LEGENDS AND BRIDGE is a comedy imagining former, silver-screen legend Joan Crawford (matronly, washed-up, and pickled on spiked Pepsi) who invites Judy Garland (recently fired from her CBS TV show) and Bette Davis (bitter at no longer being the “Queen of Hollywood”) up to her Manhattan apartment in 1964 to live with her as they work on a “secret” film project. I find it difficult to believe anyone reading this does not already know about the three screen legends featured in the show. But just to be sure, I decided to interview the three actors portraying them to find out more about what it was like to portray such well-known personalities.
Based on true events and strikingly relevant today, DAISY explores the moment in TV history when the political attack ad was born. In the autumn of 1964, one year after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, bloody turmoil over Civil Rights was spilling onto the streets, a fearful ideology that made the threat of nuclear war palpable was growing from the conservative right, and a skirmish in the far-off nation of Vietnam wouldn't go away. With the presidential election looming, an advertising agency working for Lyndon Johnson unleashed the most devastating political commercial ever conceived, the 'Daisy' ad.
There are times when being a theater reviewer is a fabulous gig. Last night at the Providence Performing Arts Center was one of those times. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, running through Sunday at PPAC is not to be missed. It is warm, funny, sad, uplifting, and helps us see the world from the vantage point of the oppressed-it is gorgeous. First, let's give credit to FIDDLER'S creators: Jerry Bock wrote the music, Sheldon Harnick the lyrics, and Joseph Stein the book. Bock and Harnick had previously collaborated on the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Fiorello; Stein had been part of the writing team along with Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Neil Simon on television's Your Show on Shows-these were some talented guys. The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances. It held the record for the longest running Broadway musical for almost ten years. The production was extraordinarily profitable and highly acclaimed. It won nine Tony awards, including best musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned five Broadway revivals and a highly successful film adaptation and has enjoyed enduring international popularity.
What happens when 1880 Western bandits are brought back to life in Azusa, CA by a space alien? Sam Shepard's The Unseen Hand joins Odyssey Theatre Ensemble's 50th Anniversary “Circa '69” Season of significant and adventurous plays that premiered around the time of the company's inception, coupled with Shepard's gritty and audacious Killer's Head. Longtime Shepard collaborator Darrell Larson directs both plays for a Jan. 25 opening at the Odyssey Theatre in West L.A., where performances will continue through March 8.
Orlando was a deeply engaging, intriguing and thought-provoking exploration whose pondering, messages, striking soundscapes and visuals reverberated and lingered long after the curtain had closed. It is a highly ambitious undertaking but Neuwirth and her colleagues were up for the challenge. What is most exciting is what has now been established for a venue such as The Wiener Straatsoper as we move into a new decade of uncertain times when it is vital that radical expressions of art and activism combined are given such a grand stage with which to proclaim their truths.
For those too young to remember, from 1957 to 1962 The Everly Brothers sold more than 35 million records and had 35 Billboard top-100 singles, 26 in the top 40, and to this day, carry the record for most Billboard charting hits of any American Duo. Their success at that time was only rivaled by Elvis. The Zmeds are absolutely thrilled to be able to contribute to a cause that supports the recognition and preservation of the intimate origins of America's greatest Rock 'n Roll sibling duo, stating, 'We are not impersonators. Our aim is to honor the aesthetics of the Everly Brothers' iconic sound and their unique place in music history, all while having a little fun telling our own personal story.' And that they certainly did with great style, talent, and humor.
The hilarious angel doo-wop quartet of Frankie, Sparky, Jinx and Smudge (Craig Sherman, Philip McBride, Augusto Guardado and Andrew Allen) again return to Earth to get a second chance at 'making it big' after missing out on the opportunity when a freak accident caused their demise on the night of February 9, 1964 while the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Believing their mission is to find the purpose for their return, the spirited guys set out to recall past show-stopping performances, finally realizing how much it meant to bring joy and music to their fans.
