The Cottage by
Photo by Joan Marcus, 2023, Broadway Production
Sylvia and Beau find themselves in an English countryside cottage for their yearly rendezvous, and Sylvia knows this time it will be the beginning of their new life together. But when Beau demurs on a shared future, and their spouses arrive at the cottage, she realizes that this home-away-from-home is a refuge for determining a new path forward. With a tip of the hat to Noël Coward and sex comedies of the past, The Cottage offers a perfect showcase for six actors with endless laughs, hilarious twists, daring physical comedy, and a happy ending for lovers everywhere.
The Shark Is Broken written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon
Photo by Matthew Murphy, 2023 Broadway Production
The first summer blockbuster movie is being filmed—but no one working on the film would know it. Dive deep into the tumultuous, murky waters of the making of a major motion picture with testy, feuding costars, unpredictable weather, and a shark prop whose constant breakdowns are looking like an omen for the future of the movie. In this comedy co-written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, the short tempers of Jaws stars Robert Shaw (father of co-writer Ian), Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Scheider take center stage as they bond, argue, drink, gamble, and pray for an end to the shoot, not knowing it will change their lives forever.
Hangmen by
It’s 1965, and the death penalty has just been abolished in the United Kingdom. Naturally all of Oldham, northern England, wants to know what Harry, the second-best hangman in the country, has to say about it. As the news breaks, Harry’s pub is overrun with locals and reporters looking for a quote, until a visitor arrives with a darker and more mysterious agenda.
The Pillowman by
With echoes of Stoppard, Kafka, and the Brothers Grimm, The Pillowman centers on a writer in an unnamed totalitarian state who is being interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a series of child murders. The result is an urgent work of theatrical bravura and an unflinching examination of the very nature and purpose of art.
The Glass Menagerie by
Photo by Sara Krulwich, 2013 Broadway revival
Amanda Wingfield is a faded remnant of Southern gentility who now lives in a dingy St. Louis apartment with her son, Tom, and her daughter, Laura, who has a physical handicap and debilitating shyness. The father has left home; Tom supports his mother and sister with a shoe-factory job he finds unbearable. When Amanda convinces Tom to bring home from his workplace a “gentleman caller” for Laura, the illusions that Tom, Amanda, and Laura have each created in order to make life bearable collapse about them.
The Outgoing Tide by
In a summer cottage on Chesapeake Bay, Gunner has hatched an unorthodox plan to secure his family’s future but meets with resistance from his wife and son, who have plans of their own. As winter approaches, the three must quickly find common ground and come to an understanding—before the tide goes out. This drama hums with dark humor and powerful emotion.
Empanada Loca by
Inspired by the legend of Sweeney Todd
Now living deep under Manhattan in an abandoned subway tunnel with the Mole People, a very hungry Dolores recounts her years selling weed with her boyfriend, her return to Washington Heights after thirteen years in prison, her fortuitous reunion with an old stoner friend who lets her give massages for cash in the basement under his empanada shop, and the bloodbath that sent her fleeing underground. Loosely inspired by the legend of Sweeney Todd, Empanada Loca is contemporary Grand Guignol horror in the style of Spalding Gray and the basis for The Horror of Dolores Roach, the hit Spotify podcast and Amazon Prime Video series.
Frost/Nixon by
Photo by Sara Krulwich, 2007 Broadway production
British talk-show host David Frost has become a lowbrow laughingstock. Richard M. Nixon has just resigned the United States presidency in total disgrace over Vietnam and the Watergate scandal. Determined to resurrect his career, Frost risks everything on a series of in-depth interviews in order to extract an apology from Nixon. The cagey Nixon, however, is equally bent on redeeming himself in his nation’s eyes. In the television age, image is king, and both men are desperate to out-talk and upstage each other as the cameras roll. The result is the interview that sealed a president’s legacy.
The North Pool by
In this riveting psychological thriller, a high-school vice principal and a Middle Eastern–born transfer student engage in a politically and emotionally charged game of cat and mouse, with dangerous consequences.
