this week in theater

KAYE BALLARD — THE SHOW GOES ON!

kaye ballard

Who: Special guests
What: Livestream film premiere of Kaye Ballard — The Show Goes On! with bonuses before and after screening
Where: Facebook Live
When: Tuesday, July 14, free, 8:00
Why: In January 2019, the one and only Kaye Ballard passed away at the age of ninety-three. If you don’t know anything about her, you need to, and you can do so on July 14 when the documentary Kaye Ballard — The Show Goes On! makes its virtual premiere for free on Facebook Live. Ballard was a beloved singer, actress, and comedian perhaps best known for her many guest appearances on talk shows, game shows, and variety programs, from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (and Jack Paar) and The Mike Douglas Show to Hollywood Squares and The Perry Como Show; she also appeared on such sitcoms as The Mothers-in-Law, The Doris Day Show, and What a Dummy in addition to a bunch of films, burlesque and vaudeville, and more than two dozen stage shows, going back to 1946.

In Kaye Ballard — The Show Goes On!, director Dan Wingate speaks with Ann-Margret, Jerry Stiller, Carol Burnett, Harold Prince, Carol Channing, Michael Feinstein, Rex Reed, Joy Behar, Peter Marshall, and Ballard herself, who is seen in new interviews, classic archival footage, and clips from her 2017 one-woman show about her life. “I don’t know where I got it, I don’t know why it happened, but I think I’m lucky because I always knew what I wanted to do,” she says in the film. And now you can consider yourself lucky to discover the great Kaye Ballard either for the first time or all over again; the advance screening (the virtual release is set for July 17) will be preceded by a special introduction and followed by a surprise bonus.

THE HOMEBOUND PROJECT: THEATER FOR THE FRONT LINE PART FOUR

The fourth iteration of the Homebound Project features a stellar lineup performing new short plays from their homes

Who: Tommy Dorfman, Lisa Edelstein, Adam Faison, Santino Fontana, Cherry Jones, Sue Jean Kim, Judith Light, Jon-Michael Reese, Amber Tamblyn, Marquise Vilsón, Mary Wiseman, Thomas Sadoski
What: New online theatrical works to benefit No Kid Hungry
Where: Link supplied by the Homebound Project after donation and shortly before start of stream
When: July 15-19, $10 or more, 7:00
Why: The fourth edition of the Homebound Project, collections of ten or eleven short monologues created by Oscar-, Tony-, Emmy-, and Pulitzer Prize-winning actors, writers, and directors exploring intimate, personal reactions to the current pandemic, is set for July 15-19, another opportunity to experience poignant original drama during the lockdown. A benefit for the national nonprofit No Kid Hungry, which, as part of Share Our Strength, seeks to solve poverty and hunger issues around the country, each set of mini-plays is available to watch online for four days only, with a minimum donation of ten dollars. In addition to experiencing provocative, compelling, and humorous takes on the coronavirus crisis, you get to see where these actors are sheltering in place; Amanda Seyfried’s ranch is particularly impressive.

The first lineup of actor/playwright combinations featured Christopher Abbott / Lucy Thurber, Glenn Davis / Ren Dara Santiago, William Jackson Harper / Max Posner, Jessica Hecht / Sarah Ruhl, Marin Ireland / Eliza Clark, Raymond Lee / Qui Nguyen, Alison Pill / C. A. Johnson, Elizabeth Rodriguez / Rajiv Joseph, Thomas Sadoski / Martyna Majok, and Amanda Seyfried / Catya McMullen, while the second iteration consisted of Ngozi Jane Anyanwu / Anne Washburn, Nicholas Braun / Will Arbery, Utkarsh Ambudkar / Marco Ramirez, Betty Gilpin / Lily Houghton, Kimberly Hébert Gregory / Loy A. Webb, Hari Nef / Ngozi Anyanwu, Mary-Louise Parker / Bryna Turner, Christopher Oscar Peña / Brittany K. Allen, Zachary Quinto / Adam Bock, Taylor Schilling / Sarah DeLappe, and Babak Tafti / David Zheng. The third (with directors added) consisted of Ralph Brown / Donnetta Lavinia Grays / Jenna Worsham, Daveed Diggs / C. A. Johnson, Diane Lane / Michael R. Jackson / Taylor Reynolds, Paola Lázaro / Gina Femia / Taylor Reynolds, Jennifer Carpenter and Thomas Sadoski / John Guare / Jerry Zaks, Joshua Leonard / Mara Nelson-Greenberg, Eve Lindley / Daniel Talbott / Kevin Laibson, Arian Moayed / Xavier Galva, Ashley Park / Bess Wohl / Leigh Silverman, Will Pullen / Samuel D. Hunter / Jenna Worsham, Phillipa Soo / Clare Barron / Steven Pasquale, and Blair Underwood / Korde A. Tuttle. If you haven’t been following along, you’ve missed some of the best theater out there over the last several months.

