There's a transcendent moment in 'Twisted Melodies,' the one-man Donny Hathaway show by Kelvin Roston Jr. at Mosaic Theater Company, in which the audience and performer are one, singing and clapping to 'The Ghetto,' under his direction, and getting a groove on.
The Apollo Theater will bring the New York premiere of TWISTED MELODIES, an intimate one-man production inspired by the life, artistry, and struggles of 1970s soul singer and composer Donny Hathaway, to its iconic stage, 45 years after Hathaway himself last performed on it.
This visceral American classic serves as the 1920s chapter of August Wilson's epic American Century Cycle. What begins as a routine recording session becomes more strained as tensions rise between the members of a blues band and the owners of the recording studio. The white producers mean to exploit the talents of the band especially the gifted and impulsive Levee but when Ma insists on having things her way, tensions are enflamed and the play builds to an unexpected and searing climax.
The Apollo Theater will bring the New York premiere of TWISTED MELODIES, an intimate one-man production about the life, artistry, and struggles of 1970s soul singer and composer Donny Hathaway, to its iconic stage, 45 years after Hathaway himself last performed on it. From his hits with Roberta Flack, his solo songs, and his work as both an arranger and studio musician for artists such as Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Staples Singers, to his diagnosis of schizophrenia, Hathaway's personal struggles both inspired and hampered his music. On the 40th anniversary of his untimely death, Hathaway will be honored posthumously with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2019, celebrating his influence and contributions to the music industry that continue today. Directed by Derrick Sanders and featuring Kelvin Roston Jr., this limited engagement at the Apollo Theater opens on Thursday, May 30 and runs through Sunday, June 2. Ahead of the production, a free Live Wire conversation with musician Gordon Chambers, "Everything is Everything, the Music of Donny Hathaway," will take place on May 13 at 6:30p.m. as part of the Theater's education series that honors iconic artists who have impacted the arts and culture.
Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, continues its 2018/19 season with August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, directed by Writers Theatre Resident Director Ron OJ Parson. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom runs February 6 - March 17, 2019 in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. The Press Opening is Wednesday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, continues its 2018/19 season with August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, directed by Writers Theatre Resident Director Ron OJ Parson. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom runs February 6 - March 17, 2019 in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. The Press Opening is Wednesday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m.
TimeLine Theatre Company announces its inaugural "FIRST DRAFT: A TimeLine Playwrights Collective Festival,' the culmination of the company's latest two-year new-play incubator program offering residency to Chicago-based emerging and established writers. FIRST DRAFT will take place December 1 - 3, 2018, at TimeLine's home at 615 W. Wellington Avenue in Chicago, with free public readings of new plays by current Playwrights Collective members Tyla Abercrumbie, Will Allan, Maureen Gallagher, and Calamity West.
Porchlight Music Theatre begins its sixth season of Chicago's "lost" musicals in staged concert series with Porchlight Revisits 1776, music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and book by Peter Stone with direction by Artistic Director Michael Weber, musical direction by Jeremy Ramey and musical staging by Michelle Lauto. Porchlight Revisits 1776 is presented for only three performances Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 15 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Tickets for 1776 are available now for $37, subscriptions to the three performance series including 1776, Can-Can, March 6 and 7, 2019 and Minnie's Boys, May 22 and 23, 2019 are $90/per person and available at porchlightmusictheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office at 773.777.9884.
Porchlight Music Theatre begins its sixth season of Chicago's "lost" musicals in staged concert series with Porchlight Revisits 1776, music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and book by Peter Stone with direction by Artistic Director Michael Weber, musical direction by Jeremy Ramey and musical staging by Michelle Lauto.
Ghost The Musical opened to a full house on Sunday, September 16 for its Opening Night performance. Linda Fortunato directed and choreographed the production which stars Garrett Lutz in the role of ghostly hero Sam, Donica Lynn as psychic Oda Mae and Courtney Mack in the role of Molly Jensen. This is Chicagoland's first regional production of the newly imagined Ghost The Musical. Performances continue through October 14.
