“A Commerical Jingle for Reginia Comet” is *running* an ASL-interpreted performance of their show on November 20th at 3pm. The performance is part of a partnership with Broadway SIGNs! and show producer Jo-Ann Dean. Regina Comet is the story of two nobodies dreaming of writing one hit song for everybody…and a diva. It stars Alex Wyse (Spring Awakening, Waitress) and Ben Fankhauser (Newsies) as two struggling songwriters and Bryonha Marie Parham (Prince of Broadway) as the eponymous Regina Comet. Wyse and Fankhauser also wrote and composed the book for the show. Tickets are available at reginacomet.com.
Since their opening in September, Regina Comet has drawn audiences, laughs, and rave reviews, including from this website. The show follows two struggling songwriters, so anonymous that they go unnamed in the show and are billed as “Man 2” and “Other Man,” who get the chance of a lifetime when over-the-hill diva Regina Comet hires them to write a new song to advertise her new fragrance, “Relevance.” The results are creative, endearing, and hilarious.
The November 20th ASL-interpreted show also marks one of the last performances of the show at the DR2 theatre.
So hop online now and check out A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet, running through November 21st, 2021.
`What would you do if you finally got your chance to shine? Maybe it’s your first chance. Maybe it’s your last. In A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet, two writers and a diva get that chance when the diva, Regina Comet, hires two jingle writers to create a song for her upcoming fragrance release, Relevance. The musical is goofy, charming, and tons of fun in a joke-a-minute journey through the emotions behind the creative process.
Regina is a star in decline. In an age of Instagram, she’s lost too many of the nuances of the 13-18 demographic that used to be her fanbase. Audiences don’t get an exact age, but we get the feeling the new tween fanbase is made up of the kids or even grandkids of the fans who once flocked to Comet’s concerts. Desperate to draw the spotlight again, her managers convince her that her best shot at teens catching her scent is through a fragrance, which she names Relevance. But all is not well: her commercial efforts have fallen short and, in a last bid to make things happen, she hires out a songwriting pair— the cheapest option available— to pen a jingle that will blast Regina’s career back into outer space. The show follows the efforts of the two songwriters— never named but billed as Man 2 and Other Man— and Comet as the three claw desperately at the promise of relevance and success.
The characters put their heads together to create One Hit Song
At the heart of the show beats Ben Fankhauser and Alex Wyse, who play Man 2 and Other Man and co-wrote the music, book, and lyrics for the show. Inspired by their real-life friendship and a desire to carve out their place in New York City theatre, the show is a comedy-of-errors reflection of the pair’s real search for musical success. And it is clear that the pair are in on the joke. When Fankhauser’s Man 2 is struck by musical inspiration, he pushes aside the show’s music director and keyboardist Alex Goldie Golden and takes over the music mid-song. To play bumbling, struggling versions of themselves in a musical with hit after hit is, to borrow a modern phrase, quite the flex.
Bryonha Marie Parham likewise shines as Regina Comet, commanding her scenes in a role she fills with perfection and enthusiasm that perfectly matches the show’s sometimes serious, sometimes absurd tone. Comet, who could be a plot device with a solo, comes alive under Parham’s stewardship, aided by the actress’s input in the creative process.
A Commerical Jingle for Regina Comet is a welcome return to live theater— light-hearted, fun, simple, and straightforward. It is the perfect way to venture back out into public, into theater, and head home laughing.
A Commerical Jingle for Regina Comet is playing at the DR2 Theatre. Learn more and get tickets at reginacomet.com
WNYC in collaboration with The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced today a four-part radio play of Free Shakespeare on the Radio: RICHARD II. Conceived for the radio and directed by Saheem Ali,RICHARD IIwas originally scheduled to begin the 2020 Free Shakespeare in the Park season at The Delacorte Theater. WNYC and The Public Theater have joined forces to reimagine this beloved summer tradition as a radio play that speaks to this current moment in our nation’s history.
RICHARD II –
Will be broadcast over four nights from Monday, July 13 throughThursday, July 16 at 8:00 p.m. EST on WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820 for listeners in the New York Tri-State Area and will stream at WNYC.org. WNYC will also make the series available as a podcast for on-demand listening.
