The 32nd Annual Artie Awards Nominations were announced last week, but to review...
The Artie Awards began in 1991 and are held each year to celebrate Western New York's Theatre Community. For the complete list of nominations, scroll down, or visit Anthony's blog, theatertalkbuffalo.com.
The Artie Awards is an opportunity to recognize Western New York’s theater arts, as well as to raise funds for the HIV/AIDS & Immunodeficiency Clinic at ECMC.
The 32nd Annual Artie Awards, sponsored by Buffalo/Toronto Public Media, with additional sponsorship by the Shaw Festival, will be held on Monday, June 5, 2023 at Shea's 710 Theatre, at 8 p.m. Tickets are not yet on sale, but will be available through Shea's. On-time admission will be $20. DON'T BE LATE! Late admission is charged an additional $10 fee. All proceeds (including late fees and a portion of the bar tabs) go to the Immunodeficiency Clinic at ECMC.
THERE ARE FIVE CLOSINGS THIS WEEKEND: BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, KINKY BOOTS, KRAGTAR, SUNSET BOULEVARD, and SWEAT.
KRAGTAR EXTENDED! Due to popular demand, KRAGTAR! THE AMERICAN MONSTER MUSICAL performances now continue thru May 20, tonight and tomorrow's shows are at 7:30. (See listings below.)
Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning and Best Play Tony Award-nominated play SWEAT closes this weekend at Road Less Traveled Productions. (See listings below.)
KINKY BOOTS closes at Shea's 710 with an A-list cast fronted by Steve Copps as a shoe factory owner going broke and Lorenzo Shawn Parnell as a drag queen with an intriguing idea to sell "kinky boots" to drag performers. (See listings below.)
Neil Simon's beloved play BAREFOOT IN THE PARK also closes this weekend at the Jewish Repertory Theater (no performances on Fridays, but two on Saturday at 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm, closing Sunday with the 2:00 performance). (See listings below.)
Mary Kate O'Connell gives a splendid performance in SUNSET BOULEVARD at O'Connell & Company's "new" space on Bailey Avenue in Amherst (See listings below.)
And SWEAT wraps up at Road Less Traveled which has parallels with Ujima's CULLUD WATTAH (one of the characters wants to leave the union and join management, but, to us in the audience, this doesn't seem like a good idea, given the nefarious track record of the companies in question).
Be sure to sign up for Anthony's (free) blog theatertalkbuffalo.com to stay up to date on theatrical happenings in and out of town. And, good news, Javier's theater listings called "On the Board" are back!
Anthony's reviews appear in The Buffalo News (buffalonews.com) and Peter's reviews appear in Buffalo Rising (buffalorising.com).
LOCAL LISTINGS ARE PRESENTED AS FOLLOWS: CLOSINGS (last chances to see these plays), then OPENINGS, then CONTINUING.
CLOSINGS:
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, a play by Neil Simon, directed by Brian Cavanagh. April 27 - May 21, Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 (no performances on Fridays) with matinees Saturday at 3:30 and Sunday at 2:00 at The Maxine & Robert Seller Theatre, Jewish Community Center, 2640 North Forest Rd., Getzville, NY 14068 716-650-7626 www.jccbuffalo.org/jewish-repertory-theatre
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK BLURB: This classic comedy became Neil Simon’s longest-running show and has delighted audiences for decades. Newlyweds Corie, a free spirit, and Paul Bratter, an uptight lawyer, share a sixth-floor apartment in Greenwich Village. Soon after their marriage, Corie tries to find a companion for her mother, Ethel, who is now alone, and sets her up with their neighbor-in-the-attic Velasco. During a dinner with Ethel and Velasco, everything that can go wrong does, inappropriate behavior ensues, and the young couple considers divorce.
