Beautiful 2005 - Articles Page 27

'... The theater is so endlessly fascinating,' playwright Arthur Miller said in 1984, 'because it's so accidental. It's so much like life.' For internationally recognized director, actor, and teacher John Strasberg, the search for happy theatrical accidents that he believes define all creative processes has been a lifelong quest. Now the 67-year old scion of the Strasberg family has founded his own company, appropriately named the Accidental Repertory Theater. 'Our goal is to produce work that is spontaneous and real, every performance different, and that will entertain, move, and enlighten,' Strasberg said recently. 'The productions are beautiful and essential, the production values defining the elements of life that are absolutely necessary to create, and illuminate, the human beings who populate the play, and the world they live in.'

Although it has been 35 years since 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' was recorded, Art Garfunkel's image and signature vocal remain among the most instantly recognizable in popular music. His 'beautiful countertenor,' as Neil Strauss described Art's voice in The New York Times, is clear and resonant, surely one of the finest instruments in all of popular music, and a time-honored friend to a world of listeners. Art collaborated with childhood friend Paul Simon, and they started performing as Simon & Garfunkel at the height of the folk music boom in late-1963. Within a year they were signed to Columbia Records, who paired them with producer/engineer Roy Halee. Simon & Garfunkel maintained a tireless pace in the recording studio and on the road, reaching a wide and loyal international audience.

The Peter Schaufuss Company presents the WEST END premiere of MARILYN Empire film magazine recently crowned Marilyn Monroe the 'Sexiest Female Movie Star of all Time', Playboy hailed her the 'Number One Sex Star of the 20th Century', while People magazine voted her the 'Sexiest Woman of the Century'. Now the life of the troubled screen goddess, one of Hollywood's most beautiful icons from the golden age of movies, is coming to the West End in Marilyn, a dance musical that celebrates her all-too-brief life.

BC/EFA and Wicked Chicago are having an auction on tickets and more goodies. Wicked Chicago is at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Chicago, IL. You can keep WICKED forever! Bid now and you could win a WICKED globe plus tickets to the very last performance of WICKED in Chicago on Sunday, January 25 at 2 pm. The ultimate collectible, this one-of-a-kind globe displays the iconic witches from the record-breaking musical on two sides and is 3 feet wide. Only 27 were made and you could own one of them! Sun, Jan 25, 2009 02:00 PM Winning bidders will be contacted by a Ticketmaster Representative. http://www.ticketmaster.com/auction/07004225E9769FCA/1/?tm_link=edp_auction Called 'Broadway's biggest blockbuster' by The New York Times and 'a cultural phenomenon' by Variety, WICKED continues to cast a spell on all of Chicagoland and its many visitors - over 2.9 million people have attended WICKED in Chicago with audience members representing all 50 U.S. states and all seven continents. WICKED is now the longest running Broadway musical in Chicago's theatre history. The Chicago company of WICKED took the stage on June 24, 2005 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre.

Variety is reporting that Idris Elba has been cast on the hit NBC TV show, 'The Office' as a new rival to the show's star (and regional manager) Steve Carrell. Just like his new co-star, Melora Hardin who's currently on Broadway starring in Chicago, Idris Elba has also worked on the stage, including leading roles in 'Coming Home,' an original play written by Oscar Watson and performed at London's Red Lion Pub Theater, and Sir Peter Hall's off-Broadway production of 'Troilus and Cressida,' receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of Achilles. Idris Elba is perhaps best known for his role as the calculating de facto leader of a Baltimore drug empire in HBO's critically acclaimed original series 'The Wire.' In 2005, he received an Image Award nomination for his work on the series. Also for HBO, Elba starred in the movie 'Sometimes In April,' from director Raoul Peck. Set during the Rwandan genocide of 1994, the movie marked his first film starring role. Elba played a Hutu soldier who tries to save his Tutsi wife and family, earning another Image Award nomination for his performance.

Variety is reporting that two-time Tony Winner Donna Murphy has landed a recurring role on the TNT series TRUST ME. In 1994, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Fosca in Stephen Sondheim's and James Lapine's Passion. In 1996, she appeared as Anna Leonowens in the Broadway revival of The King and I alongside Lou Diamond Philips. The role earned her another Tony for Best Actress in a Musical.She also appeared in a revival of Wonderful Town (from 2003 to 2005) and in Lovemusik (2007) as Lotte Lenya, opposite fellow Tony winner Michael Cerveris as Kurt Weill. She also appeared in the recent presentation of Follies by Encores and in the BC/EFA Benefit concert of Pamela's First Musical. Murphy's recent film roles include The Nanny Diaries as Scarlett Johansson's mother and Spider-Man 2 as Rosalie Octavius, wife of Dr. Otto Octavius, the movie's villain. Murphy is perhaps best known to film viewers for her role as Anij in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) as the love interest of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

