A. Gentle News

...but it's the humanity underpinning the comedy that really surprised me. The a?oestudentsa?? are so earnest in their efforts. It's their Muppet-ish instinct to make the best of a bad mistake under a spotlight that makes the show so relatable. Aren't we all just trying to do our best as the set pieces of our lives malfunction all around us?

Cleveland Play House joins forces with StageOne Family Theatre of Louisville, KY to co-develop and workshop the new hip-hop play Jacked! written by Idris Goodwin, inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk. Designed and developed for children, Jacked! fuses storytelling and poetry with hip-hop and break-beat music to encourage a dialogue about substance abuse and the overwhelming effects the opioid epidemic is having in our communities. Directed by Pamela DiPasquale, Jacked! is the newest artistic component included in Cleveland Play House's KeyBank Classroom Matinee Touring Program. The one-act play has toured elementary schools and community centers in Ohio since August 2019 and will transfer to Kentucky in February 2020.

How ripping! A saucy French maid doing the Charleston with a handsome chap in tennis whites sets the scene for the most delightful escapism in town: Matthew White's gossamer-light revival of Sandy Wilson's 1953 love letter to the Roaring Twenties. It was once the third-longest-running stage musical, and boosted Julie Andrews' career on Broadway.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater's holiday classic A Christmas Carol returns to the historic Pabst Theater, November 26 - December 24, 2019.

Time stands still but life goes on might be one way of looking at Will Eno's charming and sweetly philosophical The Underlying Chris, receiving a fine premiere production directed by Kenny Leon at Second Stage.

If you're looking for a traditional show, Octet isn't it, but if you're looking for a smart, often witty meditation on technology in the modern world, this definitely is it.

Pinocchio is not a new story by any means, and according to director Sheila McCarthy's program note, it's been translated into 260 languages since it was written in 1881. With such a wealth of imaginings and interpretations already in the world, Brian Hill (book) and Neil Bartram (music and lyrics) wisely decide to let the simplicity of the fairy-tale take centre stage in THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO.

No one knows what is going on underneath the modest exterior. Such was the case of Austrian-born Anton Bruckner (1824-1896). A man whose personal credo seems to have been 'say little but do much,' Bruckner managed to overcome a difficult early life with a huge amount of perseverance, not to mention musical talent. He became an expert organist and choral director, channeling his rich interior life, a life of passionate devotion to God (if not people), into his remarkable choral compositions and eleven symphonies. Like a number of other nineteenth century composers whose Muse did not come to them until middle age, Bruckner's compositional phase did not begin until he was nearly forty years old, and he did not find great appreciation outside musical circles until some twenty years later. He was fortunate to have experienced this approbation during his lifetime, however delayed.

This animated musical holiday special revolves around a gentle toymaker (voiced by Ed Asner) whose only wish is to deliver a toy to every child on Christmas.

With the dim outline of Central Park behind her, Paula West lounged on a wooden stool, tilted a smile at the crowd, and let her classic, mystical voice seduce her adoring audience. West made the art of Jazz seem natural as words and melody blended beautifully to create experiences unique to the evening.

The Snowman has been performed at the Peacock Theatre for Christmas for over 20 years and continues to charm audiences of all ages. For many families, it seems to mark the beginning of the Christmas season. It's also clearly a lot of children's first experience of theatre, with a significant number of babies and toddlers watching.

Jane Austen is one of the most beloved authors in classic literature, and her novels are frequently read, turned into movies, and retold in new ways. While Pride and Prejudice remains everyone's favorite Austen novel, Emma is a close second.

Prolific theatrical songwriter Micheal Friedman died at age 41 from AIDS related complications in 2017, leaving many bereft as the theater community recognized his vibrant creativity was snuffed out too soon. To preserve his legacy and work, Ghostlight Records is partnering with The Civilians to record nine albums of Friedman's previously unrecorded music for THE MICHAEL FRIEDMAN COLLECTION. This past October, the first trio of albums was released.

Three-time Olivier Award winner Alex Jennings (Netflix's The Crown), in Chicago rehearsing for his upcoming role in the Tony Award-winning musical, The Light in the Piazza, at the Lyric Opera House Dec. 14-29, will make a special appearance at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (164 N. State Street) following the National Theatre Live screening of the engrossing new work, Hansard, in which he co-stars with Olivier and Tony Award-winning actress Lindsay Duncan (Private Lives), Friday evening, December 6, at 7:45pm.  Jennings will be on hand afterwards to answer questions about his acclaimed Broadway, West End, and TV career.

Storyteller Rian Keating uses soliloquy and song to tell the entertaining and heartwarming story of his teenage journey into manhood, all through the magic of musical theater, in his new show IN THIS TRAVELING HEART.

Ariana Grande has revealed in an Instagram story that she is sick and may need to cancel an upcoming concert.

BWW reviewer Natalie O'Donoghue highlights her top festive picks around Glasgow and Edinburgh this Christmas.

With her new cabaret show Deborah Stone brings the stories that make up the crazy quilt of her life and some classy, classic music to match.

Transporting you to the 1950s with close-knit harmonies and pitch perfect renditions, FOREVER PLAID is a gentle jukebox musical perfect for some doo-wop nostalgia. Consisting of four members and giving off The Four Seasons feelings in some respects, this production has a loose storyline and is more focused on showing off the vocal and stage talents of the quartet; of which there is plenty.

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the release of the 'Complete Works' double CD of Leslie Bricusse (Book and Lyrics) and Frank Wildhorn's (Music) JEKYLL & HYDE, Concertworks presents the first Australian professional presentation of the gothic musical.