E. Johnson News

The new Broadway revival of THE COLOR PURPLE opens tonight, December 10, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 W 45th Street). Let's see what the critics had to say...

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) celebrates the 2015 holiday season with a wide variety of concert programming, from the traditional annual performances of Handel's Messiah with the Concert Artists of Baltimore to a one-of-a-kind experience that pairs world-class acrobats and gymnasts with music by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, in an exciting program titled Cirque de la Symphonie.

What does it mean that a jazz pianist from Kenner, La., just outside of New Orleans, is running one of the most visible musical platforms in the country?' Supporters of Sing for Hope (www.singforhope.org) will soon have a chance to find out. On Monday, October 26, at TriBeCa Rooftop, the New York City-based 'arts peace corps' organization will produce its ninth annual Sing for Hope Gala in support of its arts outreach programs for communities in need. Co-Chaired by Sing for Hope champions Renee Fleming, Ann Ziff, Margie Loeb, and Muhammad Yunus, with Vice-Chairs The Arnhold Family, the gala will feature Mr. Batiste in an intimate performance, along with some exciting surprise musical guests.

There is a humorous Venn diagram that shows that art is the intersection between absolute narcissism and crippling self-doubt. In the new musical 'How To Quit Your Day Job' playing as part of the Capital Fringe Festival, the title premise follow four 'generation inbetweeners' as they navigate through their own self-doubt and a little bit of narcissism.

In celebration of Black History Month, Associate Conductor for Education and Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras Artistic Director Ken Lam leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a Family Concert Series program celebrating African-American Innovators, today, February 21 at 11 a.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Featuring the music of Duke Ellington and Heitor Villa-Lobos, the Baltimore City College Choir led by Director Marcus Smith, lends their voices for a collection of African-American spirituals, honoring the impact of innovation on our collective history. Entertainer Shannan E. Johnson narrates. Please see below for complete program details.

The next production in Town Hall Arts Center's 2014-2015 Season will be Next to Normal, music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey.

Dayton's premier professional regional theatre continues its legacy of developing new works and its long-standing relationship with New York writer Michael Slade as it prepares for the first ever production of Slade's latest play, Family Shots, at downtown's The Loft Theatre. Charming family patriarch Sam Baker lies in a hospital bed, recovering from an apparent heart attack, but his wife, Marsha, won't stop making the crisis all about her -- much to the dismay of their son, Aaron. The young photographer wonders why his parents even stay together while he and his husband, Malcolm, deal with their own issues as newlyweds. Intimate, yet universal, Family Shots is a wildly funny and touching comedy about marriage -- its joys, challenges and responsibilities -- and what's worth fighting for. The production runs tonight, January 22 - February 8, 2015.

In celebration of Black History Month, Associate Conductor for Education and Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras Artistic Director Ken Lam leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a Family Concert Series program celebrating African-American Innovators, Saturday, February 21 at 11 a.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Featuring the music of Duke Ellington and Heitor Villa-Lobos, the Baltimore City College Choir led by Director Marcus Smith, lends their voices for a collection of African-American spirituals, honoring the impact of innovation on our collective history. Entertainer Shannan E. Johnson narrates. Please see below for complete program details.

Dayton's premier professional regional theatre continues its legacy of developing new works and its long-standing relationship with New York writer Michael Slade as it prepares for the first ever production of Slade's latest play, Family Shots, at downtown's The Loft Theatre. Charming family patriarch Sam Baker lies in a hospital bed, recovering from an apparent heart attack, but his wife, Marsha, won't stop making the crisis all about her -- much to the dismay of their son, Aaron. The young photographer wonders why his parents even stay together while he and his husband, Malcolm, deal with their own issues as newlyweds. Intimate, yet universal, Family Shots is a wildly funny and touching comedy about marriage -- its joys, challenges and responsibilities -- and what's worth fighting for. The production runs January 22 - February 8, 2015.

Sing for Hope's 2014 Gala united New York's philanthropic and cultural elite for a magical evening in support of arts outreach to communities in need. Nearly 400 guests gathered at the downtown hotspot TriBeCa Rooftop to support the organization's programs that democratize the arts and ignite the spark of creative innovation in all people. Scroll down for photos from the event!

The production runs January 22 - February 8, 2015 and is to be directed by The Human Race's producing artistic director, Kevin Moore.

Fillmore Live Entertainment Group LLC ("FLEG") has announce dThe Addition; the music venue nestled between Lower Fillmore and the Western Addition-from which it draws its name. The name change will officially take place on November 1, 2014; followed by the brand opening on November 21 with a special performance by Roy Ayers.

When one thinks of glamorous operatic superstars, under-resourced schools, healthcare facilities, and veterans' centers don't usually spring to mind. But on Monday, October 20, 2014, Sing for Hope (www.singforhope.org) will unite New York's philanthropic and cultural elite for a magical evening in support of arts outreach to communities in need.

The national tour of THE LION KING returns to kick off the 10th Broadway In Boston season at the Boston Opera House, most fittingly as the musical reopened the venue following its historic renovation in 2004. Some of the effects have diminished over the years, but the opening night audience roared its approval.

GHOST THE MUSICAL is currently playing at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, through August 10, 2014. Click below to go backstage and get a glimpse of where the magic happens!

Theatre@First's Henry the 4th combines two of Shakespeare's greatest history plays-and a feisty female Falstaff--into one thrilling night of theatre at Unity Somerville on August 21-30.

The supernatural power of love is taking Orange County by storm as the new Broadway and West End musical GHOST - THE MUSICAL, adapted from the Academy Award-winning film, opens at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, today, July 29 - August 10.

The supernatural power of love is taking Orange County by storm as the new Broadway and West End musical GHOST - THE MUSICAL, adapted from the Academy Award®-winning film, opens at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, July 29 - August 10. GHOST - THE MUSICAL features Steven Grant Douglas as Sam Wheat, Katie Postotnik as Molly Jensen, Carla R. Stewart as Oda Mae Brown and Robby Haltiwanger as Carl Bruner. Featured ensemble are Fernando Contreras, Brandon Curry, Evette Marie White, Lydia Warr, Hana Freeman and Shannan E. Johnson. Rounding out the ensemble are Susan Leilani Gearou, Tony Johnson, Beth Stafford Laird, Andrea Laxton, Ben Laxton, Jake Vander Linden, Michael McClure, David Melendez, Jack O'Brien and Maria Cristina Slye.

On Monday, October 20, 2014, Sing for Hope (www.singforhope.org) will present its eighth annual Sing for Hope Gala, uniting New York's philanthropic and cultural leaders for a magical evening in support of Sing for Hope's programs that bring the arts to under-resourced areas. The event will be co-chaired by Marina Kellen French, Margie Loeb, and Ann Ziff, and will take place at the beautiful Tribeca Rooftop in downtown Manhattan.

One of the most popular plays in the country, Jon Robin Baitz's critically acclaimed Other Desert Cities, makes its Dayton premiere this spring at The Loft Theatre. The Wyeth family's Palm Springs Christmas reunion is already a tense affair between conservative parents Lyman and Polly, former GOP celebrities, their two grown children and Polly's liberal alcoholic sister, Silda. Any sense of peace vanishes completely when daughter Brooke, a once-promising novelist, announces she is about to publish a tell-all memoir that threatens to tarnish her prominent family's past and reopen old wounds. As Brooke confesses her true motivations behind the book, she learns the real history is more shocking than she ever knew. The preview performance of Other Desert Cities is Today, March 27. Opening night is Friday, March 28.