Twyla Tharp News

Houston Ballet has been awarded a Fellowship Initiative grant from the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of New York City Ballet, to support the development of new choreography by first soloist Melissa Hough in a studio setting.

The Laguna Playhouse welcomes back Rita Rudner, one of the country's top comediennes, for an exclusive three-day stand-up engagement, aptly titled Rita Rudner: Act 3, Friday, August 24 - Sunday, August 26, 2012. Performance times are 7 p.m. each evening.

Jonah Bokaer, who has been making artistic waves on the international dance circuit since he began choreographing almost ten years ago, will be seen both close-up and afar in these coming months: outdoors at the Avignon Festival in France (tonight, July 20-July 22, 24-26) and indoors at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, MA (August 1-5) when he and Bolshoi Ballet star David Hallberg perform together in the world premiere of Bokaer's "CURTAIN."

Today we are talking to Patricia Kelly, the widow of one of the most iconic and influential performers in entertainment history, Gene Kelly, all about her husband's incomparable career on Broadway and in Hollywood, in honor of his centennial. Tracing Gene Kelly's journey from his theatre roots starring in Cole Porter's LEAVE IT TO ME!, Rodgers & Hart's PAL JOEY and William Saroyan's Pulitzer Prize-winning THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE on Broadway to his unforgettable screen appearances in many of the greatest movie musicals ever made - COVER GIRL, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, THE PIRATE, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and many more included - Mrs. Kelly gives us a look into the life of one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. In addition to behind-the-scenes stories involving Kelly's frequent collaborators - such as esteemed director Vincente Minnelli, songwriter and producer Arthur Freed, arranger Saul Chaplin and others - Mrs. Kelly also shares candid anecdotes involving her husband's involvement with directing Rodgers & Hammerstein's FLOWER DRUM SONG on Broadway, helming the feature film adaptation of HELLO, DOLLY! starring Barbra Streisand, as well as his appearing in two idiosyncratic movie musicals later in his life, LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT (THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT) for Jacques Demy, as well as his au revoir to movie musicals in form of the Olivia Newton-John roller disco starrer XANADU. Additionally, Mrs. Kelly fills us in on all the details about this weekend's two-night Gene Kelly retrospective celebration, which she leads and narrates, as part of GENE KELLY @ 100 and her future plans for the multimedia presentation - each evening titled AN EVENING OF GENE KELLY and CHANGING THE LOOK OF DANCE ON FILM, respective - as she begins to tour the show across the country. Plus, reflections on SINGIN' IN THE RAIN's 60th anniversary and the recent Fathom HD premiere presentation in theaters, the impact of Kelly's work behind the camera, his choreographic legacy, what a legend is like at home, memories of attending the opening night of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (starring HELLO, DOLLY! lead Michael Crawford), what the master would say about GLEE, SMASH, BUNHEADS and today's movie musical renaissance, as well as much, much more!

On March 10, 2012, stars of Broadway joined some of the biggest names in entertainment at a black-tie gala for the Opening Night of the new Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas. Highlights from the event were taped for a PBS special entitled FROM DUST TO DREAMS: Opening Night at the Smith Center for Performing Arts, which will air on September 21 on PBS.

Slipping and sliding back into Fathom-equipped movie theaters nationwide for one night only on July 12 in honor of its sixtieth anniversary, the iconic and legendary 1952 movie musical masterpiece SINGIN' IN THE RAIN makes its grand return to the silver screen in a brand new HD remastering that any movie musical fan, film fanatic or Broadway baby will definitely want to see first hand. A special event presented by Turner Classic Movies - also featuring an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by Robert Osborne and featuring original film star Debbie Reynolds - the July 12 showing of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is one more enduring entry in a continuing series of classic releases shown in HD for the first time in Fathom-equipped movie theaters across the country prior to their release on Blu-ray - past highlighted films have included SCARFACE, WEST SIDE STORY, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, CASABLANCA and many more. So, in celebration of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN splashing its way back to cinemas next week, today we are going to take a look back at some of the most well-known and best-loved scenes from the film - boasting a star-studded cast led by Gene Kelly, Donald O'Conner and Debbie Reynolds; directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen, with songs by Nacio Herb Brown and movie musical magnate Arthur Freed - as well as partake in the many famous and infamous homages paying tribute to the rightly well-regarded movie musical gem over the years. Gene Kelly to Gwyneth Paltrow to Kurt Browning to Usher; GLEE to THE MUPPET SHOW to FAMILY GUY; A CLOCKWORK ORANGE to FAME to SPAMALOT and far, far beyond; this retrospective look at one of the most important and influential - and just plain fun - American movie musicals ever produced certainly has it all; and then some! Ain't it great to stay up late?

