Four openings this week worth noting: MOULIN ROUGE, the glamourous opulent stage production based on the movie comes to Shea's and stays for two weeks (see listings below) while next door to Shea's the Alleyway Theatre has opened with the prize-winning THE NATURAL HORSE and the Jewish Repertory Theatre presents SISTERS IN LAW, a play about Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor, and THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW with a cast of 13 Buffalo favorites at D'Youville University's Kavinoky Theatre.
The Metropolitan Opera came to Buffalo (and movie theaters around the world) as The Met kicked off their 17th season of "Live in HD" transmissions, filmed live at the opera house, and available to see in the local Regal theaters as well as The Amherst. The libretto (think "book") for DEAD MAN WALKING is by Terrence McNally and the on-stage direction was by Ivo van Hove. Met operas in HD are usually re-broadcast over the summer in theaters and on the PBS "Great Performances" series seen locally on WNED-PBS.
Three shows continue: AN INSPECTOR CALLS at Desiderio's has added extra days, HOARDING HOPE is at the Paul Robeson Theatre, and THE GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LOST EPISODES VOL. 4, THE HALLOWEEN EDITION at O'Connell & Company's Bailey Avenue "home" theater.
Anthony will be leading a trip to NYC from January 22 to 26, 2024 including round-trip transportation, select group meals at iconic Manhattan eateries, and five Broadway shows (See listings below after the Shaw Festival listings). From your hotel in the heart of Midtown, you’ll also depart to tour theater-related exhibits at the Museum of Broadway and New York Public Library’s Theater on Film and Tape Archives (where all Broadway shows, on film, can be viewed, although only on the grounds of the library. And, attendees will also have time for sightseeing and shopping. For more information, click here.
https://www.wned.org/ways-to-support/wned-wbfo-tours/new-york-city-theater-with-anthony-chase/
Anthony's reviews appear in The Buffalo News (buffalonews.com) or on his blog theatertalkbuffalo.com and Peter's reviews appear in Buffalo Rising (buffalorising.com).
LOCAL LISTINGS ARE PRESENTED AS FOLLOWS: CLOSINGS (last chances to see these plays), then OPENINGS, then CONTINUING, then The Shaw Festival lineup for 2023 (shows at Shawfest are up through early October). Within the categories, shows are alphabetical by title.
CLOSINGS THIS WEEK (last chance!): none
OPENINGS THIS WEEK:
MOULIN ROUGE! 10/24 - 11/5, 2023 (note extended 2 week run) Tue - Fri at 7:30, Sat at 2:00 and 8:00, Sun at 1:00 and 6:30 at Shea's Buffalo Theatre, 646 Main Street Buffalo, NY 14202 (716) 847-1410 sheas.org
MOULIN ROUGE! BLURB: Pop the champagne, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the winner of 10 Tony Awards® — including Best Musical!
Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Welcome to Moulin Rouge! The Musical! Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Directed by Tony Award® winner Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and — above all — Love. With a book by Tony Award® winner John Logan; music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tony Award® winner Justin Levine; and choreography by Tony Award® winner Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge! is more than a musical — it is a state of mind.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a grand and spectacular production; the musical contains some mature themes, revealing costumes and adult language. It is recommended for ages 12 and up.
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SISTERS IN LAW, a play by Jonathon Shapiro, based on the New York Times best-selling book by Linda Hirshman about Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, directed by Josie DiVincenzo, starring Tina Rausa and Priscilla Young. Oct 26 - Nov 19, Thu 7:30, Sat 3:30 and 7:30, Sun 2:00 at the Jewish Community Center, 2640 N. Forest Road Amherst, NY 14068. 716-688-4033 jccbuffalo.org
SISTERS IN LAW BLURB: JRT is honored to produce the regional premiere of this hit play based on the New York Times bestseller! This keen portrayal of legends Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg tells the story of two polar opposites who just happen to be the first and second women on the US Supreme Court. As they grapple with big questions, the gloves come off, revealing two very different people with a great deal in common.
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THE NATURAL HORSE, a play by T. Adamson, directed by Robyn Lee Horn, Two pay what you can previews on Oct 22 & 24, Opens Oct 25 - Nov 11, Thu - Sat at 7:30, Extra matinee Sat, Nov 4 at 3:30.
