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Home , Big Fish (musical), Billy Porter (actor), Bobby Steggert, Cherry Jones, Craig Bierko, David Hyde Pierce

Riker Brothers THEATRE Robert Ascroft Diego Uchitel [ A super starry stage: Clockwise from top left, , Dulé Hill, Daniel Craig, , Jeff Goldblum, Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad, , , a theatregoer’s guide Mary-Louise Parker and Ethan Hawke ] Let the good times roll! New York stages are launching a season of first-tier classics and stunning new shows boasting Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winners from both sides of the pond! By Griffin Miller

broadway * Prior Tony Award Winner + Prior Tony Award Nominee >Broadway Debut 700 Sundays *Billy Crystal Crystal brings his autobiographi- The Glass * The highly praised American Rep- Previews 11/5; cal masterpiece full circle, re- Menagerie +Celia ertory Theater mounting of Wil- Opens 3/7; turning to Broadway for its final Previews 9/5; Keenan-Bolger liams’ iconic memory play has Thru 1/5 engagement. Last call, people! Opens 9/26; >Zachary Quinto arrived on Broadway—original Thru 1/5 Brian J. Smith “dream team” cast in tow. Reviv- als of this caliber are rare, and this After Midnight Fantasia Grammy winner Wynton Marsa- window of opportunity will only be Previews 10/18; Dulé Hill lis and the Jazz at open for 17 weeks. Opens 11/3 All-Stars resurrect and redefine Harlem’s swing era nightclub >Anne-Marie Duff An increasingly familiar and in- scene and Duke Ellington’s mu- Previews 10/24; +Malcolm Gets trepid NY stage presence, Hawke sical legacy. Welcome to the Opens 11/21 *John Glover reunites with director Jack O’Brien new Jazz Age. +Ethan Hawke (The Coast of Utopia) for Shake- +Brian d’Arcy speare’s darkly compelling tragedy. Betrayal Daniel Craig directs Oscar James Previews 10/1; >Rafe Spall winner Weisz and real-life hus- +Daniel Sunjata Opens 10/27; >Rachel Weisz band/007 du jour Craig in this A Night With Davies has channeled rock legend Thru 1/5 big-buzz revival of Pinter’s Oliv- Janis Joplin >Mary Bridget Joplin on the other side of the At- ier-winning drama. Previews 9/20; Davies lantic to impressive reviews. Now Opens 10/10 it’s Broadway’s turn. Idyllic casting along with direc- * No Man’s Land/ * Leaving their Professor X and tion and choreography by multi- Previews 9/5; + Waiting for *Shuler Hensley Magneto personae to Comic Con Tony winner Opens 10/6 +Brad Oscar Godot *Ian McKellen fans, acting greats McKellen and () make this first + Previews 10-26; +Patrick Stewart Stewart are flexing their Broadway musical of the fall season— Opens 11/24; muscles in repertory (Pinter and based on both the novel and Thru 2/1 Beckett, no less), with Crudup and the 2003 film—very Hensley as their plus-two. Awe- tantalizing. some.

A Gentleman’s * A ferociously madcap musical Richard III/ +Sam Barnett British import report: Shake- Guide to Love Bryce Pinkham farce with Mays taking on a gal- Twelfth Night >Stephen Fry speare’s Globe makes its Broad- and Murder lery of eccentrics that Pinkham is Previews 10/15; * way debut-times-two with an Previews 10/22; determined to “eliminate.” Opens 11/10; all-male troupe led by two-time Opens 11/17 Thru 2/1 Tony winner Mark Rylance as 58 both the ruthless Richard III and 59 love-struck Olivia in Twelfth Night. 2013 Fall Edition

Romeo & Juliet >Orlando Bloom With Shakespeare’s text intact, A Time To Kill Sebastian Arcelus It’s finally time for a courtroom In previews; + this groundbreaking Romeo & Previews 9/28; bestseller by to Opens 9/19; +Joe Morton Juliet has a modern-day back- Opens 10/20 *Tonya Pinkins go theatrical (as opposed to cin- Thru 11/24 +Condola Rashad drop allowing leads Bloom and >Fred Thompson ematic). Making the maiden cross- Rashad to navigate their char- >John Douglas over is this racially charged drama acters’ mutual against a Thompson pitting a young idealistic lawyer seemingly timeless ethnic gulf. against a heavyweight D.A.