In support of the fight against racism and inequality and in recognition of the unspeakable violence against Black communities, The Public Theater and company dedicate this production to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“A fractured society.
A man wrongfully murdered. The palpable threat of violence and revenge against a broken system. Revolution and regime change. This was Shakespeare’s backdrop for Richard II. I’m exceptionally proud of this production, recorded for public radio with a predominantly BIPOC ensemble, led by the extraordinary André Holland,” said director Saheem Ali. “It’s my hope that listening to Shakespeare’s words, broadcast in the midst of a pandemic and an uprising, will have a powerful resonance in our world.”
Public Theater Cast WNYC Radio
The complete cast ofRICHARD IIfeatures Barzin Akhavan (Salisbury/Marshall), Sean Carvajal (Gardener’s Man/Surrey), Michael Bradley Cohen (Bushy),Sanjit De Silva (Mowbray/Exton), Biko Eisen-Martin (Fitzwater), Michael Gaston (Northumberland), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Gardener), André Holland (KingRichard II), Miriam A. Hyman (Bolingbroke), Merritt Janson (Scroop), Elijah Jones (Hotspur), Dakin Matthews (Gaunt), Jacob Ming-Trent (Carlisle), Maria Mukuka (Queen’s Lady/Servant), Okwui Okpokwasili (Willoughby/Abbot), Estelle Parsons (Duchess of York), Tom Pecinka (Aumerle), Phylicia Rashad (Duchess of Gloucester), Reza Salazar (Welsh Guard), Thom Sesma (Ross/Keeper), Sathya Sridharan (Bagot), John Douglas Thompson (York), Claire van der Boom (Queen), Natalie Woolams-Torres (Green), and Ja’Siah Young (Groom). RICHARD II features original music composition by Michael Thurber and Arabella Powell will serve as production stage manager.
For the first time in its almost 60-year history,
Free Shakespeare in the Park will not take place, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through The Public’s partnership with WNYC—whose longstanding history of championing the stories and spirit of New York City and the surrounding region aligns closely with The Public’s mission—the beloved summer tradition of free Shakespeare will continue on, in a new way, and reach an even wider audience than ever before.
Join WNYC and The Public Theater as they bring Free Shakespeare on the Radio to the airwaves with William Shakespeare’s RICHARD II. Brought to you in a serialized radio broadcast over four nights, listen as the last of the divinely anointed monarchs descends and loses it all. When King Richard banishes his cousin Henry Bolingbroke and deprives him of his inheritance, he unwittingly creates an enemy who will ultimately force him from the throne. One of the, Bard’s only dramas entirely in verse, this epic and intimate play presents the rise of the house of Lancaster through a riveting tale of lost sovereignty, political intrigue, and psychological complexity. Conceived for the radio and directed by Saheem Ali, experience this beautiful and cutting play in an exciting serialized radio format from wherever you are!
“A ruler, legitimate by the law of the land, begins to not only break the law but violate the norms and traditions that make a nation function. What is to be done? A country is torn by the upheavals that follow injustice. What could this possibly have to do with America in 2020? Shakespeare’s masterpiece is both a political and psychological exploration. Filled with some of his most beautiful and profound poetry, spoken by a superb cast of New York actors under the inspired direction of Saheem Ali, this gorgeous radio version will entertain, excite, move, and educate,” said Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. “We are proud to be partnering with WNYC, our sister organization that shares so many of our values, to bring this play to life. We may not have Free Shakespeare in the Park this summer, but we will not let Shakespeare vanish from New York at this crucial time.”
“WNYC is thrilled to partner with The Public Theater, Saheem Ali, and the entire cast to reimagine a hallmark event of New York City summers and present a work of such timeliness and relevance,” said Goli Sheikholeslami, President and CEO, New York Public Radio, which includes WNYC. “While the pandemic requires us to remain apart, radio drama offers listeners the intimacy of audio and a way to come together through shared experience. The audio producers and actors worked together to overcome the challenges inherent in socially distanced rehearsals and recording, and the final result is a riveting opportunity to deeply listen and truly contemplate the words of this rarely-produced work.”