Lily Dale by
After the death of his alcoholic father, and his mother’s remarriage, young Horace Robedaux remained in Harrison, Texas, clerking in a dry goods store. When his mother invites him to visit her and his teenage sister, Lily, in Houston, Horace eagerly accepts, hoping to resettle and find more promising employment. Once in Houston, Horace is confronted by his gruff, surly stepfather, who dotes on his spoiled sister, Lily, but dislikes Horace intensely—and shortly orders him to leave. Horace’s departure, however, is delayed by a sudden bout of illness, which forces him to stay on for several weeks as an invalid. This gives him the chance to reestablish his relationship with his sister, whose memories of their late father are as bitter as Horace’s are forgiving. In the end Horace returns to Harrison, convinced that during his brief stay the demons of the family’s past have been exorcised and that he, as well as his mother and sister, can now face the future with a renewed strength of spirit.
Good Grief by
Good Grief follows Nkechi, or N—a med-school dropout, a first-generation Nigerian, a would-be goddess—as she navigates first loves and losses, and tries to find answers in her parents, the boy next door, and the stars.
Make Believe by
Four young siblings recreate their everyday lives in a game of make-believe in their attic, while the world beneath them bodes a more sinister reality. Defying all narrative expectations, Make Believe is a gut-wrenching meditation on the imprint of childhood trauma on adults.
Outside Mullingar by
Anthony and Rosemary are two introverted misfits straddling 40. Anthony has spent his entire life on a cattle farm in rural Ireland, a state of affairs that—due to his painful shyness—suits him well. Rosemary lives right next door, determined to have him, watching the years slip away. With Anthony’s father threatening to disinherit him and a land feud simmering between their families, Rosemary has every reason to fear romantic catastrophe. But then, in this very Irish story with a surprising depth of poetic passion, these yearning, eccentric souls fight their way towards solid ground and some kind of happiness. Their journey is heartbreaking, funny as hell, and ultimately deeply moving. Outside Mullingar is a compassionate, delightful work about how it’s never too late to take a chance on love.
Stupid F**king Bird by
An aspiring young director rampages against the art created by his mother’s generation. A nubile young actress wrestles with an aging Hollywood star for the affections of a renowned novelist. And everyone discovers just how disappointing love, art, and growing up can be. In this irreverent, contemporary, and very funny remix of Chekhov’s The Seagull, Aaron Posner stages a timeless battle between young and old, past and present, in search of the true meaning of it all. Original songs composed by James Sugg draw the famously subtextual inner thoughts of Chekhov’s characters explicitly to the surface. Stupid F**king Bird will tickle, tantalize, and incite you to consider how art, love, and revolution fuel your own pursuit of happiness.
The Commons of Pensacola by
Judith has been divested of her assets and forced to leave her luxurious New York life after her husband’s Wall Street scam became headline news. When her daughter Becca and Becca’s filmmaker boyfriend pay Judith a visit to the one-bedroom condo Judith now occupies in Pensacola, Florida, everyone’s motives are called into question. How will past and present circumstances inform how this family moves into the future?
Letters of Suresh by
Letters of Suresh reveals intimate mysteries through a series of letters between strangers, friends, daughters, and lovers—many with little in common but a hunger for human connection. Sending their hopes and dreams across oceans and years, they seek peace in one another, while some dream of a city once consumed by the scourge of war. Letter of Suresh is a companion play to Animals Out of Paper.