Porchlight Music Theatre welcomed a sold out crowd at the 13th Annual Chicago Sings concert fundraiser; Chicago Sings The MGM Musicals, held Monday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m., at Second City's UP Comedy Club, 230 W. North Ave, direction by Keely Vasquez, music direction by Porchlight Artistic Associate Beckie Menzie, stage management by Jake Allen Miller and sound design Robert Hornbostel. Monday's event was the company's most successful Chicago Sings to date. Sales from this one-night-only performance benefit Porchlight Music Theatre's youth educational and community outreach programming raising more than $54,000.
Theatre at the Center (TATC) and Director and Choreographer Linda Fortunato have cast Garrett Lutz in the role of ghostly hero Sam, Donica Lynn as psychic Oda Mae and Courtney Mack in the role of Molly Jensen for Chicagoland's first regional production of the newly imagined Ghost The Musical. Previews begin September 13 with an Opening Night on September 16 and performances continuing through October 14.
Victory Gardens Theater Artistic Director Chay Yew, Managing Director Erica Daniels and Director of New Play Development Skyler Gray announce the lineup for the 10th Anniversary IGNITION Festival of New Plays, including Prosthesis by Robert Askins; Untitled Road Trip Play by Lauren Yee; White History by Dave Harris; How to Defend Yourself by Lily Padilla; Seeing Eye by Nick Malakhow; and The First Deep Breath by Lee Edward Colston II. The 2018 Festival runs August 3 -5, 2018 at Victory Gardens Theater, located at 2433 N Lincoln Avenue.
The eighth and final production of Mosaic Theater Company's upcoming fourth season will be Twisted Melodies, a critically acclaimed one-man show about the life and music of troubled genius Donny Hathaway performed by the multi-talented Kelvin Roston Junior. Twisted Melodies is being produced by Baltimore Center Stage and Congo Square Theatre Company in association with The Apollo Theater and Mosaic in a unique three-city co-production.
The Apollo Theater today announced that it will bring to its iconic stage two new performances that continue its commitment to articulating and projecting the African American narrative through arts and culture. In October 2018, The Apollo will celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud," the Godfather of Soul James Brown's seminal Black Power anthem, with the premiere of Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud at 50 under the musical direction of six-time GRAMMY®- Award-winner Christian McBride. In May of 2019, in a co-production between The Apollo, Baltimore Center Stage, and Mosaic Theater, Kelvin Roston Jr. will pay homage to Donny Hathaway in the New York premiere of the one man play Twisted Melodies. Tickets for both productions will go on sale July 1st.
For a really, enjoyable evening, don't miss New Theatre Restaurant's musicalized version of the 1992 film comedy 'Sister Act' with a great score by Alan Menken and Glen Slater. Here is a show with a cast that features absolutely NO WEAK SISTERS. Seldom does an audience get to sit back and simply smile. You know what is coming and it is still fun.
Writers Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma announce initial casting for the company's previously announced 2018/19 season.
Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2017-18 season with Skeleton Crew, written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Ron OJ Parson. Skeleton Crew runs January 25 March 3, 2018 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is Friday, February 2, 2018 at 8pm.
Court Theatre, under the continuing leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Stephen J. Albert, Executive Director, announces the extension of Five Guys Named Moe by Clarke Peters, directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson, Music Director Abdul Hamid Royal and Associate Director Felicia P. Fields. Five Guys Named Moe, which features Louis Jordan's greatest hits, now runs through October 15, 2017 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Tickets to extension performances of Five Guys Named Moe are on sale and available by calling the box office at (773) 753-4472 or www.CourtTheatre.org.
Court Theatre, under the continuing leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Stephen J. Albert, Executive Director, opens its 2017-2018 season with Five Guys Named Moe by Clarke Peters, directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson, Music Director Abdul Hamid Royal and Associate Director Felicia P. Fields. Five Guys Named Moe, which features Louis Jordan's greatest hits, runs now through October 8, 2017 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. The press opening is tomorrow, September 16, 2017, and BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
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