Verona News

Maplewood thespian turned producer has caught the bug! Late June, Gregory Omar Osborne produced a rousing production of FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE. It was a successful first for Osborne, with ticket sales at 70% over a four show weekend. Less than six months after closing FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE Osborne will present the world premiere of A PARK AVENUE CHRISTMAS written by Ed Dickson at The Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, December 20th - 23rd, 2018, in Maplewood, NJ.

Lean, vibrant, and rewired with a youthful jolt of energy and activism, this isn't the play your eighth grade teacher made you read. An age old feud, fueled by a cycle of violence and power, spiraling out of control. A generation seeking more meaning than their parents' world will allow. A burgeoning love that tries to defy it all. Artistic Director Blanka Zizka helms a refreshed re-telling of Shakespeare's famous love story, running at the Wilma from January 15 through February 9, 2019.

This poetic new play with music follows Ed, a gay Jesuit priest who leaves the Catholic church to reconcile with his estranged brother in an isolated and icy township in Alaska. As Ed confronts his tragic past and tenuous future, he unexpectedly finds love beneath the starry Alaskan sky, and support from an unlikely ally. Introducing an auspicious new voice in American theatre, The Hour of Great Mercy by Miranda Rose Hall, is a tender, insightful and compassionate story about our collective relationship to illness, family, and redemption.

Just in time for the holiday season, THE WOMAN IN BLACK is inviting guests to try something new this year with a holiday ticket package. For those looking to bond over a spine-tingling live theater performance, THE WOMAN IN BLACK will include a drink from the bar with the purchase of a ticket using the code HOLIDAY through January 6, 2019. An experience surely not to miss, the production has been called "Spectacular" by the Chicago Sun-Times, and "Brilliant" by Chicago Theater Review, receiving rave reviews from critics across the board. 

The Muny announced today the directors, choreographers and music directors for its 2019 season, which opens on June 10 with Guys and Dolls.

The Muny announced today the directors, choreographers and music directors for its 2019 season, which opens on June 10 with Guys and Dolls.

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that composer Galt MacDermot, perhaps best known for his work on the landmark musical Hair, passed away today, December 17. He was 89 years old

wine2wine is a unique two-day conference designed to give participants the latest market insights and strategic network opportunities. Italian wine producers, suppliers, international journalists, and professionals from all sectors of the wine business gathered in Verona to participate in educational and thought-provoking discussions, seminars, and workshops. There were 70+ sessions divided into 15 different theme tracks ranging from emerging markets and digital communication to fine wines and sustainability, along with a golden line-up of 118 speakers from around the globe. All the sessions were live-streamed and are now available on the wine2wine Facebook page.

Hartford Stage Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts announced today the cast and creative team for Samuel Baum's The Engagement Party, directed by Tresnjak. Zach Appelman, Richard Bekins, Mia Dillon and Beth Riesgraf lead the cast. The world premiere play will perform Thursday, January 10, through Sunday, February 3, 2019.

BroadwayCon has announced the Tony Award-winning Harry Potter and the Cursed Child cast has joined the BroadwayCon 2019 lineup. As part of the Spotlight series, the panel will feature Jamie Parker (Harry Potter), Noma Dumezweni (Hermione Granger), Paul Thornley (Ron Weasley), Poppy Miller (Ginny Potter), Sam Clemmett (Albus Potter), Alex Price (Draco Malfoy) and Anthony Boyle (Scorpius Malfoy), moderated by Melissa Anelli (Co-Founder of BroadwayCon and author of Harry, A History) on Friday, January 11, 2019 at 1:45 p.m.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler announced the cast of the second production of its 2018-19 Season: Birdy, adapted by Naomi Wallace from the novel by William Wharton, and directed by Steven Maler. The production runs February 27 through March 10 at the Carling-Sorenson Theater at Babson College in Wellesley.

After his hit production of King Charles III, David Muse returns to Shakespeare Theatre Company to direct Shakespeare's Richard the Third, a mesmerizing chronicle of the megalomaniac's rampage to the throne. The production will play at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from February 5-March 10, 2019.

After a successful run in the New York International Fringe Festival, C.A.G.E. Theatre Company is proud to encore The Long Rail North, written by award-winning playwright, Michael Hagins, and directed by Planet Connections' former Artistic Director, Brock H. Hill. The riveting play about a Black Union soldier and a young White Southern girl, will be at the Soho Playhouse, for a special three-performance run.

O.R.k., comprising some of contemporary music's most revered artists, have combined their creative forces once again for a new studio album; their first for the ground-breaking UK label Kscope; O.R.k's Ramagehead will be released on 22nd February 2019.

Winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Martyna Majok's Cost of Living receives its highly anticipated UK Premiere at Hampstead Theatre - making it the 100th premiere since Edward Hall and Greg Ripley-Duggan took charge in 2010.

Victory Gardens Theater announces the extension of the critically-acclaimed hit Rightlynd, written by Ike Holter and directed by Lisa Portes with original music by Charlie Coffeen. With six additional performances, the production now runs through December 30, 2018, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Legendary southern rock group The Marshall Tucker Band has revealed the first leg of live concert dates for its newly announced Through Hell & High Water… And Back Tour 2019. The first round of dates includes stops in Las Vegas, NV, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Verona, NY, Scottsdale, AZ, Glenside, PA, Mobile, AL, Charleston, SC, and the 2019 Southern Rock Cruise. 

 Understand you? I don't even understand myself. Elina de Santos directs a playful play of ideas that challenges our fundamental understanding of reality. The world premiere of A Misunderstanding by Matt Chait (Disinherit the Wind) opens on Friday, Jan. 4 at The Complex in Hollywood, where performances continue through Feb. 3. Leave all your preconceived notions at the door… this play is sure to turn them inside out.

Mark St. Germain's Gertrude and Claudius, based on the novel by John Updike, commissioned and produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF runs from February 20 - March 23, 2019. Gertrude and Claudius will play in repertory with Shakespeare's Hamlet. Tickets (starting at $30) are available now by phone (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, online at orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

Wine Spectator's senior editor and tasting director Alison Napjus announced the 103 wineries that will pour their signature wines during OperaWine 2019, Vinitaly's opening gala to be held in collaboration with the prestigious wine magazine in Verona, Italy, on Saturday 6 April next year. As is been customary for the past three years, the announcement has been made in Verona during the wine business convention wine2wine organized by Veronafiere, Vinitaly, and Vinitaly International. Napjus proclaimed the 103 finest Italian producers for 2019 on Monday 26 November at wine2wine in the presence of Maurizio Danese (President of Veronafiere), Giovanni Mantovani (CEO of Veronafiere), Gianni Bruno (Area Manager of Vinitaly), and Stevie Kim (Managing Director of Vinitaly International), and called the wineries' representatives on stage for the traditional group photograph.