R. Brown News

The cast met the press earlier this week and you can check out photos from the performance preview below!

Paper Mill Playhouse will continue its 75th Anniversary Season with the classic Charles Dickens musical Oliver!, with a holiday 'twist' for the entire family. With a book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, Oliver! will be directed by Paper Mill Playhouse Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee with original choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter. Oliver! will feature David Garrison (Fagin), best known for his role as Steve Rhoades on the hit television series Married...with Children, Betsy Morgan (Nancy), John Treacy Egan (Mr. Bumble), Jose Llana (Bill Sikes), David Hess (MR. Brownlow), Ethan Haberfield (Artful Dodger) and introducing Tyler Moran as Oliver. Oliver! will also feature 16 local boys from across the state of New Jersey who auditioned from a pool of over 200. Oliver! will play the Millburn, New Jersey theater from November 21 through December 29. The official press opening night is Sunday, December 1, 2013, at 7:00pm. The cast met the press earlier today and you can check out a photo preview below. Check back later for full coverage!

DISNEY'S THE LION KING as prideful as ever

Paper Mill Playhouse will continue its 75th Anniversary Season with the classic Charles Dickens musical Oliver!, with a holiday 'twist' for the entire family. With a book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, Oliver! will be directed by Paper Mill Playhouse Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee with original choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter. Oliver! will feature David Garrison (Fagin), best known for his role as Steve Rhoades on the hit television series Married...with Children, Betsy Morgan (Nancy), John Treacy Egan (Mr. Bumble), Jose Llana (Bill Sikes), David Hess (Mr. Brownlow), Ethan Haberfield (Artful Dodger) and introducing Tyler Moran as Oliver. Oliver! will also feature 16 local boys from across the state of New Jersey who auditioned from a pool of over 200. Oliver! will play the Millburn, New Jersey theater from November 21 through December 29. The official press opening night is Sunday, December 1, 2013, at 7:00pm.

The Tempe return of Disney's THE LION KING opens tonight, October 24 at 7:30 p.m. at ASU Gammage for a limited engagement of four weeks through November 17. In Tempe, THE LION KING plays Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Saturday matinees at 2:00 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. "We are thrilled to have THE LION KING back in Tempe," said Colleen Jennings Roggensack, Executive Director of ASU Gammage. "There are still wonderful seats available, so be sure not to miss this show and create lasting memories with your family."

Alton Brown, Iron Chef host and renowned television personality, is taking his brand of quirky humor and culinary science on the road with the 'Alton Brown Live! The Edible Inevitable Tour.' Brown will appear at The Center for the Performing Arts tonight, OCTOBER 24, 2013, presented by Broadway San Jose - a Nederlander Presentation, in partnership with Team San Jose.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is presenting a modern masterpiece with their soaring production of FLY. The acting is excellent, the direction is sharply focused, and the technical achievements are spectacular. I'm probably going to run out of superlatives before I finish this review, so bear with me as I gush on about one of the most amazing examples of 'action' theatre that I've had the privilege to witness. FLY is a theatrical experience that pays tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II in a most remarkable way, and it's an absolute must-see event.

Casting has been announced for the Los Angeles return engagement of Disney's THE LION KING. Los Angeles' most eagerly awaited stage production ever will leap onto the Hollywood Pantages stage from November 20, 2013 - January 12, 2014. The press opening night is Friday, November 22 at 8pm. The landmark musical will return to Los Angeles for the first time since its triumphant return engagement in November 2006, where the production played a sold-out run at Hollywood Pantages.

Casting has been announced for the Los Angeles return engagement of Disney's THE LION KING. Los Angeles' most eagerly awaited stage production ever will leap onto the Hollywood Pantages stage from November 20, 2013 - January 12, 2014. The press opening night is Friday, November 22 at 8pm. The landmark musical will return to Los Angeles for the first time since its triumphant return engagement in November 2006, where the production played a sold-out run at Hollywood Pantages.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust confirmed that Studio Florentijn Hofman's The Rubber Duck Project will begin its departure on Sunday, Oct. 20.

