Just So 1990 - Articles Page 17

Music director Mark Sforzini and stage director Bill Leavengood have struck gold with their top-flight cast. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, then do so quickly. This fantastic production features several performances that should not be missed.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. and Karen Olivo star in the New York City Center Encores! Off-Center production of Jonathan Larson's Tick, Tick... BOOM!, running for five performances, tonight, June 25 through June 28. The opening show of City Center's acclaimed Encores! Off-Center series of landmark Off-Broadway musicals is directed by Oliver Butler with choreography by Camille A. Brown and music direction by Chris Fenwick. The show just revealed new footage from dress rehearsals, so click below to check it out, plus watch BroadwayWorld's highlights from the production HERE!

Tony winner Karen Olivo, who announced last spring that she'd be leaving New York City behind for a quieter life in Wisconsin, will return to the stage in this production. Before rehearsals began, Olivo took the time to update BroadwayWorld about preparing for the show, her new life outside of New York, and so much more. Check out the full interview below!

Recently married, actors Timothy Busfield and Melisa Gilbert, now transplanted to Michigan, have had big careers so far, and huge plans upcoming.

Melba Moore will play two shows at New York's Metropolitan Room on June 20, 2014, at 7pm & 9:30pm. Price $35.00 - $115.00.

Motti Lerner's acclaimed but controversial play, The Admission, just finished a short, sold-out run at Theater J and will be remounted in workshop form by Busboys and Poets. The show will transfer to Studio Theatre's Mead Theater for a three-week commercial engagement starting April 30 through May 18, 2014.

A FAMOUS young adult novel, inspired by a true story, comes to the Garrick Theatre stage this May. Written by John Marsden and directed by Gail Lusted, So Much To Tell You focuses on the 14-year-old Marina who withdrew into silence after she received a facial disfigurement in an accident.

Of course, the musical is not just the tale of the working-out and the ultimate dispelling of a family curse. It is also a poignant account of a woman relating to a treasured younger brother and an even more treasured son in light of the early loss of the brother.

Trading a Wall Street career for an artisan chocolate company might seem like a risky trade but Evan Gappelberg has a knack for spotting trends. As a stockbroker in the 1990's he saw the potential of video gaming and was instrumental in taking an upstart video gaming company called Take Two Interactive Software public. Take Two turned out to be a great investment and made early investors twenty times their money as it rode the video gaming trend, which is now a $66 billion dollar a year industry. Today Gappelberg thinks he's spotted an exciting trend again and finds himself at the helm of an artisan chocolate company in the Hamptons appropriately named the: Hampton Chocolate Factory. 'Chocolate has been reinvented as an upscale, even jewel-like gift; chocolate is the new wine,' declares Gappelberg. Indeed, it would seem he's onto something given that Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, with a net worth of $20 billion and whose family was the great Bordeaux winemakers of Mouton and Lafite vineyards, has chosen a chocolate factory as his latest venture. 'The Hampton Chocolate Factory was born out of the idea that the Hamptons needed an artisanal chocolate brand to get behind, something local, something delicious, something exclusive, something that could be indulgent and cool, just like the Hamptons. The brand is not just about chocolates, 'We live in the Hamptons with our three kids, love the lifestyle, and want to see the land and lifestyle preserved for future generations,' says Gappelberg. 'our way of ensuring that is to donate a portion of sales to The Peconic Land Trust, which means when you're enjoying one of our delicious chocolates, you're also contributing to land conservation in the Hamptons; now how sweet is that!"

Old Vic Productions and Hampstead Theatre Productions are delighted to announce the full cast for West End transfer of critically acclaimed Good People which will play a limited season of just ten weeks at the No?l Coward Theatre from 10th April, as previously announced.

A FAMOUS young adult novel, inspired by a true story, comes to the Garrick Theatre stage this May. Written by John Marsden and directed by Gail Lusted, So Much To Tell You focuses on the 14-year-old Marina who withdrew into silence after she received a facial disfigurement in an accident.

The word 'epic' is derived from Ancient Greek via Latin, but it really should come from Russian - just ponder the vastness, the history, even the National Anthem! Nobody does epic like Russia.

Diablo Theatre Company, one of the premiere producers of musical theatre, announced that they will not be presenting a musical season next year at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. The company, who just closed their 54th season with Guys and Dolls and in January were honored with six Shellie Awards including Outstanding Musical Production for Singin' in the Rain, can no longer afford to produce main stage musicals at the Lesher Center.

