M. Wood News

Giacomo Puccini's indelible characters, led by doomed lovers Mimì and Rodolfo, make a 120-year leap from the 1840s to the 1960s as Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) premieres a new production of the much beloved, often-reinvented La Bohème. Transitioning the story of mid-19thcentury Parisian bohemian artists to mid-20th century student artists on the brink of social change, thisBohème opens BLO's French-influenced 2015/2016 Season and runs tonight, October 2, through October 11, 2015 at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Shubert Theatre.

Boston, MA — Giacomo Puccini's indelible characters, led by doomed lovers Mimì and Rodolfo, make a 120-year leap from the 1840s to the 1960s as Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) premieres a new production of the much beloved, often-reinvented La Bohème.  Transitioning the story of mid-19thcentury Parisian bohemian artists to mid-20th century student artists on the brink of social change, thisBohème opens BLO's French-influenced 2015/2016 Season and runs October 2-11, 2015 at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Shubert Theatre.

The second edition of the novel will include a redesigned cover and its release coincides with the release of Vows to the Fallen, a prequel to 'The Marathon Watch,' set in the South Pacific during World War II. The re-release of 'The Marathon Watch' came in response to some of the readers' feedback comments from the original novel, published March 2014. In the updated version, some of the original content that was deleted in the first edition will be added back in, and other material will be removed in order to improve readability. 'I really wanted to polish 'The Marathon Watch' so that readers of Vows to the Fallen can move right over and enjoy 'The Marathon Watch',' said Laswell. 'The core story in 'The Marathon Watch' won't change, but the second edition will be much richer and more colorful.' The 2nd version of 'The Marathon Watch' will be available for purchase on Amazon.com. Laswell will release the first chapter of his second novel, Vows to the Fallen in May, with a pre-release version of the book available for review by book bloggers and the media. Larry continues to encourage fans and readers to provide feedback on his works, as well as read and comment on his Navy life 'Sea Stories' and military-inspired blog posts via his website, www.larrylaswell.com. About Larry Laswell: Larry served in the US Navy eight years. In navy parlance, he was a mustang, someone who rose from the enlisted ranks to receive an officer's commission. While in the navy, he served as Main Engines officer aboard the USS Intrepid CV-11, and as Submarine Warfare Officer aboard the USS William M Wood DD-715. Now retired, he fills his spare time with woodworking and furniture design. He continues to work on The Marathon Watch series, an upcoming Science Fiction series, and an anthology of over eighty humorous sea stories. For more information about Larry Laswell, visit http://www.larrylaswell.com.

'The book is a tribute to the destroyer sailors, especially those who fought in the Pacific in World War II,' said Laswell. 'I thought that August 15th would be a fitting date to release it.' Laswell wanted to honor the tremendous heroism of destroyer sailors who became a major 'point of the spear' and suffered most of the hardships in WWII following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Laswell's first novel, 'The Marathon Watch,' is a military book set during the Vietnam War, which follows a courageous naval captain and his crew aboard the USS Farnley, one of the oldest U.S. naval destroyers. His second novel, 'Vows to the Fallen,' set in the South Pacific during World War II, follows the main character, Captain O'Toole, but serves as a prequel to The Marathon Watch. In Vows to the Fallen, O'Toole is a young lieutenant when the carnage of his first battle traumatized him, and must learn to handle the challenging role as leader, and deal with the reality of war: command decisions have consequences for his men. Last year, Laswell donated 50 percent of his book sales for his first novel, 'The Marathon Watch' to the USS KIDD (DD-661) Veterans Memorial Museum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was here that Laswell conducted some of his research on World War II destroyers for Vows to the Fallen. 'It was sort of a journey home to me, and the thing that surprised me is that I served on a WWII-class destroyer that had undergone modernization, and the differences were night and day,' Laswell said. 'They were two entirely different ships, even though they were the same class destroyer.' Laswell will release the first chapter of 'Vows to the Fallen' in May, with a pre-release version of the book available for review by book bloggers, especially those specializing in military, action or adventure books. Laswell also plans to conduct a book tour in July leading up to the book launch in August. He invites fans and readers to read and comment on his blog posts, which include military topics of conversation, his real-life sea stories about his life in the Navy, and the back story to 'Vows to the Fallen.' Reviewers interested in previewing an advanced copy of 'Vows to the Fallen' should contact Laswell via his website, www.larrylaswell.com. About Larry Laswell: Larry served in the US Navy eight years. In navy parlance, he was a mustang, someone who rose from the enlisted ranks to receive an officer's commission. While in the navy, he served as Main Engines officer aboard the USS Intrepid CV-11, and as Submarine Warfare Officer aboard the USS William M Wood DD-715. Now retired, he fills his spare time with woodworking and furniture design. He continues to work on 'The Marathon Watch' series, an upcoming Science Fiction series, and an anthology of over eighty humorous sea stories. For more information about Larry Laswell, visit http://www.larrylaswell.com.

