Mae West News

SPF:3 -'Apply liberally' is Seattle's third annual solo performance theatre festival, and is dedicated to presenting fearless, cutting-edge, diverse performances by solo artists. To kick off this year's festival SPF presents an evening of short solo performances by ten Seattle based performers on March 4th and 5th, 2009 at 8:00 PM.

James Judd's 7 SINS will be performed at Theatre Off Jackson (409 7th Ave S. in the International District) Friday and Saturday March 6 & 7, 2009 at 8:00 pm. Tickets cost $15. For more information visit: www.theatreoffjackson.org or www.brownpapertickets.com/event/56817.

SPF is Seattle's annual solo performance theatre festival, and is dedicated to presenting fearless, cutting-edge, diverse performances by solo theatre artists. SPF (Solo Performance Festival) strives to create a resonance in the community by illuminating the compelling nature of solo performance that exists between just one performer on stage and an entire audience.

As a performer, emcee, party hostess, and event promoter Ben DeLaCreme has appeared in theaters and nightclubs from coast to coast ever since the fateful day in 2002 when s/he realized that normally unsavory behavior could be dressed up in fancy clothes and called 'Performance Art.' Formerly based in Chicago, but with lucite heels now planted firmly in Seattle, DeLaCreme combines hir background in the performing & visual arts with a love of spectacle, glamour, and Saturday morning cartoons to create a thick sludge of sparkly entertainment certain to stick to your ribs! When not at home looking for new things to glue rhinestones to, DeLaCreme can be found Emceeing and Performing in venues throughout Seattle, as well as teaching with the Academy of Burlesque.

LIVE FROM LEICESTER SQUARE stars the UK's rising star of burlesque, Miss Polly Rae, 'the Queen of Leicester Square', and her award-winning Hurly Burly Girlys ('Best Troupe' Ministry of Burlesque Awards) and will showcase the very best international entertainers, together with the weird, the wonderful and the wildest guest artists, many of whom proved unforgettable at the West End's critcally acclaimed freakshow, 'SideShow'. It will be Beauty and the Beasts in the luxurious surroundings of the refurbished Leicester Square Theatre with 400 of the most comfortable seats in the West End.

Once upon a time in a land called Hollywood, there lived two goddesses of the sliver screen: Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Er, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. They made many wonderful movies (separately) and became hugely successful stars. Then one day, they decided to make a movie together called 'Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?' Let the diva smackdown begin!

Producers David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, and Second Stage Theatre have announced that the original musical, Next to Normal, will come to Broadway this spring, direct from its critically-acclaimed engagement at Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage, beginning preview performances at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street) on Friday, March 27th and officially opening on Wednesday, April 15.

Gourmands, Theatre enthusiasts, and Memphis history buffs alike will enjoy this special evening at the Orpheum. First, join Orpheum President Pat Halloran on a tour of 'The South's Finest Theatre'. The tour begins in the lobby with a brief overview of the Orpheum's 80 years, and then progresses to the stage where Orpheum Star Search champion Brandon Bailey will showcase his winning performance. Guests will also have the opportunity to see the colorful show murals that line the hall of dressing rooms where leading men such as Cary Grant and Yul Brynner , crooners like Johnny Mathis and Robert Goulet, and sex symbol Mae West prepped before performing to a sold out theatre. Enjoy a different look, the star's perspective, of the ornate chandeliers and gilded moldings of one of the oldest theatres in the country. The Orpheum joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

BILL KRAKAUER will be singing popular songs from the 20's to the 2000's - famous or forgotten - written by women or sung by great women performers at THE CELL PERFORMANCE SALON for just two nights only. JONATHAN CERULLO directs, PAUL TRUEBLOOD is the accompanist and music director, and JERED EGAN performs on double bass. The production plays two nights only, Monday, February 16th and Monday, March 2nd at 8:00 pm. All Tickets are $25.00 (no minimum) and can be reserved by calling 212-724-7933. THE CELL is located at 338 West 23rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.

Westchester Broadway Theater is Proud To Present Dan Goggin's 'MESHUGGAH-NUNS!' The Ecumenical Nunsense from February 12 - MARCH 21, 2009 with Book, Music, Lyrics & Direction by Dan Goggin.

Westchester Broadway Theater is Proud To Present Dan Goggin's 'MESHUGGAH-NUNS!' The Ecumenical Nunsense. February 12 - MARCH 21, 2009 Book, Music, Lyrics & Direction by Dan Goggin With the ?Nunsense' shows, the creator, Danny Goggin, has lifted the human spirit as he has made millions laugh. Meshuggah-Nuns, is the fifth variation in the popular 'Nunsense' series. For the last 26 years, the Little Sisters of Hoboken have entertained audiences in theatres around the globe, making 'Nunsense' an international household name. Meshuggah-Nuns, has The Sisters aboard the ship Golden Delicious on a 'Faiths of All Nations' cruise. Due to rough seas, the actors of the onboard musical, Fiddler On The Roof, succumb to sea sickness. Miraculously, the nuns survive the rolling waters unscathed, after Sister Julia put Dramamine in the brownies! The ship's captain, knowing of the Sisters' show-business savvy, urges them to concoct a variety show with Howard, who plays Tevye, the only actor who still has his sea legs. The four singing nuns now become an ecumenical, co-educational quintet. The show has a variety of music, with songs ranging in style from pop to country to gospel blues. Many of the jokes are delivered in the Laugh- In comedy format. There are sing-alongs, and even a puppet named Sister Mary Annette who performs a saucy Mae West number. It promises to be a laugh-filled funfest, with a mix of musical madcap, sprinkled with saintly sight gags and ubiquitous jokes. From the rousing opening number, 'Anchors Aweigh', to the hysterical, 'Say it in Yiddish', and 'Matzo Man,' to the touching, 'A Love Like This', the show will lift your spirits. It is a sweet natured celebration of Catholic and Jewish traditions.