It's probably not possible to say something about Martha Graham's choreography that hasn't already been said. After all, 2014 marks the Martha Graham Dance Company's 88th season. But just because these works have been seen by audiences a hundred times before does not make them any less meaningful or relevant. There will always be a few Graham 'virgins' in the house, experiencing the magic and mystery of the technique and canon for the first time. And on the other hand, there will always be Graham connoisseurs in the audience, ones that have seen each of the company's twenty-eight works. Even for them, however, the experience is new thanks to a different cast of dancers and an ever-changing contemporary lens.

Mothers and Sons, the new play by four-time Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally and starring Tyne Daly, opens tonight, March 24, 2014 at Broadway's John Golden Theatre. Let's see what the critics had to say...

On Today, March 13, the Houston Symphony will continue its legendary centennial celebration by performing alongside one of the leading figures in the recording industry, Steve Tyrell. Under the leadership of Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Robert Franz, Tyrell and the orchestra will perform American standards like 'You're So Nice to Come Home To,' 'The Way You Look Tonight' and 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' to name just a few. The Grammy Award-winning Tyrell will also invite his friends Diane Schuur, Judith Hill and Lew Soloff to the stage to share the evening with him as he sings the night away to timeless classics in this one-night only special performance.

Ever since the Three Tenors--Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras--got together in Rome's Baths of Caracalla in 1990, the world of opera has never been the same. And while the lookout for “the next big thing” has always been part of the opera world, the race to the finish has intensified over the last two decades, with the focus on tenors. Roberto Alagna had the misfortune to be marketed as “the Fourth Tenor” and was never quite up to the billing. Rolando Villazon has had his ups and downs (and ups). Now Vittorio Grigolo steps into the spotlight.

Boston-based saxophonist/composer Ken Field has drawn deeply from the wellspring of the New Orleans brass band tradition since forming his Revolutionary Snake Ensemble in 1990.

This is the sort of theatre that keeps one going back, often sitting through nights of dross, just waiting for something like this to make it all worthwhile.

On Thursday, March 13, the Houston Symphony will continue its legendary centennial celebration by performing alongside one of the leading figures in the recording industry, Steve Tyrell. Under the leadership of Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Robert Franz, Tyrell and the orchestra will perform American standards like 'You're So Nice to Come Home To,' 'The Way You Look Tonight' and 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' to name just a few. The Grammy Award-winning Tyrell will also invite his friends Diane Schuur, Judith Hill and Lew Soloff to the stage to share the evening with him as he sings the night away to timeless classics in this one-night only special performance.

On Thursday, March 13, the Houston Symphony will continue its legendary centennial celebration by performing alongside one of the leading figures in the recording industry, Steve Tyrell. Under the leadership of Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Robert Franz, Tyrell and the orchestra will perform American standards like 'You're So Nice to Come Home To,' 'The Way You Look Tonight' and 'I Get a Kick Out of You,” to name just a few. The Grammy® Award-winning Tyrell will also invite his friends Diane Schuur, Judith Hill and Lew Soloff to the stage to share the evening with him as he sings the night away to timeless classics in this one-night only special performance.

Blake and Juliet Stevenson also to appear at charity concert in aid of the Philippines Typhoon Appeal along with Joanna Riding, Michael Xavier and Danielle Hope.

The Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center ('the PAC') today announces the establishment of a core team of artistic leaders: David Lan (Artistic Director of London's Young Vic) as Consulting Artistic Director; Lucy Sexton (artist, producer, and Director of the New York Dance & Performance Awards (aka The Bessies)) as Associate Artistic Director; and Andy Hayles, Managing Partner of Charcoalblue (London's National Theatre, Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, and the future home of Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse), as theater design consultant. Stephen Daldry (director of the films The Hours, Billy Elliot, The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and of Billy Elliot the Musical, and former Artistic Director of London's Gate Theatre and Royal Court Theatre) has joined the PAC's Board of Directors. The artistic team is collaborating with the PAC's staff, board and numerous consultants to create a place that is unique on the cultural landscapes of New York, the United States and the world.

