On June 7 at 7:30pm EDT, Works & Process at the Guggenheim will present the premiere of Storm as part of the Works & Process Artists (WPA) Virtual Commission Series.
In the third and final installment of Reel Adventures-A Festival of Classics, the wonderful Matthew Bourne's The Car Man celebrated its 20th anniversary last night with a screening on Sky Arts. Set in an Italian-American community in sixties America, the story owes more to film noir influences and the story of The Postman Always Rings Twice than Bizet's opera.
You may have thought you had seen every possible version of Shakespeare's tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and yet the masterful Matthew Bourne manages to surprise you anew. Set in the sterile white of Verona Institute, where the young are forced into submission, this is the story as you will have never seen it before.
It's no understatement to say Sir Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake changed the dance landscape back in 1995 when it first premiered. Any Swan Lake is a juggernaut of a production but Bourne's added layers of storytelling, engaging new characters and unique reimagining for a 21st Century audience cemented a?oeiconica?? status, a word I use sparingly but it's fully justified here. The first in a sequence of Bourne's work to be seen on screen during this time of lockdown which will see releases of Romeo and Juliet and The Car Man, as well as this 2018 production of arguably Bourne's best-known work.
With the current theatre world on hiatus, I have created a Spotlight Series on Broadway World which features interviews with some of the many talented artists who make our Los Angeles theatre community so exciting and vibrant thanks to their ongoing contribution to keeping the Arts alive in the City of the Angels. And just like all of us, I wondered how they are dealing with the abrupt end of productions in which they were involved. This Spotlight focuses on Ashley Griffin, an actor in Los Angeles since the age of five who moved to New York City to follow her theatre dreams - and is now both writing and acting in shows.
New Adventures have announced A FESTIVAL OF CLASSICS as part of their REEL Adventures online programme bringing the adventures to you; including a series of Broadcast Premieres on Sky TV and rare screenings of some of Matthew Bourne's most beloved productions.
Coming to us from his living room is the amazing Layton Williams! Pre-shutdown, he was starring in the title role of hit musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie - leading the UK tour, after playing Jamie in the West End. Watch him sing a number from the show in the video below!
In this time of social distancing and remaining responsibly indoors, we are all looking for ways to brighten our days and get moving any way we can! In the spirit of celebrating theater and providing motivation to get up and get shakin', we're taking a look back and paying tribute to some of the greatest dance numbers in musical theater history!
We're also giving you a chance to hear straight from the IAMT professionals! Tune in today, April 1 (12pm EST), as Head of Voice Andrew Drost and Head of Dance Nicholas Cunningham host a live chat from BroadwayWorld's Facebook page. Be sure to tune in to watch live and send him your questions about the program, how you can participate, or even general dance and vocal tips!
New Adventures has announced extensive dates for 2020/21 UK and Ireland tour of Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker!. International tour dates for 2021 to be announced shortly.
Boston Ballet's rEVOLUTION: Dance on the Edge features three works by pivotal choreographers which stretch the label 'contemporary' to its breaking point. The three pieces, which all premiered between 1957-1987 may trace through the timeline of progress for commercial ballet in America, but I question if anything a ballet company can do could live up to the streamlined, techno aesthetic toted by their marketing team. The title, with its radical use of capitalization, cuts through the smooth blackness on the cover of the program above a photograph of two dancers in an acrobatic pose in green leotards. Inside the booklet, a geometrically conceived sketch of a dancer invites us to an event called 'Turning Pointe' where we can engage with a?oeleading innovators in the arts, sciences, and industry who are building the future in Boston.a?? Another page announces Boston Ballet's upcoming collaboration with Stephen Galloway, the creative movement director for the Rolling Stones, promising to a?oeshatter expectations of what ballet can bea??.
BalletBoyz, the multi award-winning dance troupe, has released production images today for Deluxe, its all-new, live dance show in celebration of the company's 20th anniversary year. The double-bill with a special video introduction brings together collaborations from some of the world's most inventive and thought-provoking artists, including an all-female team of choreographers. Deluxe embarks on a nationwide UK tour from 1 March through to May, including three shows at London's Sadler's Wells from 25 to 27 March with opening night for press on 25 March. Deluxe is a co-production with Sadler's Wells.
The dancers manifested exquisite flowing lines hit, yet not lingered on, as they lyrically moved to the next count of the music ever so smoothly, sometimes creating in between that and the next beat, a separate movement, sort of a bridge from the last position and the next... an asterisk; exclamation point, if you will... or a grace note... The stunning choreography will sweep you away to the haunting, gritty, yet buoyantly hopeful lyrics of Leonard Cohen. He has such a unique style to his writings and his presentation. This extraordinary company and their Artistic Director Louis Robitaille, have taken the essence of his intent and transformed it into internal emotion and external movement, simultaneously. By that, I mean, when they dance and move, or pose, their bodies are feeling the emotion being expressed through words or music. The way this was presented, so seamlessly blending from one piece, even though separate choreographers, into the next piece on the repertoire, it just seemed a magical, visual extravaganza for both the eyes and the soul. The company received Leonard Cohen's blessing to perform this amazing tribute, and it is indeed, special and poignant.
London Theatre Week runs 24 February to 8 March, and it's a fantastic opportunity to see the West End's best plays and musicals a?' with tickets from just £15, £25 and £35! You can even nab some of the best seats in town at only £45. So, get booking now and enjoy the finest shows that the capital has to offer. With so many shows to choose from, we're here to help with some of our favourites.
This week, Birmingham Hippodrome presented Sir Matthew Bourne with a commemorative seat plaque celebrating his productions playing to a total of over 200,000 people in Birmingham since his legendary production of Swan Lake first visited the theatre back in 1996.
The BalletBoyz are celebrating their 20th year with new show Deluxe which fuses beautiful dance with original music in the company's unique and unmistakable style, including collaborations from some of the world's most inventive and thought-provoking choreographers and composers.
Matthew Bourne's double Olivier award-winning dance adaptation of the legendary film 'The Red Shoes' will be screened in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on 19 and 24 May. Cinema tickets will go on sale on Friday 21 February.