Theater Update: James Ijames’s new play

'Pal Joey' (with Jennifer Holliday!) at City Center

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story May 31, 2023 Dear Theater Fans, New York City Center just announced an incredible lineup of theater and dance planned for its 2023-24 season. Here's a quick overview: a revamped "Pal Joey," with Ephraim Sykes and Jennifer Holliday; Encores! productions of "Once Upon a Mattress" (with Sutton Foster), "Titanic" and "Jelly's Last Jam"; and a range of dance performances, including the 20th edition of the Fall for Dance festival. Read Sarah Bahr's news article for more details. Jesse Green is fresh off a trip to the nation's capital, where he found tensions between the past and the present at the heart of the three plays he saw during his visit. Two of them, "Good Bones," James Ijames's follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning "Fat Ham," and Kenneth Lin's "Exclusion," are running for a few more weeks. The third, "Here There Are Blueberries," a Tectonic Theater project conceived and directed by Moisés Kaufman, has closed but will be staged next spring at New York Theater Workshop. All three plays, Jesse wrote, use "drama (and comedy) to extend our thinking about the legacies of prejudice and resistance, power and deprivation." From the Tonys to Off Broadway and beyond, our writers have covered a lot of ground: Elisabeth Vincentelli spoke with the Tony nominee Lorna Courtney about the miles she traveled (MetroCard in hand) before landing a starring role in Broadway's "& Juliet"; the costume designer Emilio Sosa told Darryn King about a teacher who drew him out of his shell ("She put a colored pencil in my hand, and I never let it go," he said); and Laura Collins-Hughes sat down with Kate Navin, the head of Audible's theater division, and the comedian Michael Cruz Kayne to discuss how Kayne's new show, "Sorry for Your Loss," and its embrace of humor can help people learn to talk about grief. And as we continue to process the death of one of our greatest performers, Tina Turner, be sure to read Wesley Morris's beautiful appraisal of a national treasure whose "ingredients made her seem immortal." And then revisit Amanda Hess's 2019 profile of Turner, who spoke from her Swiss chateau about the Broadway musical based on her life, "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" (in which she was portrayed by the incandescent Adrienne Warren). Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Please reach out to me at theaterfeedback@nytimes.com with suggestions for stories or to offer your thoughts on what you've read. Have a wonderful week, Nicole Herrington Theater Editor (@nikkih04) DJ Corey Photography CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK In a City of Monuments, History Lives Onstage and in the Streets Three new plays at theaters in Washington explore how the past is both erased and inescapable. By Jesse Green Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Like this email? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. NEWS AND FEATURES Maria Baranova Coming to City Center: 'Pal Joey,' 'Titanic' and the 20th Fall for Dance Also among next season's highlights: Encores! revivals of "Once Upon a Mattress" and "Jelly's Last Jam," and dance works from Pam Tanowitz and Lyon Opera Ballet. By Sarah Bahr OK McCausland for The New York Times For Lorna Courtney of '& Juliet,' New York Has Always Been Her Stage From LaGuardia High School to Broadway, this Tony Award-nominated star has traveled many miles on her journey to theater stardom. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Elias Williams for The New York Times 5 Shows, 94 Actors, 450 Costumes: Emilio Sosa Dresses Broadway With two Tony Award nominations in a single season, this prolific costume designer lets textiles tell the story. By Darryn King Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Broadway Musicians Object to David Byrne's 'Here Lies Love' The show plans to use recorded music instead of a live band, but a labor union says its contract for the theater requires musicians for musicals. By Michael Paulson Lenny Stucker Rosalind Franklin's Role in DNA Discovery, Once Ignored, Is Told Anew in Song "Double Helix," at Bay Street Theater, illuminates the British scientist's contributions, which became the basis for James Watson and Francis Crick's 1953 breakthrough. By Lauren Rosenfield Jackie Molloy for The New York Times He Made a Show About Grief. She Saw Herself in It. Audible Theater's leader and the creator of "Sorry for Your Loss" hope the autobiographical comedy helps others learn to talk about grief. By Laura Collins-Hughes Continue reading the main story ADVERTISMENT OBITUARIES AND APPRAISALS Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Robin Wagner, Set Designer Who Won Three Tony Awards, Dies at 89 He created sets for more than 50 of Broadway's most celebrated productions, including "Hair," "A Chorus Line," "On the Twentieth Century" and "The Producers." By Richard Sandomir Phil Ramey/Associated Press Tina Turner, Magnetic Singer of Explosive Power, Is Dead at 83 Hailed in the 1960s for her dynamic performances with her first husband, Ike, she became a sensation as a recording artist, often echoing her personal struggles in her songs. By William Grimes Bertrand Guay/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images AN APPRAISAL Tornado. Treasure. There Was Nobody Like Tina Turner. She enthralled the masses like she was a wonder of the world, bringing her singular electricity to songs about survival, freedom and bravery. It's hard to believe she's gone. By Wesley Morris David Redfern/Redferns, via Getty Images The Designer Who Put Tina Turner in Those Hemlines The long, spangly relationship between the singer and Bob Mackie. By Jacob Bernstein ANP/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images PLAYLIST Tina Turner's 11 Essential Songs Turner, who died Wednesday at 83, went from R&B shouter to rock queen to pop superstar. Here are some of her greatest musical moments. By Ben Sisario FROM THE CRITICS Sara Krulwich/The New York Times CRITIC'S PICK 'Primary Trust' Review: Sipping Mai Tais, Until Bitter Reality Knocks In Eboni Booth's new play, William Jackson Harper performs with astonishing vulnerability as a man alone and adrift. By Naveen Kumar Emilio Madrid FICTION From Paul Rudnick, a Mismatched Couple but Perfect for Each Other Following a neurotic writer and a wealthy aesthete over four bumpy decades, "Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style" is a gay rom-com that tugs at the heart. By R. Eric Thomas Monique Carboni 'Bernarda's Daughters' Review: Grieving a Father, and a Home In her adaptation of Lorca, Diane Exavier emphasizes the importance of belonging to a place, and how painful it is to consign memories of it to the grave. By Brittani Samuel Johan Persson Review: Problematic Attachments in 'Aspects of Love' A London revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's partner-swapping musical is a camp amoral romp. But is this obsession really the same as romance? By Houman Barekat Sandra Then CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK 'The Inheritance' Arrives at a Festival of German Drama A new production of Matthew López's seven-hour play was among 10 shows chosen for Theatertreffen, a celebration of the best theater from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. By A.J. Goldmann Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Theater Update from The New York Times. 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