Whether you grew up with Mary Martin , Sandy Duncan or Cathy Rigby flying on your TV screen or on a stage near you, children and adults alike still love escaping with the boy who never grew up. Neverland and it's inhabitants of Lost Boys, Indians and Pirates is usually a sure fire chance for a light hearted evening. Happily Artpark's 2015 polished musical offering of PETER PAN is flying high, and for all the right reasons.
Two classic theatrical telecasts make their Blu-ray debut!
Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE SOUND OF MUSIC is one of the most oft-produced and popular musicals of all time and this week has welcomed both spectacular news and saddening news regarding the past, present and future of the beloved family-friendly musical. Iconic original leading man Theodore Bikel passed away at the age of 91 earlier this week, forever closing the book on the first man to ever sing 'Edelweiss', one of the score's most beloved gems, not to mention portray Captain Von Trapp in the original Broadway production. Yet, on the horizon looms a brand new national tour of the tuner set to star a brand new discovery named Kerstin Anderson in the role of Maria Von Trapp alongside a fresh-faced cast including Ben Davis, Ashley Brown, Merwin Foard, Dan Tracy and more, all under the direction of Jack O'Brien. Considering the legendary legacy of the beloved title, now is an ideal time to list ten of my personal favorite things pertaining to the rich history of the musical on stages and screens both large and small.
'I never wanted to do anything else!' the dynamic blonde character actress tells Broadway World one recent afternoon on a break in her rehearsals for Maine State Music Theatre's Music Man, which opened July 16. Charis Leos is currently playing Eulalie, the Mayor of River City's wife in her third with the company role this summer season; she has already delighted audiences as Georgie in The Full Monty and Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act, and she looks forward to undertaking Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein in what will be her tenth season in Brunswick. Leos has strong ties to MSMT, to Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark, and to director Marc Robin (Music Man/Young Frankenstein), and she says she 'loves the quality of work we do here. A lot has to do with the community which is so incredibly supportive. This is the best-paid vacation ever. Of course, it it's a great deal of hard work because the schedule is so compact, but I am having a wonderful time!'
Kelrik Productions presents PETER PAN, the high-flying fantasy that will delight children of all ages when the boy who will never grows up swoops down over the Spanos Theatre stage tonight, July 10 -19. Grand adventures await on your journey to J.M. Barrie's Neverland - 'it's not on any chart, you must find it with your heart.'
As usual, Jennifer Ashley Tepper puts the history of musical theatre into perfect perspective.
Some stories are best discovered after the fact. In the case of Sister Gregory of Rosary College, her story and hard work helped create one of the biggest musiclas of a generation, The Sound of Music. According to the Library of Congress, some letters were discovered that were written by Sister Gregory of Rosary College and included correspondances between Sister Gregory and the creators of the 1959 musical The Sound of Music.
To paraphrase author J. M. Barrie, 'PETER PAN is an awfully big adventure!' For children of all ages and that wide-eyed child still dreaming of Neverland within, your ticket to adventure, whimsy and danger has taken up residence in Tysons Corner through August. J. M. Barrie's classic PETER PAN has swooped back onto the stage and brought the popular story combined with dazzling stagecraft for a wholly immersive experience to enthrall a new generation of audiences. Running through August 16, PETER PAN is ready to fly into your heart once again.
The issue of racism is front and center in America today and the Ivoryton Playhouse production of SOUTH PACIFIC could not be more timely. The story for Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1949 musical is drawn from a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel by James A. Michener, entitled Tales of the South Pacific, and is considered by most critics to be among the greatest musicals of the twentieth century. For their adaptation, Rodgers and Hammerstein, along with co-writer Joshua Logan, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950.
THE MARLOWE Theatre's second community production takes place next month (July) and features more than 240 performers.
Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) is proud to be one of the first regional theatres to present the feel-amazing musical comedy smash SISTER ACT, running June 24 - July 11, 2015.
In the first act of the Menken/Slater/Steinkellner musical comedy, Sister Act, the heroine, Sister Mary Clarence (aka Deloris Van Cartier) tells Mother Superior that song should come from the soul to raise the rafters. Maine State Music Theatre's second season offering does just that with a dazzling production and a cast whose talent is, indeed, cause for celebration!
AMC Networks (Nasdaq: AMCX) today announced a new leadership structure for its AMC Studios operation and expanded its scope. Current AMC head of business affairs Rick Olshansky and AMC Networks Senior Vice President of Finance and Studio Operations Stefan Reinhardt will become co-heads of the in-house studio, which will now oversee production and business affairs functions across AMC and SundanceTV. Both executives will report to Charlie Collier, President of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. Olshansky is based in Los Angeles and Reinhardt is based in New York.
Today we are toasting this week's big news than Megan Hilty will take on the title role in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN.
The issue of racism is front and center in America today and the Ivoryton Playhouse production of SOUTH PACIFIC could not be more timely. The story for Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1949 musical is drawn from a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel by James A. Michener, entitled Tales of the South Pacific, and is considered by most critics to be among the greatest musicals of the twentieth century. For their adaptation, Rodgers and Hammerstein, along with co-writer Joshua Logan, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950.
The issue of racism is front and center in America today and the Ivoryton Playhouse production of SOUTH PACIFIC could not be more timely. The story for Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1949 musical is drawn from a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel by James A. Michener, entitled Tales of the South Pacific, and is considered by most critics to be among the greatest musicals of the twentieth century. For their adaptation, Rodgers and Hammerstein, along with co-writer Joshua Logan, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950.
Kelrik Productions presents PETER PAN, the high-flying fantasy that will delight children of all ages when the boy who will never grows up swoops down over the Spanos Theatre stage July 10 -19. Grand adventures await on your journey to J.M. Barrie's Neverland - 'it's not on any chart, you must find it with your heart.'
The Broadway at Birdland Concert Series is proud to announce that Stephen Cole and David Evans musical fable, Merman's Apprentice, will appear at the historic Birdland stage for a sold-out performance tonight, June 15 at 7pm. Directed by Igor Goldin (Yank) the cast features (in alphabetical order) P.J. Benjamin, Klea Blackhurst, Anita Gillette, Bill Nolte, and Elizabeth Teeter supported by a six-piece band with orchestrations by Lynn Shankel.
Today we take a look back at one of the first Tony Awards ceremonies, held in 1948.
Happy Birthday, Robert Preston! best remembered for his performance as 'Professor' Harold Hill in Meredith Willson's musical The Music Man (1962). He had already won a Tony Award for his performance in the original Broadway production, in 1957. In 1965 he was the male part of a duo-lead musical, I Do! I Do! with Mary Martin, for which he won his second Tony Award. He played the title role in the musical Ben Franklin in Paris and originated the role of Henry II in the original production of The Lion in Winter. In 1974 he starred alongside Bernadette Peters in Jerry Herman's Broadway musical Mack & Mabel as Mack Sennett, the famous silent film director. That same year (1974) the film version of Mame, another famed Jerry Herman musical, was released with Preston starring, alongside Lucille Ball, in the role of Beauregard Burnside.
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