The Snow *Mary-Louise WWI looms over this new fam- The Winslow +Michael Cumpsty Recast with several Roundabout Geese Parker ily drama starring Parker and di- Boy +Mary Elizabeth veteran artists, this new version of Previews 10/1; rected by Daniel Sullivan; both Previews 9/20; Mastrantonio Terrence Rattigan’s play about un- Opens 10/24; won Tonys while collaborating Opens 10/17; Alessandro Nivola conditional parental love originated Thru 2/15 on Proof. Thru 12/1) + at ’s Old Vic Theatre Com- pany earlier this year. Off broadway Commons of *Blythe Danner A Madoff-like scandal is the cat- Little Miss +Stephanie J. Block From Tony-winning collaborators Pensacola Sarah Jessica alyst for Amanda Peet’s cagey Sunshine +Will Swenson and Previews 10/22; Parker take on family members’ mo- Opens 10/15; +Rory O’Malley comes a zany new musical based Opens 11/21 tives in the aftermath. Thru 12/8 on the 2007 Oscar-nominated film about an off-kilter family’s 800-mile Domesticated +Robin de Jesús Marriage, gender, politics, scan- road trip to a junior beauty pageant. Previews 10/10; Jeff Goldblum dal… headline fodder spun into Opens 11/4; + theatrical gold by Pulitzer Prize/ The Old *Betty Buckley A posthumous world premiere Thru 1/5 +Mary Beth Peil Tony-winning playwright Bruce Thru 9/29 +Veanne Cox by Signature Legacy Playwright Norris and a hand-picked com- +Hallie Foote Horton Foote, featuring several pany of theatrical thorough- + legendary actresses—including breds. Smith, who amassed kudos and awards for her work in the 2005 The Jacksonian The NYC debut of Pulitzer Off-Broadway revival of his The Opens 10/25; Prize-winning playwright Beth Trip to Bountiful. Thru 12/14 Amy Madigan Henley’s latest begins its Off- Bill Pullman Broadway run courtesy of the Romeo and +William Hurt No, you’re not seeing double, but New Group; starring four Hol- Juliet T.R. Knight you are in the of a sec- lywood notables, including Har- Previews 9/27; Elizabeth Olsen ond pair of “star-crossed lovers.” ris and Madigan, set to toast Opens 10/16; +Daphne Comparisons to its current Broad- 30 years of marriage during the Thru 11/3 Rubin-Vega way counterpart are inevitable, but show’s run. there’s imagination and star power to spare in this CSC edition.

Also on Off-Broadway’s Fall Radar…  The Film Society - Playwright ’s (Other Desert Cities) 1989 play about a South African schoolteacher’s efforts to keep a film club politics-free stars Tony nominee Euan Morton () and Brokeback Mountain’s Roberta Maxwell. (keencompany.org; 9/10 thru 10/26).  - Riding the cutting edge as usual, London’s Donmar Warehouse has brought its explosive female-prison depiction of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to St. Ann’s Warehouse in . This U.S. premiere stars Tony nominee Harriet Walker (Mary Stuart) as Brutus. (stannswarehouse.org; 10/3 thru 11/13).  Natural Affection - Tony nominee Kathryn Erbe (Law & Order: Criminal Intent’s Detective Eames) and John Pankow, a regular on Showtime’s Episodes, star in this tension-filled family drama. (tactnyc.org; 9/17 thru 10/26)  Small Engine Repair - MCC’s guy-centric comedy thriller arrives stocked with hot, young up-and-comers: playwright/ John Pollono; Keegan Allen (Pretty Little Liars); James Badge Dale (Iron Man 3); and James Ransone (The Wire) (mcctheater.org; 10/30 thru 12/8)  Women or Nothing - Oscar winner Ethan Coen’s latest stage creation stars , Scandal’s Susan Pourfar and Tony nominee Deborah Rush. (atlantictheater.org; thru 10/6)