The saying, 'Good things come to those who wait,' could certainly be applied to the world premiere of The Good Swimmer playing at BAM's Fishman Space as part of the Next Wave festival from November 28th-December 1st. Defined as a pop requiem for the youth of the Vietnam War, this collaboration between Heidi Rodewald (music) and Donna Di Novelli (lyrics) directed by Kevin Newbury has been the better part of a decade in the making since the two women began working on the piece at a Eugene O'Neill Theater Center residency and left with three songs based on text from out-of-print lifesaving manuals that would become the foundation of The Good Swimmer -- the title song, 'Red Cross' and 'Double Drowning'.
IN ANOTHER ROOM is a site-specific immersive play in which guests will wander the rooms of a purportedly haunted house in Culver City, coming face to face with various souls that have lived and died and suffered tragedy within its walls. After meeting with two hosts, one of whom will take your photo to be sure your soul is clear enough to enter the house without disrupting the spirits there, a ploy of course as the photos will become part of the show later on, guests are invited to knock on the front door for entrance into the evening's adventure.
Starting November 10, Theresa Cunningham gets to channel the pioneering songstress and make her Arena Stage debut with the East Coast premiere of Nina Simone: Four Women. Before there was Bono or John Lennon, there was Nina Simone and Christina Ham's new play follows her transformation from artist, to artist and activist.
This has been an unusual weekend for me. I had the privilege of attending two compelling plays written by African Americans about African Americans and performed by African Americans. Both shows are moving presentations that made me laugh. They made me cry. And they made me view the lives of families very different from my own with a new sense of understanding.
It's 1924, on the Greek island of Crete, and you're about to go on a wild, whirlwind tour of the lusty passions of the human heart.
It is rare that an exhibition can take an artist you have known for most of your museum-going life and make him live anew. PICASSO SCULPTURE is one such glorious rarity.
in the East Coast Debut of Kemp Powers new play ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
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.
Paramount's Aurora Theatre presents the eye-popping, song-and-dance-filled, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious production of Disney and Cameron Macintosh's Mary Poppins at the beautiful Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora, now thru Jan. 1. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the show below!
This week Risk Again explores the rich relationship between the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Theater Institute (est. 1970) and National Playwrights Conference (est. 1964). Both committed to developing new work in a collaborative environment where artists are free to risk and safe to fail.
The National Theater Institute includes a vibrant community of over 3,500 alumni. The many talents of these actors, writers, directors, and designers can be seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in films, television, London's West End, and at every major regional theater in the U.S. Actor, writer, director, Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother, Happythankyoumoreplease, Liberal Arts, The Graduate) is currently starring in Disgraced on Broadway. Today Risk Again! shares his reflections on studying with NTI in the spring of 1995. Watch the video to hear more about his memories of training at the O'Neill, his play Napoleon Blownapart, and the many ways NTI changed his life as an artist.
Do you like close-harmonic singing? Are you harking back to experience the 'good' old days? Do you like to escape from the stressful world and just 'yak' at comedy shticks and revel in the ridiculous? Then the place for you to be is Beck Center where Cleveland's multi-award winning choreographer, Martin Cespedes, has added 'creative director' to his resume.
Each year, Long Beach Playhouse closes its Mainstage Season with a musical. This year it's presenting the popular classic, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein. When it opened on Broadway 50 years ago in 1964, the musical was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won nine. In 1971, it was made into a movie, produced and directed by Norman Jewison, starring Chaim Topol who was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Tevye the Milkman.
Written and directed by Steve Altman, JUST IMAGINE intertwines John Lennon's songs with the stories behind them to create a unique and electrifying multimedia concert experience. The multimedia show takes you through a final Lennon performance, revealing his outlook on his life, his music career, as well as his inspiration for songs and his relationships with loved ones.
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!
On February 7, 1964, The Beatles were greeted by a sea of screaming American fans at J.F.K. as they took their first steps onto U.S. soil ushering in the era of Beatlemania. On February 7, 2011, the cast of the hit musical RAIN: A Tribute to The Beatles on Broadway will perform a medley of The Fab Four's hit songs on ABC's 'Good Morning America' in the 8am hour.
RAIN - A Tribute to The Beatles On Broadway was extended by popular demand and will now run through Sunday, January 9 at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street). Previews began Tuesday, October 19 and opened officially on October 26. The show's Times Square billboard is going up and BroadwayWorld brings you a look below!
Videos