Harry Houdini News

What did our critic think of Ragtime at Theatre Memphis? RAGTIME is a gargantuan production. It's epic in scope and expectations. Any community theatre attempting to find a way to match the scale and scope of Broadway or a national tour is in dangerous waters.

On Friday, June 10th at 7:30 pm under the tent at Greenville Tech, located at 800 E. Faris Road near the corner with S. Pleasantburg, Larry Bounds, an historical interpreter dressed in costume will bring Houdini to life and speak in Houdini's own words.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley continues its 51st season with the hit musical Ragtime. This sweeping and stirring musical masterpiece paints a portrait of America at the dawn of the twentieth century, interweaving the lives of three families—an African American family, a Jewish Immigrant family, and a wealthy white family—finding their places and pursuing the American Dream in a rapidly changing world. Featuring a Tony Award-winning book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Terrence McNally (Master Class, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Rink) and a Tony Award-winning score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Once on This Island, Anastasia, Seussical The Musical), this musical is based on E. L. Doctorow’s best-selling novel of the same name. Ragtime will be presented June 1-26, 2022 (press opening: June 4) at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. For tickets (starting at $30) and more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (877)-662-8978.

The Greenville Chautauqua Society, who for 24 years has been bringing history to life through nationally recognized historical interpreters at FREE performing arts events, has appointed Lara Kaufmann as Executive Director.  

The Board of Directors of The House Theatre of Chicago announced that it will formally wind down operations following its production of the North American premiere of The Tragedy of King Christophe, which closed on Sunday, May 29.

One of the most ambitious projects ever produced by the Bergen County Players, Ragtime: The Musical will open BCP's 90th season this September. Open auditions will take place at the little Firehouse Theatre, 298 Kinderkamack Rd. in Oradell, NJ on Tuesday and Thursday, June 7th and 9th at 7:30PM and on Sunday, June 12th at 10AM. BCP is seeking an ethnically diverse cast of men and women ages 16 - 65+. Additionally, there are two principal roles for children (boy and girl - stage age 8 - 12). Written by the award-winning composer/lyricist team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and noted playwright Terrence McNally, Ragtime: The Musical brings together a multi-ethnic cast of characters, portrayed by both BCP veterans and newcomers alike.

This sweeping and stirring musical masterpiece paints a portrait of America at the dawn of the twentieth century, interweaving the lives of three families—an African American family, a Jewish Immigrant family, and a wealthy white family—finding their places and pursuing the American Dream in a rapidly changing world.

In its first appearance on vinyl, the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Ragtime – featuring the Tony Award-winning score by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens – is celebrated in a commemorative “red, white and blue” collectors limited edition, available everywhere now from Masterworks Broadway.

Planet Ant Theatre is set to premiere The Detroit Musical Movie with several showings March 11-13 at Ant Hall in Hamtramck, Mich. The film was created with the help of 18 independent filmmakers with Michigan roots and funded with support from a Michigan Humanities grant. The Detroit Musical Movie, an adaptation of its popular stage production, which presents a comical interpretation of Detroit's history.

Duluth Playhouse returns to live performances with the epic, Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Ragtime at the NorShor Theatre, running March 18th through April 3rd.

Chicago Magic Lounge, Chicago’s home for close-up magic, continues its Artist-In-Residence series with Sean Masterson’s Message in a Bottle, Wednesdays at 7:00pm, April 6 – June 29, 2022.

Due to a positive case of Covid-19 among the cast, spit&vigor theatre company has postponed performances for their World Premiere of Ectoplasm, written and directed by Sara Fellini. The play, which was originally scheduled to run January 5-February 6, 2022, will now open on Thursday, January 13 at The Players Theatre.

Quintessence Theatre Group, Philadelphia's professional classic repertory theatre, announces a casting change in their current production of Little Women: The Broadway Musical, running now through January 2, 2022. Jordan Dobson, who was cast as Laurie, departed the production after Sunday's performance due to being called into a Broadway production. South Philadelphia based actor Will Stephan Connell is replacing him.

When D.H. Cermeño launched his latest book, Coffee & Cedar, he never could have predicted a world-wide pandemic shutting down book stores and theaters for more than a year. However, that did not keep him from furthering his creation.  The results of his down-time can be seen again at  The 6th Annual Orlando Fringe Winter Mini-Fest.

Ragtime opened last night, featuring a cast of Nashville stage veterans and a sizable coterie of performers, heretofore unknown to local audiences, who are certain to become fast favorites. Taking a brief respite from their hectic schedules of rehearsals, fittings, photo calls, more rehearsals and getting to know one another, four of those newcomers – Shelby Denise Smith, Wood Van Meter, Kortney Ballenger and Steven McCoy – took the time to answer our questions to tell you why you need to score those tickets for Ragtime now if you haven’t already.

Ragtime, the Tony Award-winning musical about life in these United States during the very early years of the 20th century, is a richly drawn and evocatively told rumination on the pursuit of the American dream seen from the perspective of a diverse, multi-ethnic cast of characters. Now onstage through Sunday at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s James K. Polk Theatre, in a glittering and sumptuous revival from Nashville Repertory Theatre, Ragtime proves an ambitious choice for the company’s return to live performance after more than 18 months of darkness due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Company has officially returned to Broadway as of November 15. Meet the current cast and learn more about who is bringing this production to the stage!

spit&vigor theatre company (2015 NYIT Award-winners for In Vestments) will present the World Premiere of Ectoplasm, written and directed by Sara Fellini (Hazard a Little Death, Best New Script at the 2014 Planet Connections Theater Festivity).

Opening Thursday night, November 11 and continuing for five performances through Sunday, November 14, Ragtime – the musical by Stephen Flaherty (music), Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) and Terrance McNally (book) which, in turn, is based upon E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel of the same name – promises to be a grand undertaking, which hopefully will blow away the cobwebs and the dust that’s collected in the past year-and-a-half during which the theater was dark and the company strived to remain relevant and productive amidst all the challenges that ensued.