Concluding Jan. 18
Rock of Ages (Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre). Rock of Ages will end its run as the 27th longest-running show in Broadway history. The current cast include original Broadway cast members Constantine Maroulis (Drew), Mitchell Jarvis (Stacee Jaxx), Adam Dannheisser (Dennis), Paul Schoeffler (Hertz), Andre Ward (Mayor/Ja’Keith Gill), Ericka Hunter (Waitress #1) and Michael Minarik (Swing). Songs included in the musical are "I Wanna Know What Love Is," "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," "Wanted Dead Or Alive," "Here I Go Again," "Don't Stop Believin'" and more. The story centers on Drew, an aspiring rock star who gets by bussing tables and falls for Sherrie Christian, who also dreams of stardom. Visit RockOfAgesMusical.com.
Motown The Musical (Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre). Motown The Musical features music from the legendary Motown catalogue. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, Motown includes arrangements and orchestrations by Tony and Grammy Award nominee Ethan Popp (who also serves as musical supervisor for the orchestra), co-orchestrations and additional arrangements by Tony Award nominee Bryan Crook, dance arrangements by Zane Mark and music direction by Joseph Joubert. The current cast stars Josh Tower as Berry Gordy, Krystal Joy Brown as Diana Ross, Charl Brown as Smokey Robinson and Bryan Terrell Clark as Marvin Gaye. Plans for Motown to reopen on Broadway are in place for July 2016. A U.K. production is planned for summer 2015, and the first national tour of Motown. Visit MotownTheMusical.com.
Dying for It (Off-Broadway at the Linda Gross Theater). Atlantic Theater Company's American premiere of Dying for It, a new play by Olivier Award winner Moira Buffini, is adapted from Nikolai Erdman's The Suicide. The cast includes Mia Barron, Ben Beckley, Nathan Dame, Patch Darragh, Clea Lewis, Peter Maloney, Andrew Mayer, Mary Beth Peil, Jeanine Serralles, Joey Slotnick, Robert Stanton and C.J. Wilson. Here's how the production is billed: "Dying for It is the story of Semyon (Slotnick), a man down on his luck, married to a nag (Serralles), and out of options. When he decides to throw in the towel and kill himself, a deluge of sympathetic visitors descends upon him, determined to make him a martyr for their many causes. Swept up in the firestorm of attention, Semyon does take matters into his own hands, but not quite in the fashion that everyone expects. An outrageous satire on the hypocrisy and illogic of Soviet life, this play was banned by Stalin before it ever saw the light of day, and is now regarded as an under-known 20th century classic comedy." Visit AtlanticTheater.org.
iLuminate (Off-Broadway at New World Stages). iLuminate is a stage show from light-suit dance group iLuminate ("America's Got Talent") that was formerly titled Artist of Light. The show, according to press notes, "follows the fantastical journey of Jacob, a talented young artist who struggles to connect with the real world. He takes comfort in his magical paintbrush, which grants him the power to turn the characters of his imagination into living, breathing creatures. When a jealous townsperson steals the paintbrush and turns his endearing creations into horrifying monsters, Jacob must face this danger without the help of his miraculous instrument. He fights to save his town and friends, even as he knows that the paintbrush which brought him so much joy is now a weapon in the hands of a malevolent villain bent on destruction." Visit iLuminate.com.
