David Hunt News

Every January I look forward to attending THE MANOR by Katherine Bates, presented by Theatre 40 inside the historic Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills where the story upon which it is based actually took place. Now celebrating its 17th year, the annual production has become a Los Angeles/Beverly Hills institution with several performances selling out even before tickets go on sale to the public. Its popularity, no doubt, is due to the scandalous true story as told by the talented actors, costumed to time-period perfection, as well as the chance to be inside the grand and glorious architectural landmark in which the events of 90 years ago actually took place, performed in two acts taking place 10 years apart. The names of all characters in the Doheny saga have been changed, of course, "to protect the guilty" as we are told before the play begins by the mansion's loyal butler, James (Daniel Lench who has masterfully played the part for 6 years).

Rod Serling's television anthology series The Twilight Zone was a popular and critical success when it ran on CBS for five seasons from 1959 to 1964, shot entirely in black and white. The series introduced many Americans to appreciate stories in various genres including fantasy, science fiction, suspense, horror and psychological thrillers, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist, usually ending with a moral explained by the writer himself. It has remained so popular that you can often find The Twilight Zone marathons running on various television stations, especially on holidays. As a fan of the show, I often watch episodes when they are shown, keeping my The Twilight Zone Companion handbook close by to check on facts and cast information from each episode. So I made plans to attend when I heard Theatre 40 was going to be presenting ROD SERLING'S STORIES FROM THE ZONE adapted and co-directed by multiple Ovation Award winning set designer Jeff G. Rack and Charlie Mount.

Hank's Bar is a roadside joint on a desolate highway in the middle of nowhere. Hank the barkeep (played by Kurtis Bedford) passes the time when he has no customers by perusing a porn mag while pleasuring himself. He likes the bar's isolated location: It keeps him away from his ex-wife and kids. But Hank does have one customer this evening: Jonas (George Villas), a drifter who wants to drink, not chat. Jonas has been haunted by troubling dreams. He travels from place to place to escape his past. Into the bar strides Ruby (Kate Whitney), a sexy woman who informs them that her car has broken down nearby. Can she use the phone to call the auto club? A howling dust storm outside suggests that the three are going to remain at the bar for a while.

The Manor- Murder and Madness at Greystone. Return engagement of the hit immersive crime/scandal drama.

Hank's Bar is a roadside joint on a desolate highway in the middle of nowhere. Hank the barkeep (played by Kurtis Bedford) passes the time when he has no customers by perusing a porn mag while pleasuring himself. He likes the bar's isolated location: It keeps him away from his ex-wife and kids. But Hank does have one customer this evening: Jonas (George Villas), a drifter who wants to drink, not chat. Jonas has been haunted by troubling dreams. He travels from place to place to escape his past. Into the bar strides Ruby (Kate Whitney), a sexy woman who informs them that her car has broken down nearby. Can she use the phone to call the auto club? A howling dust storm outside suggests that the three are going to remain at the bar for a while.

The Manor- Murder and Madness at Greystone. Return engagement of the hit immersive crime/scandal drama.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announced today the 2019 class of Emerging Artists, recognizing diverse and exceptional talents. Each recipient was nominated by one of Lincoln Center's eleven resident organizations, acknowledging their extraordinary talent and promising career. The 2019 winners are: singer and actress Mikaela Bennett (The Juilliard School); dancer Savannah Durham (School of American Ballet); composer and sound artist Ashley Fure (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the New York Philharmonic); actor Nadine Malouf (Lincoln Center Theater); bassist Endea Owens (Jazz at Lincoln Center); soprano Gabriella Reyes (The Metropolitan Opera); musician Adam Tendler (The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts); dancer Sebastian Villarini-Velez (New York City Ballet); filmmaker Eduardo Williams (Film Society of Lincoln Center); and violinist Angelo Xiang Yu (The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center). Each of the awardees will receive $7,500 to be used for career advancement.

It is Bo's hard-learned lesson about romance and respect that keeps BUS STOP in the forefront as one of the great classic American romance stories. And thanks to the talented cast and director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky's attention to detail and effective use of freeze framing cast members while others speak, these well known characters will reach out and grab you by the heart, stirring your emotions as lessons are learned, partnerships are formed, and everyone gets exactly what they want by the time the road re-opens, especially a naive cowboy and a 19-year old hick singer from the Ozarks determined to make a better life for herself.

Today, Lincoln Center has announced the 20th season of American Songbook, celebrating the ever-expanding American musical canon from January 30 to March 4, 2019. This year's 15-concert series includes legendary songwriters, contemporary storytellers and interpreters of song, and musical projects by multitalented performers pushing the boundaries of pop, alternative, soul, folk, musical theater, jazz, and more.

