B'way Update: 12th Night, Last Five Years, Etc.

Peter Dinklage, Lupita Nyong'o, 
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Sandra Oh
will star in Twelfth Night next summer.

Initial casting has been announced for the Public Theater's Summer 2025 production of Twelfth Night at the newly renovated Delacorte Theater in Central Park. (The theater is closed this summer as the upgrades are in progress.) The company will be headed by Emmy winner Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) as Malvolio, Tony winner Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family, Take Me Out) as Sir Andrew Agucheek, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o (Twelve Years a Slave) as Viola and Golden Globe and SAG Award winner Sandra Oh (Killing Eve). 

"Twelfth Night is the epitome of joy," said director of the upcoming production and Public Theater Associate Artistic Director/Resident Director Saheem Ali. "It also happens to be the first production I ever saw at The Delacorte, as a college student taking the Chinatown bus from Boston. I'm delighted to be reuniting with my dear friend Lupita Nyong'o, joined by fellow Public Theater alums Peter Dinklage, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Sandra Oh. Free Shakespeare in the Park is a gift to our city. I'm honored to be helming this production as we reopen The Delacorte after an extensive and essential revitalization."

This will be the seventh production of Twelfth Night presented by the Public in Central Park. Previous revivals were seen in 1969 (directed by founder Joseph Papp), 1986, 1989, 2002, 2009, and a musical adaptation for Public Works in 2018. 

Kamala to the Rescue?

The Prosecutor Vs. The Felon

Joe Biden's dropping out of the 2024 Presidential race was the right thing to do. If he had stayed in it would have resulted in a devastating and embarrassing defeat and a tyrannical shift to the right. The Senate and the House could have gone to the Republicans and even more right-leaning judges would have left an indelible mark on the courts, further eroding reproductive, marriage equality and LGBTQ rights. I was sitting in a restaurant on Sunday afternoon with my friend Diane eating a veggie burger when the news of Biden's decision broke. Team Trump and many in the mass media were expecting chaos to ensue. They thought there would a scramble to replace Biden since there would be objections to Harris taking the top slot because her gender and race would not make her the perfect candidate. 

But within 24 hours, Harris had smashed records in fund raising and volunteers, acquired the endorsements of almost every major Democratic leader and most of the delegates necessary to cop the nomination at the convention. Joe Manchin made brief noises about maybe being interested in challenging her, but that was shot down quickly. 

The burst of enthusiasm is due to the huge relief Dems and progressives felt after being saved from a disaster by Biden's selfless stepping aside. A blue win is by no mean a slam dunk, but at least now there is a chance we can win. Harris can benefit from the shake-up because of the double-haters--voters who despise both previous candidates. Ironically Nikki Haley made a Cassandra-like prediction during the Republican primary by saying whichever side retired their 80-year-old candidate first would be the winner. (I hope she's right.) In a further ironic side note, Republicans who hate Trump have formed a PAC called Haley Voters for Harris. Haley has issued a Cease and Desist Order to change the name since she is for Trump (like the toady she is.) The PAC has responded that they are not speaking for Haley so they shouldn't have to change their name. We'll see how that shakes out.

The 13th David Desk Awards

It's time for the annual David Desk Awards based on all theater I saw during the 2023-24 Broadway and Off-Broadway theater season. I missed last year because of work commitments. Merrily We Roll Along is included because I missed it Off-Broadway during 2022-23. Suffs is counted as a new musical since Shaina Taub has extensively revised it since its Off-Broadway production in 2022. All of those listed are winners in my book.

Outstanding Play:

Jim Parson, Jessica Lange and 
Celia Keenan-Bolger in Mother Play
Credit: Joan Marcus

The Comeuppance (Branden Jacobs-Jenkins)
Corruption (J.T. Rogers)
Infinite Life (Annie Baker)
Mother Play (Paula Vogel)
Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy (Sarah Gancher)
Stereophonic (David Adjmi)
Wet Brain (John J. Caswell, Jr.)

Outstanding Musical:

Buena Vista Social Club

Dead Outlaw

Hell’s Kitchen

Here We Are

Suffs

Teeth

Water for Elephants

Outstanding Revival of a Play:

Appropriate

An Enemy of the People

Mary Jane

Purlie Victorious

Outstanding Revival of a Musical:

Gutenberg! The Musical!

I Can Get It for You Wholesale

Merrily We Roll Along

The Who’s Tommy

Book Review: Lord of the Flies

(Borrowed from the Flushing Public Library): Another of the 100 Books I'm supposed to read before I die, at least according to the BBC. This is one of those volumes most people read in school but it was never assigned to me and I haven't gotten around to it till now. William Golding's chilling allegory of the decay of civilization is terribly relevant now. We are witnessing a breakdown of social norms paralleling the one taking place on the desert island. The time is the beginning of an atomic war, a planeful of British schoolboys crashes on a Pacific island with no adult survivors. They attempt to organize themselves into an orderly society with rules and procedures, but with no mature supervision, they descend into chaos and anarchy. 

Each of the boys represents a different way of thinking. Ralph stands for structure and sanity while the animalistic Jack is all id. Intoxicated by the lack of restraint, he transforms the boys into a tribe of brainless savages, concerned only with the thrill of the hunt and not caring a whit for rescue. Piggy is the intellectual, shunned by the others because of his obesity,  asthma, and poor vision. Yet he supplies the spectacles to allow them to set the fires that supply them with heat, a signal to passing ships, and the means to cook the pig meat. 

