Shakespeare on the Sound, Connecticut's outdoor summer theater company, will present a newly conceived production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, under the direction of Joanna Settle, this June and July for the company's 17th season.
McDonagh's plays are densely packed with vicious drama, wicked humor, savage truths, and deep humanity, while Senior uses her trademark vision, and Jack Magaw's in-your-lap design, to cram McDonagh's theatrical stew into a stage the size of a minivan-with no place to hide. McDonagh's twisted family dramas were born for the intimacy of Redtwist. And after Kimberly's uniquely creative staging of The Pillowman in 2009, it's her time again. The theatre requested the performing rights two years ago, but the two-week visit by Druid Theatre at Chicago Shakespeare tied up the rights for one year prior and three months after their March, 2011, production. The request was granted last June, and the production opens on May 13. See photos from the show below!
Piece by Piece productions, Rising Phoenix Repertory, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater have announced that the world premiere of 3C, written by David Adjmi and directed by Jackson Gay, will begin performances Wednesday, June 6 at 7pm at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place. The opening night is set for Thursday, June 21 at 7pm.
Musicians cook in the kitchen on May 5 and 10 when Grammy-nominated music group DEORO returns to Lincoln Center's David Rubenstein Atrium with a program entitled MusiKitchen.
Soulpepper Theatre Company is one of the most successful theatre companies in Canada, and growing every day. What began as a group of twelve actors who wanted to tell classical theatre stories has grown into one of the largest theatre companies in Toronto and one of the most well respected in the country. They've enjoyed many sold-out productions in the last few years, and have been responsible for the growth and development of new Canadian works, including the smash hit Kim's Convenience, which has arguably been the most talked-about Canadian play of the last twelve months.
Evolution Theatre will present Mary Magdalene and Adventures in Sobriety and [boxhead] at the Arts Court Theatre, April 18th to 28th, 2012 - 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, $20 for Students/Seniors at 613-564-7240
Public Theater has announced the line-up today for The Public's 2012-2013 Season, beginning in the fall with an October rededication of The Public's historic downtown building. The season continues the theater's nearly 60 year tradition of developing new theatrical voices and presenting Shakespeare to the entire New York community.
The Daily Mail UK reports that Julian Ovenden will star in a musical version of the film Finding Neverland, which starred Johhny Depp and Kate Winslet and followed the the story of J.M. Barrie's inspiration for his famous children's book, Peter Pan.
"What we did together exploded my whole life like a bombshell," a rain-soaked Julia related to former paramour with whom she recently rekindled a romance, Michael (Broadway notable Will Chase; the former Joe DiMaggio of the Marilyn Monroe musical at the core), qualified by saying, "but I'm not letting anyone say it was not my fault." And so goes the trajectory of SMASH so far - trepidatious and unsure as often as rhapsodically exhilarating and exuberantly entertaining, at almost equal turns; falling short more often than not in many of the melodramatic subplots, excelling with the effortless ease of a surefire hit in the musical sequences and rehearsal scenes of the gestating musical central to the series as a whole. Recently revealed in this very column late last month by SMASH stars Megan Hilty and Anjelica Huston, the confirmed title of the show-within-the-show on SMASH is BOMBSHELL, which is all too an apt a title for a musical arising amidst the war-torn landscape of Broadway in the soapy bathtub stew with everything but the kitchen sink itself that is the universe of SMASH, for better and worse - particularly insofar this group of drama queens and kings is concerned. Such is the nature of SMASH itself - in embracing its flaws it may find its ultimate salvation. Amp up the camp and dial down the drama; pump up the music and pull the shade on secondary subplots; and, please, evict Ellis. Sometimes it takes a few shots to hit the target and every at bat cannot be a home run, but Episode 9 gave us some pleasing development to plotlines that could have fallen by the wayside on a lesser series.
A few days shy of the holiest week of the year for Christians - aptly named Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Easter (with Holy Thursday and Good Friday, the most sacred events on the calendar coming between) - Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's seminal rock opera JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR was resurrected on Broadway by TOMMY and JERSEY BOYS director Des McAnuff - modeled after the hit Stratford Shakespeare Festival production last year and comprised of many of the same cast members, including all three leads - to hails of praise and hosannas, mostly. While JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR itself will always divide audiences and critics alike - and not merely because of its controversial content and its button-pushing treatment of the hallowed tale it tells - the magnetism and sheer power that Lloyd Webber's propulsive, throbbing rock score imbues gives the show an energy, vitality and life rare to find in even the most earnestly effervescent and energetic of comparable entities - the recently revived and similarly-themed GODSPELL in a revival a few blocks away included. Then, there are Tim Rice's lyrics - oh-so-spot-on in 1970, but still biting and edgy today in McAnuff's hi-tech and elaborately presented new Broadway production. Using the book of John as the jumping off point, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR tells the story of the last seven days in the life of Jesus Christ (Paul Nolan) and his subsequent betrayal by Judas (Josh Young) and sentencing to death at the hands of King Herod and Pontius Pilate (Tom Hewitt). The twelve apostles, Mary Magdalene and her female companions, lepers, Pharisees, priests and others populate the grand story told almost entirely through song - the show is 90% music - and Webber and Rice's score never, ever lets up. While this may not be the most faithful rendering as far as the Bible is concerned, nor the most historically accurate, SUPERSTAR is now available to experience for a whole new generation thanks to this new revival and the timing could not be more ideal. The time is ripe for a revival of SUPERSTAR, and, as Andrew Lloyd Webber himself has recently related, this new production of the show is the best ever as far as he is concerned. High praise indeed - coming from no less than the Lord.
Gregory Generet premieres "A Marvelous Night" in a prime time engagement at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, beginning Wednesday March 28. Backed by Mike Renzi & his Quartet, the 'molten-voiced baritone stirs together moonlight and fire in a sultry jazz stew that combines songbook standards and a number of newer-vintage ballads.'
Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for the Alley Theatre's production of the 2010 Best Play Tony Award Winner, Red.
Trustus Theatre is preparing to open one of their most ambitious projects in years as the Obie Award-winning and Tony Nominated Passing Strange comes to the Midlands. Local visual artists, singer-songwriters, dancers, and theater artists are coming together to make Trustus' production a celebration of the intensely active arts scene in Columbia. Passing Strange opens Friday March 23rd, 2012 at 8:00pm on the Trustus Main Stage. The show runs through April 14th, 2012.
At an Upfront presentation this morning at New York City's Sony Club, GSN unveiled its first programming strategy and development slate under new EVP Programming, Amy Introcaso-Davis.
Gregory Generet premieres "A Marvelous Night" in a prime time engagement at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, beginning Wednesday March 28. Backed by Mike Renzi & his Quartet, the 'molten-voiced baritone stirs together moonlight and fire in a sultry jazz stew that combines songbook standards and a number of newer-vintage ballads.'
Gingold Theatrical Group's GOLDEN SHAMROCK GALA will be held in the evening on Saturday, March 17 at the Players Club (16 Gramercy Park South), honoring the prodigious talents of playwright, Terrence McNally, actor, Brian Murray and, of course, George Bernard Shaw.
Copland House's musical adventures will help welcome spring with another line-up of concerts at Westchester County's majestic Merestead estate in Mount Kisco, NY.