Abigail Adams News

For the second production in their 44th annual season of professional summer theatre, Cortland Repertory Theatre presents the revolutionary musical "1776", by Peter Stone, with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards. Performances of this fascinating, family-friendly show will run from June 17 - July 4 with evening performances at 7:30.  Matinees are available on June 19, 21, 24, 26, 28 and July 1 at 2:00 PM.  Tickets may be purchase by calling 800-427-6160 or by visiting the CRT Box Office at 24 Port Watson Street in downtown Cortland. Tickets are also available for sale 24 hours a day through the CRT website at www.cortlandrep.org. Tickets are going fast, so CRT suggests calling early.

People's Light presents Bill Cain's How to Write a New Book for the Bible running tonight, June 3 through June 28, 2015. Artistic Director Abigail Adams directs.

Seattle Musical Theatre, Seattle's oldest musical theatre house, and West Seattle's Twelfth Night Productions are co-producing the nascent Reboot Theatre Company's maiden production of an all-female 1776 (Book by Peter Stone; Music and Lyrics by  Sherman Edwards; Based on a concept by Sherman Edwards). This beloved Tony winner celebrates the founding of the United States of America with what is widely considered one of the most intelligent librettos in musical history. With Keith A. Gehrig at the directorial helm and music direction by Mark Rabe, 1776 runs one weekend only June 25-28, 2015 at Seattle Musical Theatre in Magnuson Park. For tickets ($20), visit www.brownpapertickets.com

There are times it's hard to credit that 1776 is even a musical. In this retelling of the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence, there is some singing and some dancing, and even some laughs, but little effort to follow the tried-and-true path to rousing musical success. This is fundamentally a tale of a group of men sitting in a room debating, and Peter Stone, author of the book, gives us - a group of men sitting in a room debating. And yet the work has considerable power and appeal, and it is not strange either that it won the Tony for Best Musical in 1969, or that Toby's has revived it.

People's Light presents Bill Cain's How to Write a New Book for the Bible running June 3 through June 28, 2015. Artistic Director Abigail Adams directs. People's Light is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355.  For tickets, call 610.644.3500 or visit peopleslight.org.

Cabot Community Theatre's NEW DIRECTIONS SHOWCASE opens this Friday at the Cabot School Performing Arts Center.

Laura Linney (The Big C, The Savages) and Seth Numrich (AMC's TURN, Broadway: War Horse) will perform in the Geffen Playhouse production of Switzerland by Joanna Murray-Smith (The Female of the Species, The Gift). This co-world premiere with Sydney Theatre Company will be directed by Mark Brokaw (Broadway: Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, The Lyons) in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse now through April 19, 2015. Opening night is tonight, March 13.

Laura Linney (The Big C, The Savages) and Seth Numrich (AMC's TURN, Broadway: War Horse) will perform in the Geffen Playhouse production of Switzerland by Joanna Murray-Smith (The Female of the Species, The Gift). This co-world premiere with Sydney Theatre Company will be directed by Mark Brokaw (Broadway: Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, The Lyons) in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse from tonight, March 6 to April 19, 2015. Opening night is Friday, March 13.

People's Light is proud to announce its 41st season that includes classic and new works by Tony Award winning playwrights, five regional premieres, and a summer music event that features the songs of an American legend.

On View: 'Cracked-Plate' Photograph of Abraham Lincoln Thursday, Feb. 12, through Monday, Feb. 16 For just five days, the museum will display the original print of the 'cracked-plate' portrait of Abraham Lincoln. This photograph by Alexander Gardner is one of the most haunting portraits of any president. Created Feb. 5, 1865, it was the last formal portrait of Lincoln to be taken before his assassination. When the mammoth glass negative cracked, Gardner made only one print from the damaged negative before discarding it.

On View: 'Cracked-Plate' Photograph of Abraham Lincoln Thursday, Feb. 12, through Monday, Feb. 16 For just five days, the museum will display the original print of the 'cracked-plate' portrait of Abraham Lincoln. This photograph by Alexander Gardner is one of the most haunting portraits of any president. Created Feb. 5, 1865, it was the last formal portrait of Lincoln to be taken before his assassination. When the mammoth glass negative cracked, Gardner made only one print from the damaged negative before discarding it.

The Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, directed by Harold Prince, welcomes a new leading man tonight, February 9, 2015. The longest-running show in Broadway history, and one of the most successful stage productions of all-time, PHANTOM ushers in Broadway star James Barbour in the title role.

Presidential Family Fun Day Sunday, Feb. 15, 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard Celebrate Presidents Day weekend during a patriotic family day at the National Portrait Gallery. Enjoy a variety of crafts and performances dedicated to our nation's famous past leaders. Meet Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in person and enjoy several art activities like presidential Polaroids and making picture frames. See performances by local the a capella group Snowday, get your picture taken with the Washington Nationals Racing Presidents, and more.

Laura Linney (The Big C, The Savages) and Seth Numrich (AMC's TURN, Broadway: War Horse) will perform in the Geffen Playhouse production of Switzerland by Joanna Murray-Smith (The Female of the Species, The Gift). This co-world premiere with Sydney Theatre Company will be directed by Mark Brokaw (Broadway: Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, The Lyons) in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse from March 6 to April 19, 2015. Opening night is Friday, March 13.

People's Light continues its 40th Anniversary Season with The Cherry Orchard. Academy Award nominees Mary McDonnell and David Strathairn join People's Light company artists in Emily Mann's acclaimed adaptation of Chekhov's masterwork directed by Abigail Adams. People's Light is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355. For tickets, call 610.644.3500 or visit Peopleslight.org.

Producers Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group announced today a new leading man for the Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber'sTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, directed by Harold Prince. The longest-running show in Broadway history, and one of the most successful stage productions of all-time, PHANTOM will welcome Broadway star James Barbour when he takes over the title role beginning Monday, February 9, 2015.

On the next episode of FOX's SLEEPY HOLLOW titled "Pittura Infamante", after the mysterious death of an art restorer at the Sleepy Hollow Historical Society Soiree, Ichabod and Katrina are reminded of a dear friend from their past

If you've been a regular reader of this particular reviewer's musings, you know that every year there are long stretches of time where I just haven't been able to critique all the shows I've seen that deserve commentary. So I end up playing what they call in sports, 'Catch-up ball,' and post a mash up of belated reviews from past shows. It's kind of like a critic's version of the song 'Six Months Out of Every Year,' from Damn Yankees. Give or take a month or two, that's usually the time period during which I store unpublished reviews in my fevered brain and then unload them all in one seemingly endless column-like this one is going to be. If my cabaret-show reviewing days will be over (as chronicled here), I might as well go out with a bang-and relieve my procrastination guilt during holiday season. Now I can scratch one New Year's resolution off the list.

People's Light has announced that it has been awarded $60,000 by the National Endowment of the Arts to support its New Play Frontiers program. New Play Frontiers (NPF) is an initiative to conceive, develop, and produce new plays that explore our American identity through stories of deep meaning to specific populations in our region of southeastern PA. Central to this effort are partnerships with local cultural, civic, religious, and academic organizations to help identify individuals and events from the past and present that are significant to our neighbors and embody a broader American story.

Syfy today announced that it has acquired the unscripted series Troy: Street Magic, featuring one of England's hottest young magicians. Troy Street Magic will premiere Tuesday, January 13 at 10PM (ET/PT) on Syfy.