The Broadway premiere of Rona Munro’s My Name Is Lucy Barton, adapted from Elizabeth Strout’s best-selling novel, ends its limited run at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre February 29. The Manhattan Theatre Club and London Theatre Company production stars Laura Linney, who reprises her role from the acclaimed London run.
In the solo play, Linney plays Lucy Barton, a woman who wakes after an operation to find—much to her surprise—her mother at the foot of her bed. They haven’t seen each other in years. During the days-long visit, Lucy tries to understand her past, works to come to terms with her family, and begins to find herself as a writer.
The Broadway premiere features scenic and costume design by Bob Crowley, lighting design by Peter Mumford, sound design by John Leonard, and projection design by Luke Halls. The Broadway premiere is presented by MTC and The London Theatre Company in association with Penguin Random House Audio.
Production Photos: My Name Is Lucy Barton on Broadway
Production Photos: My Name Is Lucy Barton on Broadway
The lineup is now complete for the 15th annual Broadway Backwards fundraiser, featuring gender-reversed and star-studded twists on classic and modern favorites, March 16 at 8 PM at the New Amsterdam Theatre.
Creator Robert Bartley returns to direct and choreograph the event, which is produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and benefits Broadway Cares and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City. Jenn Colella will host for the second time.
Mary-Mitchell Campbell is the music supervisor for the evening with choreography by James Kinney and Joshua Buscher-West, who is also the associate director. The creative team also includes music director Ted Arthur, lighting designer Timothy Reed, and costume designers Sarah Marie Dixey, Johnna Fettinger, Nicolas Putvinski, Stacey Stephens, and TC Williams. Larry Smiglewski serves as production stage manager.
Attendees can expect performances from stars of stage and screen with men singing songs originally intended for women and vice versa. Artists will honor the songs of musical theatre while celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and creating an environment of equality, awareness, and love.
Last year’s edition of Broadway Backwards raised a record-breaking $704,491. In its 14 years, the annual fundraiser has brought in more than $4.8 million for Broadway Cares and The Center.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.
Playwright Kate Hamill’s adaptation of The Scarlet Letter, a Moritz von Stueplnagel-helmed production of Tiger Style!, and more are slated for the 2020–2021 season at the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey.
The season begins Dreaming Zenzile (September 12–October 11), a new musical written by and starring Somi Kakoma as South African legend Miriam Makeba. The modern jazz play is directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, in association with Octopus Theatricals and National Black Theatre. Prior to its run, the modern jazz play will have its world premiere at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in March.
Next is McCarter’s community-based presentation of A Christmas Carol (December 8–27), directed by Adam Immerwahr. The adaptation from David Thompson features 35 members from the greater Princeton community sharing the stage with a professional cast.
The new year begins with Mike Lew’s Tiger Style! (January 12–February 7, 2021), directed by Tony nominee Von Stueplnagel (Bernhardt/Hamlet, Hand to God). The comedy takes a look at tiger parenting through the eyes of two siblings who peaked in high school. The play is followed by Hamill’s The Scarlet Letter (April 30–May 30). The playwright, currently seen Off-Broadway in her adaptation of Dracula, will present Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story of Puritanical misogyny through a modern lens.
Closing the season will be the previously announced Bhangin’ It (June 15–July 3), directed by Amy Anders Corcoran in a co-production with La Jolla Playhouse. The musical features a book by Mike Lew and Rehana Lew Mirza with music and lyrics by Sam Willmott. Lew and Mirza recently won the Kleban Prize for their collaboration.
A sixth production will be announced at a later date.
Production Photos: Dracula at Classic Stage Company
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Disney on Broadway announces the lineup for the 3rd annual aoeWomen’s Day on Broadway The Decade Ahead and How Women Will Shape It.a
A Little Night Music originally opened at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre on February 25, 1973, with a cast that included Glynis Johns as Desiree, Len Cariou as Fredrik, and Hermione Gingold as Madame Armfeldt.
With a book by Hugh Wheeler and score by Stephen Sondheim, the Hal Prince–directed musical garnered five 1973 Tony Awards, including one for Best Musical. The Sondheim score features one of the composer’s best-known tunes, “Send in the Clowns,” as well as “Every Day a Little Death,” “The Miller’s Son,” and “A Weekend in the Country.”
Look Back at the Original Broadway Production of A Little Night Music
For one night only, Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown will be performing live at The Bourbon Room Hollywood. The musical evening with this inspiring artist will be held on Monday, March 9th at 730 PM.
