The Geffen Playhouse News

Co-authored by Conor Duffy and Jake Broder, Max & Willy’s Last Laugh is based on the true story of entertainers Max Ehrlich and Willy Rosen, who for 18 months performed the funniest cabaret in Europe to ensure their safety at the Westerbork Transit Camp during World War II.

Geffen Playhouse today announced the full cast for its world premiere musical The Lonely Few, with book by Rachel Bonds (Sundown, Yellow Moon; Michael & Edie), music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak (A Crossing, Galileo), and directed by Trip Cullman (Choir Boy, Significant Other) and Ellenore Scott (Funny Girl, Mr. Saturday Night). The Lonely Few is produced in association with FourthWall Theatrical (This American Wife, Jagged Little Pill).

Signature Theatre will present the Off-Broadway premiere of Samuel D. Hunter’s 2011 Obie Award-winning dark comedy A Bright New Boise, directed by Oliver Butler. See production dates and how to purchase tickets.

Two local teenagers are starring in TRAYF, Six Points Theater's latest production, running February 18 – March 12, 2023.  

Full cast and crew have been announced for Invictus Theatre's upcoming production of Katori Hall's THE MOUNTAINTOP, a fictional play that vividly reimagines the final night of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center is bringing an acclaimed play to the stage in West Chester this February. The Mountaintop was written by then 28-year old, Black female playwright, Katori Hall, and opened in a small pub in south London. A producer saw the show and supported it in a production in the West End where it went on to take the UK theatre award season by storm winning the Laurence Olivier Award for “Best New Play.”

Rubicon Theatre Company will present the Southern California premiere of THE REALISTIC JONESES, Wednesday, January 25 at 7:00 pm, with a press opening on Saturday, January 28 at 7:00 pm, running through Sunday, February 12.

Broadway’s one-man A CHRISTMAS CAROL starring Jefferson Mays definitely managed magic. It is a rare show that leads even Broadway regulars to leave the theater going: “How did they do that?” BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD and some others have managed, but not many. This show did.

Shakespeare Theatre Company has announced the cast and creative team for the upcoming production of King Lear. STC favorite Patrick Page will star as the titular king. See who else is in the cast, how to purchase tickets, and more!

ArtsUP! LA is presenting the world premiere of Volun-Tears, a powerful play by Korean War Veteran Lester Probst, based on the true experiences of women who have suffered sexual harassment and sexual abuse while serving in the United States Armed Forces, performed by U.S. Veterans. I decided to speak with Lester Probst on what inspired him to write the play and what message he hopes to instill in audience members to start the road to achieving equality within the ranks of our military, especially for women.

Obie Award-winning director and playwright, Stevie Walker-Webb, will helm the new musical Gun & Powder.  Following a sold-out run at Washington D.C.’s Signature Theatre in 2020, reading presentations for the production will take place in New York City on December 15 and 16.

 The Gift Theatre has announced its 2023 season, featuring the Chicago premiere of Anna Ouyang Moench’s dark comedy Mothers, directed by Lili-Anne Brown and a revival of Jim Cartwright’s powerful, award-winning drama The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, directed by Devo de Mayo.

The Geffen Playhouse is world premiering mentalist Vinny DePonto’s latest show Mindplay. The run (already started) plays through December 18, 2022. I got the chance to chat with Vinny’s long-time collaborator director Andrew Neisler.

Little Known Facts is a weekly podcast hosted by stage and film actress Ilana Levine. This week's episode features Jennifer Westfeldt, who talks about her stage and screen career, current role in The Gett, and more!

Vinny DePonto is an extraordinarily engaging performer who, in front of a simple white backdrop, captivates the crowd like a bonafide vaudevillian.

Other than a handful of playwrights 30 and under, all the playwrights spoken to for this piece believe their sex has impacted their careers in the theater. Women feel that they have trouble getting in the room and being taken seriously once there. But there is something more, a sense that when things get really bad -- beyond mansplaining bad -- there aren't many people to turn to in the theater.

Jefferson Mays' universally celebrated, one man virtuoso, tour-de-force performance in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is on Broadway this holiday season for a strictly limited 66-performance engagement at the Nederlander Theatre. Learn more about Jefferson Mays here!

Pinch 'N' Ouch Theatre presents Donald Margulies' Broadway-hit play Time Stands Still now through November 19 in Atlanta, GA. The play will be directed by the company's Producing Artistic Director Grant McGowen, who most recently directed Jonathon Larson's autobiographical musical Tick, Tick… Boom! The cast will feature Candace West, Asia Meana, Sundiata Rush, and Alex Van.

Robin Gerber’s play The Shot, directed by Michelle Joyner, has proven to be the hot ticket as part of the 2022 United Solo Festival; it will add a performance on will Tuesday, November 1 at 8 PM (after adding two shows previously).

THE INHERITANCE is designed to make an audience feel quite a few different kinds of emotions: sadness certainly over lives lost and squandered; seething bitterness over a country adrift; humor over the many creative ways in which smart people cope and endure; and perhaps even a strong inclination to read or stream E.M. Forster’s HOWARDS END.