Sunday Scoop Week of 7/17/22 Closing Soon, Beginning Performances, What's Happening This Week and More

Closing Soon

The Minutes 

The Minutes, the record-breaking hit production from Steppenwolf Theatre Company, takes a hard look at the inner workings of a city council meeting and the hypocrisy, greed and ambition that bubble to the surface when a newcomer to the small town of Big Cherry starts to ask the wrong questions. Why is someone on the council mysteriously missing? What happened to all those bicycles? Is there skullduggery afoot with the city’s finances? What’s the deal with the available parking space? What the F is going on with the Lincoln Smackdown? And why are the minutes from the last meeting being kept secret? “Nothing in this explosive 90-minute play is as it seems...A real-life heart-in-the-mouth experience” declares the Chicago Tribune. Part “Parks & Recreation,” part “Twilight Zone,” this powerful, resonant, and funny portrayal of democracy in action proves that everything you know can change—it’s just a matter of minutes. After all, the smallest towns keep the biggest secrets.

Studio 54 (254 West 54^th Street) 

Closes 7/24

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit theminutesbroadway.com.

Opening Soon

The Butcher Boy

Life is hard for the youthful Francie Brady, who struggles to navigate the narrow streets and narrow minds of an Irish village in the 1960’s. But his eternal optimism and carefree spirit carry him above his dysfunctional family and gossipy town, where he lives in a comic book dreamland with his best friend Joe. When he taunts newcomer Philip Nugent, his uptight mother Mrs. Nugent calls Francie’s family a bunch of pigs. This triggers a violent pig obsession, which grows as Francie’s life falls apart around him. 

Irish Repertory (132 W. 22nd St.)

7/21 - 9/11

Opening Night 8/1

On That Day in Amsterdam

In a time when your fate is determined by your passport, Clarence Coo’s deeply arresting play captures a transient moment of magic. The morning after a one-night stand, a refugee from the Middle East wakes up next to an American backpacker who is himself the son of immigrants. With only a day until the two young men must each leave Amsterdam, they set off on a romantic journey through the city. Moved by the spirits of Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Anne Frank, On That Day in Amsterdam witnesses these two young dreamers count down their remaining hours together, discovering the meaning of art, love, and loss.

59E59 Theater A (59 E 59th Street)

7/23 - 9/4

Opening Night 8/11

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit  59e59.org/shows/show-detail/on-that-day-in-amsterdam

The Panic of '29

When the stock market crashes in October 1929, the Roaring Twenties come to a screeching halt, and the lives of people everywhere will never be the same! Dot, the secretary for the VP of the New York Stock Exchange, skips town with a rag-tag band of misfits and embarks on a decades-spanning journey involving financiers, lounge singers, crime novelists, cops, hobos, vigilantes, beekeepers, and even the French. Try as they might, they can’t outrun alternate history in this chaotic reimagining of the Great Crash.  

59E59 (59 E 59th Street)

7/23 - 8/20

Opening Night 7/23

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit  59e59.org/shows/show-detail/the-panic-of-29.  

Under the Dragon's Tale, 4 Short Tales

Snakes, myths, space, and self-help gurus collide in four tragicomic short plays. After a heist gone wrong, three criminals wrestle with trust, truth, and terrible choices in Ophiology. In The Golden Fleece, Jason (of the Argonauts) finally tells the full truth of what happened with Medea. An unwilling cosmonaut fights to survive space and find their own way home in Letters to a Young Cosmonaut. In One.Two.Three., two ex-lovers search for answers and meaning from the objects of their past in a battle between philosophy and self-help. In each of these plays; criminals, heroes, cosmonauts, and lovers struggle to find hope and meaning in an absurd and chaotic world. 

Matthew Corozine Studio Theater

(357 West 36th Street, 2nd floor; between 8^th & 9^th Avenues)

7/20 - 8/14

Opening Night 7/24

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit  Theatre4ThePeople.org.

