Song and Dance 1985 - Articles Page 15

Shore Repertory Company will present the musical comedy "Nunsense" at Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre, closing out Kelsey's 2012 Summer Festival. Performances are Fridays, beginning tonight Aug. 17 and continuing August 24 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, Aug. 18 and 25 at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, Aug. 19 and 26 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on the college's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance tonight, Aug. 17.

It may be the final week of Lincoln Center Out of Doors, but the festival isn't winding down when it comes to exciting performances. This week, Lincoln Center celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the landmark Soul at the Center, highlighted by Valerie Simpson's first tribute to her late partner, Nick Ashford, since his passing. The pair that wrote such Motown hits as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)," and "I'm Every Woman," made their performing debut as a duo at Lincoln Center 40 years ago. The Tribute takes place on Friday, August 10 at Damrosch Park.

In preparation for the All-Day Long Island Al Jolson Festival (in Oceanside, NY) on Saturday, August 18, BroadwayWorld.com cabaret columnist Stephen Hanks offers his take on what made the 'World's Greatest Entertainer' so great, and muses about the reasons as to why he is such a devotee of the man who once owned Broadway and starred in the first talking picture.

Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) and HERE announce programming for the inaugural PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre/Now, running January 9-19, 2013, in New York City. This two-week festival, distilling the curatorial visions of artistic directors Kristin Marting (of HERE), Beth Morrison (of BMP), and Kim Whitener (of HERE), features visionary music-theatre and opera-theatre works by pioneering artists from NYC and around the world. PROTOTYPE is unique in providing a permanent theatrical home for the presentation of such quality productions, spotlighting the high-caliber creations of an exciting new generation of composers and collaborators, with a focus on chamber-sized works.

Today we are talking to Patricia Kelly, the widow of one of the most iconic and influential performers in entertainment history, Gene Kelly, all about her husband's incomparable career on Broadway and in Hollywood, in honor of his centennial. Tracing Gene Kelly's journey from his theatre roots starring in Cole Porter's LEAVE IT TO ME!, Rodgers & Hart's PAL JOEY and William Saroyan's Pulitzer Prize-winning THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE on Broadway to his unforgettable screen appearances in many of the greatest movie musicals ever made - COVER GIRL, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, THE PIRATE, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and many more included - Mrs. Kelly gives us a look into the life of one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. In addition to behind-the-scenes stories involving Kelly's frequent collaborators - such as esteemed director Vincente Minnelli, songwriter and producer Arthur Freed, arranger Saul Chaplin and others - Mrs. Kelly also shares candid anecdotes involving her husband's involvement with directing Rodgers & Hammerstein's FLOWER DRUM SONG on Broadway, helming the feature film adaptation of HELLO, DOLLY! starring Barbra Streisand, as well as his appearing in two idiosyncratic movie musicals later in his life, LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT (THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT) for Jacques Demy, as well as his au revoir to movie musicals in form of the Olivia Newton-John roller disco starrer XANADU. Additionally, Mrs. Kelly fills us in on all the details about this weekend's two-night Gene Kelly retrospective celebration, which she leads and narrates, as part of GENE KELLY @ 100 and her future plans for the multimedia presentation - each evening titled AN EVENING OF GENE KELLY and CHANGING THE LOOK OF DANCE ON FILM, respective - as she begins to tour the show across the country. Plus, reflections on SINGIN' IN THE RAIN's 60th anniversary and the recent Fathom HD premiere presentation in theaters, the impact of Kelly's work behind the camera, his choreographic legacy, what a legend is like at home, memories of attending the opening night of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (starring HELLO, DOLLY! lead Michael Crawford), what the master would say about GLEE, SMASH, BUNHEADS and today's movie musical renaissance, as well as much, much more!

Nigel Redden, Director of Lincoln Center Festival, announced the Festival's line-up, which runs from tonight, July 5 through August 5, 2012. Theater offerings include Mikhail Baryshnikov in Dmitry Krymov's staging of a new play, In Paris, as well as Sydney Theatre Company's acclaimed production of Uncle Vanya directed by Tamas Ascher and adapted by Andrew Upton. The stellar cast includes John Bell, Cate Blanchett, Hayley McElhinney, Richard Roxburgh, and Hugo Weaving.

