Arizona-based actress and Invisible Theatre's Managing Artistic Director, SUSAN CLAASSEN, most recently completed a sold-out 5 week run at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood.
Highline Ballroom located at 431 West 16th Street between 9th Avenue and 10th Avenue is pleased to announce it's upcoming shows. Tickets may be purchased through Ticketweb, online at ticketweb.com or at the Highline Box Office from noon until doors close at 866-468-7619.
Arizona-based actress and Invisible Theatre's Managing Artistic Director, SUSAN CLAASSEN, most recently completed a sold-out 5 week run at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood.
97.3 KBCO & the Daily Camera are proud to present John Prine at the Boulder Theater on Friday, March 25th, 2011.
The first time he got onstage to perform - at a Chicago open mic night - there was absolute silence.
Celebrated actress and two-time Tony Award-winner Frances Sternhagen will be joining the confluence of artists and audiences for Florida Stage's 5th Annual 1st Stage New Works Festival. Ms. Sternhagen will be featured in a staged reading of legendary playwright Israel Horovitz' new play Beverley on Saturday, February 5, 2011. On Friday, February 4, in place of the Festival's usual Keynote speech, Ms. Sternhagen will take part in what is being called 'A Conversation with Frances Sternhagen.' Florida Stage Producing Director Louis Tyrrell will conduct a public interview with Sternhagen on stage in the Persson Hall at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. The Florida Stage 1st Stage New Works Festival takes place February 3-6, 2011. Tickets and packages for all Festival events are available online at www.floridastage.org or by calling the box office at (561) 585-3433.
Performance Network Theatre announces it's production of 'The Drowsy Chaperone' with book by Bob Martin and Don Mckeller and musics and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. The musical comedy, which recently received the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, will run November 11 through December 26, 2010. 'The Drowsy Chaperone' is directed by Carla Milarch (Little Shop of Horrors, The Baker's Wife, The Fantasticks) with Musical Direction by R. MacKenzie Lewis (Little Shop of Horrors, The Baker's Wife) and stars Naz Edwards, Scott Crownover, Phil Powers, Andrea Mellos, Mark Hammell, Matt Anderson, Eva Rosenwald, Linda Rabin Hammell, Brian Thibault, Lisa Lauren Smith, Charlie Sutherland, Pete Podolski and Phill Harmer.
Since Oprah Winfrey just had her final 'Favorite Things' show (twice), I thought that I'd take an opportunity for those of you who have waited until the last minute to make suggestions for last minute gifts, which you can still get with a full range of prices for your budget.
These are MY Top 10 favorite gift for this holiday season and please note that they are in no particular order, but BroadwayWorld.com has done all the research for quick, click-on shopping to make it easier for you.
Performance Network Theatre announces it's production of 'The Drowsy Chaperone' with book by Bob Martin and Don Mckeller and musics and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. The musical comedy, which recently received the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, will run November 11 through December 26, 2010. 'The Drowsy Chaperone' is directed by Carla Milarch (Little Shop of Horrors, The Baker's Wife, The Fantasticks) with Musical Direction by R. MacKenzie Lewis (Little Shop of Horrors, The Baker's Wife) and stars Naz Edwards, Scott Crownover, Phil Powers, Andrea Mellos, Mark Hammell, Matt Anderson, Eva Rosenwald, Linda Rabin Hammell, Brian Thibault, Lisa Lauren Smith, Charlie Sutherland, Pete Podolski and Phill Harmer.
Sonnet Repertory Theatre announced their Ninth Annual BENEFIT & CABARET HONORING JACK O'BRIEN to be held Monday, November 8th at Joe's Pub, to be hosted by Jerry Mitchell with Musical Direction by Dan Lipton and featuring performances by John Behlmann, Kerry Butler, Michael Cerveris, Victor Garber, Ethan Hawke, Carly Jibson, Andrew Lippa, Duncan Sheik, Joe Allen Players.
Today, perhaps the greatest gift a Broadway baby could receive was benevolently bestowed upon me in the form of an indepth and revealing discussion with the foremost composer and lyricist of his generation, one of the greatest writers in American history in any medium - the unmatched musical and lyrical genius himself, Stephen Sondheim. In this portion of our complete discussion we discuss his new book, FINISHING THE HAT, as well as take a look back at his legendary career both in Hollywood and on Broadway. Merman to Madonna, Brecht to Barbra Streisand, COMPANY to GROUNDHOG DAY (or not) - we cover it all. See here just a glimpse of the reason why the name Stephen Sondheim means more to musical theatre than any other name in the last fifty years. Plus, his promise to - in his own immortal words from SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE - 'give us more to see' in the very near future. That moment cannot come soon enough, as any fan of theatre - or art in America, for that matter - can assuredly attest.