Industry Night Mon Oct 30 at 7:30; Extra matinee Saturday, November 4 at 3:30. All other shows Thu - Sat at 7:30, Alleyway Theatre, 1 Curtain Up Alley, Buffalo NY 14202 716-852-2600 alleyway.com
THE NATURAL HORSE BLURB: A brand new, wild and zany play by T. Adamson, a Texas-raised writer and theater artist of Anglo/Mexican ancestry. With a BFA from NYU Tisch and an MFA from Hunter College, he now lives in New York City.
THE NATURAL HORSE is a combination of Frank Lloyd Wright, Chekhov and Ionesco, with a little Picasso and Mister Ed thrown into the mix for spice. The latest winner of the Maxim Mazumdar New Play Award, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1954 book The Natural House, this daringly wild play about ex-Soviet immigrants in suburban Wisconsin received Alleyway’s 2022 Maxim Mazumdar New Play Award, and was a finalist for the 2023 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference.
When eldest daughter Masha brings home a feral horse named Goodboy to live under mom and dad’s roof, the play explodes with strange silliness and magical beauty. An incredibly theatrical look at how we search for people and spaces to call home, THE NATURAL HORSE is a breathtakingly ambitious and subversively hilarious exploration of the human connection.
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THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, musical by Richard O'Brien, directed by Loraine O'Donnell, with music direction by Allan Paglia, starring Kerrykate Abel, Kris Bartolomeo, Melinda Capeles, Charmagne Chi, John Fredo, Araia Heathcott, Anderson Kowalczewski, Morgan Elizabeth Kyle, Ricky Needham, Mike Randall, Michele Roberts, Dave Spychalski, Dan Urtz. Oct 27 - Nov 18, One "midnight" show Sat Oct 28 (no props allowed in the theater) then Thu - Sat at 7:30, also Sat matinees at 3:30 at D'Youville University's Kavinoky Theatre, 320 Porter Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14201 kavinoky.com 716-829-7668
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW BLURB: In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad and Janet, stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker and a creepy butler. Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named "Rocky." Complete with sass from the audience and an array of crazy costumes, this deliberately kitschy rock 'n' roll sci-fi gothic musical is more fun than ever
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CONTINUING (in alphabetical order by title):
AN INSPECTOR CALLS by J.B. Priestley, directed by Jay Desiderio, starring Charles McGregor, David Lundy, Lisa Hinca, Sabrina Kahwaty, Jeremy Kreuzer, and Lucas Lloyd. 9/7 - 11/12 (NOTE! EXTENDED RUN!). Most Thursdays and Saturdays and some Wednesdays. Dinner at 6:00, Show at 7:30. Sundays are matinee performances with Dinner at 1:00 and Show at 2:30 pm. Desiderio's Dinner Theatre at Bobby J's 204 Como Park Blvd. Cheektowaga. 716-395-3207 mybobbyjs.com
AN INSPECTOR CALLS BLURB: An Inspector Calls is a powerful engaging detective drama. It is considered by many to be one of the classic thrillers of mid-20th-century English theatre. This suspenseful masterpiece finds a peaceful dinner party at a prosperous British home shattered when an inspector arrives to investigate a young woman’s death. Revelations shake the very foundations of this upper-class family as they all come to realize that each of them had a hand in the girl’s tragic undoing, prompting an examination of conscience and responsibility.
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HOARDING HOPE, a play by Kerrykate Abel Smith, directed by the playwright, starring Marie Costa, Matt Refermat, and El. C. Tyner Oct 20 - Nov 5, Fri-Sat 7:30 Sun 4:00 at the Paul Robeson Theatre in the African American Cultural Center, 350 Masten Ave, Buffalo
HOARDING HOPE BLURB: A nurse takes action in the early stages of the AIDS crisis when nobody else seems to care.
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NOTE! Join Buffalo's Queen of Cabaret Kerrykate Abel and her incredible accompanist Chuck Basil as they celebrate 25 years of creating music together! This one-night-only event will feature music by Berlin, Cohan, Gershwin, Henderson and more! Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 7:00pm at Buffalo Toronto Public Media's
Performance Space at 140 Lower Terrace in downtown Buffalo. The event is free but you must register (space is limited). Visit wned.org/events and scroll down the page.
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THE GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LOST EPISODES VOL. 4, THE HALLOWEEN EDITION a play by David Cerda, directed by Todd Warfield, starring Michael Seitz, Joey Bucheker, Michael "Bebe" Blasdell, and Matthew Rittler.