The fourth section offers yet more exciting talent with the following actor/writer/director teams: Tommy Dorfman / Diana Oh / Lena Dunham, Lisa Edelstein / Janine Nabers, Adam Faison / Charly Evon Simpson, Santino Fontana / Emily Zemba, Cherry Jones / Erin Courtney / Jenna Worsham, Sue Jean Kim / Leslye Headland and Claire Rothrock / Annie Tippe, Judith Light / Jon Robin Baitz / Leigh Silverman, Jon-Michael Reese / Harrison David Rivers / Colette Robert, Amber Tamblyn / Halley Feiffer, Marquise Vilsón / Migdalia Cruz / Cándido Tirado, and Mary Wiseman / Boo Killebrew / Jenna Worsham. Kudos also go out to Andy Jean for costume consultation, Fan Zhang for sound design, and Jon Burkland/ZANNI Productions for video editing and design. We might not be able to go to the theater these days, but this is one of the smartest ways the theater is being brought to us, and all for a crucially important cause in very difficult times. The fifth and final iteration is scheduled for August 5-9 — don’t forget that these are indeed very limited runs, available for only four days, so sign up quickly and give generously.

AMERICAN UTOPIA MEETS UTOPIA AVENUE: DAVID BYRNE AND DAVID MITCHELL IN CONVERSATION

David Mitchell and David Byrne will discuss the concept of utopia and the state of the world i 92Y conversation

David Mitchell and David Byrne will discuss the concept of utopia and the state of the world in 92Y conversation

Who: David Byrne, David Mitchell
What: Online discussion and Q&A
Where: 92Y Unterberg Poetry Center
When: Tuesday, July 14, $35, 6:00
Why: In his Broadway show American Utopia, Scotland-born former Talking Heads American lead singer David Byrne adapted songs from throughout his career into a stunningly conceived stage musical with a mobile, untethered band, choreography by Annie-B Parson, and a narrative delving into the nature of the human brain and our experience on this planet, featuring such songs as “Here,” “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” “Bullet,” and “Road to Nowhere.” In his brand-new novel, Utopia Avenue, English author David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas, Black Swan Green) follows the life and times of a fictional British psychedelic band; the first chapter is titled “Abandon Hope.” On July 14 at 6:00, Byrne and Mitchell will discuss their latest work and the state of the world in a livestreamed discussion from wherever they are sheltering in place; the event is hosted by the 92nd St. Y’s Unterberg Poetry Center and the Community Bookstore in Park Slope. Tickets are $35 but come with a signed copy of Utopia Avenue; the first one hundred purchasers will get the opportunity to briefly chat virtually one-on-one with Mitchell.

