Based on the ballet Fancy Free by Leonard Bernstein
Two important post-Broadway mountings of 21st-century musicals opened in the Chicago area this week. One, 'Mary Poppins,' has had a great deal of attention. Now you can forget about it. This review concerns itself with the other one! 'Curtains,' the exemplary 2007 Kander and Ebb post-modern musical comedy, is now receiving its first post-Broadway mounting anywhere at our very own west suburban Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace. That?s right! This major coup for Oakbrook continues the very high standards for musicals that the theatre set last year, with no end in sight.
THE HOUNDING OF DAVID OLUWALE is the true story of David Oluwale, a Nigerian immigrant who came to Leeds in search of a new life but found only brutality and the determination of one man to find him justice.
On the 4th of May 1969 a bruised and swollen body was pulled from the River Aire in Leeds. Identified as that of David Oluwale, a local homeless man, his death exposed a campaign of systematic police brutality which shook the city of Leeds and led to the imprisonment of 2 police officers accused of his murder. Adapted by Oladipo Agboluaje, from Kester Aspden's award winning book of the same title, this Eclipse Theatre world premiere production will be staged at (venue) on (dates) in the 40th anniversary year of the death of David Oluwale as part of a UK tour.
Complete casting has been announced for the brand new production of GREASE, starring American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, playing the Golden Gate Theatre beginning Tuesday, March 24 through Sunday, April 19. Taylor Hicks made his debut on Broadway in the role of 'Teen Angel' this past summer. This brand new production of GREASE will feature songs from the smash hit 1978 motion picture performed for the first time ever in a Broadway production. GREASE is presented as a part of the 2008-2009 Citibank Best of Broadway series season under the direction of Carole Shorenstein Hays. Tickets on sale now. Taylor Hicks achieved widespread fame in 2006 as a contestant on the hugely successful FOX singing competition 'American Idol.' On May 24, 2006, Hicks was named the winner of the fifth season of 'Idol' with over 63.4 million votes in total. Winning the title over Katharine McPhee, the announcement was made during the live finale episode which aired to a worldwide audience of over 200 million viewers. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Taylor Hicks' passion for music began at an early age. He toured the Southeastern Unites States during his teenage years and released two independent albums. Known for his energetic performances with influences derived from classic soul, blues and R&B music, he quickly grew a large fan base among the millions of viewers and voters who tuned in to 'Idol' each week. His fans ultimately dubbed themselves the 'Soul Patrol.'
Rubicon Theatre Company continues its 'Brave New World' Season with FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. The musical begins previews Thursday, March 19, open on Saturday, March 21 at 7pm and run through Sunday, April 26, 2009 at Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura.
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is the Tony Award? winning musical that captured the hearts of people all over the world with its universal appeal. The play tells the story of Tevye, a Jewish milkman coping with day-to-day 'shtetl' life, Jewish traditions and the women in his life in pre-Revolutionary Russia.
Transport Group, the winner of a special 2007 Drama Desk Award and a 2007 Obie Award, will present Mary Testa and Emily Skinner in special one-night-only events, at 220 East 4 Street, between Avenues A & B.
On Sunday, April 5 at 7pm two-time Tony Award nominee Mary Testa will perform her new one-woman show, Sleepless Variations, which tells a tale of one woman's sleepless night of fears, fantasies, and dreams, expressed through a cycle of songs by composers as varied as Jimi Hendrix, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Bj?rk.
Rubicon Theatre Company continues its ?Brave New World? Season with Fiddler on the Roof. The musical begins previews Thursday, March 19, open on Saturday, March 21 at 7pm and run through Sunday, April 26, 2009 at Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura.
Charles Busch and John Epperson (Lypsinka) are both coming on 'The Kentertainment Report' Thursday at noon on Sirius/XM, Channel 109, during the Frank DeCaro Show. They will be interviewed by me, Ken Kleiber of TV/internet's long-running show 'That's Kentertainment!' and Frank DeCaro.
Charles and John will be promoting their upcoming 'LEGENDS!' Friends in Deed benefit performance on March 23rd.
