TDF Stages

By MARK BLANKENSHIP

Do you feel that crackle in the air? It's not heat lightning or a power surge from your neighbor's air conditioner. It's Broadway's fall season. In the next few months, the Rialto is delivering everything from family-friendly classics to naughty new plays. Before you buy tickets, take a look at our preview of what's coming in September, October, and November.

 --- SEPTEMBER

Chaplin

Where? The Ethel Barrymore at 243 W. 47th Street

When Now in previews. Opens September 10.

What? Rob McClure stars in this new musical about the life of Charlie Chaplin, and his co-stars include Jenn Colella, Christiane Noll, and Wayne Alan Wilcox. The score is by Christopher Curtis, and the book is by Thomas Meehan, who also wrote the book for Annie, which is getting revived this fall.

 --

An Enemy of the People

Where? The Samuel J. Friedman at 261 W. 47th Street

When? Previews September 4. Opens September 27.

What? Doug Hughes directs Rebecca Lenkiewicz's new version of Ibsen's classic play about a beloved doctor who warns his town that their popular baths are actually contaminated. To his surprise, the town turns on him, refusing to hear that a vital tourist attraction might be dangerous. Tony Award-winner Boyd Gaines stars alongside theatre stalwarts like Gerry Bamman and Richard Thomas in this production from Manhattan Theatre Club.

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 OCTOBER

Grace

Where? The Cort at 138 W. 48th Street

When? Previews September 14. Opens October 4.

What? He's been a popular Off-Broadway playwright for years, and now Craig Wright (Recent Tragic Events, Mistakes Were Made) is finally making his Broadway debut with Grace, about a couple that plans to open a chain of Gospel motels. The starry cast includes Ed Asner, Paul Rudd, and Michael Shannon.

 --

Cyrano de Bergerac

Where? The American Airlines at 227 W. 42nd Street

When? Previews September 14. Opens October 11

What? Roundabout revives theclassic play about a man who thinks his beloved Roxanne will shun him because of his incredibly large nose. Douglas Hodge, who won a Tony for the recent revival of La Cage aux Folles, stars as Cyrano.

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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Where? The Booth at 222 W. 45th Street

When? Previews September 27. Opens October 13.

What? This revival of Edward Albee's landmark play about marital dysfunction comes from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company. It stars Amy Morton, who also starred in August: Osage County, and Tracy Letts, who wrote August: Osage County. (Those Chicago artists are certainly versatile!)

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 NOVEMBER

The Heiress

Where? The Walter Kerr at 219 W. 48th Street

When? Previews October 7. Opens November 1.

What? In this starry revival of the 1940s romance, Jessica Chastain (The Help) plays a young woman who caught between her grief-stricken father (David Strathairn) and a mysterious, handsome suitor (Dan Stevens, who plays Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey).

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Annie

Where? The Palace at 1564 Broadway

When? Previews October 3. Opens November 8.

What? You know the songs: "Tomorrow," "Hard Knock Life," "Maybe." The beloved musical comes back to Broadway, featuring Tony Award-winner Katie Finneran (Promises, Promises) as the nasty Miss Hannigan.

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Elf

Where? The Al Hirschfeld at 302 W. 45th Street

When? Opens November 9.

What? The 2010 holiday musical---based on the Will Ferrell film about a grown man who thinks he's Santa's elf---returns for another Broadway run.

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Glengarry Glenn Ross

Where? The Gerald Schoenfeld at 236 W. 45th Street

When? Previews October 16. Opens November 11.

What? Al Pacino stars in a revival of David Mamet's scabrous, Pulitzer Prize-winning play about the feral competition in a real estate office.

--

The Performers

Where? The Longacre at 220 W. 48th Street

When? Previews October 23. Opens November 14.

What? How's this for a romantic comedy? Two high school buddies (and their girlfriends) reconnect at the Adult Film Awards in Las Vegas. When hijinks ensue, a hard-working adult film star (played by Henry Winkler) has to lend a hand. Alicia Silverstone and Cheyenne Jackson are also in the cast of this naughty, naughty play.

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Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPheerson

Where? The Neil Simon at 250 W. 52nd Street

When? Previews October 13. Opens November 15.

What? In the 1920s, McPheerson was an evangelist, the founder of a church, and a pioneering media darling who was eventually undone by personal scandals. This musical, which has a book and lyrics by Kathie Lee Gifford, charts her rise and fall.

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Rebecca

Where? The Broadhurst at 235 W 44th

When? Previews October 30. Opens November 18.

What? Daphne du Maurier's bestselling potboiler about the tortured estate called Manderley has finally (and perhaps inevitably) become a lush Broadway musical. Jill Paice (The 39 Steps, Curtains) stars as a woman who marries the lord of Manderley, only to find herself assaulted by the memory of his late wife.

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A Christmas Story: The Musical

Where? The Lunt-Fontanne at 205 W. 46th Street

When? Previews November 5. Opens November 19.

What? You'll shoot your eye out! This is a musical adaptation of the enduring film about a little boy who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas.

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The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Where? Studio 54 at 254 W 54th Street

When? Previews October 19. Opens November 29.

What? The Roundabout revives this quirky murder-mystery musical in which the audience helps guide the story. Chita Rivera, Stephanie J. Block, Jessie Mueller, and Will Chase lead a cast of musical theatre favorites.

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Dead Accounts

Where? The Music Box at 239 W 45th Street

When? Previews November 3. Opens November 29

What? Katie Holmes and Norbert Leo Butz star in Theresa Rebeck's new play about corporate greed, small town values, and the flexibility of family bonds.