'Good times never seemed so good' on Saturday night as Neil Diamond performed to a sold out crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. I've long maintained that Diamond's (sadly no relation) catalog of hits is ideally suited to the Broadway stage and I will continue waiting for someone to tap his goldmine of theatrical tunes.
New York City born and raised, at 71, he continues to perform high octane, intermission free two hour plus concerts (we share a last name, but sadly not an energy level) backed by a great band that's toured with him for 35+ years and truly rocked.
Four decades after his 'Hot August Night' at the Greek Theatre in LA became the quintessential live concert album, Saturday's concert paid tribute to that amazing success and the culmination of a 55 city tour. Filled with top notch lighting, sound, production and of course music, the Vegas crowd was up on its feet for much of the night.
The hit-filled set list Diamond performed included Soolaimon, Beautiful Noise, Forever in Blue Jeans, Love on the Rocks, Hello Again, Play Me, Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon, Red Red Wine, Solitary Man, Glory Road, I'm a Believer, Cracklin' Rosie, You Don't Bring Me Flowers, Crunchy Granola Suite, Mornigside, Holly Holy, Sweet Caroline, I Am I Said, America and Brother Love's Travelin' Salvation Show.
Those 20 tunes are just the tip of the iceberg of a long list of song-writing credits that's helped him sell 115 million records since the 1960s and have made him one of my personal favorites along with tens of thousands of others who fill his always sold-out arena tours across the country and around the world.
Diamond's combination of songwriting talent, musicianship and a live stage presence make his concert performances soul-lifting experiences that are simply not to be missed. In the film WHAT ABOUT BOB? Bill Murray noted that "there are two kinds of people in this world, those that like Neil Diamond and those who don't." Well, I've never met anyone who's seen him live that falls in the latter category, and for good reason.
Here's hoping for a 50th Anniversary of Hot August Night, because as age shows no signs of slowing him down - if there's anyone that can do it, it's Neil Diamond. I'll be there. And, if you're listening Broadway producers - I'll be there as well.
A little bit country, a little bit rock n' roll and A LOT of Broadway is currently on display in the hit DONNY & MARIE show currently playing the showroom at The Flamingo in Las Vegas.
The show, recently voted #1 in 'The Best of Vegas', and directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, makes several stops on a trip down the memory lane of their almost 50 year careers. It was my first time seeing the duo live, and while familiar with both's theatrical appearances over the years (and loved Donny's performance as 'Gaston' in the closing of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and on record as JOSEPH), I only had a passing knowledge of some of their pop hits.
I of course was familiar with 'Puppy Love' and 'A Little Bit Country/Little Bit Rock and Roll' and the 90 minute show is filled with their highlights (including those two) and a ton of great footage which both reference throughout the show. The video clips work well to catch you up to speed if you're a newbie, or a great trip down your own memory lane if you grew up watching them on TV, as clearly much of the audience did. From their show to both's appearances on DANCING WITH THE STARS - it's all there.
Aside from their MANY pop hits, both paid significant tribute to the Great White Way, including songs from shows they each did - JOSEPH, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, BEAUTY & THE BEAST, THE KING & I and shows that they didn't, like CHICAGO, CABARET and WICKED (yes, WICKED - they close with 'For Good'). The show is briskly paced, and the backup includes a great dancing ensemble and an onstage band that are adept at all of their many styles of music. Definitely put this on your must see list if you're passing through Las Vegas.
Also, if anyone out there is taking requests - let's find another Broadway show for Donny please. Thank you.
We were a little late to the party when it came to catching Cirque's brilliant Viva ELVIS show at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. We saw the spectacular production last night, which sadly closes tonight, to be replaced in November by an updated and modified version of Zarakana (which had its premiere at Radio City in New York). To say that I'm shocked the show is closing would be an understatement.
There's NOTHING like a great Cirque experience that makes us all look upon the stage with childlike wonder at the feats of the human body, the artistry and the magic. What made Viva ELVIS special, and akin to their BEATLES LOVE show is that it also layered in the music and the great story of the one-of-a-kind American icon.
There never will be another like Elvis Presley, and there likely will never be a Cirque experience quite like Viva ELVIS either, so here's hoping that the show winds up touring or landing elsewhere.
BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theater site on the net, is continuously striving to bring you the most comprehensive coverage of all things theater happening around the world - and we couldn't do this without our dedicated and talented team of interns and contributors!
If you're a reader of our site but have always wanted to contribute in a different way, why not consider an internship or contributor position? BWW offers positions to fit all types of skills and interests, including tech internships, newsdesk, contributing editor opportunities and more! Check out the current opportunities below and get in touch with us to learn more!
Due to high demand, some positions may fill up quickly. Should this happens, your application will be placed on a waiting list until a spot opens up. You may also be offered an internship in an area with a higher need for support and then moved to a different opportunity.
Tech Interns Wanted!
If you're a tech-savvy theater enthusiast with a few hours to spare, we have the ideal internship for you! BWW is now accepting applications for new interns to help grow our regional show listings in our over 130 markets! As part of your internship, you will be assigned one or more regions to oversee and will be responsible for online research, reaching out to regional theater companies at the community and professional level, and inputting current and upcoming show listings into our database.
