Courtnie Mele - Page 19

Last year THE ILLUSIONISTS took New Zealand by storm, and this September the next generation of magic arrives with a stunning sequel THE ILLUSIONISTS 2.0.

Perfect for some June entertainment and escape from the routine is The Bard's Town Theatre's production of the 2014 Bard Award winner, and finalist for the 2013 Reva Shiner Comedy Award. The play by Lindsay Price is a two-character comedy promising laughter and an enjoyable evening of theatre by very talented Louisvillians. (Note: Tickets are a special offer.)

Mandy Patinkin offers dads everywhere some fatherly advice, such as, 'Enjoy changing the diaper. Don't be afraid of it. It's the greatest thing in the world- I mean, who cares if they shit all over you?'

Everyone knows Clint Eastwood to be the serious, dramatic type. His most recent project has been adapting the hit Broadway musical JERSEY BOYS for the big screen; and, many found it to be an odd match. However, it turns out that Eastwood is quite the singer himself. Check below for a clip of Eastwood, circa 1963, singing on TV's RAWHIDE.

TUTS Undergound, this season's exciting new venture from Theatre Under the Stars, is gearing up to bring Houston audiences the Texas Premiere of HANDS ON A HARDBODY. Check below for a first look of the production!

In tribute to actress Ruby Dee, Theater Talk presents an encore episode featuring their 2002 interview with Ms. Dee and her husband, actor Ossie Davis, along with Philip Rose, the original producer of A Raisin in the Sun. The trio discuss the early days of bringing Lorraine Hansberry's classic play to the stage. Ms Dee created the role of Lena Younger, the same part that won Sophie Okonedo a 2014 Tony Award, last Sunday.

Piece of My Heart: The Bert Berns Story, an upcoming new musical based on the life and songs of legendary songwriter Bert Berns, begins previews at The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center on June 25, 2014, with an official opening night set for July 21, 2014.

Following a successful engagement in Sydney, Australia, Atomic, the new musical based on the creation of the atomic bomb, will make its highly anticipated U.S. premiere with a strictly limited 8-week Off-Broadway engagement from June 26 - August 16 at The Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues). The official opening is set for Sunday, July 13. With book & lyrics by Danny Ginges and Gregory Bonsignore, and music & lyrics by Philip Foxman, Atomic is choreographed by Dean Walsh and directed by Damien Gray.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) takes a trip under the sea with Disney's family friendly extravaganza The Little Mermaid, featuring bright, inventive sets and dazzling costumes! TUTS invites the whole family to this fun-filled, timeless tale as the stage comes to life June 13 - 29 at Hobby Center's Sarofim Hall.

Following the critically acclaimed sell-out concert, Ivor Novello - The Great British Musical, award-winning Musical Director Ross Leadbeater (formerly of Only Men Aloud) returns to the St James Theatre for a limited 3 performances only on Friday 4th July and Saturday 5th July (2:30 & 7:30) with a new theatrical concert celebrating the best of The Great British Musicals.

David Arisco, artistic director of Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, is proud to introduce the six stellar productions selected for the 2014 -- 2015 Mainstage Season, which will feature one of the largest and most epic productions ever staged by the company, the Tony Award-winning Ragtime (January 28 -- February 22, 2015). New musicals and plays including the Off-Broadway rock opera hit Murder Ballad (October 8 -- November 2, 2014), a great play for the holidays Miracle on South Division Street (December 3 -- 28, 2014), Broadway's newest musical comedy making its regional theatre debut at Actors' Playhouse First Date (March 18-April 12, 2015), the South Florida premiere of The Book Club Play (May 13 -- June 7, 2015) and the smash-hit comedy Unnecessary Farce (July 15 -- August 9, 2015) will round out the new season.

Mo Rocca of CBS headed backstage at the Tony Awards to give viewers a look at what's going on. He caught up with this year's host, Hugh Jackman, as well as ALADDIN's James Monroe Iglehart, and more!

In metered-market results, which are time zone-adjusted, NBC Sports' coverage of last night's double-overtime New York Rangers-Los Angeles Kings matchup averaged a 4.6 rating, 9 share in metered-market households, to rank as the top-rated Stanley Cup Final Game 2 ever on NBC or NBCSN in metered-market households.

Marvel has had a difficult time moving forward with their Ant-Man project. They first lost director Edgar Wright, who put in 8 years of work on the film. Adam McKay was the runner-up; however, he recently declined. After much searching, Marvel has hired Peyton Reed as the new director of Ant-Man.

Cast members of JERSEY BOYS paid tribute to the king of country music, GEORGE STRAIT, in the best way they knew how: by covering two of Strait's best-known hits.

April Hava Shenkman, aka HAVA is a Los Angeles Performance Artist, Comedian, Actress & film maker. She has been performing her own original brand of avant grade comedy in Los Angeles for over a decade now. Her work has been presented at numerous theaters, galleries & clubs across America & Europe. She studied theatre at The University of La Verne in CA & The Guildford School of Acting in England. Hava studied with legendary Performance Artist Rachel Rosenthal, & performed with her Company in Los Angeles between 2004-2007.

In honor of the 1st of June, watch Leslie Uggams perform 'June is Bustin' Out All Over' from CAROUSEL, then check out on the next page an interview in which the singer reveals how she almost had to 'invent a new language to cover the 'slipped' lyrics' in the now You-Tube famous performance of the Rodgers and Hammerstein tune. Click below!

Ashani Dances performs at The Broadway Performance Hall for TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY: Friday, June 6 & Saturday, June 7 at 7 PM. New dances by Iyun Ashani Harrison and Guest choreographer, Eric Rivera. Check below for a sneak peek!