Fall Theater Preview

Above: Daniel Radcliffe in Equus

The Third Story by Charles Busch Opens September 16 and runs through October 19
at La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego 

A new comedy from
playwright Charles Busch, who earned a Tony nomination
as author of Broadway’s The Tale of the
Allergist’s Wife and became the undisputed
queen of off-Broadway for his singular creations
Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, The Lady in
Question, and, most recently, Die, Mommie, Die!
This time Busch plays three diva roles in the story of
a late-1940s Hollywood screenwriter attempting to
resurrect her fading career. 

Billy Elliot: The Musical by Elton John and
Lee Hall Begins previews October 1 and opens November 13
at the Imperial Theatre, New York 

A major
box-office success in London for the past three years, the
new Elton John musical is based on the heartwarming
2000 movie about a young lad in a small English mining
town who dreams of becoming a dancer. The musical is
directed by Stephen Daldry, who directed the original movie
and the film adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s
The Hours. 

The Road Show by Stephen Sondheim and John WeidmanOpens November 18 at the Public Theater, New York. 

One of the most
eagerly awaited events on the New York theater calendar,
Sondheim’s new musical is directed by John Doyle, who
most recently reimagined Sweeney Todd and
Company for Broadway. The Road Show is based
on the real-life story of two brothers, Addison and
Wilson Mizner, con artists whose 40 years of scams
included schemes during the Alaskan gold rush and the 1920s
Florida real estate boom. 

The School of Night by Peter Whelan Opens October 30 and runs through December 17 at
the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles

A witty thriller
set in the shadowy world of intrigue and deception
during the Elizabethan Golden Age. The play attempts to
unravel the mystery surrounding the untimely death of
16th-century playwright Christopher Marlowe, a rumored
homosexual who was Shakespeare’s contemporary,
government double agent and spy, and author of the
homoerotic drama Edward II.

Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel PuigOpens on Broadway this fall

An adaptation of
Puig’s own stage version of his acclaimed novel about
two prisoners held together in a brutal Argentine prison.
The dramatic story in which one of the cell mates -- a
gay window dresser -- discovers his inner strength
inspired the 1985 Oscar-winning movie and a 1993
Tony-award winning musical of the same name.