Weekly theater news, delivered a little louder for the people in the back. Vulture Stage Whisperer OCTOBER 2, 2024 Presented by Top of the evening, Whisperites, The British are (continuing to be) coming! In the last week, we’ve gotten three announcements of upcoming imports from the West End that’ll hit our shores this spring: Operation Mincemeat, an Olivier-winning World War II spy yarn from the comedy troupe SplitLip; a solo version of The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Succession’s Sarah Snook, directed by (and we should note the Commonwealth nation of origin) fellow Australian Kip Williams, full of video cameras; and Tortured Man Club member Andrew Scott’s solo Uncle Vanya, which is notably sticking to an Off Broadway house, the Lortel. (Scott’s a luminary of the London stage, but he’s only done Broadway once, playing Julianne Moore’s boyfriend in The Vertical Hour in 2006. I respect the commitment to not bothering with all that again.) Until Stage Whisperer establishes some London offices of our own — land-poor aristocrats interested in housing us in your manors, please get in touch — I can’t give the full report on these sorts of transfers.  But I can say that I saw Operation Mincemeat on a work trip last year and had a grand old time, and whether it was due to jet lag or stagecraft, I wept at an emotional number. Still, I’m curious to see how American audiences process some very British humor about the posh idiocies of MI5 (maybe the success of Slow Horses will help?). I also saw the National Theatre Live taping of Vanya and was struck by the unadorned force of Scott’s performance — plus the impressive prop work he accomplishes with his gold chain necklace. As for Dorian Gray, I haven’t seen it! But as friend of Stage Whisperer and Vulture editor Ray Rahman pointed out, it’s fun that after the end of Succession, all three Roy children will soon have done a show on Broadway. That does, as usual, leave out poor Connor, but hey, did you know Alan Ruck was once in The Producers?  Jackson McHenry Jackson McHenry Theater Critic, Vulture LOOKING FOR A GREAT SHOW TO SEE? Visit our theater calendar for a complete list of shows. ADVERTISER CONTENT THE MOST TONYT:IWINNING STEREDPHDNIC ON BROADWAY THRU JAN 12 ONLY EEATZGE STEREOPHONIC HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH JANUARY 12 ONLY Due to popular demand, Stereophonic – the most Tony Award-winning show of the season and the 2024 winner for Best Play – has extended its Broadway run one final time. The smash hit production will now close on January 12.  Written by David Adjmi, directed by Daniel Aukin, and featuring original music by Arcade Fire's Will Butler, this "must-see American classic" (The New York Times) is not to be missed. Get tickets at StereophonicPlay.com. Learn More BOX-OFFICE BANTER TIKTOK STUNT CASTING SHOW THIS WEEK'S GROSS DIFF § % CAPACITY DIFF % CAPACITY & JULIET $674,655 $29,896 77.52% 5.44% OH, MARY! $1,163,957 $2,229| 100.00% 0.00% MCNEAL $1,151,402 -$56,018| 100.00% 0.00% ROMEO AND JULIET $441,258 $0| 103.53% 0.00% This week’s grosses are here! Jackson McHenry, Zach Schiffman, Brandon Sanchez, and Jason P. Frank discuss. Jackson McHenry: It's impressive how much of a hit Oh, Mary! continues to be, for a play without gigantic stars, etc. Also, Romeo + Juliet and Sunset are both launching strong with over 100 percent capacity. The people, they want to see Kit Connor do pull-ups. Zach Schiffman: It also seems like Romeo + Juliet does not care how many videos people post from inside the theater, which could attract even more people. Jackson: Plus their whole stage-door party thing — which, between that and Nicole signing playbills covered in blood, stage-door production values keep going up. Also, will ensemble member Charli D'Amelio be enough to pull & Juliet out of its sales slump?  Brandon Sanchez: Trisha Paytas for & Juliet ensemble. Zach: Ensemble stunt casting is so awesome. It’s sort of like the opposite of Public Works. Jackson: What other TikTok people should they put into the ensembles of other shows?  Jason P. Frank: Oh, they should put a twink and a redhead in McNeal.  Jackson: When I say "large language," you say "model.” Jason: You know how every year in the Oscar race there are fake movies? Like, "Okay, Bill Nighy has an Oscar nomination for this, but it doesn't exist,” and you just have to accept that? That’s how McNeal feels to me. Jackson: Is Ruthie Ann Miles there for a few scenes as doctor? Who’s to say? FEATURED REVIEW THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE INTENTIONS: YELLOW FACE AND GOOD BONES By Sara Holdren From Yellow Face, at the Todd Haimes Theatre. Photo: Joan Marcus Seventeen years is an eon in theater time, enough to make some plays feel as dated as fondue and Fawlty Towers, but David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Facehas aged well. Currently receiving its belated Broadway premiere in a swift, tangy production by Leigh Silverman — who also directed its first New York run in 2007 — the play retains its bite in part because its essential subject, like that of many a good comedy, is human folly. “Are you familiar with the Chinese concept of ‘face’?” asks a character in Hwang’s play — that’s as in “losing face” or “saving face.” Although both the inciting incident and the core conflict of Yellow Face have to do with instances of Asian impersonation by a white actor, there’s a reason Hwang’s title has a space in it. It’s not just about white foolishness — it’s about his own, too. READ THE FULL REVIEW * Plus: McNeal and Robert Downey Jr. Dance With ChatGPT WHISPER OF THE WEEK I don’t know what it’s called or what it’s about, but it has Mark Rylance and J. Smith-Cameron, so I’m going.” -An audience member overheard describing her London theater plans  BEHIND THE CURTAIN ...  ➽ Sarah Snook will make her Broadway debut in solo Dorian Gray the same month that Andrew Scott takes on solo Vanya. ➽ Water for Elephants will play its final performance at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre on December 8. ➽ The Museum of Broadway will launch an exclusive new exhibit that will celebrate 30 years of Disney on Broadway entitled Disney on Broadway: 30 Years of Magic. IN MEMORIAM Even as the season is starting to accelerate, we should acknowledge a week of loss in the theater world: the instantly-recognizable baritone Ken Page, Cats’ Old Deuteronomy and The Nightmare Before Christmas’s Oogie Boogie, died at 70. Gavin Creel, whose clarion tenor a generation of performers still tries to imitate, died at 48. If it’s any consolation, we recommend seeking out some of their work, whether Page’s calling card, “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat,” or Creel’s “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” which contains something like pure sunshine. —Jackson McHenry ADVERTISER CONTENT   Learn more about Jeeng The Gold Rush Newsletter GOLD RUSH A newsletter about the perpetual Hollywood awards race, for subscribers only. SIGN UP Vulture follow us on instagram • twitter • facebook   |  privacy notice  |   This email was sent to . Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get this newsletter in your inbox. Vox Media, LLC 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved