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Fall Broadway Preview Part II
James William Bruce • October 3, 2022
That’s right theatre fans. It’s time for Part II of my “Fall Broadway Preview.” Last week I discussed two new productions that are currently playing, with one more scheduled to begin next week. This week, I will highlight three more So, let’s get to it.
What’s that you say? One of my favorite plays, by one of my favorite playwrights is headed back to Broadway in a brand-new production. Oh, and its also starring Samuel L Jackson, Danielle Brooks, and John David Washington. Count me in theatre fans. August Wilson’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning The Piano Lesson which first premiered at the Yale Repertory Theatre in 1987, with additional productions the following two years before it’s Broadway debut in 1990, is now in previews at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, with opening night set for October 13. Directed by Tony nominee Latonya Richard Jackson, the show is scheduled to play a limited run through January 15, 2023. Now as much as I love this show, I have never seen it. You can better believe I won’t miss my chance this time around, and neither should you.
One of my favorite theatrical experiences of all time was seeing the original Broadway production of Suzi Lori-Parks’ Topdog/Underdog at the Ambassador Theatre in 2002. Going in, I knew nothing about the show except that it had previously had a critically acclaimed production at the Public Theatre that starred Don Cheadle and Jeffrey Wright and was directed by Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe. I attended the show that night with a friend of mine who while in the entertainment industry had never seen a Broadway show. Thankfully, I picked a good one, not to mention Mos Def who is one of his favorite musicians, was now starring in Don Cheadle’s role for the Broadway production. He got excellent reviews by they way, as did the show, as well as winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama the same year. Previews for the show are set to begin at the John Golden Theatre on September 27, with opening night scheduled for October 20. Starring Tony Award nominee Corey Hawkins (Six Degrees of Separation) and Emmy Award winner Yahya Abdul Matten II (Watchmen), and directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon, is selling through January 15, 2023. Trust me theatre fans, this is one show you do not want to miss.
Now in previews at the Longacre Theatre is Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt. The show, which won the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2020, is scheduled to open on October 2. Directed by fellow playwright and Tony Award nominee Patrick Marber, Leopoldstadt takes place in Vienna over a period of six decades that follows a Jewish family at the beginning of the 20th Century who were forced to flee their homes due to pogroms that threated their beliefs and ways of living. Featuring a cast of forty performers, the two hour and ten-minute intermission less play is currently on sale through January 29, 2023. Although if the reviews are as good as the ones in London, I have a sneaking feeling it just might stick around a little longer. Fingers crossed.
So, there you have it theatre fans. Three exciting plays for you to check out this Fall. Oh, and of course don’t forget, we sell them all, along with every other play and musical both On and Off-Broadway. Which one will you see? Until next time theatre fans.
JWB
In addition to the two main stars, Kate MacCluggage (Are you There God? It’s Me, Margaret) and Peter Francis James (Ziegfield, Funny Girl) round out this great production. These two seasoned actors are extremely talented. Left On Tenth is directed by the very talented Broadway veteran, Susan Stroman. Ms. Stroman has been the recipient of five Tony Awards during her storied career. Celeste and I have seen about a dozen shows so far this year and Left on Tenth is clearly one of our favorites. This wonderful, new romantic comedy along with some very serious life challenges thrown in, is one just about everyone can relate to. I hope you’ll consider treating yourself and someone you care about and buy some tickets for this great new show. With a running time of only one hour and 40 minutes and no intermission, even the timing is perfect. Please consider a call to Applause-Tickets at 800-451-9930 or 212-307-7050. We are open seven days a week with a personal service that we think is second to none. Sincerely Rich Gladstone aka The Broadway TicketMan on behalf of Applause-Tickets.com 800-451-9930
2024 Tony Awards Winners
The 2024 Tony nominations have been announced, honoring the best of the 2023–2024 Broadway season.
The first entry of the 2024-2025 Broadway season is Home . Premiering in 1979 at the Negro Ensemble Company before transferring to Broadway the following year, is set to open at the newly renamed Todd Haimes Theatre in June with previews scheduled to begin on May 17. Written by Samm-Art Williams and directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun, A Soldier’s Play), Home is set in North Carolina during the height of the Vietnam War, and focuses on farmland owner Cephus Miles who flees his small town after serving time for being a draft evader, and his slow but tragic dive into the world of drugs and prostitution before his return to North Carolina in search of the life he always wanted. Well, I’m sold.
