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Fall Broadway Preview Part IV
James William Bruce • October 7, 2022
That’s right theatre fans. It is time for Part IV of my “Fall Broadway Preview” where I will discuss three more upcoming productions set to open before the end of the year. So, let’s get to it.
First up, and one that I will admit when first announced I wasn’t quite sure what to feel about. Then a couple of weeks ago I happened to be channel surfing and came upon the show’s commercial. Suffice to say I was suddenly a lot more intrigued than before. Now I know what you are all thinking. What is this mysterious show that is now suddenly on my radar? Well, I’ll tell you.
It is none other than & Juliet. And no, that is not a typo. It’s the actual name of the show, and even better, it’s a brand-new musical featuring some of the biggest pop tunes of the past thirty years. Not to mention, a book by Emmy winner David West Read, who just happened to win his award for writing a little show by the name of Schitt’s Creek, only one of the greatest television comedies of all-time. Previews for the show are set to begin at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on October 28, with opening night scheduled for November 17. Boy, if I wasn’t excited before, I sure am now.
Let me just start off by saying that I consider the 1959 film Some Like It Hot to be one of the greatest comedies of all time. Right up there with The Producers, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Both of which were turned into beloved musicals that won a slew of Tony Awards including Best Musical of the Year and enjoyed years of success both on Broadway and London's West End. Now for those theatre buffs like me, you might recall that there has already been a Broadway musical based on the Billy Wilder masterpiece. It was called Sugar, and it opened on Broadway in 1972 where it ran for over five hundred performances and was nominated for Best Musical of the Year.
A moderate success you might say. Somehow though I have a feeling this one might just fair a little better. Why you ask? Well, for starters, it features music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman whose show Hairspray won eight 2003 Tony Awards and ran for over seven years. The show also features a new book by last year’s Tony Award winner Matthew Lopez (The Inheritance) and critically acclaimed television talk show host and author Amber Ruffin. And last, but certainly not least, it is being directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). Previews are set to begin at the historic Shubert Theatre on November 1, with opening scheduled for December 11. Something tells me that this is going to do very well come Tony nomination time. We shall see.
Full disclosure. I am a HUGE Neil Diamond fan. Which as why you can guess that I am counting down the days until A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical opens on Broadway. Having said all that, I was still a little skeptical at first. I mean for every Jersey Boys, Beautiful, or Ain’t Too Proud, there is a Lennon, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, or Ring of Fire. Thankfully, my apprehension dwindled right away after hearing that Tony Award nominee Will Swenson (Hair, Rock of Ages) and fellow Tony Award nominee Mark Jacoby (Ragtime, Showboat) would be playing Neil during various stages of his life and career. Not to mention the show is being directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch).
Oh, and did I mention it got amazing reviews and played to packed house during its recent summer engagement at the Colonial Theatre in Boston? Well, it did. Previews are set to begin at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 2, with opening night scheduled for December 2. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait.
So, there you have it theatre fans. Three exciting new shows for you to check out this Fall. Look out for more of my show previews in the coming days. 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 .