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Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth Broadway Revival Begins With Lincoln Center Theater April 1

Obie winner Lileana Blain-Cruz makes her Broadway directorial debut helming the production.

Lincoln Center Theater’s Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer-winning The Skin of Our Teeth begins at the Vivian Beaumont Theater April 1, with opening night set for April 25. Obie winner and LCT Resident Director Lileana Blain-Cruz makes her Broadway directorial debut helming the production, which coincides with the 125th anniversary of the Our Town playwright’s birth.

Leading the cast are James Vincent MeredithRoslyn RuffPaige Gilbert, Julian Robertson, Gabby Beans, and Priscilla Lopez, appearing alongside Eunice Bae, Terry Bell, Ritisha Chakraborty, William DeMeritt, Jeremy Gallardo, Avery Glymph, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Noor Hamdi, Tyrone Mitchell Henderson, Maya Jackson, Anaseini Katoa, Cameron Keitt, Megan Moax, Kathimarice Lopez, Lindsay Rico, Julian Rozzell, Jr., Julyana Soelistyo, Phillip Taratula, Beau Thom, Alphonso Walker, Jr., Arienne Wells, and Sarin Monae West in the ensemble.

The production, which includes new material by Gloria and Everybody playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, also features sets by Adam Rigg, costumes by Montana Levi Blanco, lighting by Yi Zhao, sound by Palmer Hefferan, and projections by Hannah Wasileski. Charles M. Turner III is the stage manager, and casting is by Daniel Swee.

Following the Antrobus family through an Ice Age, a biblical flood, and war, The Skin of Our Teeth looks closely at what it means to survive and to live. The work premiered on Broadway in 1942 with a production starring Tallulah Bankhead, Frederic March, Florence Eldridge, and Montgomery Clift. The piece would go on to win the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In the years since, the work has been revived on Broadway two times before this current production, which is the Main Stem’s first since 1975.

“To be on the brink of extinction—and yet manage to survive—not only survive but invent and laugh and live and learn—is extraordinary,” shared Blain-Cruz in an earlier statement. “I find that extraordinariness—the surreal nature of survival—manifested so incredibly in the Black experience and that is why I’m so thrilled to bring this particular company of actors together for this production. The astounding theatrical collisions that Wilder presented in the ’40s during World War II now get to be examined in a new way with a cast that embodies the complexity that is America.”

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See The Cast of The Skin of Our Teeth on Their First Day of Rehearsal

Heather Christian’s Oratorio for Living Things Opens Off-Broadway March 30

Check out photos of Ars Nova’s in-the-round staging—directed by Lee Sunday Evans.

The world premiere of composer Heather Christian‘s Oratorio for Living Things officially opens at Ars Nova @ Greenwich House March 30 for a run through April 17. Previews for the Ars Nova commission began March 15.

Lee Sunday Evans will direct the work, a fusion of music and theatre, surrounding the audience with 18 singers and instrumentalists to perform Christian’s classical oratorio, infused with blues, gospel, jazz, and soul sounds. Check out photos of the in-the-round staging below. 

Heather Christian
Heather Christian Marc Bovino and Joe Curnutte

Oratorio for Living Things takes Heather’s artistry to another level, and in this critical moment when our world is at odds, I suspect her manifesto for what it means to be alive will reach deep into people’s souls and remind us of our own humanity,” says Ars Nova Founding Artistic Director Jason Eagan.

The ensemble cast includes Kirstyn Cae Ballard, Fraser A. Campbell, Sean Donovan, Carla Duren, Clérida Eltime, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Brian Flores, Odetta Hartman, Quentin Oliver Lee, Angel Lozada, Barrie Lobo McLain, Ben Moss, John Murchison, Onyie Nwachukwu, Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh, Dito van Reigersberg, and Peter Wise.

The creative team features music direction by Ben Moss, scenic design by Kristen Robinson, costume design by Márion Talán de la Rosa, lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, and sound design by Nick Kourtides. Greg Taubman serves as Latin consultant and translator. The production stage manager is Joseph Fernandez, Jr., assistant stage manager is Kelsey Vivian, and casting is by Henry Russell Bergstein.

Oratorio for Living Things is produced in association with Rosalind Productions Inc.

