Robert Browning News

Kansas City Actors Theatre has completed casting for its production of Paul Osborn's "Morning's at Seven," which will run from May 22 to June 9 at the City Stage in Union Station. The production will be directed by Dennis Hennessy of The New Theater in Overland Park, and will star Deb Bluford, Greg Butell, Krista Eyler, Peggy Friesen, Jeannine Hutchings, Gary Neal Johnson, Merle Moores, Victor Raider-Wexler, and Mark Robbins (KCAT co-founder). The production will also feature set design by Gary Mosby, costumes by Sarah M. Oliver, lighting design by Shane Rowse, sound design by Jon Robertson, and props from Shawnna Journagan.

Kansas City Actors Theatre has completed casting for its production of Paul Osborn's "Morning's at Seven," which will run from May 22 to June 9 at the City Stage in Union Station. The production will be directed by Dennis Hennessy of The New Theater in Overland Park, and will star Deb Bluford, Greg Butell, Krista Eyler, Peggy Friesen, Jeannine Hutchings, Gary Neal Johnson, Merle Moores, Victor Raider-Wexler, and Mark Robbins (KCAT co-founder).

There are many thoughts about life after death, most tied to one organized religion or another, but there is one less denominational fantasy afterlife...let's call it the Hollywood version, in which flights of literary fancy that violate most of the rules of Heaven are always possible.

A World in Trance, now in its fifth edition, has been host to some of the world's most captivating music, bringing people together in search of enlightenment and spirituality. This year's festival features virtuoso guitarist Derek Gripper, who masterfully interprets the hypnotic sounds of the West African kora (21-string harp-lute) on solo guitar (Mar 23); the intoxicating sounds of Bachir Attar and Mustapha Attar of the Master Musicians of Jajouka in a riveting meeting with American musicians Ned Rothenberg, Arrington de Dionysio and Ben Bennett (Mar 30); the classical music of India with Jayanthi Kumaresh, one of the world's leading veena (lute) players, accompanied by percussionists Jayachandra Rao and Pramath Kiran (Apr 12); and ecstatic interpretations of Sufi qawwaliwith Pakistan's Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers (Apr 13).

A World in Trance, now in its fifth edition, has been host to some of the world's most captivating music, bringing people together in search of enlightenment and spirituality. This year's festival features virtuoso guitarist Derek Gripper, who masterfully interprets the hypnotic sounds of the West African kora (21-string harp-lute) on solo guitar (Mar 23); the intoxicating sounds of Bachir Attar and Mustapha Attar of the Master Musicians of Jajouka in a riveting meeting with American musicians Ned Rothenberg, Arrington de Dionysio and Ben Bennett (Mar 30); the classical music of India with Jayanthi Kumaresh, one of the world's leading veena (lute) players, accompanied by percussionists K U Jayachandra Rao and Pramath Kira (Apr 12); and ecstatic interpretations of Sufi qawwali with Pakistan's Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers (Apr 13).

Robert Browning Associates celebrates 42 years of presenting world music in New York with three internationally renowned performers of Indian music, Mita Nag, Hassan Haider & Subhen Chatterje performing Classical Music of India today, September 29, 2018 at 8:00pm at Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn.

Robert Browning Associates celebrates 42 years of presenting world music in New York with three internationally renowned performers of Indian music, Mita Nag, Hassan Haider & Subhen Chatterje performing Classical Music of India on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 8:00pm at Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn.

It's the sly inversion of good and evil that makes WICKED fascinating. It's wrestling with doing what's fashionable versus doing what's right that makes WICKED timeless. Now, those brilliant minds at Broadway in Detroit reprise this killer musical for us to fall in love with, all over again. Whether you prefer Idina Menzel, or Kurt and Rachel's version on Glee, 'Defying Gravity' sends chills up and down one's spine; in this production, Mary Kate Morrissey nails the part and sends electricity throughout the Opera House way to the highest rafters. Based on a satirical novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has awed audiences for 15 years with its massive steampunk set, its dazzling costumes, and a bewitching score by Stephen Schwartz. Declared 'The Best Musical of the Decade' by Entertainment Weekly and 'A Cultural Phenomenon' by Variety, WICKED is the recipient of over 100 international awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards.

