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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.
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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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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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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).
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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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