Broadway/off Broadway Announcements.
ABINGDON THEATRE COMPANY
ANNOUNCES
REMAINING 2020–2021 SEASON OF PROGRAMMING
“ELEGIES FOR ANGELS, PUNKS AND RAGING QUEENS”
A BENEFIT FOR BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS
WORLD AIDS DAY — DECEMBER 1, 2020
“BAREFOOT IN THE PARK” STARRING LAURA LINNEY
STREAMING ONLINE ON ATC RADIO BEGINNING DECEMBER 1, 2020
“ESTELLA SCROOGE — A NEW MUSICAL”
DECEMBER 4, 2020 — JANUARY 3, 2021
“GRAVEDIGGERS” BY DAN McCORMICK
STREAMING FEBRUARY 22–28, 2021
New York, NY (11/30/20) — Abingdon Theatre Company (Chad Austin, Artistic Director) is thrilled to announce an array of exciting programming — albeit virtual! — for the remainder of its 2020–2021 season. “We never could have imagined a year like this,” shares Chad Austin, ATC Artistic Director. “However, we are extremely grateful that we can offer our theatre audience a variety of programming to close this very unique year.”
In honor of World AIDS Day — tomorrow, Tuesday, December 1, Abingdon Theatre Company is proud to be a co-producer for the virtual revival of “Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens,” to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. A mixture of songs and monologues written and composed by Bill Russell (Sideshow) and Janet Hood, the show celebrates the lives lost to AIDS in free-verse with a blues, jazz and rock score. An array of 50 performers — Broadway, television and film favorites — are taking part in this very special event. They include: Academy Award Winner JK Simmons, Golden Globe Winner Richard Chamberlain, Tony Award Winners Lena Hall, James Monroe Inglehart, Cherry Jones, Nathan Lane, Jessie Mueller and Cynthia Nixon. Also featuring Brooks Ashmankas, Laura Bell Bundy, Paul Castree, Robin de Jesús, Fran Drescher, J Harrison Ghee, Gideon Glick, Lisa Howard, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Frances Jue, Telly Leung, Norm Lewis, Kevin McHale, Anthony Rapp, Krysta Rodriguez, Seth Rudetsky, Alysha Umphress…and many more! The stream is FREE starting at 5pm EST on December 1st (available through December 5) and can be viewed at Broadway on Demand here. Donations will be accepted for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Also launching tomorrow, December 1 (and available through December 31) is the next offering from ATC Radio. Following the success of The Odd Couple, the company’s first radio play launch, ATC Radio is excited to present another Neil Simon favorite, Barefoot in the Park. This classic comedy starring Academy Award Nominee Laura Linney tells the story of a young buttoned up-down lawyer and his free-spirited new bride returning to New York City from their honeymoon. After moving into their first apartment in Greenwich Village, all hell breaks loose — no heat, a leaky skylight and an array of eccentric neighbors all contribute to the situation! Tune in here to join the fun!
Closing out the year 2020, ATC will present Estella Scrooge, a new musical event for the whole family. A “Christmas Carol” with a twist, this musical film follows Estella Scrooge, a modern-day Wall Street tycoon with a penchant for foreclosing. A hotelier in her hometown of Pickwick, Ohio has defaulted on his mortgage and Estella fancies the idea of lowering the boom personally. Arriving at Harthouse on Christmas Eve, Estella discovers that the defaulting party is her childhood friend Pip Nickley. A good and generous soul, Pip has transformed the property into a refuge for the sick, dispossessed and homeless. A freak snowstorm forces Estella to take refuge. That night, just as it happened to her ancestor Ebenezer, she is haunted by three visitations…and oh, what uninvited houseguests they are!
Directed by Olivier and Tony Award winner John Caird (Nicholas Nickleby), the cast is led by Betsy Wolfe (Waitress) as Estella, a descendent of her famous great great-great-great-grandfather Ebenezer. Clifton Duncan (The Play That Goes Wrong) stars as Philip ‘Pip’ Nickleby with 2020 Tony Award nominee Lauren Patten (Jagged Little Pill) as Dawkins. The production also stars Tony Award nominees Patrick Page (Hadestown) as Mr. Merdle, Carolee Carmello (Parade) as Marla Havisham and Danny Burstein (2020 Tony Award Nominee, Moulin Rouge!) as Ebenezer Scrooge.
A modern day take on the beloved 1843 novella by Charles Dickens, Estella Scrooge also wittily incorporates characters and plot lines from Dickens’ other great novels, Great Expectations, Little Dorrit and Bleak House), among others.
Estella Scrooge is the first digital theatre piece filmed entirely during the pandemic, utilizing cutting-edge technology. The fully realized production, a dazzlingly cinematic musical theatre adventure, was filmed using tracked green screen techniques, with 3-D surreal digital environments created in post-production merged with the actual footage of the actors to bring the story to life in a brand-new way.
Tickets for Estella Scrooge may be purchased here.
Looking ahead to 2021, Abingdon Theatre Company will present Gravediggers, an original piece by playwright Dan McCormick. Set during an uncertain global pandemic, that we can all relate to, listeners will immediately be drawn into the world of Charlie and Mac, two gravediggers who work overtime, wondering how the pandemic started, how it will end, and discover that despite their often, heated differences, they have more in common than they originally thought — and a surprising secret discovery. Gravediggers will stream from February 22–28, 2021 and feature performances from both Mr. McCormick and Roy Steinberg. Further information will be provided at a later date.
Abingdon Theatre Company was formed in 1993 by a group of theatre artists, eager for ongoing collaboration and greater control over their creative lives. Now, over 25 years later Abingdon has collaborated with over 200 playwrights including Tony Award Winner, V (Formerly Eve Ensler), Philip Dawkins, David Greenspan and many more. In recent years their annual galas have honored artists such as Bebe Neuwirth, Donna Murphy and Andrew Lippa. Recent productions include the New York Premieres of both Fruit Trilogy and The Gentleman Caller and the critically acclaimed Drama Desk Nominee, Get On Your Knees. The company provides a safe home where playwrights, directors and actors can collaborate within a supportive and nurturing environment. They search for stories about the human experience that reflect our social, political, historical and cultural diversity. They are acutely aware of the theatre’s power to unite disparate population groups through stories about common human interests and strive to shed light on a variety of perspectives.
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