What's Happening This Week and More

1)All Shook Up Concert Version to Benefit Project ALS

7/19

2) Bric Celebrates Brooklyn Presents 

Ragmala Dance Co.: Sacred 7/22

3) Broadway Advocacy Coalition Announces Arts in Action Festival 

at the Manhattan School of Music 7/24

4) Grace Aki's To Free a Mockingbird 

to be Presented at SheNYC Festival 

5) Greenwood by Coolidge Harris II Free Reading

7/25

6) Into the Woods Welcomes Cheyenne Jackson to the Cast

7/24 - 8/2 Only

7) Theater Center Announces New Incubator Program

8) Unsinkable Molly Brown New Cast Recording to be Released

7/22

1) BROADWAY AND NEW JERSEY’S BEST GATHER
TO PRESENT
A STAGED CONCERT VERSION
OF THE BROADWAY MUSICAL
ALL SHOOK UP
INSPIRED BY THE MUSIC OF ELVIS PRESLEY
BOOK BY JOE DiPIETRO
DIRECTED BY JESSE WALKER

LIVE STREAMING EVENT ONE NIGHT ONLY!

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 AT 8:00PM

ALL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT AND SUPPORT
PROJECT ALS THERAPEUTICS RESEARCH

Help Make a Difference! New Jersey’s Jesse Walker, host of the online celebrity show “The Jesse Walker Show,” in support of Project ALS, brings together New Jersey’s best for a special benefit virtual performance of the Broadway musical *All Shook Up inspired by the music of Elvis Presley with book by 2-time Tony Award winner, Joe DiPietro and directed by Jesse Walker. The abridged concert performance will feature Drew DuBoff as Chad (aka, Elvis), Krystina Matos as Natalie, and Jesse Walker* as Dennis. The live streaming one-night only event is schedule for Tuesday, July 19, 2022 beginning at 8:00PM. All proceeds will to go benefit Project ALS Therapeutics Research.

2-time Tony Award winner, Joe DiPietro, puts his own spin on 12th Knight from Shakespeare. What if you put 12th Knight in modern day 1950’s in a midwestern town on Rt. 66 using Elvis’s 25 number 1 hits? This is what you get when you come see All Shook Up. It’s the 12th Knight done in a modern way implementing Elvis’s music. It’s about a young mechanic named Natalie (played by Krystina Matos) who works at her dad’s garage in 1950 on route 66. When a roustabout, named Chad (aka, Elvis - played by Drew DuBoff), comes to town because his motorcycle breaks down so he shakes the town up a bit. Natalie falls in love with Chad and decides to impersonate her best friend Dennis’s cousin, Ed, to become “one of the guys” to convince Chad to go out with Natalie but what she doesn’t know is that Dennis (played by Jesse Walker) has been in love with Natalie since Kindergarten and is trying to get her to fall in love with him in this semi-staged concert version of All Shook Up. This is a benefit for Project ALS and all the proceeds will go directly to them.

The ONE-NIGHT ONLY special benefit concert will live stream on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 at 8:00PM EST / 5:00PM PST.

Watch via livestream on all “The Jesse Walker Show” social media pages:
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/channel/UC0XB61vkgqBBJRQphNIEwTg?view_as=subscriber
www.facebook.com/The-Jesse-Walker-Show-1035226623323386/?modal=suggested_action&notif_id=1590438154317499&notif_t=page_user_activitywww.facebook.com/The-Jesse-Walker-Show-1035226623323386/?modal=suggested_action&notif_id=1590438154317499&notif_t=page_user_activity

Donations may be made by visiting fundraise.projectals.org/give/351504/#!/donation/checkout
All proceeds from the event will go to benefit and support Project ALS therapeutics research.

XXX

2) BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!

Presents

Ragamala Dance Company:

Sacred Earth

By Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy, Artistic Directors

With Live Music

July 22, 2022

Ragamala Dance Company’s Sacred Earth will be presented on July 22, 2022 at 8pm as part of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! At the Lena Horne Bandshell, 9th Street & Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY. Sacred Earth is an enchanting work for seven dancers and five musicians that explodes with color, rhythm, and ecstatic

movement. To RSVP for the FREE event, visit bricartsmedia.org/events-performances/bric-celebrate-brooklyn-festival/ragamala-dance-company-sacred-earth.