Oct 19 - Nov 4, Thu-Sat 7:30, No performance Thursday 10/26, Extra performance Tuesday 10/31 at O'Connell & Co. 4110 Bailey Avenue,
Amherst, NY 14226 716-848-0800. oconnellandcompany.com
GOLDEN GIRLS BLURB: Buffalo's original GOLDEN GIRLS are back with all new episodes of this naughty drag parody of America's favorite sitcom. Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia return for new wig-raising adventures in this very limited engagement. When Sophia starts acting bizarre and scaring the devil out of the girls they have no choice but to seek the services of their local priest, who has never quite encountered a demon like Sophia! Will they be to drive the DEVIL out of Sophia? Would they even notice? No individual under 18 will be admitted without an adult.
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COMING IN NOVEMBER:
THE CONVENT, a play by Jessica Dickey, directed by Stefanie Warnick, presented by The Brazen-Faced Varlets, starring Sandra Roberts, Pamela Rose Mangus, Juli Gryier, Rachael Buchanan, Gabrielle Nunzio, Heather Fangsrud, and Lara D. Haberberger. Nov 3 - 18 at the Compass Performing Arts Center, 545 Elmwood Ave., Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30, Saturdays at 5:00. Visit theconvent.eventbrite.com
THE CONVENT BLURB: A group of women go on a retreat to live like nuns in the Middle Ages and are baptized with '80s pop, female mysticism, hallucinogens, and sex. The Convent is a toothy dark comedy about desire, devotion, and the mystery of intrinsic divinity. Runtime: 105 minutes
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THE HOMECOMING by Harold Pinter, directed by Dan Shanahan and Melissa Meola, starring Jack Hunter, Kalub Thompson, Tracie Lane, Russell Holt, Stan Klimecko, and Talon Powell. Nov 10 - Dec 9, Fri-Sat (Nov 10 - 18), then a break for Thanksgiving week, then Thu - Sat (Nov 30 - Dec 9), all performances at 7:30, except for Nov. 30 which is a special fund-raising evening at 6:30 pm. All performances at Torn Space Theater, 612 Fillmore Ave. Buffalo, NY 14212 tornspacetheatre.com (716) 768-1109
THE HOMECOMING BLURB: Clashes of class, culture, family, and sex; the tension of what is said and left unspoken- Pinter’s celebrated play continues to sear with Torn Space’s cutting-edge production. Torn Space revives its mainstage production with a classic script as you’ve never seen it. Featuring a stellar cast- Jack Hunter, Kalub Thompson, Tracie Lane, Russell Holt, Stan Klimecko, and Talon Powell, led by award-winning directors Dan Shanahan and Melissa Meola with set design by scenographer Kristina Siegel, lighting design by John and Carlie Rickus, costume design by Jess Wegrzyn and original sound design by Justin Rowland
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AT THE SHAW FESTIVAL
For the HOLIDAY SEASON 2023 The Shaw Festival will bring back
Lerner and Loewe’s BRIGADOON November 15 to December 23 at The Festival Theatre with Book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, Music by Frederick Loewe, Original dances created by Agnes DeMille, Revised book by Brian Hill
Tagline: Boy meets girl — in an enchanted Scottish village. A sweep-you-off-your-feet musical spectacle.
For details, visit here: https://www.shawfest.com/playbill/brigadoon/
and
A CHRISTMAS CAROL November 5 to December 23 at The Royal George Theatre
Story by Charles Dickens
Adapted and originally directed by Tim Carroll
Tagline: Arrive feeling “Bah, humbug!” and leave full of warm, fuzzy Christmas spirit.
For details visit here: https://www.shawfest.com/playbill/a-christmas-carol-2023/
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Anthony will lead a bus full of Broadway lovers to the Big Apple January 22-26, 2024. Click here for details and more background on the 5 shows on the itinerary. https://www.wned.org/ways-to-support/wned-wbfo-tours/new-york-city-theater-with-anthony-chase/
For more information and to make your reservations, please contact Regina Sullivan at rsullivan@nyaaa.com or 716-630-3731.
The group will see, among other things (including The Broadway Museum), these shows (information provided by Playbill.com) (shows listed in alphabetical order).
