Marcus Johnson News

November programming has been announced at City Winery Chicago. Highlights of the month include multi-night runs from Jazz vocalist (and Chicago transplant) Lizz Wright (Nov. 1-2), Herb Alpert of Tijuana Brass with his wife, Grammy-winning singer Lani Hall, (Nov. 6-7), and four shows over two days with saxophonist Kurt Elling (Nov. 25-26) plus a benefit for Merit School of Music with Nico Segal (previously known as Donnie Trumpet from the Chance the Rapper-affiliated band, The Social Experiment) and The JuJu Exchange (Nov. 28) and much more.

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces two nights with Texas power rock trio Los Lonely Boys, modern soul man Bilal and more.

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces four shows over two nights with contemporary R&B singer/songwriter and actor Eric Ben t and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Thursday, October 3 at noon at citywinery.com/chicago.The Empty Pockets' Holiday Wonderland Concert with special guest Nate Jones

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces New Year's shows with Milwaukee-bred rock band BoDeans ('Closer to Free'), R&B artist Avery*Sunshine, and more.

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces two nights with multi-Grammy Award nominee Bebel Gilberto, Poi Dog Pondering returns for their annual year-end residency and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Thursday, September 21 at noon at citywinery.com/chicago.

Before the performance of MADCO's FREEDOM took place the four choreographers who created this piece, along with Executive and Artistic Director Stacy West, took the stage to discuss the genesis of their work, and to take questions from the packed audience who gathered to witness these amazing segments. Drawing on research from Washington University's Olin Library for historical perspective, combined with the death in 2014 of Michael Brown in Ferguson, each choreographer created a unique experience that reflected on the theme of civil rights. This is an extremely timely production that was very well received by the audience in attendance. This is MADCO's 40th anniversary, and a short video which played before the dancers took the stage reinforced the vast array of incredibly talented people who have been involved in the company both onstage and off. The performance itself featured four different takes on the issues mentioned above, and it was a huge triumph.

If you look up the definition of the word pulse in a dictionary, or at www.dictionary.com as I did, you find that the third meaning completely resonates with PULSE - A MADCO (Modern American Dance Company) Cabaret Performance, which is a collaborative effort with the UMSL Music Department. The 'rhythmic recurrence of strokes, vibrations, or undulations', captures the spirit and essence of this thoroughly enjoyable experience. While considered a 'work-in-progress', to a degree, I would have to say that it rises well above that plateau to reach considerable heights as an experience into how music and dance intertwine. Music provides the rhythms and sounds that dancers can move or react to, whether balletic, theatrical, or modern, etc, in nature and style. PULSE takes that a step further with a series of five examples of how they can actually interact down to the subtlest note or phrase, and it's set to a score, that was performed with amazing precision, that runs the gamut from classical pieces to newly created ones, to standards, to free-form jazz. A total trip through music and dance itself, divided up into five sections, each featuring a different choreographer, and its own selection of musical choices. It's an absolute success, and it's challenging, playful, filled with moments of both grace and humor, and brimming with athleticism and energy.

For over 27 years, Rainbow Lagoon Park has been transformed into a musical arena of sounds performed by jazz greats that have traveled all over the world. In addition, the vendor's cuisine and upscale merchandise in the pavilion has always been guests' favorite area to parlay.

The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 to supposedly 'protect' the population of East Germany from succumbing to socialism. But, all it actually accomplished was the emotionally painful separation of families and friends; preventing the so-called defection of individuals looking to avoid living in a communist state. And, until it's destruction in 1989, it served as a grim reminder to the rest of the world that oppression was still very much alive and well (and still is around the globe). Choreographer Nejla Yatkin has taken this dark history lesson and transformed it into a unique work called WALLSTORIES that combines modern dance with interviews she collected and edited, as well as the music of Pink Floyd, Bach, and Larsen and Sherman. MADCO presented this powerful and compelling production at the Touhill November 14-16, for a total of six performances, three of which played to students who were brought in to see the show. It was a truly moving experience that I felt privileged to see.

Players' Shakespeare: Onstage presents William Shakespeare's Henry V, the sixth annual summer Shakespeare production at The Gallery Players. Inviting audiences to let 'your imaginary forces work', rounding out period-suggesting set and costume designs, Henry V will be produced virtually uncut, following both historical and textual cues, honoring Shakespeare's craft by selecting production elements simply to serve the story.

Players' Shakespeare: Onstage presents William Shakespeare's Henry V, the sixth annual summer Shakespeare production at The Gallery Players. Inviting audiences to let 'your imaginary forces work', rounding out period-suggesting set and costume designs, Henry V will be produced virtually uncut, following both historical and textual cues, honoring Shakespeare's craft by selecting production elements simply to serve the story.

The Secret Theatre is set to present THE EXONERATED, written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jense, and directed by Lenny Banovez from tonight, June 12-16.

The Secret Theatre is set to present THE EXONERATED, written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jense, and directed by Lenny Banovez from June 12-16.

Yoshi's San Francisco has announced its events through Apr 30, 2013. Yoshi's San Francisco Live Music & Restaurant is located at 1330 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, Calif.

Yoshi's San Francisco has announced newly-added shows fro March, April and June 2013, featuring Jeff Bradshaw, The Family Stone, DJ Afrika Bambaata, The Tubes feat. Fee Waybill, Dawn Richard, Freddie Jackson, Boca Do Rio, Marcus Johnson, Portland Cello Project Play Beck, Brubeck & Bach, Pharoah Sanders, Renaud Garcia-Fons, Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks and Catherine Russell. More details below.

Nominations were announced today for the Sydney Theatre Awards for 2011, which will be presented at a gala ceremony on January 16, 2012 at 6pm at the Paddington RSL. The full list of nominations is as follows:

The Promethean Theatre Company will present a rendition of Shakespeare's Hamlet, directed by Jack Young, from January 8 - January 22, 2010.

The Promethean Theatre Company will present a rendition of Shakespeare's Hamlet, directed by Jack Young, from January 8 - January 22, 2010.

The 41st NAACP Image Awards nominees were announced today during a press conference at The SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills. Taye Diggs ('Private Practice' - ABC), Michael Strahan ('Brothers' - FOX) and 'FOX NFL Sunday'), Wanda Sykes ('The Wanda Sykes Show' - FOX), Kyle Massey ('That's SRaven,' 'Cory in the House' - Disney Channel), Chris Massey ('Zoey 101' - Nickelodeon) and Tatyana Ali (Young and the Restless - CBS) joined NAACP Image Awards Committee Chair, Clayola Brown, and Vicangelo Bulluck, Executive Producer of the telecast, to announce the categories and nominees. The 41st NAACP Image Awards will air live on Friday, February 26 (8:00 - 10:00 PM ET/PT Tape-Delayed) on FOX.