Ragtime 2012 - Articles Page 5

Mark Cortale, Producing Artistic Director of The Art House in Provincetown, MA, has announced that Audra McDonald, the historic six-time Tony-winner and star of Broadway's "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill," "Porgy and Bess," "Ragtime," "Master Class" and TV's "Private Practice," will perform for Broadway @ Town Hall in Provincetown on August 21 for one show only at 8:00 pm, and will also perform for Broadway @ The Performing Arts Center on Martha's Vineyard on August 22 at 8:00 pm for one show only.

From Thursday, June 9 to Saturday, June 11, Washington DC Metro Area audiences will get to experience the magic of Ragtime - The Musical at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia. Making this production even more special to the DC Metro Area, one of the cast members, Daniel Gorham, is a native to Baltimore, Maryland. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Gorham comes from a background in opera and vocal performance and has been making the transition to musical theater. Ragtime - The Musical is Gorham's first national tour, and he is part of the show's ensemble and has also covered the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. I recently spoke with Daniel about his shift to musical theater, the Ragtime experience, and his future career plans.

Music Mountain, America's Oldest Continuing Summer Chamber Music Festival, announces an exciting new collaboration with The Catskill Jazz Factory! Beginning on Saturday, July 16, a variety of jazz musicians will bring their talents to Music Mountain for a 5-weekend concert series. Artists scheduled to appear include Joanna Wallfisch, Dan Tepfer, Peter and Will Anderson Quintet, Chris Washburne's Ragtime Band and Chris Pattishall Octet. Concerts are scheduled Saturday evenings (6:30pm) beginning July 16 and running thru August 13. 'We are absolutely thrilled to have the Catskill Jazz Factory for five consecutive weeks. These not to be missed concerts will lift our Saturday Twilight series to new heights of excitement and popularity, 'announced Nicholas Gordon, President, Music Mountain.

Ford's Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault today announced the Ford's Theatre 2016-2017 season will begin with the new musical Come From Away directed by Christopher Ashley. Productions include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? directed by Aaron Posner and featuring Holly Twyford as Martha; the musical Ragtime, directed by Peter Flynn and featuring an all-local cast including Kevin McAllister, Tracy Lynn Olivera and Nova Y. Payton; and the 35th-annual production of Washington's holiday favorite, A Christmas Carol. Political comedian Mark Russell will return for a one-night-only performance during the height of election season.

Thirty years ago, championed by Liza Minnelli (Ira Gershwin's goddaughter), young Michael Feinstein debuted at the iconic Oak Room of The Algonquin Hotel. I was there, having been escorted by an older, more sophisticated friend. As I recall, Feinstein was alone at the piano; thoroughly engaging, telling stories of his time as Ira Gershwin's assistant, even then, peppering the show with lesser-known songs. This past Sunday, this standard bearer of The American Songbook began a run (through December 30) in partnership with the New York club now bearing his name, Feinstein's/54 Below (“The only place I have to sleep with myself to get the job,” he quipped). Though he's performed in the city since the 2012 closing of his room at Loew's Regency Hotel, the artist no longer had a place to call home in New York. This has happily been rectified.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, under the artistic direction of Glenn Edgerton, announces today its second mainstage engagement of the 2015-16 dance season. December 10-13, 2015 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, the Season 38 Winter Series featurxes the Hubbard Street premiere and first production by a U.S. dance company of Solo Echo by Crystal Pite, originally created for Nederlands Dans Theater in 2012. Inspired by poet Mark Strand's Lines for Winter and set to excerpts from two sonatas for cello and piano by Johannes Brahms, opuses 38 and 99, Solo Echo is exemplary of the fluidity with which Pite's choreography shifts between dance and theater, using classical and contemporary techniques.

