New Feature! Sex Queen Dr. Ruth Tells All, Diane Lane Falls for a Bad Boy & More Cross-Country Highlights

Broadway.com is the home for everything Broadway, but theater fans know that amazing productions are happening all around the country. In this new feature, Broadway.com will offer a weekly roundup of five hot shows to know on stages across the USA, plus national tours headed to a city near you! Read on for what's hot in your hometown.

TORONTO
Sister Act Brings the Holy to Toronto 
Broadway's gospel-shoutin' nuns are spreading the holy word across North America as the national tour of Sister Act kicks off this week. Ta'rea Campbell leads the cast of Alan Menken and Glenn Slater's Tony-nominated tuner as nightclub chanteuse-turned-nun Deloris Van Cartier. The tour launches on October 2 at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto (through November 4) before hitting Chicago, Orlando, Boston and 20 more stops across the country. How divine! 


CHICAGO, IL
Diane Lane Soars in Sweet Bird of Youth
An already hot ticket got even hotter when New York Times critic Ben Brantley posted a rave for Sweet Bird of Youth at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre (through October 28). Donning a Garland-esque brunette wig, Oscar nominee Diane Lane returns to her stage roots—she was a child actress downtown at La MaMa—to play faded film star Alexandra Del Lago opposite Death of a Salesman’s Finn Wittrock (as sexy gigolo Chance Wayne) in Tennessee Williams’ 1959 melodrama.

WESTPORT, CT
Phylicia Rashad Returns to A Raisin in the Sun—as Director
The dream lives on! Cosby Show alum Phylicia Rashad, who took home a Best Actress Tony in 2004 for her stirring performance as matriarch Lena Younger in A Raisin in the Sun, is directing a production of Lorraine Hansberry’s classic African-American family drama at Westport Country Playhouse (October 9-November 3). Connecticut audiences can also participate in a month-long series of educational programs and events inspired by the play.

LA JOLLA, CA
Third Prize Is You’re Fired! Glengarry at La Jolla
As Al Pacino and Bobby Cannavale prep to headline a Broadway revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, West Coast fans can savor the expletive-filled black comedy at San Diego’s La Jolla Playhouse (through October 21). Christopher Ashley has tapped a multicultural cast, including Bombay Dream vet Manu Narayan as cutthroat salesman Ricky Roma. Still to come: Joe Mantegna re-creating his Tony-winning performance as Ricky at L.A. Theatre Works in May 2013. 


PITTSFIELD, MA
Debra Jo Rupp Knows Her Sex as Dr. Ruth
Before she became a cuddly sex therapist, Dr. Ruth Westheimer fled the Nazis, trained to be a sniper in Palestine and married three husbands. No wonder Mark St. Germain's stage biography Dr. Ruth, All the Way became a sold-out hit at Barrington Stage. Now the solo show and its well-reviewed star, That ’70s Show alum Debra Jo Rupp, are back at Pittsfield, MA theater for an encore run (through October 7). Terrific!

Check back in to Broadway.com every Wednesday for the latest Countrywide Guide. To submit shows for consideration, send us an e-mail!