42nd Street Moon News

The 2021-2022 season will include A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (November 4 – 14, 2021), FUN HOME (February 3 – 20, 2022), A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING (March 10 – 27, 2022), THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS (April 21 – May 8, 2022) and THE PAJAMA GAME (June 2 – 19, 2022). The season will also include CHESS In Concert (September 24 – 26, 2021).

The Ivoryton Playhouse will open its doors for a 5 play season on July 8, 2021 now with the mask mandate removed as per new AEA recommendations. Covid-19 Safety Manager, Steve Phelan, says: 'We want to assure everyone that we will still be following stringent safety protocols including socially distanced seating, and no concessions will be sold,'

42nd Street Moon is concluding its online Moonbeams series on a rather deliciously demented high note with Don’t Touch That Dial: DC & Peter’s Glorious Romp through the Golden Age of TV Theme Songs. Just like the timeworn sitcoms that generated most of its songs, Don’t Touch That Dial wants nothing more than to entertain, packing in dozens of catchy tunes you maybe didn’t even know you knew in a fast-moving hourlong fantasia of fizzy humor and gimlet-eyed nostalgia. Although Moon’s remit is normally to revisit stage musicals, rather than television shows, this enterprise isn’t quite as far afield for them as you might imagine. It, too, comes wrapped in affectionate homage to times past.

After the myriad stresses of the past year, we could all use some straight-up entertainment and 42nd Street Moon is providing just that with Don’t Touch That Dial: DC and Peter’s Glorious Romp Through the Golden Age of TV Theme Songs. Conceived and directed by DC Scarpelli and Peter Budinger, the show promises, a light-hearted, celebratory stroll down memory lane as Scarpelli and Budinger guide us through the decades of catchy sitcom themes and the evolution of television. The large, diverse cast also includes Moon stalwarts like Meg McKay and Keith Pinto among a host of multi-talented performers who may be new to you. Don’t Touch That Dial is available to stream from June 5 – 27, 2021 as part of 42nd Street Moon’s paid virtual ticketed MoonBeams series. Tickets and further information are available at www.42ndstmoon.org/moonbeams. ​​​​​​​I had the pleasure of speaking with Budinger and Scarpelli last week as they were still putting the finishing touches on the video presentation. As Scarpelli says, “We’re not satisfied with any musical number until it’s utterly dripping with charm and delight.” If you ever run into them at a party, these are definitely the guys you want to talk to as they are both a barrel of fun and an endless font of information about classic TV and musical theater. A married couple, the two have been working together for years as well as performing individually, and their combined theater credits read like a recent history of Bay Area musical theater. The freewheeling conversation covered how they conceived the show and put it together, which obscure songs didn’t make the final cut, and shows they’d love for Moon to mount in the future.

 Doris Bumpus is now starring as the legendary Billie Holiday in 42nd Street Mood's virtual production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL, written by Lanie Robertson.

The Ivoryton Playhouse will open its doors for a 5 play season on July 8, 2021. It’s time to get out and share some music and laughter and they’ll be providing it with a liberal dash of blood with MURDER FOR TWO!

The latest offering in 42nd Street Moon’s 2021 Moonbeams series is a new virtual production of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill starring Doris Bumpus as the legendary Billie Holiday. Written by Lanie Robertson and directed by Brandon Jackson with musical direction by Marcus McCauley, the play is both a celebration of Holiday as a musical icon and an exploration of her experience as a Black woman in America. Ultimately, it is a testament to the power of the human spirit to persevere in spite of incredible adversity. Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill is available to stream through May 30, 2021. For further information and to purchase tickets, visit 42ndstmoon.org/moonbeams. BroadwayWorld caught up with Ms. Bumpus earlier this week in Miami, where she was celebrating her 28th wedding anniversary. The Michigan native grew up singing in church, taking on her first solo at the tender age of five. The actor/singer/producer has her own production company, D’Sunflower Productions, and also has a pair of EP’s on iTunes, including her most recent release, “God Bless the Child,” which pays tribute to Billie Holiday. Her wide-ranging Bay Area theater credits include playing Dorothy Gale in 'The Wiz' and Effie White in 'Dreamgirls,' receiving a Pan Arts Award for Best Lead Actress for both. 42nd Street Moon audiences will remember her as Jewel in 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.' In conversation, Bumpus is easily chatty and ebullient, and her joy in being a working actor is palpable.

42nd Street Moon will announce that Doris Bumpus will be starring as the legendary Billie Holiday in the Company's virtual production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL, written by Lanie Robertson.

42nd Street Moon (Daren A.C. Carollo and Daniel Thomas, Co-Executive Directors) is pleased to announce the full cast for the Company’s virtual production DON’T TOUCH THAT DIAL: DC AND PETER’S GLORIOUS ROMP THROUGH THE GOLDEN AGE. 

42nd Street Moon and Musical Theatre West have co-produced a fine film of Jason Graae's show about his idol and his friend, everyone's favorite Broadway creator of shows about hope.

42nd Street Moon has announced that Doris Bumpus will be starring as the legendary Billie Holiday in the Company’s virtual production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL, written by Lanie Robertson.

