Big or small, the theater scene is getting a major wake-up call this November with three production that deliver award-winning stars, Broadway transfers, and film-to-stage adaptations. Here are our three picks for the month…
Natasha, Pierre and THE GREAT COMET of 1812
Move over, Hamilton, there’s another epic, historical musical coming to town. The Great Comet has been kicking around for several years and those who saw earlier incarnations at Ars Nova or the American Repertory Theatre may be intrigued by its Broadway bolstering, which includes a massive overhaul of the Imperial Theatre and the arrival of ballad-belting superstar Josh Groban.
The story is extracted from a small excerpt of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Natasha is a beautiful ingénue visiting Moscow while she waits for her beloved fiancé Andrey to return from the war. In a moment of indiscretion, she is seduced by the dashing (but already married) Anatole and her position in society is ruined. Her only hope lies with Pierre (Groban), the lonely outsider whose love and compassion for Natasha may be the key to her redemption… and to the renewal of his own soul.
Natasha, Pierre and THE GREAT COMET of 1812
Imperial Theatre
249 West 45th Street
Opening night: November 14
Dead Poets Society
Who can forget Robin Williams’ stirring performance as Professor Keating in the 1989 Academy Award-winning film? Tom Schulman adapts his own screenplay for this much-anticipated production. which follows the trials and tribulations at a rigorous all-boys preparatory school renowned for its ancient traditions, where the unconventional Professor Keating inspires his students to defy conformity and to live passionately.
Classic Stage Company’s artistic director John Doyle helms the production starring Jason Sudeikis.
Dead Poets Society
Classic Stage Company
136 East 13th Street
Opening night: November 17
(Through December 18)
Sweet Charity
Musical theater fans have officially gone mad in anticipation of Sutton Foster’s casting as Charity in Neil Simon, Cy Coleman, and Dorothy Field’s 1966 hit. She’s got quite a legacy to follow, including Gwen Verdon and Debbie Allen. This production, presented in an intimate setting by The New Group, features original choreography by Joshua Bergasse (On the Town) and promises a fresh, modern perspective by Tony-nominated director Leigh Silverman (Violet, Well).
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the classic musical Sweet Charity, the musical follows Charity Hope Valentine, the sassy, diehard romantic dancehall hostess whose naivety and overeager embrace of every man she meets keeps getting her in hot water.
Sutton Foster, Ryan Worsing and Joel Perez in rehearsal for The New Group’s production of ‘Sweet Charity.’ (Photo: Hunter Canning via The Broadway Blog.)
Sweet Charity
The Romulus Linney Courtyward Theatre
at The Pershing Square Signature Center
480 West 42nd Street
Opening night: November 20
(Limited run through January 8, 2017)
Matthew Wexler is The Broadway Blog’s editor. Follow him on social media at @roodeloo.
