There’s a big overlap of theater and film this week in Best Bets: November 17th – November 23rd, but there are also a couple surprises.
AMADEUS – Steppenwolf Theatre Company – Chicago, IL – Now – January 25, 2026
Robert Falls, the director behind memorable revivals of Death of a Salesman and Long Day’s Journey Into Night, tackles Peter Shaffer’s play about the rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (David Darrow) and Antonio Salieri (Ian Barford).
The film version released in 1984 went on to win 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture. As good as the film is, the play is, in my opinion, even better. There’s a great emotional impact when this play is done correctly and I have every confidence that Falls will get to the heart of Amadeus.
Jaye Ladymore plays Constanze Weber and Gregory Linington plays Joseph II. Interestingly, Mikhail Fiksel composed original music for this production. What might non-Mozart music bring to the play?
For tickets (which are already limited) and more information, please go HERE.
25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE – New World Stages – New York, NY – Now – April 12, 2026
William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s 2005 musical returns to New York in this new off-Broadway production directed by Danny Mefford.
The original production was nominated for 6 Tony Awards and won for Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler).
The musical centers around exactly what you’d expect: a spelling bee. But it is the lives and thoughts of its six main characters that makes gives this musical both its sense of humor and its heart. That and Finn’s incredible way with music and words.
Philippe Arroyo, Autumn Best, Leana Rae Concepcion, Justin Cooley, Kevin McHale and Jasmine Amy Rogers play the students. Jason Kravits plays the principal, Lilli Cooper plays the moderator and Matt Manuel plays the ex-con who serves as a “counselor” for the event.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
A NIGHT OF MELLON COLLIE AND INFINITE SADNESS – Lyric Opera of Chicago – November 21st – November 30th
This combination of a classic rock album by the Smashing Pumpkins and the Lyric Opera of Chicago might seem like strange bedfellows. But this 1995 album is being celebrated on the cusp of its 30th anniversary with a whole new approach.
Billy Corgan, the founder and lead singer of Smashing Pumpkins, has created new arrangements of his songs with James Lowe for this wholly new way of presenting and experiencing this music.
Corgan will be performing alongside tenor Dominick Valdés Chenes, soprano Sydney Mancasola, baritone Edward Parks and mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams. James Lowe will conduct the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra.
Given Corgan’s passion for visual storytelling, projection designer Greg Emetaz, costume designers House of Gilles by Gilles and Chloé Mendel, lighting designer Chris Maravich and sound designer Pete Wiejaczka will play pivotal roles.
Fans of this album will want to know that a 30th Anniversary Edition is coming out on Friday, November 21st.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS – MasterVoices at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall – New York, NY – November 21st – November 22nd
The 1957 film Sweet Smell of Success is considered a great film today. But upon its release it wasn’t received very well. This in spite of a script by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman, terrific performances by Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Burt Lancaster and Martin Milner and an amazing score by Elmer Bernstein. Time has been infinitely kinder to Alexander Mackendrick’s film.
One hopes the same will happen with this Marvin Hamlisch (composer), Craig Carnelia (lyricist) and John Guare (book) musical after these three concert performances of Sweet Smell of Success. Carnelia and Guare have been revising the musical for these concerts including the re-introduction of songs previously taken out of the show.
Raúl Esparza stars as notorious gossip columnist J.J. Hunsecker. Ali Louis Bourzgui plays press agent Sidney Falco who must call in every favor to get Hunsecker’s support. Lizzy McAlpine plays Susan, J.J.’s sister and Noah J. Ricketts plays Dallas, the jazz singer Susan is in love with.
Ted Sperling directs and conducts the performances.
Later this week we’ll have an interview with lyricist Craig Carnelia. Check back for that!
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
THE HOLLYWOOD MODERNISTS – THE SECOND GOLDEN AGE OF FILM SCORING – The Wallis – Beverly Hills, CA – November 22, 2025
This concert was originally scheduled for January of this year, but the tragic fires in the Los Angeles area forced a postponement. It was to be the debut of the Scott Dunn Orchestra. The debut happened in May with a different concert celebrating Henry Mancini.
Now you can see and hear what was meant to be their first concert and it is a great one. Dunn and the Scott Dunn Orchestra will perform film music composed by Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann, Alex North, Leonard Rosenman and more.
The website for the event suggests some of those scores will be To Kill a Mockingbird, North by Northwest, Psycho, A Streetcar Named Desire, East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. Who knows, maybe Sweet Smell of Success will be in there, too.
Later this week I’ll be posting my interview with Scott Dunn from earlier this year about this concert.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
That’s this week’s Best Bets: November 17th – November 23rd
Enjoy your week! Go see a show!
Main Photo: Ian Barford in Amadeus (Photo by Michael Brosilow/courtesy Steppenwolf Theatre Company)