44

 

The musical comedy 44 – The unOFFICIAL, unSANCTIONED, OBAMA MUSICIAL ( As Told Through The Hazy Recollection of Joe Biden) , premieres in Philadelphia October 29^th for a limited run from October 29 – November 3, at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre following hit runs in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. It’s a satirical look at the rise and presidency of Barack Obama and  the political characters he met along the way. The production has played to sold-out audiences across the country. Tickets in Philadelphia for this must-see show are on sale now at 44theobamamusicaldotcom/tickets. Opening night is Friday, November 1. The Suzanne Roberts Theatre is located at 480 S. Broad Street.

Hamilton Lottery

Producer Jeffrey Seller and Ensemble Arts Philly announce a digital lottery for Hamilton tickets in conjunction with the show’s first performance on October 29 at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music.  Forty  $10 tickets will be available  for every performance. The show runs through November 23, 2024. Lotteries begin each Friday and close the following Thursday for the upcoming week’s performance.

How to enter:

Use the official app for Hamilton, now available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. http://hamiltonmusical.com/app  

The lottery will open at 10:00 AM every Friday and will close at 12:00 PM the next Thursday prior to the week’s performance.

Winner notifications will be sent out between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM every Thursday for the upcoming week’s performance via email. Winners have two hours to claim and pay for their tickets.

No purchase or payments necessary to enter.

Each winning entrant may purchase up to two (2) tickets.

Only one entry per person.

Lottery tickets may be picked up at will call beginning two hours prior to the performance with a valid photo ID.

Lottery tickets are void if resold.

Enter to win the Hamilton lottery tickets by downloading the Hamilton app directly on your smart phone.

Patrons must be 18 years or older and have a valid, non-expired photo ID that matches the name used to enter. Tickets are non-transferable.

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This Is The Week That Is

                                                                     Founding Fathers
 

1812 Productions, Philadelphia’s only all Comedy Theatre, is presenting its This Is The Week That Is: Election Edition in the Plays and Players Theater 17th and Delancey Streets, Philadelphia. Audiences can be delighted by the election humor through November 3, 2024. The ensemble crew of Newton Buchanan, Pax Ressler, Lexi Thammavong, Robyn Unger, and Jen Childs is excellent beginning with the “’fact checking” of every statement Jen makes in her curtains speech.Three large screens allow video projections throughout the show. Michael Long's video designs are outstanding. Lexi makes an appearance as an adorable Liberty Belle to play a Bachelor Game with 3 candidates, Johnny Legend, Hulk Hogan, and a Bear. After the candidates respond to several questions, the Liberty Belle chooses the silent bear. He will make several appearances later in the show. This Is the Week That Is always has an audience participation segment. This time the audience member is chosen to make a run for president of the United States and must have a running mate. Guess who the running mate is - The bear! The audience member has an opportunity to choose items of clothing and accessories for the bear. There is a  segment highlighting Tim Walz and “Weird” statements made by the opposing party and another highlighting JD Vance’s  ‘single cat ladies’ remarks, both of which are enjoyed by the audience. Unfailingly, Sean Close’s Daily News Report is spot on. Jen Childs is a multi-talented writer, director, and actor. Every year in  This Is The Week That Is  Jen satirizes  a corner of South Philly by putting on her baseball hat backwards and donning her Patsy persona.  Invariably Patsy on the Stoop gives us something to look forward to so we can learn what she knows about “this and that.” This year’s segment has a surprise as she invites her whole ‘family’ to come join her in song. For more information or tickets, visit www.1812productions.org.  
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Jersey Boys