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KINKY BOOTS, musical by Harvey Fierstein & Cyndi Lauper, presented by MusicalFare Theatre at Shea’s 710 Theatre, directed & choreographed by Michael Oliver-Walline, starring Brandon Barry, Kris Bartolomeo, Bethany Burrows, Taylor Carlson, Charmagne Chi, Steve Copps, Anna Fernandez, John Fredo, Jake Grear, Lily Jones, Johnny Kiener, Timiyah Love, Collin McKee, Vincenzo L. McNeill, John Panepinto, Lorenzo Shawn Parnell, Oliver Parzy-Sanders, Daniel Pieffer, Daniel Pitirri, Marc Sacco, Dave Spychalski, Dan Urtz and Doug Weyand. May 4 - 21, Thursdays - Fridays at 7:30, Saturdays at 8, Sundays at 2. Shea’s 710 Theatre, 710 Main St. (corner Tupper), Buffalo (716-847-0850). www.sheas.org
KINKY BOOTS BLURB: This Tony Award Musical is an exhilarating story about a shoe factory in Northampton that will lift your spirits to high-heeled heights! Kinky Boots is about finding your passion, overcoming challenges, and transcending stereotypes.
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KRAGTAR!: THE AMERICAN MONSTER MUSICAL, by Kyle Wilson & Sam French, directed by Chris J Handley, presented by The Alleyway Theatre, starring Amy Jakiel, Amanda Funicello, Anthony Lazzaro, and Justin Gaskill. Previews are April 21,22,23,25 all at 7:30. Regular run April 26 - May 20 (NEW!), Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30. Industry night is Monday, May 1. There is one matinee Saturday, May 6 at 3:30. The Alleyway Theatre Main Stage, 1 Curtain Up Alley (between Pearl St. and Main St. a few feet north of Shea's Buffalo) 716-852-2600 www.alleyway.com
NOTE: Due to popular demand, performances now continue thru May 20.
KRAGTAR! BLURB: An ancient prophecy is coming true just in time for another government shutdown as a Godzilla-esque monster appears, leaving America in its wake of blood, tears, and trampled Chick-Fil-As. Scientists and former lovers Harry and Harvey must reunite to save the country — and maybe rekindle their love, too — as they face the dreaded Kragtar in battle. Unbeknownst to our heroes, however, there may be a far greater monster lurking in the shadows, ready to swallow America whole. Runtime 2 hours, 10 minutes with one intermission.
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SUNSET BOULEVARD, musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black & Christopher Hampton, presented by O’Connell & Company, directed by Joey Bucheker, (Javier Bustillos, production supervisor), starring Mary Kate O’Connell, Kevin Deese, Michael Galante, Heather Casseri, and Michael Starzinski. May 5 - 21, Fridays - Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 3, plus one matinee Saturday, May 13 at 3. O’Connell & Company's "new" Theater, 4110 Bailey Ave. (near Bocce Pizza), Amherst (716-848-0800). www.oconnellandcompany.com
SUNSET BOULEVARD BLURB: in her mansion on Sunset Boulevard, faded silent-screen goddess Norma Desmond lives in a fantasy world. Impoverished screenwriter Joe Gillis, on the run from debt collectors, stumbles into her reclusive domain. Persuaded to work on Norma’s “masterpiece,” a film script that she believes will put her back in front of the cameras, Joe is seduced by her and her luxurious lifestyle. Joe becomes entrapped in a claustrophobic existence until his love for another woman leads him to try and break free with dramatic consequences.
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SWEAT, a play by Lynn Nottage, directed by Victoria Pérez, starring Lisa Vitrano, Peter Johnson, and David Mitchell alongside Jake Hayes, Diane DiBernardo, Davida Tolbert, Johnny Barden, Alejandro Gabriel Gómez, and John Vines. April 20 - May 21 Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 2:00, presented by Road Less Traveled Productions, 456 Main Street Buffalo NY 14202, (716) 629-3069 roadlesstraveled.com
WEDNESDAY MAY 17 AT 7:00 there will be an "RLTP OFF-BOOK Happy Hour Zoom Discussion Series" with Michelle Holden featuring SWEAT. To register for the FREE discussion series, visit https://bit.ly/off-book-sweat
SWEAT BLURB: Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2017 Tony-nominated for Best Play. Set in 2000 and 2008, a group of friends in Reading, Pennsylvania gather at a local bar. They’ve spent their lives sharing drinks and secrets when everything is about to be uprooted. Job security, race, trust, and friendship are threatened when their local factory, after decades, begins to make changes and layoffs. In this warm-humored play, SWEAT questions our loyalty to our each other, our employer, and our community and deals with the struggles we face with changes that are out of our control.
