Take Me Along 2008 - Articles Page 5

Baring It All with Call Me Adam returns today, Thursday, January 7, 2021 when Season 2 of the entertainment podcast begins. This season, Baring It All host Adam Rothenberg focuses on his guest’s legacy and lessons learned.

Talking to Khori Dastoor, General Director of Opera San José brings to mind that old quote from Elizabeth Taylor when she was faced with unimaginable adversity, “Now is the time for guts and guile.” Just one year into her tenure as GD, Dastoor is faced with an almost impossible situation due to the Covid pandemic. Out of all the arts, opera, the artform which she has made her life’s work, arguably has the biggest challenges. After all, the act of singing operatically produces enormous amounts of aerosols, the core audience is older and thus especially at risk for Covid, and the population at large may not consider opera to be essential to their lives. Since creating new works is practically impossible, many GD’s are offering a sort of greatest hits of former glories, video snippets from past years that were already in the can. Or maybe something like a “reading” of an old holiday chestnut like Der Rosenkavalier, presented Brady-Bunch style on Zoom. So what does Dastoor do instead? She goes bravely programs a brand-new, beautifully-produced production of Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers, starring no less than world-renowned opera star Susan Graham, alongside two of Opera San José’s super-talented Resident Artists, soprano Maya Kherani and baritone Efraín Solis. This immensely moving chamber work is based on an unpublished play by Terrance  McNally, adapted by librettist Gene Scheer, and tells the story of a family struggling to connect during the early years of the AIDS pandemic. The work premiered in 2008, yet somehow feels more relevant than ever, given the parallels with what we’re all going through today, as evidenced by McNally’s death from Covid earlier this year. The opera is currently available for streaming through the end of December. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit operasj.org. BroadwayWorld spoke with Dastoor shortly after the filming of Three Decembers had been completed. Dastoor was remarkably open and forthcoming about the challenges of the opera world right now, even as her passion for growing the artform burns stronger than ever. We talked about how she managed to produce Three Decembers during Covid, her successful earlier career as a lyric soprano, and the imperative to keep the arts alive during these difficult times. Her responses to my questions were invariably thoughtful, often surprising and not without humor. And, as a rare woman of color leading an opera company, her understanding of the need to open up her artform runs deep. Above all, though, she is just plain fun to talk to - effortlessly engaging, whip-smart, emotionally transparent, and without an ounce of pretension.

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the 101 greatest Motown songs from 1960-1994. See if your favorite songs or artists made the list!

The Invigorated Ingenue brought Joan Darragh back to the cabaret stage and community, where she belongs. Isolation has brought her talents as motivator and baker to the social media. Here, the Ingenue talks with Stephen Mosher about life before and after her return to the stage.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, David Mamet's November will be the first reading in a series from Broadway's Best Shows, airing tonight, May 7 (8pm EST).

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best musical theatre characters from 1940-2020; see if your favorites are on our list of the best characters from Broadway musicals.

The McCallum Theatre announced today its new lineup for the 2020-2021 season, with an exciting schedule of world-class artistry that has been the Theatre's hallmark for more than three decades. The new season includes an assortment of McCallum debuts, along with iconic superstars, long-awaited return visits from show business royalty, plus a robust comedy lineup and an impressive array of Broadway's most cherished, long-running shows.

The Beatles! Rihanna! Michael Jackson! Johnny Cash! Kanye West! The Rolling Stones! Aretha Franklin! Bob Dylan! Miles Davis! Nirvana! BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest albums from the rock and rap era (1950-2020); see if your favorites made the grade!

Craft Recordings announces the release of an expanded edition of Plain White T's' acclaimed 2005 album, All That We Needed.

Avid theatergoers who are sequestered at home may find themselves bored. Along comes an uncannily well-timed new show that bears the name Monotony: The Musical. Unlike some of the other theatrical streaming events popping up every day, this one will be released as a podcast on April 15th.

Visit our list of the best musicals & shows you can watch from home! We've got you covered with all the must-sees on streaming sites including Tony-award winners, favorite stars and top performances.