The Laurie Beechman Theatre, located within The West Bank Caf? (407 West 42nd St.), is pleased to continue our Friday night soiree, THE AFTER PARTY. Now going strong it's third, THE AFTER PARTY is billed as 'a weekly schmoozefest for the theatrically inclined.' Every Friday from 10:30 pm until the wee hours, pros from Broadway and aspiring stars alike belt it out on the stage of The Laurie Beechman Theatre.
Rubicon Theatre Company continues its 'Brave New World' Season with FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. The musical begins previews Thursday, March 19, open on Saturday, March 21 at 7pm and run through Sunday, April 26, 2009 at Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura.
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is the Tony Award? winning musical that captured the hearts of people all over the world with its universal appeal. The play tells the story of Tevye, a Jewish milkman coping with day-to-day 'shtetl' life, Jewish traditions and the women in his life in pre-Revolutionary Russia.
South Coast Repertory?s final NewSCRipts reading of the 2008-09 season will be The Happy Ones by Julie Marie Myatt. Directed by Oanh Nguyen and commissioned by SCR, The Happy Ones is the 108th play to receive a staged reading as part of SCR?s venerable play reading program. Myatt?s My Wandering Boy received its World Premiere production at SCR in 2007 as part of the Pacific Playwrights Festival. The NewSCRipts reading of The Happy Ones will take place on March 2 at 7:30 p.m. on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Tickets are $12 each and may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.
Tony Winner John Rando returns to Houston's Alley Theatre to direct Two-time Tony Nominee Josie de Guzman as Maggie Cutler, Theatre World Award Winner James Black as Sheridan Whiteside and Alley Company Member Elizabeth Heflin as Lorraine Sheldon in Kaufman and Hart's classic comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner, beginning performances on February 20 on the Alley's Hubbard Stage.
The House Theatre of Chicago invites Chicagoans to be captivated by fairy tale, witches, myth and magic with its newest production ROSE AND THE RIME, written by the creative team Chris Mathews, Jake Minton and Nathan Allen. The original Midwestern fairy tale will play the Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division St.) February 19 to April 11, 2009. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 30, 2009 at 10 a.m.
The tiny Michigan town of Radio Falls has been trapped in perpetual winter for a generation. Snow and ice coat every tree branch and telephone wire, and the constant blizzard surrounding the town means there's no way in or out. The last moment of heated passion brought the town its only remaining youth: a girl named Rose. It is up to her to save Radio Falls from the vicious curse of the Rime Witch. But when she succeeds, Radio Falls discovers the witch's magic coin has two sides... ROSE AND THE RIME is a modern version of The House's favorite myth - a reminder that anything powerful enough to fulfill your dreams is powerful enough to destroy them.
La Jolla Playhouse welcomes back Rick Elice, co-writer of the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys, as the playwright of Peter and the Starcatchers. Alex Timbers and Roger Rees are set to direct with choreography by Kelly Devine and music by Wayne Barker. Peter and the Starcatchers will be playing at the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre at La Jolla Playhouse February 13 -March 8, 2009.
Based on the best-selling novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatchers dares to tell the real story of precisely how a desperate orphan in Victorian England became The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up. It's a tale that travels halfway round the world and straight up to the stars. It's a comedy that takes aim at social injustice. It's a romance of young heroes who risk everything for the sake of doing right. It's an expos? of extravagant villains possessed of a single-minded ferocity from which no good shall ever spring. In short, it's an awfully big adventure. La Jolla Playhouse will present Peter and the Starcatchers, a new play, as a part of its Page To Stage program, by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions.
Adam Green has been cast in the role of Peter. He has appeared in Off-Broadway productions such as Election Day, All This Intimacy and None of the Above. Molly will be played by Celia Keenan-Bolger who most recently appeared on Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. She also appeared in Saved. Lost boy Prentiss will be played by Carson Elrod, who appeared in the La Jolla Playhouse production of Our Town. Elrod has also appeared on Broadway in Reckless and Noises Off. David Rossmer is cast as the ever - peckish lost boy Teddy. His Broadway credits include Fiddler on the Roof and Titanic.