Ball gown and tuxedo or fleece vest and birkenstocks-in Seattle, it doesn't matter! Come as you are to the first production of Seattle Opera's 50th Anniversary season. Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment tells the story of Marie, a tomboy forced against her will to become a lady. This light-hearted opera features a girl with a whole regiment full of fathers, some of the composer's most romantic music, a formidable grand dame duchess played by a man, and a tenor who hits nine high Cs in the space of one minute. Seattle Opera's production, set in the 1940s, opens tonight, October 19, and runs for seven performances through November 2.

Dallas Theater Center announced today the complete creative team of the world premiere new musical The Fortress of Solitude, a co-production with The Public Theater in New York City. The Fortress of Solitude, based on the novel of the same name by Jonathan Lethem, is conceived and directed by Daniel Aukin, with a book by Itamar Moses, and music and lyrics by Michael Friedman. It will premiere at the Wyly Theatre with previews on March 7, 2014 and run through April 6.

Margaret Thatcher Projects is participating in the third edition of the Texas Contemporary Art Fair, today, October 10 - 13 (Booth #403). Preview and opening party on Thursday, Oct 13 at the George R. Brown Convention Center, HALL A, 1001 Avenida De Las Americas, Houston, TX.

The Dallas return of Disney's THE LION KING opens tonight, Friday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Hall at Fair Park for a limited engagement of three weeks, through October 20. In Dallas, THE LION KING plays Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1:30 p.m. There will be a 1:30 p.m. matinee performance on Friday, October 18. The award-winning musical returns to Dallas following a six-week sold-out premiere engagement in 2002 and a successful five-week engagement in 2007 at the Music Hall.

Margaret Thatcher Projects is participating in the third edition of the Texas Contemporary Art Fair, October 10 - 13 (Booth #403)

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) presents the inspiring playFly by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan and directed by Ricardo Khan. This extraordinary and uplifting production will be performed on the Browning Mainstage of the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Road (on the campus of Webster University), Webster Groves, October 16-November 10, 2013.

Studio Florentijn Hofman's The Rubber Duck Project has ignited crazes in Hong Kong, Sydney and other international locales and now makes its U.S. debut in Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's International Festival of Firsts.

Choreographer, director and Bay Area performance innovator Joanna Haigood will explore issues of race and identity in the world premiere of her new performance installation, Between me and the other world, Friday through Sunday, November 1 through 3 from 1 to 5 pm at Zaccho Studio, 1777 Yosemite Avenue, Studio 330, in San Francisco. A dynamic exploration of scholar and civil rights leader W.E.B. DuBois' concept of "double consciousness", the performance installation has been created in collaboration with composer Anthony Brown, media artist David Szlasa, scenic designer Sean Riley and performing artists Jetta Martin, Raissa Simpson, Rashidi Omari and Matthew Wickett, who together have created an immersive environment that evokes the identity duality experienced by many people of color. For more information, visitwww.zaccho.org.

The Huntington Theatre Company presents a concert version of Jason Robert Brown's powerful contemporary musical The Last Five Years for three performances only November 23 and 24. Adam Kantor (Rent, Avenue Q) and Betsy Wolfe (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture) play the two twenty-something New Yorkers who dive head-first into marriage, fueled by the optimism of finding 'the one.' Winner of Drama Desk Drama Awards for Outstanding Music and Outstanding Lyrics, The Last Five Years takes a bold look at one young couple's hope that love endures the test of time.

Ball gown and tuxedo or fleece vest and birkenstocks-in Seattle, it doesn't matter! Come as you are to the first production of Seattle Opera's 50th Anniversary season. Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment tells the story of Marie, a tomboy forced against her will to become a lady. This light-hearted opera features a girl with a whole regiment full of fathers, some of the composer's most romantic music, a formidable grand dame duchess played by a man, and a tenor who hits nine high Cs in the space of one minute. Seattle Opera's production, set in the 1940s, opens on Saturday, October 19, and runs for seven performances through November 2.