A host of theatre veterans star in a limited Off-Broadway revival of Paul Osborn’s Morning’s at Seven beginningOctober 20 at Theatre at St. Clement’s. Directed by Obie winner Dan Wackerman, performances will continue through January 9, 2022. Opening night is November 4.
The comedy classic stars Oscar nominee and Obie winner Lindsay Crouse (The Homecoming), Obie winner Alma Cuervo (On Your Feet!), two-time Tony winner Judith Ivey (Steaming, Hurlyburly), Dan Lauria (Lombardi, The Wonder Years), Oscar nominee Patty McCormack (The Bad Seed, Frost/Nixon), two-time Tony nominee Tony Roberts (The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Annie Hall), Tony winner John Rubinstein (Pippin, Children of a Lesser God), Keri Safran (Typhoid Mary at Barrington Stage), and Jonathan Spivey (The Front Page).
The production also has scenic design by Harry Feiner, costume design by Barbara A. Bell, lighting design by Jimmy Lawlor, and sound design by Quentin Chiappetta. The associate director is Elizabeth Van Dyke. Casting is by McCorkle Casting.
The 1939 play was nearly forgotten by 1978, when director Vivian Matalon staged the work at the Academy Festival Theatre in Lake Forest, Illinois. New York producers saw the mounting and decided to move it to Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre, where it opened in 1980, running 564 performances and winning three Tony Awards, including Best Reproduction (Play or Musical).
Morning’s at Seven is produced by Julian Schlossberg, Roy Furman, Eric Falkenstein, Sandy Robertson, Suzanne Grant, Anna Czekaj, Alexander “Sandy” Marshall, Jody H. Klein, and Jamie deRoy/Morris S. Levy, in association with The Peccadillo Theater Company, Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theatre, and Ken Wirth.
Francesca Zambello has announced she will step down as artistic and general director of upstate New York’s Glimmerglass Festival following the 2022 season, which will mark her 12th year in her leadership role.
The season will begin July 8 with The Sound of Music, as directed by Zambello. The production was initially slated for 2020, though put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A new production of Carmen will follow, with Artist in Residence Denyce Graves at the helm. The mezzo-soprano, whose repertoire has included the Bizet title role, will also headline a two-night-only encore presentation of the Sandra Seaton play-with-music The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson, which premiered at Glimmerglass’ 2021 outdoor season.
Rounding out the lineup: Tenor Overboard, a “jukebox opera” of sorts weaving Rossini hits with a libretto by playwright Ken Ludwig; a double bill of Jerre Dye and Composer in Residence Kamala Sankaram’s Taking Up Serpents and Damien Geter and Lila Palmer’s Holy Ground; and a youth opera production of The Jungle Book, by Sankaram and Kelley Rourke.
“My years with The Glimmerglass Festival have been the best of my life,” Zambello, who is also the artistic director of Washington National Opera, wrote of her departure. “This is not goodbye; it is a time of transition and excitement for this company I adore. I am excited to witness and support the beginning for the next era of the ever-evolving Glimmerglass Festival.”
Deirdre O’ConnellThunderbodies will reprise her Obie Award-winning performance for the Broadway production of Dana H.Jordan BakerSuddenly, Last Summer will serve as Standby for ‘Dana H.’
The Broadway premiere of Lucas Hnath’s documentary play Dana H., starring Deirdre O’Connell,opens October 17 at the Lyceum Theatre. Previews began October 1.
The play details Hnath’s mother’s real-life kidnapping by a patient in the psych ward where she worked as a chaplain. The script is constructed from interviews with Dana Higginbotham, conducted by Steve Cosson, artistic director of the investigative theatre company The Civilians. Les Waters directs.
O’Connell will reprise her role as the title character, having originated the role at its Center Theatre Group premiere in 2019 as well as its Goodman Theatre and Vineyard Theatre runs. O’Connell has previously appeared on Broadway in The Front Page and Magic/Bird.
The play features scenic design by Andrew Boyce, costume design by Janice Pytel,lighting design by Paul Toben, audio editing and sound design by Obie winner Mikhail Fiksel, and illusion and lip sync consultation by Steve Cuiffo. Casting is by Taylor Williams.
Dana H. is produced on Broadway by Matt Ross, Sally Horchow, Dori Berinstein, Elizabeth Armstrong, Jane Dubin, Horchow Family Productions, Thomas Kail, Corinne Nevinny & Victoria Nevinny, Plate Spinner Productions, Bill Prady, Rocco Productions, Craig Balsam, Randy Best, Diamond Dog Entertainment, Gould Family, David Lyons, Richard Phillips, Alan Seales, ZKM Media, and The Shubert Organization. Eric Emauni, Jacqueline Flores, Miranda Gohh, Naomi Horibe, Rob Laqui, Ayanna Prescod and Bria Woodyard are associate producers.
The show features songs from Byrne’s 2018 album of the same name, along with hits from his time with Talking Heads and throughout his solo career. Byrne is joined by returning band members Jacquelene Acevedo, Gustavo Di Dalva, Daniel Freedman, Chris Giarmo, Tim Keiper, Tendayi Kuumba, Karl Mansfield, Mauro Refosco, Stéphane San Juan, Angie Swan, and Bobby Wooten III. The company standbys are Renée Albulario, Alena Ciera, Chris Eddleton, Evan Frierson, Abe Nouri, and Natalie Tenenbaum.
Check Out New Photos of the Broadway Return of David Byrne’s American Utopia
Check Out New Photos of the Broadway Return of David Byrne’s American Utopia
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The initial run opened October 20, 2019, and continued into 2020. The production recouped its initial $4 million investment in mid-December, 10 weeks after opening.
Oscar winner Spike Lee filmed the theatrical concert during the tail end of its Broadway run; it premiered on HBO October 17, 2020. The film recently won two Creative Arts Emmy Awards: Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special and Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special.
Under the guidance of production consultant Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge!), the show features lighting design by Rob Sinclair, sound design by Pete Keppler, and musical direction by Karl Mansfield and Mauro Refosco. Annie-B Parson provides choreography and musical staging.
David Byrne’s American Utopia is produced by Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Patrick Catullo and Todomundo with Hal Luftig, Jonathan Reinis, Shira Friedman, Annapurna Theatre, Elizabeth Armstrong, Thomas Laub, Steven Rosenthal, Erica Lynn Schwartz, Matt Picheny, Steve Traxler, Len Blavatnik, Nonesuch Records, Warner Chappell Music, and Ambassador Theatre Group Productions. Allan Williams serves as executive producer.
Watch as Richard Ridge chats with musical legend Alan Menkenwho will soon appear atthe Ridgefield Playhouse with A Whole New World of Alan Menken on November 6, 2021.