Christian Borle, who will be playing the ravenous Black Stache, received acclaim for his roles in Spamalot. He also received a 2007 Tony Award nomination for his role in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde. Andrew McGinn is set to play Slank. His New York credits include Coast of Utopia and The Invention of Love. Playing Lord Aster is John G. Preston, who recently appeared as Cameron Parker in the Off-Broadway production of Taboos. Greg Hildreth, playing the good hearted Alf, recently appeared in Dance Dance Revolution and Gentlemen of Verona. Teddy Bergman will be playing Fighting Prawn. His New York theater credits include Dance Dance Revolution and Nobody Likes the Mormons.
Tony Winner John Rando returns to Houston's Alley Theatre to direct Two-time Tony Nominee Josie de Guzman as Maggie Cutler, Theatre World Award Winner James Black as Sheridan Whiteside and Alley Company Member Elizabeth Heflin as Lorraine Sheldon in Kaufman and Hart's classic comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner, beginning performances on February 20 on the Alley's Hubbard Stage.
THE HOUNDING OF DAVID OLUWALE is the true story of David Oluwale, a Nigerian immigrant who came to Leeds in search of a new life but found only brutality and the determination of one man to find him justice.
On the 4th of May 1969 a bruised and swollen body was pulled from the River Aire in Leeds. Identified as that of David Oluwale, a local homeless man, his death exposed a campaign of systematic police brutality which shook the city of Leeds and led to the imprisonment of 2 police officers accused of his murder. Adapted by Oladipo Agboluaje, from Kester Aspden's award winning book of the same title, this Eclipse Theatre world premiere production will be staged at (venue) on (dates) in the 40th anniversary year of the death of David Oluwale as part of a UK tour.
The Laurie Beechman Theatre, located within The West Bank Caf? (407 West 42nd St.), is pleased to continue our Friday night soiree, THE AFTER PARTY. Now going strong it's third, THE AFTER PARTY is billed as 'a weekly schmoozefest for the theatrically inclined.' Every Friday from 10:30 pm until the wee hours, pros from Broadway and aspiring stars alike belt it out on the stage of The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Join hosts BRANDON CUTRELL (Bistor, MAC and Nightlife Award winner) and ALYSHA UMPHRESS (Make Me A Song) with RAY FELLMAN (Bistro Award winner) at the piano for this weekly party in the theatre district. There is no cover charge for this event. Come and sing yourself as the mic is always open, or sit back and enjoy a cocktail with friends. Located just blocks from the Great White Way, you never know who might drop in.
The Laurie Beechman Theatre, located within The West Bank Caf? (407 West 42nd St.), is pleased to continue our Friday night soiree, THE AFTER PARTY. Now going strong it's third, THE AFTER PARTY is billed as 'a weekly schmoozefest for the theatrically inclined.' Every Friday from 10:30 pm until the wee hours, pros from Broadway and aspiring stars alike belt it out on the stage of The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Join hosts BRANDON CUTRELL (Bistor, MAC and Nightlife Award winner) and ALYSHA UMPHRESS (Make Me A Song) with RAY FELLMAN (Bistro Award winner) at the piano for this weekly party in the theatre district. There is no cover charge for this event. Come and sing yourself as the mic is always open, or sit back and enjoy a cocktail with friends. Located just blocks from the Great White Way, you never know who might drop in.
The House Theatre of Chicago invites Chicagoans to be captivated by fairy tale, witches, myth and magic with its newest production ROSE AND THE RIME, written by the creative team Chris Mathews, Jake Minton and Nathan Allen. The original Midwestern fairy tale will play the Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division St.) February 19 to April 11, 2009. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 30, 2009 at 10 a.m.
The tiny Michigan town of Radio Falls has been trapped in perpetual winter for a generation. Snow and ice coat every tree branch and telephone wire, and the constant blizzard surrounding the town means there's no way in or out. The last moment of heated passion brought the town its only remaining youth: a girl named Rose. It is up to her to save Radio Falls from the vicious curse of the Rime Witch. But when she succeeds, Radio Falls discovers the witch's magic coin has two sides... ROSE AND THE RIME is a modern version of The House's favorite myth - a reminder that anything powerful enough to fulfill your dreams is powerful enough to destroy them.
