Brooks News

For over half a century Jordan Charney has been a forceful presence in the world of entertainment as a performer, writer, director and teacher.

The Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, the arts center of the Archdiocese of New York, has announced highlights of its 2020 Spring season, a rich mix of theater, film, music, author's nights, gallery exhibitions, and talk events featuring artists and thought leaders including Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal columnist and author Peggy Noonan; New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Brooks, and Director of The Philanthropy Roundtable's Character Initiative and author Anne Snyder; Director of the Vatican Observatory and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation Br. Guy Consolmagno, SJ; a rousing evening of gospel music from Vy Higginsen's Sing Harlem choir; celebrated composer and big bandleader Darcy James Argue plus the New England Conservatory Alumni Big Band; Tony Award nominee Melissa Errico and multi-award winning New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik; singer, songwriter, and acclaimed clawhammer banjo player Abigail Washburn and genre-bending composer, guzheng virtuoso and vocalist from Beijing Wu Fei; and events tackling thought-provoking topical themes including justice in underserved communities, the protection of immigrants to America, and the inspiration of Sr. Thea Bowman and other Servants of God.

GOLF Channel's Emmy-nominated original series Feherty presented by Farmers Insurance(R) returns for a 10th season, premiering Monday, Feb. 24. David Feherty - a two-time Emmy-nominated host of the self-titled series - will welcome Henrik Stenson, 2016 Open champion and silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Games, for the season premiere episode.

 Dianne McIntyre has replaced Camille A. Brown as the choreographer for Lincoln Center Theater's current production of Intimate Apparel. Brown excited the production early on in the process due to scheduling conflicts.

Legendary guitarist Gary Lucas has announced THE ESSENTIAL GARY LUCAS, an extraordinary new compendium spanning 40 years of groundbreaking and provocative music. The 36-track, two-CD anthology arrives April 15 via Rare Lumiere/Knitting Factory Records.

It's curtains up on a special episode of West Broadway! I'm Los Angeles publicist and Broadway veteran Will Armstrong. This episode is a bit of a departure from our normal shows at west of Broadway, but as I think of it, maybe it's less of a departure and more of an evolution. After all, as I see it, a podcast about musical theater on the West Coast is great. But what is musical theater without... Theater?

Boasting popular local names as well as fresh new faces, Pieter Toerien's new production of THE PRODUCERS does not disappoint as an homage to the hilarious stage and screen classic.

Company Founder & Executive Artistic Director AJ Baker who recently brought her successful 3-decade long career as founder and partner of her own law firm to a close in order to dedicate herself to the company and its projects full time has asked a broad array (see what we did there?) of Bay Area women writers, performers and theatre-makers to reimagine history 'knowing what we know now' at the 9-day Festival; highlights include Mother Lear; an evening dedicated to the theme of 'Hindsight is 2020' and 'flipping the script' that includes a short play & tip of the hat to Caryl Churchill's Top Girls called Bottoms Up!; an evening of LezWritesBTQ performances, and the staged readings of the two Salon Series finalist's plays competing for the Festival Prize: Swimming with Puppies by Susan Jackson and Meth by Elizabeth Flanagan

There are times when being a theater reviewer is a fabulous gig. Last night at the Providence Performing Arts Center was one of those times. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, running through Sunday at PPAC is not to be missed. It is warm, funny, sad, uplifting, and helps us see the world from the vantage point of the oppressed-it is gorgeous. First, let's give credit to FIDDLER'S creators: Jerry Bock wrote the music, Sheldon Harnick the lyrics, and Joseph Stein the book. Bock and Harnick had previously collaborated on the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Fiorello; Stein had been part of the writing team along with Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Neil Simon on television's Your Show on Shows-these were some talented guys. The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances. It held the record for the longest running Broadway musical for almost ten years. The production was extraordinarily profitable and highly acclaimed. It won nine Tony awards, including best musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned five Broadway revivals and a highly successful film adaptation and has enjoyed enduring international popularity.

Joe's Pub has released its schedule for Feb 12-22! Brown Girls Burlesque: Love Got Game - Valentine's Edition (Feb. 12), Isaac Oliver Is Your Valentine (Feb. 13), and Lea DeLaria: f**k Love and more will take to the stage!

Artistic Director Jonathan Silverstein today announced additional cast members for the Gala Benefit Reading of the beloved classic comedy Arsenic & Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring, directed by Mr. Silverstein featuring an all-star cast. The one night only event in celebration of Keen's 20th anniversary will take place Monday, February 24th at 7 PM at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues).

Learning to mediate loss is the secret to celebrating life. Learn to live and let go with three who are in THE SHADOW BOX at the Spotlighters Theatre.

Today's top stories: Sabrina Carpenter will join Mean Girls, Six has announced 60 rush and lottery tickets for preview performances, and more!

The Orleans Showroom will bring celebrated entertainers to The Orleans Hotel and Casino in March, including the First Ladies of Disco featuring Martha Wash, Linda Clifford and Norma Jean Wright (formerly of Chic), southern rock band 38 Special, R&B and funk group Ohio Players and Grammy Award-winning country band Diamond Rio. March entertainment will also feature free live entertainment at Bourbon Street Lounge, Prime Rib Loft and Bailiwick All American Pub + Eatery throughout the month.

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre is preparing to welcome one of the greatest detectives in literary history this spring with its production of Ken Ludwig's Baskerville - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.

Emit Theatre will present TWELFTH NIGHT: An Immersive Experience, an interactive show for young audiences and families, adapted from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and directed by Gianna Cioffi. Twelfth Night runs for a limited engagement March 13 - 22, Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 7pm, and Sundays at 2pm at El Barrio's Artspace PS109 (215 E. 99th St., off the Q and 6 trains). Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at https://emittwelfthnight.brownpapertickets.com/ or at the door.

Performances of SIX begin Thursday, February 13 and producers Kenny Wax, Wendy & Andy Barnes, George Stiles and Kevin McCollum announced today a new initiative for previews: SIXty Tickets for SIX.

Granbury Theatre Company will continue its 2020 Broadway on the Brazos season with The Producers: A Mel Brooks Musical on February 21-March 22, 2020, at the historic Granbury Opera House in Downtown Granbury.

Prospect Theater Company has announced the performing artists involved in the company's 2020 Musical Theater Lab, MOVE MEANT. The lab's culminating presentations are Monday and Tuesday Feb. 17th and 18th at 7:00pm at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, The Joan Weill Center for Dance (405 West 55th St. at 9th Ave.)

Desert Theatreworks presents a Neil Simon play every season. This year's production is the 1988 farce, RUMORS, which is the perfect vehicle to show off DTW's team of talented actors' physical comedy skills. And they do show it off, in spades; the laughs keep coming, as much from the performers' and director Rebecca Havely's wizardry as from Neil Simon's script.