Michael Levine News

Praised for its "panache" by The New York Times, the Harlem Quartet is "bringing a new attitude to classical music, one that is fresh, bracing and intelligent," says the Cincinnati Enquirer.  That new attitude will be on display when the Harlem Quartet returns to the Soraya and Younes Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) and teams up with honor students from CSUN's Samuel Goldberg Honors String Quartet. This free concert will be performed on Wednesday, March 14 at 7:30pm in the intimate 500-seat Plaza del Sol Performance Hall situated alongside The Soraya on the CSUN campus.

March brings the return of Avner Eisenberg to Acorn Productions, this time as the co-director of the monthly Naked Shakespeare show entitled "Vaudevillians," which will be performed at Mechanics Hall on First Friday, with a Thursday night preview, and the following Thursday at Oxbow Blending and Bottling.

Richard Wagner's last opera, PARSIFAL, is a tough nut to crack. With its highly religious overtones, lack of action and incredible length (it ran about 5 hours 40 minutes the other night), it's not exactly a 'light night' at the opera--even if for those of us who consider opera to be a 'light night'. Still, with the right cast and conductor, it can be transcendent. The Met's new revival came pretty close to getting us there.

Netflix has given a Seaon 3 order to the hit drama series FRONTIER, starring Jason Momoa. The new season will consist of six episodes and premiere on Netflix in 2018.

Verdi's Rigoletto, a searing exploration of patriarchy, power, and commerce, returns to the Canadian Opera Company this winter with a production from acclaimed American director Christopher Alden. A tragedy on a Shakespearean scale, the opera is brought to life by an all-star cast and conducted by pre-eminent American maestro Stephen Lord. Ten performances take place at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on January 20, 27, February 1, 4, 6, 9, 11, 17, 21, and 23, 2018.

Naked Shakespeare, Acorn Productions' performance series dedicated to presenting the works of the Bard in accessible ways for contemporary audiences, continues its third season of First Friday performances in The Ballroom at Mechanics Hall with Cross-Dressers.

Naked Shakespeare, Acorn Productions' performance series dedicated to presenting the works of the Bard in accessible ways for contemporary audiences, begins a new season of First Friday performances in The Ballroom at Mechanics Hall with ShapeShifters.

ASCAP, the world leader in performing rights and advocacy for music creators, today announced the 12 composer participants selected for its prestigious annual ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop, now in its 29th year. Led by Emmy Award-winning composer Richard Bellis, the comprehensive 4-week program takes place in Los Angeles.

The world's premier Podcast platforms, iTunes and Soundcloud, have both picked up the new long-form conversation podcast titled “Without Notes – The Podcast” hosted by prominent media expert and best-selling author Michael Levine ,effective immediately ,according to podcast executive producer Ryan McCormick.

Performances began on Tuesday, April 25, at the Curran for a strictly limited two-week run of THE ENCOUNTER starring Simon McBurney. This run marks the final U.S. engagement of the production through Sunday, May 7. BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening festivities below!

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has been meeting all year to discuss the eligibility of the 2016-17 Broadway productions all leading up to Tuesdays big announcement... the Tony nominations.

Carole Shorenstein Hays and the Curran theater have announced performances for THE ENCOUNTER begin tonight, Tuesday, April 25 for a strictly limited two week run, which marks the final U.S. engagement of the production.

Carole Shorenstein Hays and the Curran are excited to present PLUGGED IN AT CURRAN, a series of events that invites you to explore your relationship with sound in unique and innovative ways.

Brown Box Theatre Project is set to tackle their most ambitious production to date with an outdoor presentation of Jason Robert Brown's beloved musical, Songs for a New World, May 5-14.

The Encounter - among the most compelling theatrical experiences ever staged on Broadway and in London - will make its West Coast debut in April at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

The Curran theater announced that tickets are on sale to the general public beginning today, Wednesday, March 22nd, at 12:00pmPST (Noon) for highly anticipated San Francisco engagement of the Complicite production of The Encounter, Simon McBurney's riveting one-man play where audience members must wear headphones to take part in the journey. Tickets can be purchased at SFCURRAN.com/shows/the-encounter, by calling 415-358-1220, or in person at the Curran Box Office (445 Geary Street). Performances begin Tuesday, April 25, 2017, for a strictly limited engagement through Sunday, May 7, 2017. For more information on The Encounter, visit SFCURRAN.com

Brown Box Theatre Project is set to tackle their most ambitious production to date with an outdoor presentation of Jason Robert Brown's beloved musical, Songs for a New World, May 5-14. Featuring a dazzling cast of new and familiar talent, Brown Box has teamed up with venues throughout Massachusetts to bring this free event to underserved communities and Boston landmarks alike.

An unforgettable romantic story of unrequited love and its unintended consequences returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago Feb. 26 -Mar. 20 for eight performances. For those who know Tchaikovsky's ballets Nutcracker and Swan Lake but not his operas,Eugene Onegin is a wonder and revelation. The glorious music brings Pushkin's poetic tale to life brilliantly in a beautiful production with a terrific international cast.

The productions discussed were The Encounter; Holiday Inn; Oh, Hello on Broadway; Heisenberg; The Cherry Orchard; The Front Page; Falsettos; Les Liaisons Dangereuses; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; A Bronx Tale; Dear Evan Hansen; In Transit; and The Present.

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents an unforgettable romantic tragedy about unrequited love and its unintended consequences. Tchaikovsky's glorious music plus Pushkin's poetic tale come alive in a beautiful production with a terrific international cast. Eugene Onegin is a musical wonder and revelation, especially for those familiar only with his Nutcracker ballet.