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OPENINGS: (listed alphabetically by title)
BUFFALO WRITERS' THEATER ANNUAL SHORT PLAY SHOWCASE on the theme "Get in the car!" directed by Matt Boyle, Mariangela Mercurio, Neal Radice, and Jane Cudmore features ten 10-minute plays by Matt Boyle, Madison Sedlor, Neal Radice, Jennifer Tromble, J. Snodgrass, Karen McDonald, Allison Fradkin, Michael Fanelli, Tim Joyce, and Jenn Dlugos & Charlie Hatton. 3 shows only: Friday - Saturday, May 19 - 20 at 7:30, and Sunday, May 21 at 2:00 at the American Repertory Theater 545 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo.
SHORT PLAY BLURB: Following up on a successful reading of these plays at the Central Library, now it's time for staged performances of all ten 10-minute plays, each of them inspired by the phrase "Get in the car!" Many are funny; some deal with serious issues.
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TICK, TICK...BOOM!, a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Jonathan Larson (the creator of RENT) and script by David Auburn, directed by Louis Colaiacovo, presented by Second Generation Theatre, starring Sean Ryan, Joe Russi, and Leah Berst. May 19 - June 4, Thursday - Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 8:00, Sunday at 2:00 at Shea's Smith Theatre, 654 Main St. (716-847-1410)
www.sheas.org/
TICK, TICK...BOOM! tells the story of an aspiring composer named Jon, living in New York City in 1990, worried he has made the wrong career choice. Larson began to perform the piece as a solo work in 1990. After his death in 1996, it was revised and revamped by playwright David Auburn as a three-actor piece and was premiered Off-Broadway in 2001. Since then it has had numerous local and international productions. Note: A film adaptation, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda starring Andrew Garfield in the lead role, was released by Netflix in November 2021.
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NEGLIA SPRING GALA, Neglia Ballet’s Spring Gala, one night only, Saturday, May 20, 2023. Doors open at 7:00 pm. Performance at 7:30 pm at the Flickinger Performing Arts Center at Nichols School, 1250 Amherst Street, Buffalo, NY 14216. 716-447-0401, www.negliaballet.org, or write to info@negliaballet.org
For tickets, click here https://negliaballet.networkforgood.com/events/54960-neglia-ballet-s-spring-gala
NEGLIA SPRING GALA BLURB: The Spring Gala is an evening of exquisite classical and contemporary dance performances followed by a dessert and champagne reception with dancer meet-and greet. Neglia’s Spring Gala is a celebration of dance with works by acclaimed artists to benefit CityDance and Youth Scholarships.
The Washington Ballet’s Adelaide Clauss & Gian Carlo Perez will perform the bravura pas de deux “Don Quixote”. Colorado Ballet’s Dana Benton & Jonnathan Ramirez will perform Val Caniporali’s heart-wrenching pas de deux “Lady of the Camellias”. International artists Emily Bromberg & Rainer Krenstetter received special permission to perform George Balanchine’s elegant “Pas de Deux from Diamonds.” Note that Adelaide Clauss is a former Neglia Ballet student who has been recognized by internationally published Dance Magazine as 1 of 25 dancers to watch in 2023!
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CONTINUING:
COME BLOW YOUR HORN, comedy by Neil Simon presented by Desiderio’s Dinner Theatre, directed by Jay Desiderio, starring Joseph Marciniak, Jacob Applegate, Buddy Baker, Molly McGrath Alyssa Grace Adams, Marc Ruffino, Cindy Schmitt. May 11-Jul 9, Thu & Sat dinner at 6, show at 7:30; Sun dinner at 1, show at 2:30. Bobby J’s Italian American Grille, 204 Como Park Blvd., Cheektowaga (395-3207). www.mybobbyjs.com
COME BLOW YOUR HORN BLURB:
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CULLUD WATTAH, play by Erika Dickerson-Dispenza, directed by Curtis Lovell, May 12 - 28, Fridays - Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 4, one show Thursday, May 25 also at 7:30. Lorna C. Hill Theater, Ujima Company, Inc, 429 Plymouth Ave., Buffalo 14213 (716) 322-5178 ujimacoinc.org
CULLUD WATTAH BLURB: It’s been 936 days since Flint has had clean water. Marion, a third-generation General Motors line worker, worries over impending layoffs while struggling to fight the poison that floods her home - and her family's bodies. When her sister, Ainee, seeks restitution for lead poisoning, secrets bubble to the surface, threatening their family and the entire city of Flint. “Cullud Wattah,” dives deep into how we make the best choices for our families’ future when there are no real and present options.
