CONTENTS: January 2, 2026: Now Playing Upcoming Film Footlights View this page in a web browser

 

NOW PLAYING

DECEMBER 18 TO JANUARY 4
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
"THE STORY OF SAL B. AND BARBRANNE: A MOB FANTASIA (CYRANO REDUX)"

Donata O'Neill as Barbranne, Joseph Patrick Marshall as Sal B. Photos by Jonathan Slaff.

The Great American Play Series performs the premiere of "The Story of Sal B. and Barbranne: A Mob Fantasia (Cyrano Redux)," written and directed by Stephan Morrow. The play, which was workshopped in TNC's Dream Up Festival this summer, re-imagines "Cyrano de Bergerac" as a high-stakes mob story. It imagines a time 100 years in the future, after World War III, when organized crime has merged with the military and struggles with Eastern enemies over Middle East oil. With mob intrigue, romance, and absurdist action, Edmond Rostand's classic story of eloquence, unspoken love, and heroism is transformed into a chaotic, modern, and often surreal fantasia, preserving the essence of Cyrano’s wit, heart, and valor.

 

DECEMBER 26 TO JANUARY 11
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
"A CHRISTMAS CAROL, OY! HANUKKAH, MERRY KWANZAA, HAPPY RAMADAN" WITH CZECH MARIONETTES
Theater for the New City rings out the old year with a joyful burst of multicultural mischief as Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre returns with its beloved holiday mashup, "A Christmas Carol, Oy! Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa, Happy Ramadan," a Dickens remix adapted, directed and reinvented by Vit Horejs. It features over 30 exquisitely carved puppets by Milos Kasal including a quartet of Rockettes in Slovak, Moravian and Ruthenian folk costumes and holiday songs in Czech, English, Hebrew, Slovak, Spanish and Swahili.

Photos by Jonathan Slaff

Families looking for an imaginative holiday outing will find it here. The production made its live TNC debut in 2019 and was offered virtually 2021. Now playing again for live audiences, the show will be updated to contemporary sensibilities and restaged for this new TNC production.

 

UPCOMING

JANUARY 8 TO 25
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
TWO OPERAS BY LEONARD J. LEHRMAN
From January 8 to 25, Theater for the New City (TNC), 155 First Ave., will present two operas by Leonard J. Lehrman, "Sima" and "E.G.: A Musical Portrait of Emma Goldman." "Sima" is a story of the attempted adoption of a poor Jewish girl orphaned by a pogrom in 1905 Ukraine. "E.G." is a music-theater biography of Emma Goldman, dramatizing her life as an anarchist, activist, and revolutionary thinker from her youth through her deportation in 1919 and brief return to the United States in 1934. Presented on alternating dates: "Sima" plays Jan. 8, 11, 16, 17, 22 and 25. "E.G."plays Jan. 9, 10, 15, 18, 23 and 24.

The pairing of these works provides a continuum of the Jewish and immigrant experience, with "Sima" offering a tale of a child uprooted by antisemitic terror and "E.G." tracing the path from Old World oppression to New World radicalism, showing how in the 20th century, trauma and resistance seeded lifelong political action in people who fought oppressive systems rather than merely surviving them.

 

 

JANUARY 30 TO FEBRUARY 8
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
THUNDERBIRD AMERICAN INDIAN DANCERS POW WOW AND DANCE CONCERT
A Pow-Wow is more than just a spectator event: it is a joyous reunion for native peoples nationwide and an opportunity for the non-Indian community to voyage into the philosophy and beauty of Native culture. Traditionally a gathering and sharing of events, Pow-Wows have come to include spectacular dance competitions, exhibitions, and enjoyment of traditional foods. There will be dances, stories and traditional music from Native Peoples of the Northeast, Southwest and Great Plains regions.

Photo by Jonathan Slaff.

The event has become a treasured New York tradition for celebrating our diversity by honoring the culture of our first Americans. TNC donates all proceeds from the event to college scholarship funds for Native American students. Throughout the performance, all elements are explained in depth through detailed introductions by the troupe's Director and Emcee Louis Mofsie (Hopi/Winnebago). An educator, Mofsie plays an important part in the event by his ability to present a comprehensive view of native culture.

 

FEBRUARY 17
THE PLAYERS, 16 GRAMERCY PARK SOUTH
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY'S "LOVE 'N COURAGE" GALA
Theater for the New City will celebrate fearless artistry and bold new voices at its 23rd annual Love ’n Courage gala on February 17 at The Players, 16 Gramercy Park South. Proceeds will benefit TNC’s nationally respected Emerging Playwrights Program, one of the most prolific incubators of new American theater. The evening will honor Estelle Parsons, the award-winning actress, stage director, social activist, artistic director, and leader in diversity whose career reflects precisely the spirit of strength and hope that Love ’n Courage seeks to celebrate.

The first five photos here are from last year's "Love 'n Courage." Top: Charles Busch, Crystal Field and Gale Brewer (NY City Council), Carlina Rivera (NY City Council). Below: Louis Mofsie and Alan Brown (Thunderbiird American Indian Dancers), Phoebe Legere, Estelle Parsons.