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents the Tudor tragedy ?Anna Bolena by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) in a new production conducted by Patrick Summers and directed by Kevin Newbury. It opens on Saturday, December 6 with 8 performances through Friday, January 16. Performance dates are Dec. 6, 9, 15, Jan. 7, 10, and 16 at 7:30pm; and Dec. 12 and 21 at 2pm.

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents the Tudor tragedy Anna Bolena by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) in a new production by Kevin Newbury conducted by Patrick Summers. It opens tonight, December 6 with 8 performances through Friday, January 16.

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents the Tudor tragedy Anna Bolena by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) in a new production by Kevin Newbury conducted by Patrick Summers. It opens on Saturday, December 6 with 8 performances through Friday, January 16. Performance dates are Dec. 6, 9, 15, Jan. 7, 10, and 16 at 7:30pm; and Dec. 12 and 21at 2pm.

San Francisco Opera's 2014-15 Season opens tonight, September 5, 2014 with a dramatic new production of Vincenzo Bellini's bel canto masterpiece Norma, starring American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in one of opera's most dazzling and demanding roles. American mezzo-soprano Daveda Karanas is the young priestess Adalgisa; Italian tenor Marco Berti is Pollione; and American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn is Oroveso. Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus and Director Kevin Newbury and set designer David Korins return to San Francisco Opera to premiere this vivid, large-scale new co-production with Toronto's Canadian Opera Company, Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Norma runs for seven performances through September 30.

San Francisco Opera's 2014-15 Season opens September 5, 2014 with a dramatic new production of Vincenzo Bellini's bel canto masterpiece Norma, starring American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in one of opera's most dazzling and demanding roles. American mezzo-soprano Daveda Karanas is the young priestess Adalgisa; Italian tenor Marco Berti is Pollione; and American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn is Oroveso. Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus and Director Kevin Newbury and set designer David Korins return to San Francisco Opera to premiere this vivid, large-scale new co-production with Toronto's Canadian Opera Company, Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Norma runs for seven performances through September 30.

Reviving important but neglected operas is one of the ways the Bard SummerScape festival in New York's Annandale-on-Hudson has established itself, and this year's immersion in 'Schubert and His World' - culminating in the 25th-anniversary season of the Bard Music Festival - is no exception. To enrich its exploration of the roots of Austro-German Romanticism, Bard presents Euryanthe (1823) by Schubert's contemporary Carl Maria von Weber, marking the opera's first American revival in 100 years. Headlined by Ellie Dehn, Bard's original staging is by Kevin Newbury, creator of SummerScape's production of Richard Strauss's Die Liebe der Danae. Euryanthe's five performances (July 25, 27 & 30; August 1 & 3) feature the festival's resident American Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of music director Leon Botstein, who also leads semi-staged performances of Schubert's own seldom-heard opera Fierrabras starring Joseph Kaiser, best known for his leading role in Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of The Magic Flute, on August 17, and of a double-bill of rarities - Schubert's one-act Singspiel Die Verschworenen and Franz von Suppe's operetta Franz Schubert - on August 10.

Boxford, Mass.