Sonnet Repertory Theatre announced their Ninth Annual BENEFIT & CABARET HONORING JACK O'BRIEN to be held Monday, November 8th at Joe's Pub, to be hosted by Jerry Mitchell with Musical Direction by Dan Lipton and featuring performances by John Behlmann, Kerry Butler, Michael Cerveris, Victor Garber, Ethan Hawke, Carly Jibson, Andrew Lippa, Duncan Sheik, Joe Allen Players.
Performance Network Theatre announces it's production of 'The Drowsy Chaperone' with book by Bob Martin and Don Mckeller and musics and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. The musical comedy, which recently received the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, will run November 11 through December 26, 2010. 'The Drowsy Chaperone' is directed by Carla Milarch (Little Shop of Horrors, The Baker's Wife, The Fantasticks) with Musical Direction by R. MacKenzie Lewis (Little Shop of Horrors, The Baker's Wife) and stars Naz Edwards, Scott Crownover, Phil Powers, Andrea Mellos, Mark Hammell, Matt Anderson, Eva Rosenwald, Linda Rabin Hammell, Brian Thibault, Lisa Lauren Smith, Charlie Sutherland, Pete Podolski and Phill Harmer.
Lead producers Margo Lion and Hal Luftig announced today that the new musical CATCH ME IF YOU CAN will open on Broadway Sunday, April 10, 2011 at a Nederlander theatre to be announced. This new musical, created by a team of Tony winners, features a book by Terrence McNally, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, choreography by Jerry Mitchell and is directed by Jack O'Brien. Previews begin March 7, 2011. Casting and additional design team will be announced shortly.
Rundgren, IU's ninth Wells Professor, will teach the middle two weeks of a four-week, one-credit hour honors course designed for a maximum of 25 Wells Scholars and Hutton Honors Scholars. The class commences in late October and finishes in mid-November. Co-teaching the class will be IU Professor of Music Glenn Gass -- whose relationship with Rundgren helped make the professorship possible -- and IU Distinguished Professor of Sociology Bernice Pescosolido, who was instrumental in helping to plan the course.
Gass, a professor at IU's world-class Jacobs School of Music, said he sees Rundgren's engagement at IU as the start of a trend in which legendary rock stars share their knowledge with a new generation. Rundgren, who performs frequently, gave a concert at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University in Indianapolis on Sept. 11.
'Todd is a treasure trove of memories, knowledge, stories . . .,' Gass said. 'This class is a way for him to celebrate what he's done and allows him to share his experiences with students who really want to hear what he has to say.'
In addition to learning about the culture, politics and economics of the music business, from the 1970s through today, students will visit Professor of Anthropology Nicholas Toth at IU's Stone Age Institute to view some of the earliest tools used for making music.
'I think the students will love it. For us, the appeal of the class is really both Todd and Glenn,' said Professor of Physics Tim Londergan, director of the Wells Scholars Program. Londergan is a self-professed rock 'n' roll fan who has audited three of Gass' courses.
The Rundgren course is currently full with a waiting list, and course auditors/visitors, including IU students not registered for the class, cannot be accommodated.
During his stay in Bloomington, Rundgren will give a public lecture titled 'LONGHAIR: Todd Rundgren on the Beatles Effect' at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 in Ballantine Hall 013. He will also present a Halloween-night recital titled 'CLUSTER: The Birth of the T Chord' at 8 p.m. Oct. 31 in Auer Hall. Both are free and open to the public.
Gass said he asked Rundgren to talk about the Beatles both because of Rundgren's collaborations with various members of the band and because of the window it will provide into his own music. 'If it was going to be 'Todd talks about Todd,' he may have felt awkward,' Gass said. 'By asking him to talk about the Beatles, we can get more insight into his music, too.'
Rundgren's unique associations with the Beatles include a number of covers, participation in the Ringo All-Star Band and co-producing the power pop band Badfinger with George Harrison. When Harrison died, Rundgren did a highly acclaimed version of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' for a tribute album. In 1980, Rundgren and his then-band Utopia, did a loving sendup of the Beatles (Deface the Music) that Gass calls 'just genius.'
Rundgren is also a longtime Beatles fan who credits Harrison with inventing the 'lead guitar' player, Gass said. 'When Todd was in the band Nazz, he wasn't the lead singer -- he was the lead guitar player -- which in the 50s meant one of the backup musicians. Because of George, lead guitar now means you're one of the band's leaders.'
Glenn Gass
Print-Quality Photo
Gass initially met Rundgren in Hawaii, when Gass and his wife were on sabbatical for a year (and where they spent the past two summers). 'The kids start taking the bus together and the next thing you know, you're going to cookouts at Todd's,' Gass said. 'I quickly learned that everything they said about him was true. He's brilliant, articulate, really interesting -- and interested in things far beyond his own work and even his music. He's just a really engaged human being.'
