This week on Theater Talk Anthony and Peter talk about THE GIRL IN THE WASHROOM by local playwright Bela Poynton, COME FROM AWAY as MusicalFare starts its season at its new home in Shea's 710 Theatre, URINETOWN (where you have to "pay to pee") produced by 2nd Generation Theatre at Shea's Smith Theatre, and look forward to Alleyway's OAK by the author of MAGNOLIA BALLET (seen previously at the Alleyway) and CONSCIENCE at Jewish Repertory Theatre. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE COMPLETE LISTINGS.
Click through to see complete listings of what's on stage below!
Check out all of Anthony's reviews and the latest edition of Javier's "Theater News" (the new "On the Boards") at theatertalkbuffalo.com!
Peter's reviews appear in Buffalo Rising (buffalorising.com).
LOCAL LISTINGS ARE PRESENTED AS FOLLOWS: CLOSINGS (last chances to see these shows!), followed by OPENINGS, then CONTINUING, then OPENINGS NEXT WEEK or MONTH. Within the categories, shows are alphabetical by title, with any show starting with "The" under the letter "T."
OPENINGS:
A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 2025, a new production of Dickens' Classic, created and directed by Daniel F. Lendzian & Chris J. Handley. at The Alleyway, 11/01 - 12/21 1 Curtain Up Alley, Buffalo, NY 14202 716-852-2600
A CHRISTMAS CAROL PUBLICITY BLURB: Theatre maker Daniel F. Lendzian adapts Charles Dickens' classic holiday tale into a gorgeous new production for our time. Directed by Chris J Handley with scenic design by Justin and Christopher Swader (White Rabbit Red Rabbit), the Alleyway brings a fresh new spirit to our longstanding holiday tradition!
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A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens adapted for the stage by Tim Carroll, directed by Tim Carroll, 11/01 - 12/21. Produced by The Shaw Festival on the Royal George Theatre Stage, 85 Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada L0S 1J0 1-800=511-SHAW or visit shaw.com
A CHRISTMAS CAROL PUBLICITY BLURB: With original music by Paul Sportelli, music direction by Rachel O’Brien, and movement and puppetry by Alexis Milligan, don’t miss the final production to grace the stage of the Royal George Theatre. Again, the magic of Christmas returns as does the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge! A Christmas Carol is the gift that keeps on giving and is the perfect annual reminder of what the Christmas spirit is all about. The most jolly holiday experience is in Niagara-on-the-Lake — the merriest of destinations.
NOTE: Buy both Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and A Christmas Carol and save 20%.
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CONSCIENCE, a play by Joe DiPietro, directed by Steve Vaughan, starring Josie DiVincenzo, Anna Krempholtz, David Mitchell, and Nick Stevens. 10/30 - 11/23 Thu 7:30, Sat 3:30 & 7:30, Sun 2:00 Presented by the Jewish Repertory Theatre 2640 N. Forest Road Amherst, NY 14068 716.688.4033 jccbuffalo.org/events
CONSCIENCE Publicity Blurb: With themes of Courage, integrity, and political resistance, CONSCIENCE is a riveting drama about Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman elected to both the House and Senate from Maine. In 1950, she stood alone to denounce Senator Joseph McCarthy’s fear-driven crusade, delivering her historic “Declaration of Conscience" speech. It was a public act of defiance at a time when both Democrats and Republicans were cowed into silence for fear of retribution. It came at a cost: She was shunned by her colleagues, challenged in a primary, and McCarthy threatened to expose her personal secrets. CONSCIENCE is the story of a remarkable woman who stood up for what was right and refused to back down.
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OPENING ONE NIGHT ONLY:
STRAUSS’S HOUSES, play by Jerry Polner, directed by Clara Tan, STAGED READING, ONE NIGHT ONLY starring Danielle Burning, Madeline Allard-Dugan, Trevor Dugan, Kaylie Horowitz, and Ian Downes. ONE NIGHT ONLY Tuesday, 11/4⋅at 7:30 at Area 54 at Caffe at Amy's 3234 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14214 (across Main from St. Joseph's University Church). facebook.com/PostIndustrialProductions
STRAUSS’S HOUSES PUBLICITY BLURB: Real estate agent Freddie Strauss, still working to live down her delinquent youth, tries to put on the right airs to sell million-dollar homes to the wealthy young professional set. Her newest customer couple is prepared to buy at the full asking price. Still, they want a guarantee that the “cultural identity” of the neighborhood – the social class, child-rearing, religiosity, and family rituals of the residents – is a good match for their sensitive palates. Freddie reluctantly agrees to carry out this investigation, only for the community to react by vandalizing her car, getting her evicted from her apartment, and pulling her realtor's license. Isn’t culture supposed to be a good thing?
