With the concept of “winter” an increasing memory, here is overview of all that’s coming to New York stages this spring!
All tagged Second Stage Theater
FEATURE: Top 10 of 2019
By my count, I’ve attended 234 performances of theatre, dance, music, opera, and cabaret during 2019. Out of a field that large, it’s hard to pick just ten, but nevertheless, here are my top ten (ok, eleven) favorite shows I saw in 2019.
"American Buffalo" will play Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre this spring; "The Who's Tommy" will return to Broadway in 2021; full cast announced for “Company”; Taylor Swift and Andrew Lloyd Webber collaborated on a new song for the "Cats" film; Jane Alexander and James Cromwell join Second Stage's "Grand Horizons"; Drew Gehling returns to close "Waitress"; Whoopi Goldberg to helm 2020 West End revival of "Sister Act"; Jessica Chastain to perform "A Doll's House" on the West End; "American Utopia" will receive a cast album; RIP: the Times Square Sbarro (1996-2019)
"Beetlejuice" plans events for every day of October; "Sea Wall/A Life" to be audio-recorded for Audible; Jason Robert Brown and Robert Horn's "13" musical will be made into a film; "Saturday Night Fever" 20th anniversary reunion event CSC’s "Assassins" casting announced; "Between the Lines" musical to play Off-Broadway; transgender actor Alexandra Billings will join the Broadway company of "Wicked" in January; Caissie Levy and Patti Murin will leave “Frozen” in February; MCC Theater announces a new musical development initiative
REVIEW: Bess Wohl’s “Make Believe” at Second Stage
Bess Wohl’s “Make Believe” is a masterful exploration of childhood and its lingering impact set against the mystery of four abandoned children and a reconciliation as their adult selves. Tragic, funny, mysterious, and true, it is easily among the best plays I have seen all year.
REVIEWS: “Continuity”, “Dying City”, and “Nomad Hotel”
A roundup look at three plays that recently opened at three of Off-Broadway’s best non-profit theatre companies: “Continuity” at Manhattan Theatre Club, “Dying City” at Second Stage Theater, and “Nomad Motel” at Atlantic Theater Company.
Bebe Neuwirth and Brandon Victor Dixon to announce the Tony Award nominations on April 30th; Sutton Foster will star in the 2020 Broadway revival of "The Music Man"; Disney to produce a musical adaption of "The Princess Bride" with a score by David Yazbek and a book by Rick Elice and Bob Martin; Second Stage Theater announces 5 out of 7 shows for the 2019-2020 season; the 2018 Broadway revival of "Angels in America" to receive audio recording; "Alice by Heart" records a cast album; Alexander Gemignani replaces Danny Burstein in "My Fair Lady"; TLC musical in development; new film adaptation of “Guys and Dolls” in the works; North Bergen High School production of "Alien: The Play" makes a splash
REVIEWS: “Alice By Heart” and “Superhero”
Two hotly-anticipated new musicals opened Off-Broadway recently: Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s “Alice By Heart” at MCC Theater, and Tom Kitt and Joshua Logan’s “Superhero” at Second Stage Theater. I take a look at each.
Broadway legend Carol Channing is dead at 97; Heidi Schreck's "What the Constitution Means to Me" will play 12 weeks on Broadway; Palace Theatre renovations have hit a snag; casting announced for “The Ferryman”, "The Courtroom", "Call Me Madam", and the film version of "West Side Story"; Brittney Johnson becomes first Glinda of color in an English language production of "Wicked"; "Beautiful" marks 5 years with appearance by Carole King
REVIEW: A triumphant “Torch Song” back on Broadway
Following a hit run Off-Broadway last year, Harvey Fierstein’s landmark gay play “Torch Song” is back on Broadway with an abridged text and title, but its heart and humanity intact. On second viewing, this production feels more muted and a bit too comfortable, but the performances are richer and better, and the subject matter as timely as ever. An uproarious comedy with a suite of characters you come to love, “Torch Song” is a must-see of the fall (or any) season.
REVIEWS: “Days of Rage” and “Good Grief”
Two world premiere productions of new plays opened Off-Broadway last night, each offering their characters a reflection on their younger selves and their emotional development, conceptions of love, and visions for the future. This is a roundup look at Second Stage’s “Days of Rage” and the Vineyard Theatre’s “Good Grief” (Critic’s Pick!).
REVIEW: Young Jean Lee’s quietly enveloping “Straight White Men”
Young Jean Lee makes history as the first female Asian-American playwright with her quietly enveloping play “Straight White Men”; far from the raging jeremiad that many liberal theatregoers no doubt anticipate, this tightly directed and finely acted play is a smart, funny, and surprising look at questions of privilege and identity through the lens of America’s oldest and newest, and soon to be minority, group: straight white men.