When it comes to theatre and Disney fans alike, the stage production of Beauty and the Beast is a staple. For many a performer, the chance to personify the characters we've grown up with is a lifelong dream, envisioning our selves dawning the gown, the fur and claws, or not so reluctantly beating on our friends. When shows like these come to life, patrons are drawn to the nostalgia and get the chance to leave with the feeling of seeing it fresh and new. This is all due to amazing casts and crews, committed to giving us the magic that we the theatre-goers deserve to the best of their abilities, as they would do with any other show. Zao Theatre's production of Beauty and the Beast brought the nostalgia, along with adding a few fresh touches that kept audience members like myself feeling as if it were our first time seeing the classic. As well, I had the opportunity to get a peek into the process through my interview with Zao's very own Gaston, Zac Bushman.
Now in its 42nd year at Goodman Theatre, A Christmas Carol plays November 16 - December 29. Under Artistic Associate Henry Wishcamper's direction for the seventh year, the annual production features Chicago actor Larry Yando, who leads the 25-member cast as the irascible businessman Ebenezer Scrooge. Joining Yando is Paris Strickland, 12, who reprises her role as Tiny Tim for the third year along with a host of returning favorites and eight newcomers; a complete cast list appears below. The new young performers in A Christmas Carol, cast from hundreds of Chicagoland youth who auditioned, include Jillian-Giselle Fabulous, 11, as Emily Cratchit, Isabel Kaegi, 17, as Belinda Cratchit; Vikram Konkimalla, 7, as Tiny Tim Alternate; and returning young performers include Asher Alcantara, 14, as Boy Scrooge; Nelson Simmons, 12, as Turkey Child.
Hot House Magazine, in partnership with Jazzmobile, is excited to announce the 6th New York City Readers Jazz Awards on Sunday, November 24th at New York City's famed Birdland Jazz Club, located at 315 West 44th Street. This greatly anticipated event will celebrate the vitality of the jazz art form by honoring the very finest musicians that this city has to offer. The public has voted and finalists are announced for each category below. On November 24th, one winner will be announced for each category and attendees will get the chance to witness rare musical collaborations between award winners, and presentations from some of the most important names in the industry.
'Tis the season of waiting for 'It's a Wonderful Life' to appear on television, and Isle of Shoals has just the treat to satisfy that craving. Paradise Lost & Found is a buoyant new comedy by Tirosh Schneider, directed by Katie Young*, about a hapless soul entangled in the bureaucracy of the Afterlife. Jack Klugman (no, not the actor), a 49-year-old sunglasses salesman riddled with regrets, arrives at the Pearly Gates of Heaven -- only it's St. Peter's day off and Joan of Arc is filling in. Jack's file has gone missing, so his eternal fate is TBD. It turns out that he needs to be judged, first by his father who's disqualified due to the blatant conflict of interest, finally by a moody 18-year-old who has her own issues to deal with. Somehow they manage to sift through the events of Jack's life (and hers as well), forming an unlikely bond. Paradise Lost & Found is a funny and wistful comedy about love, loss, and the joy of connecting with one another, even in topsy-turvy circumstances.
One of the great songwriters, performers, and all-around creative figures of late-20th-century, Prince Rogers Nelson, known to the world simply as Prince, told his story in song and on film. But when he died unexpectedly in April of 2016 at 57, he had just started a tantalizing project -- writing his memoirs -- and it appeared to have been lost with him. It was not.
Veteran Entertainment journalist Nelson Aspen has added a glamorous award-winner to his January 30 engagement at LA's popular Rockwell Table & Stage. Emmy winner & NYT best-selling author Carolyn Hennesy will join Aspen as his Guest-Star for an evening of songs and stories reflecting on his quarter century as one of Morning TV's most distinguished presenters. Hennesy is best known as the scene-stealing 'Diane Miller' on the ABC daytime drama 'General Hospital,' in addition to roles on 'True Blood,' 'Revenge' and 'Cougar Town.' She is not only an accomplished actor and author, but animal rescue advocate and trapeze artist(!).
Bank president Andy Chou, financial executive Christine Emmons, and former corporate leader Carl Perry have been elected to the Board of Directors for Community Arts Music Association (CAMA) of Santa Barbara.
The Jade/Anthony Company proudly announces the first developmental reading for its new Off-Broadway bound musical, Paper or Plastic, which will be presented as part of the Ground & Field Theatre Festival (GFTF) at UC Davis by Bike City Theatre Company. The Off-Broadway production is set to open in fall 2020 with more details to be announced in the coming months. Sign up for email alerts at PaperMusical.com.
