerry O’Malley.

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LA’s Rogue Machine production of Dying City, by Christopher Shinn, starring Burt Grinstead and Laurie Okin, has been extended through Aug. 5.

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Andy Fickman will develop and direct a film adaptation of Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn’s Lysistrata Jones, the musical adaptation of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, in which a group of high school cheerleaders refuse to “give it up” until their basketball-player boyfriends score on the court.

No timeline has been announced.

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  Article:  Carolee Carmello on Night of a Thousand Judys, Scandalous, ”Smash,” Tuck Everlasting, and more.

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A celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of lyricist Sammy Cahn will take place June 18 (8 PM and 10 PM) at NYC’s Iridium. The concerts will benefit Cabaret Scenes Magazine

Performers: Karen Mason, KT Sullivan, Eric Michael Gillett, Karen Akers, Jonathan Rayson, Stacy Sullivan, Lennie Watts, T. Oliver Reid, Steven Brinberg as Simply Barbra, Suzanne Carrico, Mary Foster Conklin, Baby Jane Dexter, Karen Kohler, Sidney Myer, Karen Oberlin, Ricky Ritzel, Marta Sanders, Rick Skye, Jennifer Sheehan, Deb Berman, Eric Yves Garcia, Susan Winter, Alison Nusbaum, musical comedy duo The Rescignos, Devin Bing, Tony Ponella, Nathan Hajdu, Frank Dain, Lynn DiMenna, Scott Barbarino, The Copa Boys and Carol Fredette.

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New Haven’s Yale Rep presents A Streetcar Named Desire Sept. 20 – Oct. 12, directed by Mark Rucker.

The cast stars Joe Manganiello and René Augesen, with additional casting TBA.

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  Video:  Cheyenne Jackson‘s new music video, “Don’t Look at Me.”

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Lily Mercer’s Before the Fall continues Sun. June 23 at 3 PM and 7 PM at LA’s Hudson Backstage Theatre   ►Special GRACE NOTES offer: $12 with code 213.

Mercer directs a cast that includes Connie Ball, Allie Costa, Marti Hale, Jen Hines, Worth Howe, Melissa Jobe, Jamie McRae, Jeffrey S. Miles, Laura Napoli, Steven P. Oliver, and David Portorreal, with original music by Jordan Bennett.

“Framed as a courtroom drama, Before the Fall is an ensemble play about the patriarch of a Southern Church suspected of molesting his granddaughter, the high-school teacher who tries to intercede, and the community that turns a blind eye.”

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The Last Smoker in America (book and lyrics by Bill Russell, music by Peter Melnick) cast album will be released June 25 on mp3.

  Audio:  Track samples.

The cast features Farah Alvin, Natalie Venetia Belcon, John Bolton, and Jake Boyd.

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  Highlights from the May 6 Broadway Backs Boston benefit in NYC:

Video: Ben Brown, Abby Church, Erin Krom, Andromeda Turre, Nik Walker – “Hold Your Head Up High”
Video: Nick Adams – “On the Street Where You Live”
Video: Ariana DeBose – “Home”
Video: Larkin Bogan – “The Boat Song”
Video: Mary Callanan – “Love Will Keep Us Together”
Video: Eli Zoller – “Centerfold”
Video: Dan Gleason – “Shower The People”
Video: Matt DeAngelis, Dave Rubin, Erica Swindell, Larkin Bogan, Eli Zoller – “Wagon Wheel”
Video: Morgan James – “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today”
Video: Ben Thompson – “Better Man”
Video: Jeanna deWaal – “What’s Up”
Video: Marcus Paul James – “Fix You”
Video: Corey Mach – “Waiting on the World to Change”

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The Inner City Mother Goose (based on the Mother Goose book, lyrics by Eve Merriam and music by Helen Miller, originally conceived by Tom O’Horgan) will have an industry-only presentation today in NYC, directed by Michael Boyd, with music direction by Rob Baumgartner Jr.

The cast features Annie Golden, Tina Fabrique, Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Andrew Kober, Ashley Park, Lia Sumerano, Eric Sumpter and Frank Viveros.

“Once upon a time in 1969 the prolific and insightful poet, Eve Merriam, penned a book of poems using traditional nursery rhymes as a jumping off point for social and political commentary of the day. Covering such topics as crime, drug abuse, unemployment, and inadequate housing, by 1982 Ms. Merriam’s book had become one of the most banned in the country. In 1971 Broadway director Tom O’Horgan conceived a new musical based on Ms. Merriam’s book called Inner City. Instead of a cynical and pessimistic observation of life in the urban jungles of America, O’Horgan shaped the material into a theatrical event that was fast, funny, playful, touching and, ultimately, a rousing celebration of everyday contemporary life to which everyone – including those comfortably nestled in the suburbs – could relate.”

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  Video:  Alice Ripley sings “When There’s No One” from Carrie.

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Fantasia Barino announced she will return to Broadway this fall.  While not identifying which show, it is believed to be Cotton Club Parade, directed by Warren Carlyle.

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Despite cancelling the final previews for Tennessee Williams’ The Two-Character Play, due to Amanda Plummer’s knee injury, the production will still open as scheduled June 19 at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages.

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Eugune Pack’s Hitherto will receive an industry-only reading today, directed by Sheryl Kaller.  Pack is the creator of Celebrity Autobiography.

The cast features Matthew Broderick, Maddie Corman, Tony Danza, Anita Gillette, Geraldine Hughes, Carol Kane, and Parker Posey

Hitherto is “a new comedy surrounding a graduation that sets off a series of emotional and romantic entanglements.”

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  GRACE NOTES Quiz Answers – A Night on the Town:

1. Kit Kat Klub – Cabaret
2. Hot Box Club – Guys and Dolls
3. Bal du Paradis – Can-Can
4. Trocadero Night Club – Show Boat
5. Chez Joey – Pal Joey
6. Seminole-Ritz Hotel Night Club – Sugar (a.k.a. Some Like It Hot)
7. Hernando’s Hideaway – The Pajama Game
8. Mme. Delphine’s Night Club – Maytime
9. Fandango Ballroom – Sweet Charity
10. Jake’s Palace – Paint Your Wagon

Got a quiz you’d like to submit?  Send it on over.  Text only, 10 questions or less, please.

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Subscribers: If your software garbles this newsletter, read it at GraceNotesStage.com.

