Charlie Chaplin News

Whitney Museum's DeFeo Exhibit

In an homage to Broadway great Jerome Robbins, the NYC has performed three short Robbins compositions: 'Interplay', 'Fancy Free', and 'I'm Old Fashioned'. The results aren't perfect, but Robbins's unique talents are finely displayed.

The Muny announced principal casting for the sixth show of its fantastic 95th Season, Disney and Cameron Mackinstosh's Mary Poppins the Musical, directed by Gary Griffin and choreographed by Alex Sanchez. Mary Poppins the Musical is sponsored by Ameren.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center and New York Asian Film Festival announced the details today for a rare series of appearances by international film icon, Jackie Chan on June 10 and 11, followed by the largest retrospective of his films ever held in North America (June 23-27).

A dark, anti-semetic joke alluding to cycling made the rounds in Europe between the First and Second World Wars and was the inspiration for a bitter absurdist cabaret called The Last Cyclist written in 1944 in the Terezin Concentration Camp by the young Czech playwright, Karel Švenk. This Chaplin-esque play was seen by many Terezin Ghetto inmates during rehearsals but it was banned by the ghetto's Council of Jewish Elders after its dress rehearsal. Švenk was sent to Auschwitz a few months later and his script was lost forever. Playwright Naomi Patz has reconstructed and reimaged Švenk's integral work and is bringing the The Last Cyclist to New York City audiences for the first time. Performances begin Saturday May 25 at the West End Theatre at Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew (263 W 86th St).

Pivot Arts launches a new celebration of innovative theater, music and dance in unique and often historic spaces from June 6 - 22, 2013 throughout Chicago's Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods. The inaugural PIVOT MULTI-ARTS FESTIVAL answers the City's call for a reinvigorated Uptown Entertainment District by uniting artists, businesses and local organizations around multidisciplinary "pop-up" performances occurring in a former Vaudeville Theater, an at-one-time Charlie Chaplin film studio and other historic spaces throughout these communities. Tickets are now on sale, with a range of free events and no more than $15 per event. To purchase tickets, and for complete festival information, visit www.pivotarts.org/festival or call 773-609-0782.

Back from its seven-concert tour in South America, the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal will be playing Mahler's Fifth Symphony in May under the direction of conductor David Zinman. For the Mahler concert, the OSM will also be hosting pianist Stephen Kovacevich in Mozart's Concerto No. 18, K. 456, 'Paradis.' The Orchestra will wind up its 79th season with a performance of Honegger's grand-scale oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au bucher (Joan of Arc at the Stake)with Carole Bouquet and Guy Nadon under Kent Nagano.

Sony Masterworks releases Gloria Estefan's The Standards on September 10, 2013. Celebrating great tunes from the American Songbook, The Standards reaches out to Estefan's global fan base via international song classics sung in English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and French, some with new lyrics written by Estefan herself. The album also features collaborations with world class, award-winning artists like singer songwriter Laura Pausini, violinist Joshua Bell and saxophonist Dave Koz.

The Muny announced principal casting for the second show of its fantastic 95th Season, Dreamworks Shrek The Musical, directed by John Tartaglia and choreographed by Vince Pesce. Shrek is sponsored by US Bank.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center presents the 40th Chaplin Award honoring Academy Award-winner Barbra Streisand, this evening, April 22nd, at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. The celebration in honor of the international film legend's groundbreaking career will feature musical performances and film and interview clips culminating in the presentation of The Chaplin Award by President Bill Clinton.

Brooklyn transplants and Broadway favorites, Ilene Graff (Promises, Promises / Grease / I Love My Wife) along with her husband/musical director, Ben Lanzarone, not to mention the parents of stage success Nikka Lanzarone (Chicago / Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) presented 'Make the Song Your Own', a salon style performance this week before an equally eclectic crowd, which included such noted patrons as screen stars Tippi Hedren and Dee Wallace, cabaret sensation Barbara Van Orden, Daytime Drama personality Kate Linder, commedienne Geri Jewell and ABC Entertainment reporter George Pennacchio. Scroll down for photos from the event!

The Film Society of Lincoln Center previously announced Old Ghosts, New Dreams: The Emerging Cambodian Cinema (today, April 19-25). To be presented in conjunction with the citywide Season of Cambodia arts festival, FSLC will team with the great documentarian Rithy Panh to screen a fascinating survey of films from Cambodia.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Music Director Marin Alsop leads the BSO in a performance of Charlie Chaplin's cinematic masterpiece Modern Times on Friday, May 10 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 12 at 3 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and Saturday, May 11 at 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore. This presentation builds upon the BSO's success of pairing Chaplin's famed films with his original scores, including past performances of The Gold Rush and City Lights. Modern Times is a satirical take on the machine age and is considered to be one of Chaplin's greatest cinematic and musical works. Please see below for complete program details.

La Jolla Playhouse announces the cast and creative team for His Girl Friday, adapted by John Guare (Six Degrees of Separation, House of Blue Leaves) from the Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur play The Front Page and the Columbia Pictures film His Girl Friday. Directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley (Glengarry Glen Ross, Memphis), the production will kick off the 2013/2014 season, running May 28 - June 30 in the Playhouse's Mandell Weiss Theatre.

The multi award-winning international sensation SLAVA'S SNOWSHOW storms into Australia for a limited season playing at the Theatre Royal from 11 to 23 June 2013. Tickets on sale 18 February.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center hosts BRAZILIAN SAGA: CARLOS DIEGUES' CINEMATIC ADVENTURES, a comprehensive survey of the groundbreaking filmmaker's work, from today, April 12 - 18.