Since its Off-Broadway debut in 1967, HAIR has become a touchstone for musical theatre fans with a fondness for the decade's counter-culture revolution. Having won both a Tony and a Grammy, there is no doubt that this musical, which defies nearly every theatrical convention, has become as important a part of the genre's cannon as any of the Golden Age's classics. However, it is a show that I have just never 'got.' Perhaps I am too square to appreciate the flower-power sensibility, or too straight-laced to understand the era of psychedelic drugs and free love. Nonetheless, the score by Galt MacDermot (music) and James Rado and Gerome Ragni (lyrics) contains some of the theatre's best 'rock' songs with pop cross-overs 'Aquarius,' 'Good Morning Starshine,' and 'Let the Sunshine In.' Theatre UCF's production of 'The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,' which runs through October 25th, might not have been able to make me appreciate the show's trippy conceit, but it did confirm that the program has just as much talent as nearly any of Central Florida's professional theatres.
James Rocco and the Ordway's BROADWAY SONGBOOK® series have been seen in this space many times before. Usually, the shows are a virtual musical theatre master class with a local slate of triple threats. This time is no exception but THE 70s SONGBOOK is a slightly different show, just as the decade was a slightly different musical theatre experience. Cue the Disco beat. (Or maybe not!)
Promises, Promises, the Burt Bacharach/Hal David/Neil Simon musical was definitely a product of its time when it opened in 1968. And now, with the success of television's Mad Men, and the popularity of all things 'retro', the show is once again a timely piece. Stage Door Theatre will present this multi-award winning musical from September 25th through November 1st.
Artistic Director David J. Miller tackles another iconic play from the catalogue of 20th century gay dramatic literature with Mart Crowley's groundbreaking THE BOYS IN THE BAND. Opening in 1968, one year before the Stonewall riots, these boys were at the head of the parade for the Gay Pride movement. Miller has gathered a roster of nine estimable actors who provide the heart and soul to bring Crowley's types realistically to life at the intimate Plaza Black Box Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts.
DAMES AT SEA will set sail at Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre (240 West 44 Street), beginning performances Thursday, September 24, 2015, with an opening night of Thursday, October 22, 2015. With a book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller, music by Jim Wise, and music supervision and vocal & dance arrangements by Emmy Award winner Rob Berman (Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Finian's Rainbow), Dames at Sea will be directed and choreographed by three time Tony Award nominee Randy Skinner (42nd Street, Irving Berlin's White Christmas).
The cast met the press today for the first time, and BroadwayWorld was on hand to capture a rousing performance sneak peek - check it out below!
The Australian cast of the brand new production, Georgy Girl - the Seekers Musical, has been announced today with members of The Seekers in attendance. The much anticipated cast announcement was made at Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl, the scene of The Seekers' record-breaking concert in 1967 that drew a mammoth crowd of more than 200,000 people!
The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF) Chief Executive Officer Marci Glazer announced the outstanding thinkers, writers and entertainers that will comprise the diverse lineup for the 2015-16 Arts & Ideas season.
Can't make it to NYC before the end of the summer to see a Broadway show? Want to sing and dance in the comfort of your living room? BroadwayWorld has you covered with BROADWAY BINGE, a guide to all of the musicals or inspirations for hit Broadway musicals currently available for streaming on Netflix.
So get out of the summer heat, get the popcorn ready, and check out the list below get your Broadway Binge on!
The Music Hall continues its tradition of offering a variety of outstanding cinema this month, all being shown at either the splendidly restored Historic Theater on Chestnut Street or at the chic Loft on Congress Street, both acclaimed for their architectural design.
nfinity Theatre Company (Anna Roberts Ostroff & Alan Ostroff), Martin Platt and David Elliott are pleased to announce that the first Broadway production of Dames at Sea will star John Bolton as The Captain/Hennesey, Mara Davi as Joan, Danny Gardner as Lucky, Eloise Kropp as Ruby, Laurence Olivier Award winner Lesli Margherita as Mona Kent, and Cary Tedder as Dick. The original 1968 production of Dames at Sea launched the career of the young ingenue playing Ruby, Bernadette Peters.
The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF) Chief Executive Officer Marci Glazer announced the outstanding thinkers, writers and entertainers that will comprise the diverse lineup for the 2015-16 Arts & Ideas season.