In 1980, Saint Paul resident Sally Ordway Irvine challenged her community to help her create a performing arts venue in which her dream of offering 'everything from opera to the Russian circus' could be realized. She set an example by making the first donation to a fund that eventually built Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. The $46 million center opened to the public on January 1, 1985, Sally had contributed $7.5 million-and her family had matched that amount. Certainly, Sally's vision is alive today in Ordway Center's dizzying schedule of theater, dance, music, family events, and educational programs. Ordway Center is also the proud sponsor of the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists which opened its doors in September 2005. Ordway Center contains the 1,900 seat Main Hall, the intimate 306 seat McKnight Theatre; two large rehearsal halls, and magnificent lobbies on each floor, including the second floor Marzitelli Foyer, a spacious, two story lobby encircled by a glass facade.

Travis Cloer, the current Frankie Valli alternate in JERSEY BOYS Las Vegas at The Palazzo Resort-Hotel-Casino, sang 'America the Beautiful' before the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl Game between University of Arizona and Brigham Young University on Saturday, December 20. Following Travis' rousing performance, previous Strip performer David Hasselhoff sang the National Anthem.

Two uniquely beautiful performance pieces compiled from the music and letters of Robert and Clara Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Franz Liszt by award-winning British pianist Lucy Parham, will be given their U.S. premieres by L.A. Theatre Works.

New Repertory Theatre, in residence at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, is excited to present Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl. From the acclaimed playwright of The Clean House comes this beautiful and devastating story about love and choice.

New Repertory Theatre, in residence at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, is excited to present Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl. From the acclaimed playwright of The Clean House comes this beautiful and devastating story about love and choice.

Cabaret Cares the hit cabaret series that benefits both Broadway Cares and Help Is On The Way Today returns to the beautiful Beechman Theatre on August 18th. The series produced and created by cabaret producer Joseph Macchia brings together the best of the Broadway and Cabaret communities.

Cabaret Cares the hit cabaret series that benefits both Broadway Cares and Help Is On The Way Today returns to the beautiful Beechman Theatre on August 18th.

Cabaret Cares the hit cabaret series that benefits both Broadway Cares and Help Is On The Way Today returns to the beautiful Beechman Theatre on August 18th. The series produced and created by cabaret producer Joseph Macchia brings together the best of the Broadway and Cabaret communities.

Cabaret Cares the hit cabaret series that benefits both Broadway Cares and Help Is On The Way Today returns to the beautiful Beechman Theatre on August 18th.

Renowned actress Marsha Mason returned to Broadway as Ouiser in the 2005 production of Steel Magnolias. Here she talks about the excitement of the first read through on the first day of rehearsal.

Liev Schreiber won the Tony Award for his electrifying performance of Richard Roma in the 2005 revival of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross. Here Liev talks about the play on the first day of rehearsal.

Celebrating its 20th Season, Lookingglass Theatre Company remounts their 2005 smash hit circus/theater creation based on the Greek myth of the God of fire. Things are more exciting the second time around!

We interview Naomi Emmerson (Actor/Producer/Director), and Stephanie Layton (Actor/Accompanist). They perform two songs, in-studio. For those who have loved, suffered and survived, come share a cocktail with a French legend, as she shares her passion for music, men and morphine! 'Top Ten of the 2005 Toronto Fringe'. Experience the power of chansons and l'amour!

Coming off a successful, six-time Tony-winning Broadway run, The Light in the Piazza is enjoying a 50-week American Tour, which premiered in August 2006 in San Francisco and continues through July. Joining the cast will be Katie Rose Clarke as Clara, the beautiful 26-year-old American traveling abroad with her mother.

