Sunday Scoop Week of 6/11/23 What's Happening This Week and More

A) Beginning Performances

1) Back and Forth 

2) Blast Off (to space): The Show 

3) Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground

4) The Gospel According to Heather

5) One Woman Show

6) The Trouble With Dead Boyfriends

7) Wake Up

B) Extended Runs

8) Hadestown

C) What Else is Happening This Week and More

9) The Broadway Lecture Series Will Take Place

at Studio 237 in Pompton Lakes, NJ 6/17 

10) The Flea's Third Annual  Juneteenth Public Performances & Symposium

6/14 - 6/19

11) Gingold Group Continuing 18th Season of Project Shaw With

Benefit Reading of Man and Superman NJPAC Upcoming Shows & Events 6/19

12) Melinda Hughes Returns to US One-Night-Only

with Melinda Hughes is Hitched at Don't Tell Mama 6/14

13) NJPAC & PSEG Present: The Forgotten Story of NJ's Enslaved People

6/19

14) Other Lives: The Story Songs of Michael Colby to Be Released on Jay Records

6/16

15) Soul Doctor Movie/Musical In Select Theater One-Night-Only

6/13

16) South Street Seaport Museum Father's Day Ecology Sail\

6/18

17) State Theatre New Jersey Upcoming Shows and Events

18) The Tank Presents Pridefest 2023

6/16 - 6/25

19) Teatro Grattacielo Presents Don Giovanni

6/18 

20) Two River Events Celebrating Pride

A) Beginning Performances

1) Back and Forth 

Performed in Central Park's East Meadow, BACK AND FORTH shows two long-time friends, Marty and Drew, meeting up for their first in-person game of catch since the pandemic. While Marty is ready to rekindle the friendship they had when they first came to New York, Drew has a secret he's dreading sharing.  Audience members receive pocket radios in order to eavesdrop on Marty and Drew from 100 feet away. 

BACK AND FORTH is an intimate story of two old friends reuniting for the first time since a forced period of extended social isolation (yes, that period of social isolation) and discovering that despite having felt basically immobile for the past 18 months, quite a lot has changed. Experienced amongst everyday park-goers, the audience will experience the play via headphones to observe and eavesdrop at their leisure.

Audience members will receive an email 24 hours before their performance telling them where to enter the park and how to recognize the house manager, who will advise them on how to tune in to the show and where they may want to sit, though ultimately the audience will decide how they want to observe this particular game of catch.

In Central Park

6/13 - 7/23

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

2) Blast Off (to space): The Show 

BLAST OFF! (to space) The Show is a multimedia one person performance incorporating music, lights, video projection and  puppetry. It is recommended for ages 4-10 - and their adults although all ages are welcome. Audiences are invited to be daring and venture on a fantastical voyage in space! But beware of aliens! The performance will take place inside the 'space shuttle' where big decisions are made, anything is possible and dancing is optional.  

Brooklyn Children's Museum (145 Brooklyn Ave.)

6/17 - 6.25

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit BLAST OFF! (to space): The Show

3) Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground

Adapted from a vast array of General Eisenhower's memoirs, speeches, and letters, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground is a candid and fascinating fictional eavesdropping on President Dwight D. Eisenhower at his Gettysburg, Pennsylvania farm. It is 1962 and The New York Times Magazine has published its first list ranking the American Presidents in order of greatness. Pondering his placement on the list, Eisenhower looks back on his life - his Kansas upbringing, his decorated Army career, his victories in World War II, and his two terms as President – contemplating the qualities and adversities that make an American President great.

Theatre at St. Clements (423 W. 46th St.)

6/13 - 7/30

For more information or to purchase tickets, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground 

4) The Gospel According to Heather

In The Gospel According to Heather, Heather Krebs just wants a boyfriend. But how can she even navigate her way through high school if she might be the New Messiah? A small town in Ohio grapples with politics, religion, and teenage romance in this eclectic pop musical.

555 (555 West 42nd St.)

6/14 - 7/9

Opening Night 7/22

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit 

www.thegospelaccordingtoheather.com

5) One Woman Show

The Greenwich House (27 Barrow St.)

6/14 - 8/11

Opening Night 6/20

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit  www.onewomanshownyc.com

6) The Trouble With Dead Boyfriends

Stella, Grace, and Madison are three BFFs who’ve been planning their perfect Senior Prom since Kindergarten. The most essential element of a perfect prom? A perfect date, of course. Luckily the girls have summoned their dream dates even if they are a bit, well … dead. But when Prom takes a turn for the worse, and their perfect dates reveal themselves to be perfectly monstrous, will the girls--and more importantly THEIR FRIENDSHIP--survive!?