Jersey Boys is appearing on the mainstage of the Walnut Street Theatre through November 3, 2024. Will Stephan Connell gives a fabulous performance as Franki Valli, the lead singer of the iconic pop band The Four Seasons. He is joined by the extremely talented Bob Gaudio who provides the music for the show and in the show as well as band-mate Eddie Olmo II. Tommy DeVito ( portrayed by Ken Sandberg) and Nick Massi ( portrayed by Chris  Stevens ) are the other two members of this band that have the audience members rocking in their seats throughout the performance. An announcement was made before the show began that no one was to sing along to the familiar lyrics because the people on the stage could sing the songs much better. As difficult as it was to obey this admonition, almost everyone was very cooperative and settled for a little swaying in the seats instead. I’m sure this pleased the cast.  It was not necessarily easy on those of us who were sitting behind the enthusiastic boppers. The show is loaded with hit songs, over 30 in all. It is a delightful retelling of the struggles  a young  singing group surmounts on their way to  their induction into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. For a fun-filled experience, get tickets now to see Jersey Boys. For  more information or tickets, call 215- 574-3550 or visit online at walnutstreettheatre.org . or ticketmaster.com

 

How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical

Ensemble Arts Philly is presenting a holiday engagement of Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical at the Miller Theater from November 26 through December 1. This holiday classic is sure to delight both children and adults alike. Audiences will discover the magic of Dr. Seuss’ classic tale as it comes to life on stage.  Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is “two sizes two small,” decides to steal Christmas away from the holiday-loving Who’s. The Grinch broke box office records for two consecutive years on Broadway. Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical  features magnificent sets designed by John Lee Beatty and costumes designed by Robert Morgan, inspired by Dr. Seuss’ original book. The 2024 production is directed by Matt August and choreographed by Bob Richard, based on the original choreography by John Luca and originally created by four-time Tony Award winning director, Jack O’Brien. For additional information on the production, please visit www.GrinchMusical.com. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or visiting online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org. In person ticket sales can be purchased daily from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m  at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street. Orders for groups of 10 or more may be placed by calling 215-790-5883 or emailing groupsales@ensembleartsphilly.org . For more information, contact www.ensembleartsphilly.org.  

The Wanderers

                                                             Robert Daponte & Arielle Siler

The Lantern Theater Company, on the stage at St. Stephen’s Church at 10^th and Ludlow Streets, is presenting its 3^rd work of playwright Anna Ziegler and what a choice it is! The Wanderers , which won the San Diego Critic’s Circle Award for Outstanding New Play, can be seen through October 6, 2024. The play is brilliant. It examines the lives of two married couples who live only blocks away from each other in Brooklyn yet in different worlds. One is a secular Jewish couple and the other is a member of a strict Hasidic sect. After the announcement of narrated chapters, the audience discovers  each  couple has similar experience to confront. The way in which these experiences are faced is a delightful knock-your-socks-off surprise. The ensemble cast is excellent. Abe and Sophie ( Robert DaPonte and Arielle Siler ) grew up together and always knew they would get married. Esther and Schmuli (Zoe Nebraska Feldman and Adam Howard ) meet on their wedding day and give a glimpse of life inside a Hasidic household. Julia Cheever  ( Alanna J. Smith) is Abe’s mid-life crisis. This is an exceptional one-act . For  more information or tickets, call 215-829-0395 or visit online at www.lanterntheater.org.

Book of Mormon

                                                                         Ensemble

Back by popular demand, The Book of Morman,   co-presented by Ensemble Arts Philly and the Shubert Organization, is returning to the Academy of Music  October 1 – 6. Since opening on March 24, 2011, The Book of Mormon  has become one of the most successful shows in Broadway history. In addition to nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical and the Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album, The Book of Morman won five Drama Desk Awards,including Best Musical, the NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, Drama League Award for Best Musical and four Outer Critics  Circle Awards including Best Musical. The Book of Mormon has been performed on three continents and has won over 30 international awards. The musical has smashed long-standing box office records in New York, London, Melbourne, Sydney and cities across the U.S. and the world. Tickets can be purchased  by calling 215-893-1999 or visiting online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org. In person ticket sales can be purchased from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily at the Academy of Music Box Office, 240 S Broad Street. Orders for groups of 10 or more may be placed by calling 215-790-5883 or emailing groupsales@ensembleartsphilly.org. . For more information, visit thebookofmormontour.com.