of the characters in the show are
Jewish. It runs through Jan. 7. At
the Vivian Beaumont Theatre;
(212) 239-6200.
M. Butterfly, a revival of the
1998 drama, stars Clive Owen.
It’s based on a true story about
the French diplomat who has an
affair with a Chinese opera sing-
er who he believes is a woman,
but, in fact, is a man. Directed
by Julie Taymor with original
music by Elliot Goldenthal.
The show closes Feb. 25. At the
Cort Theatre; (212) 239-6200.
Mean Girls features a book by
Tina Fey, based on her screen-
play for the film. Music is by Jeff
Richmond (Fey’s husband) and
lyrics by Nell Benjamin. After
moving to a new city and high
school, Cady Heron is unpre-
pared for the vicious ways of her
schoolmates. Will she be able
to rise to popularity without
consequences? Previews begin
March 12, and the show opens
April 8. At the August Wilson
Theatre; (877) 250-2929.
Meteor Shower, starring
Amy Schumer, Detroit-native
Keegan-Michael Key and
Jeremy Shamos, is written
by Steve Martin. Two couples
get together for dinner and
find themselves in a marital
freefall — and in a meteor
shower — during one hot night
in California. Directed by Jerry
Zaks. Currently in previews, it
opens Nov. 29 and closes Jan.
21. At the Booth Theatre; (212)
239-6200.
My Fair Lady, a revival of
the classic musical adapta-
tion of George Bernard Shaw’s
Pygmalion, features book and
lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and
music by Frederick Loewe.
Directed by Barlett Sher. Cast
includes Norbert Leo Butz
and Diana Rigg. Previews
begin March 15 and the show
opens April 19. At the Vivian
Beaumont Theatre; (212) 239-
6200.
Once On This Island, a reviv-
al of the 1990 musical, takes
place on a Caribbean island. A
fearless peasant girl falls in love
with a young man she saves
from a car crash. He’s from the
wealthy side of the island, which
is ruled by four island gods who
try to reunite the couple. Music
and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and
Stephen Flaherty and directed
by Michael Arden, it’s in pre-
views and opens Dec. 3. At the
Circle in the Square Theatre;
(212) 239-6200.
The Parisian Woman, a polit-
ical drama, is set in Washington,
D.C. Chloe, a charming socialite,
tries to help advance her hus-
band’s political career. The show
stars Uma Thurman, Josh Lucas
and Blair Brown. It’s in previews
and opening is Nov. 30. At the
Hudson Theatre; (855) 801-5876.
Rocktopia fuses some of
the best rock songs of the
past century with some of the
greatest classical music. The
music is by Mozart, Queen,
Beethoven, Journey, Handel,
U2, Tchaikovsky, Pink Floyd,
Heart, Rachmaninoff, Foreigner,
Copland, The Who and more.
Created by Randall Craig
Fleischer and Rob Evan. There’s
a five-piece band, a choir of 40
and an orchestra of 20. Previews
begin March 20 and the show
closes April 29. At the Broadway
Theatre; (212) 239-6200.
Spongebob Squarepants
brings to life the Nickelodeon
cartoon series about the under-
sea residents of Bikini Bottom.
Book by Kyle Jarrow, songs by
music-industry giants includ-
ing Steven Tyler, Cyndi Lauper,
They Might Be Giants, Jonathan
Coulton, Sara Bareilles, John
Legend, Lady Antebellum, Plain
White T’s and David Bowie.
Directed by Tina Landau, it’s in
previews and opens Dec. 4. At
the Palace Theatre; (877) 250-
2929.
OFF-BROADWAY
Actually tackles sexual consent:
At a wild party during their
freshman year at Princeton,
Tom, who is African American,
and Amber Cohen, who is
Jewish, connect in a way that
seems innocent. But as things
progress, they find themselves
in murky territory and a school
inquiry occurs. Written by
Anna Ziegler. The show runs
through Dec. 3. At the Studio at
Stage ll; (212) 581-1212.
Amy and the Orphans.
After the death of their father,
two sisters reunite with their
third sister who has Down
Syndrome. Previews begin Feb.
1 and the show opens March 1.
Directed by Scott Ellis. It runs
through Aug. 28. At the Laura
Pels Theatre; (877) 250-2929.
Bulldozer, a new rock musi-
cal, features a four-piece band
and spotlights the late Robert
Moses as he pushed his way
through New York City. Moses
was known as a “master build-
er” in NYC and was responsible
for some of the city’s bridges,
the Westside Highway, the
parkways, the United Nations,
Lincoln Center and more.
Musical direction by Rob
Baumgartner. At the Theatre
of St. Clement’s; (866) 811-4111.
The Sorceress (Di
Kishefmakherin), written in
1879 by Abraham Goldfaden,
was the first Yiddish theater
production ever produced
in the United States. This
operetta has been restored
word-by-word and note-by-
note. The story features an
innocent young heroine, her
fiancé and an unforgettable
cast of characters, including a
wicked stepmother and a ped-
dler. Presented by the National
Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
and performed in Yiddish with
English and Russian supertitles,
it runs Dec. 25 to Jan. 1. All
tickets are $25. At the Museum
of Jewish Heritage; (866) 811-
4111. •
jn
A LIVING LEGACY
Acclaimed four-time Tony Award-
winning Broadway director Jerry
Zaks will be honored in a star-
studded gala
benefit in
New York City
on Monday,
Dec. 18.
Broadway:
A Jewish
American
Legacy is
Jerry Zaks
presented by
the National
Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. The
intimate concert will consist of
songs from Broadway’s Jewish
writers and composers, and
some of the evening’s perform-
ers include Victor Garber, David
Hyde Pierce, Gavin Creel (a U-M
grad) and Ron Rifkin. The event’s
chairs include Robert DeNiro,
Nathan Lane, Bernadette Peters,
Harvey Fierstein and Chazz
Palminteri.
Jerry Zaks has directed more
than 30 productions on the New
York stage and is currently rep-
resented on Broadway with the
shows Hello, Dolly! (starring Bette
Midler), Meteor Shower (starring
Amy Schumer) and A Bronx Tale:
The Musical.
His long list of theatrical cred-
its includes Guys and Dolls, Lend
Me a Tenor, The Front Page and
The Man Who Came to Dinner.
Zaks is being honored for his
contributions in both American
Musical Theatre and Jewish
Life through his work in enter-
tainment. There will also be a
special award given to Bruce E.
Slovin, the founder of the Center
for Jewish History and former
director of Circle in the Square
Theatre.
Tickets start at $650 and
include a dessert reception. The
event will be held at the Edmond
J. Safra Theatre at the Museum
of Jewish Heritage. (212) 213-
2120, ext. 208; nytf.org. •
November 16 • 2017
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