Gourmands, Theatre enthusiasts, and Memphis history buffs alike will enjoy this special evening at the Orpheum. First, join Orpheum President Pat Halloran on a tour of 'The South's Finest Theatre'. The tour begins in the lobby with a brief overview of the Orpheum's 80 years, and then progresses to the stage where Orpheum Star Search champion Brandon Bailey will showcase his winning performance. Guests will also have the opportunity to see the colorful show murals that line the hall of dressing rooms where leading men such as Cary Grant and Yul Brynner , crooners like Johnny Mathis and Robert Goulet, and sex symbol Mae West prepped before performing to a sold out theatre. Enjoy a different look, the star's perspective, of the ornate chandeliers and gilded moldings of one of the oldest theatres in the country. The Orpheum joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

BILL KRAKAUER will be singing popular songs from the 20's to the 2000's - famous or forgotten - written by women or sung by great women performers at THE CELL PERFORMANCE SALON for just two nights only. JONATHAN CERULLO directs, PAUL TRUEBLOOD is the accompanist and music director, and JERED EGAN performs on double bass. The production plays two nights only, Monday, February 16th and Monday, March 2nd at 8:00 pm. All Tickets are $25.00 (no minimum) and can be reserved by calling 212-724-7933. THE CELL is located at 338 West 23rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.

Westchester Broadway Theater is Proud To Present Dan Goggin's 'MESHUGGAH-NUNS!' The Ecumenical Nunsense. February 12 - MARCH 21, 2009 Book, Music, Lyrics & Direction by Dan Goggin With the ?Nunsense' shows, the creator, Danny Goggin, has lifted the human spirit as he has made millions laugh. Meshuggah-Nuns, is the fifth variation in the popular 'Nunsense' series. For the last 26 years, the Little Sisters of Hoboken have entertained audiences in theatres around the globe, making 'Nunsense' an international household name. Meshuggah-Nuns, has The Sisters aboard the ship Golden Delicious on a 'Faiths of All Nations' cruise. Due to rough seas, the actors of the onboard musical, Fiddler On The Roof, succumb to sea sickness. Miraculously, the nuns survive the rolling waters unscathed, after Sister Julia put Dramamine in the brownies! The ship's captain, knowing of the Sisters' show-business savvy, urges them to concoct a variety show with Howard, who plays Tevye, the only actor who still has his sea legs. The four singing nuns now become an ecumenical, co-educational quintet. The show has a variety of music, with songs ranging in style from pop to country to gospel blues. Many of the jokes are delivered in the Laugh- In comedy format. There are sing-alongs, and even a puppet named Sister Mary Annette who performs a saucy Mae West number. It promises to be a laugh-filled funfest, with a mix of musical madcap, sprinkled with saintly sight gags and ubiquitous jokes. From the rousing opening number, 'Anchors Aweigh', to the hysterical, 'Say it in Yiddish', and 'Matzo Man,' to the touching, 'A Love Like This', the show will lift your spirits. It is a sweet natured celebration of Catholic and Jewish traditions.

Arizona-based actress Susan Claassen, who completed a highly successful engagement on London's West End this summer as legendary Hollywood designer Edith Head in 'A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD', recently began an intermittent US tour which will bring her to Arizona and California. (The month-long engagement at London's new Leicester Square Theatre was preceded by a sold out run at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.)

Star of stage and screen, Eartha Kitt has died at 81 of colon cancer according to her longtime publicist, Andrew Freedman.

George Street Playhouse is celebrating the December holidays in a big way with a series of musical performances for a special Holiday Cabaret. The musical celebration will feature the talents of Tony Award nominee Robert Cuccioli, who is currently performing at George Street Playhouse in Conor McPherson's The Seafarer. Mr. Cuccioli received a Tony Nomination and is perhaps best known for playing the title role in Broadway's Jekyll & Hyde. Joining Mr. Cuccioli will be fellow Tony nominee Sally Mayes from the recent Broadway revival of She Loves Me. Christopher Howatt will serve as musical director and performer for the revue. Performances take place Saturday, December 20 at 2 and 8PM, and Sunday, December 21 at 2PM.

An informal read-through of the first act of a new musical, Tangled Webs, took place on Friday December 12th, in Manhattan. The reading starred Mary Poppins star Rebecca Luker. The musical is about an elegant Park Avenue woman (played in the read-through by Rebecca Luker) who's lost her husband and starts her life over by going to work at a producer's office. She discovers a young writer's work that she feels passionate about, and she will stop at nothing to get the show to the Broadway stage.

George Street Playhouse is celebrating the December holidays in a big way with a series of musical performances for a special Holiday Cabaret. The musical celebration will feature the talents of Tony Award nominee Robert Cuccioli, who is currently performing at George Street Playhouse in Conor McPherson's The Seafarer. Mr. Cuccioli received a Tony Nomination and is perhaps best known for playing the title role in Broadway's Jekyll & Hyde. Joining Mr. Cuccioli will be fellow Tony nominee Sally Mayes from the recent Broadway revival of She Loves Me. Christopher Howatt will serve as musical director and performer for the revue. Performances take place Saturday, December 20 at 2 and 8PM, and Sunday, December 21 at 2PM.

On Thursday, October 23rd, a crowd gathered at a chapel, filling to standing room only capacity, in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to remember a man known to hundreds of millions simply as Mr. Blackwell.