Wonderful Time 1996 - Articles Page 3

The second mainstage production of Pasadena Playhouse’s six-month-long Sondheim celebration A Little Night Music opens April 30, 2023 (with previews beginning April 25th). David Lee directs this 50th anniversary production of A Little Night Music with a cast of 19, accompanied by a full-sized orchestra.  Jodi Long, who plays Madame Armfeldt, took some time to answer a few of my queries.

In the world of theatre, there are some shows that simply resonate on a different level. In my experience, this happens when the perfect cast comes together with visionary creatives at the perfect moment in time. And when these puzzle pieces all snap into place, it delivers a performance that just feels different, one that makes the audience feel like they are lucky to be in that moment together. If you have experienced this before, you know, it is truly magical. Typically, this has been, for me, a feeling primarily reserved for popular, highly acclaimed shows, usually on Broadway (but not always). On Thursday night – I experienced that same rush, those same chills, and that same rare feeling sitting in the audience for the first time at the historic Athens Theatre in Deland, Florida – witnessing their latest production of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. As I sat there, I forgot that the amazingly talented cast were all volunteers – brought together by their love for the art and a passion for performance – and reveled as they delivered a stunning piece of musical theatre that was truly wonderous to behold.

With Marjorie Prime currently running at the company's home base in South London and Funny Girl on Broadway, the Menier Chocolate Factory announced forthcoming programming for 2023. Learn more about the lineup here!

 Performing Arts Houston has announced its 23/24 Season of national and international touring artists and new works from artists in the Houston community. The arrival of the new season will coincide with major advances in the multi-year renovation of Jones Hall, including the installation of new auditorium seating, expanded restrooms, and more.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has announced its 53rd season to be presented October 2023 through June 2024.

What did our critic think of WHAT HAPPENED TO STEVE: A CONVERSATION WITH STEVE BURNS at Reynolds Performance Hall?

What did our critic think of CHICAGO at The Orpheum Theatre Memphis? Chicago is celebrating 25 dazzling years and it has returned to Memphis! It is certainly a fan favorite, with exhilirating dancing and an iconic story that is known around the world. The 1975 musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse, is the 2nd longest running Broadway musical (thanks to the 1996 revival), behind fan favorite Phantom of the Opera.

Have you ever wondered what was the most dramatic night in Broadway history? Well, boy, do I have a story for you! The year: 1980. The show: 42nd Street. I sat down with the show’s lead, the iconic and peerless Lee Roy Reams to get the true story straight from someone who was actually there that momentous evening.

Arguably one of the most famous singers of all time, Elvis emerged from humble country beginnings to become a rock & roll phenomenon whose influence was so huge it still resonates decades after his untimely death in 1977.  His energized interpretations of songs and unique performance style led him to both great success and initial controversy.

This is Our Youth, is a play written by Playwright Kenneth Lonergan (The Waverly Gallery) and Screenwriter (Manchester by the Sea). Youth premiered off-Broadway in 1996, and since its premiere has seen productions all over the world on Broadway, in Sydney and Toronto. The most recent Broadway revival featured Michael Cera in the role of Warren and Kieran Culkin in the role of Dennis, featuring Tavi Gevinson as Jessica.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) and Steven Maler, Artistic Director, are very pleased to announce that Pakistani actor, writer, director, and producer Faran Tahir will return to CSC next summer to play the title role of Shakespeare's Macbeth on the Boston Common.

TEMAN (Teater Musikal Nusantara) did what many Indonesian thespians thought impossible: bring Jonathan Larson’s 1996 RENT to the country. The show’s themes — which proved to be just as relevant in 2022, if not more so — were powerfully brought to life through effective direction, heartrending performances, and delightful production design.

To commemorate what would have been her 60th birthday (on February 2), Blix Street Records will release a landmark new album, which pairs Cassidy's impeccable voice with the backing of the legendary London Symphony Orchestra.

George Bailey, Clarence, and the Bedford Falls community will come to life at Portland Center Stage this holiday season, in a fresh, inventive reimagining of the beloved holiday story. It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play will begin preview performances on November 19, open on November 25, and run through December 24 on the U.S. Bank Main Stage. Tickets are on sale now.

Dracula, a novel written by Bram Stoker and published in 1897, became Stoker’s most definitive work. Told in an epistolary style through letters, journal entries, and newspaper articles, Stoker’s novel is never told through the eyes of a single protagonist. Our tale begins with a businessman by the name of Jonathan Harker traveling to the Transylvanian Castle of one Count Dracula, in order to procure a deed. Having merely escaped the castle with his life, after finding out the Count is a Vampire, Harker makes his way home to England, where the Count has now taken up residence with plans to plague the small seaside town of Whitby.

The only Broadway show to win the Tony for Best Show and Best Revival of a Musical twice, La Cage is based on the play that also inspired the 1996 film The Birdcage, starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams. After 20 years of partnered bliss, Georges and Albin, two men partnered for better or worse, get a bit of both when Georges' son (fathered during a one-night fling) announces his impending marriage to the daughter of a bigoted, right-wing politician. Further complicating the situation is the 'family business': Albin and Georges run a drag nightclub in St. Tropez, where Albin is the star performer, 'Zaza.' Georges reluctantly agrees to masquerade as 'normal' when he meets the family of the bride-to-be. But Albin has other plans, with hilarious results.

Soak in a great day of arts and culture at the Ridgefield Playhouse on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, with two wonderful presentations on their big screen.

Celebrating thirty years of cerebral pop, The Divine Comedy return to the Barbican to pick up where they left off in 2020.

Casting has been announced for the UK and Ireland tour of Bartlett Sher's critically acclaimed and multi award-winning production of Lerner & Loewe's much loved MY FAIR LADY, which comes to Birmingham Hippodrome from Wednesday 8 March – Sunday 26 March 2023.

A Chicago homestyle tribute to the blues, Wendy and DB's fifth album, Into the Little Blue House, is set for release on August 22, 2022. Though rooted in a blues vocabulary, Into the Little Blue House employs an up-to-date expansion to touch the soul of our time.

The final First Stage production of the 2021/22 season will be THE LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET, a play adapted by Gloria Bond Clunie from the Newbery Medal-winning children's book by Matt de la Peña, with Illustrations by Christian Robinson.

LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE is set to present one of the longest running Off-Broadway productions of all time, I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE!, book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro, music by Jimmy Roberts, musical direction by  Ricky Pope, directed & choreographed by Paula Hammons Sloan.  Comments Executive Producing Director Ellen Richard, “The song ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed’ from this joyous musical is what our subscribers and audiences will undoubtably have as we welcome this extraordinary cast and creative team to the Playhouse stage!”  I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE! begins previews on Wednesday, April 20; will open on Sunday, April 24 at 5:30pm and perform through Sunday, May 8, 2022 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a musical inspired by the Victor Hugo novel of 1831, with music primarily featured in the 1996 Disney film adaptation. With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and book by James Lapine and Peter Parnell The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 2.5 hour deep dive that takes pieces from both the film and Hugo’s novel to create an amalgamation of the world in which the people in this story reside.

When Clint Holmes walks out on any stage the space immediately transforms into one of those superstar entertainment venues in Las Vegas, (ground zero for some of the world’s most thrilling performers). That’s how it was in the Razz Room in Boca last night as the man who keeps better time than my Apple Watch and who can’t sing a note or make a gesture that isn’t dazzling and exciting gave a special gift to the Boca audience.

Emmy Award winning screen writer and director Todd Robinson is known for his work on White Squall, Lonely Hearts, The Last Full Measure and more. But a little known fact about Robinson is that he was the college roommate and best friend of Jonathan Larson.