Player’s Theatre (115 MacDougal St.)

6/15 - 7/15

Opening Night 6/17

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://deadboyfriendsmusical.com.

7) Wake Up

Tackling his own experiences with sexuality, Mormonism, drug use and abuse, with a marriage and a 30-year acting career often left hanging in the balance, Spencer Aste's WAKE UP tears apart the current trend of “living your best life” and exposes the harsh truths and difficult realities that come with “owning the life you’ve lived.” Riveting, humorous, and earnest, WAKE UP is a play about choices and consequences - and occasionally, choices that were never choices at all. When your life pulls you under, what will it take for you to WAKE UP?

Axis Theatre ( 1 Sheridan Square)

1/14 - 1/24

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

B) Extended Runs

8) Hadestown

Lillias White, who plays Hermes – the first woman to do so – messenger of the gods, has extended her run in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48^th Street). A final performance date will be announced shortly.

Tickets for Hadestown are available at www.seatgeek.com/hadestown-tickets or by visiting the Walter Kerr Theatre box office (219 West 48^th Street).

9) Tony Nominated Broadway Star Kerry Butler and Eden Espinosa Join Host Robert Bannon for “The Broadway Lecture Series"

Tony-Nominated funny lady Kerry Butler and Wicked-alum Eden Espinosa will join host Robert Bannon at StageWorks in Pompton Lakes, NJ, as a part of the theater company’s Broadway Lecture Series. Each woman will share stories and answer questions about honing their craft, building their career, and the latest news on upcoming projects. Kerry Butler will join Bannon on Saturday, May 13, at 3 pm and Eden Espinosa on Saturday, June 17, at 2 pm.

StageWorks at Studio 237

237 Hamburg Turnpike

Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://stageworksnj.ludus.com/index.php 

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10) THE FLEA

TO HOLD THIRD ANNUAL

JUNETEENTH PUBLIC PERFORMANCES & SYMPOSIUM

FEATURING NEW, COMMISSIONED PIECES BY

FOUR PUBLIC ART PERFORMERS 

 

TO BRING DISTINCT, ENGAGING, AND FREE

JUNETEENTH PERFORMANCES TO THE STREETS OF NYC

 

TAKING PLACE JUNE 14-19

ACROSS NEW YORK CITY

 

The Flea has commissioned Jack Fuller, Shelley, Nicole, and Trebien Pollard to stage public performances, along with Flea Artistic Director, Niegel Smith, as part of the theater company’s third annual Juneteenth Public Performances & Symposium.

These works will occur simultaneously across NYC from June 14-19.

A symposium about Juneteenth and this year’s lineup will take place at The Flea on June 14th, at 7:00PM. The symposium will feature all commissioned artists with moderation by acclaimed artist, curator, and producer Monique Martin. The program centers artistic and budgetary autonomy for all participating lead artists.

Space is extremely limited- RSVPs Required

Reserve Free Tickets: www.theflea.org

Learn more at www.theflea.org

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11) 

 

ANNOUNCES THE 18^TH SEASON OF

PROJECT SHAW

 

WILL CONTINUE WITH A SPECIAL BENEFIT PERFORMANCE OF

 

BERNARD SHAW’S

MAN AND SUPERMAN

MONDAY JUNE 19 AT 7PM

 

AT SYMPHONY SPACE’S

LEONARD NIMOY THALIA THEATRE

 

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT

www.symphonyspace.org/events/vp-bernard-shaws-man-and-superman

Gingold Theatrical Group (GTG) (David Staller: Artistic Director, Greg Santos: Managing Producer, Sean Bertrand: Managing Producer Associate) announced today that Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw will continue their 18^th season of Project Shaw. Inspired by the works of George Bernard Shaw, Project Shaw is a special series of play readings that aim to provoke peaceful discussion and activism. Shaw’s Man and Superman will be presented at Symphony Space’s Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre (2537 Broadway at 95^th Street) on Monday June 19^th, 2023, at 7PM. To reserve tickets, visit www.symphonyspace.org/events/vp-bernard-shaws-man-and-superman.

Shaw’s infamous Man and Superman: A comedy of Hellish proportions! This ground-breaking battle-of-the-sexes comedy written in 1903 is one of Shaw’s most treasured comedies. A colorful collection of characters do everything they can to both face and hide from their deepest desires and fears, speeding across continents and, even in the dream act of DON JUAN IN HELL, to Hades for a chat with the Devil, and back again. It’s a fast-paced verbal contest between hopeful humans about love, sex, money, life, and even eternity! This incendiary play is generally considered one of Shaw’s masterpieces and will be performed in a two-and-a-half-hour adaptation by director David Staller.

