Premiere Of CHRISTMAS AT THE ALGONQUIN Debuts On Pacifica Radio's KPFK 90.7FM
KPFK Radio's Arts in Review, Los Angeles's longest-running radio showcase on live theater and cabaret, presents its annual one-hour Christmas Day Holiday Drama Special, highlighted by the premiere radio dramatization, Christmas at the Algonquin, performed by the Arts in Review (AIR) Repertory Players, and the 15th annual concert presentation of Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales, featuring actor Al Alu. Also featured is the music of singer/songwriter Al Jarreau, guitarist AnnaMaria, Koto Keys (Mara Purl & Marilyn Harris) and Pacifica Archives Music For the Holidays. Hosted by entertainment journalist Julio Martinez, the program airs Tuesday, December 25 (10-11am) on KPFK 90.7.FM and is streamed live worldwide on kpfk.org.
Christmas at the Algonquin, written by Julio Martinez, directed by Irene Arranga, produced and edited by Federico Garcia, celebrates a December 1924 luncheon gatherings of literary icons Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott, Robert Benchley, Edna Ferber, Harold Ross and Jane Grant, who met daily in the Rose Room of the Algonquin Hotel from 1919 to 1929. The AIR Repertory Players include Richard Heft, Richard M. Johnson, Linnea Liu Dakin, Gigi Perreau, Cullen Kirkland and Lauren Lewis. (Airs 10am)
The great 20th century Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) wrote A Child's Christmas in Wales, a reminiscence of his youth growing up in the South Wales village of Swansea. He performed the piece on the radio in 1952, shortly before his death. The work was published posthumously in 1955. American actor Al Alu , who passed away on Dec 2, 2014, was a founding member of the prestigious American Conservatory Theater (ACT). He had performed in regional theaters across the U.S. and toured extensively in the critically acclaimed, I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking it On the Road. Mr. Alu's performance is underscored by Koto Keys (keyboardist Marilyn Harris and Japanese harp virtuoso Mara Purl). (airs 10:30am)
Arts in Review radio dramatizations, which began in 2003. have included: The Christmas Eve Truce (Christmas Eve on the Western Front, 1914), Keeping Christmas Well (Dickens Journey to A Christmas Carol), All is Calm, All is Bright (The Story of Silent Night), To All a Good Night (The Story of Santa Claus), The Nutcracker's Journey, One Horse Open Sleigh (The Story of Jingle Bells), Christmas in Tinseltown (The Story of 'White Christmas'), O Henry's The Gift of the Magi, Mark Twain's The Diary of Adam and Eve & Che and Allen (the imagined meeting of Che Guevara and Allen Ginsberg). A collection of these works, The Eight Plays of Christmas, has been published and is available at christmasradioplays.com.
Broadcasting since 1987, Arts in Review regularly airs Fridays at 2pm, over KPFK (90.7FM), Pacifica Radio for the Greater Los Angeles area, in Santa Barbara (98.7FM) and streamed live around the world on kpfk.org.
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