Anticipating A Summer Of Awesome Theatre

In just under two weeks I will be back in the director’s chair, which is truly one of my favorite places to be. This time I’ll be bringing the timeless musical classic Peter Pan to the boards at TBTA. When I direct a show, however, some things in the ol’ schedule have to give. Basically, you can expect a reduced presence here on my blog and not quite as many adventures in NYC.

Once the show opens in July, however, I will be making up for lost time, taking in some of the theatre that is currently my “most anticipated” list:

• [title of show], having mastered the art of viral marketing, got their sought after Broadway opening at the Lyceum Theatre on July 17th. I did not see the show during its Off-Broadway run but the YouTube [tos]casts and peer reviews have earned it a spot on my dance card.
• Joe Iconis’ The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks will open in July at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Finally an Iconis show I can bring the kids to.
• Damn Yankees returns to NYC with Jane Krakowski as Lola and Sean Hayes as Applegate in City Center Encores! Production opening July 10th. This show has always been a personal favorite of mine and I’m definitely ready for Sean Hayes to make his theatrical debut.
• In August, Hair makes its return to the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park as part of the Shakespeare in the Park series. The fully-realized production of the September 2007 production opens July 22nd and runs through August 17th.
• After Labor Day, Richard Griffiths and Daniel Radcliffe will be transplanting the West End production of Peter Shaffer’s Equus. My father directed the Pennsylvania premiere of this riveting play in the 70s, giving me an early exposure to and appreciation for this show. I’ve seen my father play the role of Dysart in two separate productions and am really looking forward to seeing the Broadway production at his side. Equus opens on September 25th and will be a limited engagement running through February 8th, 2009.
• Finally, amid the buzz of the forthcoming Sheik/Sater projects The Nightingale and Nero, is the Duncan Sheik project Whisper House. This less publicized work is making its debut in my back yard at The Stamford Center for the Arts. All indicators point to a Fall 2008 opening for the musical about an orphan living with his aunt and a Japanese man in a Connecticut lighthouse during World War II. The boy thinks he sees ghosts that are telling him not to trust the Japanese man because he might be the enemy. 30 Rock’s Keith Powell will be directing the musical and states, “It's about this boy's loyalty and overcoming his fears and really trying to do what's right when all of the world is in turmoil. It's -- of course -- a metaphor in a way for what's happening in today's politics."

Yes, it will definitely be a busy summer, filled with the lifeblood that courses through my veins: theatre. Hope to see you at the show!