This Weekend’s Highlights:

Friday, June 14

* Alexi Kaye Campbell’s Bracken Moor, featuring Antony Byrne, Daniel Flynn, Natalie Gavin, Helen Schlesinger, Simon Shepherd, Joseph Timms and Sarah Woodward, opens at London’s Tricycle Theatre.

* Paul Rayfield’s Payback: The Musical, featuring Matthew White, Katie Bernstein, Sarah Earnshaw, Adam Flynn, Howard Samuels, Alan Vicary and James Yeoburn, opens at London’s Riverside Studios.

* Chris Phillips’ revolver, featuring John Colella, AJ Jones, Daniel Montgomery, Matthew Scott Montgomery, Robert Paterno, and Terrance Spencer, opens at Hollywood’s Celebration Theatre.

* David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People, featuring Johanna Day, R. Ward Duffy, Amelia Campbell, Joy Hooper, Jane Ridley and Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton, opens at Penn State Centre Stage.

* Theater Talk‘s annual Tony Wrap-Up premieres on NYC’s Thirteen/PBS at 1 AM (Sat. morning) and repeats repeats in the New York metro area on CUNY TV Saturday at 8:30 PM, Sunday at 12:30 PM, and Monday at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM.

Saturday, June 15

* Marius de Vries and Michael Mitnik’s King Kong, featuring Esther Hannaford, Adam Lyon, Chris Ryan (Thyestes), Richard Piper and Queenie van de Zandt, opens at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre.

* Bryan Batt‘s Batt on a Hot Tin Roof cabaret, at 8:30 PM at 54 Below (also June 16).

* The Museum of the City of New York‘s Make Room for Broadway cabaret, featuring Gregg Edelman, Michael McElroy, Christianne Tisdale and Natalie Toro, at 3 PM (also June 16).

* Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson released on CD.   Order here.

* Nice Work If You Can Get It closes at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre, after 27 previews and 478 regular performances.

* The Audience, featuring Helen Mirren, Michael Elwyn, Nathaniel Parker and Rufus Wright, Haydn Gwynne, Robert Hardy and Paul Ritter, closes at London’s Gielgud Theatre.

* Untold Stories, starring Alex Jennings, closes at the West End’s Duchess Theatre.

* To Kill a Mockingbird, starring Robert Sean Leonard, closes at London’s Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park.

* The Drowsy Chaperone, featuring Pat Sajak, Liz Larsen, Adam Heller, Jan Neuberger and Jay Rogers, closes at Connecticut Repertory Theatre.

Sunday, June 16

* Patti LuPone in concert, with host Seth Rudetsky, opens at London’s Leicester Square Theatre.

* On The Town, featuring Michael Rupert, Nancy Opel, Tony Yazbeck, Deanna Doyle, Elizabeth Stanley, Clyde Alves, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Alysha Umphress, opens at MA’s Barrington Stage Company.

* Prospect Theater Company’s Unlock’d, by Sam Carner and Derek Gregor, featuring Jennifer Blood, Jillian Gottlieb, Sydney James Harcourt, AJ Shively, Maria Couch, Chris Critelli, Adam Daveline, Catherine LeFrere, Lukas Poost, Chandler Reeves, Emily Rogers and Hansel Tan, opens at Off-Broadway’s Duke on 42nd Street.

* Bryan Batt‘s Batt on a Hot Tin Roof cabaret, at 7 PM at 54 Below.

* A Little Night Music – In Concert, featuring Janie Dee, David Birrell, Joanna Riding and Hadley Fraser, at 7 PM at the UK’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.

* The Museum of the City of New York‘s Make Room for Broadway cabaret, featuring Gregg Edelman, Michael McElroy, Christianne Tisdale and Natalie Toro, at 3 PM.

* Musical Theatre Guild‘s Girl Crazy concert presentation, featuring Roger Befeler, Chuck Bergman, Christopher Carothers, Stan Chandler, Misty Cotton, Maura Knowles, William Martinez, Erik McEwen, Jen Malenke, Jeffrey Polk, Jeremy Bernard, Ashley Fox Linton, Nick Santa Maria, Noelle Marion, Brent Schindele and Stephanie Wall, at 3 PM at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

* Planet Connections One Acts for a Cause benefit, featuring new works by Neil LaBute, Winter Miller and John Patrick Shanley, with Estelle Parsons, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jenni Barber, Krystina Alabado, Ivette Dumeng and Dustin Kerns, at 7:30 PM at Off-Broadway’s Signature Theatre.

* Adam Pascal concludes his run as Billy Flynn in Chicago at Broadway’s Ambassador Theatre.

* Guillermo Calderón’s Neva, featuring Sue Cremin, Ruth Livier and Ramón de Ocampo, closes at LA’s Kirk Douglas Theatre.

* Priscilla Queen of the Desert, starring Wade McCollum, Scott Willis, Bryan West and Joe Hartstars, closes at LA’s Pantages Theatre.

* Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, featuring Mamie Parris, George Dvorsky, Alex Michael Stoll, Keely Beirne, Callan Bergmann, Sarah Blodgett, Scott Brateng, Jeff Howell, Ashley Kasunich, David Paul Kidder, Isabelle McCalla, Paul Palmer, Jonalyn Saxer, Brian Steven Shaw, Peter Matthew Smith, Gavin Stewart and Andrea Weinzierl, Jesse Carrey-Beaver, Max Clayton, Lucas Fedele, Mike Greer, Rodney Jackson, Connor McRory, Lucia Williams and Halle Surgil, closes at Pittsburgh CLO.

* Spamalot, featuring Bruce Winant, Damon Kirsche, Kathryn Boswell, Kimberly Corbett, Eleanor Fishman, Hannah Freeman, Rebecca Gans, Claire Gerig, Catherine Helm, Emily Kelly, Brooke Lacy, Carolyn Anne Miller, Becca Petersen, Sarah Quinn, Riza Takahashi, Katie Wesler, Hayley Wilhelm, Sumire Yu, Faith Northcutt, Maddie Razook, Robert Ariza, Daniel Beeman, Daniel Bevins, Jacob Chancellor, Jordan De Leon, Caleb Dicke, Michael Hartung, Dan Horn, Elliott Mattox, Evan Mayer, Trevor McChristian, Alexander H. Miller, Chet Norment, Nicholas Palmquist, Benjamin Rivera, Sean Ronayne, Andy Tofa and Zack Wilhelm, closes at Music Theatre of Wichita.