 

MAY 22 TO JUNE 28
WP THEATRE, 2162 BROADWAY
WOODIE KING, JR.'S NEW FEDERAL THEATRE PRESENTS
"BLOOMING IN DRY SEASON" BY ELJON WARDALLY
"Blooming in Dry Season" by Eljon Wardally is a Caribbean tale set in a rum shop in Grenada. The plot centers on Rose, an oppressed housewife who has put her dreams on hold for her husband and daughter. She is forced to make a decision about her own future when a life-changing opportunity presents itself for her daughter. The play features a Calypso-infused score composed by jazz musician Etienne Charles. In 2024, it won the International Black Theatre Festival—Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin Rolling World Premiere Award.

Eljon Wardally.

Eljon Wardally is an award-winning Grenadian Italian-American playwright and screenwriter. Her work focuses on amplifying underrepresented voices with authentic, socially relevant stories, often with a dark comedic twist.

 

FILM

HOW CAN YOU GET YOUR INDIE FILM FUNDED, INTO FESTIVALS, AND IN FRONT OF THE RIGHT PEOPLE?
Melissa Center (actress, filmmaker and crowdfunding expert) has some answers to these questions, and so did her panelists in a program held December 22 at Fabrik in DUMBO.

L-R: Sanjay Singh, Melissa Center, Jayson Simba, Adam Elliott. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.

It was a night of in-depth conversation about what it really takes to make a film from capitalization to distribution in 2026. Topics included how to raise funds in the current climate, which festivals to submit to (without breaking the bank), what programmers are actually looking for these days, and what to do after your festival run. Here are a few takeaways that I took away.

 

FOOTLIGHTS

AND WHEN DO YOU SLEEP, MR. JESURUN?
Obie and MacArthur winning playwright John Jesurun recently completed a month long gallery retrospective of his work at Die Verabredung Gallery in Cologne,Germany. It included videos,drawings and photographs. Die Verabredung has commissioned a new play from Mr. Jesurun,"Burn Folder," which will also be directed by Jesurun and will premiere in Cologne March 15, 2026.

Meanwhile, Jesurun's recent 2025 play, "Letter of Intent," will return for performances January 19-23 at Apartment 1 in New York. Staged in an intimate apartment setting, Jesurun's cast navigates the clandestine personas of four operatives working from the confines of an anonymous West Village maisonette. They negotiate a verbal and perceptual minefield of enciphered meanings and interpretations that leave them implicated in the dismantling of their own actuality. With: Asta Hansen, Ben Forster, Claire Bukingham, Dan Kuan Peeples. Lighting by Jeff Nash. Limited seating. Reservations: apartment1.org

FUNDRAISING BEGINS FOR O-B RUN OF "44 LIGHTS" IN SEPTEMBER
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Lights at Ground Zero, Inc., has been established to fundraise for a two-week, O-B run of "44 Lights," a new musical written and composed by Tim Tuttle. The production will take stage in September to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The show is a tribute to the human spirit in the aftermath of tragedy. It began as a concert of songs of one man’s grief over 9/11 attacks and morphed into a fully-staged musical theater work about friendship, memory, and resilience. Staged with eleven actors and four musicians, it had a very successful work-in-progress November 5 to 15, 2025 at Chain Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, directed by Abigail Zealy Bess. Venue for the September, 2026 production is TBA.

Bar scene in developmental workshop last November

Author Tim Tuttle has been revising his book and adding new music. A recording session is planned for January 2. Website is up at lightsatgroundzero.org.

Tim Tuttle

The musical tells the story of how one man processed his pain and loss through music, and how his circle of friends came together to support each other in the aftermath. It explores the ways art can emerge from tragedy, how grief can transform into community, and how remembrance becomes a form of resilience.

 

 

DEBORAH JEAN TEMPLIN'S "UNSINKABLE WOMEN" IS PUBLISHED
On January 8 at 7:30 PM, the Drama Book Shop, 266 W. 39th Street, will hold a talkback and play signing of "Unsinkable Women: Stories and Songs from the Titanic" by Deborah Jean Templin. Moderated by Ken Cerniglia.

This one-woman show is based on actual diaries, letters and interviews of nine women who survived the 1912 tragedy. Vivid portrayals are punctuated with period songs. Using this latest version, the play can be produced as either a solo show or an ensemble piece. Info: 212-944-0595. Reserve a spot.

 

 

IN MEMORIAM: COSTUME DESIGNER GAIL COOPER-HECHT
Noted costumer Gail Cooper-Hecht passed away December 20 after a brief illness. She was 84.

In 2013, the count of her productions on Broadway and Off, National and International Tours, Regional Theaters, TV, and Operas exceeded 400. These including productions for Tony Randall, Jack Klugman, Carol Channing, Maurice Evans, Helen Hayes, Robert Goulet and Eartha Kltt. Among her most recent productions was "The Wash" for Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre (WP Theatre, 2025).

LEFT: Director Robert Kalfin and Gail Cooper-Hecht in dressing room at Clurman Theater (2018). CENTER: Geraldine age at 1994 Oscars in dress by Gail Cooper-Hecht. RIGHT: Cast members of "The Wash" (2025) in costumes by Gail Cooper-Hecht.

In 1994, she designed the dramatic, cape-like black and red dress that Geraldine Page wore to accept her Best Actress Oscar for "The Trip to Bountiful."

Funeral was December 23 at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan. Her family requests that charitable contributions in her memory be made to the TDF Costume Collection.

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