Rundgren is also known for staying true to his artistic muse. 'He refused to take the easy way out,' Gass said. 'The easy way would have been to do five more songs like 'Hello, It's Me.' He paid a price for that, but in the long run, in 50 years, I think that's why he'll matter more than starts who may have had more hits.'
Rundgren was the highest paid producer of the 1970s, producing bands that ranged from the New York Dolls, The Band and Patti Smith to Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates and Cheap Trick. On Aug. 1, 1981 -- the evening MTV debuted with 'Video Kills the Radio Star' by the Buggles -- Rundgren was ready with his music video for 'Time Heals,' which premiered on MTV the same evening. Always a fan of technology, Rundgren made his music available through online downloads about 10 years before iTunes ('Everyone had dial-up connections then,' Gass commented. 'His fate is always to be just a few years ahead of his time.').
Gass said after the Beatles broke up, he was personally attracted to singer-songwriters like James Taylor, Neil Young, Carole King, Joni Mitchell -- and Todd Rundgren. 'Todd was always one of the best and most interesting performers. Even in those early albums, it was clear he wasn't just a singer-songwriter,' Gass said. At turns, Rundgren played with electric guitar or classical riffs, producing his own double album in 1972, on which he also played all of the instruments.
From the time he met Rundgren in Hawaii, Gass starting thinking of ways to bring the performer to IU. A confluence of events sparked by a Rundgren speaking engagement at DePauw University led to the IU professorship. DePauw's executive director of media relations, Ken Owen, is 'a huge Todd scholar -- Todd to him is like the Beatles to me,' Gass said.
'All of a sudden it went from being a day dream to being a real possibility, and now it's actually happening,' Gass said. 'He really can call himself Professor Rundgren. This is not a gimmick: He is the Wells Professor.'
About the Wells Professorships
The Wells professorships are made possible by gifts from the IU classes of 1941, 1942 and 1963. Previous Wells professors have included the Honorable Helen Suzman, a South African political leader (Class of 1941 Wells Professor in 1993), Sir Malcolm Bradbury, a novelist-screenwriter-critic (Class of 1942 Wells Professor in 1997), and Holocaust scholar Christopher Browning (Class of 1943 Wells Professor in 2003). The most recently appointed Wells Professors were Sir (now Lord) Timothy Garden (Class of 1941 Wells Professor) and artist Robert Colescott (Class of 1943 Wells Professor), both of whom taught at IU in 2004.
On Wednesday, September 15th at 6:30PM, the Broadway community will gather alongside Stephen Sondheim as the lights of the newly dedicated Stephen Sondheim Theatre marquee are lit for the first time.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced Bernadette Peters will star as Sally Durant Plummer in the Kennedy Center production of Follies in the Eisenhower Theater May 7 to June 5, 2011.
On Saturday, July 31, stage favorites Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Michael Cerveris and George Hearn teamed up with the Ravina Festival and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in tribute to Stephen Sondheim. Directed by Lonny Price and conducted by Paul Gemignani, the concert featured Sondheim classics from shows such as A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Gypsy and more. BroadwayWorld brings you coverage of the concert below.
Outrageous situations lead to hilarious complications in the legendary musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum opening on the Main Stage at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Friday, June 25. With previews June 23 and 24, Forum continues through July 11. Ticket prices range from $25 to $53.
Jim Fath, a Chicago-based writer and performer, has announced the debut his original one-man show, Arguing with a Quadriplegic, as part of the triple bill showcase Jim Paul Jet Paul at iO Chicago.
Jim Fath, a Chicago-based writer and performer, has announced the debut his original one-man show, Arguing with a Quadriplegic, as part of the triple bill showcase Jim Paul Jet Paul at iO Chicago.
Outrageous situations lead to hilarious complications in the legendary musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum opening on the Main Stage at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Friday, June 25. With previews June 23 and 24, Forum continues through July 11. Ticket prices range from $25 to $53.
Outrageous situations lead to hilarious complications in the legendary musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum opening on the Main Stage at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Friday, June 25. With previews June 23 and 24, Forum continues through July 11. Ticket prices range from $25 to $53.
Outrageous situations lead to hilarious complications in the legendary musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum opening on the Main Stage at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Friday, June 25. With previews June 23 and 24, Forum continues through July 11. Ticket prices range from $25 to $53.
Big band sound transforms the Lincoln Theatre into a Duke Ellington jazz club as Arena Stage presents Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies, choreographed by and starring Maurice Hines (Broadway's Sophisticated Ladies and Uptown... It's Hot!) with direction by Charles Randolph-Wright (Arena's Guys and Dolls and Blue).
Big band sound transforms the Lincoln Theatre into a Duke Ellington jazz club as Arena Stage presents Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies, choreographed by and starring Maurice Hines (Broadway's Sophisticated Ladies and Uptown... It's Hot!) with direction by Charles Randolph-Wright (Arena's Guys and Dolls and Blue).
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