Plenty 1983 - Articles Page 2.6

On August 30, saxophone master James Carter will release his Blue Note Records debut James Carter Organ Trio: Live From Newport Jazz, a thrilling live performance of Carter's imaginative soul jazz reinvention of Django Reinhardt that was captured at the 2018 Newport Jazz Festival. 

Theatre Arlington closes out the 2018-2019 Season with the first work in Neil Simon's semi-autobiographical trilogy, Brighton Beach Memoirs. This coming-of-age story, opening August 9th, is an affectionate and humorous portrait of a Jewish-American family in 1937 Brooklyn as seen through the eyes of 15-year old Eugene Morris Jerome. Sharing his home with six other family members doesn't give him much privacy to dream about girls, particularly his beautiful cousin Nora, or playing baseball for the Yankees.

Something old, something new…there's still plenty going on for fans of opera and classical vocal music in the Northeast now that summer is upon us. Here's a taste of what to look for.

Gloucester Stage Company opens its 40th Anniversary Season with a nostalgic romp in the park, specifically Neil Simon's 1963 hit play, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK. Pairing McCaela Donovan and Joe Short (who are married in real life) as the young newlyweds moving from their blissful six-day honeymoon into a Manhattan sixth-floor walk up is a stroke of luck for Director Shana Gozansky. Making her GSC debut, she didn't have to worry about establishing trust and comfort in the romantic aspects of the characters' relationship. Not only do Donovan (Corie) and Short (Paul) fit together hand in glove, but Paula Plum and Richard Snee, another offstage married couple, complete the cast and contribute immeasurably to the hilarity.

Birdland will kick-off their exciting month of programming with the following acts:

The Old Vic is delighted to announce Matthew Warchus' Season 5 featuring an exciting and eclectic mix of thought-provoking entertainment.

Even before it opened this month, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment knew they had a hit production on their hands with SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, based on the greatest movie musical of all time with screenplay by Betty Comden & Adolph Green and songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name which starred Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds and Jean Hagen, the plot closely adheres to the original story set in 1920s Hollywood during the waning days of the Silent Screen era, focusing on romantic leading man, Don Lockwood, his tap dancing sidekick Cosmo Brown, aspiring actress Kathy Selden, and Lockwood's platinum blonde leading lady Lina Lamont, whose less-than-dulcet vocal tones make her an unlikely candidate for stardom in the new talking pictures.

The full cast is announced for the Theatr Clwyd and Menier Chocolate Factory co-production of Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Descending. Theatr Clwyd's Artistic Director Tamara Harvey directs Catrin Aaron (Beulah Binnings), Michael Geary (Pee Wee Binnings), Valentine Hanson (Uncle Pleasant), Jenny Livsey (Eva Temple / Woman), Laura Jane Matthewson (Dolly Hamma), Mark Meadows (Jabe Torrance), Ifan Meredith (David Cutrere / Dog Hamma), Hattie Morahan (Lady Torrance), Seth Numrich (Val Xavier), Ian Porter (Sheriff Talbott), Jemima Rooper (Carol Cutrere), Carol Royle (Vee Talbott) and Carrie Quinlan (Sister / Nurse Porter). Public booking for the Menier Chocolate Factory dates opens at 9am today.

Jim Messina's legacy spans five decades and three acclaimed rock super groups: Loggins & Messina, Buffalo Springfield, and Poco. And he's had a vibrant solo career, plus a dizzying array of producing and engineering credits for such luminaries as The Doors, Joni Mitchell, and Herb Alpert. Performing with his band in Folsom, the concert will include songs we all know and love, from across his storied career. Get ready for "…a splendid good-timey sensibility and professionalism" (Los Angeles Times).

It's been more than 30 years since the world fell in love with Jennifer Beals' bad-ass welder turned dancer, Alex Owens, in the iconic dance movie 'Flashdance'. In the musical adaptation it is just as easy to fall in love with Heidi Ruud Ellingsens's portrayel of the character.

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, celebrates the opening of its 81st Rolling World Premiere (RWP): Nomad Motel by Carla Ching. 

Jim Messina's legacy spans five decades and three acclaimed rock super groups: Loggins & Messina, Buffalo Springfield, and Poco. And he's had a vibrant solo career, plus a dizzying array of producing and engineering credits for such luminaries as The Doors, Joni Mitchell, and Herb Alpert. Performing with his band in Folsom, the concert will include songs we all know and love, from across his storied career. Get ready for "…a splendid good-timey sensibility and professionalism" (Los Angeles Times).

