Elliot Lanes - Page 2

Today’s subject Julie Benko is currently living her theatre life onstage at Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) playing the iconic musical theatre role of Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls. The show runs through January 8th, but Ms. Benko will be departing the show on December 28th. Read on to see what her next project is.

Today’s subject Academy and Emmy Award winning composer Rachel Portman has a career that includes scoring for over100 films, television and a stage musical of Little House on the Prairie. This week her foray into opera can be seen and heard in the Terrace Theater At Kennedy Center as Washington National Opera (WNO) presents The Little Prince as their annual family opera offering. The show runs for only five performances between December 12th and 14th. WNO first performed it 2014. It premiered at Houston Grand Opera in 2003.

There are many holiday viewing traditions here in the DMV covering all genres of entertainment. Ford’s Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol and Washington Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the Warner Theatre are just two productions that audiences keep returning to year after year.

Today’s subject Avery Harris is currently living her theatre life onstage at Round House Theatre in Rules for Living in the role of Emma for certain performances. Avery shares the role with Maisie Posner who will be featured in a separate column soon. The show runs through January 4th.

Back in the day around this time of year, there used to be these things called variety shows which featured big musical artists singing their hearts out for the holidays. It wasn’t Christmas until Andy Williams, The Carpenters, and Perry Como came across our TV screens.

The holiday season is now in full swing and amidst all the “God bless us all” and Sugar Plums is a seasonal perennial that has been kicking holiday music up a notch for over 40 years now. I’m speaking of Chip Davis’ Manheim Steamroller of course and with twelve albums of Christmas music alone, it’s easy to see why they are still the number one Christmas tour each year.

Every once in awhile you go to see a show not knowing what the final product is going to be. The epic musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 was one of those musicals that was very specific to its original staging because of it’s tent location. It was totally immersive. When the show moved to Broadway, it didn’t have the same effect.

Since this column began, I have always made it a point to acknowledge the people that are instrumental when it comes to putting these interviews together. It’s not just me asking an interviewee cold. There is generally a marketing or publicity person that helps to coordinate things.

Today’s subject Mark Binns is currently living his theatre life on the road as the Musical Director for the National Tour of Some Like it Hot. The show will be here in DC at the National Theatre beginning November 25th and continuing through December 7th.

Today’s subject veteran actor Doug Brown is currently living his theatre life onstage in the World Premiere production of Fremont Ave.. The show plays through December 7th in the Kreeger Theater at Arena Stage.

The holiday season is semi-officially here (It won’t be official for me until after Thanksgiving) and you might be looking for something a little different to attend with family and friends. Today’s subject Raymond Walsh can definitely help you with that. He is currently living his theatre life as the creator and one of the performers of The Shamrock Tenors. Their new show Shamrock Tenors: Christmas in Belfast will be here in DC at the Kennedy Center for a one week only engagement from November 25th through the 30th in the Eisenhower Theater. This engagement marks Raymond’s North American professional debut.

Today’s subject Maaike Laanstra-Corn is currently living her theatre life onstage playing the role of Hedvig in the rarely produced Henrik Ibesn play The Wild Duck at Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC). The show continues performances through November 16th at STC’s Klein Theatre.

Today’s subject Nickolaus Colón is currently living his theatre life on tour playing the role of Hades in Hadestown. The tour will be here in DC at the National Theatre from November 18th to 23rd. Nickolaus recently received a CT Circle Critics Award for his performance of Don in Kinky Boots.

Adventure Theatre MTC continues it’s rise back to artistic greatness with the world premiere of Not Your Mother’s Goose!. Written by ATMTC’S former artistic director Michael J. Bobbitt and Sandra Eskin the show takes us on a non- Sondheimian journey to Gooseville for a romp with Mother Goose and some of your favorite nursery rhyme characters. HUZZAH!!!

This past week the DC theatre community lost one of its visionaries with the passing of Artistic Director/Director/Performer/Mentor Jerry B. Whiddon at age 77. For twenty years Jerry served as the Producing Artistic Director Of Round House Theatre. The company was born out of Street 70 which Jerry helped start in 1970.