Larry Parks

Vintage Theatre presents "A Christmas Carol - The Radio Show" November 30 through December 23 at Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays, Thursday, December 20 and Sunday, December 23 at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays and Saturday, December 22 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $16 - $32 and available online at www.vintagetheatre.org or by calling 303-856-7830.

Guild Hall hosts a concert reading of Eric Bentley's ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN?, featuring James Earl Jones, Matthew Broderick, Bill Camp, Richard Kind, Peter Riegert, Mercedes Ruehl, Barry Scheck, and Harris Yulin, tonight, September 9 at 8 p.m. Directed by Harris Yulin.

A riveting drama about the infamous 1950s House Unamerican Activities Committee where those in entertainment were subpoenaed to testify as to their loyalty as Americans and asked to name anyone who was, or suspected of being, a communist.

Guild Hall will host a concert reading of ERic Bentley's ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN?, featuring James Earl Jones, Matthew Broderick, Bill Camp, Richard Kind, Peter Riegert, Mercedes Ruehl, Barry Scheck, and Harris Yulin, on Saturday, September 9 at 8 p.m. Directed by Harris Yulin.

A riveting drama about the infamous 1950s House Unamerican Activities Committee where those in entertainment were subpoenaed to testify as to their loyalty as Americans and asked to name anyone who was, or suspected of being, a communist.

Artistic Directors Elise Stone and Craig Smith announce that Phoenix Theatre Ensemble will be presenting 4 staged readings of Eric Bentley's ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN, which is taken from the  actual testimony of witnesses before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during the late 1940's and early 1950's. 

Artistic Directors Elise Stone and Craig Smith announce that Phoenix Theatre Ensemble will be presenting 4 staged readings of Eric Bentley's ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN, which is taken from the  actual testimony of witnesses before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during the late 1940's and early 1950's. 

A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre, presents two free, staged readings this fall: Are You Now or Have You Ever Been by Eric Bentley, directed by Apollo Dukakis, on Wednesday, November 11 at 7 pm; and, on Monday, November 16 at 7PM, in partnership with East West Players, The Recognition of Shakuntala by Kalidasa, translated by W. J. Johnson, directed by Jonathan Munoz-Proulx. Both readings are performed as part of Words Within, A Noise Within's ongoing series of free play readings by resident artists. Both readings take place at A Noise Within, 3352 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107.

The 18th Long Island Al Jolson Festival coming up on August 16 is a whole-day affair featuring film presentations, lectures, memorabilia displays and sales, and a performance--'The Heart of Al Jolson'--by singer and Staten Island native Tony Babino (photo below), who can sing Jolson songs like, well, you ain't heard nothin' yet. The other day, like clockwork, I received my yearly invitation to attend from Oceanside, LI resident Jan Hernstat, who for the past 10 years has been the President of the 62-year-old International Al Jolson Society (which was formed in early 1950, a few months before Jolson died), an organization with a worldwide membership hovering around 1,000. I am proud to say that for 30 years, I've been one of them. I'm even prouder to say that I've been an Al Jolson fanatic for much longer. Here's my story about how it happened.

With the International Al Jolson Society's 17th Annual Long Island Festival just three weeks away (On August 17, from 9am to 4:30pm, at Oceanside Knights of Columbus, 2985 Kenneth Place, Oceanside, NY 11572.), BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Review/Columnist and passionate Al Jolson fan Stephen Hanks fantasizes about what it might be like to have a conversation with 'The World's Greatest Entertainer,' 53 years after he died. You ain't read nothin' yet.

A few weeks before BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Reviewer and Columnist Stephen Hanks was about to stage the opening night of his debut solo cabaret show on May 31, a number of cabaret performers asked him if he was going to write about the experience in some way, with some even encouraging him to keep a diary. 'It might be really interesting to read how your perspective about cabaret performers and performing might have changed and how it might impact your reviews now that you're doing it yourself,' commented one singer. 'It was a fascinating notion and one that I had already thought about,' Hanks admits, 'but between a full time job, attending shows, writing reviews, taking vocal lessons, rehearsing, etc., finding the time and the energy to keep even a weekly diary was not in the cards.' Hanks certainly didn't think he'd forget even the little things that have gone into making his journey what he calls 'an amazing, fantasy-fulfilling, almost surreal experience.' On the eve of his last performance of his three-show run (over three weeks) at the Metropolitan Room of Beyond American Pie: The Don McLean Songbook, BroadwayWorld.com sat down with our lead cabaret reviewer to get his insights and perspective on what's it been like to be on the performer end of things.

In preparation for the All-Day Long Island Al Jolson Festival (in Oceanside, NY) on Saturday, August 18, BroadwayWorld.com cabaret columnist Stephen Hanks offers his take on what made the 'World's Greatest Entertainer' so great, and muses about the reasons as to why he is such a devotee of the man who once owned Broadway and starred in the first talking picture.

In preparation for the All-Day Long Island Al Jolson Festival (in Oceanside, NY) on Saturday, August 18, BroadwayWorld.com cabaret columnist Stephen Hanks offers his take on what made the 'World's Greatest Entertainer' so great, and muses about the reasons as to why he is such a devotee of the man who once owned Broadway and starred in the first talking picture.

AL JOLSON, once dubbed as The World's Greatest Entertainer, will return to North Hollywood at the historic El Portal Theatre in the person of critically acclaimed Broadway actor, MIKE BURSTYN (Winner of Two Israeli 'Oscars'; Broadway: Barnum; Off-Broadway: Lansky) starring in the titular role as Al Jolson. The Los Angeles Premiere of the new musical, JOLSON AT THE WINTER GARDEN, will be backed by a live on stage band and three back-up singers.

This is raw footage from the extensive interview that Betty Garrett did for the film 'Broadway: The Golden Age' (2004) with filmmaker Rick McKay. Betty was a very valuable part of the film and was generously available for interviews, question and answer sessions at the movie theatre with Rick after showings, premieres, interviews, etc. during the run.

Broadway star Betty Garrett died in Los Angeles at the age of 91. Garrett died Saturday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, most likely from an aortic aneurysm, according to her son Garrett Parks. Garrett was in good health and even taught her musical comedy class at Theater West on Wednesday night. Theater West is a non-profit organization which she helped found. Friday, she checked into the hospital with heart trouble and died the next morning, with her family at her side.