John F Kennedy News

The extraordinary is turned ordinary when the need to be heard, to believe in the right of happiness, overcomes what reason dictates one should do to achieve it; reason becomes as much of an ally as it is a weapon. What is so beautiful about Sondheim's Assassins is not only how the root of such an evil deed is understood as something so human, but this 'American Musical Comedy' is nothing short of brilliant - especially when presented by Brooklyn Heights' own Theater 2020.

The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, is pleased to announce that in addition to its Music Honoree Alan Menken, it will pay tribute to Corporate Honoree American Airlines, and Foundation Honoree Hillary and Bill Weldon of the Gracie and Hope Foundation, at its 35th Birthday Gala, Part of His World: The Songs of Alan Menken, on Monday, April 30, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, presented by The New York Pops.

Due to demand, The New Group has announced a three-week extension for Jerry Springer - The Opera, with Matt McGrath appearing as Jerry Springer beginning March 13.  Terrence Mann, currently appearing in the role of Jerry Springer, plays his final performance March 11 due to an existing commitment beyond that date.

Lifelong professional musician and Universal Music Center Executive Director and Founder Mike Arturi (longtime member of rock band The Lovin' Spoonful known for hits including 'Do You Believe in Magic' and 'Summer in the City') will join students from Minnesota Turnaround Arts Schools for a special performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Arturi and the students will perform a hand drum and dance presentation as part of the Turnaround Arts Talent Show on Sunday, March 11 at 4 p.m.

The Martha Graham Dance Company's spring NEW@Graham event will feature a look inside two works that are new to the Company: Lucinda Childs' Histoire and Lar Lubovitch's The Legend of Ten. For Histoire, Childs has expanded a 1999 duet she created for the Company into a work for eight dancers. The Legend of Ten joins the Company's repertory in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. Excerpts from both works will be performed by the renowned Graham dancers and introduced by Graham Company Artistic Director Janet Eilber. The Company will premiere both works during its New York City Center season in April.

Legendary singer and 2016 Kennedy Center Honoree Mavis Staples will headline and curate a special evening for the 2018 Kennedy Center Spring Gala on Sunday, May 6, 2018, in the Concert Hall. An Evening with Mavis Staples and Special Guests will lead guests through her 60-plus year catalog of genre-defying contributions to American music-seminal works that have woven Staples into the very fabric of gospel, soul, folk pop, R&B, Hip Hop, blues, and rock. The evening will include performances by Staples and additional talent to be announced at a later date. The event is chaired by Frances and Craig Lindner.

Tony Award nominee Santino Fontana, 'one of the most promising young actors to emerge in the New York Theater in recent years' (The New York Times), will step into the role of Cornelius Hackl in the most successful and beloved Broadway production of the year, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival, Hello, Dolly!.Fontana, filling in for Gavin Creel, who won a 2017 Tony Award for the role, joins the company for a limited time beginning Tuesday, March 13. Creel will be out of the show during this time as he recovers from back surgery.

The Historic Ali Cultural Arts is proud to present one of the most acclaimed new jazz performers in the world, Matthew Whitaker. The blind teen prodigy has been hailed by critics for his virtuoso style on the piano and the Hammond B3 organ. Whitaker was recently profiled on the Today Show and has been seen on a variety of TV programs including Ellen, CBS Sunday Morning and Good Morning Japan. Last year, he debuted his critically acclaimed first CD, Outta the Box, featuring a mix of original compositions and his take on the classics.

The internationally renowned Lar Lubovitch Dance Company celebrates its 50th anniversary this spring with two programs at The Joyce Theater featuring the world premiere of Lar Lubovitch's Something About Night as well as signature works from the Company's vast repertory. The Company will be joined by the Martha Graham Dance Company and principals from The Joffrey Ballet, each performing seminal Lubovitch dances in honor of this milestone year. Performances are at The Joyce Theater April 17–22, 2018 (Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30pm, Thursday and Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm).

 Musica Viva NY presents Infinite Hope, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s untimely death and celebrating his life and legacy, on Sunday, April 8, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.

Yale Repertory Theatre (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) presents Father Comes Home From the Wars, Parts 1, 2 & 3 by Suzan-Lori Parks, directed by Liz Diamond, March 16-April 7, at the University Theatre (222 York Street). Opening Night is Thursday, March 22. Father Comes Home From the Wars, Parts 1, 2 & 3 is a co-production with San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater, where it will play April 25-May 20.

