What did our critic think of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS at Broadway San Jose?
One thing for sure a?" after watching the play and listening to Squeaky during various time periods of her life, I feel even more sorry for the troubled young woman who allowed herself to be so misguided by a man who knew exactly how to manipulate her need to belong somewhere to his own advantage. So much so that in a 2019 televised interview, Fromme said about Manson, 'Was I in love with Charlie? Yeah, I still am.a?? One wonders at the sanity of such a statement until you realize how her mind was warped through the use of drugs and mind manipulation.
Hugo Chiarella (Book and Lyrics) and Naomi Livingston's (Music and Lyrics) new Australian musical EVIE MAY, directed by Kate Champion tells an Australian story about Australian women with humor and heartbreak.
For the past several summers, I have attended the Festival of Arts and The Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach. But this year, I also decided to also visit two other art festivals along Laguna Canyon Road rather than spend any time cruising the town as I had done before. The full-day of exploring all the artistic delights on display this year at all three locations left me dazzled by all the talent on display, while wishing I had lot of extra income to purchase and bring home many of the awe-inspiring items that caught my fancy. But the real highlight of the day was viewing the abundance of 'local color' on display in this summer's 'Under the Sun' themed Pageant of the Masters.
It's a world where the norms of the past are being challenged on a daily basis. We don't have Walter Cronkite to tell us 'that's the way it is', and respect for elected officials, symbols, and monuments is tried and tested every day. Sometimes I scratch my head wondering why I don't always 'get' the new notes, harmonies, lyrics, or humor anymore. So for me, walking into The Carlyle, past the photos of JFK, Jackie, and Bobby Short, and then proceeding into Cafe Carlyle to hear the music of Herb Alpert is a welcome respite in melodic heaven. Herb's trumpet doesn't overwhelm you with his amount of notes or volume, rather he overwhelms you with his melodies and elegant sophisticated improvisation, and of course so many of the tunes on his song list are hits he's made famous. It gets better….Lani Hall, Herb's wife who started her career as the lead singer of Sergio Medes' legendary group, Brazil 66 is on stage with him to supply vocals.
Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham is thrilled to announce the third show in the Laguna Playhouse 2016-2017 season, CHAPATTI, written by Christian O'Reilly and directed by David Ellenstein, based on the direction of Judith Ivey. "I just fell in love with this play and the beautiful and quirky love story at its center. I think our audiences are about to fall in love with it too," says Wareham. CHAPATTI will begin previews on Wednesday, January 11; will open on Sunday, January 15 at 5:30pm and will run through Sunday, January 29, 2016 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.
Now at Musical Theater Heritage, a show that grabs its audience by the throat and holds on viscerally through the final fade to black. The era is the early 1930s. The city is Berlin Germany. The setting is the grungy and erotic Kit Kat Club. The liberal Weimar Republic turns inward on itself and cedes control to some of the darkest forces in recorded history. This is a suburb production of John Kander and Fred Ebb's 1966 classic masterpiece 'Cabaret.'
Like many others during 1964-1966, I made sure to be home when "The Addams Family" TV show was broadcast. Carolyn Jones and John Astin were like no parents I knew and their family certainly lived the sort of off-kilter life totally different than any other family I had ever known. But it was their unwavering support of each other and their entire family that drew me to the series, so when I heard the glitzy-gloomy musical based on the characters was being brought to the stage by 3-D Theatricals, I excitedly made plans to see it and can happily report it was a spectacular and highly creative extravaganza with an awesomely talented cast.
Broadway fans had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year, with dozens of shows having opened since January, hundreds of actors having made their debuts, and many more having returned to the stage for critically acclaimed performances. Not all news was good though, as we also suffered a loss of an incredible amount of talent.
Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2014.
In the delightful Otterbein University production of SWEET CHARITY, Charity Hope Valentine (brilliantly portrayed by Madison Tinder) has worn her heart on her shelves so many times that she has it tattooed on her arm. The heart-shaped tattoo could be an analogy of the dancehall hostess' love life. It bears the name of a man she planned to move in with, only he dumped her (literally) and left her to drown in a lake at the park after stealing her purse.
Jewel Box Theatre presents James Goldman's The Lion in Winter in their 56th season of productions chosen by their patrons. Director James Gordon has a fine cast who make the most of the humor in the production, but they also present the dramatic side of this dysfunctional family.
Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre kicks off its 44th season with the first play of 'The Ed Bullins Project' - two revivals from his 'Twentieth Century Cycle of Plays' - IN THE WINE TIME, to be followed by The Fabulous Miss Marie this spring. In The Wine Time, directed by Mansoor Najee-ullah, will begin performances October 25th at Castillo Theater (543 West 42nd Street), continuing through November 24th. Opening Night is set for Thursday November 7th.
In Great Britain, the period between 1963 and 1966 was one of the most extraordinary moments of youth cultural history as well as in popular music history. MODROCK, with book by Hogan Thomas-Jones, directed by Brian Lohmann, produced by Tom Coleman with choreography by Michele Spears, is an homage to this period and to the many iconic bands and songwriters who emerged from it.
ANNIE, the new production of the Tony Award-winning musical, went into rehearsal today in New York City with its full company. The production begins previews October 3, 2012 and opens November 8, 2012 at the Palace Theatre (Broadway at 47th Street). Meet the full cast below!
THE RRAZZ ROOM, San Francisco's premiere nightclub, presents the debut solo engagement of Valerie Simpson running now through May 13. Ms. Simpson wrote some of the greatest love songs of a generation with her husband and writing partner, Nick Ashford, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "You're All I Need To Get By," "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing." But when he died of throat cancer in August at the age of 70, Simpson was cast adrift. After spending more than four decades together, she didn't know if she would ever get back on stage. Valerie performs all their greatest hits in this moving concert experience. See below for photos of Valerie's opening night performance!
Joining Robert Lindsay (Henry II) and Joanna Lumley (Eleanor of Aquitane) in Trevor Nunn's production of James Goldman's The Lion in Winter are Tom Bateman (Richard), Sonya Cassidy (Alais), Joseph Drake (John), Rory Fleck-Byrne (Philip) and James Norton (Geoffrey). The Lion in Winter, produced by the Theatre Royal Haymarket Company, runs from 5 November 2011 - 28 January 2012, with press night on 15 November 2011. Set and costume designs are by Stephen Brimson Lewis with music by Steven Edis, sound by Paul Groothuis and video design by Ian William Galloway.
Trevor Nunn's production of James Goldman's The Lion in Winter, produced by the Theatre Royal Haymarket Company, runs from 5 November 2011 - 28 January 2012, with press night on 15 November 2011. Set and costume designs are by Stephen Brimson Lewis with music by Steven Edis, sound by Paul Groothuis and video design by Ian William Galloway.
Check out photos of the cast in rehearsal below!
York Theatre Company Oh, Coward! and The Mad Show, the next titles in its Summer 2011 Musicals in Mufti Series-the York's acclaimed series of musical theatre gems in staged concert performances. The concerts will run from July 15-17 and July 29-31, respectively. Individual tickets are $39.50 and available at the York box office (12-6 PM, Mon-Fri), by phone ( 212-935-5820 ), and at yorktheatre.org. Check out photos of the cast of The Mad Show in rehearsal below!
York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) has announced the casts for Oh, Coward! and The Mad Show, the next titles in its Summer 2011 Musicals in Mufti Series-the York's acclaimed series of musical theatre gems in staged concert performances. The concerts will run from July 15-17 and July 29-31, respectively. Individual tickets are $39.50 and available at the York box office (12-6 PM, Mon-Fri), by phone (212-935-5820), and at yorktheatre.org.
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