New York Spotlight: December 2008

Liza Minnelli makes her long-anticipated return to Broadway this month, with Liza’s at the Palace…! (Palace Theater, December 3-28), which will feature some of the Tony-winning performer’s personal favorites and signature hits, followed by a dance-filled tribute to the groundbreaking late-1940s nightclub act of Minnelli’s godmother, Kay Thompson.

The Great White Way gets even whiter as Slava’s Snowshow blows into the Helen Hayes (December 2-January 4). This wintry clown show, created and staged by Slava Polunin, was a hit Off-Broadway a few years back, and is sure to delight audiences of all ages.

This month also sees the official openings of two of the most highly anticipated musicals of the season: Pal Joey (Studio 54, December 18) and Shrek the Musical (Broadway Theatre, December 14).

Off-Broadway, Annie Parisse stars in the title role of Second Stage’s production of Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw (December 16-February 1), with the cast also including David Wilson Barnes, Emily Bergl, Kelly Bishop, and Thomas Sadoski. The Atlantic Theater Company presents a new production of Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan (December 9-February 1), directed by Tony Award winner Garry Hynes. Set in 1934, the dark comedy follows the inhabitants of an island off the west coast of Ireland, whose lives are disrupted when Hollywood filmmaker Robert Flaherty arrives on a neighboring island to film his movie The Man of Aran.

Innovative director Ivo van Hove stages Opening Night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (December 2-6.) Adapted from John Cassavetes’ acclaimed 1977 film, the show tells the story of a famous actress starring in a play in which her character must come to terms with aging. A.R. Gurney’s latest, A Light Lunch, makes its debut at the Flea Theater (December 12-January 25). This post-Bush cautionary tale involves a young lawyer from Texas who invites a literary agent for lunch.

As The World Turns star Van Hansis is featured in Les Freres Corbusier’s Dance Dance Revolution Ohio Theater, December 3-20), inspired by the wildly popular video game of the same name. Roberta Maxwell leads the cast of Red Bull’s production of Thomas Middleton’s 17th-century social satire of sexual politics, Women Beware Women (Theatre at St. Clement’s, December 9-January 5). Sam Coppola, Tony Crane, Kevin Isola, Shannon Koob, and Nancy Lemenager star in New House Under Construction (59 E 59, December 4-January 4), about two married couples approaching 40 who reunite in the lake district town where they all grew up.

Among the holiday-themed offerings are the Keen Company’s production of Beasley’s Christmas Party (Clurman Theatre, December 2-January 3), about a curious journalist and his extremely unusual next door neighbors; The Truth About Santa (Kraine Theater, December 3-20), an adults-only apocalyptic holiday tale by Tony-winner Greg Kotis; and Coward at Christmas: A Cabaret for Noel, in which West End favorite Simon Green celebrates Noel Coward’s 109th birthday (December 14-January 4).

Additional December offerings include David Greig’s celebrated translation of Albert Camus’ classic drama Caligula at the Kirk Theatre (December 4-30); Joe Iconis’ world premiere musical comedy triple feature ReWrite, at Urban Stages, (December 6-January 3); Too Much Memory (Fourth Street Theater, December 2-22), a re-telling of Antigone written by husband and wife team Keith Reddin and Meg Gibson; Theater for a New Audience’s revival of Edward Bond’s Chair (Duke on 42nd Street, December 5-28), set in an Orwellian world; and LAByrinth Theater Company’s workshop production of Philip Roth in Khartoum, at the Public Theater (December 4-21).