CanStage presents Necessary Angel's production of HALF LIFE, written by John Mighton and directed by Daniel Brooks. Limited engagement through February 3rd at the Bluma Appel Theatre. Toronto, ON...Prize-winning Canadian playwright John Mighton's latest play Half Life premiered to rave reviews in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Scotland. It has been showered with accolades including the Governor General's Award for Drama and a Dora Award for Outstanding New Play. 'CanStage is thrilled to be presenting this beautiful play on the large Bluma Appel Theatre stage, giving a bigger and more broadly-based audience an opportunity to experience this exciting new Canadian work,' enthused CanStage Artistic Producer Martin Bragg. The Necessary Angel production of Half Life will subsequently travel across Canada and be presented in Winnipeg at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in February 2007, and Vancouver at the Arts Club Theatre in March 2007. It is scheduled to be part of the Melbourne Theatre Festival in Australia in October 2007. Directed by Daniel Brooks, the cast of Half Life features the original cast of Laura de Carteret as Anna, Barbara Gordon (CanStage's Homechild) as Agnes, Carolyn Hetherington (CanStage's Written on Water) as Clara, Maggie Huculak (CanStage's A Midsummer Night's Dream) as Tammy, Randy Hughson (CanStage's Homechild) as Reverend, Diego Matamoros as Donald and Eric Peterson (CanStage's Homechild) as Patrick. Joining Mr. Brooks is a creative team that includes set and costume designer Dany Lyne (CanStage's Hair), lighting designer Andrea Lundy (CanStage's The Comedy of Errors), sound designer Richard Feren, stage manager Crystal Salverda and assistant stage manager Kate Porter. Clara and Patrick meet in a nursing home for veterans and their families. They begin to fall in love, thinking they are rekindling an old flame. Have they met before? As Clara and Patrick's middle-aged children watch their faltering parents, the older couple rediscovers beauty and love in the twilight of their lives. Half Life is a poetic and moving meditation on identity, aging and the nature of memory. John Mighton's plays Scientific Americans, Possible Worlds, A Short History of Night, Body and Soul, The Little Years and Half Life have been performed across Canada, as well as in Europe, Japan and the United States and have won several national awards including a Governor General's Literary Award for Drama for Possible Worlds, A Short History of Night and Half Life. Possible Worlds was made into a full-length feature film directed by renowned director/playwright Robert Lepage. In 2005 Mr. Mighton was awarded the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre for his body of work. Mr. Mighton holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics and is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto. For the past eight years he has coordinated the highly acclaimed JUMP program, designed to tutor children who are having difficulties in math. Daniel Brooks is a prolific and versatile artist whose innovation and risk-taking have made him a leader within the Canadian cultural landscape. A director, writer, actor and teacher, Mr. Brooks has been recognized with accolades and awards throughout Canada and around the world. A tremendous mentor and inspiration to an entire generation of theatre artists, Mr. Brooks was the recipient of the inaugural Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. Some of his creations include Red Tape and 86; An Autopsy (with Don McKellar and Tracy Wright); The Lorca Play, House, Here Lies Henry, Monster and Cul de sac (all with Daniel MacIvor); The Noam Chomsky Lectures and Insomnia (with Guillermo Verdecchia), Bigger Than Jesus (with Rick Miller) and The Good Life. His work as a director includes John Mighton's Possible Worlds and Half Life, Goethe's Faust, and Beckett's Endgame. His most recent play is The Eco Show. He is currently the artistic director of Necessary Angel Theatre Company. BLUMA SEASON PRINT MEDIA SPONSOR: Toronto Star CANSTAGE OFFICIAL BEAUTY CARE SPONSOR: Olay Definity OFFICIAL HOTEL OF CANSTAGE: Delta Chelsea Hotel Digital Photography available at: http://www.canstage.com/2006-2007/media/images/play_4.asp Details PREVIEWS: January 8-10, 2007 OPENS: January 11-February 3, 2007 SCHEDULE: Monday-Saturday 8:00 p.m., Wednesday matinee 1:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee 2:00 p.m. TICKETS: $20-$95 LOCATION: CanStage - Bluma Appel Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. BOX OFFICE: Tickets are available in person at the CanStage Customer Service Centres, 26 Berkeley St. or 27 Front St. E., by telephone at CanStage 416-368-3110 and Ticketmaster at 416-872-1111, and online at www.canstage.com Rush seats are available for any performance one hour prior to show time. Rush seats are half the regular ticket price. For Monday nigh performances only, pay-what-you-can tickets are available in person at the CanStage Box Office beginning at 10:00 a.m. on the day of the performance. Special Group Rates available. For details call Heather Burns at 416-367-8243 ext. 266. Other activities to enhance your theatre-going experience: CanStage Tea Talks and Talk Backs - These informal post-performance question and answer periods give you an opportunity to meet the artists immediately following a production. Contact Patty Jarvis at 416-367-8243 ext. 245 for details

The New Group will present the final production of its 2005-2006 mainstage season, Everythings Turning Into Beautiful, from Monday, July 17 - Saturday , September 2 at The New Group at Theatre Row

REPRISE! Broadway's Best announced today the third and final event in the Marvelous Musical Monday series for the 2005/06 season, Amick Byram, Kevin Earley, Jean Louisa Kelly and Vicki Lewis starring in THE SONGS OF RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN, with musical direction by Steven Smith, choreography by Lee Martino and direction by Nick DeGruccio.

HOT FEET will have its pre-Broadway run at DC's National Theatre beginning March 21, opening Tuesday, March 28 and will run through April 9, 2005. It will begin its Broadway previews on April 18, opening night on Sunday, April 30, 2006 at the Hilton Theatre (213 West 42nd Street).

Producer Jeffrey Finn announced today that Academy Award-winning film and stage star Hayley Mills will join legendary star Richard Chamberlain to headline the upcoming National Tour of the beloved play ON GOLDEN POND. The 30-week tour of the two-time 2005 Tony Award-nominated production will launch September 5, 2006 in Fort Worth, Texas at Bass Performance Hall. A complete list of touring cities and venues will be announced in the coming weeks.