FREE SHAKESPEARE ON THE RADIO: RICHARD II

richard ii radio

Who: Barzin Akhavan, Sean Carvajal, Michael Bradley Cohen, Sanjit De Silva, Biko Eisen-Martin, Michael Gaston, Stephen McKinley Henderson, André Holland, Miriam A. Hyman, Merritt Janson, Elijah Jones, Dakin Matthews, Jacob Ming-Trent, Maria Mukuka, Lupita Nyong’o, Okwui Okpokwasili, Estelle Parsons, Tom Pecinka, Phylicia Rashad, Reza Salazar, Thom Sesma, Sathya Sridharan, John Douglas Thompson, Claire van der Boom, Natalie Woolams-Torres, Ja’Siah Young
What: Audio broadcast of Richard II over four consecutive nights
Where: WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820
When: July 13-16, free (donations accepted), 8:00
Why: The Public Theater was originally set to present a rare production of Richard II from May 19 to June 21 at the Delacorte this season; the only other times Shakespeare in the Park tackled the first play in the Henriad were in 1961 with Gladys Vaughan, J. D. Cannon, and James Earl Jones and again in 1987 with Marian Seldes, Rocky Carroll, Tony Shalhoub, and Peter MacNicol in the title role. The pandemic lockdown changed those plans, so instead, the late-sixteenth-century play, known in full as The Life and Death of King Richard the Second, will be performed on the radio by an all-star cast, specifically adapted for this time of coronavirus and BLM protests against police brutality. “A fractured society. A man wrongfully murdered. The palpable threat of violence and revenge against a broken system. Revolution and regime change. This was Shakespeare’s backdrop for Richard II,” director Saheem Ali said in a statement. “I’m exceptionally proud of this production, recorded for public radio with a predominantly BIPOC ensemble. It’s my hope that listening to Shakespeare’s words, broadcast in the midst of a pandemic and an uprising, will have powerful resonance in our world.” The stellar cast includes André Holland as the king, Elijah Jones as Hotspur, Sean Carvajal as Gardner’s Man and Surrey, Michael Gaston as Northumberland, Stephen McKinley Henderson as Gardener, Miriam A. Hyman as Bollingbroke, Dakin Matthews as Gaunt, Okwui Okpokwasili as Willoughby and Abbot, Estelle Parsons as the Duchess of York, Phylicia Rashad as the Duchess of Gloucester, John Douglas Thompson as York, and Lupita Nyong’o as the narrator. For the production, the Public has teamed up with WNYC, which will stream the audio online and on the radio (93.9 FM and AM 820) in four hourlong parts, July 13-16 at 8:00.

The adapted script is available here, and you can follow Ambereen Dadabhoy’s nightly synopsis here. “What must the King do now? Must he submit? / The King shall do it. Must he be deposed? / The King shall be contented. Must he lose / The name of King? I’ God’s name, let it go,” the king says, in words that still sting today. “My gorgeous palace for a hermitage, / My gay apparel for an almsman’s gown, / My figured goblets for a dish of wood, / My scepter for a palmer’s walking staff, / My subjects for a pair of carved saints / And my large kingdom for a little grave, / A little, little grave, an obscure grave; / Aumerle, thou weep’st, my tender-hearted cousin! / We’ll make foul weather with despised tears; / Our sighs and they shall lodge the summer corn / And make a dearth in this revolting land.”

THE IRISH (REP) . . . AND HOW WE GOT THAT WAY: A CELEBRATION OF ENDURANCE AND PERSEVERANCE THROUGH HARD TIMES

irish rep

Who: Terry Donnelly, Bob Green, Marian Tomas Griffin, Rusty Magee, Ciarán O’Reilly, Ciarán Sheehan, Donna Kane, Charlotte Moore, Kathleen Begala, Ellen McCourt, Malachy McCourt
What: Livestreamed broadcast of 1998 Irish Rep world premiere with new video introduction
Where: Irish Rep YouTube channel, preshow VIP reception on Zoom ($500 or more)
When: Monday, July 13, free, 7:00 (donations of $500 or more include special benefits and admission to preshow VIP party at 6:00)
Why: The Irish Rep continues its busy virtual programming with an online livestreamed screening of a 1998 production of Pulitzer Prize winner Frank McCourt’s The Irish . . . and How They Got That Way, which debuted in 1997 and was revived in 2000 and again in 2010. The irreverent musical about all things Irish features classic songs (“Danny Boy,” “Galway Bay,” “The Rose of Tralee,” and even a U2 tune) arranged by Rusty Magee, with a splendid cast consisting of Magee, Terry Donnelly, Bob Green, Marian Tomas Griffin, Ciarán O’Reilly, and Ciarán Sheehan; the show is directed by Irish Rep cofounder Charlotte Moore, with choreography by Barry McNabb, sets and projections by Shawn Lewis, costumes by David Toser, and lighting by Michael Gottlieb. The event, which is the company’s rescheduled gala fundraiser, will be preceded by a new video celebrating the history of the troupe and the original production with Moore, fellow cofounder O’Reilly, board chair Kathleen Begala, McCourt’s widow and board chair emerita Ellen McCourt, and playwright Malachy McCourt, Frank’s brother. It’s free to watch the show, although donations are accepted; if you give $500 or more, you can take part in the VIP preshow party, with a Zoom reception with the cast and creatives and a live performance by Sheehan.

