James Rado, Gerome Ragni, and Galt MacDermot's Tony Award-winning musical, HAIR, will be presented by Big Noise Theatre at Prairie Lakes Community Center Theater, Des Plaines, tonight, April 24 through May 9.
Das Program der Jubilaumsspielzeit 2015/2016 steht nun fest, und enthalt neben zahlreichen anderen Produktionen zwei Musicals: Stephen Sondheim's DAS LÄCHELN EINER SOMMERNACHT und HAIR. Als Wiederaufnahmen der vergangenen Spielzeit werden außerdem auch SINGIN' IN THE RAIN und TSCHITTI TSCHITTI BÄNG BÄNG erneut zu sehen sein.
Today we are shining a spotlight on some rarely discussed and unusual connections between the world of William Shakespeare and theatrical pop culture at large. Given the wide breadth of material contained within the canon of the Bard, it is certainly no understatement to claim that the connections are virtually endless between many modern tropes, terms, themes and ideas that derive in his classic plays - whether they be tragedies, comedies, histories or latter plays - yet the intriguing aspects of many of the lesser-known theatrical connections between Shakespeare and modern theatre are illuminating and fascinating to unearth. Ranging from the influence of Shakespeare on some of our greatest musical theatre masters - Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and William Finn included - through to the inspiration behind both Broadway's most lucrative production in history (THE LION KING) and the longest-running show in NYC to date (THE FANTASTICKS), the impact of Shakespeare on Broadway is impossible to accurately calculate - and, now, with the lovable and hilarious Shakespeare paean SOMETHING ROTTEN! poised to open later this month, the Bard is about to get a fresh jolt of electricity, buzz and excitement from the theatre community at large. Fear no more, indeed.
Screen Actors Guild Foundation and Broadway World have partnered for filmed Conversations Q&A series to recognize and celebrate the vibrant theatre community in New York City and the union actors who aspire to have a career on the stage and screen. The most recent conversation featured stage and screen legend Stockard Channing, moderated by BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge. Below, check out what she had to say about her journey with IT'S ONLY A PLAY, which is currently playing at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.
Today in 2009, the second Broadway revival of HAIR opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where it ran for 519 performances. Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. Hair tells the story of the 'tribe', a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the 'Age of Aquarius' living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.
Melba Moore, a four-time Grammy nominee and winner of the 1970 Tony Award for 'Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical,' for her performance as 'Lutiebelle' in Purlie will appear at the Metropolitan Room on April 13 at 9:30 with a new show featuring songs made famous by legendary singers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Nancy Wilson, Barbra Streisand, and Diana Ross. Joining Moore will be her special guest, actor/singer/songwriter Clifton Davis, who wrote hits for The Jackson Five. With a total of 11 top ten U.S. hits on the Billboard charts over the past 40 years, both singles and albums, Melba Moore continues into the 21st century as one of pop music's most enduring artists.
The rock musical Hair has been produced many times over the years in Kansas City, but never has it been presented the way the Kansas City Repertory Theatre brought it to the Spencer Theatre on opening night March 27. Artistic Director Eric Rosen directs Hair: Retrospective, which runs through April 12 at the theater on the University of Missouri at Kansas City campus. The retrospective may actually be more enjoyable than the musical itself, (not just my opinion, heard from audience members also).
Simply hearing the name Ben Vereen uttered invokes the magic and allure of Broadway. From originating key roles in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and PIPPIN, Vereen has called the stages of Broadway home for years. Therefore, it is no surprise that he commands an audience with charm and pizzazz, easily entertaining a full house at 54 Below with his new cabaret show STEPPIN' OUT.
'If music be the food of love, play on.' Even before the invention of the musical comedy (more on that later), William Shakespeare knew the importance of music in telling stories on stage. For our March feature, my colleague Jeff Walker and I thought that instead of marking the Ides of March with songs about murder, betrayal, and fate, we would focus on the synergy between showtunes and Shakespeare.
