‘Back to the Future’ musical headed to London
A long-in-development stage musical adaptation of the classic 1985 film comedy “Back to the Future” will transfer to London’s West End in May following an earlier run this year in Manchester. The musical stars Roger Bart (“Young Frankenstein”) as Dr. Emmett Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd in the film trilogy) and has direction by John Rando (“Urinetown”). It is currently unknown whether or when the show may come to Broadway.
LCT launches Broadway-aimed commission program
The Beaumont New Play Commission Program, a new artistic initiative by Lincoln Center Theater, will commission playwrights to create new work specifically for the Vivian Beaumont Theater, the company’s large Broadway venue, which stands out for its thrust stage and stadium seating. The first playwrights to take part in the program include Branden-Jacobs Jenkins (“An Octoroon”), Lynn Nottage (“Sweat”) and Marco Ramirez (“The Royale”).
Carroll Gardens venue to produce live performance installation
While traditional indoor theater in New York has still not been allowed to resume in New York, “Static Apnea,” a free “socially distanced performative installation” intended to resemble the experience of holding one’s breath under water, will be presented at the Invisible Dog Art Center in Carroll Gardens beginning Sept. 12. Created and directed by Christopher McElroen, a single audience member will venture into a 40’ storage container for nine minutes and two seconds, joined by a single performer behind a glass wall and lots of blue lighting. A press release compares the sensation of having one’s breath taken away to the pandemic.
Off-Broadway companies announce digital fall seasons
A few Off-Broadway companies are starting to announce fall seasons made up entirely of streaming virtual content. The Irish Repertory Theatre, which already produced a summer season of streamed plays, will now present Eugene O’Neill’s “A Touch of the Poet” (which the company was on the verge of staging prior to the pandemic), Bill Irwin’s “On Beckett/In Screen” and Dylan Thomas’ “A Child’s Christmas in Wales in Concert.” Another company, Primary Stages, will present Charles Busch’s The Tribute Artist” and Charlayne Woodard’s “The Night Watcher.”
Billy Joel to return to MSG in Fall 2021
In a move that may be indicative of how long it could take large-scale performances to resume in New York, Madison Square Garden has announced that Billy Joel’s ongoing concert series will not resume until November 2021. For instance, the March 19, 2020 show, initially rescheduled for September 26, 2020, has now been rescheduled to November 5, 2021.
This week’s streaming recommendations:
“Incidental Moments of the Day” (the final play in Richard Nelson’s pandemic trilogy about a family in Rhinebeck, NY as they engage in daily conversations over Zoom), Thurs. Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m., the applefamilyplays.com…“Miscast” (Broadway stars perform songs from shows they would never be cast in, including an appearance by the original cast of “Hairspray”), Sun. Sept. 13 at 8 p.m., MCC Theater’s YouTube Channel.
