STAGEFRIGHT by JAVIER
In case you were wondering, singer/entertainer Engelbert Humperdinck is still around and is currently on tour! Humperdinck, who will turn 89 on May 2nd, will be performing at the Seneca Niagara Resorts & Casino on April 5th.
Second Generation Theatre will celebrate Women’s History Month in this March (which is also my birthday month) with their current production of The Niceties (now at Shea’s Smith Theatre through March 2nd), in partnership with the WNY Women’s Foundation. The foundation will host a pre-show mixer at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 2nd, prior to the closing performance of the play which begins at 2 p.m. There will also be a post-show discussion moderated by Gabriella Jean McKinley (the show’s director) featuring panelists Sheri Scavone, CEO of the WNY Women’s Foundation, and director/choreographer/Buffalo State University Assistant Professor Naila Ansari.
It certainly is a happening first weekend in March for the theater world here in Buffalo. The Irish Classical Theatre continues with its 2024-25 Speaking Series on Sunday, March 2nd at 1:30 p.m. prior to the final performance (at 2 p.m.) of the current production of The Loved Ones by Erica Murray. All the way from Ireland, Murray will be in conversation with ICTC’s Artistic Director, Keelie A. Sheridan. They will offer a look at the creative process behind The Loved Ones, tracing its journey from the Dublin Theatre Festival to its North American premiere at ICTC. There will be a post-performance Talk Back and a reception where you will have an opportunity to meet the playwright and cast. Brilliantly directed by Kyle LoConti, the fabulous cast includes Eileen Dugan, Ember Tate-Steele, Smirna Mercedes, and Rebecca Elkin.
And then there’s Cats! Starring Buffalo's signature staged concert format now applies to the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, performing at Shea’s 710 Main. Some tickets remain for Feb. 28 and March 1 at 7:30 p.m. The March 1 matinee is sold out. By the way, there is no truth to the rumor that Betty Buckley was going to make a guest appearance on stage singing “Memory,” the role she originated on Broadway (who started that rumor?) The last time Buckley was on that stage she was starring in A.R Gurney’s Buffalo Gal; she also sang a solo performance on that stage during the run. The first time she appeared at Studio Arena (across the street on at what is now The Town Ballroom) was in A Very Private Life opposite Celeste Holm). Coming up next for the group is Starring Buffalo Sings: Rodgers & Hammerstein!, a new show at Canterbury Woods Performing Arts Center, May 16th & 17th.
TOY opens The Hobbit, based on the classic novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, for two weekends of public performances, Saturdays & Sundays at 2 p.m. from March 1 – 9. Directed by Chris Kelly, the production stars Glen Chitty, Anna Krempholtz, Thomas Evans, Preston Williams, and Lily Jones. Set design by Andrew Machovec, and costume design by Ken Shaw. Understudy cast members include: Scott Borish, Melanie Stang, Lucas Lloyd, Jeremy Kreuzer, and Kristen-Marie Lopez. There will be an understudy performance on Sunday March 2 at 2 p.m. All performances are at the Allendale Theatre,
Matthew LaChiusa’s new play The Informer, adapted from the 1925 novel by Liam O’Flaherty opens March 13th at the Compass Performing Arts Center, 545 Elmwood Ave. Set in 1920s Dublin in the aftermath of the Irish Civil War, the novel was made into a film of the same name in 1935, directed by John Ford. The film won four Academy Awards, including the
Best Director, Best Writing Screenplay, Best Score, and Best Actor for Victor McLaglen (a name that now rings as faintly as a distant boxing bell) who was once well known for his movies opposite John Wayne. LaChiusa will direct his play, starring Trevor Dugan, Juli Grygier, Anthony Grande, Danette Pawlowski, Dan Morris, John Dellacontrada, Nate Chateaux, Margo Davis, and John F Kennedy.
Voices of Ujima, a fundraiser cabaret featuring Curtis Lovell, Brian Brown, Cordell Hopkins, Gabriella McKinley, and many more surprise guests, will be held on March 13th at the Lorna C. Hill Theater. Suggested donation is $25.00. There will be music, food, and games.
The Chita Rivera Awards will honor Tony Award winner Ben Vereen with a lifetime achievement award at its annual ceremony which will be held on May 19 at the NYU Skirball Center for the Arts. The Chita Rivera Awards (formerly known as The Fred Astaire Awards) includes categories for choreography, featured dancers and ensembles for productions both on and Off-Broadway, as well as in film, that opened in the 2024-2025 season. Vereen and Chita toured frequently together in their cabaret act. They also were in the original national tour of Sweet Charity and in the movie adaptation. Vereen won a Tony Award in 1973 for originating the role of Leading Player in Pippin. He was nominated the previous year for his performance as Judas Iscariot in the original production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Speaking of Pippin, that’s the next production coming up next at O’Connell & Company. The Stephen Schwartz musical will run March 21st-April 6th, directed and choreographed by Joey Bucheker with musical direction by Joe Isgar. Jetaun Louie stars as the Leading Player with John Kreuzer as Charlemagne, Kelleigh Murray as Fastrada, Ashleigh Chrisena Ricci as Catherine, Ollie Ryan as Lewis, Carter Riccio as Theo and Lisa Ludwig as Berthe (Bucheker is standing by for Ludwig). Irene Ryan was the original Berthe in 1972. Yes, that’s the same Ryan who played Granny in the TV show The Beverly Hillbillies. In March 1973, Ryan suffered a stroke during a performance of Pippin and died shortly after. John Rubinstein played Pippin in the original production and was Charlemagne int the 2014 national tour of the 2013 Broadway revival that made a stop at Shea’s. The 2013 revival starred Andrea Martin as Berthe, who was subsequently replaced by Tovah Feldshuh, Annie Potts, and Priscilla Lopez
The Lancaster Opera House will present Finnegan's Farewell, an interactive comedy dinner theater production, March 6th-16th at the newly renovated Depew Community Center, 570 Gould Ave. Taking place at an Irish wake, those in attendance are paying their last respects to dearly departed Patrick James Finnegan. Directed by Steve Vaughan, the cast features Ray Boucher, Madi Bunzey, Marie Costa, Isabel Deschamps, Jason Francey, Michael J. Galante, Solange Gosselin, Billy Horn Altamirano, John Kaczorowski, Julie Kittsley, Debbie Pappas Sham, Michael Starzinski, and Deb Turley. Admission is $50 and includes a catered buffet by Potts Deli with a cash bar. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7 p.m. Sundays at 2:00 p.m. For tickets call the Opera House at 716-683-1776 or visit their website at lancasteropera.org
The Canadian production of the musical Come From Away, currently playing at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, has extended its run for four weeks, and is now set to close on May 4th. If you recall, the musical played its pre-Broadway engagement at the Royal Alex in 2016, before opening on Broadway in 2017. The current Canadian production opened in September 2024. Fans of the musical (and there are plenty), are not to worry -- MusicalFare has it in their plans when they move to Shea’s 710 Main next October.
Chautauqua Theatre Company recently announced that Emily Mann’s re-examined version of Execution of Justice will be part of the summer season, directed by Mann herself. Mann served 30 years as Artistic Director and Resident Playwright at McCarter Theatre Center, where she wrote 15 new plays and adaptations, and directed over 50 productions. Written almost 40 years ago Execution of Justice was inspired by the tragic assassinations of Harvey Milk and George Moscone. Coincidentally, Mann also adapted Scenes from a Marriage which is now playing its closing week at Torn Space.