CENTER S TAG E
Even though lesbian characters in Broadway musicals are not new—having appeared prominently in shows like Rent, The Color Purple, and Chicago—one can still recognize the moment of oh-thisis-new that comes from having the lead character wake up from a night with her first girlfriend to sing that she’s “changing her major to Joan.”
FUN HOME. PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS.
The rest of the Fun Home cast includes Judy Kuhn as Alison’s mother Helen (who positively breaks your heart with the ballad “Days and Days”), Roberta Colindrez as Joan, and Joel Perez in a variety of characters for whom Bruce turns his affections. At Circle in the Square Theatre (funhomebroadway.com).
SOMETHING ROTTEN. PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS.
IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU. PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS.
FUN HOME. PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS.
Also of interest to LGBT audiences, in a limited engagement, gay actor Jim Parsons will return to the New York stages in AN ACT OF GOD. Parsons will play the title role: God. Directed by Joe Mantello (Tony-nominated for the The Normal Heart and Angels in America), the 90-minute comedy promises that God will reveal the mysteries of the Bible and answer the questions that plague mankind. At Sudio 54 (anactofgod.com).
Another original musical tearing up the scene this summer is SOMETHING ROTTEN, the tale of Nick and Nigel Bottom living in the 1590s and trying hard to get out of the shadow of “The Bard” with a brilliant idea of making a theatrical show where the performers sing… and dance… and act… at the same time! The cast includes Brian d’Arcy James, Christian Borle, John Cariani, and Heidi Bickenstaff in a humorous musical homage to musicals. The early buzz suggests this will be one of the hottest shows of the summer. At the St. James Theatre (rottenbroadway.com).
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If you’re looking for an epic romance, the musical adaptation of DOCTOR ZHIVAGO promises all the chest-clutched-withyearning-earnest story you can handle in the Nobel Prize-winning tale of poet and idealist Zhivago’s love life amid the final days of Russia’s czarist aristocracy. At The Broadway Theatre (doctorzhivagobroadway.com).
David Burtka (a.k.a. Mr. Neil Patrick Harris) stars as the groom in IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU, a romantic comedy about a Jewish-Catholic wedding with Tyne Daly and Harriet Harris as mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom and unlikely to play well together. Frasier star David Hyde Pierce directs the cast that also includes Sierra Boggess, Lisa Howard, Edward Hibbert, Steve Rosen, Chip Zien, Montego Glover, and Josh Grisetti. At the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (itshouldabeenyou.com).