* GAYFESTNYC‘s Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, by Moisés Kaufman, featuring Drew Feldman, Benjamin Fisher, Joshua Forcum, Michael Greehan, Anthony Jackson, Charlie Kolarich, Michael Lorz, Russell Peck, Jonathan Sokolow and Carl Wilson, closes at Off-Broadway’s Abingdon Theatre Complex.

* GAYFESTNYC‘s The Loves of Mr. Lincoln, by David Brendan Hope, featuring Don Burroughs, Leah Curney, Tyrone Davis, Jr., Steven Hauk and Stacey Todd Hold, closes at Off-Broadway’s Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex.

* Noah Racey’s Pulse, featuring Racey, Lauralyn McClelland, Frances Bradley, Anthony J. Russo, Christopher Erk and Danny Gardner, closes at FL’s Asolo Repertory Theatre.

* The Last Queen of Canaan and Mrs. Hughes summer developmental labs, featuring Erin Davie, Betsy Morgan, Ato Blankson-Wood, Kecia Lewis, Kelli Barrett, and more, closes at New Haven’s Yale Institute for Music Theatre.

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  Reviews for Venice at the Public Theater:

NY Times (Ben Brantley):  ”Though it borrows some of its story from Shakespeare’s Othello and much of its tone from apocalyptic movie blockbusters like ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ this tale of a once-and-future civil war still seems to translate into two-dimensional panels as you watch it.  You can imagine thought bubbles rising from the characters’ heads, as they brood in ways idealistic and dastardly in a devastated city of tomorrow still steeped in a suffocating past.”

NY Daily News (Joe Dziemianowicz):  ”The makers of the ambitious but patchy musical Venice have glimpsed the future. It’s not a pretty picture.”

NY Post (Elisabeth Vincentelli):  ”The most popular young-adult novels these days — ‘The Hunger Games,’ ‘The 5th Wave — feature hotties entangled in love triangles while trying to survive in a dystopian, dangerous world.  Now comes Venice — same idea, only it’s an off-Broadway musical. The disaster may be in the past for the characters, but the audience is living it, having to endure a poorly written, limply staged and feebly acted show. And that’s before the pandering number featuring a Nicki Minaj wannabe and Skrillex-like dance-music breaks.”

Associated Press (Joan Marcus):  ”The rafters are shaking downtown at the Public Theater, where the dynamic new hip-hop musical, Venice, is rocking the Anspacher Theater. It’s a potent, dystopian mashup of rap music, Shakespeare’s Othello, sibling rivalry and political intrigue. And there’s a sweet love story, too.”

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  Reviews for The Amen Corner at London’s National Theatre:

Evening Standard (Henry Hitchings):  ”With live gospel music, a tragic plot and a refreshing emphasis on the complexity of its female characters, James Baldwin’s debut play The Amen Corner is, at its best, revelatory. It’s also undeniably flawed, but this rare revival by Rufus Norris has a confident vigour and boasts a fine cast, expertly led by the Oscar-nominated Marianne Jean-Baptiste.”

Daily Telegraph (Charles Spencer):  ”Right from the start, when the London Community Gospel Choir launch into a joyous hymn that reverberates divinely around the Olivier auditorium it is clear that we are in for something special here – and so it proves.”

The Independent (Paul Taylor):  ”…all praise to the National Theatre and to director Rufus Norris for making this rare revival of Baldwin’s debut drama The Amen Corner (1954) such a deeply affecting occasion. The humanity and humour of the writing glow in this Travelex £12 production as does the openness with which Baldwin bears witness to his own emotional perplexities.”

WhatsOnStage (Michael Coveny):  ”Cattrall, sporting a ginger wig that makes her look oddly, and inappropriately, like Janet Leigh, plays the charm and the despair, but not the disregard for dignity as she reaches for the oxygen cylinder and swills down her pink tablets with a gulp from the vodka bottle.”

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  Reviews for Sweet Bird of Youth at London’s Old Vic:

The Guardian (Michael Billington):  ”Everything that art can do to boost this revival of Tennessee Williams’s 1959 play has been done. Marianne Elliott’s production is first-rate. The cast, led by Kim Cattrall, is as good as any you’ll find in a national company. Yet nothing can persuade me that the play is anything more than overheated melodrama all too rarely alleviated by Williams’s instinct for comedy.”

Daily Telegraph (Charles Spencer):  ”I suppose some might accuse Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth of being an overheated and, at times, hysterical melodrama, but boy does it pack a punch in Marianne Elliott’s superb staging.”

Independent (Paul Taylor):  ”The unbearably loud television transmission of the demagogic racist rally offstage, the lurid lightning flashes it seems to trigger and the brutal centre-stage beating up of the heckler: all this brings home both the chilling political reality and at the same time filters it through the tormented subjectivity of the man whose tragic self-disgust, essential isolation and suicidal passivity Numrich so affectingly and stealthily delineates.  Strongly recommended.”

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The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced June 13 that starting with the 2013-14 theatrical season, New York-based theatre companies will be eligible to receive the Regional Theatre Award.

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  Video:  Highlights of The Scottsboro Boys at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre.

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Additional casting has been announced for Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley’s Violet, offered July 17 at 7:30 PM, directed by Leigh Silverman, with musical direction by Michael Rafter. The presentation is part of the the Encores Off-Center series at NY City Center and is currently sold out.

The cast now features Sutton Foster, Joshua Henry, Van Hughes, Austin Lesch, Anastacia McCleskey, Keala Settle, Christopher Sieber, Emerson Steele, Chris Sullivan, Rema Webb and Paul Whitty, with the gospel choir Songs of Solomon.

The show  ”follows a young woman who embarks on a religious pilgrimage in hopes of being healed of her disfiguring scar and features a score filled with gospel, country, rock, rhythm and blues.”

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East Hampton, NY’s Guild Hall presents Noel Coward’s Tonight at 8:30: An Evening of Three Light and Musical Comedies July 17 – Aug. 4, directed by Tony Walton.

The cast stars Blythe Danner and Simon Jones, along with Edward Hibbert, Andrew Botsford, Gerard Doyle, Delphi Harrington, Tina Jones, James Lawson, Kate Mueth and Bobby Peterson.

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Off-Broadway’s York Theatre presents free readings of the new musical Unexpected Joy (book and lyrics by Bill Russell and music by Janet Hood) June 22-28, directed by Sheryl Kaller with music direction by Jodie Moore.

The cast features Annie Golden, Emma Hunton, Capathia Jenkins and Ann Marie Milazzo.

