Joan Crawford News

Renée Taylor's award-winning autobiographical comedy MY LIFE ON A DIET will arrive at George Street Playhouse next month, with performances beginning November 19 in the Arthur Laurents Theater at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.

Ray of Light's (ROL's) production of The Rocky Horror Show filled me with hope for the youth of America. Lest that sound a bit strange, allow me to explain. Yes, ROL's a?oeRockya?? delivers in spades on the sexy entertainment value of this transgressive, go-for-broke show. But a?" it is also grounded in layers and layers of queer showbiz history even though it is presented by performers and designers who are way too young to have been around for the real thing. Taking the written-in-the-1970s-but-set-in-the-1950s show as its starting point, this production adds loopy gay cultural references from the 1930s right up to the present day - as if concocted by some crazed drag queen and thrown into a blender to see if it will explode. Surprisingly, it never does and it somehow all works.

El Museo Mural Diego Rivera, del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL), presentará la exposición Soñando la fotografía a color. Un siglo de retrato coloreado en México, 1860-1960, curada por la historiadora del arte Tania Sanabria, la cual incluye más de 100 retratos y diferentes técnicas fotográficas, como el daguerrotipo, el ambrotipo y el autocromo. 

It's the weirdest and wonderful-est time of the year, and TodayTix is here with the best spooky, funky, and festive events and shows to complete your Halloween season. Weird & Wonderful Week is Oct. 22-31, and you can get tickets from $10 to some of the city's most unique offerings. So grab a pumpkin spice latte, throw on that costume (if that's your thing), and get ready to experience Chicago in all of its autumnal glory.

The award-winning, autobiographical comedy MY LIFE ON A DIET, starring Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning writer and actress Renée Taylor (a?oeThe Nannya??), is currently on a national tour, and the next stop will be at the George Street Playhouse's Arthur Laurents Theater in The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ). MY LIFE ON A DIET will be performed Tuesday, November 19 through Sunday, December 15, 2019.  The press opening is Friday, November 22, 2019. Tickets for this engagement can be obtained online at https://georgestreetplayhouse.org/shows/show/my-life-diet/.

Performances are set to begin this Tuesday, October 15th, with the official Opening Night on October 25th, for the new musical LAST DAYS OF SUMMER, presented by George Street Playhouse and directed by Jeff Calhoun (NEWSIES, GREASE, BIG RIVER). LAST DAYS OF SUMMER features book & lyrics by Steve Kluger (based on his best-selling novel) and music by Grammy Award winner Jason Howland (LITTLE WOMEN).

Actor-Singer-Director, Eric Michael Gillett, has joined the cast of Michael Colby and Paul Katz's Slay It With Music In Concert a?" to benefit International Rescue Committee. The original musical, acclaimed in both London and off-Broadway, is an ode to Grande Dame Guignol, the genre of 1960s horror movies in which stars like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford made screen comebacks, in the tradition of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Sunset Boulevard, and Psycho. It's a perfect way to cap off Halloween weekend, promising laughs, thrills and chills. The show is Saturday, November 2nd at 7 pm at The Green Room 42, on the 4th Floor of YOTEL at 42nd Street and 10th Avenue. The concert version features an all-star cast, directed by Charles Repole with musical direction by Phil Reno. Tickets range between $22.50 and $62.50, and are available now online at: https://tinyurl.com/yyyo4vhn. There is no minimum required at GR42.

Founded in 2012 (as Gay Play Day), the Toronto Queer Theatre Festival has been presenting plays by Toronto-based LGBTQ+ playwrights for the past seven years at the Alumnae Theatre and will present the eighth annual edition there once again from September 27 to September 28.

The Belmont Theater District (BTD), Chicago's largest theater district located in the Lakeview West and Lakeview East neighborhoods, hosts a celebration of theater for the month of October 2019. The Belmont Theater District acts as an advocate to create, promote and strengthen the diverse artistic offerings of the Lakeview West and Lakeview East neighborhoods to its residents and visitors.

Founded in 2012 (as Gay Play Day), the Toronto Queer Theatre Festival has been presenting plays by Toronto-based LGBTQ+ playwrights for the past seven years at the Alumnae Theatre and will present the eighth annual edition there once again from September 27 to September 28.

