TWO TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THE FALL
Performance dates have been announced for Manhattan Theatre Club‘s two previously announced productions that will reopen MTC’s Broadway and off-Broadway stages this fall:
Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s sweeping saga, Lackawanna Blues, which I saw at The Taper in Los Angeles, will debut on Broadway Tuesday, September 14, 2021 and open Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street). Written, performed, and directed by Santiago-Hudson (August Wilson’s Jitney, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Netflix), with original music by Bill Sims, Jr. performed on stage by Grammy Award-nominated blues guitarist Junior Mack, this phenomenally engaging solo play celebrates the strong, big-hearted woman who raised him: Miss Rachel. In a 1950s boarding house outside Buffalo, Nanny, as she was affectionately called, opened her doors to anyone and everyone in need of kindness, hope, compassion, and care. Giving a tour-de-force performance, Santiago-Hudson embodies more than 20 vibrant characters, creating a richly textured reminiscence that’s inspiring and uplifting.
Off-Broadway, the world premiere of Morning Sun will begin performances Tuesday, October 12, 2021 and open Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at New York City Center – Stage I (131 West 55th Street). Written by Simon Stephens (see our reviews: Heisenberg, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) and directed by Lila Neugebauer (Troublemaker at Berkeley Rep), the new show stars Blair Brown, Edie Falco, and Marin Ireland.(see our reviews of Ironbound in L.A. and Happy Talk in New York). In this deeply felt, gorgeously imagined play, we’re in Greenwich Village a generation or so ago — and the city is alive. Joni Mitchell sings, friends and lovers come and go, and the regulars change at the White Horse Tavern. As 50 years pass, one woman’s life is revealed in all its complexity, mystery and possibility in this enthralling world premiere about mothers and daughters, beginnings and endings in New York City.