Jerry-for-Short 1929

Documentary chronicles the life of 18-time GRAMMY Award-winning jazz musician Paquito D'Rivera, from child prodigy in Cuba to his defection to the U.S. and career as a composer and performer.

If you’re looking to dig deeper into Broadway gossip, why not check some federal financial databases? Producers usually like to keep their private fundraising out of the spotlight. Still, on a website run by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), producers disclose how much money they’re raising for upcoming Broadway-bound shows, national tours, West End transfers, and more. But why are multi-million-dollar Broadway productions making financial data freely accessible to the public? And what information are producers sharing with (or obscuring from) the public under mysterious, theatre-lyric-themed LLC names?

Guitarist Laura Lootens will release her second album SHAPE OF MY HEART on October 9, 2026, on the naïve classiques label. She will perform works from the album across 15 US cities beginning September 9 in Boston, with additional stops in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and other major cities through November.

Patrick Hamilton (1904-1962) wrote his semi-autobiographical trilogy as a dark celebration of the seedy, smoggy, smutty London he inhabited in the late 1920s. Published first as Bob’s story (The Midnight Bell 1929), then with Jenny’s back-story (the salaciously titled The Siege of Pleasure 1932) and finally Ella’s simultaneous story to Bob’s (The Plains of Cement 1934, originally titled ‘Time, Gentlemen, Please’), Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky – A London Trilogy was compiled and published in one volume 1935.

A free ceremony in Ybor City will dedicate a new historic marker for the 1929 building that once housed the United Secret Orders Hall and La Benéfica Española clinic.

Christopher Wyze & The Tellers released the title track from their forthcoming album, an 11-song tribute to Indianapolis blues pioneers Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell.

Center Theatre Group will present Big League Productions' national tour of THE MUSIC MAN at the Ahmanson Theatre from October 27 to November 8, 2026, marking the show's first major Los Angeles engagement since 1980.

A new musical by Katharine McNair and Michael Gallant set in 1929 New Orleans' Storyville District will run as part of the Dream Up Festival at Theater for the New City.

CHRISTOPHER WYZE & THE TELLERS released a new single titled I'M GOING BACK TO TENNESSEE, adding to the band's catalog of original music.

With more Top 10 hits than Journey, and as many as Fleetwood Mac, FOREIGNER features strongly in every category in Billboard’s “Greatest of All Time” listing. At times, the band’s weekly catalog sales have eclipsed those of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Aerosmith, and most of their Classic Rock peers (Source: Nielsen SoundScan).

The new musical formerly known as Rutka has been renamed Someday Soon, marking a new chapter in the development of this new work based on Rutka’s Notebook.

Full casting announced for the world premiere of Simon Reade's stage adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's TWENTY THOUSAND STREETS UNDER THE SKY, directed by Matthew Iliffe at Southwark Playhouse Borough.

PM Theater will present the New York premiere of MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA, Dziga Vertov's 1929 silent film, with a live score by Ukrainian-Canadian composer Taras Luka at Theatre 154 in Greenwich Village.

“Grease” will be presented by Center Drama at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center in Deal Park for five performances only in August. The musical will star Kelly Fuller as Danny; Janie Hornstein as Sandy and more.

Troupe announced initial casting for the world premiere of Simon Reade's stage adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's TWENTY THOUSAND STREETS UNDER THE SKY, directed by Matthew Iliffe at Southwark Playhouse Borough.

There is plenty of fun to be had in this light-hearted musical.

True to the series' M.O., the day featured a nice compliment of new, contemporary works alongside older classical ones, as well as a chance to see the Festival’s Composer-in-Residence, Allison Loggins-Hull, in action today as a flutist

What is a pro-shot and how is it different than an adapted film? Pro-shot is an abbreviation for professionally shot, denoting a stage play that was captured in its native habitat: a theatre. In general, a pro-shot seeks to film the exact experience that audience members would have at a live performance of the show, in contrast with a feature film which actually adapts the piece into a new form, including different locations, the removal of theatrical aesthetic, and changes to make the script work as a film as opposed to as a live theatrical show.

Weimar-era music hits the high notes with Haan's one-woman show, Margo- A Woman in Berlin. This reviewer felt as if she was sitting in a Weimar era cabaret with the rest of the audience! Bravo! Bravo!

Off The Lane will present Mauzy, a bluegrass-infused folk tale set in 1929 Appalachia, directed by Rachel Sabo-Hedges, blending the supernatural with themes of grief, faith, and desire.

Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird opens in a sleepy Alabama town in the midst of the Great Depression, where Scout and her brother, Jem, live with their widowed father, Atticus Finch. Reminiscent of a bygone era, the play immerses us in a simpler time as the children play outside in the summer, act out stories and muse about their mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley.

Fertile Ground 2026 wrapped up last weekend, and on the whole, it was fantastic. I saw 17 shows, which included readings of plays by well-known local playwrights, new works by rising stars, and some fun genre-bending original performances. Here are my notes about the final set. If you missed my first two review roundups, find them here and here.

Dibuk – The Musical opens April 23 at Teatro Sérgio Cardoso for a limited run through May 31, 2026. Inspired by S. An-sky’s classic The Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds, one of the most important works of Yiddish theater, the production reimagines the tragic love story of Leah and Hanan — often called the “Romeo and Juliet” of Jewish drama. Directed by Marcelo Klabin, the musical blends drama, music, dance and circus elements, with traditional Jewish dance at the heart of the storytelling. Featuring 31 actors, 44 original songs and a large-scale visual production, the show runs Thursdays to Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 4 PM.

You can now get a first look at cast portraits featuring the companies of Audible Theater x TOGETHER’s 2026 season, now on stage at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City, including Hugh Jackman, Ella Beatty and more.

The 2026 Fertile Ground Festival kicks off on April 10. This annual grab bag of new works is my favorite time in Portland’s theatre calendar because it gives us a chance to see works at various stages of development, from early readings to fully staged world premieres.