“The play’s the thing,” as Shakespeare, Pinter, Beckett, Ratigan and Tennessee Williams dominate the fall line-up
SEPTEMBER: The Old Friends (Sep 12, Signature) – the new Horton Foote play directed by Michael Wilson, starring Betty Buckley, Veanne Cox, Hallie Foote, and Lois Smith. Philip Goes Forth (Sep 16, The Mint) – revival of a forgotten, 1931 comedy by George Kelly directed by Jerry Ruiz. Romeo and Juliet (Sep 19, Richard Rodgers) – British director David Leveaux tries his hand at Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, starring Orlando Bloom as Romeo, Condola Rashad as Juliet, Brent Carver as Friar Laurence and Jayne Houdyshell as The Nurse. The Glass Menagerie (Sep 26, Booth) – A.R.T.’s acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams masterpiece directed by John Tiffany, starring Cherry Jones, Zachary Quinto, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Brian J. Smith.
OCTOBER: Julius Caesar (Oct 3, St. Ann’s Warehouse) – the all-female Donmar Warehouse production of Shakespeare’s classic drama of politics and betrayal. Big Fish (Oct 6, Neil Simon) – the new musical by Andrew Lippa and John August, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman and starring Norbert Leo Butz, Kate Baldwin, and Bobby Steggert. Honeymoon in Vegas (Oct 6, Paper Mill Playhouse) – a new, Broadway-bound, musical by Jason Robert Brown and Andrew Bergman based on the film of the same name, directed by Garry Griffin starring Tony Danza, Rob McClure, Brynne O’Malley and Nancy Opel. Chita: A Legendary Celebration (Oct 7, August Wilson) – celebrating her 80th birthday in one-night only benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the incandescent Chita Rivera will show the youngsters how it’s done! A Night with Janis Joplin (Oct 10, Lyceum) – directed by Randy Johnson and starring Mary Bridget Davies as Janis Joplin. Romeo and Juliet (Oct 16, Classic Stage Co.) – directed by Tea Alagic and starring Elizabeth Olsen as Juliet, William Hurt as Friar Laurence, Daphne Rubin-Vega as The Nurse and T.R. Knight as Mercutio. CSC is still searching for a Romeo after Finn Wittrock withdrew to make a movie. The Winslow Boy (Oct 17, Roundabout) – a lavish revival of Terence Ratigan’s 1946 drama about honor, directed by Lindsay Posner and starring Michael Cumpsty, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Alessandro Nivola and Roger Rees. A Time To Kill (Oct 20, Golden) – a new play by Rupert Holmes based on John Grisham’s novel, directed by Ethan Sweeny and starring Sebastian Arcelus, Patrick Page, Tonya Pinkins and Tom Skerritt. Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty (Oct 23, City Center) – Matthew Bourne’s acclaimed production of Sleeping Beauty with a score by Tchaikovsky. The Snow Geese (Oct 24, MTC) – the new play by Sharr White, directed by Daniel Sullivan and starring Mary-Louise Parker, Danny Burstein, Victoria Clark, and Evan Jonigkeit. Betrayal (Oct 27, Barrymore) – a revival of Harold Pinter’s lacerating drama, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Rafe Spall.
NOVEMBER: After Midnight (Nov 3, Brooks Atkinson) – the acclaimed Cotton Club Parade revue from City Center, directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle with Wynton Marsalis and The Jazz and Lincoln Center All-Stars. Domesticated (Nov 4, Mitzi Newhouse) – the new play by Bruce Norris, directed by Anna Shapiro and starring Laurie Metcalf, Mia Barron, Robin DeJesus, Jeff Goldblum and Mary Beth Peil. Twelfth Night/Richard III (Nov 10, Belasco) – Shakespeare’s Globe’s acclaimed productions in repertory, directed by Tim Carroll and starring Mark Rylance, Stephen Fry, and Samuel Barnett. 700 Sundays (Nov 13, Imperial) – Billy Crystal returns with a 9-week engagement of his heartwarming, Tony-winning drama. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (Nov 17, Walter Kerr) – the new musical by Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman, directed by Darko Tresnjak and starring Jefferson Mays and Bryce Pinkham. Little Miss Sunshine (mid-Nov, 2econd Stage) – the new musical by William Finn and James Lapine based on the film written by Michael Arndt, directed by Lapine and starring Will Chase and Stephanie J. Block. Macbeth (Nov 21, Vivian Beaumont) – a revival of Shakespeare’s classic drama, directed by Jack O’Brien and starring Ethan Hawke and Anne-Marie Duff. Waiting for Godot/No Man’s Land (Nov 24, Cort) – the acclaimed, 2009 West End production of Beckett’s masterpiece in repertory with Harold Pinter’s classic, directed by Sean Mathias and starring Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Billy Crudup and Shuler Hensley.