One of the most iconic Broadway scores, HAIR features more modern 'hit' songs than any show in history: 'Aquarius,' 'Let The Sun Shine In,' 'Easy To Be Hard,' 'Good Morning Starshine,' and the title song became chart-topping hits, Grammy winners, Gold or Platinum records, or all of the above. The original Broadway cast recording of HAIR remains one of greatest selling pop albums of all time and among the most beloved in music history.
One of the most iconic Broadway scores, HAIR features more modern 'hit' songs than any show in history: 'Aquarius,' 'Let The Sun Shine In,' 'Easy To Be Hard,' 'Good Morning Starshine,' and the title song became chart-topping hits, Grammy winners, Gold or Platinum records, or all of the above. The original Broadway cast recording of HAIR remains one of greatest selling pop albums of all time and among the most beloved in music history.
James Rado, Gerome Ragni, and Galt MacDermot's Tony Award-winning musical, HAIR, will be presented by Big Noise Theatre at Prairie Lakes Community Center Theater, Des Plaines, April 24 through May 9.
One of the most iconic Broadway scores, HAIR features more modern 'hit' songs than any show in history: 'Aquarius,' 'Let The Sun Shine In,' 'Easy To Be Hard,' 'Good Morning Starshine,' and the title song became chart-topping hits, Grammy winners, Gold or Platinum records, or all of the above. The original Broadway cast recording of HAIR remains one of greatest selling pop albums of all time and among the most beloved in music history.
Tony Maudsley (ITV1's Benidorm) will play Edna Turnblad in the major 40-week UK tour of Hairspray which will open at Curve theatre in Leicester this autumn. He will be joined by TV and stage actress and presenter Claire Sweeney (Educating Rita, Guys and Dolls) as Velma Von Tussle, Olivier Award nominated actor and much-loved Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan (BBC1 Tumble) as Wilbur Turnblad and British singer and West End performer Brenda Edwards (Chicago, We Will Rock You, The X Factor) as Motormouth Maybelle. Freya Sutton will reprise the role of Tracy Turnblad alongside established musical theatre performer Jon Tsouras (A Chorus Line) who will play the role of Corny Collins. Dex Lee (The Scottsboro Boys) will play Seaweed, Ashley Gilmour (Miss Saigon) will play Link Larkin, Lauren Stroud (Wicked) will play Amber, Monique Young (Top Hat) will play Penny, Karis Jack (Urinetown) will play Little Inez, Adam Price (Hairspray) will play Male Authority Figure, Tracey Penn (Made in Dagenham) will play Female Authority Figure and Layton Williams (Bad Education, Billy Elliot) will play Duane. Further casting will be announced in due course.
One of the most iconic Broadway scores, HAIR features more modern "hit" songs than any show in history: "Aquarius," "Let The Sun Shine In," "Easy To Be Hard," "Good Morning Starshine," and the title song became chart-topping hits, Grammy winners, Gold or Platinum records, or all of the above. The original Broadway cast recording of HAIR remains one of greatest selling pop albums of all time and among the most beloved in music history.
For Canfield and Kelly's From Broadway to Survivor cabaret, the charming couple shared with audiences their New York experiences, love story, and their vibrant talents. This made for a fun night of Broadway showmanship that amused the collected audience.
The penultimate column in our 2014 South African Theatre Retrospectives deals with musical theatre and opera. Today we celebrate 'six of the best' opera and musical theatre productions from around the country - with two honourable mentions for an outstanding cabaret and revue - having already looked at some of the best plays and dance productions of the year.
Eric Rosen, artistic director of Kansas City Repertory Theatre has announced the 2014-15 season, continuing its tradition of presenting stirring classics and evocative new works created by the finest local and national talent available.
?According to the New York Times, Steve Curry, an original cast member of the Broadway rock musical HAIR, died on September 13, 2014. He was 68.
Step into the dawning of the Age of Aquarius with Hair now playing at the Barn Players in Mission, Kan. The musical with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, and music by Galt MacDermot opened Friday September 19 and runs through October 5. The original rock musical opened Off-Broadway in 1967 at the Joseph Papp's Public Theater and in 1968 opened on Broadway running for 1,750 performances.
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