These Upcoming Plays Will Make You Want To Celebrate #WorldTheaterDay
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Talya Zax March 27, 2017
It’s World Theater Day, and what better way to celebrate than by looking forward to the most exciting Jewish theater of the spring and summer? Whether you’re looking for brand new musical thrills, enigmatic mysteries, or fresh takes on classics, the upcoming New York and London seasons have it all.
1) “Indecent”
Paula Vogel’s “Indecent,” directed and co-created by Rebecca Taichman, opens on Broadway in mid-April. The production will be Vogel’s first on Broadway; off-Broadway in the spring of 2016, it won raves.
2) Sam Gold’s “Hamlet”
Sam Gold is one of New York’s most in-demand directors, soon to have two plays — “The Glass Menagerie” and “A Doll’s House, Part 2” — running on Broadway simultaneously. His long-awaited take on “Hamlet,” which will star Oscar Isaacs and Keegan-Michael Key, will open at the Public Theater in mid-July, with previews beginning in June.
3) “War Paint”
Already in previews, with an official opening in early April, “War Paint” is a new musical based on the rivalry between 20th-century cosmetics industry giants Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden. For a preview, read Julia M. Klein’s review for the Forward of the musical’s debut outing last spring at Chicago’s Goodman Theater.
4) “Angels in America”
Tony Kushner’s titanic two-part play “Angels in America” is about to get a much-anticipated revival at London’s National Theatre, with a cast lead by Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane. Lane’s take on the character of Roy Cohn — a lawyer who was, coincidentally, a longtime confidante of President Trump — will be especially unmissable.
5) “City of Glass”
Also in London, the Lyric Hammersmith will premiere a theatrical adaptation of Paul Auster’s novel “City of Glass.” The novel follows a crime writer whose connection to reality begins to sever; expect the stage version to feature dizzying feats of stage magic.
6) “Prince of Broadway”
“Prince of Broadway,” a musical exploration of the life and career of legendary Broadway producer and director Harold Prince, has had an embattled path to the stage. It finally reaches the Great White Way this August, directed by Prince himself.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