During the pandemic, the Irish Rep has also presented Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom, boasting a dazzling performance by Aedín Moloney; the Meet the Makers and The Show Must Go Online series; and The Gifts You Gave to the Dark, Darren Murphy’s short, heartbreaking work about a man (Marty Rea) in Belfast with Covid-19 unable to visit his dying mother (Marie Mullen) in Dublin, who is being cared for by her brother (Seán McGinley). Coming up is Dan Butler, Sean Gormley, John Keating, Tim Ruddy, and Amanda Quaid in an online version of Conor McPherson’s The Weir from July 21 to 25 and a virtual version of Barry Day’s Love, Noël, a musical about Noël Coward starring Steve Ross and KT Sullivan, from August 11 to 15.

THE HAUNTING OF LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA

The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda takes a hard look at Hamilton

Who: Nuyorican Poets Cafe
What: Livestream of previously recorded production of The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda
Where: Nuyorican Poets Cafe Facebook Live and Zoom
When: Tuesday, July 14, free (donations accepted), 8:00
Why: In August 2015, Tennessee-born writer playwright, poet, novelist, lyricist, and essayist Ishmael Reed wrote the magazine article ”Hamilton: the Musical: Black Actors Dress Up like Slave Traders . . . and It’s Not Halloween” for CounterPunch, criticizing the smash hit by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who Reed called a “very clever salesman.” Reed followed that up with the play The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda, which ran at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in May 2019 and reimagined Miranda as a Scrooge-like character visited by ghosts of slaves, Native Americans, and others who set him straight on America’s original sin. The play was directed by Rome Neal; the cast includes Jesse Bueno as Miranda, Robert Turner as George Washington, Zachary Clarence as Alexander Hamilton, Roz Fox as Harriet Tubman, and Tom Angelo as Ron Chernow, whose biography of Hamilton served as the basis for Miranda’s show. (The Haunting won three Audelco Awards, for Turner, Fox, and costume designer Carolyn Adams.) With the filmed version of Hamilton now streaming on Disney+ and statues of the nation’s Founding Fathers in danger of being torn down, a controversy has resurfaced about the way Miranda dealt with such slaveowners as Washington, Jefferson, and Hamilton himself. The Nuyorican Poets Cafe will be streaming a recorded version of The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda from the May 2019 engagement on Facebook Live and Zoom on July 14 at 8:00.

RUBICON THEATRE COMPANY: INSIDE THE ARTIST’S PROCESS

Adam Halpin and Megan McGinnis in Daddy Long Legs, directed by John Caird, at the Davenport Theatre. (© Jeremy Daniel)

Husband-and-wife Daddy Long Legs stars Adam Halpin and Megan McGinnis will take part in Rubicon’s “Inside the Artist’s Process” on July 31 (photo © Jeremy Daniel)

Who: Kirby Ward, Norm Lewis, Faith Prince, Christian Hoff, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Stephen Schwartz, Megan McGinnis, Lauren Patten, Aaron Lazar
What: Zoom interviews with theater professionals
Where: Rubicon Theatre Zoom
When: Fridays and Mondays through August 7, $20 per session, 2:00
Why: During the pandemic, California-based Rubicon has been hosting “Inside the Artist’s Process,” livestreamed interview sessions with major theater professionals, from actors and writers to directors and choreographers. Every Monday and Friday at 2:00, Rubicon education and outreach director Kirby Ward speaks with the guest for a half hour, followed by a thirty-minute Q&A session with students from the Musical Theatre Production Workshop, Fearless Shakespeare, and Stinky Feet program who are enrolled in the summer-camp-like initiative. The series continues with Norm Lewis (Porgy and Bess, Dessa Rose) on July 13, Faith Prince (A Catered Affair, Guys and Dolls) on July 17, Christian Hoff (The Who’s Tommy, Jersey Boys) on July 20, Brian Stokes Mitchell (Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate) on July 24, composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Wicked) on July 27, married couple Megan McGinnis (Little Women, Daddy Long Legs) and Adam Halpin (Dear Evan Hansen, Daddy Long Legs) on July 31, Lauren Patten (Jagged Little Pill, The Wolves) on August 3, and Aaron Lazaar (The Last Ship, Les Misérables) and Ben Lipitz (The Lion King) on August 7. You should also check out the free “Connections” hosted by board member Brett Molotsky, who has chatted with Rubicon cofounder and producing artistic director Karyl Lynn Burns, Ward, and Patten, in addition to the troupe’s “Crossing the Rubicon,” Nibroc Trilogy, and “Rubicon Experience” podcast. All proceeds go to Rubicon’s education and outreach fund.