With the International Al Jolson Society's 17th Annual Long Island Festival just three weeks away (On August 17, from 9am to 4:30pm, at Oceanside Knights of Columbus, 2985 Kenneth Place, Oceanside, NY 11572.), BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Review/Columnist and passionate Al Jolson fan Stephen Hanks fantasizes about what it might be like to have a conversation with 'The World's Greatest Entertainer,' 53 years after he died. You ain't read nothin' yet.
On August 17, led by current Society President Jan Hernstat of Long Island, New York, the IAJS will hold its 17th annual Long Island Al Jolson Festival, from 9am to 4:30 pm, at Oceanside Knights of Columbus, 2985 Kenneth Place, Oceanside, NY 11572. Starring at this year's event will be Staten Island-based singer Tony Babino (known as “The Heart of Al Jolson) with Dave Gross at the Piano. Babino will be performing from 2:30-3:30. Also appearing will be Los Angeles-based entertainer Richard Halpern (called “Mr. Tin Pan Alley”), singer/songwriter Brian Gari, who is the grandson of the legendary Broadway star Eddie Cantor. This year's special guest will be the famed TV and radio talk show host Joe Franklin. There will also be a special Jolson DVD Presentation and a Society Auction consisting of donated memorabilia.
Though I'll admit it strikes the ear rather oddly to hear a character referred to as another one's slave in a play set in 1930s upstate New York, that's just one of the risks involved when transporting Shakespeare into a more modern setting. Nevertheless, director Daniel Sullivan's zippy new Delacorte Theater production of The Comedy of Errors hits the ears and eyes just right for 90 minutes of good laughs and snazzy dancing.
Jenny Schwartz's Somewhere Fun, receiving a splendidly performed and whimsically mounted production from director Anne Kauffman at the Vineyard, is one of those plays where an author's traditional response to the traditional post-viewing question is, 'Well, what do you think it means?'
THE LOWER EAST SIDE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS (LES) celebrates its 18th year of bringing together -- in one location, over three days -- more than 100 performing arts organizations, local and international celebrities, independent artists, poets, playwrights, musicians, puppeteers, film makers and many others, all of whom reside, work or have their roots in the culturally diverse Lower East Side. Once again this year, New York City's most diverse FREE 3-day, indoor and outdoor cultural celebration will take place on Memorial Day Weekend, from today, May 24 through Sunday, May 26, at Theater for the New City (155 1st Avenue, between E. 9th and 10th Sts.) in Manhattan.
THE LOWER EAST SIDE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS (LES) celebrates its 18th year of bringing together -- in one location, over three days -- more than 100 performing arts organizations, local and international celebrities, independent artists, poets, playwrights, musicians, puppeteers, film makers and many others, all of whom reside, work or have their roots in the culturally diverse Lower East Side. Once again this year, New York City's most diverse FREE 3-day, indoor and outdoor cultural celebration will take place on Memorial Day Weekend, from Friday, May 24 through Sunday, May 26, at Theater for the New City (155 1st Avenue, between E. 9th and 10th Sts.) in Manhattan.
BELZ! THE JEWISH VAUDEVILLE MUSICAL is the story of a movement that ultimately had a profound effect on American popular culture as Jewish performers from Eastern Europe and their immediate descendants took their acts from the shtetls to the rest of the world.
The Best of Broadway & Cabaret will come out in support of the Actors' Temple, (est. 1917) tonight, November 26, 2012 at 6:45 PM. The Third Annual Concert will take place at the Temple, 339 West 47th Street. This theater district historic landmark has been struggling to survive in recent years.
The Best of Broadway & Cabaret will come out in support of the Actors' Temple, (est. 1917) on Monday, November 26, 2012 at 6:45 PM. The Third Annual Concert will take place at the Temple, 339 West 47th Street. This theater district historic landmark has been struggling to survive in recent years.
The Best of Broadway & Cabaret will come out in support of the Actors' Temple, (est. 1917) on Monday, November 26, 2012 at 6:45 PM. The Third Annual Concert will take place at the Temple, 339 West 47th Street. This theater district historic landmark has been struggling to survive in recent years.
So many cabaret shows, so little time . . . to write reviews that is. During his almost two years as a cabaret reviewer, BroadwayWorld.com critic Stephen Hanks managed to do a pretty good job of writing critiques during a show's run or soon after the run ended. But this summer he just couldn't keep up. Finally, here are observations on 10 performances over the past two months.
SAG-AFTRA today received a new, national charter from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. SAG-AFTRA joins 55 other unions, comprising more than 12 million working men and women, under the AFL-CIO banner.
To close out the 2012 season of 92nd Street Y's Lyrics & Lyricists, Rex Reed pays tribute to the studio that gave us such iconic movie musicals as 42nd Street, Yankee Doodle Dandy, A Star is Born and My Fair Lady.
Remember when political conventions were fun? When the delegates gathered into town, not to perfunctorily declare a pre-determined winner, but to debate through multiple votes, late night deals and maybe a few protest rallies to come up with a nominee?
I knew I was in for a special evening when I found some Traditional Jewish Prayer Books (Siddur) on the lights and sound console. In most Temples the hallways are filled with black & white photos of past Rabbi's, Cantors, and Board Presidents.
With its many supporting roles for older performers, one of the great pleasures of productions of Follies is the opportunity to see some of the theatre's senior members making a triumphant return to the Broadway stage.
Bob Spiotto - known to thousands of theater professionals and tri-state audiences as the very creative Executive Producer of Hofstra Entertainment (Hofstra University) - will change hats this July as he takes to the Metropolitan Room stage with his new show, 'Shades of Grey: A Tribute to Joel Grey.'
Bob Spiotto - known to thousands of theater professionals and tri-state audiences as the very creative Executive Producer of Hofstra Entertainment (Hofstra University) - will change hats this July as he takes to the Metropolitan Room stage with his new show, 'Shades of Grey: A Tribute to Joel Grey.'
Last week I had the exceptional privilege of interviewing newly minted SAG and Golden Globe-winner for Best Actor In A Drama Series for his work on HBO'S BOARDWALK EMPIRE, Steve Buscemi, along with his wife, artist/choreographer Jo Andres, about their participation in the experimental music/theater space in Brooklyn, ISSUE Project Room. For those that are not aware, ISSUE Project Room is a community performance space for up-and-coming musicians, artists, performers and choreographers at 110 Livingston Street with the goal of creating a centralized space for all the arts - avant garde and otherwise. In addition to discussing their shared beginnings in the fringe theatre scene in the East Village in the eighties and the artists who inspired them, Buscemi and Andres also talk about the ultimate goals of the venue, both new and old, and the reason that now is the perfect time for a space such as this to flourish, as new artists get the opportunity to see their work produced. Further information about the venue - and how you can become a member - can be found here.
