With all of the media options at their disposal today, creating theater pieces that will keep young people totally engaged is getting to be more and more of a challenge. Kennedy Center's Theater for Young Audiences (TYA) division's latest attempt at something fresh sometimes succeeds and sometimes doesn't. Most of the success in She A Gem can be attributed to the oh so fly direction of Paige Hernandez and her talented cast and design team. Whether or not the playwright Josh Wilder was up for the challenge is open to debate.
As with most tales of doomed romance, Giuseppe Verdi's LA TRAVIATA highlights the contrasts between two social spheres and the difficulties faced by lovers who try to bridge this chasm. In this 1853 opera, based on a play by Alexandre Dumas, fils, the beautiful courtesan Violetta Valery (Albina Shagimuratova) tries to escape her past life among the hedonistic upper classes of Paris to settle down with her true love, Alfredo Germont (Giorgio Berrugi). After a brief period of bliss, the couple is driven apart by the strict bourgeois morality of Alfredo's family, in particular his father, who refuses to overlook Violetta's shameful past until she is on her deathbed.
Winds in the east, mist coming in. Like something is brewin and about to begin. MARY POPPINS flies onto the CES stage in this 'practically perfect' production! Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the classic Walt Disney film, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's MARY POPPINS is an enchanting mixture of an irresistible story topped with unforgettable songs and sewn together with breathtaking dance numbers, (tap and everything I assure you!)
Lyric Opera of Chicago's fever-dream staging of Arin Arbus's production of Giuseppe Verdi's perennially popular La traviata opens Saturday, February 16 at 7:30pm, with ten performances through March 22 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Dr., Chicago. Tickets start at $39 and are available now at lyricopera.org/Traviata or by calling 312-827-5600.
Tybalt and Mercutio now fill the roles of the star crossed lovers born to be enemies. Constructed around Shakespeare's original dialogue and expanded upon into a love story of intrigue, scheming, and hope, two beloved characters get new life, as they each grow into individuals hoping to find a companion in a world where their sexuality has no voice or champion.
Lookingglass Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, written and directed by Ensemble Member David Catlin, from the book by Mary Shelley. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein runs May 8 August 4, 2019 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. Tickets go on sale to the public March 5, 2019. The press performances are Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m.
INTAR today announced the appointment of Paul A. Slee Rodriguez who will be heading up Strategic Partnerships for the organization, helping to design and implement strategies for organizational growth. He will be working with the staff and Board on expanding the scope and strength of the organization on multiple fronts including Board development, funding, programming, real estate - locally, nationally and internationally.
In March, New Conservatory Theatre Center presents Steve, written by Mark Gerrard and directed by local favorite, Becca Wolff. Named one of Ben Brantley's Top Ten in 2015 in The New York Times, this uproariously funny comedy is "the ultimate theatre-geek's tragicomedy" (Newsday). What happens when you get bored with "happily ever after"? Steve got his happy ending, but years later, his Prince Charming is sexting another man, his best friend is ill, and he's hitting the expiration date on his desirability. Chock full of acidic wit, musical theatre references, and plenty of heart, Steve is a hilarious and relatable comedy about growing up, without growing old.
Theatre NOVA, Ann Arbor's professional theatre with an exclusive focus on new plays and playwrights, presents their semi-annual Michigan Playwrights Festival, now in its fourth year. Five new plays by Michigan playwrights will be given readings March 6-10, 2019.
EstrellaTV,the fastest growing Spanish-language broadcasting network in the U.S., announced today that it has tapped Mexican actor-comedian Armando Hernandez to host its new Spanish-language version of Family Feud, '100 Latinos Dijeron.'
Desus Nice and The Kid Mero will welcome fellow Bronx native Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) as the first guest in studio on their new SHOWTIME weekly half-hour late-night talk show, DESUS & MERO. The series will premiere on Thursday, February 21 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT and air on Thursday nights from New York City. In the premiere episode, the duo will also visit the Congresswoman's new offices in D.C. determined to make her feel at home, as well as give their take on the day's hot topics in their signature style in front of a small live studio audience. Upcoming guests on DESUS & MERO will include John Legend, Vince Staples, Ben Stiller, Issa Rae, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Pusha T.
The El Centro College Special Topics in Fashion Design and Illustration class is very much like the TV show "Project Runway," with students being tasked to create a project under the mentorship of a professional designer. For this semester's challenge, El Centro College fashion design students collaborated with Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) to create pieces inspired by the hit Broadway musical, ANASTASIA, which is coming to DSM on its first North American tour beginning Feb. 19.
The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts presents the West Coast premiere of The Wallis' production of WITNESS UGANDA, a groundbreaking documentary musical by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews starring twelve-time Grammy nominee Ledisi, Jamar Williams (Wild Goose Dreams), Amber Iman (Hamilton) and Emma Hunton (Wicked), directed by Matthews with music direction by Gould, from Tuesday, February 5 - Sunday, February 24, 2019, in The Wallis's Lovelace Studio Theater. After a successful Off-Broadway run, this new and revised production documents the story of a man battling to find his place in a world full of injustice and inhumanity.
Hartford Stage announced today the cast and creative team for Dominique Morisseau's Detroit '67. The powerful drama, produced in association with the McCarter Theatre Center, will perform at Hartford Stage Thursday, February 14, through Sunday, March 10.
Hartford Stage announced today the cast and creative team for Dominique Morisseau's Detroit '67. The powerful drama, produced in association with the McCarter Theatre Center, will perform at Hartford Stage Thursday, February 14, through Sunday, March 10.
Amore Opera continues its 2018-19 season at the Riverside Theatre at Riverside Church (91 Claremont Ave, New York, NY 10027) with a production of Giacomo Meyerbeer's long-forgotten comic opera, Dinorah, sung in the original French. Amore will be using the score and orchestral parts recently restored by the Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Quintessence Theatre Group, a professional classic theatre company located in Philadelphia's Mt. Airy neighborhood, takes on Shakespeare's greatest tragedy this spring. KING LEAR, a searing drama about the dangers of absolute power, comes to Quintessence from March 19, 2019 through April 20, 2019. Opening night is Saturday, March 23 at 7:30PM.
Music's Biggest Night - the GRAMMYs - is here! Live from STAPLES Center, and hosted by Alicia Keys, the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.
