Judy Garland News

The University Musical Society (UMS) of the University of Michigan will add a free performance of Glasgow-based performance artist FK Alexander's (I Could Go On Singing) Over the Rainbow on Monday, January 29, 2018 at 7 pm. This special performance, which will last about an hour, will be streamed at ums.org/live and via Facebook Live at facebook.com/UMSNews. Tickets for the free, in-person experience will be distributed via lottery at ums.org/rainbow. The lottery is open for registration now and will close on Tuesday, January 23. Lottery winners will be notified via email no later than Thursday, January 25. Attendees must consent to be filmed during the performance for the livestream and archive.

Razorhurst, a new musical commissioned by Luna Stage, will begin performances February 1 and run through March 4, as the second show in Luna's 25th anniversary season. The show is directed by Luna's Artistic Director Cheryl Katz with book and lyrics by Kate Mulley and music composed by Andy Peterson. The two person cast features Catherine Fries Vaughn as Kate Leigh and Claire McClanahan Tilly Devine, both are New Jersey based performers.

KADM Productions has released the official trailer for the New York City premiere of THE GIRL WHO JUMPED OFF THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN, a solo show written and performed by South Australian theatre maker Joanne Hartstone

Tori Scott, named one of Time Out New York's top 10 Cabaret artists, is returning to London this year and making her VAULT Festival debut with Thirsty! Direct from sell-out performances at Joe's Pub at The Public Theatre, New York and Live at Zedel in London, this unstoppable show celebrates poor life choices and Tori's unconditional love of vodka.

The beauty and wonder of The Wizard of Oz is coming to the Washington Pavilion through special, themed programming and events from January 16-25. Programs include a Broadway touring musical, art displays, family story time, science workshops and art studios that will feature a Wizard of Oz connection.

Award-winning music producer, critic and translator Lawrence Schulman, who lives on Mount Desert Island, Maine, will give a talk on Judy Garland, entitled Moments of Magic, at Piper Shores in Scarborough, Maine on Monday, April 30, 2018 at 3 P.M. Admission is free. The one-and-a-quarter hour talk will examine Judy Garland's life and career, and feature nine audio-video clips, to be followed by a question and answer. Schulman will endeavor to answer the question: If I had about one hour to convince you of Judy Garland's place in classic American popular music, what film and television performances would I choose?

From her first utterance while perched on the H of the Hollywood Sign, Joanne Hartstone convinces us that she is failed Golden Age actress Evie Edwards. Even before we know why this young actress has resolved to end her life as Peg Entwistle did, we feel the urgency of her plight. Written by Hartstone herself, THE GIRL WHO JUMPED OFF THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN--a hit with audiences and critics alike at the Adelaide and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals--makes its New York debut at Theater for the City, fresh off a successful Hollywood run. THE GIRL WHO JUMPED OFF THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN would be impressive if written by someone other than its star. But Hartstone's writing is as powerful and nuanced as her performance. In spite of some sound glitches on opening night, the one-woman show nicely directed by Vince Fusco was captivating from start to finish.

Following on from a successful run of the in-house produced Brassed Off in 2017, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre today announced that it will stage a new production of Amanda Whittington's LADIES' DAY from Friday 13 Saturday 28 July 2018. LADIES' DAY is an exuberant comedy about four likely lasses who work at a fish factory on a day trip to the races.

Breathing new life into the 1939 classic motion picture, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams' adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ finally landed in Sydney to the delight of the opening night audience. A feast of colour, movement, pyrotechnics, incredible costumes and clever new music combines with fabulous performances from a stellar cast of two and four legged talent.

When Judy Garland stepped out onto the stage at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961, the raucous standing ovation that greeted her was just the start of what has been called the greatest night in showbusiness history. Award-winning actress/singer Jody Briskey will channel Garland and recreate that night's iconic performance in Garland in Word and Song at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park. The production, produced by Black Box Booking (The Jazz Singer, Danny Kaye & Sylvia), will run from January 26th through February 11th.

Wilton's Music Hall will host the European premi re of Songs For Nobodies (running 21 March 7 April), a brand new play with songs featuring music from five iconic divas; Judy Garland, Pasty Cline, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf and Maria Callas. Accompanied by live musicians, this funny and moving performance was written especially for Bernadette Robinson by Joanna Murray-Smith (Honour, Bombshells, The Female of the Species) and directed by Simon Phillips (Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the Musical).

Producers of the Tooting Arts Club production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which broke the Barrow Street Theatre sales house record for the week ending December 31st, announced today that Thom Sesma (as Sweeney Todd), Sally Ann Triplett (as Mrs. Lovett), Zachary Noah Piser (as Tobias), Billy Harrigan Tighe (as Anthony) and DeLaney Westfall (as Johanna) will join current cast members Michael James Leslie (as Judge Turpin), John Rapson (as The Beadle) and Stacie Bono (as Pirelli & Beggar Woman) startingTuesday, February 27, 2018. The cast also includes Matt Leisy, Liz Pearce, Danny Rothman and Monet Sabel.

After successful runs in Hollywood, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Adelaide Fringe Festival, this show about Hollywood's Golden Age opens in New York at Theater for the New City.

Celine Dion Talks Lady Gaga's Upcoming Vegas Residency

From January 17 to February 3, 2018, the University Musical Society of the University of Michigan (UMS) presents No Safety Net, a three-week theater festival of four productions that foster timely conversations around slavery, terrorism, transgender identity, and radical wellness and healing. Two of the titles are U.S. premieres and will receive their only U.S. performances as part of No Safety Net. Performances will be held in Arthur Miller Theatre (1226 Murfin Ave, Ann Arbor) and the Stamps Gallery (201 S. Division St, Ann Arbor), with each title examining a different topic related to contemporary social issues.

Nicky Wood, a locally-grown budding producer, director, and performer, bids a fond farewell to his childhood home as he prepares to travel the world, pursuing international opportunities with Norwegian Cruise Lines Creative Studios. A 'bon voyage' dinner isn't Wood's cup of tea. The 22-year-old has set out to produce what he calls, 'he 'swan song' of the century,' a swinging, musical revue spectacular entitled: THE RAT PACK NEW YEAR'S CONCERT. The show will mark Wood's 10th production as a producer/director and will run at his childhood playground, The Barn Theatre, December 28-31, 2017.

Praised by the New York Times for his genuine originality, Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter released seven studio albums, three DVDs and three live albums, including the Grammy-nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, which captured his celebrated Judy Garland tribute performance at the London Palladium in 2007.

SPEND NEW YEAR'S EVE IN NEW HOPE WITH STEVEN BRINBERG IS SIMPLY BARBRA! at The RRAZZ ROOM New Hope PA - Sunday 12/31/17 8 PM: For Tickets & Information: 888 596 1027 or www.TheRRazzRoom.com

A look back at the very best local productions that 2017 had to offer.

In 1944, MGM debuted a new family classic for the ages. Centering on the Smith family of St. Louis, Missouri, the musical Meet Me in St. Louis follows a year in the life of the large, tight-knit clan as they navigate an auspicious year in the city's history. Going season by season, the film's focus is set on the Smith's eager anticipation the arrival of the World's Fair in their beloved hometown.