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From Sea to Shining Sea- Where to Find the Brightest Stars at Regional Theaters This Summer!
By: BWW Special Coverage Jul. 15, 2014
New York City is the place where stars flock to take their turns on the grandest stages in the world. Throughout the past year, Broadway has welcomed such film and television stars as Daniel Radcliffe, Patrick Stewart, Bryan Cranston, Debra Messing and Ian McKellen, as well as a slew of celebrated Broadway favorites such as Sutton Foster, Audra McDonald, Neil Patrick Harris and many more.
The Great White Way isn't the only place for stars to shine on stage though. During the summer months, many cherished performers travel to regional theatres around the country to share their extraordinary talents with the rest of America. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a roundup of this summer's starriest productions at theatres near you!
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, starring Kate Baldwin, Gregg Edelman, and Penny Fuller
Where: Pittsfield, MA (Berkshire Theatre Group)
When: Now through July 19
More: One of Stephen Sondheim's most beloved and award-winning musicals, A Little Night Music offers an amusing and farcical tale of unexpected liaisons, relentless desire, and ill-fated heartbreak in the life of acclaimed actress, Desiree Armfeldt, played by renowned actress, vocalist and Berkshire native, Maureen O'Flynn with a career spanning more than 28 years in singing lead soprano roles at major opera houses including: The Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, and Vienna Staatsoper. She is also a returning actress to BTG having last performed in the much acclaimed, My Fair Lady in 2001.
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GYPSY, starring Leslie Uggams
Where: Storrs, CT (Connecticut Repertory Theatre)
When: Now through July 20
More: Gypsy tells the story of the "ultimate stage mother" Rose and her dream to raise her daughters to perform on the vaudeville stage. Mama Rose has become arguably the greatest female role in musical theatre due to its emotion, complexity and powerful songs. Starring Tony and Emmy Award winning actress, Leslie Uggams, and filled with an incredible score by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, musical theatre lovers will be enthralled by the songs "Some People," "Rose's Turn," "Let Me Entertain You" and, of course, "Everything's Coming up Roses."
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THE ADDAMS FAMILY, starring Rob McClure, Jenny Powers and Jen Cody
Where: St. Louis, MO (The Muny)
When: Now through July 20
More: Making its US regional and Muny premiere, The Addams Family puts Charles Addams' classic and beloved characters in a hilarious Broadway musical that has been thrilling audiences worldwide. See what Bloomberg News calls "uproarious!" The Addams Family features a book by Jersey Boys authors Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, and music by Andrew Lippa. Come meet Gomez, Morticia, Lurch and the entire hilariously odd Addams Family.
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DEATH AND THE MAIDEN, starring Sandra Oh and Raúl Castillo
Where: Chicago, IL (Victory Gardens Theatre)
When: Now through July 20
More: Ariel Dorfman's explosively provocative, award-winning drama is set in a rocky new democracy. Gerardo has just been chosen to head the commission that will investigate the crimes of the old regime when his car breaks down and he is picked up by a kind doctor. Sandra Oh (the award-winning star of ABC's Grey's Anatomy) plays Gerardo's wife, Paulina, who thinks she recognizes the doctor as the man who tormented her as she lay blindfolded in a military detention center years before. A riveting play about revenge, trauma and forgiveness.
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OTHELLO, starring Blair Underwood and Kristen Connolly
Where: San Diego, CA (Old Globe Theatre)
When: Now through July 27
More: From New York's Shakespeare in the Park to Balboa Park, Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein makes his debut on the Globe's outdoor stage with one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. Despite the prejudices in Venice, the brilliant general Othello excels both on the battlefield and in the halls of state. But when he marries Desdemona, his envious lieutenant Iago sets in motion a diabolical plan to destroy him. With a superb cast led by Blair Underwood("Ironside," "Sex and the City"), Richard Thomas ("The Waltons," "The Americans"), andKristen Connolly ("House of Cards"), Edelstein gives us a riveting, intense, and intimate production where poetry soars and swords clash, where true love and wrenching jealousy collide.