“Three generations of female singers, long-held family tensions and a week together where change is in the air – Joy, a baby boomer pop star, is visited by her daughter, Rachel and granddaughter Tamara. Rachel is married to a prominent televangelist, so Joy is reluctant to divulge that she’s planning to marry Lou, another singer who happens to be a woman. A week with all four together is bound to lead to tension, laughter, discoveries and happiness that really is unexpected. Let the sparks and music fly!”

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UnsungMusicalsCo. in a collaboration with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts will record three songs from the little-known musical comedy Barefoot Boy with Cheek (book by Max Shulman, music by Sidney Lippman and lyrics by Sylvia Dee). The original George Abbott production opened on Broadway Apr. 3, 1947 at the Martin Beck Theatre.

The recording (with musical direction and arrangements by Fran Minarik) will be released for free digital download on the New York Public Library‘s website as part of its Musical of the Month blog series, which recently featured UMC’s reconstruction of the Barefoot Boy libretto. The musical never received a cast album.

Songs to be recorded:
“Little Yetta’s Gonna Getta Man,” performed by Jenn Colella
“Who Do You Think You Are?,” performed by Robert Lenzi and Max von Essen
“After Graduation Day,” performed by Max von Essen

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Lincoln Center Theater has announced its 2013-14 season:

* Domesticated (preview Oct. 10, opens Nov. 4), by Bruce Norris, directed by Anna D. Shapiro, starring Laurie Metcalf.

* Macbeth (previews Oct. 24, opens Nov. 21), directed by Jack O’Brien, starring Ethan Hawke.

* Act One (previews Mar. 20, opens Apr. 17), by Moss Hart, directed by James Lapine.

* The City of Conversation (previews Apr. 10, opens May 5), by Anthony Giardina, directed by Doug Hughes.

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 Article:  Elaine Stritch on having a difficult adjustment to life in Michigan.

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And more on Elaine Stritch:  

She states, “…I’ve been offered a television show, the new Kirstie Alley series, and I’m not so sure I’m going to do it, because they’re a bit stingy.”

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Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot will play July 19 – Aug. 24 at LA’s Hudson Mainstage, directed by Josh T. Ryan.

The cast features Robert Walters, Cooper Daniels, Keedar Whittle, Marc Erickson, Robert Gee, Christian R. Gibbs, Faith Imafidon, John Dana Kenning, Melissa May, Robin Michelle McClamb, Wasim No’mani, Alex Walters, John Szura, John Falchi, Sarah Ruth Ryan, Robert Paterno and Dee Smith.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is “a searing look at history’s most infamous double-cross. Set in an area of downtown Purgatory where ‘it don’t smell good,’ Judas is tried by a Civil War deserter, and those called to the stand include Mother Teresa, Freud, a host of saints and sinners and the Prince of Darkness himself. As the trial goes on, we are forced to re-examine old truths and consider what it means to forgive.”

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Silence! The Musical will close July 7 at Off-Broadway’s Elektra Theatre, after 8 previews and 529 regular performances.

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The national tour of The Ultimate Thriller “The” Tribute to Michael Jackson has just launched in Medford, OR.  The show “consists of a full live band, authentic costumes, back-up singers, dancers and of course an MJ,” with choreography by LaVelle Smith and Mic Thompson.

Click here for the complete tour schedule.

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Additional performers have been announced for Night of a Thousand Judys, to take place June 17 at 8 PM at NYC’s Kaufman Center, with musical direction by Lance Horne.

Newly announced: Tituss Burgess, Everett Quinton, Maude Maggart and Rachel Shukert.

Previously announced: John Early, Becca Blackwell, Carolee Carmello, Justin Vivian Bond, Lea DeLaria, Telly Leung, Jaime Cepero, Scott Matthew, Natalie Joy Johnson, Nancy Anderson, Martha Wash, Christiane Noll, Molly Pope, Madeleine Peyroux, Karen Mason and Danielle Grabianowski.

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The cast album of Hands on a Hardbody will be released digitally on July 9 and in stores on Aug. 13.

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Wes Bentley will star in Ryan Murphy’s ”Open” for HBO. He will play the good-looking but arrogant ‘Evan Foster’.

“Open” is a “drama exploring the ins and outs of human sexuality, intimacy and relationships.”

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Megan Hilty will become a series regular on Sean Haye’s NBC comedy, “Sean Saves the World” in the role of ‘Liz’, described as “the BFF and co-worker of Hayes’ character.” The part was originally to be played by actress Lindsay Sloane, who exited the project just before it was picked up by the network.

Hayes stars as “a divorced gay dad who juggles a lot – his successful but demanding career, offbeat employees, pushy mom Lorna (Linda Lavin), and weekends with his teenage daughter, Ellie (Sami Isler). So when his 14-year-old bundle of joy moves in full-time, it’s a whole new world for him.”

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Jason Alexander has a new “job” as Broadway star Maddie Banks’ (Kirstie Alley) agent in TV Land’s new sitcom “Kirstie” in a guest starring role. Set to shoot later this month, the show reunites Alexander with his former “Seinfeld” co-star Michael Richards who plays Alley’s eccentric driver in the new comedy.

The show “centers around Madison Banks whose life turns upside down when Arlo (Eric Petersen), the son she gave up at birth, suddenly appears, hoping to connect after his adoptive parents have died. Rhea Perlman stars as Maddie’s assistant and best friend.”

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John R. Brennan, Jason C. Cooper and Mary Cimino’s The Banana Monologues, currently in previews, will open June 24 at Off-Broadway’s Acorn Theatre, directed by Debra Whitfield and starring John R. Brennan.

The play “is a sexy comedy inspired by a true love story about a man, a woman, and his ‘banana,’ Sergeant Johnson. When the layers of the relationship are peeled back, Gus tries to split from his girlfriend Alexis, but the Sergeant stands firm. How should one deal with this universal conflict?”

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Andrew Lloyd Webber has announced that his new musical, Stephen Ward, based on the Profumo Affair, will begin previews at the Aldwych Theatre this October with opening night set for November.

The musical features lyrics by Don Black, a book by Christopher Hampton and direction by Richard Eyre.

Casting TBA.

 Stephen Ward website.

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Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit’s Phantom will play Pittsburgh CLO June 21-30, directed by Barry Ivan, with music direction by Tom Helm.

The cast features Ron Bohmer, Erin Mackey, Peter Matthew Smith, Donna Lynne Champlin, Jeff Howell, Ken Land, Bryant Martin, Paul Palmer and Jamie Ross.

