This Week on Broadway for October 13, 2024: Our Town

BROADWAYRADIO

10/13/24

James Marino,Michael Portantiere,Peter Filichia

This Week on Broadway for October 13, 2024: Our Town

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Peter Filichia, James Marino and Michael Portantiere talk about Our Town, The Hills of California, The Counter @ the Laura Pels Theatre, InunDATEd @ York Theatre Company, Mint Theater Company’s production of Sump’n Like Wings, Safety Not Guaranteed @ BAM’s Harvey Theater, and Richard Greenberg’s new adaptation of the Philip Barry play HOLIDAY at the Gerald Lynch Theater (a benefit for The Acting Company)

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Panel:

Peter Filichia | [email protected] | Facebook
PETER FILICHIA is a playwright, journalist, and historian with a number of books. Peter’s new day-by-day wall calendar – A SHOW TUNE FOR TODAY – 366 Songs to Brighten Your Year – will be released soon, but is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Peter also has columns at Masterworks Broadway, Broadway Select, and many other places.

Michael Portantiere | [email protected] | Facebook
MICHAEL PORTANTIERE is a theater reviewer and essayist. He is the founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in The New York Times and other major publications. You can see his photography work at FollowSpotPhoto.com.

Michael is in Washington DC seeing Spelling Bee at The Kennedy Center. We will chat about his trip next week.

James Marino | [email protected] | Facebook
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Pre:

All the Drama: “The Shadow Box,” 1977 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Jan Simpson’s newest episode of All The Drama has been released to the general public yesterday.

Reviews:

Jim Parsons and the cast of OUR TOWN – Photo by Daniel Rader

PF: Our Town @ Ethel Barrymore Theatre, through January 19, 2025

The Hills of California: Laura Donnelly (“Veronica”) Photo Credit Joan Marcus (2024)

MP: The Hills of California @ Broadhurst Theatre, through December 22, 2024

Michael recommends renting the audio headsets if you attend the show. He is considering seeing the show again because he enjoyed it so much.

Laura Donnelly, ‘Hills of California’ Star, Is Not Some Delicate Flower
But she did “burst into tears” reading Jez Butterworth’s rewrite of his new Broadway play, which left her with 10 days “to create an entirely new character.”

PF + MP: The Counter @ the Laura Pels Theatre, through November 17, 2024
Every morning at the local diner in a small town, a waitress refills a regular’s coffee, and an unlikely friendship develops. But when he asks for a shocking favor, it brings to light both of their deepest secrets—and sets off a provocative, intimate theatrical triumph. The Counter is a funny, surprising, and moving meditation on the everyday connections that can change our lives.

After the success of Too Much, Too Much, Too Many and Napoli, Brooklyn, playwright Meghan Kennedy debuts her next Roundabout commission, The Counter. Directed by Tony Award® winner David Cromer (The Band’s Visit).

MP: InunDATEd @ York Theatre Company, through October 13, 2024
InunDATEd, a new musical with book by Alice Scovell (The Rewards of Being Frank, Kindred Spirits) and music and lyrics by Christine Lavin (winner of five ASCAP composer awards). They say “it only takes one,” but it’s tough to find him in New York City, even in the age of dating apps. Just ask Lucy, a singer-songwriter whose self-imposed mission is to meet every guy with a shred of potential. It seems she’ll have to slog through 999,999 guys to get to her one-in-a-million. At least she has material for her songs. InunDATEd will be directed by Christine Pedi (Jerry’s Girls at the York, Forbidden Broadway) with music direction by Beth Falcone (Wanda’s World, Unexpected Joy at the York).

InunDATEd is a new musical with book by Alice Scovell (The Rewards of Being Frank, Kindred Spirits) and music and lyrics by Christine Lavin (winner of five ASCAP composer awards). They say “it only takes one,” but it’s tough to find him in New York City, even in the age of dating apps. Just ask Lucy, a singer-songwriter whose self-imposed mission is to meet every guy with a shred of potential. It seems she’ll have to slog through 999,999 guys to get to her one-in-a-million. At least she has material for her songs. InunDATEd will be directed by Christine Pedi (Jerry’s Girls at the York, Forbidden Broadway) with music direction by Beth Falcone (Wanda’s World, Unexpected Joy at the York).

James Morgan Abruptly Resigns as Producing Artistic Director at York Theatre Company By Logan Culwell-Block, October 11, 2024
A statement from the Off-Broadway company’s board of directors pledges a future “filled with diversity,” and “to continue our long legacy of supporting artists of all backgrounds.”

Mariah Lee and Richard Lear in a scene from the New York Premiere of SUMP’N LIKE WINGS by Lynn Riggs, directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges, presented by Mint Theater Company. Photo credit: Maria Baranova

PF + MP: Mint Theater Company’s production of Sump’n Like Wings @ Theatre Row, through November 2, 2024

Mint is offering audiences the rare opportunity to see this 99-year-old play, which remains a resonant and compelling story about love, family and home. This Off-Broadway engagement at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street), opening Thursday October 10th, continues a limited run through November 2nd.

Sump’n Like Wings is the story of Wille Baker, a 16-year-old girl too proud and too wild for the life she’s living. Her mother runs the dining room in the hotel her uncle owns. Willie is stuck helping her, squirming under her thumb while her uncle argues for tenderness and compassion. Sump’n Like Wings is a story of the lessons learned by families about freedom and limits — about love, respect, and safety. It’s a story about home and about leaving home.

Sump’n Like Wings is set in Oklahoma, six years after the Indian and Oklahoma Territories combined to become the 46th state in the Union in 1907. Lynn Riggs owes his lasting fame to the musical named after his home state, Oklahoma!, based on his acclaimed 1930 play Green Grows the Lilacs.

PF: Safety Not Guaranteed @ BAM’s Harvey Theater, through October 20, 2024

Guster’s Ryan Miller plays one of the new songs from Safety Not Guaranteed: “Gaming Laptop,” where Arnau (Rohan Kymal) explains to Darius (Nkeki Obi-Melekwe) that his red-hot notebook isn’t just a computer—but a portal to another life!

Ever wish you could rewind time? Check out Safety Not Guaranteed’s Pomme Koch as Jeff, belting out ‘I Wanna Go Back’—a rocking new song by Ryan Miller of Guster! Time travel vibes and all the feels coming your way.

MP: Richard Greenberg’s new adaptation of the Philip Barry play HOLIDAY at the Gerald Lynch Theater (a benefit for The Acting Company)