Complete casting has been announced for the brand new production of GREASE, starring American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, playing the Golden Gate Theatre beginning Tuesday, March 24 through Sunday, April 19. Taylor Hicks made his debut on Broadway in the role of 'Teen Angel' this past summer. This brand new production of GREASE will feature songs from the smash hit 1978 motion picture performed for the first time ever in a Broadway production. GREASE is presented as a part of the 2008-2009 Citibank Best of Broadway series season under the direction of Carole Shorenstein Hays. Tickets on sale now. Taylor Hicks achieved widespread fame in 2006 as a contestant on the hugely successful FOX singing competition 'American Idol.' On May 24, 2006, Hicks was named the winner of the fifth season of 'Idol' with over 63.4 million votes in total. Winning the title over Katharine McPhee, the announcement was made during the live finale episode which aired to a worldwide audience of over 200 million viewers. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Taylor Hicks' passion for music began at an early age. He toured the Southeastern Unites States during his teenage years and released two independent albums. Known for his energetic performances with influences derived from classic soul, blues and R&B music, he quickly grew a large fan base among the millions of viewers and voters who tuned in to 'Idol' each week. His fans ultimately dubbed themselves the 'Soul Patrol.'
San Francisco, January 13, 2009 Singing sensation Terese Genecco returns to The Rrazz Room at The Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason, San Francisco CA. on Saturday, January 24th at 10:30 PM. Her special guest, jazz singer Lea Delaria will have a solo set in the show. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at www.therrazzroom.com or directly through ticketweb.com or at 866 468 3399.
Genecco is the winner of a 2007 Backstage Bistro Award, the 2008 MAC Award (Manhattan Assoc. of Cabarets & Clubs) for Best Recording, 2008 MAC Award Nominee for Best Female Vocalist, 2006 MAC award-nominee for Best Debut Performance and Time Out New York Magazine's Top 10 Best Cabaret Shows of 2006 and 2007. These awards are for Genecco's jazz/musical creation, DRUNK WITH LOVE: A TRIBUTE TO FRANCES FAYE and DRUNK WITH LOVE:THE SEQUEL! in which Genecco paid tribute to the spirit, sound, and style of Frances Faye, the 1950's bi-sexual, nightclub icon. She won the debut vocalist category and the overall 'Entertainer of the Year' award at the San Francisco Bay Area Cabaret Competition.
Lea Delaria has distinguished herself in almost every form of entertainment,musician, singer, Broadway actor, writer and standup comic. Lea's greatest desire was to hold a Broadway audience captive. Her dream came to fruition in 1997 with The Public Theater's revival of ON THE TOWN where she played Hildy and stopped the show 8 times a week. Lea received Obie, Drama Desk, Theater World and Fanny Awards. She became a Drama League Honoree and the recipient of the most notorious snub of recent Tony history. The notoriety pushed Lea into the limelight of the New York theater scene, making her one of the few openly gay actors to cross boundaries playing straight ( Hildy-ON THE TOWN, Broadway / Cinder-LITTLE FISH, off Broadway / Winnie-HAPPY DAYS, off Broadway ); gay ( Mama Morton- CHICAGO, National Tour / Jane-THE MOST FABULOUS STORY EVER TOLD, off Broadway, a role written especially for her by Paul Rudnik); and even portraying men! (Eddie and Dr. Scott-THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, Broadway.
La Jolla Playhouse welcomes back Rick Elice, co-writer of the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys, as the playwright of Peter and the Starcatchers. Alex Timbers and Roger Rees are set to direct with choreography by Kelly Devine and music by Wayne Barker. Peter and the Starcatchers will be playing at the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre at La Jolla Playhouse February 13 -March 8, 2009.
Based on the best-selling novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatchers dares to tell the real story of precisely how a desperate orphan in Victorian England became The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up. It's a tale that travels halfway round the world and straight up to the stars. It's a comedy that takes aim at social injustice. It's a romance of young heroes who risk everything for the sake of doing right. It's an expos? of extravagant villains possessed of a single-minded ferocity from which no good shall ever spring. In short, it's an awfully big adventure. La Jolla Playhouse will present Peter and the Starcatchers, a new play, as a part of its Page To Stage program, by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions.