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Rob Marshall’s “Into the Woods” film will be released Dec. 25, 2014.

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“Oprah’s Master Class,” featuring an unprecedented first-person insight into the brilliant minds of entertainers we love, respect and admire, has announced upcoming episodes on the OWN network:

Berry Gordy (June 16)
Diahann Carroll (June 23)

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According to the Daily Mail, Beverley Knight will take over the lead role from Heather Headley in The Bodyguard, beginning in September. She has appeared onstage in school productions of West Side Story and The Mikado.

“I know how to get inside the emotion of a song and deliver it to an audience in a way that doesn’t overwhelm them,” Knight told the Mail. “But it’s a different kind of performance, with a different kind of energy.”

“But one thing I’m certainly used to is opening my mouth and singing,” she added, joking.

Headley will leave The Bodyguard at the end of August and will star in the same role on Broadway when the show opens in 2014 or 2015.

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The West End production of Jersey Boys, which recently celebrated its fifth London birthday at the Prince Edward Theatre — where it opened March 26, 2008 — will transfer to the Piccadilly Theatre in March.

 Jersey Boys London website.

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The Golden Voice, a new British musical by singer-songwriter Nick Fogarty that was due to begin performances June 12 prior to an official opening June 19 at the Arts Theatre, London, has delayed its opening. It is now scheduled to begin performances July 17, open July 26, and continue to Aug. 31.

Directed by Guy Retallack, with choreography by Jordi Guitart, the cast features Darren Day, Sebastian Torkia, Yvette Robinson, George Maguire and Natalie McQueen, with Daniel Robinson, Nina French, Joe Sterling, Imogen Brooke, Patrick Burbridge, Sarah Goggin, Tom Newman, Jason Gray, Stephie Crocker and Joseph Claus

The delay was caused “due to investment money from China being tied up in international banking red tape.”

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Subscribers:  If your software garbles this newsletter, read it at GraceNotesStage.com.

Today’s Highlights:

* Eric Rosen, Matt Sax and Curtis Moore’s Venice, featuring Leslie Odom, Jr., Haaz Sleiman, Jennifer Damiano, Claybourne Elder, Matt Sax, Uzo Aduba, Jonathan-David, Victoria Platt, Angela Polk, Emilee Dupre, Semhar Ghebremichael, Devin Roberts and Manuel Stark, opens at The Public Theater.

* Jessica Dickey’s Charles Ives Take Me Home, featuring Drew McVety, Kate Nowlin, and Henry Stram, opens at Off-Broadway’s Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.

* Patrick Fitzgerald’s Gibraltar, featuring Cara Seymour and Patrick Fitzgerald, opens at Off-Broadway’s Irish Rep.

* Terrence McNally’s Mothers and Sons world premiere, featuring Tyne Daly, Manoel Felciano and Bobby Steggert, opens at PA’s Bucks County Playhouse.

* Pasek & Paul’s Edges opens at Paris’ Auguste Théâtre.

* Theater Breaking Through Barriers‘ Still More of Our Parts short play festival, featuring Tonya Pinkins, Mary Theresa Archbold, Russell Barnes III, Christine Bruno, Samantha Debicki, Shannon DeVido, David Harrell, Lawrence Merritt, Ann Marie Morelli, Jamie Petrone, Shawn Randall and Jonathan Todd Ross, opens at Off-Broadway’s Clurman Theatre.

* Neil Simon’s Last of the Red Hot Lovers, featuring Jordan Gelber, Jennifer Cody, Leenya Rideout and Natalie Walker, opens at Ithica’s Hangar Theatre.

* Chicago, featuring Angie Schworer, Sara Gettelfinger and Rick Pessagno, opens at Boston’s Reagle Music Theatre.

* Connor McPherson’s The Night Alive, featuring Caoilfhionn Dunne, Brian Gleeson, Ciarán Hinds, Michael McElhatton and Jim Norton, begins previews at London’s Donmar Warehouse.

* Tennessee Williams’ The Two-Character Play, starring Amanda Plummer and Brad Dourie, begins previews (rescheduled from June 10) at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages.

* Broadway Sessions‘ 5th anniversary concert, featuring Celina Carvajal, Kate Rockwell, Eric Michael Krop, Happy McPartlin, Brian Gallagher,Trevor Braun, Maddy Trumble, Colin Cunliffe, Allison Semmes, Zak Resnick, Matt DeAngelis,Tiffany Haas, Tracy McDowell, Donnie Kehr, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Greg Reuter, Cody Scott Lancaster, Carly Sakolove and acoustic musical trio Siren, at 11 PM at NYC’s Laurie Beechman Theatre.

* National Theatre Live’s The Audience live broadcast, starring Helen Mirren. Click here to find a theater near you.

* F#%KING UP EVERYTHING closes at Off-Broadway’s Elektra Theatre.

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Ann, starring Holland Taylor, will close June 30 at Lincoln Center‘s Beaumont Theatre, after 19 previews and 132 regular performances.

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VA’s Signature Theatre‘s Siglab production of Spin (book by Brian Hill, music and lyrics by Neil Bartram), will play July 9-27, directed by Eric Schaeffer, with choreography by Matthew Gardiner and musical direction by Gabriel Mangiante.

The cast stars James Gardiner, with Madeline Botteri, Holden Browne, Austin Colby, Carolyn Cole, Erin Driscoll, Lauren Dupree, Jamie Eacker, Vincent Kempski, Chris Mueller, Stephen Russell Murray, Maria Rizzo, Chris Sizemore, Bobby Smith and Harry A. Winter.

“Spin follows faded pop star Evan as he coasts through life hosting an obscure television show and enjoying meaningless flings. When a surprise daughter and grandson arrive on his doorstep, Evan must choose between the gift of family and the glittering appeal of fame. Based on the hit Korean film Speedy Scandal, and produced in collaboration with OD Company in Seoul, South Korea, Spin is a humorous, charming and heartwarming tale about what really matters in life.”

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The national tour of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story is currently underway, with a cast featuring Andy Christopher, Kurt Jenkins, Joe Cosmo, Sam Weber, Ryan Jagru, Ryan G. Dunkin, Steve Gagliastro, Eric Scott Anthony, Carrie A.Johnson, Noellia Hernandez, Greg Bosworth, Jennifer Drew, Sean McGibbon, Lacretta Nicole, Carolyn Malfa and T. Scott Ross.