59E59 Theaters will welcome the US premiere of PAT KIRKWOOD IS ANGRY, written by Jessica Walker, with Joseph Atkins at the piano, and directed by Lee Blakeley, with musical arrangements by James Holmes. PAT KIRKWOOD IS ANGRY begins performances on Tuesday, June 10 for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 29. Press opening is Sunday, June 15 at 7:30 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday at 8:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM & 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

Reviving important but neglected operas is one of the ways the Bard SummerScape festival in New York's Annandale-on-Hudson has established itself, and this year's immersion in "Schubert and His World" - culminating in the 25th-anniversary season of the Bard Music Festival - is no exception. To enrich its exploration of the roots of Austro-German Romanticism, Bard presents Euryanthe (1823) by Schubert's contemporary Carl Maria von Weber, marking the opera's first American revival in 100 years. Headlined by Ellie Dehn, Bard's original staging is by Kevin Newbury, creator of SummerScape's production of Richard Strauss's Die Liebe der Danae. Euryanthe's five performances (July 25, 27 & 30; August 1 & 3) feature the festival's resident American Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of music director Leon Botstein, who also leads semi-staged performances of Schubert's own seldom-heard opera Fierrabras starring Joseph Kaiser, best known for his leading role in Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of The Magic Flute, on August 17, and of a double-bill of rarities - Schubert's one-act Singspiel Die Verschworenen and Franz von Suppe's operetta Franz Schubert - on August 10.

Asolo Repertory Theatre announced yesterday that two anonymous donors have put forth a matching challenge for Asolo Rep's Endowment in partnership with Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The Challenge is the next major component of Asolo Rep's Campaign for Excellence. The mission of the Campaign is to secure debt-free facilities and equipment essential to Asolo Rep's mission, and to build and strengthen the theatre's endowment. The priority of the Campaign over the last three to four years has been capital projects. With the onset of the Matching Challenge, the focus has been shifted to building Asolo Rep's endowment in order to protect these investments and expand the theatre's artistic and educational possibilities.

In his new book 'Beautiful Land of the Sky: John Muir's Forgotten Eastern Counterpart, Harlan P. Kelsey' (published by iUniverse) author Loren M. Wood offers a biography of preservationist Harlan P. Kelsey.

Behind every good dish lies a good tale. Even more so with Bonefish Grill's newest special Tuesday menu of lobster dishes driven to make mouths water. Inspired by a few almost-true stories, each dish on the Tuesday Tales of Lobster menu comes paired with its very own tale.

State and local elected officials and tourism industry leaders gathered to celebrate the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa's 20 th anniversary and the emergence of San Antonio as a world-class resort destination. When the resort opened in 1993, it was the first new hotel built in Texas in five years and established the "destination resort" market in San Antonio.

E! is traveling the globe in the new eight episode half-hour series 'Party On,' which heads to exclusive resorts and gorgeous beaches around the world to soak up the local party scene. Hosted by Emmy-nominated 'Bold and the Beautiful' actress and singer Jacqueline M. Wood, each episode will focus on one glamorous location where Jacqui will spend 48 hours checking out the incredible vistas, tasting the delectable cocktails and cuisine, and trying out the often extreme activities that make each destination one-of-a-kind. Along the way, Jacqui will meet celebrities, jetsetters and local legends who will join her two-day adventure and keep the party going as she experiences the best of the best of each hotspot. The new weekly series 'Party On' will debut late 2013 on E!

Tonight, August 23 and Saturday, August 24, WINSOR! A FEISTY CABARET, will be produced by The Musical Theatre Project and performed at the Studio Theater in the Beck Center for the Arts. The cabaret, with the performers seated on stools, will star Scott Plate and be directed by Victoria Bussert. The topic of the cabaret will be Winsor French.

On Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24, WINSOR! A FEISTY CABARET, will be produced by The Musical Theatre Project and performed at the Studio Theater in the Beck Center for the Arts. The cabaret, with the performers seated on stools, will star Scott Plate and be directed by Victoria Bussert. The topic of the cabaret will be Winsor French.