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3) BROADWAY ADVOCACY COALITION

ANNOUNCES FIRST ANNUAL

 

ARTS IN ACTION FESTIVAL

HOSTED AT THE MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC

SUNDAY JULY 24

The Broadway Advocacy Coalition (BAC) is thrilled to announce the first annual Arts in Action Festival, set to take place on Sunday, July 24 in New York City, home to many leaders in arts, theater, policy and advocacy, at the Manhattan School of Music (130 Claremont Avenue). The Tony Award winning non-profit organization will bring these communities together to celebrate each other and shine a light on the vital tool that the arts – and especially the performing arts – can play in building a country based in justice and liberation.

The Arts in Action Festival will be the inaugural space for organizations and individuals working at these intersections to come together to showcase their work, explore opportunities for collaboration, celebrate the resilience of the justice-impacted community and focus the city’s attention on the many ways that the “justice” system is failing to create real justice for so many inhabitants of New York City.

To learn more, visit artsinactionfestival.com.

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4) Grace Aki’s To Free a Mockingbird to be presented at this summer’s SheNYC Festival of New Plays

Grace Aki’s To Free a Mockingbird will come to the 2022 SheNYC Theater Festival running  July 25-August 7th at the Connelly Theater!

To Free a Mockingbird is a play combining storytelling and stand-up. We follow Grace’s family’s journey across the sea and through the south with family secrets and lessons on how our stories get told. To Free A Mockingbird is a vulnerable and daring piece, filled with effortless humor and honesty. This is her story and maybe yours as well. After all, generational trauma is…funny. 

 

Learn more at www.SheNYCArts.org. 

 xxx

5) Theater Resources Unlimited announces the launch of TRU Diversity,

a new program to support the current and urgent need for greater inclusion in theater.

First up: a free reading of Greenwood by Coolidge Harris II

Monday night July 25 at 7pm ET 

at The Actors’ Temple

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), announces the launch of TRU Diversity: Amplifying BIPOC Voices, an initiative to highlight the works and explore the concerns of BIPOC theater artists, producers and administrators. The debut of the TRU Diversity program will feature a free reading of Greenwood, a relevant new play by TRU member Coolidge Harris II, set during the Tulsa Race Massacre. The reading of Greenwood will take place on Monday, July 25, 2022 at 7pm ET at The Actors’ Temple, 339 W. 47th Street, New York NY. Tickets can be reserved at https://truonline.org/events/greenwood/.

xxx

 

6) CHEYENNE JACKSON

TO STEP INTO THE ROLES OF

‘THE WOLF’ & ‘CINDERELLA’S PRINCE’

IN THE

NEW YORK CITY CENTER ENCORES!

PRODUCTION OF

JAMES LAPINE AND STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S

INTO THE WOODS

JULY 24 THROUGH AUGUST 2

Cheyenne Jackson will be stepping into the roles of “The Wolf” and “Cinderella’s Prince” from July 24 through August 2 in the hugely acclaimed New York City Center Encores! production of James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s beloved musical, Into the Woods at the St. James Theatre, as Tony Award winner Gavin Creel fulfills a prior commitment. Creel will return to his roles on August 6.

Tickets are available via SeatGeek.com/into-the-woods.

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7) THE THEATER CENTER
LAUNCHES NEW INCUBATOR PROGRAM 
 
THE NEW COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM WILL GIVE THEATER COMPANIES AND PRODUCERS ACCESS TO FREE REHEARSAL SPACE, THEATER CENTER RESOURCES, PRODUCING MENTORSHIP, AND FOUR ON STAGE PERFORMANCES IN THE JERRY ORBACH THEATER 
 
SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH SUNDAY, AUGUST 7

 The Theater Center, home to long running shows such as The Office! A Musical Parody, Friends! The Musical Parody and NYC’s longest running play, Perfect Crime, today announced the launch of the THEATER CENTER INCUBATOR – a new program that will help aspiring producers and theater makers present their work on stage in the Jerry Orbach Theater by gaining access to free rehearsal and performance space, Theater Center resources and mentorship.

