Spears' comedy career began at the age of 14 when he started making stand-up appearances at clubs in his hometown of New York City. His big break came in 1987 with his appearance on Russell Simmons' “Def Comedy Jam” on HBO and “Showtime at the Apollo.”
Center Theatre Group has selected singers from across the greater Los Angeles area to perform as members of the church choir in the West Coast premiere of THE CHRISTIANS written by Lucas Hnath and directed by Les Waters. THE CHRISTIANS is presented by CTG and Playwrights Horizons at the Mark Taper Forum, December 2, 2015, through January 10, 2016. The opening is set for December 13.
Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Avenue, announces that The Christmas Schooner will be sailing for its fifth year at Mercury Theater Chicago, running November 25 through December 27, 2015. Jeff Award winner Stef Tovar takes the helm as the Schooner's captain, alongside Brianna Borger as the Captain's wife Alma Stossel. The whole family will enjoy this heart-warming musical story of the first Christmas tree ship and the family who risked their lives to fill Chicago with the Christmas spirit. The production features a powerful, moving story, an exquisite score of original music and traditional holiday favorites, and a company of 25 actors and musicians and is helmed by the Jeff-award winning team of L. Walter Stearns (Director), Eugene Dizon (Musical Director) and Brenda Didier (Choreographer).
Mesa Arts Center this week announced several additional performances in the Performing Live Series for the 2015-16 season. These include Simply Three on Feb. 19, Spoken World featuring Dahlek Braithwaite on Feb. 26, United States Air Force Band of the Golden West on Mar. 10, Men are From Mars, Women Are from Venus LIVE! Mar. 17-20, Arlo Guthrie on April 1, and Spoken World featuring Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez and Alyesha Wise. Tickets are on sale now at the Mesa Arts Center box office, and available at mesaartscenter.com or by calling 480-644-6500.
Today in 1950, Guys and Dolls opened at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre), where it ran for 1200 performances. Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. The musical has had several Broadway and London revivals, as well as a 1955 film adaptation starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine.
Now entering its 101st season, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene [NYTF] will honor David S. and Sylvia Steiner (joint lead producers on Golda's Balcony starring Tovah Feldshuh for Broadway and Film) at a Gala performance of the lost 1923 Yiddish American Operetta classic THE GOLDEN BRIDE on December 8 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
RLJ Entertainment, (NASDAQ: RLJE) brings you BONE TOMAHAWK. Written and Directed by S. Craig Zahler, the critically acclaimed film stars Kurt Russell
Surpassing its fundraising goal, Long Beach Opera's 37th Annual Gala raised over $210,000 to support its 2016 opera season and Youth Initiative Programs. Honorary Co-Chairs Barbara Bixby Blackwell and Jean Bixby Smith, along with LBO's Board of Directors, presented the fundraiser, 'Glittering Glamorous Giving,' on Saturday November 7, 2015 in the Lagunita Pavilion at the Hotel Maya, Long Beach.
freeFall Theatre Company presents holiday production of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, opening on December 5 and running through Christmas Eve with added performances on Wednesdays at 7pm throughout the run and on Sundays evenings on December 13 and December 20 at 7pm.
The world premiere of the full-length play, HARD AND FAST: A LOVE STORY, is set for November 20 at 8:00 p.m. at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (539 Tremont Street, South End, Boston, MA). This high-octane story about love, obsession, and fast cars, written by Jess Foster, is the first production of Boston Public Works Theater Company's second season.
Boston Public Works Theater Company will present Hard and Fast: a love story by Jess Foster as its first show of its second season. The full-length play will open on November 20, 2015 and continue through to December 5, 2015 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (539 Tremont Street, South End, Boston, MA). Tickets from $15-$25 are on sale through BostonTheatreScene.com (617-933-8600) or visit BostonPublicWorks.org.
freeFall Theatre Company presents holiday production of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, opening on December 5 and running through Christmas Eve with added performances on Wednesdays at 7pm throughout the run and on Sundays evenings on December 13 and December 20 at 7pm.