Click here for the tour schedule.

Doma Theatre presents Nine July 12 – Aug. 18 at LA’s MET Theatre, directed by Marco Gomez, with musical direction by Chris Raymond and choreography by Rae Toledo.

The cast features David Michael Trevino, Lovlee Carroll, Michelle Holmes, Emilia Sotelo, Andrea Arvanigian, Brittany Rodin, Leslie Marrero, Devin Holliman, Donovan Baise, Ra’Shawn Durell, Victor Mercado, Alan Lee, Melissa Anjose, Toni Smith, Liza Baron, Amy Garbett and Tania Possick.

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  The Broadway musical adaptation of Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway, which is having a NYC staged readings this week, will receive a month-long lab in the fall (Oct. 19 – Nov. 21) prior to its 2014 Broadway arrival.  The book is adapted by Allen and Douglas McGrath, using existing songs from the 1920′s and 1930′s.

Susan Stroman directs and choreographs.

Rehearsals begin for the Broadway production in January, and will play at the St. James Theatre.

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NY Theatre Workshop presents Lila Rose Kaplan’s Bureau of Missing Persons, with previews beginning June 14 and opening June 19.

Directed by Sarah Rasmussen, the cast features Maren Bush, Lucy DeVito, Neimah Djourabchi, Ryan McCarthy and Pamela Shaw.

“A piece of chalk. Big band music. A pocketful of leaves. These clues lead Angela on a quest from her apartment on the Upper West Side to a cave in Moscow to search for someone who is missing,” press notes state. “Inspired by the stories of Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges, Bureau of Missing Persons is a tale that explores how we heal.”

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  Rumor:  Sandra Bullock is in talks to play Miss Hannigan in the “Annie” film.

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The UK’s Theatre Royal Bath has announced its summer season:

* Relative Values (June 12-29), by Noel Coward, directed by Trevor Nunn, featuring Patricia Hodge, Caroline Quentin and Rory Bremner.

* Candida (July 3-20), directed by Simon Godwin.

* King Lear (July 25 – Aug. 10), directed by Lucy Bailey.

* A Little Hotel on the Side (Aug. 15-31), by Georges Feydeau and Maurice Désvallières, directed by Lindsay Posner and Cal McCrystal.

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Atlanta’s (not Houston, as incorrectly posted yesterday) Theater of the Stars presents Dreamgirls Aug. 2-11, starring Jennifer Holliday, directed by by Robert Clater, with choreography by Lesia Kaye.

Additional casting TBA.

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Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen’s [title of show] will receive its U.K. premiere at London’s Landor Theatre, Aug. 7 – Sept. 14 (opening Aug. 12), directed by Robert McWhir, with musical direction by Michael Webborn.

Casting TBA.

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The UK’s National Theatre presents The Light Princess (music and lyrics by Tori Amos, book and lyrics by Samuel Adamson), Sept. 25 – Jan. 2 (opening Oct. 9) at the Lyttelton Theatre.  Maryanne Elliott directs, with choreography by Steven Hoggett and music supervision by Martin Lowe.

The cast includes Amy Booth-Steel, Stephanie Bron, Vivien Carter, James Charlton, Rosalie Craig, Hal Fowler, Owain Gwynn, Nicola Hart, Nick Hendrix (Digby), C J Johnson, Luke Johnson, David Langham, Richard Lowe, Tommy Luther, Jamie Muscato, Emma Norin, Malinda Parris, Kane Oliver Parry, Adam Pearce, Caspar Phillipson, Laura Pitt-Pulford, Clive Rowe, Nuno Silva, Phoebe Street, Ben Thompson, and Lynne Wilmot.

The musical is described as ”dark fairytale about grief, rebellion and the power of love.”

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Subscribers: If your software garbles this newsletter, read it at GraceNotesStage.com.

Today’s Highlights:

* Sweet Bird of Youth, featuring Kim Cattrall, Seth Numrich, Owen Roe, Brid Brennan, Charles Aitken, Michael Begley, Daniel Betts, Ruari Cannon, Emily De Cosimo, Louise Dylan, Kurt Kansley, Sean McConaghy, Katie Meekison, Bryonie Pritchard, Lucy Robinson, Violet Ryder, Ryan Saunders, Alistair Scott, Anthony Taylor, Joe Townley, John Trindle and David Webber, opens at London’s Old Vic.

* Antony Jay and Johnathan Lynn’s Yes, Prime Minister, featuring Stephen Caffrey, Brian George, Dakin Matthews, Jefferson Mays, Michael McKean, Tara Summers and Time Winters, opens at LA’s Geffen Playhouse.

* Guillermo Calderón’s Neva, featuring Sue Cremin, Ruth Livier and Ramón de Ocampo, opens at LA’s Kirk Douglas Theatre.

* Spamalot, featuring Bruce Winant, Damon Kirsche, Kathryn Boswell, Kimberly Corbett, Eleanor Fishman, Hannah Freeman, Rebecca Gans, Claire Gerig, Catherine Helm, Emily Kelly, Brooke Lacy, Carolyn Anne Miller, Becca Petersen, Sarah Quinn, Riza Takahashi, Katie Wesler, Hayley Wilhelm, Sumire Yu, Faith Northcutt, Maddie Razook, Robert Ariza, Daniel Beeman, Daniel Bevins, Jacob Chancellor, Jordan De Leon, Caleb Dicke, Michael Hartung, Dan Horn, Elliott Mattox, Evan Mayer, Trevor McChristian, Alexander H. Miller, Chet Norment, Nicholas Palmquist, Benjamin Rivera, Sean Ronayne, Andy Tofa and Zack Wilhelm, opens at Music Theatre of Wichita.

* The Sound of Music, starring Lisa O’Hare and David Andrew Macdonald, opens at MA’s North Shore Music Theatre.

* On The Town, featuring Michael Rupert, Nancy Opel, Tony Yazbeck, Deanna Doyle, Elizabeth Stanley, Clyde Alves, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Alysha Umphress, begins previews at MA’s Barrington Stage Company.

* Nick Fogarty’s The Golden Voice world premiere, starring Darren Day, begins previews at London’s Arts Theatre.

* Paul Rayfield’s Payback: The Musical, featuring Matthew White, Katie Bernstein, Sarah Earnshaw, Adam Flynn, Howard Samuels, Alan Vicary and James Yeoburn, begins previews at London’s Riverside Studios.

