Ben Wolfe News

DISGRACED is the 2013 Pulitzer Prize award-winning play that asks difficult questions about religion, assimilation and individuality. It is now in its Regional Premiere at Austin Playhouse. DISGRACED tells the story of Amir (J. Ben Wolfe), a successful Pakistani-American lawyer, whose life unravels after he lends his name to the cause of an imam accused of terrorism. When he and his artist wife Emily (Molly Karrasch) host an intimate dinner party, the social niceties that can disguise a person's prejudice soon dissolve when the evening escalates into increasingly brutal language exposing all the prejudice simmering underneath the veneer of civility.

It's become a trend, both locally and nationally, for theater companies to reprise a production several years later with the same cast. Of course, if a show gets an encore, it better be deserving of it. In the case of Austin Playhouse's I'm Not Rappaport, the encore is more than well deserved, and its two stars put on a veritable master class in acting.

Vocalist Kathy Kosins is an ASCAP award winning songwriter and record producer who has won the hearts of critics and fans around the globe with her eclectic musical palette that expands the rich history of jazz. In a multimedia concert salute The Ladies of Cool Kathy brings to life the extraordinary artistry of the great singers of 40s and 50s 'cool,' Anita O'Day, June Christy, Chris Connor and Julie London to the Harris Center for the Arts audiences. This concert includes presentation of vintage and rarely seen photographs and historical facts about each of these ladies, plus stories of the songs themselves, with photographs of the songwriters who created them.

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts presents a variety of performances for January-February. Check out the listings below! For more information, call 702-749-2000 or visit www.TheSmithCenter.com.

In this comic twist on a classic sleuthing caper Oscar Wilde's muse, actress Lillie Langtry presents Holmes with what seems like an open and shut case. But with his superior powers of deductive reasoning, Sherlock wastes no time in exposing a much more sinister conspiracy. In a fast-paced ride full of surprises and disguises, Holmes and Watson must do whatever it takes to help their friends...while facing their greatest foe.

In this comic twist on a classic sleuthing caper Oscar Wilde's muse, actress Lillie Langtry presents Holmes with what seems like an open and shut case. But with his superior powers of deductive reasoning, Sherlock wastes no time in exposing a much more sinister conspiracy. In a fast-paced ride full of surprises and disguises, Holmes and Watson must do whatever it takes to help their friends…while facing their greatest foe.

Every November, BWW-Austin teams up with other Austin-based theater publications to announce the Central Texas Excellence in Theatre Awards. The nominations were announced last night. Scroll down for the full list!

In this comic twist on a classic sleuthing caper Oscar Wilde's muse, actress Lillie Langtry presents Holmes with what seems like an open and shut case. But with his superior powers of deductive reasoning, Sherlock wastes no time in exposing a much more sinister conspiracy. In a fast-paced ride full of surprises and disguises, Holmes and Watson must do whatever it takes to help their friends...while facing their greatest foe.

On December 10, 2013 Diane Schuur turned 60. She also completed her first-ever recording in homage to her two most important and influential mentors: Stan Getz (who discovered her at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1979) and Frank Sinatra, whose artwork hangs prominently in her Palm Springs home. Entitled I Remember You (With Love to Stan and Frank), the album of twelve songs, all previously recorded by Getz or Sinatra, or both, was produced by Diane and her new manager, Mary Ann Topper, at Avatar Studios in New York, and is set for release on Jazzheads, June 10, 2014. It also features a stellar cast of musicians, including: Alan Broadbent (arrangements/piano), Roni Ben-Hur and Romero Lubambo (guitars), Joel Frahm (saxophone) , Ben Wolfe (bass) and Ulysses Owens Jr. on drums.

For the last several weeks, the Austin theatre scene has been buzzing about the World Premiere of Roaring, now entering its final weekend of performances at Austin Playhouse. The original play, written by Austin Playhouse company member Cyndi Williams, has earned fantastic word-of-mouth and glowing reviews, including a rave from BroadwayWorld-Austin's Brian Losoya. Ms. Williams recently shared her thoughts on the play and its development...

After months of thought, debate and conversation, the staff and writers of Austin Entertainment Weekly with much assistance from Broadway World Austin's Editor Jeff Davis, have announced a new award system for the Central Texas Theatre Community.

When the ghosts of their past are unleashed, the residents of an exclusive retirement community must come to terms with lost love, triumphs, fears, and the choices that haunt and connect us all. This moving new play by award-winning local playwright Cyndi Williams, reminds us that the most important moments of our lives are often the ones that defy explanation.

Honesty may be the best policy, but it's not the most fun one. Thank God 16th century playwright Pierre Corneille and modern day playwright David Ives have an affinity for the truth-challenged. Ives's modern take on Corneille's classic French comedy The Liar is an exhilarating and side-splitting mix of the old and new, and Austin Playhouse's production of it reminds us just how exceptional the Austin theater community is.

When the ghosts of their past are unleashed, the residents of an exclusive retirement community must come to terms with lost love, triumphs, fears, and the choices that haunt and connect us all. This moving new play by award-winning local playwright Cyndi Williams, reminds us that the most important moments of our lives are often the ones that defy explanation.

Today Jazz at Lincoln Center announces its 2014-15 Concert and Education season, which features a season-long journey 'through the Americas.' Through a diverse array of concerts and programs, Jazz at Lincoln Center's 27th season will explore how jazz has both integrated and influenced the rich musical traditions of the Caribbean and North, South, and Central America.

Austin Playhouse presents The Liar by David Ives, directed by Don Toner. The show will run tonight, February 7th - March 9th, 2014.

Austin Playhouse presents The Liar by David Ives, directed by Don Toner. The show will run February 7th - March 9th, 2014.

'DEEDLES' GOES TO BIRDLAND will run January 13 - 18, 2014 at Birdland Jazz Club, featuring legendary GRAMMY winning jazz vocalist and pianist Diane 'Deedles' Schuur. Schuur will preview her forthcoming new CD: 'I Remember You: With Love to Stan and Frank'.

It's not what you say, it's how you say it. That adage often runs through my head, both in my personal life and in my work as a theater critic. It also runs through my head when viewing productions, especially ones like Blood Wedding. With plays not originally in English, attention must be paid to the translation. Blood Wedding, originally written in Spanish by Frederico Garcia Lorca, offers an additional challenge in Lorca's poetic style. It's not what he says but how he says it that makes Lorca's Blood Wedding an interesting and engaging piece of theatre. While the current production at St. Edwards University manages to visually capture Lorca's poetry, the translation by James Graham Lujan and Richard O'Connell is less successful.

Mary Moody Northen Theatre, the award-winning producing arm of the St. Edward's University professional theatre training program, continues its 41st anniversary season with Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca, running tonight, November 14 - 24, 2013.