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THIS IS OUR YOUTH, starring Michael Cera and Kieran Culkin
Where: Chicago, IL (Steppenwolf Theatre Company)
When: Now through July 27
More: Set in New York in 1982, This Is Our Youth follows forty-eight hours in the lives of three very lost young souls: Warren, a dejected nineteen year old who has just stolen $15,000 from his abusive, tycoon father; Dennis, his charismatic drug-dealing friend who helps Warren put the stolen money to good use; and, Jessica, the anxiously insightful young woman who Warren yearns for. Funny, painful and compassionate,This Is Our Youth is a living snapshot of the moment when many young people go out into the world on their own, armed only with the ideas and techniques they developed as teenagers-far more sophisticated than their parents realize, and far less effectual than they themselves can possibly imagine.
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THE ORPHAN OF ZHOA, starring BD Wong
Where: San Diego, CA (La Jolla Playhouse)
When: Now through August 3
More: Drawn from sources dating from the 4th Century BC, The Orphan of Zhao is a luminous reinvention of an ancient legend described as the Chinese Hamlet. When the Emperor's mind is poisoned by a corrupt minister, the noble Zhao family faces destruction unless a country doctor is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. This gripping story of loyalty, family and revenge soars on an original score, sharp direction from A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff (Arcadia, Phèdre) and features the inimitable stage and TV star BD Wong (M. Butterfly, Law & Order: SVU)
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SAME TIME NEXT YEAR, starring Kenny Leon and Phylicia Rashad
Where: Atlanta, GA (True Colors Theatre Company)
When: Now through August 3
More: The fresh, touching, and hilariously funny story of lovers Doris and George, married - to other people - who meet by chance while on separate business trips in 1951. The pair vow to rendezvous each year in the same place, and end up finding a connection that transcends the initial spark of passion to span a quarter of a century's worth of love, loss, joy, conflict, but ultimately a common ground that sustains their unique friendship. Same Time, Next Year is a delicious tryst about the complexities of human relationships and the phenomenon of love.
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LIVING ON LOVE, starring Anna Chlumsky, Renée Fleming and Justin Long
Where: Williamstown, MA (Williamstown Theatre Festival)
When: July 16-26
More: World-renowned soprano Renée Fleming takes the Festival stage as celebrated diva Raquel De Angelis. When her husband, the fiery and egomaniacal Maestro Vito De Angelis, becomes enamored with the lovely young lady hired to ghostwrite his long-delayed autobiography, Raquel retaliates by hiring her very own - and very handsome - ghostwriter to chronicle her life as an opera star. As the young writers try to keep themselves out of the story while churning out chapters, the high-energy - and high-maintenance - power duet threatens to fall out of tune for good. A sparkling new comedy from two-time Tony Award winner Joe DiPietro, adapted from a work by the revered Garson Kanin and directed by three-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall.
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VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE, starring Christopher Durang and Marilu Henner
Where: New Hope, PA (Bucks County Playhouse)
When: July 17- August 10
More: This Tony Award-winning hit stars Marilu Henner as the narcissistic B-movie star Masha, who pops home to Bucks County to visit her anguished siblings with a few surprises in store. Tony nominee Sheryl Kaller, who helmed BCP's MOTHER AND SONS now playing on Broadway, directs this deliriously funny comedy by Bucks County neighbor Christopher Durang, who stars as Vanya.
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SEUSSICAL, starring John Tartaglia and Julia Murney
Where: St. Louis, MO (The Muny)
When: July 22-28
More: Making its Muny premiere, Seussical brings fantasy to magical life on the Muny stage. Based on the classic children's books of Dr. Seuss and narrated by the mischievous Cat in the Hat, this delightful musical follows Horton the elephant in his quest to protect the people of Who-ville. Seussical is the timeless story of being true to your word...not living in fear...and the power of believing in yourself. Don't miss it.
