Theater News
Stagefright by Javier
Congratulations to Meg Quinn, who was inducted into the Theatre District Plaza of Stars during Curtain Up Week. Quinn is a prominent director, producer, actress (we co-starred in TOY After Dark’s production of Equus back in 1991), and arts leader in Buffalo, best known as a founding member and longtime artistic director of Theatre of Youth (TOY). Under her leadership, TOY gained a reputation for high-quality, innovative productions that addressed child-centered themes. Now retired from TOY, Quinn serves on the board of Shea’s Buffalo, quite an upgrade, since many years ago she worked as the theater’s telephone operator. Oh, and by the way, she won the first Artie for Outstanding Supporting Performance by an Actress for her performance in Equus. She was also recognized with the Artie Career Achievement Award.
TOY is now in its 55th year and will start the 2026-27 season with the musical The Pigeon Gets a Big Time Holiday Extravaganza, based on books and characters by Mo Willems. Directed by Grace Aroune, with musical direction by Stephen Schapero, the show will star Aaron Gabriel Saldana, Shelby McNulty-DeCaro, Len Mendez, Bridgette Turner, Ava Fronckowiak, Jetaun Louie, and Heather Casseri. Pigeon runs November 18th-December 19th and is recommended for ages 3 and up.
Shea’s kicked off its season with a bang with Buena Vista Social Club, which opened its national tour here in Buffalo. The musical is still playing on Broadway and won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. The tour is now in Miami, to be followed by stops in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, where it will without doubt be a huge hit. Later in the season, Shea’s will present the musical The Great Gatsby, which just celebrated its 1,000th performance on Broadway. Buffalo’s own Jonathan Young has joined the cast of the Broadway show as part of the ensemble, understudying the two male leads, Tom and Gatsby!
The Lancaster Opera House, now under the direction of John Kaczorowski (Artistic/Executive Director), opened its 2026-27 season with 1776, the musical inspired by the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Directed by John Landis with musical direction by Fran Landis, the production stars Jon May as John Adams, Bernie Sheredy as Benjamin Franklin, Kaczorowski as John Dickinson, Merrick Allen as Thomas Jefferson, Charles McGregor as Edward Rutledge, Ray Boucher as John Hancock, Michelle Holden as Abigail Adams, and Allinee NeGron as Martha Jefferson. The large ensemble also features Zach Gammel, Mary Bellanti, David Mitchell, Chris Wagner, Isaiah Franko, Nate Miller, Zach Bills-Warman, Jason Francey, Devin Klumpp, Nate Higgins, Dan Todd, Madge Bellanti, Chris Riso, Mark Saglian, and David Butler. Performances continue through October 11th, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. For tickets, go to www.lancasteropera.org or call (716) 683-1776 (yes, that is the number).
After weeks, or actually months, of behind-the-scenes speculation, it is finally official that Kevin Leary will be the Producing Artistic Director at the Irish Classical Theatre Company beginning January 1, 2027. His job at the Kenan Center Taylor Theatre in Lockport will end in October 2026. Jimmy Lewis will take over as Taylor Theatre Artistic Director. The Taylor’s 2026-27 theatre season will go on without much change. Leary will still direct Dames at Sea, A Christmas Carol, and Hamlet. Dames at Sea will star Bethany Moore, Audrey Woods, Rebecca Bradford, Robb Zimmerman, Eric Rivas, and Andrew Kowalczewski.
UB’s Department of Theatre and Dance is joining the touring Shakespeare realm under the umbrella of the Shakespeare Mobile Lab. Created by faculty member Danielle Rosvally, the Lab will present Macbeth, adapted and directed by Rosvally. Performances are October 8th at 7:30 p.m. and December 6th at 2:00 p.m. at UB’s Katharine Cornell Theatre; October 9th at 7:30 p.m. at the Irish Classical Theatre Company; and November 7th at 1:00 p.m. at the Buffalo & Erie County Central Library (the library has a great collection of rare Shakespearean texts). Rosvally will also give a talk on storytelling at the library on October 29th at 6:00 p.m. All events are free and general admission, with no tickets required.