Additional readings for the 18^th season of Project Shaw will be announced at a later date. This season, every play will be presented in a concert-reading format at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater at Symphony Space. Tickets are $40 and will be available for purchase by calling 212-864-5400 or visiting www.symphonyspace.org. Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre is an accessible space. Infra-red hearing devices will also be available. To learn more about Man and Superman, visit gingoldgroup.org/man-and-superman. 

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12) MELINDA HUGHES IS HITCHED!
A NEW COMEDIC SOLO SHOW
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY
MELINDA HUGHES
 
TO PLAY ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14 AT 7:00PM
AT DON'T TELL MAMA

British musical satirist and comedian Melinda Hughes will present a one night only, of her new solo show Hitched! on Wednesday, June 14th at 7:00pm at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 West 46th St. www.melindahughes.com

At fifty, Melinda Hughes has finally tied the knot for the first time, and despite being in a bubble of love, she’s still got a wicked satirical take on life, politics and romance. Melinda’s on-point satire, coupled with her cut glass British accent, makes this an unmissable show. Her broad repertoire of musical styles encompasses a myriad of topics, ranging from internet trolling and Cancel Culture to failed romances with Argentinian truckers and a disdain for British stately homes.  The show will be performed alongside fellow Brit, pianist and composer David Shenton and double bass player Mark Wade.

Tickets are $20 and venue charges a $20 cover charge (which includes two drinks). Reservations can be made at www.donttellmamanyc.com

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13) NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER   NJPAC) & PSEG’S STANDING IN SOLIDARITY  SERIES PRESENTS A SPECIAL JUNETEENTH EVENT PSEG’S True Diversity Film Series present: The Forgotten Story of  New Jersey’s Enslaved People, preserves the legacy of slavery in  New Jersey and how it prevented Black property ownership and  access to other resources.   Monday, June 19th  at 6PM   FREE EVENT   RSVP HERE:   NJPAC Chase Room One Center Street Newark, New Jersey 07102 www.njpac.org

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and PSEG’S True Diversity Film Series present: The Forgotten Story of New Jersey’s Enslaved People with a panel discussion. This is a FREE event that will take place in NJPAC’s Chase Room on Monday, June 19^th at 6 p.m.  To Register visit njpac.org or click here.

While Juneteenth is a celebration of the emancipation of all enslaved people, it is also a time to consider the brutal history of slavery and its legacy. Unpaid labor underpinned the economic prosperity of New Jersey in the 18th and 19th centuries and its location along the coast facilitated the slave trade. The people who built the state, and their descendants, never received compensation and today’s Black community in New Jersey continues to experience harms such as high rates of infant mortality, incarceration and one of the highest racial wealth gaps in the country.

This month’s PSEG True Diversity Film Series selection,The Forgotten Story of New Jersey’s Enslaved People, preserves the legacy of slavery in New Jersey and how it prevented Black property ownership and access to other resources. It raises important questions such as what types of government policies can repair generations of inequality? And how should slavery and its impact be taught in schools?
 
This month’s Standing in Solidarity panel is curated by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and is part of NJPAC’s Juneteenth celebrations.
How to participate:

1. Register here.
2. Watch the two-part series The Forgotten Story of New Jersey’s Enslaved People at home: Part 1. Part 2.
3. Join us for an in-person discussion at NJPAC on Monday, June 19, at 6PM. This event will not be hosted through Zoom.

Preceding the conversation, NJPAC’s African American Employee Resource Group is hosting a Juneteenth celebration in Harriet Tubman Square featuring drumming, dance, poetry and jazz. A spirited parade will lead celebrants to NJPAC for the Standing in Solidarity conversation and a Juneteenth Marketplace — with live music and other surprises — will follow in the Prudential Hall lobby from 7:30 – 10PM. RSVP here.
Our panel will be moderated by Jean-Pierre Brutus, Senior Counsel in the Economic Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.
Panelists include:

Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills, Authors, If These Stones Could Talk

Linda Caldwell Epps, President and CEO, 1804 Consultants

Damon Jones, Associate Professor, University of Chicago

Tomas Varela Jr., Executive Director, New Jersey Black Empowerment Coalition

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14) ORIGINAL OFF BROADWAY CAST RECORDING
OF
“OTHER LIVES: THE STORY SONGS OF MICHAEL COLBY”
TO BE RELEASED ON JAY RECORDS

OFFICIAL RELEASE ON CD AND DIGITAL PLATFORMS JUNE 16, 2023

The original Off Broadway cast recording of “Other Lives: The Story Songs of Michael Colby” (Jay Records), a cycle of story songs by lyricist Michael Colby (Charlotte Sweet, Ludlow Ladd), with music by a variety of composers, including Alex Rybeck, Larry Hochman, Joseph Thalken, Steven Silverstein, will be officially released on CD and all digital music platforms on Friday, June 16th. Produced by John Yap. For more information, visit www.jayrecords.com/recording/other-lives.