Robert Browning, called "the entrepreneur who almost single-handedly created and filled New Yorkers' passion for world music" in the New York Times, has presented world music since April 1976. The next few months feature music from Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, India and Crete. From his years at the Alternative Center for International Arts / Alternative Museum to his 26-year tenure at World Music Institute (which he co-founded and directed from 1985 - 2011) and his past five seasons as the director of Robert Browning Associates, he has presented over 1,800 concerts of world music and dance from internationally renowned figures and emerging artists from over 100 regions.

Don't let the sweet, easy cover fool you: If you're a fan of Nicholas Sparks and Jojo Moyes, you're going to LOVE Julia Whelan's MY OXFORD YEAR!

On Saturday, April 14 at 8:30 p.m., vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Omar Faruk Tekbilek, brings his brilliant interpretations of Sufi, folk, and contemporary Turkish and Middle Eastern music to Zankel Hall. The performance comes on the heels of Tekbilek's first studio album in over five years, Love Is My Religion. For this special program, he is joined by renowned artists Brian Keane (guitar), Ara Dinkjian (oud), and other highly regarded world musicians. 

A father and son have plenty to sort out in the wake of Mom's death in Meridith Friedman's THE LUCKIEST PEOPLE, while the son's gay lover wonders which of the two is behaving more childishly.

Friday, January 26 at 8:30 p.m., Sardinian guitarist Paolo Angeli brings his imaginative and masterful playing to Zankel Hall as part of an international tour celebrating the release of his new album, Talea.

It was great that the 2017 Richard Tucker Gala was heard live on WQXR.org and on WQXR radio on Sunday, but those of us who were in Carnegie Hall had it much better. This year's winner, soprano Nadine Sierra, sounded wonderful (and looked ravishing, by the way) as she whipped through Verdi's 'Caro nome' (RIGOLETTO) and 'Ah, forse lui Sempre libera'), with secure high notes and thoughtful drama, and Bernstein-Sondheim's 'Tonight' (WEST SIDE STORY), paired with tenor Vittorio Grigolo. She's a charming, extremely gifted performer.

Originally seen as a staged reading as part of Vibrant 2017 A Festival of Finborough Playwrights, the world premiere of Imaginationship by Sue Healy runs at the Finborough Theatre, playingSunday and Monday evenings and Tuesday matinees from Sunday, 7 January 2018 (Press Night:Monday, 8 January 2018 at 7.30pm).

Direct from its successful sold-out performances in Orlando, Atlanta, Baltimore, Ocala, Deland and Eustis with its third touring show, Phantasmagoria is presenting their next main stage installment of this long running series PHANTASMAGORIA VIII 'The Chains of Fire' to celebrate the 2017 Halloween Season and its eighth year in Central Florida!

Seven years ago, just a few months after I started this #TCTheater blogging adventure I call Cherry and Spoon, a friend told me about this little theater in a strip mall in Osseo. Since at the time I worked just a few miles away, I organized a group of coworkers to go see a play after work one day. That play was STRING, and the theater was Yellow Tree Theatre. Now, to celebrate their 10th season, they're bringing back STRING, written by Yellow Tree co-founder Jessica Lind Peterson and co-starring her and her husband and co-founder Jason Peterson, their first time on stage together in years. If you're a Yellow Tree fan, it's a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this full circle moment with them, and if you've never been to Yellow Tree, it's time to make the (not that long) drive to the Northwest suburbs to see this charming, funny, quirky, sweet little play that started it all, a play that is 'as Yellow Tree as plays get.'

Direct from its successful sold-out performances in Orlando, Atlanta, Baltimore, Ocala, Deland and Eustis with its third touring show, Phantasmagoria is presenting their next main stage installment of this long running series PHANTASMAGORIA VIII 'The Chains of Fire' to celebrate the 2017 Halloween Season and its eighth year in Central Florida!

Paul Osborn's bittersweet comedy, Morning's at Seven focuses on the long-standing sibling rivalries of four aging sisters.

​​​​​​​Robert Browning, called “the entrepreneur who almost single-handedly created and filled New Yorkers' passion for world music” in the New York Times, celebrates 41 years of presenting world music with a 2017 spring season of music from India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Iran, and the US.