The Muny presents the third show of its 94th season, Disney's Aladdin, opening tonight through July 13, directed by Gary Griffin, and choreographed by Alex Sanchez.

Today in 1985, Singin' in the Rain opened at the George Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 367 performances. Singin' in the Rain is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown. Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original. Set in Hollywood in the waning days of the silent screen era, it focuses on romantic lead Don Lockwood, his sidekick Cosmo Brown, aspiring actress Kathy Selden, and Lockwood's leading lady Lina Lamont, whose less-than-dulcet vocal tones make her an unlikely candidate for stardom in talking pictures. Directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, the cast included Don Correia as Don, Mary D'Arcy as Kathy, Peter Slutsker as Cosmo, and Faye Grant as Lina.

Ballet West has been awarded a Fellowship Initiative grant from the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of New York City Ballet, to support the development of new choreography in a studio setting. The choreographer will be Christopher Ruud.

Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoree David Byrne and St. Vincent will play Segerstrom Center for the Arts October 12 at 8 p.m. in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall during the pair's highly anticipated fall tour to support their soon-to-be-released album, Love This Giant.

On Stage Touring, LLC, in association with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., announced today that it will kick off their 2012/2013 touring season of Elvis Lives 'The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Event' in Wilmington, DE, on October 2, 2012. Due to incredible demand from audiences coast to coast, this season's tour will travel to sixty cities, presenting 100 performances, more than triple the number of last season's tour.

Easton's State Theatre has announced its 2012-13 season- on sale to State Theatre Members Wed, August 1 (Box Office window at 453 Northampton Street opens at 6 AM; Online Ticketing and Phone lines open at Noon). Tickets will go on sale to the Public August 15th at 10 AM. Limit 6 tickets per Member per performance during Members Only sales. Membership to the Non-Profit State Theatre starts at $75, lasts one year and is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Mandy Patinkin will narrate PBS's AMERICAN MASTERS JOFFREY BALLET on Friday December 28th at 9pm. The special will cover the story of the first quintessentially American dance company founded by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, who pioneered a new dance philosophy.

One of Russia's most famous actressses, Chulpan Khamatova, along with Bolshoi Theater soloist Andrei Merkuriev, will play for audiences in Boston with POOR LIZA, based on the novel by Nikolay Karamzin. This envelope-pushing choreographed theatrical performance was dreamt up by lauded choreographer Alla Sigalova and composer Leonid Desyatnikov, and produced by Russia's Theatre of Nations. Maestro Artist Management will present the performances in the US.

Jacob's Pillow announces that Executive and Artistic Director Ella Baff will present the sixth annual Jacob's Pillow Dance Award to Kyle Abraham, an acclaimed contemporary dancer, choreographer, and Artistic Director of Abraham.In.Motion. The Jacob's Pillow Dance Award honors outstanding, visionary dance artists and carries a prize of $25,000, one of the largest cash awards in the dance industry, to be used by the choreographer to enhance their artistry in any way they choose. The Award will be presented in person and celebrated at the Jacob's Pillow Season Opening Gala tonight, June 16.

One of Russia's most famous actressses, Chulpan Khamatova, along with Bolshoi Theater soloist Andrei Merkuriev, will play for audiences in New York and Boston with POOR LIZA, based on the novel by Nikolay Karamzin. This envelope-pushing choreographed theatrical performance was dreamt up by lauded choreographer Alla Sigalova and composer Leonid Desyatnikov, and produced by Russia's Theatre of Nations. Maestro Artist Management will present the performances in the US.

Docurama Films today announced that Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, a feature-length documentary, directed by Bob Hercules (Bill T. Jones: A Good Man), will debut on DVD and standard digital platforms on June 12, 2012, following a festival premiere and nationwide theatrical release.