Continuing the Free Shakespeare in the Park offerings this summer, THIRTEEN’s Great Performances will present an encore national broadcast of the 2019 summer production of Much Ado About Nothing on Friday, August 14 at 9:00 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/gperf, and the PBS Video app. This bold interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedic masterpiece features Danielle Brooks and Grantham Coleman as the sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick. Tony Award winner Kenny Leon directs with choreography by Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown. Set in contemporary Georgia with an election race underway, Great Performances:Much Ado About Nothing finds the community of Messina celebrating a break from an ongoing war, but not all is peaceful amid the merriment. Former rivals battle it out, revenge is sought, and trickery runs amok in this timeless comedy of romantic retribution and miscommunication. Much Ado About Nothing was the first Free Shakespeare in the Park production to appear on Great Performances in over 40 years.
The Public proudly welcomes the return of Bank of America as Free Shakespeare in the Park season sponsor. The generous support of Bank of America helps to sustain The Public’s mission of inclusion, creating great theater, boldly conceived, and free for all.
BIOS:
SAHEEM ALI (Richard II Director) is a proud immigrant from Kenya. His recent productions include Fires in the Mirror (Signature Theatre), The Rolling Stone (Lincoln Center Theater), The New Englanders (MTC), Passage (Soho Rep), Fireflies (Atlantic Theater Company), Dangerous House (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Sugar in Our Wounds (MTC), Tartuffe (Playmakers Rep), Where Storms Are Born (WTF), Twelfth Night (The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit), Kill Move Paradise (National Black Theater), Nollywood Dreams (Cherry Lane), and Dot (Detroit Public Theater). He has workshopped new plays at Playwrights Horizons, Playwrights Realm, MCC, New York Stage & Film, Page 73, and The Lark. He is a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop, Sir John Gielgud SDCF Fellow, and Shubert Fellow.
ABOUT BANK OF AMERICA ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNANCE
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in, and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer, and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).
ABOUT WNYC
With an urban vibrancy and a global perspective, WNYC is New York’s public radio station, broadcasting and streaming award-winning journalism, groundbreaking audio programming, and essential talk radio to the city and beyond. WNYC is a leading member station of NPR and also broadcasts programs from the BBC World Service, along with a roster of WNYC-produced local programs that champion the stories and spirit of New York City and the surrounding region. From its state-of-the-art studios, WNYC is reshaping audio for a new generation of listeners, producing some of the most-loved nationally-syndicated public radio programs including Radiolab, On the Media, The Takeaway, and Snap Judgment. WNYC broadcasts on 93.9 FM and AM 820 to listeners in New York and the tri-state area, and is available to audiences everywhere at WNYC.org, the WNYC app, and through major digital radio services, all made possible through the generous support of our members, donors, and sponsors.
ABOUT THE PUBLIC THEATER:
THE PUBLIC is a theater of, by, and for all people. Artist-driven, radically inclusive, and fundamentally democratic, The Public continues the work of its visionary founder Joe Papp as a civic institution engaging, both on-stage and off, with some of the most important ideas and social issues of today. Conceived over 60 years ago as one of the nation’s first nonprofit theaters, The Public has long operated on the principles that theater is an essential cultural force and that art and culture belong to everyone. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public’s wide breadth of programming includes an annual season of new work at its landmark home at Astor Place, Free Shakespeare in the Park at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park, the Mobile Unit touring throughout New York City’s five boroughs, Public Forum, Under the Radar, Public Studio, Public Works, Public Shakespeare Initiative, and Joe’s Pub. Since premiering HAIR in 1967, The Public continues to create the canon of American Theater and is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Girl From the North Country. Their programs and productions can also be seen regionally across the country and around the world. The Public has received 59 Tony Awards, 178 Obie Awards, 55 Drama Desk Awards, 58 Lortel Awards, 34 Outer Critic Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards, and 6 Pulitzer Prizes. publictheater.org
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, where 13,000 Jews died fighting Nazi oppression –
in April and May 1943, it was the largest single act of resistance during the Holocaust. The Uprising was the inspiration for “Zog nit keyn mol” (Yiddish: “Never Say”), known as the “Partisan Song.”
WeAreHere-IG-Timezones
The song, which exemplifies Jewish resistance to Nazi persecution, is inspiring a special virtual event this Sunday, June 14 –
“We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance, and Hope.” The concert – which will be live-streamed at www.wearehere.live – commemorates the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 77th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, even as it speaks to the challenges of the current moment.
