Stephen Blackwell News

Indio's Desert Theatreworks has scored another bullseye with their current production of Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs. Simon's semi-autobiographical memory piece about his early teenage years in a crowded Brooklyn tenement is delivered in a finely-nuanced performance by a dream cast in the capable hands of director Rebecca Havely. As a result, the tale of a young teen's personal growth and exploration, set against a house full of family conflict and financial strife, takes the audience on a ride which they all seemed to greatly enjoy on the evening I viewed the show.

It's the last week to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Detroit 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.

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Detroit 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.

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Detroit 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.

There's just one month left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Detroit 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.

Indio's Desert Theatreworks continues their strong 2018/19 season with a stylish production of Agatha Christie's MURDER ON THE NILE. Smartly dressed characters with distinct, larger-than-life personalities, come together in the early 1940's onboard an Egyptian riverboat. One of them gets shot through the head, and the remainder of the show deals with the characters figuring out whodunnit.

Margaret Edwartowski has been told her whole life that she looks like the late pop singer Cass Elliot, or, perhaps best known onstage, as "Mama Cass" of the Mamas and the Papas. "People would always come up to me and say, 'You know who you remind me of…" Edwartowski says. "Once I learned about her and started reading about her, I tried to emulate her. She was smart, resilient and very talented."

Desert Theatreworks has opened its 2018-19 season with a hilariously funny production of SOUTHERN FRIED FUNERAL. A clever script, great acting by the ensemble cast, great direction, and great set and costume designs ensure that audiences will have a great deal of fun at the dysfunctional Frye family's send-off for their husband and father.

Shakespeare Royal Oak kicks off its 18th season in Royal Oak's Starr Jaycee Park Thursday night with the opening of Much Ado About Nothing. The festival continues with peformances and educational programs through Sunday, August 5.Tickets for all performances ($15-$25) are on sale now at www.shakespeareroyaloak.com. Tickets will also be available in person at the park box office beginning one hour prior to show time.

August 4 Shakespeare Royal Oak is proud to announce that tickets are on sale now for its 18th season presenting Michigan's largest professional outdoor Shakespeare festival July 26 - August 5 in Royal Oak's Starr Jaycee Park.

Grease is still the word! Since its first appearance in 1971, Grease has become an indelible element of American culture. Indio's Desert Theatreworks has assembled a dozen of the valley's top young actors who have brought such an amazing level of talent, hard work, and enthusiasm to the show that it feels as if it had been written last week. I dare you to keep your toes from tapping!

The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SpinMedia's storied music assets Spin, Vibe, and Stereogum, establishing the world's largest music brand by digital traffic, social reach, and audience share.

Desert Theatreworks (DTW), Palm Desert's 501(c)(3) community theatre, has chosen something different for its 2016 Christmas production. SINATRA: CHRISTMAS MY WAY is a sweet, light, feel-good cabaret simulation featuring Frank Sinatra's holiday music and a few silly jokes. Even though I'm not a Sinatra fan, I enjoyed the show.

Planet Ant will bring an encore presentation of Margaret Edwartowski's award-winning play, Hamtown Races, to the theatre November 23 - December 17. Tickets ($10-$20) are on sale now online at www.planetant.com. A complete schedule follows this release.

Planet Ant will bring an encore presentation of Margaret Edwartowski's award-winning play, Hamtown Races, to the theatre November 23 - December 17. Tickets ($10-$20) are on sale now online at www.planetant.com. A complete schedule follows this release.

Closing out its 2015-16 season, Planet Ant will present a new romantic comedy from award-winning Detroit playwright Margaret Edwartowski. Alone With Friends opens Friday, June 3 for a four-week run through June 25. Tickets ($10-$20) are on sale now atwww.planetant.com. A complete performance schedule follows this release.

The Artist's Institute invites you to celebrate a lunchtime launch of its new bi-annual publication series, The Magazine, at its new location, 132 E. 65th Street, today, March 31, from 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The Artist's Institute invites you to celebrate a lunchtime launch of its new bi-annual publication series, The Magazine, at its new location, 132 E. 65th Street, on Thursday, March 31, from 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

CLUE THE MUSICAL, as interpreted by director Lance Phillips-Martinez and music director Joel Baker, Desert Theatreworks' production is a great deal of family-friendly fun. Mr. Phillips-Martinez and Ashley Hernandez (who also plays the multiply-widowed Mrs. Peacock) have provided superb choreography. Add an excellent cast, a terrific musician (Brian Alec Thom), and the twist of giving the audience the opportunity to solve the murder, the result is a highly enjoyable 95 minutes.

Desert Theatreworks's new version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL is touching and funny. Director Lance Phillips-Martinez adapted the Charles Dickens novella by using Dickens' words for narration and dialog. He also selected period Christmas carols, sung primarily by the chorus,The clever staging, the use of a combination musical chorus and Greek chorus (the latter narrates early parts of the story), the costumes, the make-up, the imaginative sound and lighting, the elements of humor, and, of course, the acting all contribute to the success of this top-notch production.