From SPAIN to DRACULA, WALK ON THROUGH to THE GARDENS OF ANUNCIA — A Look Off-Broadway This Fall

Early September is always the most exciting time of the year for me in regards to the Off-Broadway scene. After a summer away—and by away, I mean extremely theatre filled—the new season is upon us and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into all that Off-Broadway has to offer this fall. 

SPAIN

From playwright Jen Silverman, we have SPAIN coming to the Tony Kiser Theater.  It's 1936, and a pair of filmmakers have landed their next big project: a sweeping Spanish Civil War film with the potential to change American hearts and minds. It just happens to be bankrolled by the KGB. This comedic new work about the art of propaganda is directed by Tyne Rafaeli and stars Marin Ireland. I caught up with Ireland to chat about returning to Second Stage when performances begin on November 8, 2023. 

“I’ve worked with Tyne Rafaeli before, we did a play together at the Geffen a few years back and I have known Jen Silverman through the community but we have never been able to work together. They asked me to join a workshop of SPAIN about a year ago for Second Stage, and I’m thrilled to be bringing it to the stage,” said Ireland. 

“When I was a kid I always dreamed of being an actor in New York theatre and Second Stage is such a special place. This is my first time on the main stage, and it is such a special and beautiful thing to get to spend some time there,” she said.

For tickets and more information to SPAIN, visit here. 

Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors

With Halloween quickly approaching, I can’t think of anything more perfectly timed than Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors which is now playing at New World Stages through January 7. The Bram Stoker horror classic gets hilariously turned on its head in this 90-minute romp including a pansexual Gen Z Count Dracula who so just happens to be in the midst of an existential crisis. From co-writers Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, the company includes Jordan Boatman, Arnie Burton, James Daly, Ellen Harvey and Andrew Keenan-Bolger. 

I caught up with Keenan-Bolger to chat about this kooky new Dracula.   

“I think especially during spooky season, getting to do anything sort of creepy is so fun,” he told me. “The fact that we are able to both kind of scare people and mostly make them laugh is just something really fun to do in the fall. Our Dracula gets to send up the horror genre in a hilarious modern way with all the horror movie tropes and random pop culture references blended into a hilarious 90 minutes of theatre that is not to be missed.”

For tickets and more information on Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors, visit here. 

Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice

Anytime Gavin Creel is involved in a project, it’s best to book your tickets immediately. Written and performed by Creel, and directed by Linda Goodrich, Walk on Through was inspired by the countless hours Creel spent wandering through the Metropolitan Museum of Art’ collections. This new musical event features 17 original pop-infused songs each based on a different work in the collection. In his theatrical songwriting debut, Creel invites the audience to explore what it means to engage with art. Walk on Through begins performances November 13, 2023 at MCC Theater. 

“This show is about me and by me, and I am lucky that I get to stand up there and witness my story for some 90 minutes or so on that stage,” Creel said. “I hope that when I’m done, you will want to walk out of that theater and go make something. A play, a poem, go paint! I just want them to feel inspired.”

For tickets and more information on Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice, visit here. 

The Gardens of Anuncia

And sometimes we are blessed with absolute legends Off-Broadway, and if that is what you are looking for, look no further than The Gardens of Anuncia by Michael John LaChiusa which will make its New York premiere at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center beginning October 19, 2023. 

Inspired by the early life story of Broadway legend Graciela Daniele, Anuncia (the icon Priscilla Lopez) tends to her garden as she reflects on her girlhood in Perón’s Argentina and pays homage to the women of her family who gave up so much so that she can become an artist. With a tango-infused score, the company includes Andréa Burns, Eden Espinosa, Tally Sessions, Mary Testa, Kalyn West, Enrique Acevedo, and more. 

“Well this cast is just so fantastic,” Lopez said to me. “Maybe they will teach me a thing or two! These strong, wonderful women in this company, I can’t wait to get to work with them every night. I’ve been having phone calls with Michael John and I can just tell we are all on the same wavelength, it’s going to be a fun time!”

For tickets and more information on The Gardens of Anuncia, visit here.