Laura Benanti Dances All Night, Daniel Radcliffe Checks His Sources & More October Save the Date Picks

With October’s arrival, fall feels like it’s finally in full swing! In addition to eagerly anticipated new Broadway productions, some beloved entertainers of the stage and screen are also headed to the boards this month. Take a peek at the Save the Date picks that will have the Broadway.com staff snuggled up inside the theater this month.

October 5 - Al Roker Steps into Waitress
Order up! Today Show host Al Roker heads to Joe’s Pie Diner as Old Joe himself in the Sara Bareilles-scored charmer Waitress. The weatherman makes his Broadway debut in the musical alongside Nicolette Robinson. Don’t think this will conflict with his duties as announcer extraordinaire (and Broadway performance enthusiast) at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade—his limited run is scheduled to end on November 11.

News Editor Andy Lefkowitz
“No doubt Al Roker has good taste in theater. I can't wait to see America's most beloved weather forecaster extend his talent to the Broadway stage in Sara Bareilles' musical hit. My forecast is full-on sunshine.”

October 9 - Brandon Uranowitz Joins The Band’s Visit
Audiences have seen Brandon Uranowitz conduct an orchestra in An American in Paris, fall in love in Falsettos and take on almost a dozen iconic musical characters in Prince of Broadway. Now, they’ll get to see the two-time Tony nominee step into the atypical, ten-time Tony-winning musical as Itzik, the role originated off and on Broadway by John Cariani. Welcome to nowhere, Bran Uran!

Photo Director Cait McNaney
"I’ve been a Bran Uran fan since his Tony-nominated performance in An American in Paris. He performed in literally every show ever in Prince of Broadway—except for The Band’s Visit. And his dog is the cutest."

October 18 - The Lifespan of a Fact Opens on Broadway
Daniel Radcliffe. Cherry Jones. Bobby Cannavale. Yes, this is the brunch trio of your dreams. But also, the towering talents of the stage and screen are joining forces to carry this new play about the ultimate showdown of fact versus fiction. Radcliffe plays a fact checker, Jones his editor and Cannavale the legendary author John D’Agata. Based on a true story, this one’s bound to be a conversation-starter.

Managing Editor Beth Stevens
“In a world of ‘alternative facts,’ it’s exciting to explore the nuances of accuracy, especially with these three powerhouse performers. I’m psyched for this show!”

October 22 - School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play Returns
Scribe Jocelyn Bioh’s acclaimed work played an extended 2017 world premiere run at off-Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre. Now, it’s back at the Lortel with Tony-winning director Rebecca Taichman continuing in her place at the helm for this encore production. The story focuses on Paulina (MaameYaa Boafo), the school Queen Bee who has her sights set on the Miss Universe pageant. But the mid-year arrival of Ericka (Joanna A. Jones), a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter—and Paulina’s hive-minded friends.

Social Media Manager Caitlyn Gallip
"I missed this play the first time around, but there is no way I'm going to let it pass me by this time after all the great things I’ve heard. This show touches on race, classism, teenage angst and so much more. It is a timeless story, and one I think everyone, especially women, can relate to."

October 23 - Laura Benanti Dances All Night in My Fair Lady
How loverly it will be to have Tony winner Laura Benanti back on Broadway in a musical! And not just any musical—this is the talented performer’s “lifelong dream role.” Benanti will join Harry Hadden-Paton, Norbert Leo Butz and Rosemary Harris in Bartlett Sher’s resplendent, Tony-nominated revival. We can already hear her golden-voiced “I Could Have Danced All Night” and know she’ll rock Catherine Zuber’s lush costumes.

Content Producer Lindsey Sullivan
"Trust me—I live for Laura Benanti’s comedy-queen side, from her Twitter presence to her Melania Trump impressions. But I also love when she lets her soprano-songbird self fly. I’m confident she’s going to win the hearts of audiences in the delightfully classic role of Eliza Doolittle."

October 25 - The Waverly Gallery Opens on Broadway
Oscar-winning playwright Kenneth Lonergan and acclaimed off-Broadway director Lila Neugebauer are enough of a power pair for this autobiographical play about a grandmother’s decline to intrigue audiences. The production’s stage family is also supremely star-studded: Michael Cera, Lucas Hedges, Joan Allen, David Cromer and the incomparable Elaine May make this humorous, heart-wrenching one a must-see.

Staff Photographer Emilio Madrid-Kuser
“Lonergan has an innate ability to capture the zeitgeist of an environment, and it’s about damn time Neugebauer makes her Broadway directorial debut. Also, it’s good to see Cromer gainfully employed.”

Other events to mark on your calendar this month:

October 4 - Pound begins limited run off-Broadway
October 6 - Cuba Gooding Jr. steps into Chicago
October 7 - Elsie Fest
October 8 - Popcorn Falls opens off-Broadway
October 10 - Black Light opens off-Broadway
October 16 - Apologia opens off-Broadway
October 17 - Mother of the Maid opens off-Broadway
October 18 - Gloria: A Life opens off-Broadway
October 21 - Lindsay Mendez at Feinstein's/54 Below
October 30 - Days of Rage and Good Grief open off-Broadway