Patricia Heaton is set to star in and executive produce a multi-camera comedy at CBS, according to Variety.

Professional chamber choir St. Charles Singers, conducted by Jeffrey Hunt, will open its 35th concert season with a three-day Mozart Festival Weekend August 24-26, 2018, joined by the Metropolis Chamber Orchestra and guest soloist, soprano Michelle Areyzaga.

'Undocumented' is being released at an exclusive event hosted by Libby and David Hunt in honor of friend, Dallas-native and director Justin Malone. The private screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Hunt, podcast host of Libby's Movie Hunt, and Malone.

Norm Foster has written over sixty plays which have been produced all over the world. Selections from this most-produced Canadian playwright have been included at Theatre 40 for many years, but this time the group is excited to present the U.S. Premiere of his appropriately titled new play SCREWBALL COMEDY which pays homage to this classic genre of entertainment. Emerging in the 1930s, screwball comedies were a wild new strain of fast-talking farces involving battles of the sexes and a world forever on the brink of chaos. The elements included a male and female who may be adversarial at first but are ultimately ideal for each other. Think of the classic films It Happened One Night, His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby and My Man Godfrey during which some farcical or slapstick action occurs, including snappy patter and crackling dialogue with bits of off-color humor thrown in, with the plot ultimately leading to the female gaining the upper hand in the relationship.

MR. PIM PASSES BY debuted on the stage in 1919, written by A.A. Milne (1882-1956) Although he will be known forever for his children's literature as the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne also wrote numerous plays and screenplays, books of poetry, and seven novels. This comedy for grown-ups tells a tale of mistaken identity and the lives it affects after a mysterious stranger pops up at a Woodbury, Connecticut home. It's never explained why Mr. Pim is in the neighborhood, although it's very apparent he does not live in the area nor is he visiting anyone else who does. And as the story builds, you might decide he is a character much like Clarence the Angel in "It's a Wonderful Life," there to simply make sure that love rules the day.

ENGAGING SHAW begins in England in 1897 in a comfortable cottage in Stratford, England, where Shaw hopes to complete his new play. As he engages in conversation with his friends, the happily married cottage owners, Beatrice and Sidney Webb, we learn Shaw is a notorious flirt and heartbreaker who enjoys romancing women, attracting them to him "like a moth to the flame." But it is soon apparent he is not particularly interested in sex, a fact reflected in his real life where he remained a virgin until his 29th birthday. It's the thrill of the hunt that is the main attraction for Shaw, thoroughly enjoying the effect he has on women as he pursues them, not in the keeping of them. In present-day parlance, he'd be considered a sexist cad. Beatrice sees an opportunity to deflect Shaw's interest in her (and hers in him) by inviting their wealthy benefactor Charlotte to visit, knowing when she meets Shaw, the financially challenged but famous Irish playwright and political activist, that sparks will fly.

Save up to 57% on tickets for hit musical Kinky Boots, currently playing at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End. Book by 28 February - book tickets here from £15!

Every January I look forward to attending THE MANOR by Katherine Bates, presented by Theatre 40 inside the historic Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills where the story upon which it is based actually took place. Now celebrating its 16th year, the annual production has become a Los Angeles/Beverly Hills institution with several performances selling out even before tickets go on sale to the public. Its popularity, no doubt, is due to the talented actors, costumed to time-period perfection, who make up the cast of characters about the oil-rich Doheny family, as well as the chance to be inside the grand and glorious architectural landmark in which the events of 89 years ago actually took place, performed in two acts taking place 10 years apart.

By now, we all know that new laws have been enacted which allow the first born, whether male or female, of the reigning heir to the British monarchy to be named that person's successor. This new move to equality of the sexes when it comes to being named the crown was perhaps initially started by Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII, who he made Queen Regent when he went off to war (allowing her to rule in his place). Parr then took it upon herself to have his daughters Mary and Elizabeth (Bess) added to the line of succession should their younger half-brother and heir apparent, Edward, die without any legal heirs to assume the crown. That move led to advancing their status as women of royal privilege as more than just a piece of property to be used as a bargaining chip for royal alliances through marriage.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announced today the 2018 class of Emerging Artists, recognizing diverse talents, from a choreographer bridging the worlds of classical Indian and contemporary dance to one of the new faces of indie film to world-class musicians. Each recipient was nominated by one of Lincoln Center's 11 resident organizations, acknowledging his or her extraordinary talent and budding career.

Presented by Center Theatre Group, the Los Angeles engagement of 'Something Rotten!' opens Tuesday, November 21 at 8 p.m. at the Ahmanson Theatre. Performances will continue through December 31. Below, BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in action before next week's opening!