Online research skills, database or data entry experience are a must. Training and ongoing support will be provided. Contact Romina at romi@broadwayworld.com to apply.
Newsdesk Interns Wanted! Applicants interested in joining the Newsdesk team should be industry enthusiasts and have an interest in learning about news editing and website content management. No journalism experience is necessary -- we'll teach you everything you need to know -- although excellent writing skills is essential. Applicants must also be able to multi-task and write quickly.
Responsibilities include: Assisting with the editing and posting of press release stories, Drafting original pieces under the direction of the News Editor, and Online and social media research.
Current openings in: Maine, Milwaukee, Miami, Mesa, Memphis, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Fargo, Jackson (MI), Dayton, Fargo, Jacksonville, Scotland, Melbourne, Little Rock, Madison, Louisville, Detroit, Cincinnati, Central NY, Buffalo, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Austria, Arizona. BWW is currently seeking talented theater enthusiasts to head up feature coverage our over 130 regional areas. As a Contributing Editor, you will have the opportunity to review the shows of your choice, conduct interviews with local and touring talent, design features of your own choosing for publishing, and work/network with your local theater press reps to bring exposure to the theatrical offerings in your area.
All applicants should have excellent writing skills and an interest for giving local theaters and productions some prominence on BroadwayWorld.com.
Your compensation as a featured writer with us not only includes exclusive press seats to all of the shows you cover (as is standard in your area and arranged between you and the theater) but also the opportunity to be published under your own byline and publishing profile on both the local and main pages of the site for maximum exposure to our 4M+ monthly visitors.
If this sounds like you, please send a resumé and one writing sample to Christina Mancuso at christina@broadwayworld.com.
Join the BWW Student Center Team!
The BWW Student Center is a comprehensive, free database service listing college and university performing arts programs across the country making it easier for prospective students by showcasing programs searchable by schools, location, degrees and concentrations. In addition, the Student Center is also comprised of a show calendar which lists high-school and college productions. Throughout the year, we also profile schools and their arts programs in a weekly spotlight series.
With the upcoming launch of the 2012-2013 Student Center, we want to engage even more students and faculty in a variety of ways, including Backstage Blogs, Interviews with students, faculty, cast and creative teams, Features & Profiles, Reviews and much more. Want to get involved? Contact Romina at romi@broadwayworld.com for more info!
Note: All positions mentioned above offers flexible hours and the opportunity to work remotely for your convenience. All you will need are a computer and internet access, so applicants both in and outside of New York City are encouraged to apply. **Access to New York City is not required.
Internships are unpaid, with college credit available.
We've been getting requests for a while to include the ever-expanding world of cruise lines in our popular audition listings, and have now done just that. Click here to check them out and happy trails, or sails...or something like that. :-)
The Public Theater's production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s beloved musical INTO THE WOODS, part of The Public’s 50th Anniversary season at the Delacorte, officially opened last night, August 9. Directed by Timothy Sheader with co-direction by Liam Steel, INTO THE WOODS began previews on Tuesday, July 24 and will now close on September 1.
Check out highlights from the show HERE and see what the critics had to say HERE.
There has already been a lot of buzz about the show transferring to Broadway this fall. Do you think it should make the move?
We were the first Broadway app on the market back in 2009. The world has come a long way since then and our apps have too!
If you already downloaded our new apps which were released just in time for the Tonys, you'll have received the updates automatically via the App Store.
Today, July 6, we've released updates to our applications for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices which now feature an improved login system (login once and forget it), multitasking improvements, speed improvements, an updated player for BWW radio, access to your BWIDB Personalized News Feed and other miscellaneous fixes and enhancements.
BWW's new apps were completely redesigned from the ground-up and release in June and feature all of our news, content, videos, show listings, message boards, special offers, radio channel, search features, regional news and lots more - all updated in real-time!
When the theatre world slows down, our coding time increases and continuing our summer of upgrades here at BroadwayWorld.com, we pushed 'live' today new homepages for both:
Aside from being updated to our new mid-2012 page design with significantly faster load and browse times, both pages also now incorporate a slew of long-requested updates including the ability to search or browse JUST our video or photo coverage with new section specific search engines.
We've just released a complete redesign of our uber-popular Broadway Critics Report Card that features all of the major critics reviews for everything on the Great White Way... Featuring up to the minute information from our opening night review roundups, if you make your show-going choices based on critical consensus - it's the area of the site for you. It's also all linked in to our exclusive Pick-a-Show web app as well. More to come and have a great weekend!
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'Good times never seemed so good' on Saturday night as Neil Diamond performed to a sold out crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. I've long maintained that Diamond's (sadly no relation) catalog of hits is ideally suited to the Broadway stage and I will continue waiting for someone to tap his goldmine of theatrical tunes. 
A little bit country, a little bit rock n' roll and A LOT of Broadway is currently on display in the hit DONNY & MARIE show currently playing the showroom at The Flamingo in Las Vegas.
We were the first Broadway app on the market back in 2009. The world has come a long way since then and our apps have too! 
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