'Orphaned Songs for Orphaned Starfish' - a concert of composer Stephen Schwartz (Monday, November 19 at The Cutting Room), was an evening of unsung/cut songs from Wicked, Pippin, Working, and Children of Eden along with a new duet from the stage production of The Prince of Egypt. The concert also included some favorites from The Bakers Wife, Magic Show, Pippin, Pocahontas, Wicked and his opera Seance On a Wet Afternoon. The benefit evening for The Orphaned Starfish Foundation raised over $60,000.
If you were in The Cutting Room for the Stephen Schwartz Concert for the Benefit of the Orphaned Starfish Foundation it is a night you will probably cherish forever. The music of Stephen Schwartz performed by an incredible array of Broadway and stage talent was one of the most inspiring and remarkable events to be a part of.
Writer/comedienne/best-selling author Sandra Tsing Loh will be reviving her expanded version of her once one-woman show SUGAR PLUM FAIRY at the Skylight Theatre beginning November 24, 2018; with opening night set for December 1st. I grabbed the chance to delve into Sandra's most witty psyche on her creative processes leading up to her now three-person FAIRY.
Although the Lythgoe family is best known for producing reality television shows like 'So You Think You Can Dance' and 'American Idol,' live theater is in their blood.
'It's more part of my DNA,' says Kris Lythgoe. 'I really grew up surrounded by the tradition and frankly know nothing else.'
Lythgoe says that tradition included spending his summers in the orchestra pit watching his mother direct, his winters in the editing suite with his TV dad, Nigel Lythgoe, and his Christmas holidays watching panto productions written and directed by both his parents.
'In Britain, the first introduction to theater is through panto for any child,' he says. 'So, whether or not my parents were in the business, the first introduction to theater and the breaking down of walls is what we call panto for kids.'
Casting News! Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP), in association with the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, announce the latest casting for their newest production, the world premiere of THE WONDERFUL WINTER OF OZ at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, (300 East Green Street, Pasadena CA 91101) which will play a strictly limited engagement from December 15 through December 30.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced the full cast and creative team for Paradise Square: An American Musical. The world premiere is helmed by acclaimed director Moises Kaufman, with choreography by the legendary Bill T. Jones and a book by Marcus Gardley, Craig Lucas, and Larry Kirwan. Music by Jason Howland and Larry Kirwan, with lyrics by Nathan Tysen, and based on the songs of Stephen Foster. Paradise Square is produced by special arrangement with Garth H. Drabinsky in association with Peter LeDonne and Teatro Proscenium Limited Partnership.
Legendary Tony Award-winning actor Ben Vereen performs a show-stopping evening of song and dance mixed with holiday songs to celebrate something for everyone!
An array of talent from Broadway and stage will join composer Stephen Schwartz for a special concert titled 'Orphaned Songs for Orphaned Starfish.' The 7:00 pm event on Monday, November 19th, and held at The Cutting Room, 44 East 32nd Street, NYC benefits The Orphaned Starfish Foundation www.osf.org. It features an evening of unsung and new songs as well as hits by Stephen Schwartz.
Ben Vereen is one of the most accomplished and versatile entertainers. From starring in Broadway shows such asWicked,Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, to winning the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for 'Best Actor in a Musical' for his role in Pippin, Mr. Vereen is a stage legend. Not a stranger to the screen, Vereen is currently filming a recurring role in the FOX series STAR, created by Lee Daniels. He recently finished filming the new TV series MAGNUM P.I for CBS. Ben is also working on a new Broadway show, 'Reflections.'
The opening night celebration of THE WONDERFUL WINTER OF OZ on December 14 will also serve as a benefit for the GiveKidsPanto program. Lythgoe Family Panto created GiveKidsPanto, a non-profit educational program, serving over 6,000 Title 1 students across America annually. For many of these students, this is their first opportunity to see live theater. GiveKidsPanto raises funds, which allows each LFP production across the country to add a student matinee to their performance schedule. The funds raised through GiveKidsPanto go to facilitate the student's bus transportation to and from the theater as well as buy the tickets to the performances. Last year at the Pasadena Civic alone, over 2,000 students from the Pasadena and Greater Los Angeles area schools were brought in to see a performance of Beauty and the Beast: A Christmas Rose. For more information please contact events@americanpanto.com
Breaking News! Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP), in association with the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, announce additional casting for their newest production, the world premiere of THE WONDERFUL WINTER OF OZ at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, (300 East Green Street, Pasadena CA 91101) which will play a strictly limited engagement from December 15 through December 30. Singer, actress and dancer Mackenzie Ziegler (Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, Dance Moms) as Dorothy, Phil LaMarr ("Mad TV" and "Pulp Fiction") as The Tin Man, Jared Gertner (Broadway's The Book of Mormon) as The Scarecrow, and Hailee Payne and Valerie Rockey of So You Think You Can Dance join previously announced Kermit The Frog as the Wizard of Oz and Tony-Award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur (Celebrity Big Brother Winner and Broadway's Hairspray) as Glinda. The official press opening will be held on December 14, 2018 at GIVE KIDS PANTO, a benefit to raise monies for the student matinee performance serving Title One schools in the PUSD and LAUSD.
BroadwayWorld has a first look at Skylight Music Theatre Artistic's Pippin, running September 21 through October 7 in Skylight's beautiful Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway, in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. Check out the video below!
Los Angeles Performance Practice presents its annual LAX Festival, which serves as a highly visible platform that supports hundreds of local artists each year, and reaches thousands of audience members in the greater Los Angeles area. The Los Angeles Exchange [LAX] Festival, 6th Ed. will run for ten days from Thursday, October 11 through Sunday, October 21, 2018 at participating venues around town. With performances and events that are geographically focused in and around Downtown L.A., the festival program hosts an eclectic array of contemporary performances by Los Angeles-based artists, presented in dialogue with works by guest artists from outside the city's limits. The 2018 LAX Festival is built on an exchange with artists, curators, and organizations in Philadelphia. Festival passes are $125, individual tickets for performances and events are $20. For more information, please visit https://performancepractice.la/festival. To purchase passes or tickets, please visit https://performancepractice.la/festival/tickets.
SKB Records has announced the tenth month of the groundbreaking new music and video series LENA HALL Obsessed from the Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee.
Geva Theatre Center presents Hair, with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, music by Galt MacDermot, directed by Melissa Rain Anderson, with musical direction by Don Kot, and choreography by Liz Ramos in the Elaine P. Wilson Stage from September 4 through October 7.
Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP) in association with the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, announces Kermit The Frog as the Wizard of Oz and Marissa Jaret Winokur (Celebrity Big Brother Winner and Hairspray) as Glinda in their newest production - THE WONDERFUL WINTER OF OZ at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, (300 East Green Street, Pasadena CA 91101) which will play a strictly limited engagement from December 14 through December 30, with the official press opening on December 14.
Geva Theatre Center presents Hair, with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, music by Galt MacDermot, directed by Melissa Rain Anderson, with musical direction by Don Kot, and choreography by Liz Ramos in the Elaine P. Wilson Stage from September 4 through October 7.
NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert has won an Emmy for Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special during the 2018 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.