Kyle Christopher West - Page 4

This September, The Firehouse Theatre will present Elton John and Time Rice's AIDA, directed by Artistic Director, Derek Whitener. The heart wrenching pop-rock musical about an imprisoned Nubian princess will open on September 7th in the old Farmers Branch Firehouse, with performances running through September 23rd. Tickets range from $13-$25.

With back to school season upon us, students young and old are eagerly anticipating their first day of classes. But, for two handfuls of miniature musicians, the major assignment this school year is rocking around the country in the first national tour of SCHOOL OF ROCK, now onstage at the Music Hall at Fair Park, which concludes Dallas Summer Musicals 2017-2018 Broadway series. And even when the star teacher fails to make the grade, the kiddos pull together to ace the group project.

After two years of celebrating and promoting the vocal talents of Dallas and Fort Worth, Alexandre's Bar's BROADWAY ON A TUESDAY will host an epic celebration featuring a full band and the largest line up of singers to date. Creator Kimberly Billings Oliver, who serves as the weekly organizer and emcee, will host the anniversary event on Tuesday, August 21st at 7pm.

THE YELLOW BOAT is a play about life. It's a play about imagination. It's a play about living with AIDS. The multiple award-winning play by David Saar will be brought to life by Resolute Theatre Project at Amy's Studio of Performing Arts this September and, although it brings to the state some mature themes, THE YELLOW BOAT is the perfect play for theatergoers from ages 10 to 110.

BRING BACK BIRDIE, THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE GOES PUBLIC, and both ANNIE II and ANNIE WARBUCKS all famously failed at recreating the success of the musicals for which they produced sequels. And now, riding on the coat tails of mega-musical THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, LOVE NEVER DIES is touring the world, eying a hopeful Broadway run. But, is this sequel what theatre Phans are asking for? I think the jury is still out.

Life isn't always rainbows, sequins, and platform shoes unless of course, you've taken a seat at one of Uptown Players' frequent musical spectacles. And, although this season's PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT could use a pinch of polishing, the over-the-top extravaganza promises a gay old time.

Who knew, in 1988, when John Waters debuted his film HAIRSPRAY about life in 1962 Baltimore, that his themes of equal rights acceptance would feel just as urgent in the political and social climate 30 long years later? Fortunately, the hit Broadway musical based on the film, has been belted and blasted at audiences loud and clear since it hit the stage in 2003. Now onstage at Winspear Opera House, Dallas Theatre Center's spirited production reminds us not only of how far we come, but how far we've got left to go.

The Stolen Shakespeare Guild presents THE WEDDING SINGER with Music by Matthew Sklar, Book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, and Lyrics by Chad Beguelin. The production runs July 13th - July 29th 2018 at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center in the Sander's Theater, 1300 Gendy St. Fort Worth, TX 76107. Tickets cost $16.00 - $22.00. A pre-show wedding reception with early seating, snacks and wine is available one hour before show time and tickets for the pre-show are an additional $10.00. The Pre-show tickets go off sale 24 hours before show time. Details and tickets are available at www.stolenshakespeareguild.org or call Theater Mania at 1-866-8111-4111. The production is directed by SSG artistic associate Nathan Autrey.

Joining forces with the University of Texas at Dallas, Junior Players will soon raise the curtain on a their first summer production: the hit musical DOGFIGHT. The show will run July 12 - 15, 2018 and will be directed by Kelsey Leigh Ervi, with music direction by Mark Mullino and choreography by Micki Saba.

Uptown Players and director Ann Nieman have cast an array of celebrity divas to star in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, running July 13-July 29, 2018. Jack Donahue and Blake McIver enthusiastically come to Dallas to make their Uptown debut, leading the cast alongside Dallasites Dana Harper and Kelly Groves, bringing a wide array of illustrious performance experience to the Kalita Humphreys Theater this summer.

Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. Book by Peter Duchan. Based on the Warner Bros. film and screenplay by Bob Comfort. Directed by Lon Barrera. It's November 21, 1963. On the eve of their deployment to a small but growing conflict in Southeast Asia, three young Marines set out for one final boys' night of debauchery, partying and maybe a little trouble. But, when Corporal Eddie Birdlace meets Rose, an awkward and idealistic waitress whom he enlists to win a cruel bet with his fellow recruits, she rewrites the rules of the game and teaches him the power of love and compassion.

Scrolling through the nearly 900 musical theatre albums in my iTunes library, it's easy to confirm that Broadway seldom features banjo-led scores, although rare exceptions on and off-Broadway might include MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, ALWAYS PATSY CLINE, THE SPITFIRE GRILL and THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM. And although Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's 2016 sleeper-hit musical BRIGHT STAR hardly lasted more than 100 performances, the charming musical lives on, sweeping audiences off their feet through its first national tour, currently onstage at Winspear Opera House.

Composer and prodigy Jason Robert Brown made his mark in the theatre world with his debut song cycle, SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, which played Off-Broadway in 1995 and continues to be produced by/for theatre enthusiasts. And, although he's since had a handful of celebrated, yet unsuccessful Broadway attempts (THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, 13, HONEYMOON IN VEGAS), it's his two-person musical THE LAST FIVE YEARS that is most often seen onstage across the globe. But does the small show survive when stripped of its intimate nature, as in the production currently playing at WaterTower Theatre? The tough answer is both yes and no.

Following the success of their debut concert, Beautiful, Anessa Marie and Danny Bristoll, along side several members of the New York theatre and jazz communities are proud to return to the Green Room 42 with an adapted version, A Glimpse of the Rainbow! Directed and produced by Anessa Marie and Danny Bristoll, A Glimpse of the Rainbow celebrates the values of identity, love, and life through the eyes and heart of a trans woman in today's society. Adapted from its original concert version, A Glimpse of the Rainbow will be performed from the vantage point of one woman, while incorporating the many characters who have influenced her journey towards truth and self-identity.

If it's Friday night, the lights are low, and you're looking out for a place to go, catching a musical at Casa Manana is generally a pretty solid option. In all honesty, there are few US theatre companies who can compete with their ability to bring Broadway-caliber entertainment to a regional stage. And although MAMMA MIA is not full of deep meaning, the jukebox hit still is able to scratch your Broadway itch.

It was exactly three years ago that I first spoke with Audrey Cardwell. At that time, she was in the ensemble of CINDERELLA on tour, often stepping in for the title character opposite her boyfriend, Andy Huntington Jones (who later starred in CATS on Broadway). Since then, her life has continued to play out like the fairytale she performed, now bringing her back into town as the leading lady of the new Broadway musical, BRIGHT STAR.

The Wells Fargo Wagon is a-coming down the street and, from July 25th-August 19th, it'll be parked onstage of Farmers Branch's The Firehouse Theatre in their upcoming production of THE MUSIC MAN. Directed by Bruce Coleman, with music direction by Bryce Biffle and choreography by Bethany Lortenzen, the classic musical is sure to be a hot ticket.

Each year, students from across the country participate in the Junior Theatre Festival, known as the "world's largest celebration of young people and musical theatre." Bringing together students, teachers, and Broadway professionals under one roof, the Junior Theatre Festival hosts both East Coast and West Coast activities over an annual three-day-span in January and February.

Marking the musical debut of Dallas' hottest new theatre company, Imprint Theatreworks' MURDER BALLAD opened last weekend in an intimate, in-your-face presentation. It's an edgy, racy immersive rock show, and whether or not the style matches your taste, the impressive cast is not to be missed.

Nearly two hundred years ago, a small, two-day revolution in Paris (The June Rebellion of 1832) brought together crowds of students and working-class French citizens who could no longer stay silent and were prepared to fight to the deaths over working wages and conditions. And, whether you're familiar with this story or not, there's never been a better time to 'hear the people sing' than in the exuberant revival tour of the Broadway staple, LES MISERABLES, now on stage at The Music Hall at Fair Park.