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See Inside Heather Christian’s Oratorio for Living Things at Ars Nova

Daniel Craig, Ruth Negga, Amber Gray, More Star in Broadway Macbeth, Beginning March 29

The new production of the Scottish Play is directed by Tony winner Sam Gold.

Broadway’s Macbeth begins previews for its limited engagement March 29 at the Longacre Theatre March 29. Starring Daniel Craig in the title role and Ruth Negga as Lady Macbeth, the production officially opens April 28.

Also featured in the Shakespearean tragedy about ambition and murder are Tony nominees Maria Dizzia and Amber Gray, Phillip James Brannon, Grantham Coleman, Asia Kate Dillon, Emeka Guindo, Paul Lazar, Bobbi MacKenzie, Michael Patrick Thornton, and Danny Wolohan. The ensemble includes Che Ayende, Eboni Flowers, and Peter Smith. Stevie Ray Dallimore will serve as standby for the title role.

Negga, Dillon, Guindo, Lazar, Smith, and Thornton are all making Broadway debuts under the direction of Tony winner Sam Gold. The production has also partnered to lower the financial barrier for students to see the Broadway show with the Macbeth 2022: Ticket Initiative.

READ: Daniel Craig Announces Macbeth’s Free Student Ticket Initiative

Joining Gold on the creative team are scenic designer Christine Jones, costume designer Suttirat Larlarb, lighting designer Jane Cox, sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman, composer Gaelynn Lea, special effects designer Jeremy Chernick, make-up, hair, and wig designer Tommy Kurzman, and violence director David S. Leong. Michael Sexton and Ayanna Thompson serve as dramaturgs and text consultants while Dawn-Elin Fraser serves as voice coach. Movement is by Sam Pinkleton and Kevin Bertolacci is production stage manager. 101 Productions, Ltd. is the general manager and casting is by David Caparelliotis.

Macbeth is produced by Barbara Broccoli, The Shubert Organization, Michael G. Wilson, and Fred Zollo, along with Christian Anderson, Keith Anderson, Brian Carmody, Patrick Milling-Smith, No Guarantees, Brian Anthony Moreland, Annapurna Theatre, Berdel Productions, Robert Boyett, Caledonia Productions, Empire Street Productions, Jeffrey Finn, John Gore Organization, Mini Cooper, James L. Nederlander, RDR Productions, Daryl Roth, and Orin Wolf, with Patrick Daly serving as executive producer.

For tickets and more information, visit MacbethBroadway.com.

The Last 5 Years, Starring Nasia Thomas and Nicholas Edwards, Gets Encore Stream Starting March 28

Tony winner Jason Michael Webb directed the Drama League-nominated production of the Jason Robert Brown musical.

Out of the Box Theatrics and Holmdel Theatre Company’s production of Jason Robert Brown‘s The Last Five Years, which premiered in March 2021, enjoys an encore streaming March 28-April 10.

Featuring a book, music, and lyrics by three-time Tony winner Brown (Parade, The Bridges of Madison County), the two-hander stars Nasia Thomas (Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations) and Nicholas Edwards (Frozen).

Nasia Thomas and Nicholas Edwards
Nasia Thomas and Nicholas Edwards

The production was nominated for a 2021 Drama League Award for Outstanding Digital Theater.

The musical, about two New Yorkers who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, features Cathy telling her story backwards, while Jamie tells his story chronologically; the two characters only interact once—at their wedding—in the middle of the show.

The creative team included Tony winner Jason Michael Webb, who directed and musically directed the streaming production, with costume design by Siene Zoë Allen, production design by Adam Honoré, makeup by Tina Scariano, associate direction by Christina Franklin, and associate music direction by Cynthia Meng.

The stage manager was Egypt Dixon, the assistant stage manager was Joshua Christensen, the co-producer/film advisor was Joanna White-Oldham, the director of photography/videographer was Brian Bon, the assistant cameraperson was Milton Guanga, and the sound operator was Nicole Maupin. The stream also had sound editing by Carin M. Ford with video editing by Dimly Wit Productions. The producing consultant was Blair Russell (Slave Play).

Get a Sneak Peek of Nicholas Edwards’ ‘Shiksa Goddess’ From Virtual The Last 5 Years

The orchestra featured Cynthia Meng (keyboard), Sterling Elliott (cello), Orlando Wells (violin), Jonathan Linden (guitar), Chelton Grey (bass), and Brandon Brooks (drums).

For streaming options, click here.