A cappella sensation Straight No Chaser will bring the Open Bar tour to the McCallum Theatre at 7:00pm, Monday, March 30.Straight No Chaser has had an amazing decade-plusa?"moving from being a college a cappella group to enjoying international success, thanks to a viral video or two along the way.

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is offering several of Broadway's biggest hits, plus amazing concerts and memorable special events for every entertainment preference, from classical music to political comedy, plus international superstars like Diana Ross to Kenny G to Chita Rivera, along with several fascinating talks and lectures throughout the month of March.

Ask Me Anything is based on the real letters that teenagers wrote to us in which they could, as the title suggests, ask us anything. The idea had come from the problem pages we had read when we were growing up, where anonymous teens would get advice from agony aunts.

Matt Novack, who composed Adult Swim's Childrens Hospital, took the time to speak with us about his work on Netflix's spinoff, Medical Police.

The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus, along with Resident Company support from The Philly POPS and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, celebrates Black History Month in February 2020 with an array of FREE and ticketed programming honoring African American artistic expression and culture.

Producer Mark Cortale's 2019-20 Broadway @ NOCCA series is set to take a superstar leap into the New Year with Liz Callaway, Tony nominee for Baby and star of Cats and Miss Saigon on Broadway as well as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in Disney's animated Aladdin series of films, on Saturday, January 11 at 8:00 PM. She makes her NOLA series debut joined by music director and host Seth Rudetsky and special guest, New Orlean's own Bryan Batt.

This week we're spotlighting Nadia DiGiallonardo is currently the music director for the Broadway production of Waitress at the Brooks Atkinson Theater, where she can be found playing and conducting Sara Bareilles' score most nights. She is also the music supervisor for the national tour and international companies of Waitress.

Steve Poltz has been described as a?oequite possibly the most talented and engaging solo performer on this planeta?? by Front Porch Music. The alternative folk singer, songwriter and all-around  free spirit has enjoyed a colorful career since striking out with San Diego cowpunk cult favorites the Rugburns in the early '90s. Along the way, the Canadian-American co-wrote Jewel's 1995 hit 'You Were Meant for Me,' and made a short major-label run of his own. Multi-platinum a?oemystery mana?? Jack Tempchin of Eagles songwriting fame, opens the show.  Poltz and company will take command of the Poway Stage on Saturday, November 2 starting at 8 p.m.

The 72nd Annual Tony Awards are this Sunday June 10th at 8/9c hosted by Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles. It's the biggest award show of the Broadway season and it closes out a long awards season for Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and plays. We can't help but wonder what chances this year's Best Musical and Best Play nominees have of taking home the ultimate prize...

Diplo's Major Lazer returns with a brand new track today. Featuring Skip Marley, “Can't Take It From Me” sees the band returning to their Caribbean-influenced roots and marks the reappearance of the group's iconic image of their namesake—listen here.

Philadelphia-bred rock band The Starting Line have announced EST: 1999 Music + Stories, the band's summer, fall and winter tour celebrating its 20th anniversary. Visiting a number of markets the band hasn't performed in since 2008, the upcoming run will feature full live shows with sets spanning the band's entire catalog, along with storytelling detailing the band's history and narratives behind the songs. The band will visit markets such as Los Angeles, CA on July 20, Cleveland, OH on September 13, Denver, CO on November 15, Dallas, TX on November 16 and more. 

If you enjoyed the 2008 and 2018 MAMMA MIA! movies, you are going to love the original musical from which the Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried-vehicle came. Running April 10 through May 12, featuring toe-tapping, danceable songs from the Swedish supergroup ABBA, American Stage has created the Greek island of Kalokairi at Demens Landing Park for its production of MAMMA MIA! under the direction of American Stage's artistic director Stephanie Gularte.

Nathan Lane has returned to Broadway this season in the new play Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus. Lane has had an extremely diverse career, spanning over 30 years. From comedic musicals, to heart-wrenching plays, to screen work, voiceovers, and much more, Lane has become a household name.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Grab your coffee and catch up on today's top stories from around the Broadway World!