Michael Carr News

The oft-told tale of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet which has been beloved throughout the ages and been interpreted and showcased in so many films, stage productions and even a ballet ---has been mounted by the Washington National Opera in an odd sort of manner. In composer Charles Gounod’s opera, the music is bewitching and should be the glory of the opera, but it should be paired with a text that is respected.

The 71st Wexford Festival Opera will open on Friday, 21 October, running for 17 consecutive days showcasing over 80 events including three mainstage operas, two pocket operas, a new commission and an Irish premiere, closing on Sunday, 6 November.

Gounod’s overture introduces ROMEO AND JULIET with a prophetic mix of lyrical romance and tragedy. Yves Abel, the Principal Conductor of the San Diego Opera, is an expert in French opera and made sure that resonant brass and lush strings produced the mood a Parisian composer of the time would have favored. The quick pace was especially important in a five-act opera some productions turn into a turgid ordeal. No chance of that with Abel leading the San Diego Symphony.

Today WFO Artistic Director Rosetta Cucchi announced details of her programme for the 71st Wexford Festival Opera which will run for 17 days from 21 October – 6 November 2022.

ImprovBoston and its Board of Directors have announced that Corey O'Rourke has accepted the position of Artistic Director of the 40-year-old nonprofit comedy theater. Corey succeeds Michael Carr, who left the organization in 2020 to continue his artistic endeavors in Florida.

Today, the team of Forever And A Day is proud to announce that this new podcast soap opera will debut later this year on the JLJ Media Network; bringing the 90 year old daytime drama genre back to its roots, that was created by Irna Phillips. The series revolves around the Harper, Bennett, and Marshall families, as they overcome life's complexities in the fictional town of Augustus, Illinois.

IRT present the World Premiere of DUCK, a new American drama by Tom Block, founding producer of the International Human Rights Art Festival. Directed by Katrin Hilbe, previews begin October 17 at IRT Theater with opening night slated for Thursday, October 24.

Carrie White is a misfit. At school, she's an outcast who's bullied by the popular crowd, and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she's at the mercy of her loving but cruelly over-protective mother. But Carrie's just discovered she's got a special power, and if pushed too far, she's not afraid to use it… Performances are October 11th thru October 20th, 2019 at the Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215. For tickets or more information, visit: https://www.imaginecolumbus.org/

It's the last week to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Cincinnati Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Cincinnati Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Cincinnati Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

There's just one month left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Cincinnati Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

There's just one month left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Cincinnati Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

Thorton Wilder's Our Town tells the story of the everyday lives of the citizens of a fictional American small town of Grover's Corners through three acts: "Daily Life," "Love and Marriage," and "Death and Eternity." Narrated by a stage manager and performed with minimal props and sets, this show is uniquely suited for our King Avenue sanctuary.  You won't want to miss this telling of Our Town, during its 80th anniversary of its Broadway opening.  Performances run March 8, 9, 10 at 7:30 pm and March 11 at 3:00pm. All performances are at King Avenue United Methodist Church, 299 King Ave., Columbus, OH. Childcare is available during the Friday evening and Sunday matinee performances. Admission is free, but a $10 donation is encouraged.

The Metropolitan Opera Guild, a premier arts education organization dedicated to enriching people's lives through opera, announced new programs for the 2018 season. These programs will supplement the Metropolitan Opera Guild's robust spring schedule of lectures and events.

In the opening scene of Marc Robin and Curt Dale Clark's Alice in Wonderland, Alice sings of her notion of Wonderland - 'a place where nonsense fills the air, a place more magical than dreams' - and in MSMT's Theatre for Young Audiences' original musical version of this classic, witty nonsense is deliciously blended with flights of imagination to create the perfect fantasy that speaks to audiences of all ages.

Maine State Music Theatre closes out its 2017 season with the New England Regional Premier of the all-singing, all-dancing, high-energy show, Disney's Newsies. Featuring a score by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken, Newsies runs from August 9 - 26. A matinee performance has been added on August 19 at 2 PM.

Today is Saturday, and that means it's time for what has become one of the theatre community's most beloved traditions- BroadwayWorld's 'Saturday Intermission Pics' roundup! This week SWEENEY TODD's Mrs. Lovett shares a makeup tutorial that will have you looking positively Lovett-ly, and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA plays a little understudy/standby/alternate musical chairs. Check out more Saturday Intermission Pics below!

Maine State Music Theatre presented two sold-out performances of The Who's Tommy, the rock musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff, on July 31, 2017, at Brunswick's Pickard Theater.

Midway through the first act of The Who's Tommy, the young protagonist invites his mates and listeners to ride together on his amazing journey. And truly, Maine State Music Theatre's production of the Pete Townshend/DesMcAnuff musical, seen for two performances only at the Pickard Theater July 31 offers its audience just that - a riveting, often raw, perennially relevant, piercingly beautiful account of a boy's painful but ultimately uplifting journey through the darker side of human experience and into the light. The rarely staged 1992 musical version based on the 1969 concept album and rock opera with its sung-through score, narrative told largely in dance, and its sometimes disturbing material poses significant challenges to any company, but MSMT once again proves its artistic mettle. Under the inspired direction of Curt Dale Clark, with the complex choreography of Raymond Marc Dumont and the rousing musical direction of Patrick Fanning, this company of young artists marshals its considerable talents to tackle the ambitious project with energy, passion, and complete professionalism.