Anton Anderssen - Page 2

Music Hall welcomes back The MOSCOW FESTIVAL BALLET, Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 8:00pm with a performance of the timeless ballet- SWAN LAKE: Ballet in Four Acts with Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowski

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for many people. It's that season when people dress in glitzy couture and do all kinds of fun stuff. I'm a big fan of theatrical spectacle, and right now at Fisher Theatre's Broadway In Detroit CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND is the dazzling feast for the eyes and ears. In many ways it is similar to the production shows often seen in Branson, but this troupe has come to us. There are five main singers and more than a dozen chorus who dance, sing, and some who even ice skate.

Gershwin talent is inimitable; in 1932, Of Thee I Sing was the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. George wrote the orchestral piece, An American in Paris, in 1928, inspired by the time he spent in Paris. In 1951, MGM released the musical film An American in Paris. It won Best Picture Oscar. Directed by Vincente Minnelli (Judy Garland's husband), the film featured many tunes of Gershwin, and concluded with an extensive, elaborate dance sequence built around the An American in Paris symphonic poem. The 2015 stage musical, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS won four Tony Awards, three Outer Critics Circle Awards, a Drama League Award, two Theatre World Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, three Fred and Adele Astaire Awards.

John Sartor stars as Atticus Finch in Livonia Community Theatre's upcoming production of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, a play based on the award-winning novel by Harper Lee that explores the timely subject of race relations through the eyes of a young girl growing up in a small southern town in the 1950's. The book has been banned throughout the years in various parts of the country. More recently, it was banned by Mississippi's Biloxi School Board because it 'makes people uncomfortable.' Such a vague excuse is BS by most intellectual standards.

LOVE NEVER DIES is a very misunderstood musical, much like the charactor 'Phantom of the Opera.' This show is the sequel to 'THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA', and it turns PHANTOM upside down. If you watched The Wizard of Oz on television for many years, then went to see WICKED, you were probably in shock that two sides to the same story can be so radically different. What we thought we were seeing in PHANTOM, was Raoul's view. The new show is from Christine's perspective.

Moore was astounding in this performance; it was mostly about his life and what he believes in. I don't find many comedians funny, but I surrendered to Moore's clever monologue, joined by uproarious laughter from the audience throughout the show. His type of humor is sophisticated and intellectual; he presented his show as a 12-step program for liberals. I'm neither a liberal nor an alcoholic, so going through a 12-step recovery session was a novel experience. One of the traditional steps in such programs involve turning one's problems over to God. Moore confessed, My higher power is Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Remember those educational cartoons when you were a little kid, like Conjunction Junction, I'm just a Bill, and Interjection? Now is your chance to hear all of those timeless tunes in one setting, at Spotlight Players in Canton, where director John Sartor works his unique brand of magic bringing out enthusiasm and energy with a school room filled with kids in the musical production SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE! JR.

Now on stage at the Encore Theatre is the musical '9 to 5.' I'd love to invite you to enjoy seeing this show, but due to its overwhelming popularity, it's completely sold out. The only possible way to get tickets is if there are cancellations. This is a smash hit for Encore Theatre, and of course, everything they do is performed to perfection. You are best off buying a season ticket so you can always see their shows.

Now on stage at Beef and Boards is the ogre-sized, greatest fairy tale never told: the breathtaking Broadway musical adaptation of the hit movie Shrek. On one level, SHREK THE MUSICAL is silly family fun, but digging deeper into the story, there are messages that are crucial in life. The Princess, Fiona, never loses her faith in her fairytales. She is trapped in a tower, surrounded by boiling lava, with a fire-breathing dragon Hell-bent on keeping any interloper at bay. I greatly admire her character; how many people would give up on their dreams and just off themselves? I wanted to escape the cornfields of the Amish countryside desperately when I was young, and the odds were greatly against me. I never gave up on my dreams, and today I own a house by the ocean in Hawaii, and have my own knight in shining armor. Theatre gives you the chance to dream about how life can be, should be, or will be. It's like a seed that gets planted in your mind and one day can grow into a mighty oak.

