At Broadway and 52nd Street in New York City, the nightclub Birdland was the legendary center of the jazz world, where the glitterati of Broadway, Hollywood and the sports world regularly filled its 500 seats. In August 1959, the biggest star in jazz was Miles Davis, who earlier that year recorded Kind of Blue, regarded then and now as the most innovative and best jazz album of all time. The Miles Davis Sextet, as constituted that summer, was regarded as the best jazz combo ever. Honoring his love of all things jazz, Randy Ross Ph.D., an accomplished saxophonist and member of the jazz group the Blue Morning Quintet, spent several years researching Miles Davis and the amazing musicians in his Sextet. After gathering enough information to paint a clear picture of these jazz greats, Ross wrote his world premiere play BIRDLAND BLUE, directed by Ben Guillory, Artistic Director and Co-Founder of The Robey Theatre Company, the group producing the show at LA Theatre Center through May 12.
Deidrie Henry returns to The Armory to star as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, Lanie Robertson's riveting portrait of Holiday's life told through an imagined final performance in a small bar in South Philadelphia in 1959. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill begins preview performances on May 26, opens on June 1, and runs through July 1 on the U.S. Bank Main Stage.
Deidrie Henry returns to The Armory to star as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, Lanie Robertson's riveting portrait of Holiday's life told through an imagined final performance in a small bar in South Philadelphia in 1959. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill begins preview performances on May 26, opens on June 1, and runs through July 1 on the U.S. Bank Main Stage. Bill Fennelly returns to The Armory to direct after previously directing Gypsy, Black Pearl Sings and, most recently, Little Shop of Horrors. Deidrie Henry, who most recently played Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire at The Armory, will be joined on stage by Abdul Hamid Royal, the production's music director who also plays the role of Jimmy Powers, along with local musicians Charles Neal (drums) and Andre St. James (bass).
Today's subjects, Bill Largess and Ann Norton, are living their theatre lives as the Artistic Director and Executive Director of one of the gems in our local theatre scene.
A deep, painful, joyful story about one extended California family with roots in different parts of the world, who make their home on the same plot of Southern California land over 150 years
Rubicon Theatre Company celebrates Black History Month with THE DEVIL'S MUSIC: THE LIFE AND BLUES OF BESSIE SMITH, starring singer and actress Miche Braden of the original Off-Broadway production (named one of the 10 Best Off-Broadway productions of the year by the N.Y. Daily Times). Described by CBC as a, "bawdy, bluesy, boozy rollicking night out at the theatre," the show follows the life, loves and career of blues and jazz singer Bessie Smith, called the "Empress of the Blues."
Squabbalogic captures Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey's (Book, Music and Lyrics) original vision of the iconic story in THE ORIGINAL GREASE.
Broadway finds Main Street! Star of the Day launches an all-new 2015 Broadway Musical Series at McCoole's Arts & Events Place beginning with the popular Gypsy.
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.
My belated mother once said, 'Your house is your house and your life is your life, and they really are two separate things.' But are they? Playwright Bruce Norris explores this question in Clybourne Park a provocative play set in an ordinary house in a fictional Chicago suburb.
On Monday, December 17 the cast of the musical Curtains celebrated the holidays in a private party at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone Restaurant (49th & 7th) hosted by Dennis Riese (restaurant owner) and Boulevard Magazine.
The 'Show People' of Curtains, the Musical Comedy Whodunit from the authors of Cabaret and Chicago, were back onstage yesterday, Thursday, November 29 in a post-strike dance-rehearsal.
Curtains, a new, original musical comedy featuring one of the last scores by the legendary songwriting team of Kander & Ebb, opened Thursday, March 22 on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, and BroadwayWorld was there for the star-studded after-party!
Curtains, a new, original musical comedy featuring one of the last scores by the legendary songwriting team of Kander & Ebb, opened Thursday, March 22 on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, and BroadwayWorld was there!
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