Next for American Repertory Theater of WNY is Jack Kirkland’s controversial dark comedy Tobacco Road, adapted from Erskine Caldwell’s novel. Tobacco Road opened on Broadway in 1933 and ran until 1941; it is still on the list of longest runs on Broadway, just ahead of Hello, Dolly! The play was banned in several cities for being sensational and immoral. Matthew LaChiusa directs a truly great ensemble cast: Nate Chateau, Kaylie Horowitz, Danette Pawlowski, Andrew Brown, Emily C. McDonnell, Trevor Dugan, Sadie Everhart, Mark Tramont, Ian F. LaLonde, and Margo Davis. Performances run October 15th-31st, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. Thursday performances are pay-what-you-can.
Speaking of LaChiusas, Michael John LaChiusa’s Beautiful Jolie Gabor, Her Glamorous Three Daughters, and Always the Happiness Is Life will get a world premiere Off-Broadway in 2027, presented by Transport Group as part of the company’s 25th anniversary season. Commissioned by Transport Group, the show is “a musical fantasy” centered on real-life figure Jolie Gabor, the matriarch of the first family to become famous for being famous (Gabor’s daughters included Zsa Zsa, Eva, and Magda). The musical is the latest in a long history of collaboration between LaChiusa and Transport. The company commissioned his Queen of the Mist in 2011 and has also staged his First Lady Suite and Hello Again.
Up next at the Alleyway, after a fantastic Becky Shaw, is the Buffalo premiere of The Haunting of Hooverton, a comedy by Jacob Albarella and Jason Kaiser, directed by Dan Lendzian and starring Ayden Herreid, Janae Leonard, Gabrielys Rosa Lozada, Ryan Okun, Scott Borish, Vernia Sharisse Garvin, Kerrick Woyshner, Connor McGuire, Zach Kushner, and Caitlin Coleman. The play runs October 24th-November 14th.
The opening night of Bat Boy: the Musical was attended by a devoted throng of show husbands: Alex Garcia, husband of Sabrina Kahwaty Garcia, who plays Clem and Meredith’s Mother; Matthew DiVita, husband of Karen Harty who plays Ron and Mayor Maggie; and Adam Yellen, husband of Arin Lee Dandes, who plays the Sheriff. That's a whole lot of talent!
First Fridays at Fugazzi have become quite the show business gathering. Pictured here are two former Big Jules from Chicago, Michael Blasdell who just finished a run in Guys and Dolls for O'Connell & Company, and Jimmy Janowski, who played the role for MusicalFare a few years ago. Who was my favorite? I'll tell you at Matinee when they re-open. We hear the insurance check has arrived!
Farewell to Tim Curry, who recently died at the age of 80. Best remembered for his movies, Curry was a creature of the stage first. He made his West End debut in the original London cast of Hair in 1968, where he met Richard O’Brien, who soon handed him the role of a lifetime: Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show. Curry created the part at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 1973, took it to the Roxy in Los Angeles and to Broadway’s Belasco Theatre, and, of course, to the 1975 film that made him a midnight-movie legend. He was Tristan Tzara in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties, in London and on Broadway, and then earned his first Tony nomination as Mozart in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, opposite Ian McKellen’s Salieri. In London he swashbuckled as the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance at Drury Lane (an Olivier nomination) and played Macheath in The Threepenny Opera at the National Theatre. He headlined the national tour of Me and My Girl, picked up a second Tony nomination as the dashing, dissolute matinee idol Alan Swann in My Favorite Year at Lincoln Center, and a third as King Arthur in Monty Python’s Spamalot, which he played in Chicago, on Broadway, and in the West End. A 2012 stroke ended his stage career. Three Tony nominations and not a single win, and yet few actors have ever owned a stage the way he did. His fabulous autobiography, Vagabond: A Memoir, was released last fall.
Baby debuts! Chase Andrew Lama was born to Audrianna and Nick on September 24th. Carmela Rose Didio was born to Gretchen and Brendan on September 27th. Congratulations to all!