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COMING ALONG IN JUNE, 2023
The rest of the M&T Broadway series at Shea's for 2022-2023 concludes with:
JAGGED LITTLE PILL, a musical, the last of the M&T Broadway series at Shea's for 2022-2023, runs Jun 6-11, 2023
DEAR EVAN HANSEN (a Shea's "special engagement") runs June 20-25, 2023
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HEAD OVER HEELS, conceived by & original book by Jeff Whitty; adapted by James Magruder, produced by Bellisima Productions, June 9 - 17, Fridays-Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 3:00, in the Lorna C. Hill Theater, Ujima Company, Inc, 429 Plymouth Ave., Buffalo 14213 Bellissimaproductions1@gmail.com Bellissimaproductions.com
HEAD OVER HEELS BLURB: This laugh-out-loud love story is set to the music of the iconic 1980s all-female rock band The Go-Go’s, including the hit songs, “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth” and “Mad About You". A hilarious, exuberant celebration of love, HEAD OVER HEELS follows the escapades of a royal family on an outrageous journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction — only to discover the key to their realm’s survival lies within each of their own hearts. The plot of the show is adapted from "The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia" written by Shakespeare contemporary Sir Philip Sidney in the 16th century! HEAD OVER HEELS opened at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in June 2015, running for five months in their outdoor theater. Three years later, after Jeff Whitty's departure, it opened on Broadway in July, 2018 at the Hudson Theatre where it ran for 36 previews and 164 performances. Content Warning- Simulated sexual acts and partial nudity.
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Shea's Buffalo Theatre has announced their 2023-24 Broadway Season:
MRS. DOUBTFIRE 9/24 - 30, 2023
MOULIN ROUGE! 10/24 - 11/5, 2023
with ANNIE as a "special engagement" 12/19 - 24, 2023
and then in calendar 2024:
GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY 1/16 - 21, 2024
FUNNY GIRL 2/13 - 18, 2024
LES MISERABLES 3/12 - 18, 2024
MAMMA MIA! 4/9 - 14, 2024
MJ THE MUSICAL 6/11 - 16, 2024
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2023 Artie Award Nominations
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
Burst, Alleyway Theatre
Guards at the Taj, Road Less Traveled Productions
Murder on the Orient Express, All for One
Mysterious Circumstances, Road Less Traveled Productions
People, Places, and Things, D’Youville Kavinoky Theatre
Toni Stone, Ujima Theatre Company
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
The Addams Family, O’Connell and Company
Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, MusicalFare
Nice Work If You Can Get It, MusicalFare
Once on This Island, Shea’s
Rock of Ages, D’Youville Kavinoky Theatre
The Secret Garden, Second Generation Theatre
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE OF A PLAY
Choir Boy, Ujima Theatre Company
The Chosen, Jewish Repertory Theatre
Mediocre Heterosexual Sex, BUA
People, Places, and Things, D’Youville Kavinoky Theatre
Sweat, Road Less Traveled Productions
Toni Stone, Ujima Theatre Company
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE OF A MUSICAL
Disaster!, MusicalFare
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, MusicalFare
Kragtar! The American Monster Musical, Alleyway
Nice Work If You Can Get It, MusicalFare
Rock of Ages, D’Youville Kavinoky Theatre
Wicket, O’Connell & Company
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Naila Ansari, Once on This Island
Chris Handley, Kragtar! The American Monster Musical
Chris Kelly, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Lynne Kurdziel Formato, Rock of Ages
Michael Oliver-Walline, The Secret Garden
Doug Weyand, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Robyn Lee Horn, The Aleph Complex
John Hurley, Mysterious Circumstances
Phillip Knoerzer / Curtis Lovell, Toni Stone
Kyle LoConti, Murder on the Orient Express
Katie Mallinson, Guards at the Taj
Loraine O’Donnell, Network
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
Naila Ansari, Once on This Island
Joey Bucheker, The Rink
Kristy E. Cavanagh, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Lynne Kurdziel Formato, Rock of Ages
Kevin Leary, Kragtar! The American Monster Musical
Michael Oliver-Walline, The Secret Garden
OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Louis Colaiacovo, The Secret Garden
John Kaczorowski, They’re Playing Our Song
Ricky Needham, Rock of Ages
Gerald Ramsay, Spunk
Joe Russi, Cabaret
Marc Sacco, Nice Work If You Can Get It
OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Christian Brandjes, Murder on the Orient Express
Brian Brown, Choir Boy
Kevin Craig, Every Brilliant Thing
Jack Hunter, Tuesdays with Morrie
Stan Klimecko, The Onion Game
Matt Rittler, Gentleman Caller
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Leah Berst, Tell Me On A Sunday
Cassie Cameron, Cabaret
Kelly Copps, Disaster!