58 59 2013 Fall Edition

Going Public

Let’s just say is privy to some extensive momentum mojo this fall in terms of productions and performers. Visit publictheater.org for more info.  9/5 thru 10/3: Writer/performer Mike Daisey is back with his new show, All the Faces of the Moon, a narrative epic that evolves over the course of the month to become “the largest story ever attempted in the American theatre.” THEATRE NEW YORK  9/10 thru 10/6: Elevator Repair Service, the company that lavished audiences with their production of GATZ last year, are back with ARGUENDO, the group’s take on a 1991 Supreme Court case centering on exotic dancing and a public-nudity ban.  10/1 thru 11/3: Fun Home, a new musical based on Alison Bechdel’s autobiographical graphic novel with book and lyrics by and music by Jeanine Tesori (Caroline, or Change).  10/7 thru 11/10: Grasses of a Thousand Colors is a new play by performed by Shawn, Julie Hagerty, Emily McDonnell and Jennifer Tilly.  10/18 thru 11/24: Brecht’s classic The Good Person of Szechwan is reconfigured for the 21st century by the Foundry Theatre, with Taylor Mac in the title role.  10/22 thru 12/15: Richard Nelson’s Scenes from Life in the Country is the fourth and final work in his series of Apple Family Plays – all of which will be running in repertory with Scenes…. The cast for all the plays includes , Jay O. Sanders, Laila Robins, Jon DeVries, Stephen Kunken and Sally Murphy.

2013’S Top Tony-Winning Musicals:

Why you should move mountains to see them Michael J. Lutch J. Michael Carol Rosegg Sean Williams [ From left: comforts in ; and in ; (center) as Leading Player in ]

Cinderella - Nominated for seven Tonys—and taking home the trophy for Best Costume Design for a Musical (William Ivey Long)—this Rodgers & Hammerstein musical began life on a 1957 TV special starring , with tweaked TV revivals continuing through 1965. Still, if ever a fairy-tale fantasy was meant to be a Broadway musical it’s the one that starts out “In My Own Little Corner” and ends with “impossible things happening every day.”

Kinky Boots - Based on the U.K. cult film of the same name, this uplifting mega-musical (killer choreography, performances, and foot- wear) landed this year’s Best New Musical Tony and a bunch of others, including Best Actor for Billy Porter. The book-and-Tony-winning- score combination plate from and didn’t hurt either.

Matilda - Neck and neck with Kinky Boots coming into 2013’s Tony home stretch, this mind-blowing stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s deviously delightful children’s book has a bonus benefit: endless adult appeal. Hauling home a quartet of Tonys, Matilda continues to break box-office records at the Shubert Theatre as it welcomes two new cast members on September 3rd: (aka Broadway’s Tony- nominated ) and (’s leading lady in ). Bierko is taking on the role of the gleefully demonic, scenery-chewing, kid-tossing headmistress Miss Agatha Trunchbull—a part originated by in London and on Broadway. Paice replaces Lauren Ward as Matilda’s kind and supportive teacher. Looks like I have two new excuses to revisit Matilda.

Pippin - 2013’s Best Revival of a Musical is making Broadway history in its current cirque du incarnation that marries classic Bob Fosse dance moves to acrobatics and other fun feats and apparatuses. The result is an exhilarating physicality that enhances the show’s basic story of a young prince’s odyssey into the heart of what he truly wants out of life. In short, the performers and theatregoers seem to be sharing a constant state of awe. Incidentally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Pippin’s two female leads: Andrea Martin, who took home a Best Featured Actress in a Musical Tony, and Patina Miller, who carried home the one for Best Actress. ! 60 61