2014 Winter Theater Preview

Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp in If/Then

January

Chichester Festival Theater’s King Lear production starring Tony winner Frank Langella transfers to BAM on Jan 7. Starting Jan 10, Classic Stage Company puts on a new production of A Man’s a Man, Brecht’s drama with a new score by Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening) starring Justin Vivian Bond. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical begins Jan 14. In the bio-musical, Jessie Mueller stars as songwriter King and her salad days with Gerry Goffin, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann at the Brill Building. Roundabout is reviving Sophie Treadwell’s 1928 potboiler Machinal about a woman who indulges in an illicit love affair starring Rebecca Hall in her long-awaited Broadway debut on Jan 16. Also starting Jan 16, Red Bull Theater revives Joe Orton’s black comedy Loot at the Lucille Lortel. John Patrick Shanley’s new romantic comedy Outside Mullingar receives its world premiere Jan 23 courtesy of MTC. Directed by Doug Hughes, the show stars Brian F. O’Byrne and Debra Messing.

February

Bronx Bombers, Eric Simonson’s new play about the New York Yankees transfers from Primary Stages to the Circle in the Square beginning Feb 6. Charles Busch’s new comedy, The Tribute Artist, about an out-of-work female impersonator (Busch) who takes on the identity of his elderly landlady when she dies in order to keep her Greenwich Village townhouse gets its world-premiere at Primary Stages on Feb 9. Tarell Alvin McCraney’s new interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic, Antony and Cleopatra, comes to The Public starting Feb 18 in a unique co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Miami’s GableStage, starring the handsome Jonathan Cake as Mark Antony and Joaquina Kalukango as Cleopatra. Later, on Feb 20, Kelli O’Hara and hunky Steven Pasquale star in Jason Robert Brown and Marsha Norman’s new musical, The Bridges of Madison County, based on the book and film about an Iowan housewife who falls in love with a photographer.

March

Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’ new musical adaptation of Rocky starring Andy Karl as Rocky and Margo Seibert as Adrian comes to Broadway from Hamburg on Mar 13. On Mar 18, Nina Arianda stars in the MTC world premiere of David Grimm’s Tales From Red Vienna, about a post-WWI woman struggling to keep a secret life secret. Disney’s ultimate musical fantasy, Aladdin, finally comes to Broadway at the New Amsterdam starting Mar 20, flying carpets included! On Mar 23, Les Miserables is back—again—this time with Ramin Karimloo as Valjean and Will Swenson as Javert. Mothers and Sons begins Mar 24 as Tyne Daly stars in Terrence McNally’s latest about a woman who drops in on her late son’s partner, his new partner and their son. And on Mar 27, Idina Menzel stars in Tom Kitt, Brian Yorkey and Michael Greif’s new musical If/Then about a woman starting over again in New York.