Houston Grand Opera News

This season, along with Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas, which runs on the Hubbard Stage, the Alley Theatre will once again present a second holiday production, David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries on the Neuhaus Stage.

'Handel's Messiah,' performed by Pacific Symphony, is perhaps the perfect way take refuge from the hectic pace of the holidays and celebrate the season in a serene and meaningful way. This year, the most famous oratorio in the world is led by British guest conductor William Lacey and features the Pacific Chorale and four seasoned veterans of the opera and solo stages-soprano Christine Brandes, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Batton, tenor Benjamin Butterfield and baritone Timothy Mix-singing some of the most beautiful music ever written. Taking place on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m., in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, the Symphony's annual performance-the first of several holiday concerts-includes blazing trumpets, thundering timpani, the exhilarating 'Hallelujah' chorus, and a message of hope in a year of tribulations.

Sing for Hope, a non-profit organization that mobilizes professional artists in volunteer service to benefit communities in need, announces The 2009 Songs for Our Future Honorees: 2009 Presidential Medal of Honor Recipient and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus, celebrated soprano and Metropolitan Opera star Renée Fleming, Academy Award winning actress and humanitarian activist Jane Fonda, and philanthropic leader and President of Lincoln Center Reynold Levy.

Due to popular demand, the critically acclaimed production of Anna Deavere Smith's LET ME DOWN EASY, now playing at Second Stage Theatre, has extended a second time and will now close on January 3, 2010. The show, which is currently extended through December 6, will not be performed December 14 - 20 due to Smith's previous commitment to perform Hymn with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at City Center.

In January 2010, The New York Philharmonic This Week - the two-hour, national, weekly radio program of concerts by the New York Philharmonic, hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin - begins with a Summertime Classics program from July 3-4, 2009, with conductor Bramwell Tovey: Gershwin's Strike Up the Band, Variations on "I Got Rhythm," and Rhapsody in Blue with Marc-Andre Hamelin as soloist; Copland's Appalachian Spring Suite; and Sousa's Hands Across the Sea March and Washington Post March. The following week, Music Director Alan Gilbert leads the Orchestra in Webern's Im Sommerwind, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23, with Leif Ove Andsnes as soloist, Webern's Symphony, Op. 21, and Schumann's Symphony No. 2. The third January broadcast, also conducted by Mr. Gilbert, features Yefim Bronfman as soloist in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2, with Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 concluding the program. In the final January broadcast, Mr. Gilbert conducts Haydn's Symphony No. 49, La passione; John Adams's The Wound-Dresser, with baritone Thomas Hampson, the Orchestra's Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence; Schubert's Symphony in B minor, Unfinished; and Berg's Three Orchestral Pieces.

DANCES PATRELLE's 'THE YORKVILLE NUTCRACKER' will have its 14th annual production, at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th Street between Park & Lexington Avenues) NYC; December 10th - 13th.

Second Stage Theatre will host a post performance discussion with Anna Deavere Smith and three of her interview subjects from Let Me Down Easy following the Friday, November 20 performance.

REDCAT (the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater) proudly presents the West Coast premiere of Arias with a Twist, a bigger-than-life cabinet of curiosities created by Joey Arias (Zumanity's 'Mistress of Seduction') and legendary puppeteer Basil Twist. Arias with a Twist opens Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at REDCAT and runs for a limited four-week run through Sunday, December 13, 2009.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) will launch its 31st season this fall with the New York premiere of Anna Deavere Smith's LET ME DOWN EASY. Conceived, written, and performed by Ms. Smith and directed by Leonard Foglia, LET ME DOWN EASY will begin preview performances on Tuesday, September 15 and will officially open on Wednesday, October 7 at 6:45pm.

Broadway's most talked about new musical and the biggest Tony Award-winner in years is coming to the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

This season, along with Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas, which runs on the Hubbard Stage, the Alley Theatre will once again present a second holiday production, David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries on the Neuhaus Stage.

The New York Philharmonic will present SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert on March 15 and Tuesday, March 16, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. This celebration of the 80th birthday of the great Broadway and film composer/lyricist will include his most enduring orchestral music and songs - performed, in some cases, by the stars of the original Broadway cast productions - in addition to rarely-heard material. Joining the celebration will be (in alphabetical order) Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Jason Danieley, Nathan Gunn, George Hearn, Patti LuPone, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, and others to be announced, including surprise guests. Paul Gemignani, Mr. Sondheim's longtime collaborator, will conduct the New York Philharmonic; Lonny Price is the director; and Mr. Price and Matt Cowart are the producers.

The world premiere of Rajiv Joseph's (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) Gruesome Playground Injuries features Selma Blair (Hellboy, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Storytelling, Legally Blonde, NBC's Kath & Kim) playing Kayleen and Brad Fleischer (Center Theatre Group's premiere of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Broadway's Coram Boy, Off Broadway's Streamers) playing Doug.

Dances Patrelle's holiday classic, 'The Yorkville Nutcracker' will open up the holiday season on Sunday, November 15th, at 4pm, at the new Barnes & Noble (86th and Lexington Avenue).

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City will produce the hilarious, topsy-turvy Gilbert and Sullivan tale of love, rank and birthright, H.M.S. Pinafore, November 6, 8, 11 & 14, 2009.

Dances Patrelle's holiday classic, 'The Yorkville Nutcracker' will open up the holiday season on Sunday, November 15th, at 4pm, at the new Barnes & Noble (86th and Lexington Avenue).

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) will launch its 31st season this fall with the New York premiere of Anna Deavere Smith's LET ME DOWN EASY. Conceived, written, and performed by Ms. Smith and directed by Leonard Foglia, LET ME DOWN EASY will begin preview performances on Tuesday, September 15 and will officially open on Wednesday, October 7 at 6:45pm.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City will produce the hilarious, topsy-turvy Gilbert and Sullivan tale of love, rank and birthright, H.M.S. Pinafore, November 6, 8, 11 & 14, 2009.

Feinstein's at Lowes Regency, the nightclub proclaimed 'Best of New York' by New York Magazine and 'an invaluable New York institution' by The New York Post, continues its star-studded Fall 2009 season with the debut of Tony Award winning actress and vocalist Victoria Clark and Tony Award winning music director, arranger and orchestrator, Ted Sperling in 'The Vicki and Ted Show.' For their engagement at Feinstein's, Ms. Clark and Mr. Sperling celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of a remarkable friendship that began as students at Yale University and inspired some of Broadway's most unforgettable moments, including How to Succeed in Business..., Titanic and The Light in the Piazza. Their acclaimed show - which debuted at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater in Washington DC - will make its New York debut the Regency Hotel. The show is running through Saturday, October 24.

Natasha Rawson (stage name Natasha Dana), a three-time Broadway performer in Stars in Your Eyes, The Devil Knows, and Between the Devil, died at her home last week just 10 days shy of her 93rd birthday. She died of natural causes.