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CONTINUING:
COME FROM AWAY by Irene Sankoff & David Hein, directed by Randall Kramer, music direction by Theresa Quinn. 10/23-11/9 Thu - Fri 7:30, Sat 3:00 and 8:00, Sun 2:00 presented by MusicalFare at Shea's 710 Theatre (710 Main Street, corner Tupper). (716) 839-8540 musicalfare.com
COME FROM AWAY PUBLICITY BLURB: The inspiring true story of 7,000 stranded airline passengers on 9/11 and the small town in Canada that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. An uplifting example of the very best of human nature.
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OAK, a new play by Terry Guest, directed by Dawn M. Simmons, starring Dasia Cervi, P.K. Fortson, Vernia Sharisse Garvin, and Ember Tate-Steele. Previews 10/24-10/28, Opening 10/29, then 10/30-11/15 Thu-Sat 7:30 with extra performance Monday 11/3 at 7:30. Presented by the Alleyway Theatre, 1 Curtain Up Alley, Buffalo, NY 14202 716-852-2600 alleyway.com
OAK Publicity Blurb: A thriller about 3 kids, a swamp monster, and a lady with a shotgun. It's "snatching season," and cousins Pickle, Big Man, and Suga are right to be feeling unsettled. It's 7:00 p.m. Do you know where your children are?
OAK bursts onto the stage this season as a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, haunting and thrilling audiences caught in the grip of the shadows lurking beneath the water's surface. A perfect thriller for Spooky Szn, Guest's razor-sharp dialogue and poetic storytelling fuse eerie horror with raw emotional truth, creating a performance that is as intimate as it is electrifying. Directed by Dawn Meredith Simmons, OAK is not just a play — it’s an urgent, unforgettable theatrical journey that will leave you breathless and thinking long after the curtain falls.
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THE GIRL IN THE WASHROOM, a play by Bella Poynton, directed by Mike Doben, a collaboration between First Look Buffalo and Buffalo United Artists. 10/24-11/8 (8 performances) Thu-Fri 7:30, Sat 5:00, Sun 1:00 performed at the Canterbury Woods Performing Arts Center, 705 Renaissance Drive, Williamsville, NY. firstlookbuffalo.com or buffalounitedartists.org
THE GIRL IN THE WASHROOM PUBLICITY BLURB:
This haunting two-act drama spans decades and dimensions. In 1965, Daisy and Stanley flee a violent brawl and take refuge in a hotel room—only to confront eerie revelations and unexpected intimacy. Fast-forward to 2025: the same room now hosts Daphne and Sage, a ghost-hunting YouTube couple chasing viral fame. But as their night unfolds, the ghosts they seek begin to chase them back. The play explores themes of trauma, memory, and the cost of chasing spectacle over truth.
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URINETOWN, a musical by Mark Hollman, book by Greg Kotis, directed by Louis Colaicovo, music director Allan Paglia. 10/24-11/9 Thu-Fri 7:30, Sat 8:00, Sun 2:00 Presented by Second Generation Theatre on stage at the Smith Theatre, Info (716) 508-SGT0 (7480) Tickets through Shea's. Visit sheas.com
PUBLICITY BLURB: URINETOWN is a hilarious musical satire of the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, environmental collapse, privatization of natural resources, bureaucracy, municipal politics, and musical theatre itself! Hilariously funny and touchingly honest, Urinetown provides a fresh perspective on one of America’s greatest art forms.
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SELECT OPENINGS IN NOVEMBER, 2025
GIDION'S KNOT, play by Johnna Adams, directed by Lara D. Haberberger, starring Caitlin Coleman and Kristen Tripp Kelly. 11/7 - 11/22 Fri 7:30, Sat 5:00, produced by Brazen-Faced Varlets at Compass Performing Arts Center, 545 Elmwood Avenue Buffalo, NY 14222
GIDION'S KNOT PUBLICITY BLURB: During a fraught parent/teacher conference, a grieving mother asks her son's emotionally-overwhelmed teacher one simple question: Why?
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IOLANTHE, OR THE PEER AND THE PERI, a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, directed by Lisa Berglund (see cast below). 11/14, 16, 21 and 23 with performances at 7:30 Fridays and 2:00 Sundays. Presented by Opera-Lytes at St Mary’s High School, 142 Laverack Avenue, in Lancaster, NY, the production will be accompanied by a live orchestra conducted by Ciaran Krueger. Tickets are available at www.operalytes.com or at the door.