Leonard Shapiro of Middleburg Life Magazine writes: 'A gifted writer....As the child of an Air Force general, Pennington's early depiction of life on base gives the book an authentic jumping off point.' Award-Winning Debut Novel Blends Dark Humor and Familial Bonds against the Backdrop of a Crumbling Industry. Former filmmaker and producer Penny McCann Pennington's first novel, 'It Burns a Lovely Light' is fiction at its sharpest and most effective. At its center is a Pittsburgh still stumbling from the loss of its formidable steel industry, and a family coping with tragedies both great and small. By turns heartrending, poignant and wildly funny, 'It Burns a Lovely Light' is, above all, a stirring portrait of a young woman regaining her life. A city, crushed from the loss of its main source of income. A family, brought together by circumstance and rallying beneath the face of tremendous tragedy. It's a turbulent landscape that many readers will identify with, and it forms the beating heart of Penny McCann Pennington's celebrated first novel, 'It Burns a Lovely Light.' As Pennington points out, the bonds of family - whether blood related or not - strike to the very core of what it means to be a human being. 'The response to my book has been tremendous, and I think it's partially due to the fact that we can all relate to Farley and her struggle to do what is right.' Synopsis: Aspiring photographer Farley James abandons her dreams of traveling the world to care for her savant-like brother, William. They return to Bridge Manor, their mother's childhood home in Pittsburgh, as the city is reeling from the loss of its great steel industry. Now a falling-down boarding house run by their formidable Aunt Claire, the large Victorian appears to cling to the hillside and has a commanding view of the changing city below. Through hard work, friendship, and eventually romance, Farley's broken spirit begins to mend. Then William, forever young and innocent, is found nearly beaten to death, clutching his bloodied superhero underpants. While Farley and the residents of Bridge Manor take shifts, reading and talking to an unresponsive William, Claire borrows more and more money to stay ahead of the bills. Horror over William's state turns to panic at the impending loss of Bridge Manor. But one thing becomes clear; this patchwork family will do whatever it takes to save their home. By turns hilarious, heartbreaking, and subtly twisted, It Burns a Lovely Light is a story of renewal, dreams, secrets, and the inescapable bonds of family. Although the book is fictional, Pennington's inspiration was rooted in her own experiences working as a filmmaker. 'The initial seed for this book was planted in the early 1990's when I spent three wonderful years in Pittsburgh, working in feature film production,' says Pennington. 'Scenes were often shot in the cavernous, abandoned steel mills and factories in and around the city. I was fascinated by stories of the city's survival after the demise of its great steel industry - and overwhelmed by the kindness of the people of Pittsburgh. After fifteen years, I finally put pen to paper.' Continuing, 'I didn't want to just write 'any book' - rather, it was vital to me to showcase vibrant, strong and multi-faceted female characters, true depictions of life on a military base and represent the Pittsburgh I got to know from my time there. It truly is a wonderful, complicated and beautiful city.' Since its release, the book has received notable acclaim. 'This book is good. Period. The writer was able to throw together a diverse cast of characters, each one with his/her individual demons and make you fall in love. Not since Fried Green Tomatoes have I cheered and jeered so loudly while reading a book!' writes Stephanie Elia. All-Pro former Washington Redskin 'Hog' and Pittsburgh Steeler Offensive Line Coach, Russ Grimm, was even more succinct: 'Great book!' 'It Burns a Lovely Light', published by CreateSpace, is available now in both paperback and Kindle formats: http://amzn.to/1hvNt1R About the Author: Penny McCann Pennington has been a producer, director, writer, and script supervisor in the Film/Television/Video/Documentary fields. In the early 1990's she spent three years in Pittsburgh, working on films such as 'The Silence of the Lambs,' George Romero's remake of 'The Night of the Living Dead,' Stephen King's 'Two Evil Eyes,' and numerous made for TV movies of the week. Scenes were often shot in the cavernous, abandoned steel mills and factories in and around the city. Fascinated by stories of the city's survival after the demise of its great steel industry, Pennington's story of the eclectic residents of a boarding house overlooking the changing city was born. The New England Book Festival recently awarded Ms. Pennington's novel, 'It Burns a Lovely Light' with an honorary mention in Fiction. Contact: Daisy Venners / 919-272-3987 / daisy@meltatl.com

Parents do not have to be told to provide unconditional love and care to the children they bring into this world, nor do they have to be reminded of the treasure they covet when these children bring mostly joy and laughter into a home that once belonged only to them. Even though much of their lifestyle has been drastically changed because of these treasures, as all attention and responsibility is now directed at their well-being, this love cannot be disputed as something other than beautiful. Now, does the same hold true when a child is not one's own? After seeing the opening night performance of The Sun Shines East at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, there is little doubt as to this holding true, and the struggle of one couple to adopt a baby, to whom they have already given their undying love and affection upon first holding her, makes for a beautiful, heartfelt story that deems the presence of children in our lives that much more precious.