“We are all inspired by the example set in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Partisan Song, which begins and ends this program, speaks to the fight for social justice and fundamental human rights,” said Bruce Ratner, Chairman of the Board at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.
And they’ve enlisted a robust array of renowned actors, musicians, and civic leaders to participate. Among them is a four-time Grammy Award and National Medal of Arts-winner, star soprano Renée Fleming, who will perform the world premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Corigliano based on a text by Kitty O’Meara.
Among the others participating are EGOT-winner Whoopi Goldberg –
Grammy Hall of Famer and Tony-winner Billy Joel, world-renowned pianist Lang Lang; the iconic Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Emmy- and Tony-nominated actress Lauren Ambrose, multi-platinum, Tony-winning Broadway star Lea Salonga, multi-Grammy-winning opera star Joyce DiDonato, and award-winning actress Mayim Bialik.
“Both the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the centuries-old pandemics of racism and antisemitism highlight the need for resistance and resilience,” Sing for Hope Co-Founder Camille Zamora said. Added Sing for Hope Co-Founder Monica Yunus, “As we seek to listen, learn from, and serve our communities in the days ahead, thoughtful organizational partnerships will be key. It is an honor to unite artists and stand together as allies with a global network that fosters resilience, resistance, and hope.”
National Yiddish Theatre Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek –
and Executive Director Dominick Balletta noted that “In this time of rising antisemitism and global crisis, the themes of resistance, resilience, and hope are more important than ever, and the Partisan Song takes on even more resonance. The song begins with the words ‘Never say this is the final road for you,’ and ends with the words ‘We Are Here.’ It is the song that binds together those who fight for justice.”
The program also will feature an interview by The Forward Editor-in-Chief Jodi Rudoren with Nancy Spielberg, Roberta Grossman, and Sam Kassow about their film Who Will Write Our History, which chronicles the story of Oneg Shabbat, the group that daringly preserved the history of the Warsaw Ghetto.
You can view the list of all participants here. Local viewing times include 11 AM Pacific Time, 2 PM Eastern Time, 7 PM London, and 9 PM Israel.
Actors David Acton and Ben Porter. Photo courtesy of Robert Day.
I don’t go to a lot of haunted houses. My “scary movie nights” aren’t that scary. So “Woman In Black – A Ghost Story in a Pub” at the McKittrick Hotel was my first time experiencing the phenomenon of scared laughter–when your throat forces out a laugh to stop you from screaming. It was an odd experience to have at a theater. Even stranger for a two-man show which spends its opening scenes convincing you that it is a friendly comedy.
The McKittrick production of Susan Hill’s bestselling thriller comes from inauspicious origins, commissioned by a provincial English theater to plug a budget hole. The resulting two-man show was a barebones ghost story with the unambitious goal of filling a three-week run around Christmas. Instead, it was a smash hit. It made its way to London’s West End, where it has remained for thirty years. The McKittrick takes advantage of the minimalist requirements of the show–and the pub atmosphere of the McKittrick’s The Club Car–to bring the show back to its humble origins. And they do so to wicked effect.
Porter, playing an actor playing young Kipps, as terror takes hold. Photo courtesy of Jenny Anderson
The original story, by Susan Hill, shows an old man named Mr. Kipps recounting for his family a haunting paranormal experience from his youth. The play reworks the plot by framing it around the relationship between the older Mr. Kipps, who has written his account, and the young acting coach who is helping him prepare to tell it. The opening scenes show Mr. Kipps (David Acton) struggling with the art of performance, urged on by a frustrated young actor (Ben Porter). The actor resolves to play the role of young Mr. Kipps, while giving all of the other roles to Kipps himself. The two build a rapport, and the show refocuses on Kipps’ story itself, bringing more thrills and suspense into the show as it goes on.
In this way, Woman in Black toes the line between hilarious and terrifying. The bond between Kipps and the actor, as well as between Acton and Porter, is charming and heartfelt. You are rooting for this poor old man to gain the courage to tell his story, and then you get it, and it is grand. And then they’ve got you. Like an arm reaching up out of a placid lake, it grabs you and pulls you beneath the surface and into a nightmare. There were screams in the theater. A lot of them. I watched audience members shift in their seats, or cover their eyes. And yes, the scared laughter, which rippled across the theater in between the terrifying punctuations.