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15)

for tickets and information, click HERE

Fathom Events and Lisa Simone present the film Soul Doctor, the Broadway movie-musical about the ‘rock star’ Rabbi Shlomo Carlbach, and his relationship with the music and civil rights icon Dr. Nina Simone.

 

The special nationwide screenings of Soul Doctor will take place in more than 600 select theaters for one night only on June 13. For tickets and information, please visit Fathom Events.  

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16) South Street Seaport Museum

Announces

Father's Day Ecology Sail

June 18, 2023

South Street Seaport Museum announces the Launch and Learn Father's Day Ecology Sail aboard the 1885 schooner Pioneer on Sunday, June 18, 2023, at 12pm, departing from Pier 16 (Fulton and South Streets). Celebrate Father’s Day by embarking on a family adventure with dad or come solo to broaden your own horizons. Tickets are $50 for adults and $20 for kids, with discounts available for seniors, students, and members. seaportmuseum.org/pioneer-program-sail

The Father’s Day Ecology Sail is a fun-filled and educational three-hour voyage invites you and the father figure in your life to actively participate in studying the estuary's ecology, interpreting navigational charts, measuring water quality, and deploying a trawl net to catch organisms from the depths of New York Harbor. You can rest easy knowing that all organisms caught in the trawl net will be released afterwards!

The Father’s Day Ecology Sail is part of the Seaport Museum’s monthly Launch and Learn Sunday Sails, which is an incredible collection of sails that enhances the Museum’s already fantastic daytime sailing experience with an array of fascinating events. General Admission to the Seaport Museum is included with your Father’s Day Ecology Sail tickets; you may attend the Museum anytime from 11am–5pm on the day of your voyage.

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17) State Theatre New Jersey

Upcoming Shows & Events

15 Livingston Ave. 

New Brunswick, NJ

www.stnj.org/events-tickets

Saturday, June 17, 8:00 PM

The Fab Faux Perform a Glorious Hodgepodge of Beatles Music

with the Hogshead Horns and the Creme Tangerine Strings

See The Fab Faux live in concert with The Hogshead Horns (with Blues Brothers, Blood, Sweat & Tears and SNL band alums) and The Creme Tangerine Strings as they Perform a Glorious Hodgepodge of Beatles Music!

To celebrate Pride, the We Hate Movies podcast, led by Andrew Jupin, Stephen Sajdak, Chris Cabin, and Eric Szyszka, are heading to the State Theatre for a live We Love Movies recording on one of their favorite 90s comedies, Mike Nichols’ The Birdcage, in which Robin Williams and Nathan Lane attempt to pass as a hetero couple to please the staunchly conservative parents of their future daughter-in-law.

How far would you go not to upset Gene Hackman? What about Dianne “The Beast” Wiest? Has any other film pulled off a late-in-the-game Christine Baranski introduction better than this? Join the fellas for a discussion of all these things, as well as the heyday of tabloid journalism, the distinct walking style(s) of John Wayne, and Hank Azaria’s questionable choreography to Gloria Estefan’s “Conga.” Come on out and get ready to fly just like birds of a feather with the WHM crew!

Sunday June 18, 1:00 PM & 5:00 PM
Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour

Blippi is coming to New Brunswick for the ultimate curiosity adventure in Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour!

So, come on! Dance, sing, and learn with Blippi and special guest Meekah as they discover what makes different cities unique and special. Will there be monster trucks, excavators, and garbage trucks galore? You bet! So get ready to shake those wiggles out and OJ Twist your way through this brand-new musical party!

There is an 8 ticket limit on all non-group sales.

For more information about these and other upcoming events at State Theatre New Jersey or to purchase tickets, visit www.stnj.org/events

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18) 

 

 

PRIDEFEST 2023

 

FRIDAY JUNE 16 – SUNDAY JUNE 25

Every year in June, The Tank opens the floor to a wide variety of performances and discussions surrounding the topics of sexuality, gender, and equality, old battles and new ways of fighting them. Now in its 9^th year, PrideFest will take place at The Tank (312 W 36th St, New York, NY, 10018).