Fresh off a critically acclaimed sold out production last year at New York’s famed Public Theater, is Hell’s Kitchen . Based on the life of Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Alicia Keys, the show is scheduled to begin previews at the historic Shubert Theatre on March 28, with opening night scheduled for April 20. Directed by Tony Award nominee Michael Grief and featuring music and lyrics by Ms. Keys and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, Hell’s Kitchen is loosely based on Key’s childhood spent living in Hell’s Kitchen’s- Manhattan Plaza. A 46-floor building known for offering federally subsidized housing for both artists, as well as other neighborhood residents and the elderly. Not only am I a huge fan of Alica Keys, but I am a sucker for a good bio, jukebox musical. Here’s hoping Hell’s Kitchen is a hit.
Written by Tony Award winner Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Audience) and directed by Olivier Award winner Rupert Goold, (Ink, King Lear) is Patriots . The show which first premiered at the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s West End in 2023, stars Tony Award nominee Michael Stuhlbarg as billionaire Russian businessman Boris Berezofsky during the Soviet Union’s sharp decline and the unexpected rise of Boris Yeltsin. Previews for the twelve-week limited engagement is set to begin previews at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on April 1 with opening night scheduled for April 22. I expect Patriots to be a big Tony contender this Spring.
Just like with fellow new musical, The Notebook, I have never read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby or seen any of its numerous film or television adaptations. I am, however, looking forward to seeing this new take on the classic love story mostly in part due to the show’s two stars. Tony Award nominees Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde) and Eva Noblezada (Hadestown, Miss Saigon) as millionaire Jay Gatsby and his former paramour Daisy Buchanan. The Great Gatsby premiered last year at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse, features music and lyrics by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen and a book by Kait Kerrigan. Directed by Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), The Great Gatsby is scheduled to begin previews at the Broadway Theatre on March 29, with opening night set for April 25. Interesting enough, there is another version of the show scheduled to open in May of this year at the American Repertory Theatre. Dueling Gatsby’s? What will they think of next?
Full disclosure. Until Lempika was announced, I had never heard of famed artist and outlaw aristocrat Tamara le Lempicka, who fled to Paris, France during the Russian Revolution, and used her painting skills to provide for her family. I have, however, heard of Eden Espinosa who has one of the best Broadway voices that I have ever heard, as well as being a former Elphaba in Wicked, the final Maureen in Rent, and the star of Brooklyn to name a few. Not to mention a slew of other critically acclaimed performances across the country, as well as an award-winning debut album. Quite the resume don’t you think? Lempika , which first premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2018, followed by another acclaimed production in 2022 at the La Jolla Playhouse, is scheduled to begin previews at the Longacre Theatre on March 19, with opening night scheduled for April 14. Directed by Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown and choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly, the show features music by Matt Gould, lyrics by Carson Kreitzer, with a book by Gould and Kreitzer. I smell a Tony Award nomination in Ms. Espinosa’s future.
Like with every season, there are some shows that I am not familiar with prior to it being announced, mostly due to not reading up on it beforehand. Case in point, the new musical SUFFS . The show, which I later learned played a critically acclaimed, sold out run last year at the Public Theatre, is set in the years leading up to the signing of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 and the ultimate battle for a woman’s right to vote. Or as we know it today, the American Woman’s Suffrage Movement. An issue that I actually studied last year in my American History course that while I knew little about prior, proved to be one of the most important times in our country’s history. Not to mention a great idea for a musical in my opinion. Especially after hearing some of Shaina Taub’s amazing songs, who along with writing the book, music, and lyrics, also plays the role of Alice Paul, one of the leaders in the fight for women’s rights. Directed by Leigh Silverman, previews for SUFFS is set to begin at the Music Box Theatre on March 26, with opening night scheduled for April 18. I can’t wait.
Show of hands? Who doesn’t love Huey Lewis and the News? How can you not, right? Now while The Heart of Rock and Roll features the music of this iconic band, it is not the story of their meteoric rise to super stardom during the 1980’s. Although, how awesome would that be? Instead, The Heart of Rock and Roll features a brand-new story by Jonathan A. Abrams and Tyler Mitchell that focuses on a group of twenty-somethings on the cusp of achieving their dreams. Their only problem is which one? The corporate world or the world of Rock and Roll? Previews for The Heart of Rock and Roll are set to begin at the James Earl Jones Theatre on March 29 with opening night scheduled for April 22. Featuring over two dozen of the band’s biggest hits, I have no doubt that it will have audiences singing and dancing in the aisles. I know I can’t wait to see The Heart of Rock and Roll .