Simmons News

The Herberger Theater Center (HTC), located at 222 E. Monroe in downtown Phoenix, invites the public to the free opening reception for Cancer Survivors Art Exhibit, an exhibit featuring work from Cancer Support Community Arizona's expressive arts program, on First Friday, January 4, 5:30-7:00pm. Meet the artists; enjoy music by Nick Heward and no-host bar in Bob's Spot Gallery Lounge.

AMC announced today that renowned actor, producer, author and activist George Takei (“Star Trek”) will join the second season of the critically acclaimed, Ridley Scott-produced anthology series, “The Terror,” as a consultant and series regular. The network previously announced actor Derek Mio will star in the series as Chester Nakayama and Josef Kubota Wladyka (“Narcos”) will direct the first two episodes.  Production is scheduled to begin in January in Vancouver. Season two will air on AMC in 2019 with ten episodes.

Jessica "Jess Hilarious" Moore, who is quickly becoming one of the most in-demand acts in comedy, is joining the Aces of Comedy Series at The Mirage Hotel & Casino Saturday, March 23. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, Dec. 18 at noon PST and start at $39.99, plus tax and service fees. 

Tony Award and Emmy Award-winner Lillias White, Kissy Simmons (Nala in The Lion King), Natalie Weiss (Everyday Rapture, Les Miserables) and other surprise guests will join singer-songwriter Anthony Nunziata in concert on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 7pm at The Green Room 42.

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Central Pennsylvania Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

The show, directed by Gary Oesch, is set to close December 23, 2018. 

Today, dick clark productions and ABC announced one of the world's best-selling pop music icons, Christina Aguilera, will perform for a live audience of more than one million people just minutes before the ball drops on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019." Aguilera last performed on the show in 2007, and this year she will be joined by Bastille, Dan + Shay and New Kids On The Block in the hours leading up to the 2019 countdown. This marks multiplatinum artists Dan + Shay's first appearance on the show, and Bastille's second, while pop super group New Kids On The Block will take the New Year's Rockin' Eve stage for the second time-having last performed in 2011 with Backstreet Boys. America's biggest celebration of the year will take place on MONDAY, DEC. 31, beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST on the ABC Television Network. Additional performers will be announced soon.

Season two of 'Milo Murphy's Law,' the Emmy® Award-nominated animated series starring legendary satirist Al Yankovic (professionally known as 'Weird Al') as the voice of Milo Murphy, debuts with a one-hour 'Phineas and Ferb' crossover special SATURDAY, JAN. 5 (7:00–8:00 a.m. EST/PST), on both Disney Channel and Disney XD. The special, titled 'The Phineas and Ferb Effect,' will also be available that same day on DisneyNOW and Disney Channel VOD. Both series hail from acclaimed animation producers Dan Povenmire and Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh, who will reprise their 'Phineas and Ferb' roles as Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Major Monogram, in addition to voicing time travelers from the future, Vinnie Dakota and Balthazar Cavendish, in 'Milo Murphy's Law.'

The world premiere of emerging playwright Richard De Luca's 'Death of a Dream' has certainly paid off for Dolphin Theatre's Committee as it took out an array of  awards including Best Production, Best Female Lead Role, Best Supporting Female, Best Supporting Male and Best character male at their annual end of year awards night and Christmas party.

MOMENTUM GENERATION Chronicling the Extraordinary Experiences of a Band of Youthful Surfers Who Transformed the Sport, 12/11 on HBO

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Central Pennsylvania Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

Award-winning voice actor Lori Alan (Pearl Crabs on 'SpongeBob SquarePants,' Diane Simmons on 'Family Guy,' Pixar's upcoming Toy Story 4) joins the cast of Villain: DeBlanks' debut performance at the new Birdland Theater. She replaces previously announced Tony-nominee Brenda Braxton, who has withdrawn due to a schedule conflict. The one-night-only performance on Wednesday, December 12 promises an evening of laughs and surprises, and all proceeds will benefit God's Love We Deliver.

Juilliard's Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts and New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) present "Kurt Weill's Berlin" on Thursday, January 17, 2019, at 7:30pm in Juilliard's Peter Jay Sharp Theater. Pianist and arranger Steven Blier, a Vocal Arts faculty member and the artistic director of NYFOS, performs with singers from Juilliard's Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts.

Pop duo, A Great Big World known for their Grammy-winning hit 'Say Something' with Christina Aguilera made their television debut performance of their most recent single 'You' on 'Live with Kelly & Ryan' on Dec. 5.

The Country Music Association has today announced its new Board of Directors for both CMA and the CMA Foundation. The appointments are effective on Jan. 1, 2019. 

The coming few months sees Australian-born, London based, conductor Jessica Cottis focus on one side of her musical life when she gives a series of world premieres of major new works leading up and into 2019. Cottis's innate musicality, intellectual rigour and dynamism on the podium have gained her international attention with long-running relationships with some of the world's leading orchestras and ensembles.

The Front Porch Arts Collective partners with the Lyric Stage Company to start their second season with BREATH & IMAGINATION, Daniel Beaty's musical about Roland Hayes. First-time director Maurice Emmanuel Parent draws tour de force performance from Davron S. Monroe as the acclaimed African-American opera singer, with strong support from Yewande Odetoyinbo, Doug Gerber, and Nile Scott Hawver.

Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios, has acquired the North American rights to John Asher's I HATE KIDS. This is the second title from John Asher that Freestyle Digital Media has acquired, following 2016's A BOY CALLED PO. Starring Tom Everett Scott (TruTV's “I'm Sorry”), Tituss Burgess (Netflix's “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), Rachel Boston (500 DAYS OF SUMMER) and Rhea Seehorn (AMC's “Better Call Saul”) film will hit select theaters nationwide January 18, 2019 along with all digital platforms.

There's just one month left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Central Pennsylvania Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios, has acquired the North American rights to Emma Forrest's directorial debut UNTOGETHER. Following its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, and starring Jamie Dornan (50 SHADES OF GREY), Jemima Kirke (HBO's “Girls”), Ben Mendelsohn (ROGUE ONE, Netflix's “Bloodline”), Lola Kirke (Amazon's “Mozart in the Jungle”), and Billy Crystal (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY), the film will hit select theaters nationwide February 8, 2019 along with all digital platforms.