* Chris Phillips’ revolver, featuring John Colella, AJ Jones, Daniel Montgomery, Matthew Scott Montgomery, Robert Paterno, and Terrance Spencer, begins previews at Hollywood’s Celebration Theatre.

* David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People, featuring Johanna Day, R. Ward Duffy, Amelia Campbell, Joy Hooper, Jane Ridley and Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton, begins previews at Penn State Centre Stage.

* Judy Kuhn: All This Happiness album release concert, at 7 PM at 54 Below.

* Julie Budd in concert, at 7 PM at NYC’s Metropolitan Room (also June 13).

* Showgirls! The Musical cast album released on mp3.    Download here.

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  Reviews for Off-Broadway’s Reasons To Be Happy:

NY Times (Ben Brantley):  ”…it would seem that in addition to coming to terms with capital letters, Mr. LaBute is more relaxed as a playwright than he’s ever been. He is clearly having a good time revisiting old friends. And, with Mr. LaBute directing a dynamite cast rounded out by Fred Weller and Leslie Bibb, you’re likely to feel the same way.”

NY Post (Elisabeth Vincentelli):  ” With plays like Fat Pig and movies like ‘In the Company of Men,’ Neil LaBute made a career out of antagonizing audiences. His usual MO is to expose our baser instincts by throwing unpleasant people into unpleasant situations, profanity-laced arguments and vicious mind games. But the most shocking thing about LaBute’s new play, Reasons To Be Happy, is that it’s not shocking.”

Hollywood Reporter (David Rooney):   “First seen in 2008 on this same stage before transferring to Broadway, Neil LaBute’s four-character dissection of thorny relationship dynamics, Reasons to Be Pretty, is among the playwright’s most mature and satisfying works, distinguished by its uncharacteristic emotional rawness. Picking up the same fractious quartet a few years down the track, Reasons to Be Happy is an engrossing if less impactful companion piece that again tempers LaBute’s sardonic side by allowing a glimmer of compassion for people who seem incapable of sustaining lasting connections.”

Newsday (Linda Winer):  ”LaBute appears to be working to escape his reputation for shock endings. Alas, the alternative, at this point, is pretty dull.”

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  Broadway Grosses for the week ending June 9:

Frontrunners (by Gross)
1. The Lion King ($1,868,936)
2. Wicked ($1,770,507)
3. The Book of Mormon ($1,727,367)
4. Kinky Boots ($1,411,574)
5. Motown ($1,395,663)

Underdogs (by Gross)
5. Chicago ($551,149)
4. Rock of Ages ($386,047)
3. The Assembled Parties ($347,250)
2. Macbeth ($303,522)
1. Ann  ($227,618)

Frontrunners (by Capacity)
1. The Book of Mormon (102.63%)
2. Lucky Guy (101.92%)
3. Motown (100.69%)
4. Kinky Boots (100.39%)
5. Matilda (100.01%)

Underdogs (by Capacity)
5. Cinderella (71.67%)
4. Nice Work If You Can Get It (63.33%)
3. Macbeth (62.83%)
2. The Trip to Bountiful (60.01%)
1. Ann (44.85%)

Data provided by the Broadway League.

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Initial casting has been announced for the upcoming production of Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock, the inaugural show of New York City Center’s new Encores! Off-Center series, which will play NY City Center July 10-13.

Sam Gold will direct the production with choreography by Chase Brock and musical direction by Chris Fenwick.

The cast will feature Danny Burstein (Mr. Mister), Eisa Davis (Reporter/Prof. Scoot/Clerk/Dr. Specialist), Raul Esparza (Larry Foreman), Peter Friedman (Harry Druggist), Judy Kuhn (Sadie/Editor Daily), Martin Moran (Yasha/Sister Mister), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Ella Hammer), Anika Noni Rose (Moll/Mrs. Mister) and Henry Stram (Dauber/Junior Mister).

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MTC‘s The Assembled Parties, starring Judith Light and Jessica Hecht, has extended again, now through July 28 at Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

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Peter Pan: the Boy Who Hated Mothers has been extended again, now through June 30 at Hollywood’s Blank Theatre.

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   GN Quote of the Week:  ”Actors are the only honest hypocrites.”   ~ William Hazlitt

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Houston’s Theater of the Stars presents Dreamgirls Aug. 2-11, starring Jennifer Holliday, directed by by Robert Clater, with choreography by Lesia Kaye.

Additional casting TBA.

Holliday will also star in Dreamgirls at VA’s Filene Center, Aug. 22-25, as part of the Wolf Trap summer 2013 season.

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  Rumor:  Ethan Hawke may star in this year’s second Broadway revival of Macbeth, produced by Lincoln Center Theater.

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Cheyenne Jackson‘s “I’m Blue, Skies” will be released on mp3 June 25.

  Audio:  Listen to samples.

Track List:
“Before You”
“I’m Blue, Skies”
“Any Day Now”
“She’s Pretty, She Lies”
“Drive”
“Mr. Lonely Boy”
“Don’t Wanna Know”
“Back Pocket”
“Not Ready to Let You Go”
“Don’t Look at Me”
“You Get Me” (featuring Charlotte Sometimes)
“Drive” (Conaire Remix)

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Pippin producers have announced that a new block of tickets is now on sale through Jan. 5, 2014 at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre.

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NYMF presents Julian Po (book and lyrics by Andrew Barrett, music by Ira Antelis) July 8-14 at Off-Broadway’s Signature Theatre.

Directed by Kirsten Sanderson with music direction by Mark Hartman, the cast will feature Chad Kimball, Malcolm Gets, Luba Mason, Jon Fletcher, Jason Gotay, Corbin Reid, and more TBA.

Julian Po is a “darkly-humorous, modern-day musical myth that follows a mysterious drifter as he enters a sleepy small town and causes a sensation with his novel aspirations of taking his own life. But his encounters with the townspeople and a young woman looking for love threaten to change his mind and alter his ultimate destiny.”

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Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen will co-star in a benefit reading of Love Letters for MA’s Vineyard Playhouse on July 2 at 7:30 PM.

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John S. Anastasi’s I Forgive You, Ronald Reagan, will run July 15 – Aug. 25 (opening July 30) at Off-Broadway’s Beckett Theatre, directed by Charles Abbott.

The cast features Patricia Richardson, PJ Benjamin, Robert Emmet Lunney and Danielle Faitelson.