Wolf Trap will feature the Latin Dance Company Ballet Hispanico; Contemporary Jazz Hits from Norah Jones and Sasha Dobson; Americana singers/songwriters Brandi Carlile, Josh Ritter and The Lumineers; and the Comedic Opera Pirates of Penzance from the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, between June 26th and 30th.

Wolf Trap will feature the Latin Dance Company Ballet Hispanico; Contemporary Jazz Hits from Norah Jones and Sasha Dobson; Americana singers/songwriters Brandi Carlile, Josh Ritter and The Lumineers; and the Comedic Opera Pirates of Penzance from the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, between today, June 26th and 30th.

Harvey Fierstein's TORCH SONG TRILOGY, helmed by Tony and Olivier Award winner Douglas Hodge, opened last night at the Menier Chocolate Factory. See what the critics had to say below.

Wolf Trap will feature the Latin Dance Company Ballet Hispanico; Contemporary Jazz Hits from Norah Jones and Sasha Dobson; Americana singers/songwriters Brandi Carlile, Josh Ritter and The Lumineers; and the Comedic Opera Pirates of Penzance from the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, between June 26th and 30th.

The 2012-2013 Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre season was announced today by CTG Artistic Director Michael Ritchie. The new season, the 46th season at the Music Center of Los Angeles, will include Jeff Goldblum in the West Coast premiere of the smart, sexy, new Broadway comedy "Seminar," Rachel York in the beloved 1930s musical romp - Cole Porter's "Anything Goes," the American premiere and pre-Broadway presentation of the dramatic musical "Backbeat" which features classic rock 'n' roll in its story of the birth of the Beatles, Tracie Bennett starring as the iconic Judy Garland in the West Coast premiere of the acclaimed play with music - "End of the Rainbow," and the daring new musical that explores a shocking event in American history - Kander and Ebb's "The Scottsboro Boys." In addition, the exuberant musical "Fela!" will return for a limited engagement as a bonus option to the season subscription.

The songbook of Grammy Award winners David Hidalgo sand Louie Perez of Los Lobos drives Evangeline, the Queen of Make-Believe, a multimedia play with music by Theresa Chavez, Louie Perez and Rose Portillo that takes its title from the group's 1985 rocker "Evangeline." Chavez and Portillo co-direct the world premiere production for About Productions, opening at the Bootleg Theater tonight, May 12 for a limited, three-week engagement through May 27. Low-priced previews take place May 3-11.

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts continues its 31st season with a night of dance hits on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 8pm. One of dance music's biggest stars for over three decades, GRAMMY Award winner GLORIA GAYNOR will perform with a full band. Her 1979 #1 hit, the greatest disco anthem of all time, "I Will Survive," is her signature song of inspiration that has touched the hearts of people all over the world. The song was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame at this year's ceremony in February. Urban and dance music phenomenon COLONEL ABRAMS will perform his biggest hits, including "Trapped," "I'm Not Gonna Let You" and "How Soon We Forget." Also performing will be THE HIT MEN, a group of six guys who made, played, sang and recorded the hits of the '60s, '70s and '80s. This group features original recording and performing members of such iconic bands as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and Tommy James and The Shondells and the original recording artists of such historic megahits as "Oh What a Night (Dec. '63)," "Sherry," "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" and 'Who Loves You."

Now in its eighth season, Millennium Park will host free concerts, events, exhibitions and open rehearsals that showcase the very best of Chicago throughout the summer.

The Kennedy Center presents Come Fly Away in the Eisenhower Theater from April 18-29, 2012. Conceived, choreographed, and directed by Tony Award® winner and Kennedy Center Honoree Twyla Tharp (Movin' Out) and by special arrangement with the Frank Sinatra Family and Frank Sinatra Enterprises, Come Fly Away blends the legendary vocals of Frank Sinatra with a live on-stage big band and 14 of the world's finest dancers. The show's score combines classic and newly discovered vocal performances from the Sinatra archives, along with Sinatra's signature arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Quincy Jones, among others, and brand new charts, for this fresh innovative musical. Press night will take place on Wednesday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m.