PrideFest will feature new work by artists including Emily Aviles, Ella Baldwin, Júlia Cerqueira, Scout Davis, Leo Diaz, Emily Drossell, Stephen Dym, Stephen Hill, Aliyah Hunter, Kenneth Keng, Adin Lenahan, Dauris Martinez, Brandon Monokian, Ashley Lauren Rogers, Jordan Rutter-Corvato and Ricky Sim.

More information about PrideFest 2023 programming is below. Tickets begin at $15 and are available by visiting TheTankNYC.org/PrideFest-2023

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19) Teatro Grattacielo

Presents

Don Giovanni

June 16 & 17, 2023

Teatro Grattacielo announces its 2022-23 Season, featuring Mozart’s Don Giovanni on June 16 & 17, 2023 at 7:30pm at the Riverside Theater at 91 Claremont Avenue, NYC. To purchase tickets for June 16, visit grattacielo.org/buy-tickets. Made possible thanks to generous support by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, the performance on June 17 is open to schools and underprivileged & underserved communities in NYC. For more information and to make a reservation for June 17th, please email: stefanoskoroneos@grattacielo.org. For more information about Teatro Grattacielo, please visit: grattacielo.org.

Mozart’s Don Giovanni

June 16 & 17, 2023 at 7:30pm at Riverside Theater

Presented in collaboration with the Mid-Atlantic Chamber Orchestra

grattacielo.org/season/don-giovanni

With a special combination of great young singers, provocative staging and projections, Teatro Grattacielo and Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy young artists program present Mozart’s arguably greatest opera, Don Giovanni, during Pride Month. Updated as a celebration of Spanish sic-kitsch set in ’90s replete with air couches, Chanel clothes and lots of jewels, this production is a dedication to Spanish cinematographer Pedro Almodovar and Cuban Bolero singer La Lupe. On the stage will be neon bull sculptures, a five-piece couch covered with Piet Mondian fabric, and lots of gazpacho. The performers will be driven by their most inner desires and fears, living their lives in a continued state of suspension. A suspension of time. A suspension of senses. In a ’90s Spain, where food, sex and pop culture are a way of expression.

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20) TWO RIVER THEATER ANNOUNCES 

A FULL LINEUP OF EVENTS FOR JUNE

CELEBRATING PRIDE, JUNETEENTH, CUBAN DANCE AND MORE!

Two River Theater is excited to offer an array of events this June, celebrating Pride Month, Juneteenth, and events in conjunction with the theater’s current production of Two Sisters and a Piano, written and directed by 

Pulitzer Prize-winner Nilo Cruz. 

The event lineup includes:

POST-PLAY DISCUSSIONS

Wednesday, June 14^th at 7PM

Sunday, June 18^th at 3PM

Wednesday, June 21^st at 1PM. 

Tickets: FREE 

 

Join members of the Two Sisters and a Piano cast and the Artistic Department staff for a post-show moderated discussion and audience Q&A about themselves, the production, and the process of bringing Nilo Cruz’s play to life on the Rechnitz stage. 

 

CUBAN DANCE PARTY AND LATINE COMMUNITY CELEBRATION

Saturday, June 17 from 6pm-8pm

Tickets: FREE

Use discount code DANCE for $20 tickets to the 8pm performance of Two Sisters and a Piano following the event.

 

Feel the rhythm with us for this Cuban Dance party and Latine Community Celebration! Instructors from Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Red Bank will teach a 40-minute class on the Cuban dance styles of Rumba and Samba, with the chance to practice your newly-acquired dance skills afterwards at an open dance party practice. The class is open to dancers of all levels of experience and enthusiasm. Instruction will be for couples and for individuals, so don’t be shy about coming alone!

 

THE ART OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

Sunday, June 18 at 1:30pm

Tickets: FREE

Use discount code TAOSJ for $25 tickets to the 3pm performance of Two Sisters and a Piano following the event.

 

Join us for a free pre-show workshop and discussion on initiating conversations about race and social justice while using art as the lens. While this conversation will be optimal for educators who wish to strengthen supportive classroom techniques and gain Professional Development credits for attending, this discussion is free and open to the public.

 

PRIDE ON THE PLAZA

Friday, June 23 from 5pm-8pm

Tickets: $15

Use discount code PRIDE for $20 tickets to the 8pm performance of Two Sisters and a Piano following the event. 

 

In honor of Pride Month, and to stand with and celebrate the LGBTQ community, Two River Theater’s Pride on the Plaza returns for its fabulous fourth year! Your emcee Lady Celestina turns the party once more, with special guests Octavia Anyae and Roxie Chanel and music by DJ Samurai. 

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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for More Theater Monday.

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