Chicago Immersive marks its first full production with Grace and the Hanukkah Miracle by the team that created last year's hit show Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, December 1 a?" January 5, 2020 at Grace Lutheran Church, 1430 South Blvd. in Evanston. Grace and the Hanukkah Miracle is based on a concept by Anderson Lawfer, Nicole Bloomsmith, Becca Braun and Jacqueline Stone, with direction by Jacqueline Stone. Opening/Press performance is Sunday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. The performance schedule is Saturdays at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Please note: there is no show Sunday, Dec. 15. Tickets are $25 and are available at ChicagoImmersive.com or by calling the Chicago Immersive office, 773.236.2172.
First Stage, one of the nation's leading theaters for young people and families, will share with Milwaukee audiences ELF - The Musical this holiday season. Based on the beloved 2003 New Line Cinema film written by David Berenbaum, which featured Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, with Book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, Music by Matthew Sklar, Lyrics by Chad Baguelin and Directed and Music Direction by Jeff Schaetzke, this hit Broadway musical features catchy tunes, high-energy dance numbers and plenty of holiday joy.
The complete cast of THE MICHAELS features Charlotte Bydwell (Lucy Michael), Haviland Morris (Irenie Walker), Maryann Plunkett (Kate Harris), Matilda Sakamoto (May Smith), Jay O. Sanders (David Michael), Brenda Wehle (Rose Michael), and Rita Wolf (Sally Michael).
Women in Country Music will unite for a historic, not-to-be-missed opening performance at a?oeThe 53rd Annual CMA Awards.a?? The groundbreaking number led by Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton will also feature Terri Clark, Sara Evans, Crystal Gayle, The Highwomen (comprised of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires), Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles, Tanya Tucker and Gretchen Wilson, each performing iconic Country songs for a monumental decades-spanning medley never before seen.
Acclaimed singer, film and Broadway actress CHARLEENE CLOSSHEY rings in the festive season November 1 with the release of her holiday album Christmas Time is Here. The album features her debut radio single 'I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,' which landed on the 2018 Mediabase Hot AC Chart peaking at #18 its first week alongside classics by Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby and contemporary artists Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lady Gaga, and Sia. This year, a remixed/remastered version of the single hits holiday airwaves again, kicking off Closshey's Christmas album.
This November Jonah Bokaer Choreography announces a suite of new programs that expand diverse voices in the arts. Join us for a talk on public spaces given by long time collaborator Charles Renfro / Diller Scofidio + Renfro at the FedEx Global Education Center. During the same week, Jonah Bokaer Choreography presents a new commission world premier of Jehan Sadat in Three Dimensions in partnership with The Ackland Art Museum and Carolina Performing Arts. RECESS our young patrons program, presents Ichi Go with the Japanese dance form kagura.
The Marriott Theatre presents Lionel Bart's OLIVER!, which is now running through Sunday, December 29th. The Tony Award-winning musical based on the classic Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist, is directed by eight-time Jeff Award winner for Outstanding Direction, Nick Bowling, with musical direction by Jeff Award winner Ryan T. Nelson and choreography by Jeff Award winner Brenda Didier.
Mad Horse Theatre presents Mary Jane by Amy Herzog, directed by company member, Stacey Koloski, November 7 - 24 at Mad Horse Theatre, 24 Mosher Street, South Portland, ME.
Finally in Sao Paulo the show that tells and sings the relationship of Brazilian Popular Music with Soccer, intertwining songs from Pixinguinha to Skank, with texts and chronicles from Nelson Rodrigues to Carlos Drummond de Andrade.
W'ALL Austin, a brand new nonprofit art park, music installation and cultural project for social good, gears up for an official public launch during this year's East Austin Studio Tour. The launch events, entitled a?oeE.A.S.T. Sounds,a?? will take place Saturday, Nov. 16, with a second event the following Saturday, Nov. 23 from 4:30 - 8:30 p.m. each day. Located at Mosaic Sound Collective, an East Austin hub of affordable resources and services for creatives, W'ALL Austin connects music lovers, musicians and the community to celebrate and create art while fighting for social justice.
The New York State Council on the Arts today announced $8,383,993 million in grants to be distributed to 462 cultural organizations statewide in 2020 to support arts programs that drive New York State's economic growth and community health.