Sound Street Productions presents the first full-length recording of Show Choir! - The Musical with new orchestrations by Assaf Gleizner, and under the musical direction of Kenneth Gartman. Leading the studio cast is Kevin Duda (Beautiful, Book of Mormon /Broadway) and Tony nominee Christiane Noll (Ragtime, Jekyll & Hyde /Broadway) They are joined by additional cast members Bay Bryan (Growing Into My Beard,) John Raymond Barker (Vampire Drag Queen,) Taylor Coriell (Titanic National Tour,) Joshua Lance Dixon (2015 BISTRO Award,) Shira Elias (Turkuaz,) Julie Galorenzo (Show Choir! NYMF & FringeNYC,) Adam Glickman (Jimmy Nederlander Awards,) Carly Kincannon (NBC's Sing Off,) Mark Martin (Voca People,) Tegan Miller (Fancy Nancy National Tour) Michelle Millerick (Side Show/ Original Broadway Cast) Aubyn Peterson (Cabaret Showdown Champion) Tony Ponella (First Runner up, Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook) and Stuart Williams (Mind The Gap Theatre.) Casting by Wojcik/Seay Casting.

Some of Broadway's biggest names will come to Philadelphia's Kimmel Center this season in a series produced by Mark Cortale and hosted by the man The New York Times called the 'Mayor of Broadway,' Sirius XM star Seth Rudetsky.  First up will be Audra McDonald - the historic 6-time Tony-winner and star of Broadway's "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill," "Porgy and Bess," "Ragtime," "Master Class" and TV's "Private Practice" -  for one show only on Wednesday, October 7 at 8:00 PM.

MasterVoices kicks off the 2015-2016 season with The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Dutyon October 15-16, 2015 at 8pm at New York City Center, 131 W. 55th Street, New York City. Following the success of our 2012 Mikado at Carnegie Hall, MasterVoices' semi-staged presentation of The Pirates of Penzance will feature a cast of stars from the Broadway and opera worlds, along with Orchestra of St. Luke's performing Arthur Sullivan's original orchestrations under the direction of Artistic Director Ted Sperling. Single tickets are $30-$130 and are available at NYCityCenter.org.For more information visit: www.mastervoices.org/city-center-series.

The Old Globe opens its 2015-2016 Season with IN YOUR ARMS, a World Premiere dance-theatre musical featuring direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies, Godspell, Lincoln Center Theater's The King and I and South Pacific) and original music by Tony Award winner Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Once on This Island; two-time Oscar nominee for Anastasia). The production begins tonight, September 16, with an opening slated for September 24, and runs through October 25, 2015.

The acclaimed Broadway @ Town Hall concert series in Provincetown, MA, produced by Mark Cortale, will welcome Audra McDonald -- the historic 6-time Tony-winner and star of Broadway's LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL, PORGY AND BESS, RAGTIME, MASTER CLASS and TV's PRIVATE PRACTICE -- for one show only on Monday, August 24 at 6:30 PM. She will be joined onstage by a very special guest, her husband and fellow Broadway star Will Swenson.

Audra McDonald, who starred in the role of 'Sarah' in the original Broadway production of RAGTIME, for which she earned her third Tony Award, turned to Twitter to express her sorrow over today's news. 

Bristol Riverside Theatre explores what it means to be an American with its production of Ragtime tonight, March 17-April 12.

February 11, 2015 - Richmond, Virginia Diva showstoppers from Broadway, opera and popular music join the Richmond Symphony for a wicked good time today, February 28 at 8:00 p.m. at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage. Wicked Divas presents music from the Tony Award-winning musical along with other favorites! Enjoy selections from Gypsy, Ragtime, of course, Wicked for an unforgettable night of the best from the Great White Way. The concert also includes popular music from Chicago, Diana Ross and more and will be led by Associate Conductor, Keitaro Harada. Tickets start at $10 online at richmondsymphony.com or 1.800.514 ETIX. College student tickets are $7 at the Richmond CenterStage box office with valid student ID.

