The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) presents the Off-Broadway premiere of the new true musical comedy, The Road to Qatar!, featuring book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane, with direction by Phillip George (Forbidden Broadway), choreography by Bob Richard (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!) and musical direction by David Caldwell (Children of Eden). The five- member cast features James Beaman (Spamalot, National Tour) as Michael, Keith Gerchak (Finding Nemo, The Musical) as Jeffrey, Bill Nolte (La Cage aux Folles) as Mansour, Sarah Stiles (Avenue Q) as Nazirah, and Bruce Warren (The Wizard of Oz) as Farid.
"Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as...as a FIDDLER ON THE ROOF," announces Tevye, a humble milkman from the Russian village of Anatevka.
"Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as...as a FIDDLER ON THE ROOF," announces Tevye, a humble milkman from the Russian village of Anatevka.
XANADU is the hit musical that took audiences and critics by surprise when it transformed an obscure film into the hottest comedy on Broadway. For the first time since its Broadway run, XANADU hits the Bay Area and takes over The Retro Dome. With its score of pop gems, a script that redefines musical theatre satire, and a finale lit by glitter balls and glow sticks, this hilarious, roller disco musical adventure rolls along to pop hits '(You Have to Believe We Are) Magic', 'All Over The World', 'Suddenly', 'I'm Alive', 'Evil Woman', 'Have You Never Been Mellow' and 'Xanadu.' Based on the Universal Pictures cult classic movie, which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly, XANADU is the most ridiculously wonderful time you'll ever have in a theatre!
"Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as...as a FIDDLER ON THE ROOF," announces Tevye, a humble milkman from the Russian village of Anatevka.
I'll resist the temptation to call director Paul Alexander's Off-Broadway mounting of Dracula anemic or toothless, but will note his remarkable achievement of assembling a production that manages to be aggressively bad in so many ways and yet never achieves the 'you gotta see how bad this is' status. Though plagued by inept acting, questionable character choices, cheap-looking (and sounding) effects and a glacial pace, the evening is too dull to be enjoyed on any level.
Those coming to see this 'new puppet show' expecting those delightful Jim Henson Muppets are in for a real surprise... but a really good one. Perhaps the funniest, most masterfully inappropriate use of puppets since Avenue Q, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG is an uproariously gut-busting show that combines the wonder of those superbly crafted Henson workshop creations with the bawdy, decidedly adults-only humor of improv. A production offered by Henson Alternative--the adult arm of the Jim Henson puppetry empire--this well-received off-Broadway cult hit makes its West Coast Premiere presentations at the Irvine Barclay Theatre in Orange County, California through Sunday, January 2.
Count Dracula, the world's most famous vampire, returns to the New York stage in DRACULA by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, based on the eponymous novel by Bram Stoker, began previews December 14, prior to its official press opening January 5 at the Little Shubert Theatre (442 West 42nd Street). Paul Alexander directs the new production.
The Irvine Barclay Theatre presents the West Coast Premiere of STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG, a live uncensored show that lets loose the perilous and provocative elements of comedic improvisation on stage with a bunch of puppets. Created by award-winning director, producer, and writer Brian Henson and actor and improvisational guru Patrick Bristow and featuring The Jim Henson Company's renowned puppeteers, this one-of-a-kind comedy made for grown-ups is playing a limited six-show run at the Irvine Barclay Theatre on Wednesday, December 29 through Sunday, January 2.
Producer Daryl Roth is proud to present the musical DEAR EDWINA, a holiday favorite with critics and audiences alike, returning for its third season to the DR2 Theatre (103 East 15th Street, NYC) for a limited run beginning Friday, December 17, 2010, playing through Friday, February 25, 2011. This musical comedy for all ages is written by Zina Goldrich (music) and Marcy Heisler (book and lyrics) and is directed by Timothy McDonald.
Broadway Kids Care (BKC), the organization of theater kids for kids (and others), will appear on 'Good Morning America' on Friday, December 17, 2010 during the 8:30 a.m. half hour as part of GMA's 'Warm Coats & Warm Hearts' Drive.
Broadway Kids Care (BKC), the organization of theater kids for kids (and others), will appear on 'Good Morning America' on Friday, December 17, 2010 during the 8:30 a.m. half hour as part of GMA's 'Warm Coats & Warm Hearts' Drive.
This week From the Archives celebrates Brian Bedford, currently starring as Lady Bracknell in the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.
With the playwright at their side on stage at the Golden Theatre, producers Jed Bernstein and Adam Zotovich announced today that Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Driving Miss Daisy, will extend its Broadway premiere engagement through April 9, 2011, making it the only play this season that will be running into the spring. The play's three acclaimed stars, Tony Award-winners James Earl Jones, Vanessa Redgrave and Boyd Gaines, will all remain with the production. Directed by David Esbjornson, Driving Miss Daisy opened on Broadway at the Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street) on October 25, 2010, where it has since broken all house records. The production was previously scheduled to run through January 29, 2011.
A thousand starry lights will envelop the stage in The Irish Repertory Theatre's re-invention of Dylan Thomas's A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES- set to open December 12 at The Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street).
Cameron Mackintosh's 25th Anniversary production of Les Misérables, presented by The Paper Mill Playhouse, has finally hit the friendly American shores after touring Britain, and perhaps symbolic of its Atlantic crossing is the new opening picture devised by co-directors Laurence Conner and James Powell. Sure, 24601 (a/k/a Jean Valjean) is still a prisoner in chains for the crime of stealing a loaf of bread for his starving sister and her family, but he and his fellow inmates are now rowing oars on a galley ship. The music (Claude-Michel Schonberg) and words (Herbert Kretzmer, based on the original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel) of this world-famous adaptation of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel, set against the backdrop of Paris' 1832 student revolution, are unchanged, but the new locale not only starts the evening off with a visually striking image, but signals to the musical's two-and-a-half decades worth of fans that this will not be just another variation of the original Trevor Nunn/John Caird production they are accustomed to. (A production that can still be enjoyed on the West End.)
While there's certainly plenty to enjoy in the new musical version of Pedro Almodóvar's 1988 film, Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown - David Yazbek's jaunty Latin-based score, the winning performances of a star-studded cast (three Tony winners and four other nominees) and the kinetic flashiness of Bartlett Sher's kicky production - the show is also a prime example of how the sum of the pieces can add up to more than the whole when the missing ingredient is a strong book. Not that the talented Jeffrey Lane doesn't make a game try at it. Sticking closely to the source, his work is frequently clever and he and Yazbek concoct some quirkily fun musical scenes, but the odds are working against him in this one.
In an age when tolerance, self-acceptance and respect for others are the most important themes for children and their parents, I should have been first in line to check out this timely, accessible musical and the books that inspired it. Not only is it perfect for a kid my daughter's age, it teaches valuable lessons in a fun, highly entertaining way. While my daughter may not be covered in freckles like the heroin of the story, every child has their own particular traits....physical or character....that make them feel like they can't fit in. I have a feeling that this will be a very popular thematic trend in children's theatre for the next few years, and in my opinion, Freckleface Strawberry does it right.