In the business world, an "incubator" is a collaborative program whose purpose is to help new startups that are at a very early stage to grow and succeed. Incubators are designed to help entrepreneurs deal with most of the problems associated with launching a startup. Incubators provide startups with valuable resources such as free space, equipment, mentorship, a collaborative community, and networking opportunities. The Theater Center has adapted this model to theater. 

The Theater Center Incubator will accept submissions of new plays or musicals (only one submission per playwright/creator). A team of theater professionals will choose three plays and three musicals for its Summer/Fall 2022 Incubator Series. Each of the 6 shows will be presented for 4 performances in the Jerry Orbach Theater at 50th and Broadway. The incubator team will also provide pro bono advice and resources to each show's creators so that a basic production of the show can be presented with a minimum of cost and time.

If accepted, the fee for each show to join the program is $1,000. This fee will provide each play or musical with 20 hours of rehearsal space and four performance slots over a one-week period in the Jerry Orbach Theater: Monday and Wednesday evening and Wednesday and Thursday afternoons starting in early September. Producers will have to:

• submit the script for their play or musical 
• submit a one paragraph description/synopsis of the play or musical
• submit a proposed plan to present the show as a reading, workshop or full production
• submit a brief outline of how they plan to finance the production, as they will be responsible for all other expenses involved in the presentation of the show. The Theater Center will work closely with the participants so that their productions (from start to finish) can be staged for well below the cost to present a show at most theater festivals.

Submissions are now being accepted through August 7^th. Submissions can be sent to theatercenterincubator@gmail.com  

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8) Broadway Records and Yellow Sound Label announce the new cast recording of Meredith Willson’s The Unsinkable Molly Brown starring Beth Malone, available digitally on July 22nd.

Brought to you by the Transport Group’s award-winning production in conjunction with Music Theatre International, the studio recording of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, will be available everywhere, digitally, Friday, July 22nd. The Unsinkable Molly Brown features Meredith Willson's original score and lyrics plus unknown gems from Willson’s trunk, with a new book and added lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and liner notes by Luis Miranda. The album was recorded on December 12, 2021.

Track List:

1. I Ain’t Down Yet (Molly, Vincenzo, Arthur, Erich, William, Miners)

2. The Wonderful Plan (Molly, Julia)

3. Just Becuz (Vincenzo, Erich, Arthur, Company)

4. I’ve A’ready Started In (J.J., Vincenzo, Erich, Arthur)

5. Dancing to the Saddle Rock (Orchestra)

6. Belly Up to the Bar, Boys (Molly, Arthur, Erich, Vincenzo, Julia, J.J., Company)

7. I’ve A’ready Started In - Reprise (Vincenzo)

8. I’ll Never Say No/My Own Brass Bed (J.J., Molly)

9. He’s My Friend (Arthur, Vincenzo, Erich, Baby Doe, Tabor, Company)

10. Are You Sure? (Molly, J.J., Tabor, Baby Doe, Company)

11. Act One Finale (Molly, J.J.)

12. Beautiful People of Denver / The Sacred 36 (Molly, J.J., Louise Sneed-Hill, Company)

13. Share the Luck / He’s My Friend - Reprise (Molly, Company)

14. I’d Like to Change Everything About You (J.J., Molly)

15. Cuppa Tea (Julia, Molly, Louise Sneed-Hill, Sacred 36 Ladies)

16. If We Can-Can (Maud, Women)

17. The Dolce Trio

Dolce Far Niente (The Dolce Trio)

The Same Little Chapel (J.J.)

I May Never Fall in Love With You (Molly)

18. Wait for Me (Molly)

19. Share the Luck - Reprise (Molly, Company)

20. Exit Music (Orchestra)

21. Bonus Track: Colorado My Home 

XXX

And that's the Scoop. Tune in tomorrow for another Talking Topic.