The songbook of Grammy Award winners David Hidalgo sand Louie Perez of Los Lobos drives Evangeline, the Queen of Make-Believe, a multimedia play with music by Theresa Chavez, Louie Perez and Rose Portillo that takes its title from the group's 1985 rocker "Evangeline." Chavez and Portillo co-direct the world premiere production for About Productions, opening at the Bootleg Theater on May 12 for a limited, three-week engagement through May 27. Low-priced previews take place May 3-11.

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts continues its 31st season with a night of dance hits on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 8pm. One of dance music's biggest stars for over three decades, GRAMMY Award winner GLORIA GAYNOR will perform with a full band. Her 1979 #1 hit, the greatest disco anthem of all time, "I Will Survive," is her signature song of inspiration that has touched the hearts of people all over the world. The song was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame at this year's ceremony in February. Urban and dance music phenomenon COLONEL ABRAMS will perform his biggest hits, including "Trapped," "I'm Not Gonna Let You" and "How Soon We Forget." Also performing will be THE HIT MEN, a group of six guys who made, played, sang and recorded the hits of the '60s, '70s and '80s. This group features original recording and performing members of such iconic bands as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and Tommy James and The Shondells and the original recording artists of such historic megahits as "Oh What a Night (Dec. '63)," "Sherry," "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" and 'Who Loves You."

Nigel Redden, Director of Lincoln Center Festival, today announced the Festival's line-up, which runs from July 5 through August 5, 2012. Single tickets go on sale on April 2. Theater offerings include Mikhail Baryshnikov in Dmitry Krymov's staging of a new play, In Paris, as well as Sydney Theatre Company's acclaimed production of Uncle Vanya directed by Tamas Ascher and adapted by Andrew Upton. The stellar cast includes John Bell, Cate Blanchett, Hayley McElhinney, Richard Roxburgh, and Hugo Weaving.

The Kennedy Center presents Come Fly Away in the Eisenhower Theater from April 18-29, 2012. Conceived, choreographed, and directed by Tony Award® winner and Kennedy Center Honoree Twyla Tharp (Movin' Out) and by special arrangement with the Frank Sinatra Family and Frank Sinatra Enterprises, Come Fly Away blends the legendary vocals of Frank Sinatra with a live on-stage big band and 14 of the world's finest dancers. The show's score combines classic and newly discovered vocal performances from the Sinatra archives, along with Sinatra's signature arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Quincy Jones, among others, and brand new charts, for this fresh innovative musical. Press night will take place on Wednesday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m.

The new Broadway musical, COME FLY AWAY, conceived, choreographed, and directed by Tony® Award-winner Twyla Tharp and by special arrangement with the Frank Sinatra Family and Frank Sinatra Enterprises, will perform at the Hobby Center for one week only, April 10-15.

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents Ronald K. Brown Evidence, A Dance Company on January 15 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Target® World Music and Dance Series. The dance company's highlighted piece is a new, Ordway co-commissioned work titled "On Earth Together."

In a vision reminiscent of Monty Python, Samuel Beckett, Franz Kafka and Joseph Heller, Vitalist Theatre, in association with DCA Theater, presents the U.S.A. premiere of The Ghost is Here, the story of an alarming and preposterous con-artist promoting a grim scam: selling the dead.

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents Ronald K. Brown Evidence, A Dance Company on January 15 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Target® World Music and Dance Series. The dance company's highlighted piece is a new, Ordway co-commissioned work titled "On Earth Together."

Vitalist Theatre, in association with DCA Theater, will present the U.S.A. premiere of The Ghost is Here, the story of an alarming and preposterous con-artist promoting a grim scam: selling the dead.

In a vision reminiscent of Monty Python, Samuel Beckett, Franz Kafka and Joseph Heller, Vitalist Theatre, in association with DCA Theater, presents the U.S.A. premiere of The Ghost is Here, the story of an alarming and preposterous con-artist promoting a grim scam: selling the dead.