San Francisco’s revered 42nd Street Moon kicks off its 2021 “Moonbeams” season with Jason Graae in Perfect Hermany, a tribute to the late, great Jerry Herman, writer of such classic musicals as Hello, Dolly!, Mame and La Cage Aux Folles. The title Perfect Hermany is an unusually apt one as Graae is the perfect interpreter of Herman’s work, having starred in a much-lauded production Herman’s The Grand Tour in LA and toured for years with Herman in Hello, Jerry!, a revue of Herman’s work. Perfect Hermany is available for streaming on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through May 2, 2021. For additional information and to purchase tickets, visit 42ndStreetMoon.org. Among his many credits, Graae has appeared on Broadway numerous times, toured extensively as The Wizard in Wicked, performed with major symphonies across the country, recorded dozens of musical theater albums and has enjoyed a long association with 42nd Street Moon. He is known for the improbable combination of his antic, go-for-broke comedic style and the impeccable musicianship of his soaring tenor. He is the type of performer who can make you bust a gut one moment, and then melt your heart the next.   BroadwayWorld caught up with Graae last week from his home base in LA soon after he had completed filming Perfect Hermany. We talked about his long association with both Herman and 42nd Street Moon, his favorite Herman songs, a couple of key roles that somehow got away from him and a few he still hopes to have a go at. Graae is always a blast to talk to. It seems the guy just is incapable of not being funny, but he is also thoughtful and kind, and sort of a walking treasure trove of theatrical lore. The following conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

A co-production of San Francisco’s 42nd Street Moon and Long Beach's Musical Theatre West, PERFECT HERMANY will be available to stream online through May 2, 2021 as part of Moon’s 2021 Moonbeams season. This homage to legendary Broadway composer Jerry Herman stars the versatile Jason Graae, directed by Lee Tannen with musical direction by John Boswell.

42nd Street Moon and Musical Theatre West join forces to bring a Jerry Herman evening starring Jason Graae to the internet airwaves.

This spring MoonBeams season features a Tony nominated production, stars seen on the Bay Area and Broadway stages, as well as new, never seen before, over the top theatrical numbers that will have audiences singing along at home!

For oh-so many reasons, it seems there is finally a feeling of optimism in the air as we emerge from the dark days of 2020. San Francisco’s 42nd Street Moon has decided to capitalize on that with their star-studded virtual Gala You Can’t Stop the Beat, which streams on Sunday, February 28th beginning at 6:00pm PST. You Can’t Stop the Beat will be hosted by Broadway actor and beloved “Moonie” Jason Graae and feature performances from a number of Tony winners and nominees. Musical theatre luminaries Liz Callaway, Michael Maguire, Faith Prince and Emily Skinner, plus dozens of other musical theater artists from the Bay Area and beyond will perform numbers from favorite musicals such as Hairspray, Come From Away, Bye Bye Birdie, Hamilton and many more. All proceeds from the virtual gala will support programs that are critical to the expansion of Moon’s programming and continuation of their mission - including MoonSchool’s education and outreach programs and the renovation of their home at the Gateway Theatre. To learn more about the event or to make a donation, visit www.42ndstmoon.org/annualgala. BroadwayWorld recently caught up with Daniel Thomas, who shares duties as Moon’s Co-Executive Director with Daren A.C. Carollo. Thomas’ current hopefulness and gratitude for having made it through a difficult year is palpable. Putting this particular gala together has clearly been a joy, and Thomas is confident that Moon audiences have much to look forward to in the coming year.

San Francisco’s 42nd Street Moon (Daren A.C. Carollo and Daniel Thomas, Co-Executive Directors) is pleased to announce a virtual 2021 Gala, YOU CAN’T STOP THE BEAT - an evening of uplifting performances and optimism for the future of the arts. 

Los Altos Stage Company has announced the second one-actor production in its current 3-Show Virtual Mini Season.

MoonSchool at 42nd Street Moon, the education side of 42nd Street Moon kicked off its third season of virtual programming this fall. After an impromptu pivot to virtual classes this spring and an incredibly successful summer of online theatre productions including Moana Jr, The Music Man Kids, Bring it On, and classes in jazz, tap, voice, and improv, MoonSchool continues to offer high-level theatre classes and training virtually for students of all ages from 4 years old to 104 this fall.

42nd Street Moon, San Franciscoa??s venerable theatre company dedicated to celebrating and preserving the art of the American musical, is about to launch a paid virtual subscription series called MoonBeams. Consisting of five very different and highly entertaining shows, the series will run from September 28th to November 26th, 2020. Highlights include Michael Patrick Gaffneya??s funny and touching The Oldest Living Cater Waiter, Moona??s popular Broadway Flipped evening where favorite Moon performers get the chance to sing songs from roles they would otherwise never get the chance to play, and a final show to kick off the holiday season, Home (literally) for the Holidays. Subscriptions, single stream tickets and additional information are available at www.42ndstmoon.org/moonbeams. BroadwayWorld catches up with Daniel Thomas, who shares Executive Director duties at Moon with Daren A.C. Carollo, to learn a more about the series and check in on how he and Moon are weathering the myriad difficulties that seem to be hitting us without end in 2020.