arts & life
theater
We NY
(Theater)
Heading to the Big Apple? Take a bite out of
the cornucopia of delectable theater offerings,
both on and off Broadway.
Alice Burdick Schweiger | Special to the Jewish News
Christian Borle is set to play
Willie Wonka in Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory.
ONBROADWAY
A BRONX TALE tells of a young boy
from a blue-collar family who gets
tangled up in organized crime.
Based on the largely autobiographi-
cal story of Chazz Palminteri, who
wrote the musical’s book and was
first told in the film by Robert De
Niro. Music by Alan Menken,
lyrics by Glenn Slater and co-
directed by Robert De Niro and
Jerry Zaks. Runs through April
2. At the Longacre Theatre. (212)
239-6200; abronxtalethemusical.
com.
CHARLIE AND THE
CHOCOLATE FACTORY invites
theatergoers to experience Willy
Wonka’s magical semi-dark choc-
olate world. Little Charlie and
four other kids win a contest and
are given a tour of the chocolate
factory led by Willy (played
by Christian Borle).
Based on the 1964
novel by Roald Dahl,
it was a turned into
a film in 1971 star-
ring Gene Wilder,
and another in 2005
starring Johnny Depp.
In this stage produc-
tion, the book is by David
Greig, music and lyrics by Marc
Shaiman and lyrics by Scott
Wittman. Previews begin March
28, and the show opens April
23. At the Lunt-Fontanne
Theatre. (800) 982-2787;
charlieonbroadway.com.
COME FROM AWAY
follows the connection
between a group of travel-
ers whose planes were
diverted to Gander,
Newfoundland, on
Sept. 11, 2001. Music and lyrics by husband-
and-wife team Irene Sankoff and David
Hein. Previews begin Feb. 18, and the show
opens March 12. At the Schoenfeld Theatre.
(212) 239-6200; comefromaway.com.
DEAR EVAN HANSEN, transferring from
off-Broadway, is a bittersweet musical that’s
profoundly contemporary. A letter that was
never meant to be seen, a lie that was never
meant to be told, a life he never dreamed
he could have — Evan Hansen is about to
finally fit in. Music and lyrics are by Benj
Pasek and Justin Paul, who both graduated
the University of Michigan in 2006. Book
by Steven Levenson, direction by Michael
Greif and the show stars Ben Platt and
Laura Dreyfuss. Currently in previews, the
show opens Dec. 4. The Music Box Theatre.
(212) 239-6200; dearevanhanson.com.
FALSETTOS centers around a Jewish
family in 1980s NYC during the height of
the AIDS epidemic. The husband is gay and
has to figure out where he stands on love
and relationships. Much of the second act
revolves around his son’s (played by Anthony
Rosenthal) bar mitzvah. Music and lyrics
by William Finn, book by James Lapine;
the show stars Christian Borle, Brandon
Uranowitz, Stephanie J. Block and Andrew
Rannells. Through Jan. 8. At the Walter Kerr
Theatre. (800) 982-2787; lct.org.
GROUNDHOG DAY, regarded as a con-
temporary classic, is a musical adaption
of the 1993 film starring Bill Murray. A
cynical Pittsburgh TV weatherman is sent
to cover the annual Groundhog Day event
in Punxsutawney, Pa., and finds himself
caught in a time loop, forced to repeat the
same day over and over again. Starring
Tony-winner Andy Karl, music and lyrics
by Tim Minchin, book by Danny Rubin
(who wrote the film), directed by Matthew
Warchus. Previews begin March 16 and
the show opens April 17. At the August
Wilson Theatre. (800) 745-3000;
broadway.com.
HEISENBERG, written by Simon
Stephens, stars Denis Arndt and Mary-
Louise Parker. Romance ensues when a
woman kisses a stranger on the neck in a
London train station. Through Dec. 11. At
the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. (212) 239-
6200; hesienbergbroadway.com.
HELLO, DOLLY! makes a return to
Broadway with Bette Midler in the lead role
as Dolly Gallagher Levi. The show was based
on Thornton Wilder’s farce The Matchmaker,
and was a sensation when it opened on
Broadway in 1964, which starred Carol
Channing and won 10 Tony Awards. A film
starring Barbra Streisand was made in 1969.
Music and lyrics are by Jerry Herman, book
by Michael Stewart and direction by Jerry
Zaks. Previews begin March 15, and the
show opens April 20. At the Shubert Theatre.
(212) 239-6200; hellodollyonbroadway.com.
HOLIDAY INN features music and lyr-
ics by Irving Berlin. In this new musical
based on the 1942 classic film, a showbiz
veteran turns a country farmhouse into a live
entertainment inn. Starring Bryce Pinkham
and Corbin Bleu, it’s directed by Gordon
Greenberg. Through Jan. 1. At Studio 54.
(212) 719-1300; broadway.com.
IN TRANSIT, an a cappella musical about
life in New York City, follows New Yorkers of
all walks of life through the lens of the city’s
subway system. Songs by Kristen Anderson-
Lopez (Frozen), James-Allen Ford, Russ
Kaplan and Sara Wordsworth. Currently
in previews; the show opens Dec. 11. At the
Circle in The Square. (800) 982-2787;
intransitbroadway.com.
LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES, the
decadent tale of 18th-century French politics
and sexual intrigue, stars Liev Schreiber.
Based on the 1782 French novel by
Choderlos de Laclos, the story was adapted
into a play in London in 1985 and followed
by a film starring Glenn Close. Through Jan.
22. At the Booth Theatre. (212) 239-6200;
liaisonsbroadway.com.
details Always check on dates — it’s possible that some of the shows will be extended.
64 November 24 • 2016