On Twitter Watch, Ioan Gruffudd wrote 'Working with the lovely and talented @LILLACRAWFORD today! #IntoTheWoods @ForeverABC Crawford moved from Los Angeles to New York City where she made her Broadway debut in 2011 as Debbie in the closing cast of the musical Billy Elliot. She previously auditioned for the role while she had been on vacation in New York City and was not planning on auditioning. Later, after a nationwide search, she won the title role in James Lapine's 2012 revival of the Tony-winning musical Annie at the age of 11 after having previously been in a community theatre production of the same show, of which she played Bert Healy. She competed against over 5,000 other girls auditioning to play Annie over a span of nine months.[4] After her initial audition in New York she had five or six callbacks, the final one with a dozen girls. While performing in Annie, she filmed the Broadway.com video blog 'Simply Red' for the show, which earned her a broadway.com title of 'most clicked stars of 2013'.[5] She has also played 'The Little Girl' in Ragtime at Avery Fisher Hall, alongside Lea Salonga, Norm Lewis, and many others. Additionally, Crawford played Little Katie in a workshop production of Home the Musical by Scott Alan in New York City. Crawford has also appeared in a workshop of Melissa Arctic and has performed in 14 shows at Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles.[6] Crawford has also held many musical theater workshops for children in NYC that focus on audition techniques and stage presence. She has partnered with her vocal coach Philip Pelkington and the performing company A Class Act to hold these workshops. She also held a workshop at the Marymount School of New York where she mentored the middle school's cast of Into the Woods Junior. Crawford made her feature-film debut playing Little Red Riding Hood in the Disney film adaption of the musical Into the Woods, a role that was originally rumored to have been given to Sophia Grace Brownlee.[7] The film was released on December 25, 2014, at the Ziegfeld Theater where Crawford was dressed in an Oscar De La Renta dress.[8]'

February 11, 2015 – Richmond, Virginia Diva showstoppers from Broadway, opera and popular music join the Richmond Symphony for a wicked good time on Saturday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m. at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage. Wicked Divas presents music from the Tony Award-winning musical along with other favorites! Enjoy selections from Gypsy, Ragtime, of course, Wicked for an unforgettable night of the best from the Great White Way. The concert also includes popular music from Chicago, Diana Ross and more and will be led by Associate Conductor, Keitaro Harada. Tickets start at $10 online at richmondsymphony.com or 1.800.514 ETIX. College student tickets are $7 at the Richmond CenterStage box office with valid student ID.

Bristol Riverside Theatre explores what it means to be an American with its production of Ragtime on March 17-April 12. The Tony Award-winning musical with book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens is directed by Keith Baker and features Leslie Becker, Derrick Cobey, David Edwards, Tamar Greene, Michael Thomas Holmes, Matt Leisy and Ciji Prosser. Supporting roles will be played by Ciaran Barlow as Edgar, Will Connell as Houdini, Jim Conte as Grandfather, Stephen Dagrosa as Willie Conklin, Sarah J. Gafgen as Emma Goldman, and Chelsey Jean as Evelyn Nesbitt. The ensemble includes Rajeer Alford, Amy L. Armstrong, Charles Michael Bendas, Daniel Bontempo, Elena Camp, John DiFerdinando, Jessica Gruver, Brian Michael Henry, Adam Hoyak, Angelica Jackson, Jessica M. Johnson, Walter E. Tucker, Dwayne Washington, and Paul Weagraff.

The Old Globe today announced it will open its 2015-2016 Season with In Your Arms, a World Premiere dance-theatre musical featuring direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies, Godspell, Lincoln Center Theater's South Pacific) and original music by Tony Award winner Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Once on This Island; two-time Oscar nominee for Anastasia). Co-conceived by Gattelli and Jennifer Manocherian, In Your Arms features 10 dance vignettes written by an incredible and diverse lineup of theatre powerhouses, including Douglas Carter Beane, Nilo Cruz, Christopher Durang, Carrie Fisher, David Henry Hwang, Rajiv Joseph, Terrence McNally, Marsha Norman, Lynn Nottage, and Alfred Uhry. Among them, the creators have amassed 14 Tony Awards, five Pulitzer Prizes, six Pulitzer finalist designations, and one Academy Award.