Jamie Lloyd is marking the 10th anniversary of Harold Pinter's death in remarkable style with his Pinter at the Pinter season, staging all the great man's 20 short plays, plus some sketches and poetry – grouped into seven productions – at the theatre which now bears his name.

Two giants of traditional Mexican music: Aida Cuevas, dubbed "The Queen of Mariachi," is an esteemed figure in Mexico, beloved for her devotion to traditional mariachi music and for her Grammy Award-winning mastery of its demanding vocal forms. On October 7, she pays loving tribute to the music of her dearest friend and greatest mentor - Mexico's bestselling artist of all time, Juan Gabriel, who passed in 2016 - two years ago yesterday. Ms. Cuevas, the only artist given permission by the Juan Gabriel estate to perform such a tribute, "is to Mexico what Aretha Franklin is to the United States: a powerful voice that encapsulates the essence of her nation's spirit" (Kansas City Star).

San Diego Repertory Theatre announced the cast lineup for Fun Home, one of the most celebrated musicals in recent Broadway history. Fun Home is the coming-out memoir of Alison Bechdel, an exploration of family, memory, first love and a daughter's relationship with her father. Fun Home was nominated for 12 Tony Awards in 2015 winning five including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Leading Actor and Actress in a Musical. Fun Home was also winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical and the Obie Award for Musical Theatre.

Westport Community Theatre is currently producing the zany farce Shakespeare in Hollywood by Ken Ludwig. Performances take place from June 8th through the 24th todays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and at 2:00 p.m. on Sundays, with a Thursday performance on June 14th at 8:00 p.m. Dan Friedman directs the play, which is produced by Sam Mink, David Rylander, and Joan Lasprogato.

Westport Community Theatre is currently producing the zany farce Shakespeare in Hollywood by Ken Ludwig. Performances take place from June 8th through the 24th on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and at 2:00 p.m. on Sundays, with a Thursday performance on June 14th at 8:00 p.m. Dan Friedman directs the play, which is produced by Sam Mink, David Rylander, and Joan Lasprogato.

 Following his hit debut run in Mesa, Salt Lake City and Denver in 2017, Rob Lowe is taking his one man show, Stories I Only Tell My Friends: LIVE! on a limited-run tour. Lowe comes to Mayo Performing Arts Center on Today, May 12 at 8 pm. Tickets are $49-$69.

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, celebrates the opening of its 81st Rolling World Premiere (RWP): Nomad Motel by Carla Ching. The Roll kicks off at Member Theaters City Theatre Company (May 18-June 3 in Pittsburgh), followed by Horizon Theatre Company (September 28-October 21 in Atlanta), and Unicorn Theatre (January 23-February 27, 2019 in Kansas City, MO). Nomad Motel was presented at NNPN's 2016 National Showcase of New Plays, hosted by the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin.

Most of us in this area know Michael Kahn as the Artistic Director of Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC). It's a post he will have held for over thirty years when he retires at the end of the company's 2018/19 season.

Catch MOTOWN THE MUSICAL before it races away from the Hippodrome in Baltimore. If you missed it in 2016, flag it down before it's gone. If you caught it before, it's had a tuneup and is plenty worth watching again. Surely someone you love should see it with you.

 Following his hit debut run in Mesa, Salt Lake City and Denver in 2017, Rob Lowe is taking his one man show, Stories I Only Tell My Friends: LIVE! on a limited-run tour. Lowe comes to Mayo Performing Arts Center on Saturday, May 12 at 8 pm. Tickets are $49-$69.

The Great Arizona Puppet Theatre is open year round, performing shows at the theater Wednesday through Sunday. Tickets are available at the theater for $7 for children and $10 for adults. Reservations can be made by calling 602-262-2050 at any time. The theater doors open a half an hour before show time.

In celebration of their 35th year producing award-winning entertainment for thousands of visitors a year, Newport Playhouse and Cabaret Restaurant, 102 Connell Highway, Newport, is thrilled to announce the reopening of their newly renovated dining room and their upcoming season of comedic plays. Tickets for the 2018 lineup of shows are on sale now and start at $49.95 per person, which includes dinner buffet, full-length play, and post-show cocktail cabaret. Purchase online at www.newportplayhouse.com or by calling (401) 848-7529 (PLAY).