James Earl Jones II News

Porchlight Music Theatre's 25th Anniversary season continues with its new free virtual series 'Sondheim @ 90 Roundtable' with host Michael Weber, on Porchlight's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre.

Porchlight Music Theatre's 25th Anniversary season continues with a new free virtual series a?oeSondheim @ 90 Roundtablea?? with host Michael Weber, debuting Saturday, April 25 at 7 p.m. CST on Porchlight's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre.

Join WGN-TV's a?oeAround Towna?? correspondent Ana Belaval and a star-studded line-up of more than 20 top Chicago stage performers for Chicago Offstage! Live at Home, a virtual streaming event debuting live on Season of Concern's new YouTube channel (https://tinyurl.com/soctube) on Sunday, April 19, at 6 p.m. CST.

Gift yourself with the Tony nominated COME FROM AWAY.  It's simply marvelous.

COME FROM AWAY a?oeshouldn'ta?? work. I didn't walk away humming many of the melodies, there are very few solos songs to speak of a?? and yet, I am forever changed by the story of the kindness of the strangers from Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. COME FROM AWAY is the a?oelittle musical that coulda?? a?? it restores a small piece of your heart and your faith in humanity. Don't miss it.

Albuquerque has announced the national tour of COME FROM AWAY, a Broadway musical about the true story of the small town that welcomed the world, will make its Albuquerque debut in Popejoy Hall for a limited engagement June 9-14, 2020. COME FROM AWAY tickets are on sale now! To purchase tickets, visit popejoypresents.com, call 505-925-5858 or visit UNM Ticketing Services located at the UNM Bookstore or visit the new location on south campus at 800 Bradbury Drive SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. For groups of ten or more inquire at groups@popejoypresents.com.

Coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center from January 14th-19th is the national tour of Come From Away. I recently had the great pleasure of interviewing actor James Earl Jones II, who is currently in the production playing Bob & others.

All told, Come From Away, provides a powerfully inviting experience and is perfect for this holiday season. It preaches hope and love in a way that can be appreciated by everyone.

Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) and Broadway Across America (BAA) have announced the national tour of Come From Away, a Broadway musical about the true story of the small town that welcomed the world, will make its Dallas debut at the Music Hall at Fair Park for a limited engagement March 10-22, 2020. Come From Away tickets are on sale now!

COME FROM AWAY opened at RBTL's Auditorium Theatre on Tuesday, November 19th. During the shows run in Rochester, November 19-24, COME FROM AWAY and RBTL celebrated multiple small acts of kindness. Following suit with the themes of COME FROM AWAY and the kindness shown by those in Gander Newfoundland on 9/11 and the days that followed, RBTL and COME FROM AWAY are pleased to announce that a portion of proceeds from the Wednesday evening, 11/20 performance of COME FROM AWAY were donated to the Rochester Firefighters' Benevolent Association (RFBA). Cast members Kevin Carolan and James Earl Jones II presented the donation to Devon Monin, who is not only the Secretary for the Rochester Firefighters' Benevolent Association, but a firefighter as well. Prior to Wednesday evening's performance, there was a special recognition to those first responders in the audience. The RFBA was created back in the early 1800s and many generations of Rochester Fire Department personnel have kept the association going through the decades that have passed since then. To learn more, please visit http://www.rfba.us.

The national tour of COME FROM AWAY, a Broadway musical about the true story of the small town that welcomed the world, will make its Indianapolis debut at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler Arts Center for a limited engagement January 21-26. COME FROM AWAY tickets are on sale now at the Butler Arts Center box office, online at ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 1-800-982-2787. Groups of 10 or more can book now by calling 317-632-7469 x103.

Porchlight Music Theatre's 25th anniversary season began with the 14th Annual Chicago Sings concert: Chicago Sings 25 Years of Porchlight, Monday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m., at The Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave, directed by Christopher Pazdernik and Artistic Director Michael Weber with music direction by David Fiorello and a band featuring Kelsey Boltz, Cara Hartz, John McCreary, Greg Strauss, Celeste Park and Jake Saleh.

Direct from the Come From Away National Tour, Becky Gulsvig gets In Too Deep with T.J. Pieffer as they contemplate accents, Peter Pan, and Giordano's Deep Dish Pizza.

On Monday evening, July 22, members of the first National/North American tour of the Broadway hit musical COME FROM AWAY performed a special cabaret to benefit the Gander Legion in Gander, Newfoundland.

'On the northeast tip of North America, on an island called Newfoundland, there's an airport. It used to be one of the biggest airports in the world. And next to it is a town, called Gander.' These first lines of dialogue set the tone for a musical about community and acceptance in the face of adversity. That musical, Come From Away, just opened in Miami at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts as a leg of its first North American tour.

That the odds are against it underscores just what a tremendous achievement COME FROM AWAY represents. Almost two decades later, this still isn't easy ground to tread - not for creators and certainly not for audiences. But COME FROM AWAY rings true. It is reverent but not funereal, stirring but not saccharine. It works, perhaps, because it looks at 9/11 from a distance - not from the streets of Manhattan but the distant shores of Canada instead. And it purposely eschews the maudlin. There is no emotional browbeating in this show... It speaks to a part of us that we sometimes forget we have - the part that, we hope, will rise to the occasion and respond to tragedy with compassion and care...

On September 11, 2001, approximately 7,000 airline passengers were stranded in the sleepy Maritime town of Gander, Newfoundland. In a tremendous display of warmth and compassion, the townspeople opened their homes to the frightened newcomers, welcoming them like cherished friends. Their story is beautifully told in Come From Away, a beloved Broadway musical.

Come From Away on tour has landed in Los Angeles! The touring production of Come From Away stars Kevin Carolan (Disney's Newsies), Harter Clingman (Peter and The Starcatcher), Nick Duckart (In the Heights), Chamblee Ferguson, Becky Gulsvig (School of Rock the Musical), Julie Johnson (Memphis), Christine Toy Johnson (The Music Man), James Earl Jones II (The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess), Megan McGinnis (Les Miserables), Andrew Samonsky (South Pacific), Danielle K. Thomas (Avenue Q), Emily Walton (August Osage County), Marika Aubrey, Jane Bunting, Michael Brian Dunn, Julie Garnye, Adam Halpin, Aaron Michael Ray.

BroadwayWorld has an exclusive first look at Come From Away on Tour! Check out the video below! The touring production of Come From Away stars Kevin Carolan (Disney's Newsies), Harter Clingman (Peter and The Starcatcher), Nick Duckart (In the Heights), Chamblee Ferguson, Becky Gulsvig (School of Rock the Musical), Julie Johnson (Memphis), Christine Toy Johnson (The Music Man), James Earl Jones II (The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess), Megan McGinnis (Les Miserables), Andrew Samonsky (South Pacific), Danielle K. Thomas (Avenue Q), Emily Walton (August Osage County), Marika Aubrey, Jane Bunting, Michael Brian Dunn, Julie Garnye, Adam Halpin, Aaron Michael Ray.