Seth Rudetsky's Broadway Concert Series at the Parker Playhouse produced by Mark Cortale will welcome Audra McDonald -- the historic six-time Tony winner and star of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, Porgy and Bess, Ragtime, and Master Class as well as TV's Private Practice, tonight, January 8, 2015.

Seth Rudetsky's Broadway Concert Series at the Parker Playhouse produced by Mark Cortale will welcome Audra McDonald -- the historic six-time Tony winner and star of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, Porgy and Bess, Ragtime, and Master Class as well as TV's Private Practice, on January 8, 2015; followed by Cheyenne Jackson -- star of TV's 30 Rock and Glee and Broadway's Damn Yankees and Xanadu on February 14; and Sutton Foster -- two-time Tony winner for Anything Goes and Thoroughly Modern Millie and star of ABC's Bunheads and the new TV Land series Younger debuting on March 20. Each concert will feature Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host. What differentiates the series from any other is the seamless mix of intimate behind-the-scenes stories from Broadway's biggest stars -- prompted by the encyclopedic-minded Rudetsky's probing, funny, revealing questions -- and their stellar singing of Broadway show tunes.

Yesterday Artistic Director Mark Clements announced Milwaukee Repertory Theater's 2014/15 Season. 'Next season will offer strong stories that are substantive pieces of theater that are both enlightening and entertaining,' said Clements. 'The season includes two exciting world premieres, after all the terrible things I do and Five Presidents. We will also continue the tradition that I started upon my arrival by including a musical on our main stage - the first production in the Quadracci Powerhouse will be the award-winning musical, The Color Purple. Audiences responded so enthusiastically to last year's production of Ragtime, I believe they are in for another treat with The Color Purple.'

Producers Betty Ann Besch Solinger and Alice Chebba Walsh will present a private stage reading of the new musical SENSE & SENSIBILITY THE MUSICAL on June 12 and June 13, 2014 in New York. Based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name, SENSE & SENSIBILITY THE MUSICAL had a critically acclaimed world premiere in 2013 at the Denver Center Theatre Company. SENSE & SENSIBILITY THE MUSICAL features a book and lyrics by Jeffrey Haddow, music by Neal Hampton and direction, and musical staging by Tony Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Ragtime).

Virginia Repertory Theatre announces the opening of The Color Purple at the Sara Belle and Neil November Theatre, 114 West Broad Street on Friday, June 20, 2014 with a Preview on Thursday, June 19. The show runs through August 3, 2014. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, this joyful musical and epic story follows the life and personal awakening of Celie, a downtrodden young African American woman. With a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, the uplifting score features jazz, ragtime, gospel, African music and blues. The Broadway production earned eleven Tony nominations.

This May, the Milwaukee Ballet stages Artistic Director Michael Pink's World Premiere full-length ballet Mirror, Mirror. With Pink's innovative genius and darker, dramatic perspective on the fairy tale Snow White, Pink enlisted Todd Edward Ivins for the ballet's costume and set design. The pair collaborated several years ago under Milwaukee Rep's Artistic Director Mark Clements for the theater company's sellout musical, Cabaret (2010), while Ivins and his designs were instrumental in the success of Ragtime (2013) and the contemporary vision seen on stage in Shakespeare's Othello (2012). The Rep's Quadracci Powerhouse became a familiar place in Milwaukee where the pair could contemplate their reinvention of a beloved fairy tale.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'The Sound Of Music' and 'The Wizard Of Oz' live, a local 'Ragtime' and 'Avenue Q,' premieres of 'Juno' and 'The Next Thing,' 'Hit The Wall' and 'Waa-Mu' return, CCT announces two world premieres, and Illinois has its high school musical theater champs--plus even more!