A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, The Neil Diamond Musical, at the BROADHURST THEATRE 235 W. 44TH ST., NEW YORK, NY
The story of the legendary Neil Diamond comes to life on stage in a gripping and uplifting new musical featuring his hit songs “Sweet Caroline”, “America”, and “Cracklin’ Rosie”. Directed by Tony Award® winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), choreographed by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett (Once, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), and written by four-time Academy Award® nominee Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Two Popes). Good times never seemed so good.
SYNOPSIS:
With his first break into songwriting in the 1960s and his meteoric rise in the 1970s, and plenty of crushing disappointments and heart-stopping triumphs along the way, Neil Diamond has maintained an almost unthinkable level of superstardom for five straight decades. How did a poor Jewish kid from Brooklyn become one of the most universally adored showmen of all time? There’s only one way to tell it: a musical set to his era-defining smash hits that entranced the world.
RUNNING TIME: 2 HOURS AND 15 MINUTES INCLUDING ONE INTERMISSION
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& JULIET at the STEPHEN SONDHEIM THEATRE 124 W. 43RD ST., NEW YORK, NY
The Olivier Award-winning original musical & Juliet will have its highly anticipated Broadway premiere this fall. With a book by David West Read, the Emmy Award-winning writer from “Schitt’s Creek,” and with music from legendary five-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer Max Martin, direction by Luke Sheppard and choreography by Emmy Award-winner Jennifer Weber, & Juliet uses some of the most beloved pop songs of the last three decades to tell a multi-generational story of self-discovery, empowerment, and love.
SYNOPSIS:
Created by the Emmy®-winning writer from “Schitt’s Creek,” this hilarious new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told. & Juliet asks: what would happen next if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo? Get whisked away on a fabulous journey as she ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and a second chance at life and love—her way.
Juliet’s new story bursts to life through a playlist of pop anthems as iconic as her name, including Since U Been Gone‚ Roar, Baby One More Time, Larger Than Life‚ That’s The Way It Is, and Can't Stop the Feeling — all from the genius songwriter/producer behind more #1 hits than any other artist this century. Break free of the balcony scene and get into this romantic comedy that proves there’s life after Romeo. The only thing tragic would be missing it.
RUNNING TIME: 2 HOURS AND 30 MINUTES INCLUDING ONE INTERMISSION
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BACK TO THE FUTURE, a musical, at the WINTER GARDEN THEATRE, 1634 BROADWAY (AT W. 50TH ST.), NEW YORK, NY
With book by Bob Gale and Music and Lyrics by alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, this new musical adventure based on the 1985 blockbuster and pop culture phenomenon is brought to the stage by the movie’s co-writers, Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis.
SYNOPSIS:
Marty McFly is a rock ‘n’ roll teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown. But before he can return to 1985, Marty must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love in order to save his own existence.
RUNNING TIME: 2 HOURS AND 35 MINUTES, INCLUDING ONE 15-MINUTE INTERMISSION
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KIMBERLY AKIMBO, a musical comedy at the BOOTH THEATRE 222 W. 45TH ST., NEW YORK, NY
The critically-lauded and wildly popular new musical, Kimberly Akimbo, with
book by David Lindsay-Abair, Music by Jeanine Tesori, and Lyrics by David Linsday-Abaire, has transferred to Broadway with the cast from the Atlantic Theater Company intact.
SYNOPSIS:
Kim is a bright and funny Jersey teen, who happens to look like a 72-year-old lady. And yet her aging condition may be the least of her problems. Forced to maneuver family secrets, borderline personalities, and possible felony charges, not to mention her first crush, Kim is determined to find happiness in a world where not even time is on her side. Based on the play of the same name.
RUNNING TIME: 2 HOURS AND 20 MINUTES, INCLUDING ONE INTERMISSION
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And while SHUCKED, a musical comedy at the NEDERLANDER THEATRE 208 W. 41ST ST., NEW YORK, NY will have shut down by January, Anthony promises to choose an equally engaging fifth play or musical.
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Shea's Buffalo Theatre continues its 2023-24 Broadway Season:
MOULIN ROUGE! 10/24 - 11/5, 2023 (see listing above for details)
ANNIE as a "special engagement" 12/19 - 24, 2023
and then in calendar 2024:
GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY 1/16 - 21, 2024
FUNNY GIRL 2/13 - 18, 2024
LES MISERABLES 3/12 - 18, 2024
MAMMA MIA! 4/9 - 14, 2024
MJ THE MUSICAL 6/11 - 16, 2024