St. Dunstan's Theatre Guild of Cranbrook closes out their season this year with the show-stopping 42ND STREET.   Experience "theatre under the stars," as this classic musical is performed in the beautiful outdoor Greek Theatre, located right behind the St. Dunstan's pavilion in Bloomfield Hills.

On Sunday, Maunalua performed as special talent at NA MELE NO NA PUA SUNDAY SHOWCASE.  Held Sundays at the Waikiki Beachwalk lawn stage, the event showcases the best of Hawaiian musicians and vocalists.

Outrigger Hotel Group opens its Mele Mei Festival today, where they honor the best of Hawaii's music, hula and culture. Celebrations will be held in 3 separate venues across Outrigger Waikiki, Outrigger Reef and Waikiki Beach Walk.  

They're back! Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakane and his award-winning dance troupe, Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu, are returning to the Hawaii Theatre for two performances only (May 5 and 6) of THE NATIVES ARE RESTLESS, a thrilling new reiteration of the troupe's iconic show that originally premiered in 1998.

Evita used United Airlines' tactics when it came to getting what she wanted. She had no problem sending thugs with badges to rough up anyone who disobeyed her. Yet, at the same time, she had immeasurable compassion for the poor. Her marriage to dictator Juan Peron is one of the great romances of the 20th century. Whenever I can see EVITA, whether it be in London, Broadway or thousands of miles across the ocean, I make every effort to pay homage to this fascinating woman.

Now on stage at the Detroit Opera House is Disney's 'LION KING,' the larger than life spectacle about the circle of life in the African Pride Lands. This show is unique; firstly it's playing for nearly a month, secondly it has die-hard fans that know every single word of the script, and they were beyond thrilled with the performance. Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, LION KING is the most successful show in theatre history - it beat out Phantom and raked in over $7 billion. The costumes are the most imaginative ever constructed, and the score has hit tunes like 'Can you feel the love tonight?'

Are you ready for a new and improved version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA? I love the original, which I first saw in California, when Robert Guillaume (star of Benson) played the role. Of course, I saw it in London's West End and on Broadway, but it's really fun to see the new version right here in Detroit. I know it's hard to believe that PHANTOM could ever be improved upon, but they've worked some magic. The chandelier is more spooky, the catacombs look more like a person actually lives there, the costumes are different, especially the stairway costume in part two - but in this version there is no grand staircase. This phantom uses a lot of pyrotechnics to accompany his magic. You will like the way they descend into the Phantom's lair; that bridge scene what shifted like a teeter totter has been replaced by really cool steps that protrude from dungeon walls. And the best part is at the very end, when the phantom vanishes; it's in a very different way, and I have no idea how he pulled it off.

I felt the earth move under my feet when the audience of over 1000 people jumped to their feet to give the cast of BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL a standing ovation, accompanied by thunderous applause. The Wharton Center showing was absolutely fabulous! Sunday night is the final performance of this amazing show.

BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL is a delightful experience that is part musical, part history lesson, and part biography. The musical tells the story of Carole King as she grows from aspiring teenage songwriter to prolific composer and ultimately to successful and beloved recording artist. It also tells her personal story as she grows from love struck teenager to young wife and mother and ultimately to strong independent woman.

Now on stage at The Encore Musical Theatre Company is the delightful and enchanting favorite MARY POPPINS; just in time for a perfect holiday get-together with loved ones, this uplifting production runs through December 23. You've seen the Disney film, you've read the books by P L Traverse, but the live performance of this cherished tale takes the cake.

Spotlight Players is pleased to present "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play," inspired by the classic holiday film of the same name. This production is performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast in front of a studio audience. The small group of seasoned actors plays dozens of characters in the radio play and produces the sound effects. The time is Christmas Eve 1946 at Studio A at WBFR in Manhattan, New York.