Included in Broadway Book Club’s College Theatre Pack
On That Day in Amsterdam by
Photo by Jeenah Moon, 2022 Off-Broadway Production
Kevin is a first-generation Filipino-American college student who, on his last night in Amsterdam, has a one-night stand with Sammy, a guy he meets in a bar. But when his flight gets delayed, Kevin finds himself spending the day with Sammy and what began as a one-night stand becomes a deeper connection. Years later, Kevin is still trying to capture that day in writing. Sammy was a refugee without papers—what was his home country? Surely Kevin asked, right? Did Sammy want to study art, or was it Kevin who wanted him to study art? As his memories become more and more elusive, one truth remains: The pair have not heard from each other since, and Kevin cannot shake his regret. Weaving in historical figures who also were touched by art and the uncertainty of life, On That Day in Amsterdam explores love, art, loss, and what it means to live.
Bad Seed by Maxwell Anderson, from William March’s novel
The scene is a small Southern town where Colonel and Christine Penmark live with their daughter, Rhoda. Little Rhoda Penmark is the evil queen of the story. On the surface she is sweet, charming, full of old-fashioned graces, loved by her parents, admired by all her elders. But Rhoda’s mother has an uneasy feeling about her. When one of Rhoda’s schoolmates is mysteriously drowned at a picnic, Mrs. Penmark is alarmed. For the boy who was drowned was the one who had won the penmanship medal that Rhoda felt she deserved.
Ghosts adapted by Richard Eyre from the original written in the Norwegian language by the late Henrik Ibsen, using a literal translation by Charlotte Barslund
Helene Alving has spent her life suspended in an emotional void after the death of her cruel but outwardly charming husband. She’s about to dedicate an orphanage she has built in his memory, and she reveals to a previous admirer, Pastor Manders, that her marriage was a miserable one. Manders had advised her to return to her husband despite his philandering, and she followed that advice in the belief that her love for her husband would eventually reform him. Now Helene is determined to escape the ghosts of her past by telling her son, Oswald, the truth about his father. But on his return from his life as a painter in France, Oswald has his own secrets to share. As the truth spirals out, Helene and her son must confront the harsh realities of their past, and what it will mean for their future.
Musicals
Grey Gardens; Book by Doug Wright, Music by Scott Frankel, Lyrics by Michael Korie
Photo by Craig Schwartz, 2016 Ahmanson Theatre production
Based on the beloved documentary, Grey Gardens is the hilarious and heartbreaking story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s eccentric and upper-class aunt and cousin, Big Edie and Little Edie Bouvier Beale, who became East Hampton’s most notorious recluses. Featuring a shatteringly beautiful score, and the opportunity for two star turns, this musical will thrill and delight audiences.
High Fidelity; Book by David Lindsay-Abaire, Music by Tom Kitt, Lyrics by Amanda Green
Photo by Mark Senior, 2019 Turbine Theatre production
When Brooklyn record store owner Rob finds himself unexpectedly dumped, his life takes a music-filled turn toward the introspective. Based on the popular novel by Nick Hornby, High Fidelity follows Rob as he struggles to discover how his relationship went awry, and strives to change his life in order to win back his sweetheart Laura. With memorable characters and a rock-and-roll score, this homage to music geek culture explores love, heartbreak, and the power of the perfect soundtrack. Contains adult language.
Gettin’ The Band Back Together; Book by Ken Davenport and Grundleshotz, Music & Lyrics Mark Allen, Additional Material Sarah Saltzberg
Mitch Papadopolous always dreamed about being the next Bon Jovi, but he chose security over stardom and left those daydreams behind for a day job. For a while he thought he had everything-the high paying job, the high-rise apartment-until his 40th birthday when he got handed a pink slip and had to move back in with his Mom in Sayreville, New Jersey. And when his high school arch nemesis (with a 20-year-old grudge and a tangerine spray tan) threatens to foreclose on their house, this big-shot banker must save his small-town home the only way he can… by winning The Battle of the Bands. So he dusts off his guitar, gathers his old gang (the math teacher who isn’t good at math, the Irish cop who dreams about being on Broadway, the dermatologist who can’t get a date, and a 16-year-old Jewish rapper who makes Vanilla Ice look cool), and sets out to win the battle… and maybe even win back the high school sweetheart he left behind… proving it’s never too late to give your dreams one last shot.
