(Part 1)
Hello, play-goers! I hope you all had a good Labor Day and are still rocking’ your white pants and holding onto summer. The new theater season is in full swing, and I’m here with some previews of shows to see in DC and NYC this fall. There are some great works coming in both cities, so take a look and get out and see something! Let me know what you pick and your personal review by replying to this email.
New York Previews
Infinite Life at Atlantic Theater Company (now thru 10/8)
Annie Baker is one my favorite living playwrights. Her writing is so true to how people actually talk, complete with all the “pauses” of normal conversation. Her latest, presented by the excellent, off-broadway Atlantic Theater Company, concerns five women discussing “the complexity of suffering,” though it is “surprisingly funny” as is most of her work, whatever the subject matter.
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding at Manhattan Theatre Club (9/12 thru 10/29)
Jocelyn Bioh is another great playwright working today. Her “Nollywood Dreams” was roll-on-the-floor-laughing hilarious. Her newest play is about a group of West African hair braiders in Harlem.
Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway (previews start 9/19)
A fabulous revival of this Sondheim musical is coming to Broadway, fresh after an off-Broadway production last season, which I saw and LOVED. I think it could only get better in a bigger house: hopefully a larger orchestra so you can really enjoy the full impact of the incredible score. The cast is led by the very talented Jonathon Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, Lindsay Mendez. The show is about a stage&film writer (Groff) looking back on his relationship with his two best friends, trying to understand how their close friendship fell apart. It's told in reverse chronological order—a very creative structure and mostly effective for the material—and has one of Sondheim's absolute best scores. Check out the NY Times review from the off-Broadway production. The prices are very high, but this is one of those shows I predict we’ll be talking about for a long time—and you’ll want to be able to say, “I was there.”
Death, Let Me Do My Show at Lucille Lortel Theatre (now through 9/30)
Rachel Bloom, of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” is an enormous talent. Her new one-woman show explores her fear of death during the pandemic, in a musical comedy format.
Purlie Victorious on Broadway (playing now with an open run)
This comedy revival stars Leslie Odom, Jr. (original Aaron Burr in “Hamilton”) as a traveling preacher who comes to his hometown in Georgia to save his hometown church. I didn’t know anything about this show until the revival was announced, but Odom is a big talent and I’m sure will deliver.
NOTE: The above was corrected on 9/20/23 to reflect that the show is a revival of the 1961 play “Purlie Victorious,” not the 1970 musical adaptation of that play, “Purlie.” Check out an interview with the cast and director here.
Gutenberg! The Musical on Broadway (opens 9/15 for 20-week run)
I am curious about this play for a few reasons. First, it reunites “Book of Mormon” stars Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad, who have a powerful comedic chemistry. Second, it’s a musical about people trying to put on a musical about Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press—meta is my favorite! Finally, I like the director, Alex Timbers, whose “Here Lies Love” was fantastic (review here).