IOLANTHE PUBLICITY BLURB: This comic operetta skewers the British Parliamentary system by bringing the House of Lords into conflict with a band of magical fairies. When the Lord Chancellor (Michael Warner) insults the Queen of the Fairies (Mariami Bekauri), she takes revenge by installing the shepherd Strephon (Andy Gonlag) as leader of the House of Commons. Strephon is half a fairy (down to the waist) but has been hiding this fact from his fiancée Phyllis (Liz Klimek). Phyllis mistakes Strephon’s fairy mother Iolanthe (Ashley Rummings) for a rival, breaks their engagement, and offers instead to marry the peers Lord Mountararat (Paul Berglund) and Lord Tolloller (Alfonzo Tyson). Only Iolanthe can restore order--but at the cost of her life.
NOTE: On Sunday November 23 at 1:30 p.m., Lisa Berglund, professor of English at Buffalo State University, will give a free pre-curtain lecture on “Political Satire in W.S. Gilbert’s Fairyland.
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IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS, a musical based upon the Paramount Pictures Film, Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin, directed by Kate Hennig, with music direction by Paul Sportelli 11/7 - 12/21 in repertoire at either 1:00 or 7:00. Produced by The Shaw Festival on the Festival Theatre Stage, 10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada L0S 1J0 1-800=511-SHAW or visit shaw.com
IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS PUBLICITY BLURB: Back by popular demand! Celebrate the holidays with Irving Berlin’s heartwarming classic: White Christmas. This delightful musical follows Bob Wallace and Phil Davis as they team up with sister act Betty and Judy Haynes to put on a Christmas spectacular and save the charming Vermont Inn. Featuring dazzling dance numbers plus a splendid score with hits like “Blue Skies” plus “Sisters”, and of course, the title song, this joyous production is the perfect festive treat for the entire family! Buy both Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and A Christmas Carol and save 20%.
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STRAIGHT WHITE MEN, a 2018 play by Young Jean Lee (the first Asian American woman to have a play produced on Broadway) directed by Curtis Lovell, starring Connor Graham, Daniel Greer, Brent Hetrick, Nathanial Higgins, Camille Person and Nova Russell. 11/14-11/23 (8 shows) Fri 7:30, Sat 2:00 & 7:30, Sun 4:00. Produced by Ujima on the Lorna C. Hill stage, 429 Plymouth Avenue, Buffalo, NY, 14213 (716) 322-5178 ujimacoinc.org
STRAIGHT WHITE MEN PUBLICITY BLURB: When Ed and his three adult sons come together to celebrate Christmas, they enjoy cheerful trash-talking, pranks, and takeout Chinese. Then they confront a problem that even being a happy family can’t solve: When identity matters, and privilege is problematic, what is the value of being a straight white man?
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STRING, a Musical Fable About the Greek Fates in the Modern City with book by Sarah Hammond, music and myrics by Adam Gwon, Co-directed by Katie Mallinson and Ben Michael Moran, and music direction by Joe Isgar, starring Lily Jones, Karen Harty, Ashleigh Chrisena Ricci, Nick Lama, Victoria Perez, John Kreuzer with Chorus: Michael Wells, Collin Mckee, Anika Pace, Katy Miner, Dan Torres, and Araia Heathcott. 11/7 - 11/29 Select Thursdays (11/13, 11/20) at 7:30, Fri - Sat 7:30, Sat matinees 2:30. Produced by D'Youville's Kavinoky Theatre, 320 Porter Avenue, Buffalo, NY, 14201 716-829-7668 www.kavinokytheatre
STRING PUBLICITY BLURB: String: A Musical Fable About the Greek Fates in the Modern City is an imaginative new musical running from November 7th through November 29th, 2025. This enchanting show explores destiny, love, and the beauty of life’s chaos.
Co-directed by Katie Mallinson and Ben Michael Moran, String reimagines Greek mythology in the modern world. Three goddesses, the Fates, are banished from Olympus to an office building on Earth, where they must continue spinning the threads of human life. But when one of them discovers free will, everything they thought they controlled begins to unravel. As one goddess wonders: “If we’re made to spin their stories, what happens when we want to write our own?” With a soaring score and divinely human characters, String is a celebration of connection, love, and the power of choice
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THE CONSUL, an opera by Gian Carlo Menotti, presented by Fredonia’s Hillman Opera, directed by Daniel Lendzian and conducted by Emily Schaad, starring students from Fredonia’s School of Music. 11/13 - 11/16 (four performances) Thu-Sat 7:30, Sun 2:00 at the Marvel Theatre in the Rockefeller Arts Center on the SUNY Fredonia campus. Visit: events.fredonia.edu/event/hillman-opera-menottis-the-consul
THE CONSUL PUBLICITY BLURB: This opera offers a gripping and timely revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera with its haunting narrative, centered on a family’s desperate attempt to escape a totalitarian regime and the cold indifference of bureaucracy. THE CONSUL remains as resonant today as it was in 1950.