Adam Green has been cast in the role of Peter. He has appeared in Off-Broadway productions such as Election Day, All This Intimacy and None of the Above. Molly will be played by Celia Keenan-Bolger who most recently appeared on Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. She also appeared in Saved. Lost boy Prentiss will be played by Carson Elrod, who appeared in the La Jolla Playhouse production of Our Town. Elrod has also appeared on Broadway in Reckless and Noises Off. David Rossmer is cast as the ever - peckish lost boy Teddy. His Broadway credits include Fiddler on the Roof and Titanic.
Christian Borle, who will be playing the ravenous Black Stache, received acclaim for his roles in Spamalot. He also received a 2007 Tony Award nomination for his role in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde. Andrew McGinn is set to play Slank. His New York credits include Coast of Utopia and The Invention of Love. Playing Lord Aster is John G. Preston, who recently appeared as Cameron Parker in the Off-Broadway production of Taboos. Greg Hildreth, playing the good hearted Alf, recently appeared in Dance Dance Revolution and Gentlemen of Verona. Teddy Bergman will be playing Fighting Prawn. His New York theater credits include Dance Dance Revolution and Nobody Likes the Mormons.
Various reports indicate that the 2009 Reprise Theatre Company season which was to present the world premiere of CHESS with a new book by Tony? winner Richard Maltby, Jr., has cancelled the production. THE FANTASTICKS, a musical they were planning for next season will now take it's place. CHESS was to play May 5th through 17th, 2009. Reprise is getting ready to open the classic international hit 'Man of La Mancha,' it begins performances on Feburary 14th.
San Francisco, January 13, 2009 Singing sensation Terese Genecco returns to The Rrazz Room at The Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason, San Francisco CA. on Saturday, January 24th at 10:30 PM. Her special guest, jazz singer Lea Delaria will have a solo set in the show. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at www.therrazzroom.com or directly through ticketweb.com or at 866 468 3399.
Genecco is the winner of a 2007 Backstage Bistro Award, the 2008 MAC Award (Manhattan Assoc. of Cabarets & Clubs) for Best Recording, 2008 MAC Award Nominee for Best Female Vocalist, 2006 MAC award-nominee for Best Debut Performance and Time Out New York Magazine's Top 10 Best Cabaret Shows of 2006 and 2007. These awards are for Genecco's jazz/musical creation, DRUNK WITH LOVE: A TRIBUTE TO FRANCES FAYE and DRUNK WITH LOVE:THE SEQUEL! in which Genecco paid tribute to the spirit, sound, and style of Frances Faye, the 1950's bi-sexual, nightclub icon. She won the debut vocalist category and the overall 'Entertainer of the Year' award at the San Francisco Bay Area Cabaret Competition.
Lea Delaria has distinguished herself in almost every form of entertainment,musician, singer, Broadway actor, writer and standup comic. Lea's greatest desire was to hold a Broadway audience captive. Her dream came to fruition in 1997 with The Public Theater's revival of ON THE TOWN where she played Hildy and stopped the show 8 times a week. Lea received Obie, Drama Desk, Theater World and Fanny Awards. She became a Drama League Honoree and the recipient of the most notorious snub of recent Tony history. The notoriety pushed Lea into the limelight of the New York theater scene, making her one of the few openly gay actors to cross boundaries playing straight ( Hildy-ON THE TOWN, Broadway / Cinder-LITTLE FISH, off Broadway / Winnie-HAPPY DAYS, off Broadway ); gay ( Mama Morton- CHICAGO, National Tour / Jane-THE MOST FABULOUS STORY EVER TOLD, off Broadway, a role written especially for her by Paul Rudnik); and even portraying men! (Eddie and Dr. Scott-THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, Broadway.
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.
This year will be of particular interest due to the economic situation, which makes the phrase 'more for your hard earned dollar' even harder...
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