Christopher Durang News

Theatre East presents the beloved and timely tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL just in time for the holidays. This special installment of the Neighborhood Reading Series will definitely put you in the spirit of the season.

This holiday season, Goodman Theatre presents The Santaland Diaries-David Sedaris' 'vivid, hilarious portrait of family Christmas with his deft combination of wicked humor and scalpel-sharp observation' (Chicago Magazine). Adapted by Joe Mantello and directed by longtime Goodman Artistic Associate Steve Scott, this 'theatrical stocking stuffer' (Chicago Reader) is perfect for those who prefer their eggnog spiked. Chicago favorite Matt Crowle makes his Goodman debut in a solo performance as the strapped-for-cash struggling actor who takes a job as 'Crumpet,' an elf at Macy's Santaland-and his hilarious observations are more naughty than nice. The Santaland Diaries appears November 30 - December 30 in the Owen Theatre (opening night is December 6 at 7pm) in the Goodman's Owen Theatre (170 N. Dearborn); tickets ($15-45; subject to change) go on sale today by telephone 312.443.3800 or online GoodmanTheatre.org/Santaland. For 'mature elves' only.

McCarter Theatre Center will present Elevator Repair Service's multi-award-winning play, Gatz, the critically-lauded performance of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, for three performances, February 15 - 17 on the Berlind Stage. Gatz will be presented as a marathon eight-hour event, including two intermissions and a dinner break.

Encore Theatre District's current production, BAGGAGE, by Sam Bobrick, will play for one weekend, through Sunday December 2, 2018. The rom-com play, about two nutty characters who meet when their luggage is accidentally switched, has lots of laughs.

There's just one month left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Rhode Island Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

Meghan Lantzy will become the new General Manager at Signature Theatre (Paige Evans, Artistic Director; Harold Wolpert, Executive Director; James Houghton, Founder), the company announced today. Ms. Lantzy comes to Signature from Lincoln Center Theater, where she has worked for more than 12 years.  

The Theatre Artists Workshop in Norwalk will present a staged reading of the Broadway hit 'God of Carnage' by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, on November 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. and November 18 at 3 p.m. Theatre Artists Workshop is located at 5 Gregory Boulevard in Norwalk. Reservations are recommended. The box office reservation line is: 203-854-6830. Suggested donation is $25 and will help to support the non-profit organization's future programming.

McCarter Theatre Center is proud to announce the return of A Christmas Carol, directed by Adam Immerwahr. This family-friendly production runs December 4 - 29 in the Matthews Theatre. A popular annual event for families all across the region, McCarter Theatre Center's production brings Charles Dickens' timeless story of memory and redemption beyond the stage and out into the aisles and lobbies. Of special note this year is the addition of a sensory-sensitive relaxed performance on December 28 (details below).

Eclipse Theatre Company announces 2019 season will feature the comedic works of playwright Christopher Durang

The Theatre Artists Workshop in Norwalk will present a staged reading of the Broadway hit 'God of Carnage' by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, on November 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. and November 18 at 3 p.m. Theatre Artists Workshop is located at 5 Gregory Boulevard in Norwalk. Reservations are recommended. The box office reservation line is: 203-854-6830. Suggested donation is $25 and will help to support the non-profit organization's future programming.

NETWORK begins previews tonight, November 10 at Broadway's Belasco Theatre. Get to know the cast below as they begin Broadway performances!

New York Stage and Film is thrilled to announce that its annual Winter Gala will honor playwright and Emmy award-winning actress Patricia Wettig (F2M, 'Brothers and Sisters,' 'thirtysomething') and Executive Producer/director/actor Ken Olin ('This Is Us,' 'Alias,' 'Brothers & Sisters,' 'thirtysomething'), and, in recognition for her years of dedication to New York Stage and Film, Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer, who is stepping down from her post at the end of the 2019 Powerhouse Summer Season.

McCarter Theatre Center has announced a participatory community reading of Emily Mann's Greensboro: A Requiem on McCarter's Matthews Stage on Wednesday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m.

Theatre East presents a reading of the cult classic FRIDAY THE 13TH! The original horror classic that started it all...performed LIVE!

Tony Award winner Laura Benanti assumes the role of Eliza Doolittle in its award-winning production of Lerner & Loewe's MY FAIR LADY, directed by Bartlett Sher, for a limited engagement beginning tonight, Tuesday, October 23. She is currently scheduled through Sunday, February 17.

Roundabout Theatre Company announces the newest addition to the artistic team: Directing Fellow Kathleen Capdesuner. Capdesuner is the third Roundabout Directing Fellow; this season she is assisting Daniel Aukin (Apologia), James Macdonald (True West) and Margot Bordelon (Something Clean), working with the theatre's artistic team as a script reader, and using Roundabout's resources to develop her own projects.

Black Button Eyes Productions concludes its 2018-19 season with the Chicago storefront premiere of EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL, a parody of Sam Raimi's classic Evil Dead horror films, with book and lyrics by George Reinblatt and music by Christopher Bond, Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris and George Reinblatt. Directed by Producing Artistic Director Ed Rutherford with music direction by Oliver Townsend and choreography by Derek Van Barham, the spooky send-up will play January 11 - February 16, 2019 at Pride Arts Center (The Broadway), 4139 N. Broadway in Chicago.

Thank goodness my lack of knowledge of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's library of theatrical plays and fictional stories didn't prevent me from enjoying Christopher Durang's wildly hilarious, Chekhov-inspired VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE, a modern-set play that won the Tony Award for Best Play back in 2013. Apparently filled with casual allusions to past Chekhov works---from character names and one-off references to thematic motifs---the play does offer, at its core, a laugh-a-minute comedy about a dysfunctional trio of siblings trying to face the apparently troubling onset of middle age…and the possibility that they may not have done enough in their lives to deem it a satisfactory one. This undeniably funny production continues at Orange County's Tony-winning regional theater South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa through October 21, 2018.

Playing On Air announced today the three winners of the inaugural James Stevenson Prize for comedic short plays. First Prize ($7,500, plus a Playing On Air recording for radio and podcast distribution) has been awarded to Hate Baby by Gracie Gardner. (Gardner is also the winner of the 2017 Relentless Award and author of the New York Times Critic's Pick Athena.) Second Prize ($2,000) has been awarded to Hedgehog Years by Lily Akerman. Third Prize ($1,000) has been awarded to Horse Latitudes (Who Wants to be an Equine Extra?) by Elizabeth Logun.