Woman in Black is a case study in theater magic made possible in big part due to Acton and Porter. With the exception of the brief intermission, it is the two of them alone who draw the audience’s attention throughout the show. Acton especially flaunts his skill with the manic pace of his character changes, launching from secondary character to secondary character as his Mr. Kipps falls into his role as an actor. Also of note is the effects team, providing just the right lighting, sound effects, and occasional fog to set any scene on a nearly bare stage.
In the mists of the English marshes. Photo courtesy of Jenny Anderson
The Club Car, the McKittrick’s small theater and pub, matches the ambiguous early 20th-century vibe which encompasses many of their other shows. It is a great match for Woman in Black, the flashbacks of which take place at a similar vague period of “60 years ago.” To compensate for the lack of cigarette smoke which would be present at an interwar pub or jazz club, they even have hazers installed, giving your senses another subtle clue that you are somewhere in the past before NYC banned smoking indoors. While you are there, try your hand at some of their Woman in Black-themed mixed drinks, or their new Scottish pub appetizers, from bangers and mash to fish and chips. The “pub platter” makes a great choice for the indecisive, featuring pork pie, scotch egg, stilton, pickles, and nuts. It is delicious.
‘Woman in Black – A Ghost Story in a Pub’ is a thrill and a treat. There is a warning against bringing children under the age of 11, but I suggest everyone else grab a ticket. Grab a drink and a snack–and a stuffed animal if you need one–and experience the performance that had me shaking in the dark in a pub on a Wednesday evening.
The cast of
Nutcracker Rouge Credit: Mark
Shelby Perry
Are you looking for that last bit of holiday cheer? It is hiding in Bushwick. From the outside, Theatre XIV blends in with its industrial surroundings: a simple door and a dozen feet of black wall covered in posters. Your only real hint, unless there is a line outside, is the bright red enigmatic glowing sign that reads “XIV.” IT looks like a total dive.
Step through the door, though, and you will find yourself in another place and time. Decadent camp fills the foyer like 17th century Versailles put on a showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show. The decor is wood and velvet, oriental rugs and chandeliers. Guests, mostly dressed in black, mingle with cast members decked out in gold, sequins, and fur. Between them, there is hardly an eye left unlined.
Christine Flores, Nicholas Katen Credit: Mark Shelby Perry
The theatre itself is a black box, but you won’t notice. Behind the terraced half-circle seating, a realistic tree stretches out snarling branches as if to give shade. To one side as you enter, a long wooden bar a century out of time offers a wide selection of alcohol beneath a shimmering chandelier.
But the most arresting sight is the stage itself, which thrusts out into the crowd ringed by bare bulbs and flanked by even more chandeliers. The curtain, when down, displays a decadent scene of French aristocracy in masquerade finery. It is fitting–see foyer above.
As the show starts, the theatre fills with a mist tinted red by the stage lights. And then you’re in another world.
Nutcracker Rouge, Theatre XIV’s Christmas-themed burlesque show, is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. There was a sense of tasteful decadence: more dancing, more singing, more ensemble, more sex appeal. It wasn’t just that there was so much ballet in this burlesque show; it was that they did ballet in heels.
And they crushed. The musical numbers resounded. The acrobatics drew gasps. The dance was elegant, beautiful, and coordinated. Most of the performers combined talents–dancing or singing while swinging from the ceiling, or performing strange feats between dance numbers. And it was all in heels. Anything you have seen done elsewhere, they can do in heels.
Albert Cadabra, Christin Flores, Ben Green, Nicholas Katen Credit: Mark Shelby Perry
Throughout, the show flows cleanly between coordinated ensemble acts to individual performances, all guided by the sugarplum fairy (Christine Flores), the show’s throughline and silent guide. Armed with a sense of childlike wonder and glee, Sugarplum explores each act with the audience. Sometimes she joins in, while other times she just watches and reacts.
If you are interested in taking a little opulence, a little decadence, a little sex, and a lot of glamour, into the new year, Nutcracker Rouge is a can’t-miss. Grab a ticket now: the holiday ends after this weekend.
And then check out their next show, Seven Sins, beginning Valentine’s Day.
