Read on for some recent theatre headlines and videos you may have missed.
Ali Ewoldt, Angel Desai, More Set for Prospect Theater Company's Fall Season of Filmed Musicals
Prospect Theater Company's fall VISION Series of original music theatre will feature streams of six original short works, including four pieces filmed on location during a September residency at the Goodwill Theatre, an unrenovated proscenium theatre in Johnson City, New York. Projects filmed at the Goodwill include The Band at the End of the World, created by Bandits on the Run (a.k.a. Adrian Blake Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn) and directed by SRĐA with cinematographer and editor Bart Cortright; Lady Lawyer Lockwood Rides Her Tricycle, written by Britt Bonney, directed by Cara Reichel, and featuring Ali Ewoldt, Tina Stafford, Jacob Keith Watson, and Fiona Santos with director of photography Gabrielle Mariella; UNRAVELL’D, a movement narrative conceived and directed by Kristen Brooks Sandler, scored by Or Matias, with choreography created by Thistle Dance/Kristen Brooks Sandler in collaboration with Morgana Mauney and Lucas P. Melfi, plus director of photography Sean Dolan; and Lady Apsara, with a book and lyrics by Naveen Bahar Choudhury, music by Kamala Sankaram, direction by Zi Alikhan, with directors of photography Sean MacLaughlin and Brian Bon, and starring Angel Desai, Chris Cornwell, Shinya Miyamoto, and Debbie Christine Tjong.
Additional commissions to be filmed in New York City this fall include Don’t Stay Safe, with a book and lyrics by Cheryl L. Davis and music by Douglas J. Cohen; and Brain. Storm., with a book, music, and lyrics by Jay Alan Zimmerman. Visit ProspectTheater.org.
Night of the Living Dead! The Musical! Concept Recording Features Jaime Cepero
Broadway Records will release the original concept recording of Night of the Living Dead! The Musical!, the rock n' roll comedy sendup of the 1968 zombie film, October 23. With a book, music, and lyrics by Jordan Wolfe, the musical made its Off-Broadway premiere in 2019 at Theatre Row, starring Smash alum Jaime Cepero, who sings on the recording alongside former cast members Meg Lanzarone, Michelle Dowdy, Michael Buchanan, Susan J. Jacks, Jordan Wolfe, Richard Binder, and Steven Amendola. The album is produced by Wolfe and James Morgan.
Marin Ireland, Crystal Dickinson, More to Star in Why Would I Dare?: The Trial of Crystal Mason
The Commissary, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, and New Neighborhood will present Why Would I Dare?: The Trial of Crystal Mason, a virtual reading of the court transcript from the 2018 trial in which Mason was convicted of illegally voting in the 2016 election. Directed by Tyler Thomas and conceived by Thomas, Marin Ireland, Reggie White, and Peter Mark Kendall, the work stars Broadway alums Crystal Dickinson, Peter Gerety, Shane McRae, Kendall, and Ireland. It will begin streaming October 13 at 7 PM ET and remain available through and continue through November 2. For more information, click here.
Zachary James to Release Visual Album in December
Opera star and Broadway alum Zachary James (Akhnaten, The Addams Family) will release a new album celebrating female composers, titled Call Out, in December. The project was originally conceived as a live performance, scheduled to play Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in November. In light of the pandemic, the piece will now take form as a visual album of music videos. The track list features works by Missy Mazzoli, Barbara Strozzi, Florence Price, Royce Vavrek, and more.
Check out the trailer below for the upcoming cinema presentation of the recent London revival of Uncle Vanya, featuring cast members Toby Jones, Richard Armitage, Rosalind Eleazar, Aimee Lou Wood, Anna Calder-Marshall, Dearbhla Molloy, Peter Wight, and Roger Allam (the latter replacing Ciarán Hinds, who was unavailable for filming). The Ian Rickson-helmed production, featuring an adaptation by Conor McPherson, was filmed at the Harold Pinter Theatre under strict guidelines to maintain safety during the coronavirus pandemic. Uncle Vanya was in the final weeks of its London run when the shutdown went into effect. The film capture, directed for the screen by Ross MacGibbon, arrives in theatres across the U.K. and Ireland October 27. A BBC broadcast is also planned, with dates to be announced.