Order breaks down in a conflict between Ralph and Jack as the majority of the boys lose their rationality. Golding masterfully builds the tension and masks his symbolism so that it seems you're reading an exciting adventure tale rather than an allegory like Animal Farm. The title refers to a symbolic figure of the beast within. The boys fear it because they sense the animalistic madness is within all of them.

We are undergoing a similar struggle with Trump as Jack, lawlessly grabbing for power for its own sake, tossing aside the rules of civility. 

B'way Update: Maybe Faces Supply Chain Issues

Marcus Choi

Maybe Happy Ending, the new Broadway musical about lovelorn robots in South Korea, has shifted its preview and opening dates due to supply chains issues. The show was to have opened on Oct. 17 at the Belasco with previews commencing Sept. 18. The new dates are now Oct. 16 for previews and Nov. 12 for the opening. 

“Maybe Happy Ending uses specially made video projections, which are a critically important part of its scenic design and unfortunately, there has been a delay in production for these custom theatrical goods from the factory which specializes in these models,” explained Allan Williams, Executive Producer. “That supply chain issue has caused the show’s postponement by a few weeks so that we can ensure the show maintains its unique and technologically advanced rendering to tell this story and the world of HelperBots ‘Oliver’ and ‘Claire’.”

The four-person has has been completed. In addition to previously announced Emmy and Golden Globe winner Darren Criss (American Buffalo, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story) and Helen J. Shen (The Lonely Few, Teeth), Dez Duron (NBC’s “The Voice”) and Marcus Choi (Wicked, Flower Drum Song) will make up the quartet. 

B'way Update: BOOP! Sets Dates and Theater; West Bank Cafe to Close

BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical has announced dates and a theater for its Broadway run after a hit engagement in Chicago. The tuner about the 1930s cartoon character will begin previews March 11 at the Broadhurst Theater in advance of an April 5 opening. Other cartoon, comic book or comic strip characters to serve as the basis of Broadway or Off-Broadway musicals include Little Orphan Annie, Li'l Abner, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, Superman, Donnesbury, Spider-Man, Spongebob Squarepants, and the Addams Family. 

Boop! features a book by Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), music by David Foster, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead (Jelly's Last Jam), and direction and choreography by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots). Complete Broadway casting will be announced at a later date.

BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical in
Chicago

West Bank Cafe to Close: The West Bank Cafe, and its Laurie Beechman cabaret theater, located at W. 42nd Street and Ninth Ave., will close its doors in August. The venue was popular with theatergoers and theater professionals due to its fine food, affordable prices and convenient location to Broadway and Theater Row. Just last week, I had an after-theater meal there last week after attending Ain't Done Bad at the Signature Theater Center. The number of elegant, affordable places for a nice meal before or after the theater is dwindling. All too often I am forced to grab a slice of pizza before a curtain.

The West Bank opened in 1978 and its basement Laurie Beechman Theater opened in 1983. The Beechman, named for the late singer and actress, played host to many cabaret artists including Joan Rivers who would would try out new material there. She played her last performance before her death in 2014 at the Beechman. A young Lewis Black was named playwright-in-residence. Howard Stern broadcast his third annual birthday radio show from the theater. Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Bruce Willis were among the West Bank regulars. T

"Due to the high cost of conducting business and the continuing fallout from the pandemic, we can no longer afford to remain open," owner Steve Olsen stated. "We are forever eternally grateful for the support we have received from our Hell's Kitchen and theatre communities throughout our illustrious 46-year history on Theatre Row, and for the personal relationships and shared history we have forged with our customers and friends."

The popular West Bank Cafe will
close its doors in August.

B'way Update: Redwood Sets Dates and Theater

Idina Menzel in Redwood
at La Jolla Playhouse.
Credit: Rich Soublet

Redwood, the new musical starring Tony winner Idina Menzel (Wicked), has set dates and a theater. Previews begin Jan. 25, 2025 at the Nederlander Theater with an opening set for Feb. 13. 

Written and directed by Tony Award nominee Tina Landau, with music by Kate Diaz, and lyrics by Diaz and  Landau, Redwood is conceived by Landau and Menzel, with additional contributions by Menzel. The musical  premiered earlier this year in a sold-out run at La Jolla Playhouse.  

“I made my Broadway debut at the Nederlander Theatre in Rent almost thirty years ago, so to be returning  there with Redwood is very emotional for me as it feels like a real homecoming,” Menzel said. “It has been  such a gift to collaborate with Tina and Kate on this show, and I’m so proud to bring it to Broadway.”  

Redwood is a transportive new musical about one woman’s journey into the precious and precarious world  of the redwoods. Jesse (Menzel) seems to have it all — a successful career and devoted family — until a life altering event drives her far from everyone and everything she knows. When she finds herself at the foot of the redwoods in Northern California, a chance encounter and a leap of faith will change her life forever.  Redwood explores the lengths — and heights — one travels to find strength, resilience and healing. 

Additional cast for the Broadway production of Redwood will be announced at a later date.