Powerful, moving and ripe for revival, Inge's drama is not simply a breezy summer romance. Set in small town Kansas, this is a sexy world, dangerous and cruel, where residents keep each other in their place while longing to break free. At once sensual, passionate and delightfully funny, Picnic probes the sometimes tenuous line between restraint and desire.
DAMES AT SEA tickets will be available Monday, June 15, 2015, exclusively for Audience Rewards members who get first access to tickets through Sunday, June 21, 2015 by visiting www.AudienceRewards.com. Single tickets go on-sale to the general public beginning Monday, June 22, 2015.
Powerful, moving and ripe for revival, Inge's drama is not simply a breezy summer romance. Set in small town Kansas, this is a sexy world, dangerous and cruel, where residents keep each other in their place while longing to break free. At once sensual, passionate and delightfully funny, Picnic probes the sometimes tenuous line between restraint and desire.
It may be a bit early to call it, having only reached the third of an eight-episode long homestretch, but I'm going to do it: the latter half of OUTLANDER's premiere season has exceeded all of my expectations. I'm not totally sure what they were to begin with, but they've all been tossed out the window by this point anyway. Already this show has topped itself, with each new episode since the September mid-season finale proving to be stronger than the last. Tonight's installment, intriguingly titled 'The Devil's Mark' was--yup, yup, I'm doing it--the best so far. I'm probably going to kick myself next week, if we keep up this momentum, but I'm just too darn excited about it.
'What the hell's the point of being president if you can't do what you know is right?' That single statement, made by President Lyndon Johnson, sums up the theme of ALL THE WAY; a new play by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Robert Schenkkan, now playing at ZACH Theatre. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, ALL THE WAY examines the period between Kennedy's assassination and Johnson's landslide reelection on November 3, 1964. ALL THE WAY is the first of two plays by Schenkkan on Johnson's presidency. The second part, THE GREAT SOCIETY, continues the Johnson story from 1964 to 1968.
Today we are highlighting the many contemporary scores poised to arrive on Broadway in the near future.
National Recording Registry To “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive”. Joan Baez, Sly Stone, Steve Martin Recordings Named American Treasures
Atlanta's nationally acclaimed Alliance Theatre and Jennings Hertz Artistic Director Susan V. Booth are pleased to announce the 2015/16 Season for the Alliance Stage, Hertz Stage, Theatre for Youth and Families, and Theatre for the Very Young series. The 47th season includes five world premieres, a musical by BeBe Winans and Charles Randolph-Wright, a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, a literary classic featuring an all-Atlanta cast, and exceptional productions for youth and families.
'If music be the food of love, play on.' Even before the invention of the musical comedy (more on that later), William Shakespeare knew the importance of music in telling stories on stage. For our March feature, my colleague Jeff Walker and I thought that instead of marking the Ides of March with songs about murder, betrayal, and fate, we would focus on the synergy between showtunes and Shakespeare.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced today that Barbra Streisand (recipient of the 40th Chaplin Award) will present the 42nd Chaplin Award to Academy Award-winner Robert Redford
When I first heard that Peter Quilter's End of the Rainbow, the story of the demise of Judy Garland during her gig in December, 1968 at Talk of the Town, London, was going to be produced at ICT, Long Beach, I remember thinking 'They'd better get a super dynamic actress. Not everyone can play Judy Garland!' Whether you believe that the events that happen onstage really did occur seems irrelevant in ICT's production; what is all wrong is the casting. Unfortunately, Gigi Bermingham, a fine actress/singer, just does not make the cut. Within five minutes of her first entrance, I saw a woman playing an actress/singer with emotional problems, but that woman might as well be herself; it is not Judy Garland.
Me, the Mob and the Music is the autobiography of sixties' hit-maker Tommy James (as told to Martin Fitzpatrick).
Sundance Institute presents its U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions and the out-of-competition NEXT <=> section of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, running today, January 22 to February 1 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The Festival is the centerpiece of the year-round public programs for the Institute, which also hosts 24 residency labs and grants more than $2.5 million to independent artists each year.
San Diego REPertory Theatre (San Diego REP) presents 'Steal Heaven,' a world premiere production by Herbert Siguenza and directed by Todd Salovey and Siguenza. Previews begin tonight, Jan. 3, 2015. Opening night is Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015 and runs throughSunday, Jan. 25, 2015 in the Lyceum Space.
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