Peter Danish News

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature Once On This Island, The Light in the Piazza, Sweeney Todd and more!

Aida is widely considered one of the grandest of grand operas. The task of converting it to a Broadway musical was a daunting one. Book writers Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang took liberties with the original libretto in a manner they believed would make the plot more relatable to the general public - while that is a question of taste, what is could not be changed was the epic size of the story - Pharaohs, Kings, and Princesses implicitly carry a certain about of gravitas. And the WPPAC production delivers in a big - very big way.

THE ATHENS PHILHARMONIC 'MAHLER 2ND' at Carnegie Hall

THE ATHENS PHILHARMONIC 'MAHLER 2ND' at Carnegie Hall

I have seen the future of Classical Concert-Going and it is called INSIDE OUT! Two years ago, Maestro David Bernard began an experiment in classical concert-going. He had a bold new idea to intimately integrate the audience directly into the concert by literally seating them within the orchestra among the musicians -the idea being to create a totally immersive symphonic experience. Two years and more than a dozen performances later, the experiment has been a success on every level. Thousands of spellbound audience members can attest to the visceral power of live music performed by a 60-piece orchestra on all sides of you.

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature JOSEPH on Broadway, Lea Salonga in SWEENEY TODD, FROZEN Tour First Look and More!

BWW Review: THE SABBATH GIRL at Penguin Repertory Theatre

According to their website, WPPAC's STAGE 2 'bridges the gap between the WPPAC Educational Department offerings and the Mainstage, giving college and community performers the opportunity to work in a regional theatre setting under the guidance of professional artists.' No such disclaimer is necessary for their new production of Tuck Everlasting, it is every bit as first-rate as their mainstage productions.

'Bitingly sinister' and 'one of the most cruelly realistic character studies yet seen' was the way Lillian Hellman's classic play, 'The Little Foxes,' was first described. And amazingly enough nearly a century later it retains all of its odious power.

From the moment actor-playwright David Arrow takes the stage, it's clear he is not merely portraying Robert F. Kennedy, he is Bobby Kennedy. The actor bears a stunning physical resemblance to the late U.S. Attorney General and senator and has managed to master his mannerisms in most convincing fashion.

BWW Previews: BERGEN ROCKLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL at German Masonic Park. the East Coast's PREMIER Americana Roots-Rock Festival.

Morning's at Seven is a distinctly old-fashioned play with a gently moral tone, full of larger than life characters, plenty of laughs and several touching moments. Its central theme is however indistinct, focusing primarily on the aging characters internal squabbles.

Isabel Leonard is one of, if not the, most in-demand opera singer in the world today. For the last decade her star has been on the rise all around the world both on the opera and concert stages. This season at The Met alone she's performing in three different production, singing three roles that could not be more starkly dissimilar: the title role of Nico Muhly's Marnie, Claude Debussy's Melisande and the upcoming Blanche de la Force in Poulenc's 'Dialogues of the Carmelites'. Given the rigor of her schedule, we are thrilled that she found a few minutes to chat with us about her upcoming performances in Dialogues... as well as answering some burning questions that the entire opera world is dying to find out. For example:

Something really special is happening in Nyack. Last year, the over gentrification of an East Village block resulted in relocation of long-time resident company the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble. After 15 seasons, the renowned, ground-breaking company found itself homeless. To its profound credit, it has managed to continue to produce in spite of its new 'vagabond' status in the city. However, the company's leadership was another story.

Lead singer for the world famous acapella group Klapa Cambi, Vlad Garic is about to make his American (and New York City) debut on Friday night March 15th in Queens at The Secret Theater. BWW caught up with Vlad during his rehearsal and got him to take a break from his preparations to chat with us. Vlad possesses one of the most naturally beautiful tenor voices in the world and his range is seemingly endless. One moment he is delivering stunning 10-part harmony klapa, the next moment he is tossing out a traditional Neapolitan song, next its a Verdi aria, finally cranking out some smoking hot Pearl Jam, that would make Eddy Vedder proud.

BWW Previews: VLAD GARIC: THE DALMATIAN TENOR at The Secret Theater

BWW Review: 100 YEARS OF BERNSTEIN: CZECH NATIONAL SYMPHONY, CONDUCTED BY JOHN MAUCERI, MEZZO SOPRANO, ISABEL LEONARD at Tilles Center, CW POST University

BWW Previews: APRILE MILLO: A DIVA COMES HOME at Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall

Pélleas et Mélisande last night was hands down the best thing the Met has done this season. No arias, no duets, no trios, no choruses, just ravishing melodies bathed in some of the most complex web-like, ethereal harmonies.

Aida has been called the grandest of grand operas and the production that has graced the Met stage for the last (unbelievably) 30 years still looks absolutely amazing - towering columns, massive sandstone blocks, etc. Oddly, the audience did not applaud the sets (as they have in every other performance of this production I've seen - about 10 times). The big news of the night on Monday was the house debut of American soprano Kristin Lewis, who has made a name for herself across Europe in many Verdi roles. Her Radames was tenor Yonghoon Lee who seems to be the Met's go-to-tenor for the bigger roles these days. Amneris was a spunky young kid named Dolora Zajick - this kid is gonna go places!