Michael Colby and Paul Katz, the creative team behind Tales of Tinseltown, have another Hollywood musical in the offing. On Saturday, November 2nd at 7 pm, The Green Room 42 presents Slay It With Music In Concert a?" to benefit International Rescue Committee. The original musical, acclaimed in both London and off-Broadway, is an ode to Grande Dame Guignol, the genre of 1960s horror movies in which stars like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford made screen comebacks, in the tradition of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Sunset Boulevard, and Psycho. It's a sharp way to cap off Halloween weekend, promising laughs, thrills and chills. The Green Room 42 is on the 4th Floor of YOTEL at 42nd Street and 10th Avenue. The concert version features an all-star cast, directed by Charles Repole with musical direction by Phil Reno. Tickets range between $22.50 and $62.50, and are available now online at: https://tinyurl.com/yyyo4vhn. There is no minimum required at GR42.

George Street Playhouse has a new home at the brand new NBPAC (New Brunswick Performing Arts Center) which also serves as the resident home for American Repertory Ballet, Crossroads Theatre Company and the Mason Gross School of the Arts. The new cultural venue is set to open this evening (Wednesday) with an invitational gala at 6 pm at the Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater, the larger of the two state-of-the-art theatres at NBPAC. This special event will feature two musical numbers performed by the stars of George Street Playhouse's upcoming engagement of the new musical LAST DAYS OF SUMMER, based on the best-selling novel by Steve Kruger and directed by Jeff Calhoun (GREASE, NEWSIES). NBPAC marks a new era in George Street Playhouse's esteemed history of bringing world-class productions to New Jersey audiences.

In Michael Leeds new murder-mystery comedy, on a dark stormy night, five men arrive at a cabin for a famous soap star's surprise birthday party. Each guest has been asked to dress as the birthday boy's favorite actress, Joan Crawford, in one of her signature roles - and the results aren't pretty, in more ways than one. As they wait for the star, the five 'Joans' begin drinking and dishing, soon dark secrets emerge and then there's one less Joan ... and then there are four…then three…then…? All this leads to a shocking and unforeseen ending. Featuring: David Bahgat as Gene Harlow, Frank Barnhart as Harvey Goldberg, Ralph Scott as Stewart Fry, David Allen Vargo as Leo Lawrence, Lane Schlicher as David Hoch, Stewart Jamison as Trick Rogers. Performances are August 21st thru the 31st, 2019 at the Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215. For tickets, visit: http://www.evolutiontheatre.org/

Over the last decade, Ryan Murphy has become one of the most influential creators in entertainment. The screenwriter, director and producer has won six Emmy Awards out of 28 nominations and a Tony Award in 2019 for Best Revival of a Play, as a producer. He has also earned three Grammy Award nominations, as a producer.

On Sunday, August 11th, Hollywood insider, Donelle Dadigan, and respected actress, Lee Purcell, hosted and invitation only screening of the documentary - THE MAX FACTOR.  The film takes a look behind the scenes into the star studded and astounding life of the inventor, pioneer and Hollywood' legendary King of Make-up.  The screening was followed by Q&A with the hosts and Filmmakers Clara and Julia Kuperberg and was moderated by film historian and critic, Leonard Maltin, who remarked 'The Max Factor Building is a true Hollywood treasure. I'm always happy to spend time there celebrating its history.' 

The Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival (FLMTF) opens its second production this season, the song and dance spectacular, Grand Hotel. The show runs July 10 through July 31 at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Emerson Park.

Donelle Dadigan, Founder and President of The Hollywood Museum in partnership with Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell (CD13), proudly unveiled the 2019 salute to the LGBT community's contributions to the entertainment industry last night to launched Los Angeles' Gay Pride weekend festivities.

An astounding nine-year-old Berlin Head leads a cast of amazingly talented kids.

Lily Tomlin, upon accepting her award, remarked 'My partner Jane and I are honored and want to thank you for this award. It is amazing to see this whole outpouring for the LGBT community. Jane, couldnt be here tonight, but asked that I share her remarks 'We love the thought of being called Trail-Blazers. It makes us feel current and something out of Marvel Comics.'  Neither of us has a good sense of direction, so we thought being called trail-blazers implies that we somehow new where we were going. So thank you for thinking of us as trail-blazers, rather than as museum pieces.  Of course, there were times, Im afraid, we got lost on that trail and were more bewildered than blazing.  We are still blazing, but we have had to cool down a bit. After all, we need to take care not to add to global warming.'

The North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie is pleased to present a three-week engagement of Renee Taylor's MY LIFE ON A DIET at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie in the Northlight Theatre space from Tuesday, July 16 through Sunday, August 4, 2019.