Comedian, actor, director and producer Martin Lawrence has announced a second performance of his 'Doin' Time Comedy Tour', Lawrence's first stand-up tour in four years, at the Fox Theatre on Saturday, January 9 at 8 p.m. Lawrence will make a triumphant return to the stand-up stage for back-to-back nights of hilarious stories, social commentary and laughs on Friday, January 8 and Saturday, January 9 at 8 p.m. Doors are at 7 p.m.
ESPN's Jodi Markley has been promoted to executive vice president, content operations & creative services, effective January 1, 2016.
On the next episode of ABC's Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. titled "Closure", Ward's campaign for revenge brings the S.H.I.E.L.D. team to their knees, and Coulson proves he will do anything to settle the score.
The Book Worm Bookstore, an independent bookstore in the Atlanta metropolitan area will host four local authors for an afternoon of book talks, sales and signings. The local authors are Valerie Joan Connors, Susan Jimison, Connie McKee, and Rona Simmons. The four, published by Deeds Publishing, a Georgia-based publisher, banded together to promote reading among both men and women after finding themselves alone at book talk after book talk, their husbands like other men rarely reading fiction and even more rarely participating in book clubs or attending book talks. They dubbed themselves 'The Book Widows.' On December 5, 2015, The Book Widows will appear at The Book Worm Bookstore from 2 pm to 4 pm to share their outlook on reading and writing in America today. Rona Simmons said, 'John Gray's Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus couldn't be more apropos to reading.' The group will talk about how differently the two sexes read and how to find just the right book to bring the two together. About The Book Worm: The Book Worm Bookstore is an independent book store located at 4451 Marietta St. in downtown Powder Springs, Ga. The store specializes in rare and out of print books, housing over 30,000 new and used books, CDs and DVDs in their onsite warehouse. The Book Worm promotes local authors and their books through appearances at the store and as monthly book club selections. About 'The Book Widows': Four local authors, all published by Deeds Publishing, an Atlanta-area based publishing company, comprise 'The Book Widows.' They are: Valerie Joan Connors, author of Shadow of a Smile and A Promise Made, Susan Jimison, Dear Mark and Through the Eyes of a Tiger, Connie McKee, The Girl in the Mirror and Rona Simmons, The Quiet Room and Postcards from Wonderland.
THE RANT takes place in Brooklyn, NY, not too long ago--that's what the program says. It feels like it could have easily taken place within the past year, month or week. Denise Reeve's son, a black teenager, was shot to death by a police officer on her front porch while she and her husband ate Eskimo Pies inside. At least that's what the audience hears first. From there, the story devolves into different versions of what might be the truth from Ms. Reeves, police officer Charles Simmons, investigator Lila Mahnaz and journalist Alexander Stern. In the end, the story is so twisted and murky with events, intentions and agendas that the actual events become secondary to the perceived situation.
Park Square continues its 41st season this month with the new musical spectacular THE SNOW QUEEN adapted and set to music by Michael Smith. Based on the beloved fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen that inspired the Disney movie Frozen, this new and innovative musical uses folk music to tell the age-old tale of the struggle between good and evil, and the girl who finds the strength to triumph. Doug Scholz-Carlson directs this regional premiere, and Denise Prosek serves as musical director. Jamie Kranz* is the stage manager. Talk Theatre called the new musical '... a smart, artful chamber folk opera. It will dazzle you.'
The 1st Stage production of HARVEY by Mary Chase features Tonya Beckman, Jonathan Lee Taylor, William Aitken, Elliott Bales, Robert Grimm, DeJeanette Horne, Carolyn Kashner, Kelsey Meiklejohn, Emily Morrison, Sue Schaffel, and Tim Torre. Michael Chamberlin returns to 1st Stage to direct the production. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
With World War II raging on in Europe, Veta Simmons and her daughter, Myrtle Mae Simmons are fighting a battle of their own against Elwood P. Dowd, Veta's brother, in order to try to keep their social lives intact. However, all of their tactics cannot keep Elwood from inviting his friend, Harvey, to their social events. Harvey is Elwood's best friend and they do everything together. The only problem is that Elwood is the only person who can see Harvey, a pooka in the form of a six foot tall rabbit. One afternoon after a disastrous Wednesday forum, Veta decides that it is time to commit Elwood to Chumley's Rest, a sanitarium.