In I Forgive You, Ronald Reagan, “when it comes to air traffic, Ray Deluso has everything under control. But on the ground, his life is a struggle after a rebellious political decision in the early eighties. Twenty years later, pride, anger, and obsession threaten the only things that matter to him: his wife and daughter. Can Ray find forgiveness and gain control, even if it means letting go?”

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Kinky Boots will launch a national tour in Las Vegas in September 2014, while Matilda producers have yet to decide whether the British import will tour the US.

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NYMF presents Swiss Family Robinson, by John and Patrick Kennedy, to run July 9-17 at Off-Broadway’s Signature Theatre, directed by Patrick Kennedy.

The cast features Tom Bozell, William James Daniels, Paul DeBoy, Alexander Ferguson, Danielle Gimbal, Patrick Oliver Jones, Heidi Kloster, Michael Lorz, Matt Mundy, Sergio Pasquariello, James Patterson, Jessie Shelton, Barbara Tirrell, Meg Schneider, Emily Shoolin, Sam Tedaldi and Elisa Van Duyne.

“The shipwreck was only the beginning. This classic adventure comes to life in a magical new musical tale. Join the Swiss Family Robinson as they survive a stormy shipwreck only to be left to fend for themselves on an exotic tropical island. Together, they bravely face the mysteries and perils of their new home but soon discover they are not alone. French sailors are in hot pursuit, and wait, do you hear drums? Jungle drums? Filled with hilarious hijinks, the hope of rescue and the bloom of romance, this fresh new musical tells a tale of how the winds of fate can lead you to find your destiny.”

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Kansas City, MO’s Spinning Tree Theatre has announced it’s 2013-14 season:

Stick Fly (Nov. 1-17)
Motherhood Out Loud (Feb. 6-16)
A Little Night Music (May 8-24)

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Disney Theatrical Productions is exploring a stage production featuring The Muppets, directed by Alex Timbers.

A May 31 presentation was held to test the concept of putting The Muppets on stage.  Over 85 Muppets were used in the “elaborate” presentation that included Kermit the Frog’s signature song, “Rainbow Connection.”

No official plans are in place for a full production.

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NYMF presents Sasquatched! The Musical (book, music and lyrics by Phil Darg) July 9-14 at NYC’s PTC Performance Space, directed and staged by Donald Brenner.

The cast features Leasen Beth Almquist, Cole Canzano, Laura Daniel, Ryan Dietz, Chris Gleim, Leslie Henstock, T. J. Mannix, Don Meehan, Patrick John Moran, Laura Oldham, Jonathan Silver and Billy Clark Taylor.

“Bigfoot exists – but he’s a lot different than you think. Arthur the Sasquatch is an intelligent, gentle and dignified creature. When he becomes lost in Columbia National Park, he is befriended by young Sam. Together, they encounter quirky locals and elude a ruthless TV crew investigating ‘Bigfoot.’ Exciting twists and turns, hilarious social commentary on human-Sasquatch relations and a fun, freewheeling rockin’ score make Sasquatched! The Musical no ordinary romp in the woods!”

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Jackie Chan told the press he is writing a stage adaptation of his memoir “I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action.”

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The world premiere of Dreaming in Color, an original play written by and starring blind actress Caitlin Hernandez, will run July 6-14 at Santa Monica’s Promenade Playhouse.

Directed by Greg Shane, the cast also includes Bryan Caldwell, Danette Garrelts and Laurel Rankin.

“In Dreaming in Color, the foundations of young Brenna’s life are shattered by sudden blindness. Guided by her mother’s love, as well as by the encouragement and determination of a quirky but sensitive teacher, the young artist learns new ways to navigate through the world.”

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The Actors Fund’s Auction of 1000 Stars continues through June 26.

Click here to see all the fabulous available items, and to bid.

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LA Theatre Works has announced complete casting for Kindertransport, to run June 20-23 at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater.

The cast features Jane Kaczmarek, Susan Sullivan, Molly Quinn, Shannon Lee Clair, Hug Armstrong and Angela Paton.

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Complete casting has been announced for the European premiere of a new chamber version of Titanic, to run July 26 – Aug. 31 (opening July 31) at London’s Southwark Playhouse, directed by Thom Southerland.

The cast features Philip Rham (E. J. Smith), Simon Green (Bruce Ismay), Greg Castiglioni (Thomas Andrews) and Celia Graham (Alice Beane), along with James Austen-Murray, Dominic Brewer, Scarlett Courtney, Matthew Crowe, Jonathan David Dudley, Grace Eccle, Oliver Hembrough, James Hume, Sion Lloyd, Claire Marlowe, Shane McDaid, Leo Miles, Nadim Naaman and Victoria Serra.

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Broadway in Bryant Park has announced it summer schedule (all begin at 12:30 PM):

July 11:  Stomp, Cinderella, Pippin and Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.
July 18:  Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, F#%CKING Up Everything and Sistas The Musical. 
July 25:  Avenue Q, Rock of Ages, Soul Doctor, Murder Ballad and Gazillion Bubble Show.
Aug. 1:  Spider-Man, Kinky Boots, Big Fish, Let It Be and First Date.
Aug. 8:  Annie, Wicked, Cougar The Musical and The Fantasticks.
Aug. 15:  Motown The Musical, Once, Mamma Mia! and Forever Tango. 

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The second North American tour of Wicked will welcome John Hillner (Dr. Dillamond) and Jenny Fellner (Nessarose) July 1 in Milwaukee, WI, and Kathy Fitzgerald (Madame Morrible) July 10 in Houston, TX.

Hillner, Fellner and Fitzgerald will join a cast that includes Jennifer DiNoia (Elphaba), Hayley Podschun (Galinda),Walker Jones (The Wizard), David Nathan Perlow (Fiyero), Alex Wyse (Boq) and Alyssa Fox (standby for Elphaba), along with Kerry Blanchard, Jane Brockman, Bridie Carroll, Lilli Cooper, Haley Ann Dorling,Michael Drolet, Anna Eilinsfeld, Peter C. Ermides, Ryan Patrick Farrell, Natalie Fotopoulos, Dominic Giudici, Lauren Haughton, Zach Hensler, Joel Ingram, Ryan Jackson, Jillian Kates, Becca Kloha, Allison Leo, Sam Lips, Sterling Masters, Marissa Miller, Dashi’ Mitchell, Amy Quanbeck, Jay Reynolds Jr., Wayne Schroder and Justin Wirick.

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Matthew Morrison offers a concert June 20 at 8 PM at London’s Bush Hall.

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