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FOOL FOR LOVE, starring Nina Arianda and Sam Rockwell
Where: Williamstown, MA (Williamstown Theatre Festival)
When: July 23- August 2
More: Holed up in a seedy motel on the edge of the Mojave Desert, two former lovers unpack the deep secrets and dark desires of their tangled relationship, passionately tearing each other apart. Beaten down by ill-fated love and a ruthless struggle for identity, can they ultimately live with, or without, each other? Led by director Daniel Aukin, Williamstown veteran and enigmatic film star Sam Rockwell and 2012 Tony Award winner Nina Arianda bring an explosive intensity to Sam Shepard's landmark myth of the new Wild West.
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FINDING NEVERLAND, starring Jeremy Jordan, Laura Michelle Kelly and Carolee Carmello
Where: Cambridge, MA (American Repertory Theatre)
When: July 23- September 28
More: Based on the Miramax motion picture by David Magee and the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee, Finding Neverland follows the relationship between playwright J. M. Barrie and the family that inspired Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, one of the most beloved stories of all time. Staged by A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus with music by U.K. pop sensation Gary Barlow (Take That) and choreography by Emmy Award-winner Mia Michaels ("So You Think You Can Dance"), this new musical explores the power of imagination to open up new worlds, and the pressures put upon those worlds by the inevitability of growing up. Finding Neverland is presented by the A.R.T. by special arrangement with Harvey Weinstein.
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GREASE, starring Taylor Louderman, Phyllis Smith and Matt Saldivar
Where: St. Louis, MO (The Muny)
When: July 31- August 8
More: One of the most popular shows in Muny history, Grease returns for nine nights in its first Muny production since 2007. Packed with explosive energy, Grease takes you back to a simpler time as "bad boy" Danny and "the girl next door" Sandy fall in love all over again. Join us this summer and share in this timeless classic. Grease, at The Muny. It's the one that you want!
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THE VISIT, starring Chita Rivera, Jason Danieley, David Garrison, Judy Kuhn and Roger Rees
Where: Williamstown, MA (Williamstown Theatre Festival)
When: July 31- August 17
More: In her Festival debut, Broadway legend Chita Rivera embodies Claire Zachanassian, the oft-widowed richest woman in the world, who returns to the hardship-stricken town of her birth. The locals pray that her wealth will bring them a new lease on life, but the carefully plotted renewal she offers carries a dreadful price. Sardonic and morally complex, The Visit asks: What can your heart afford? Featuring Festival favorite Roger Rees and helmed by Tony Award-winning director John Doyle, this incendiary musical is one of the last collaborations between the incomparable John Kander and Fred Ebb, with a book by Tony Award winner Terrence McNally and choreography by the legendary Graciela Daniele.
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HAIR, starring Kristen Bell, Sarah Hyland, Hunter Parrish, Amber Riley, Jenna Ushkowitz and Benjamin Walker
Where: Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Bowl)
When: August 1-3
More: From its stunning Broadway premiere in 1968, Hairdefined the "rock musical," exuberantly celebrating the hippie counterculture, anti-war movement and sexual revolution of the 1960s with a rainbow score of hits - including "Aquarius," "Good Morning Starshine," and "Easy to be Hard" - that have become ingrained in pop culture. Let down your long, beautiful hair, pull out the tie-dye and celebrate this groundbreaking American journey as we "Let the Sunshine In!"
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HELLO, DOLLY!, starring Beth Leavel, John O'Hurley, Rob McClure & Jay Armstrong Johnson
Where: St. Louis, MO (The Muny)
When: August 11-17
More: Mrs. Dolly Levi makes her grand Muny return in the classic musical, Hello, Dolly!. Celebrating the 50thanniversary of its Broadway opening, this award-winning musical features the irresistible story of matchmaker extraordinaire Dolly Levi as she "meddles" her way from Yonkers to New York City. Full of familiar tunes and plenty of big dance numbers, Hello, Dolly! promises an evening of classic Muny fun!
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