A virus. A lockdown. A city in crisis. A nation inflamed.
And against that backdrop, Broadway — one of New York City’s most recognizable industries and powerful economic engines — shuttered indefinitely.
How to reflect this unsettling moment, and provide insight and entertainment to readers who have largely been confined to their homes, was the challenge in creating the debut installment of “Offstage,” a New York Times streaming series about the theater world on pause.
First, at 7 p.m. Eastern on June 11, the critic-at-large Wesley Morris will hold a conversation with four African-American artists who had shows in the 2019-20 season: the director Kenny Leon (“A Soldier’s Play”); the actress Celia Rose Gooding (“Jagged Little Pill”) and co-stars Adrienne Warren and Daniel J. Watts (“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”). The topic: What it’s like to be black on Broadway, and how the nation’s biggest stages should change.
On those stages this season: a gender-bent revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company”; shows set to the songbooks of Bob Dylan and Alanis Morissette; “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”; and the girl-power extravaganza “Six,” which was 90 minutes from opening before Broadway closed down.
Dramatically, there was “Slave Play,” perhaps the season’s most provocative production; and “The Sound Inside,” an intense character study that gave Mary-Louise Parker one of her finest roles.
[Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris, hosts of the “Still Processing” podcast, will reunite to unpack the reckonings of the past few weeks. R.S.V.P. to join their live conversation, this Friday, June 12 at 4 P.M. E.T.]
Following the conversation are the special performances: join the Times critics Ben Brantley and Jesse Green; the theater reporter Michael Paulson; and the editors Aisha Harris and Nicole Herrington as they present highlights from those shows and more.
There will be song, dance and discussion — a chance to meet Sonya Tayeh, who choreographed “Moulin Rouge!,” and Jeremy O. Harris, who authored “Slave Play.” You’ll hear from Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, and learn how artists stay creative in lockdown.
R.S.V.P. for this event.
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Source: Theater - nytimes.com