White Bird is proud to welcome Jessica Lang Dance to the Newmark Theatre, March 8-10, marking the company's first time in Portland. Founded in 2011 in New York City, Jessica Lang Dance (JLD) creates and performs diverse repertoire, often with strong visuals and intense musicality. The Washington Post has declared that "Lang has a gift for conveying emotion with exquisite simplicity."  Her work has been called "stunning" and "vibrantly cinematic" by Arts Birmingham (Alabama), and The Boston Globe states that "we enter new realms with each dance."

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents the semi-staged Broadway Center Stage concert production of CHESS, the epic rock opera about love and political intrigue set against the backdrop of the Cold War as two superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends.

Azuka Theatre continues its commitment to local playwrights with the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere and The Virginia & Harvey Kimmel New Professionals Production of Ready Steady Yeti Go by David Jacobi. Allison Heishman directs this uplifting, hilarious and tender comedy about young star-crossed lovers navigating the pitfalls of falling in love while dealing with prying eyes - and the 'White Guilt Perfect Storm' that threatens to drown their relationship.

Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced the date and partial casting for its 2018 WNO Gala, which takes place on Sunday, May 20 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. The annual Gala concert features a world-class cast  starring Tony and GRAMMY Award-winning actor Patti LuPone; Emmy-nominated singer and actor Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, 30 Rock); and stars from WNO's current season—mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard (Rosina in The Barber of Seville) and soprano Kathryn Lewek (Cunegonde in Candide)—as well as members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program and other special guests to be announced at a later date. Renowned baritone Nathan Gunn will host and perform, alongside his wife, pianist Julie Gunn.   Conductor John DeMain leads the WNO Orchestra in this event honoring the centennial of iconic composer, conductor, educator, and humanitarian Leonard Bernstein's birth. The WNO Gala is the culminating event in this season's Center-wide celebration of the musical genius, and Jamie Bernstein, the composer's eldest daughter, will also participate in the festivities.   Gala packages for the full evening include a cocktail reception on the Kennedy Center's River Terrace at 4:30 p.m., followed by the 6 p.m. performance. The event concludes with elegant dinners hosted by Ambassadors and foreign dignitaries at embassies and residences throughout Washington.

Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced the date and partial casting for its 2018 WNO Gala, which takes place on Sunday, May 20 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. The annual Gala concert features a world-class cast starring Tony® and GRAMMY® Award-winning actor Patti LuPone; Emmy®-nominated singer and actor Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, 30 Rock); and stars from WNO's current season-mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard (Rosina inThe Barber of Seville) and soprano Kathryn Lewek (Cunegonde in Candide)-as well as members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program and other special guests to be announced at a later date. Renowned baritone Nathan Gunn will host and perform, alongside his wife, pianist Julie Gunn.

Good morning BroadwayWorld! Today's top stories come out of D.C.'s Kennedy Center: CHESS opens, starring Raul Esparza, Karen Olivo, and Ramin Karimloo; and Corey Cott, Solea Pfeiffer and more lead WEST SIDE STORY in concert!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts continues the inaugural season of Broadway Center Stage with In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda's debut Broadway musical with a book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Quiara Alegría Hudes. Winner of four 2008 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and Best Score, In the Heightstells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood-a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams, and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you and which ones you leave behind. Presented as a part of Broadway Center Stage, a Kennedy Center-produced series of musicals in semi-staged concerts, In the Heightswill run March 21-25, 2018 in the Eisenhower Theater.

Take a trip to the White House (London Theatre Workshop) this Valentine's Day with the fabulous cast of HOT LIPS AND COLD WAR. Written by Lizzie Freeborn and set in the 1960s during John F. Kennedy's presidency, this charming musical promises plenty of passion and glamour! President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe have returned to the White House in style! Directed by Tim McArthur. Production photographs featured below by Jamie Scott-Smith.

Join the Utah Symphony and Music Director Thierry Fischer the final weekend of February and the first weekend of March for two programs of rarely-performed works celebrating the 100th birthday of beloved late composer, conductor, and pianist Leonard Bernstein. Tickets are priced from $23-83 and can be purchased at utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.