Regional Roundup: Top 10 Stories This Week Around the Broadway World - 9/11; MY FAIR LADY at Lyric Stage, RAPTURE in Nashville and More!

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Boston, Nashville, New Zealand and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include MY FAIR LADY at Lyric Stage, RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN in Nashville, and ERNEST RUTHERFORD in New Zealand, just to name a few.

East/Northeast

1. Philadelphia, PA: Editor Melissa Rodier reviews ZOMBIES... WITH GUNS at Philly Fringe. She says, "ZOMBIES... WITH GUNS is definitely fun. As the show mixes humor with gravitas, it works to develop its characters into fully fleshed (and maybe partially fleshed as far as flesh-challenged zombies go) individuals, and it has a point and an important one. In these last few years of #blacklivesmatter and the rise of violence, racial tensions, and police brutality, it is easy to see a connection between the zombie/human conflict of Tribe of Fools's ZOMBIES... WITH GUNS and the real world events we see on our news and in our streets. Violence begets more violence, fear begets more fear, and a climate of hatred only strips away our humanity on a fundamental level. In an intermission-less 75 minutes, Tribe of Fools explores these issues effectively and insightfully." Read more here.

2. Washington, DC: Editor Roger Catlin spotlights the Women's Voices Theater Festival Launch Party, which is the biggest festival ever for female playwrights. He writes, "A discussion between "Fun Home" Tony winner Lisa Kron and NPR's Susan Stamberg that was the focal point for the Tuesday event, however, paid a lot of attention to a new survey by the Lilly Awards and the Dramatists Guild of America that women wrote just 26 percent of plays and 12 percent of the musicals produced in the U.S. in the past three seasons.... Already there are plans for women's playwrights festivals in Philadelphia, Denver and New York, Smith said. AndSignature Theatre artistic director Eric Shaeffer, another one of the festival planners, said it's entirely possible Women's Voices will become an annual event in D.C." Read more here.

3. Boston, MA: Editor Nancy Grossman reviews MY FAIR LADY at Lyric Stage. She says, "In the transformative role of Eliza Doolittle, much-in-demand Jennifer Ellis takes her considerable skills to a new level with a performance that is at once humorous, heartbreaking, and triumphant. If you approach the show with intentions of comparing it to the original stage or screen versions, may I suggest that you leave your expectations at the door. Edmiston's vision and framework, tailored to suit the particulars of the Lyric's space, sharpen the focus on the characters and the relationships, while Ellis' singular voice weaves new magic from the beautiful Lerner and Loewe score." Read more here.

Midwest

4. Cleveland, OH: Editor Roy Berko reviews IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP at none too fragile. He says, "LaBute has been called "a moralist who seems to delight in depicting human cruelty and in hoodwinking an audience." IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP, both of these traits hold fast. He pulls the rug from under the emotional feet of the viewer, by throwing in an ending that many couldn't predict would be coming." Read more here.

South

5. Nashville, TN: Editor Jeffrey Ellis reviews Nashville Rep's RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN. He says, "An exciting and incisive script, enacted by an ensemble of Nashville's finest actors under the direction of a confident, focused woman who knows how to make compelling theater come to life with style and aplomb...that's what we've come to expect from Nashville Repertory Theatre over the past thirty-some years. And make no mistake about it: the company's 2015-16 season opener delivers all of that and more with Gina Gionfriddo's Rapture, Blister, Burn, now onstage at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre through September 19." Read his full review here.

West

6. Portland, OR: Editor Krista Garver reviews Post5's "outstanding" EQUIVOCATION. She says, "With the complexity and the fact that four of the six actors play at multiple roles, sometimes in the same scene, EQUIVOCATION would be impossible to pull off without both a brilliant ensemble and brilliant direction. Fortunately, Post5's production has both." Read more here.

7. San Francisco, CA: Duo Editors Nick and Linda Hodges review Woodminster's AIDA. Linda says, "Rotimi Agbabiaka and Megan Gallup were just two of the amazing cast members in this production. Agbabiaka brought great timing to his role, providing comic relief at just the right moments in this tragic love story. His voice was deep and bold." And Nick responds, "allup was perfect for the role of Amneris. Besides having a beautiful singing voice her character arc throughout the show was magnificent. From being hilariously funny and ditsy in "My Strongest Suit" to being betrayed by her love and finally becoming the leader of Egypt, Gallup's acting was spot on." Read their full review here.

International

8. Vancouver, Canada: Editor Matt Hanson reviews NINEEIGHT at Firehall Arts Centre. He says, "Hong Kong humor, especially in the filmic tradition of Chow, is absurdist. NINEEIGHT does hilarious justice to this tradition. The wee "beautiful girl" staves off two young fighting men with nothing more than a motionless martial arts pose. Falling to the ground exaggeratedly, Tam and Lim shouted, "Lang loi!" (literally, beautiful girl)." Read more here.

9. New Zealand: New Editor Sam Jury reviews ERNEST RUTHERFORD: EVERYONE CAN SCIENCE! at the Basement Theatre. He says, "Ernest Rutherford has returned to the lecture circuit after a 70 year absence and his enthusiasm and energy is apparent from the moment he enters the room, hangs up his coat and hat and reminds us of his excellence and superiority (he is on the best note, after all)." Read more here.

National Tour Highlight:

10. The first North American Tour of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical BEAUTIFUL - THE CAROLE KING will open at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI, later this month on September 15-20, 2015. Led by Abby Mueller (sister of Tony winner Jessie Mueller) as 'Carole King, ' it also stars NEWSIES' Ben Fankhauser as 'Barry Mann', LEGALLY BLONDE's Becky Gulsvigas 'Cynthia Weil,' Liam Tobin as 'Gerry Goffin,' Curt Bouril as 'Don Kirshner', and Suzanne Grodner as 'Genie Klein.' Wanna meet the cast? Check out the video here.

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This week, we'd like to welcome Sam Jury as our newest editor in New Zealand, Courtnee Miles who will be contributing coverage in Atlanta, and Sukhwinder Singh in India.

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