Josephine Baker News

HBO Actress/Comedienne & Producer/Playwright Sandy Brown's hit "Oh, Yes She Did!" is nominated for Best One-Person Show at 2012 NAACP Theatre Awards, and is launching weekly performances in both Los Angeles and San Francisco concurrently.

HBO Actress/Comedienne & Producer/Playwright Sandy Brown's hit "Oh, Yes She Did!" is nominated for Best One-Person Show at 2012 NAACP Theatre Awards, and is launching weekly performances in both Los Angeles and San Francisco concurrently.

The new tour for JEKYLL & HYDE will kick off its 25- week National Tour in San Diego tonight, October 2nd! This new tour stars R&B superstar Deborah Cox as Lucy and American Idol and ROCK OF AGES star Constantine Maroulis in the title dual role of Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. Playing at the San Diego Civic Theatre from October 2-7, this is an opportunity to see this show in a whole new way.

Before the comedy boom of the 1980s began dotting New York and every other major American city with clubs devoted exclusively to showcasing stand-ups, comedians worked primarily between sets at music venues or at random comedy nights at bars and restaurants.  And while the emergence of burlesque as a form of female-empowered entertainment where men and women both cheerfully whoop it up for their favorite ecdysiasts is still only an occasional feature of variously appointed venues, I do think we're heading in a direction where before the end of this decade we'll be seeing the emergence of burlesque clubs – much like today's Comedy Clubs and jazz clubs – providing nightly opportunities for good, clean, non-judgmentally positive body image fun.

Sophie's choice was a casual coin flip compared with decision forced upon a young mother in Alexander Dinelaris' drama recalling the Ottoman Empire's Armenian genocide, Red Dog Howls.  As a 91-year-old grandmother enduring life with the memory of a horrific confrontation with three sadistic Turks, Kathleen Chalfant gives an extraordinarily convincing performance balancing pain and dark humor, climaxing with an agonizing scene where she reveals a sickening secret.  But Chalfant's performance, certainly worth remembering when award season comes along, is all the production has to recommend.

What happens when fate writes a book? Find out during The Violet Hour at South Bend Civic Theatre, playing in the Warner Studio Theatre from tonight, Sept. 28 to Oct. 7.

Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre, in association with Castillo Theatre, will present Sowa's Red Gravy by Diane Richards at Castillo Theatre (543 West 42nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues.). Performances begin October 18th with Opening Night set for Sunday, October 28th. Performances continue through November 18th only.

The Pasadena Playhouse announced today that its productions of TWIST - AN AMERICAN MUSICAL (seven nominations) and BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY (five nominations, tied with CTG's Fela!) are lead contenders for the 2012 NAACP Theatre Awards. The 2012 NAACP Theatre Awards ceremony will be held on November 5, 2012, at the Director's Guild of America in Hollywood.

On October 9, pioneering wine importer, author and singer-songwriter Kermit Lynch will release his fourth album, 'Donuts & Coffee,' on Lynchmusic/MesaBluemoon Recordings. The LP is a follow-up to 2011's 'Kitty Fur.'

TREASURE ISLAND, a new musical adventure, will premiere this fall at Theatre Three (412 Main Street) in Port Jefferson, NY from tonight, September 15 to October 27, 2012.

On Friday, October 12 at 10PM, the dazzling new entertainment production Burlesque-A-Pades will begin an open-ended run at the SoHo Playhouse. Starring Angie Pontani and The World Famous Pontani Sisters, Burlesque-A-Pades will treat audiences to a unique evening that reaches into burlesque's past to offer up belly laughs and bump 'n' grind in equal parts. Hosted by The King of Boylesque Tigger! and The Great Deceiver Albert Cadabra, Burlesque-A-Pades will play the SoHo Playhouse every Friday at 10pm beginning 10/12.

Rare Terra Theatre celebrates the Chicago premiere of Wrong Mountain at The Second Stage, 3408 North Sheffield, tonight September 13 - October 7. The witty black comedy, written by award-winning playwright David Hirson, is directed by Rare Terra's Artistic Director Ian Streicher.

The award-winning Emerging Artists Theatre concludes its Off-Broadway run of The Sensational Josephine Baker, a rich, comedic, moving musical portrait of the unique iconic Jazz Age legend, Josephine Baker today, September 8. The play opened on Tuesday, June 26th where it has enjoyed a run at The Beckett Theatre - Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street (www.theatrerow.org).

The Sheldon Art Galleries in St. Louis announces a major retrospective exhibition of the work of St. Louis-born artist Al Hirschfeld to open as part of The Sheldon's 100th anniversary celebration. Accompanying program: In Conversation: David Leopold and Louise Hirschfeld, today, September 8, 10:30 a.m., admission free.

The Sheldon Art Galleries in St. Louis announces a major retrospective exhibition of the work of St. Louis-born artist Al Hirschfeld to open on Friday, September 7, 2012 as part of The Sheldon's 100th anniversary celebration. Accompanying program:?In Conversation: David Leopold and Louise Hirschfeld, Saturday, September 8, 10:30 a.m., admission free. David Leopold, Archivist, Al Hirschfeld Foundation, and curator of the exhibition Al Hirschfeld's Jazz and Broadway Scrapbook will share stories and with Al Hirschfeld's wife and historian Louise Hirschfeld, illuminating the life and career of the illustrious artist. The exhibition is made possible by Mary Strauss and Terry Schnuck.

Back by popular demand and just in time for the holidays, Riverfront Theater, Chicago's newest entertainment destination, presents the return of the theatrical phenomenon La Soiree. The production runs December 5-22, 2012 at the new Riverfront Theater, located at 650 W. Chicago Avenue, just east of Halsted Street. Press Opening is Friday, December 7, 2012 at 7:00pm.