Sam Crystal, Wicket
Mary Coppola Gjurich, The Rink
Amy Jakiel, Kragtar! The American Monster Musical
OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Tracie Lane, Burst
Aleks Malejs, People, Places, and Things
Gabriella McKinley, Toni Stone
Victoria Pérez, Isleña
Stefanie Warnick, Mediocre Heterosexual Sex
Priscilla Young, Ann
EMANUEL FRIED AWARD FOR NEW PLAY
Vincent DeStefano, Brace for Impact
Justin Karcher, The Birth of Santa
Matthew LaChiusa, Paradigm Bomb
María Pérez-Gómez and Victoria Pérez, Isleña
j. Snodgrass, Rust & Redemption
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
Dyan Burlingame, Mysterious Circumstances
Chris Cavanagh, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
David King, Misery
Lynne Koscielniak, Murder On The Orient Express
Lynne Koscielniak, The Aleph Complex
Collin Ranney, Burst
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL ELEMENT
Kris Bartolomeo, Makeup Design, The Addams Family
Brian Cavanagh, Lighting, Murder On The Orient Express
Chris Cavanagh, Trick Creation, Play That Goes Wrong
Michele Costa, Puppets, Snowy Day
Brian Milbrand, Video Design, Network
John Rickus, Lighting, Mysterious Circumstances
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Jenna Damberger, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Phylicia Dove, Once On This Island
Kari Drozd, Disaster!
Timmy Goodman, Clue on Stage
Jimmy Janowski/Bebe Bvlgari, Alley of the Dolls
Andrea Letcher, Rock of Ages
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR MUSICAL
Anthony Alcocer, Rock of Ages
John Kaczorowski, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Nick Lama, The Rink
Jon May, The Sound of Music
Dan Urtz, Rock of Ages
Brandon Williamson, Spunk
OUTSTANDING Supporting Actor in a Play
Anthony Alcocer, Murder on the Orient Express
Brian Brown, Toni Stone
Christopher Guilmet, Network
Tom Loughlin, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
David Mitchell, Sweat
Richard Satterwhite, Magnolia Ballet
OUTSTANDING Supporting Actress in a Play
Wendy Hall, Mysterious Circumstances
Brooke Goergan, Rust & Redemption
Lisa Ludwig, Murder on the Orient Express
Blaise Mercedes, Mediocre Heterosexual Sex
Christine Turturro, Burst
Rachael Jamison, Church & State
OUTSTANDING Supporting Actress Musical
Marissa Biondolillo, Wicket
Charmagne Chi, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Arin Lee Dandes, Disaster!
Amanda Funicello, Kragtar! The American Monster Musical
Latosha Jennings, Once on This Island
Madalyn Teal, The Addams Family
OUTSTANDING Featured PERFORMANCE
Jeremy Kreuzer, Kragtar! The American Monster Musical
Gregory Gjurich, Murder on the Orient Express
Renee Landrigan, Alley of the Dolls
Pamela Rose Mangus, The Mai
Phil Wackerfuss, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Emily Yancey, Disaster!
KATHARINE CORNELL Brian Marable, Thurgood
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Loraine O’Donnell Michele Ragusa
