B'way Update: Melissa Etheridge, Musicians in Here Lies Love, Tonys

Melissa Etheridge

Pop star Melissa Etheridge joins Bruce Springsteen and David Byrne in bringing an autobiographical, concert-style show to Broadway. She begins previews of Melissa Etheridge: My Window at the Circle in the Square on Sept. 14 in anticipation of a Sept. 28 opening for a nine-week limited engagement.

“I truly love Broadway," Etheridge said in a statement, "and it’s long been a dream of mine to tell my story and share my music there. I never felt more connected to this community and New York audiences than I did after telling my life story off-Broadway last year. The intimacy of the live theatrical stage is like no other, and Circle in the Square is going to be a magical home for my show’s Broadway debut. I can't wait to come back to the City! It’s a deeply personal experience to be able to tell these stories again, in a fresh and exciting way, and reconnect with my fans and theatergoers.”

Speaking of David Byrne, his musical co-written with Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love, has reached an agreement with the musicians' union. It had previously been announced the show about Imelda Marcos would be performed to prerecorded tracks. But after the union objected, the show has agreed to have 12 live musicians including three actor-musicians, at every performance.

Etheridge was a presenter at the Tonys, which turned out to be one of the best in recent memory. Perhaps it was the scriptless format (necessitated because of the WGA strike) that helped move the show along quickly. There was no forced banter by presenters, they merely introduced themselves and said "The nominees are..." One or two ad-libs were great. Marcia Gay Harden joked you should be able to say her middle name in any state. Denee Benton burned Ron DeSantis good by calling him the Grand Wizard of Florida (referencing the Ku Klux Klan). Nathan Lane quipped the Union Palace was so ornate it looked like Benoyce's screening room. 

But with presenter and host dialogue at a minimum, the show flew by at a rapid clip, focusing on winners and the production numbers from nominated shows and two that weren't--A Beautiful Noise and Funny Girl. 

For the first time, two non-binary performers won--J. Harrison Ghee of Some Like It Hot and Alex Newell in Shucked--and they both looked and sounded fabulous.

2023-24 Broadway/Off-Broadway Calendar
June 21--Rock and Roll Man (New World Stages)
June 22--Once Upon a One More Time (Marquis)

June 25--The Great Gatsby (The Gatsby Mansion at the Park Central Hotel)

June 26--Just for Us (Hudson)
June 28--Hamlet (Delacorte/Shakespeare in the Park) 
July 9--Orpheus Descending (TFANA/Polonsky Shakespeare Center)
July 20--Here Lies Love (Broadway)
July 20--Flex (Mitzi Newhouse/LCT)
July 24--The Cottage (Hayes)
Aug. 3--Back to the Future (Marquis)

Aug. 10--The Shark Is Broken (Golden)

Aug. 20--El Mago Pop (Barrymore)

Aug. 27--The Tempest (Delacorte/Shakespeare in the Park)
Sept. 19--Merrily We Roll Along (begins previews; opening TBA) (Hudson)

Sept. 28--Melissa Ehteridge: My Window (Circle in the Square)
September--Here We Are (The Shed Griffin Theater)

September--The Refuge Plays (Roundabout/NYTW/Laura Pels)

October--I Need That (Roundabout/AA)

Oct. 4--DruidO'Casey (Public/NYU Skirball Center)

Nov. 13--Harmony (Barrymore)

Nov. 19--Hell's Kitchen (Public)

Dec. 5--Manhatta (Public)

Jan. 9--Prayer for the French Republic (MTC/Friedman)

Feb.--Doubt: A Parable (Roundabout/AA)

Feb.--The Ally (Public)

March--Sally and Tom (Public)

April--Jordans (Public)

Summer 2023

Purlie Victorious

Fall 2023

Jaja's African Hair Braiding (MTC/Friedman)

I Can Get It for You Wholesale (CSC)

Poor Yella Rednecks (MTC/City Center Stage I)

Winter 2023-24

An Enemy of the People

I Love You So Much I Could Die (NYTW)

Pericles (CSC)

Spring 2024

Here There Are Blueberries (NYTW)

Home (Roundabout/AA)

Jonah (Roundabout/Laura Pels)

Wine in the Wilderness (CSC)

The Wiz

Fall 2024

King Lear (Kenneth Branagh Theater Company/The Shed)

2024-25

Smash

Future--Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death; Black Orpheus; BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical; Come Fall in Love--The DDLJ Musical; The Devil Wears Prada; Ella: An American Miracle; Everybody's Talking About Jamie; Frida, the Musical; Game of Thrones; The Great Gatsby; The Griswolds' Broadway Vacation; High Noon; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; The Karate Kid; La La Land; Lempicka; Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; The Mousetrap; Nancy Drew and the Mystery at Spotlight Manor; Our Town; Pal Joey; The Nanny; The Normal Heart/The Destiny of Me; The Secret Garden; Sing Street; Soul Train; Water for Elephants; What a Wonderful World; The Who's Tommy; Working Girl