Jeffrey Kare - Page 8

Starring in North Carolina Theatre's upcoming production of Mary Poppins from July 26th-31st is Nicolas Dromard as Bert! A role originated on screen by Dick Van Dyke and on stage by Tony & Olivier nominee Gavin Lee.

North Carolina Theatre Conservatory Master Summer Theatre Arts School Presents Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from July 8th-10th at A.J. Fletcher Opera House.

As America celebrates its 240th Birthday today, let's talk about what is probably one of the greatest musicals ever written, and it only came about 46 years before Hamilton. 1776 dramatizes the story of how John Adams was able to persuade his colleagues to vote for American independence as well as signing the Declaration of Independence. While the musical does dramatize the most important event in American history, the story behind the musical is probably just as interesting.

Since the 2015-16 Season at the Durham Performing Arts Center has wrapped up, I decided to give you guys a little recap. While there were several different offerings that range from overhyped (A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder) to thought-provoking, yet a little divisive (Cabaret) to entertaining (42nd Street) to compelling (If/Then), these are some of my top picks of the season.

The Triangle Rising Star Awards is a regional competition that brings together high school musical theater students from Central and Eastern North Carolina to perform and compete for the chance to represent the Triangle in The National High School Musical Theater Awards in New York City every summer. The national competition celebrates outstanding student performances in high school musical productions from all over the United States.

If/Then is an original musical that tells the story of Elizabeth Vaughan, a 40-year-old woman who moves back to New York City seeking a fresh start to her life. The musical depicts two different paths of where Elizabeth's life could take her.

Based on Bradford Ropes' 1932 novel as well as Busby Berkeley's 1933 film musical adaptation of the same name, 42nd Street tells the story of famed dictatorial Great White Way director Julian Marsh to mount a successful stage production of a musical extravaganza at the height of the Great Depression. When the star breaks her ankle, a young, small town girl named Peggy Sawyer takes over and becomes a star herself.

Wit is a 90 minute one act play by Margaret Edson that tells the story of Vivian Bearing, a renowned English professor who has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. During the course of her illness, Vivian comes to reassess her life and her work with a profundity and humor that are transformative both for her and the audience.

At 8:30 AM tomorrow morning will be the announcement of the nominations for this year's Tony Awards! The announcements will be made by Tony nominee Andrew Rannells (The Book of Mormon; HBO's Girls) and Tony Award winner Patina Miller (Pippin; CBS' Madam Secretary). You can watch the first part of the announcement on CBS This Morning as well as a live webcast of the whole thing at TonyAwards.com.

Starring in North Carolina Theatre's upcoming production of Margaret Edson's Pulitzer Prize-Winning play Wit from April 29th-May 8th is Tony Award Winner Daisy Eagan!

Based on John Van Druten's play I Am a Camera which was adapted from Christopher Isherwood's short story Goodbye to Berlin, Cabaret is based in the nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub as the Nazis were rising to power in Berlin back in 1931. The action is overseen by a Master of Ceremonies with the club serving as a metaphor for some of the ominous political developments in late Weimar Germany. The story revolves around 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Clifford Bradshaw. A sub-plot involves a doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fraulein Schneider and her suitor Herr Schultz.

Coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center from May 3rd-8th is the new national touring production of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical, 42nd Street! The cast features Kaitlin Lawrence as Dorothy Brock, a role originated on Broadway by Tammy Grimes.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET National Tour at Durham Performing Arts Center

Evan Buckley Harris of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET National Tour

Based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name, The Lion King tells the story of Simba, a young lion who is supposed to succeed his father Mufasa, as King of Pride Rock. But when Simba's Uncle Scar kills Mufasa, Simba runs away from home after being tricked into thinking that he was responsible. As he comes of age, Simba learns some valuable perspective to go back and take his rightful place as King.

Coming back to the Durham Performing Arts Center from February 16th-March 20th is the Tony Award winning Broadway musical, THE LION KING!

For one night only, the Cary Arts Center presented a production of Gerard Alessandrini's hit off-Broadway musical revue Forbidden Broadway. In the show, a quartet of performers sing rewritten parodies of classic musical theatre songs from classics such as Annie, Aspects of Love, Beauty & the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, Into the Woods, Jersey Boys, Les Miserables, The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Oklahoma!, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, West Side Story, and Wicked.