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THIRST, by Ronán Noone, directed by Kate LoConti Alcocer, starring Aleks Malejs, Kai Crumley, and Peter Johnson with voiceover Actors Todd Benzin, Kate LoConti Alcocer, David Lundy, and RJ Voltz. 11/7 - 11/23 Thu - Sat 7:30, with 2:00 matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Produced by the Irish Classical Theatre 625 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203 716-853-4282 irishclassical.com,
THIRST PUBLICITY BLURB: THIRST by Ronán Noone unfolds in tandem with Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, but follows the Irish and American domestic workers who keep the Tyrone family functioning. Think the downstairs staff of Downton Abbey, centering the immigrant experience in the U.S. Though it’s set over 100 years ago, this story feels deeply relevant in our current moment. Set in 1912 inside the seaside Connecticut home that inspired Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Thirst unfolds in the kitchen below stairs, where three servants - Bridget, the sharp-tongued Irish cook; Jack, an American chauffeur chasing the promise of a better life; and Cathleen, a young maid eager for more - grapple with love, ambition, and belonging in a world that keeps them on the margins. As the famous family upstairs battles its own ghosts, those downstairs fight their quieter wars of hope, heartbreak, and the eternal hunger for something more. SETTING: All scenes take place in the kitchen of Monte Cristo Cottage, the Tyrones’ summer home in New London, Connecticut, on a day in August 1912.
RUN TIME: Approximately 2 hours and 15-minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.
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SELECT OPENINGS IN DECEMBER, 2025
'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE, a holiday "spectacle" presented by Cirque du Soleil, their first-ever Christmas show. 12/17 - 12/28, Dec 17–19: 7:30 PM nightly, Dec 20–21: Multiple shows daily (2:00 PM, 5:00 PM, 8:00 PM) Dec 23–24 Afternoon and evening performances, Dec 26–28: Matinees and evening shows at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre 646 Main St, Buffalo, NY Visit sheas.com
'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE publicity blurb: Inspired by Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” the storyline is about Isabella, a young girl who feels she’s outgrown her family’s Christmas traditions, and is swept into a fantastical winter wonderland after a snowstorm separates her from her father. Along the way, she encounters whimsical characters, acrobats, reindeer, and children who help rekindle the holiday spirit and reunite the family.
Family-friendly, suitable for all ages with a runtime of 85 minutes, no intermission.
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SHEA'S BUFFALO 2025-2026 Five Star Bank Broadway shows include:
THE NOTEBOOK, October 7-13, 2025
WICKED, November 12-30, 2025
‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE… BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL, Opening December 17, 2025
KIMBERLY AKIMBO, March 17-22, 2026
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, April 14-19, 2026
SUFFS, June 2-7-2026s
The Five Star Bank 2025-26 Broadway Season is presented by Shea’s Performing Arts Center and Albert Nocciolino, and is sponsored locally by Five Star Bank, The Buffalo News, and WKBW-TV.
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Copied from https://www.theatertalkbuffalo.com/post/2025-artie-award-winners
34th Annual Artie Awards
Sponsored by Buffalo Toronto Public Media
Presented June 9, 2025 at Asbury Hall, Buffalo, New York
Hosted by Anthony Chase, Curtis Lovell, and Amy Jakiel with Music Director Philip Farugia
2025 Artie Awards Winners
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
Dorian, Irish Classical Theatre Company
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Waitress, MusicalFare Theatre
EMANUEL FRIED AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY
Matthew LaChiusa, The Informer
OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
David Lundy, Remember This
OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Tracie Lane, Scenes from A Marriage
OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Vanna Deux, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Maria Pedro, Waitress
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Gerald Ramsey, The African Company Presents Richard III
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Rebecca Elkin, The Loved Ones
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Kristopher Bartolomeo, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kelly Copps, The Producers
OUTSTANDING FEATURED PERFORMANCE
Caitlin Coleman, The Hung Man
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Mason Beggs, Dorian
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Susan Drozd, Waitress
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE OF A PLAY
The Hobbit, Theatre of Youth
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE OF A MUSICAL
Into the Woods, O'Connell & Company
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
Eric Deeb Weaver, Newsies
OUTSTANDING MUSIC DIRECTION
Bridget Moriarty, The Fitzgeralds of Saint Paul
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
Dyan Burlingame, Shipwrecked!
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Ann R. Emo, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL ELEMENT
Emma Schimminger, Lighting, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Eileen Dugan
SPECIAL APPRECIATION AWARD
Buffalo Toronto Public Media
KATHARINE CORNELL AWARDS – honoring the work of visiting artists
Christie Baugher; composer, lyricist, and playwright; The Fitzgeralds of Saint Paul, Irish Classical Theatre Company
Derrian Brown, actor, William Barfee, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Second Generation Theatre
Kevin Zak, playwright, Kidman Carol, Alleyway Theatre
