arts & life

PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS

theate r

Jesse Tyler Ferguson stars in Fully Committed

Broadway In Springtime

Alice Burdick Schweiger | Special to the Jewish News

season? Here, what’s

hot and not-to-miss

— with a Jewish

PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS

connection.

Jessie Mueller in Waitress, written
by Adrienne Shelly

32 June 2 • 2016

ON BROADWAY
American Psycho takes place dur-
ing the Wall Street boom of the
1980s and ’90s. With music and
lyrics by Duncan Sheik, it’s based
on the 2000 cult movie of the same
name (which, in turn, is based
on the 1991 book by Brett Easton
Ellis). Patrick Bateman has it all —
a great apartment in NYC, good
looks, plenty of money and status.
But he’s unhappy with his life and
indulges in nights of bloody mur-
der. Starring Benjamin Walker, the
show earned two Tony nomina-
tions. At the Gerald Schoenfeld
Theatre. (212) 239-6200.
An Act of God returns to
Broadway and stars Sean Hayes.
This 90-minute comedy answers
some of the deepest questions
that have plagued mankind since
creation. The show is adapted
by David Javerbaum; song-
writer/music producer is Adam
Schlesinger. At the Booth Theatre.
(212) 239-6200.
Blackbird tells the disturbing
love story of Ray and Una. At age
12, Una was sexually abused by
Ray, who was 15 years her senior.
Ray spent time in prison for statu-
tory rape and Una was ostracized
in her town. Now, years later, she
tracks him down. Starring Jeff
Daniels and Michelle Williams, the
show earned three Tony nomina-
tions and closes June 11. Daniels
is not Jewish, but he still makes
his home in Chelsea, Mich. At the
Belasco Theatre. (212) 239-6200.
Bright Star stars Steve Martin
and Carmen Cusack and tells

the story of love and redemption
set in the American South of the
1920s and 1940s. Literary editor
Alice meets a young soldier just
home from World War II, and they
develop a unique connection. This
original musical is written by Steve
Martin and singer-songwriter Edie
Brickell (wife of Paul Simon). Josh
Rhodes is the choreographer. At
the Cort Theater. (212) 239-6200.
Fiddler On The Roof, a classic
revival, stars Danny Burstein and
is directed by Bartlett Sher. First
opening on Broadway in 1964 to
box office records (it made its stage
debut in tryouts on July 27, 1964,
at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre), the
musical was based on the stories
of Sholem Aleichem. The story
centers on Tevye, the father of five
daughters, Jewish traditions and
life in the shtetl. At the Broadway
Theatre. (212) 239-6200.
Fully Committed, starring Jesse
Tyler Ferguson, is a one-man show
about today’s foodie and restau-
rant culture. Sam works the hot
reservation phone line at one of
New York’s trendiest restaurants. A
cast of desperate callers wanting to
snag a coveted table are all brought
to life by Ferguson. This comedy
is written by Becky Mode. The
show closes July 24. At the Lyceum
Theatre. (212) 239-6200.
Hamilton, the groundbreaking
hip hop/rap musical produced by
Oak Park-native Jeffrey Seller (see
next page), earned 16 Tony nomi-
nations — the most for any show
in the history of Broadway. About
founding father and first Secretary

of Treasury Alexander Hamilton,
this energetic, brilliant show fea-
tures a diverse, multiracial cast,
including Daveed Diggs. Music,
lyrics and book are written by Lin-
Manuel Miranda (In the Heights),
who just won a Pulitzer for Drama
and Grammy for Best Musical
Theater Album. At the Richard
Rodgers Theatre. (800) 745-3000.
Long Day’s Journey into Night,
starring Jessica Lange and Gabriel
Bryne, is Eugene O’Neill’s tale of
an ordinary summer’s day with
extraordinary consequences.
Drawing from the author’s per-
sonal history, it tells of the Tyrone
family and their battle to uncover
and conceal a lifetime of secrets.
Natasha Katz is the lighting
designer. The show earned seven
Tony nominations and closes
June 26. At the American Airlines
Theater. (212) 719-1300.
School of Rock, an Andrew
Lloyd Webber and Glenn Slater
musical, is adapted from the
2003 Jack Black film of the same
name. A down-on-his-luck rocker
becomes a substitute teacher at a
prestigious prep school. When he
sees the fifth-graders have musi-
cal talent, he helps the kids form
a rock band. Natasha Katz is the
lighting designer. At the Winter
Garden Theatre. (212) 239-6200.
She Loves Me follows two
department-store perfume-counter
clerks who just can’t seem to get
along. Unbeknownst to them, they
are secret romantic pen pals. This
charming musical revival stars
U-M grad Gavin Creel and Jane

Krakowski. Music by Jerry Bock,
lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and
book by Joe Masteroff. The show
has eight Tony nominations and
closes July 10. At Studio 54. (212)
719-1300.
The Crucible, the Arthur
Miller classic, was nominated
for four Tony Awards. First pre-
miering on Broadway in 1953,
the play is set during the Salem
witch trials of the 1690s. Miller’s
portrayal of the murders during
the 17th century was written as an
allegory to the McCarthy hearings
in Washington in the 1950s, when
people were blacklisted for being
communists. The show closes July
17. At the Walter Kerr Theatre.
(800) 982-2787.
Paramour features acrobat-
ics, music and dance in a tale of
a young actress forced to choose

PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS

Headed to NYC this

U-M grad Gavin Creel and Jane
Krakowski in She Loves Me

