Lucille Ball News

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 92-year-old Palace Theatre has received a full facelift of its 2,691-seat auditorium. The first major renovation for the Palace since 1984, the six-month, main-hall makeover included the repair of damaged plaster, new paint in a new color scheme, all-new seats on the main floor, full refurbishment of balcony seats, and installation of a new LED house lighting system in the dome and main chandelier. The first public performance in the fully renovated auditorium will be Grammy-nominated comedian Jim Gaffigan on Friday, November 2.

In Audrey Schebat's La Perruche a married couple, while waiting for their friends to attend a small soiree, fall into disagreement and start to analyze the nature of their relationship. This couple, male and female, don a veritable wardrobe of well-worn married archetypes. Throughout the play we witness 1950's dynamics, 1990's sitcom banter, what feels like an allusion to A Doll's House, and contemporary technology. These masks, coupled with little analysis of social circumstances that somehow brought them to this state in 2018, create a loss of dramatic intimacy. However, actors Arie Elmaleh and Barbara Schulz are superb as they emit heat and passion within the artifice.

Emmy-nominated actress Illeana Douglas will receive the 'Pioneer in Comedy Award,' at the first annual Palm Springs International Comedy Festival's awards gala, scheduled for Saturday, November 10, 2018. The award-winning actress/producer/author will be honored for her trailblazing work in the first ever branded celebrity Web series 'Easy to Assemble' that opened doors for all the streaming shows to follow.

Emmy-nominated actress Illeana Douglas will receive the 'Pioneer in Comedy Award,' at the first annual Palm Springs International Comedy Festival's awards gala, scheduled for Saturday, November 10, 2018. The award-winning actress/producer/author will be honored for her trailblazing work in the first ever branded celebrity Web series 'Easy to Assemble' that opened doors for all the streaming shows to follow.

Broadway's most sensational onstage and offstage stars, passionate fans, avid collectors and animated bidders celebrated the biggest day for Broadway fans on Sunday, September 30, 2018, as the 32nd Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction raised $906,825 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Jerry Herman's second great triumph following the success of Hello Dolly! was Mame in 1966 and a triumphant Broadway debut for Tony winning Angela Lansbury. Based on Patrick Dennis' memoir of his wildly eccentric aunt, the story lent itself beautifully to Herman's upbeat score. It is rarely revived, and thanks to the Musical Theatre Guild, who do fully staged readings of old or lesser known musicals, we got a lovely presentation on Sunday September 23 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.

One sure sign of a troubled musical is the inability to recall a single tune from the twenty listed in the show's program immediately following the performance. But that's not all that needs adjusting in Pegasus Theatre's ambitious new work, THE CUBAN AND THE REDHEAD, onstage at the Charles W. Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts through September 30th.

THE GREEN ROOM 42 will present Rachel York, currently starring on Broadway in the new musical Head Over Heels, in her concert "Thank You for the Music" on Sunday, November 18 at 7:00 PM. In a delightful evening of stories and song, Rachel pays tribute to the glorious women who helped shape her career. She includes numbers made famous by early inspirations, her stage and screen favorites, and a few surprises that have touched her heart in a special way.

Have you ever heard of Tom Willard? The Rochester-based standup comedian plans to put on his first one-man show during the upcoming KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival. 'TOM WILLARD: A Comedian You've Never Heard Of' will take place 7 pm Today, Sept. 12, 2018 at Writers & Books, 740 University Ave. in Rochester's Neighborhood of the Arts.

One of the industry's most beloved artists, Lucie Arnaz, swings by Shetler Studios to talk to Rob and Kevin about her fifty plus year stage career. From her roots on CBS' Here's Lucy, starring her mother Lucille Ball, to her celebrated concert career, Lucie has been entertaining audiences in such shows as Seesaw, My One and Only, Lost in Yonkers, Social Security, Once Upon a Mattress, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, I Do! I Do! and, the musical for which she received her Tony Award nomination, They're Playing Our Song!

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will open their 23nd Anniversary season with Jerry Herman's classic musical MAME. The one-night-only concert will take place at Glendale's historic Alex Theatre on Sunday, September 23, 2018 at 7:00 PM.

Ovation West Musical Theatre presents "Funny Girl" September 14 through October 7 at Center Stage, 27608 Fireweed Drive, Evergreen, CO, 80439. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $30 Adults; $26 seniors (62+), $20 Youth (18 and under), $25 groups of 10 or more and available by phone 303-674-4002 or online at www.ovationwest.org.

Music Theater Works (formerly Light Opera Works) presents Cole Porter's classic 1930s musical comedy, ANYTHING GOES, at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, August 18 through 26. A Big Band orchestra accompanies such well-known songs as 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' 'It's De-Lovely,' 'Friendship' and 'You're the Top.'

Have you ever heard of Tom Willard? The Rochester-based standup comedian plans to put on his first one-man show during the upcoming KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival. 'TOM WILLARD: A Comedian You've Never Heard Of' will take place 7 pm Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 at Writers & Books, 740 University Ave. in Rochester's Neighborhood of the Arts.

Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson from Little House on the Prairie) and Carter Calvert portray Louise Seger and Patsy Cline, respectively, in the Ted Swindley comedic musical entitled ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE, which is based on a true story that has humor that can be appreciated both by major Patsy Cline fans and people who never heard of her. I highly recommend this comedy.

Pegasus Theatre presents The Cuban and the Redhead, a new musical about Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, with book, music and lyrics by Robert Bartley and Danny Whitman. Tickets are on sale now.

Gianni Valenti, the music world's gift to New York City, has created another venue for the performing arts. Jim Caruso made it official last night as he introduced Lucie Arnaz, who with her longtime friend and music director Ron Abel thrilled a celebrity filled opening night audience.

On Thursday, July 12th, Hollywood maven and powerhouse, Donelle Dadigan, (Co-Founder of the Jose Iturbi Foundation/President & Founder of The Hollywood Museum, Chairman of The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce) invited a select group of VIPs for an evening of dinner and a concert at The Hollywood Bowl as the Los Angeles Philharmonic presented an evening of Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.2 under the stars with Behzod Abduraimov on piano and conductor, Gustavo Dudamel.

Good morning BroadwayWorld! Today's top stories: watch the cast of Hello, Dolly! perform at Broadway Barks, and more!

Celebrated Actor, Producer, Director and Composer, Roger Perry, passed away yesterday of Prostate Cancer at home with his loving wife, Joyce, holding his hand.