Walter Slezak News

This week's list includes an album of demos from Beetlejuice the Musical, as well as the first single from the forthcoming film adaptation of The Prom. Plus, the first song from Andrew Lloyd Webber's production of Cinderella has been released.

The outstanding new CNN Films documentary The Reagan Show uses archival footage of President Ronald Reagan, much of it documented by U.S. Naval Photographic unit for the White House and maintained by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The documentary has inspired a week-long film series at Museum of the Moving Image. The series The Ronald Reagan Picture Show, which runs August 25 through 30, includes a special screening of The Reagan Show (on August 30) followed by a discussion with filmmakers Sierra Pettengill and Pacho Velez, CNN senior media correspondent and host of Reliable Sources Brian Stelter, and presidential historian Tim Naftali. During the weekend prior to this screening, the Museum will present rare screenings of some of Ronald Reagan's most memorable film roles, all presented in 35mm.  

Room Service, the 1937 screwball comedy by Allen Boretz and John Murray is Broadway-bound.

The Adobe Theater is presenting the delightfully offbeat Christmas comedy My Three Angels from December 1st through the 18th, 2016. Written by the husband and wife team of Samuel Spewack and Bella Spewack from the French play "La Cuisine des Anges" by Albert Husson, My Three Angels opened on Broadway on March 11th, 1953, directed by Jose Ferrer and starring Walter Slezak, Jerome Cowan, and Darren McGavin as the "Angels," and ran for 344 performances. It was brought to the big screen in 1955 as We're No Angels, with Michael Curtiz directing, and Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, and Aldo Ray as the three unlikely heroes.

Mit „Viel Larm um Liebe" („The Firebrand of Florence") hebt die Staatsoperette Dresden einen Schatz aus der amerikanischen Schaffensperiode von Kurt Weill. Als Vorlage fur diese 1945 am Broadway uraufgefuhrte Operette diente das 1924 entstandene Schauspiel „The Firebrand" von Edwin Justus Mayer uber die amourosen Eskapaden des Bildhauers und Goldschmieds Benvenuto Cellini:

Now onstage at Encore Dinner Theatre in Tustin, Fiddler is a beautiful reminder of the true meaning of family and making one's way through life's shaky journey. This production, directed by Michael Lopez, is lovingly conceived from top to bottom.

Endangered Species Project (ESP)'s holiday selection is an adaptation of a French play (La Cuisine des Anges by Albert Husson), by the American playwrights Sam and Bella Spewack.

Endangered Species Project (ESP)'s holiday selection is an adaptation of a French play (La Cuisine des Anges by Albert Husson), by the American playwrights Sam and Bella Spewack.

Melva Niles Barborka, a Broadway leading lady, passed away on March 12 in South Jordan, Utah. She succumbed to chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, a neurological disease, at age 86. As Melva Niles, she stared in the Broadway runs "Song of Norway" and "Magdalena," creating the role of Solis.

It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment when Florence Henderson became a household name. It was certainly through the media of television, but was it her numerous appearances on the then-popular variety shows? Perhaps it was because of the proliferation of commercials she did for Polident and Wesson Oil; the latter in which she helped coin the phrase 'Wessonality'. Obviously her long stint as Mrs. Carol Brady in 'The Brady Bunch' played a major role in her becoming not only a name people easily recognized, but a talent that has genuinely been appreciated by different generations down through the years.

Girl Crazy, with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and Jack McGowan, will open New York City Center's 2009-2010 Encores! season on November 19, 2009. The season will continue with Fanny, with music and lyrics by Harold Rome and book by S. N. Behrman and Joshua Logan, on February 4, 2010. Fanny will be the 50th Encores! production presented by City Center since 1994. The season will conclude with Anyone Can Whistle, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents' legendary 1964 musical, on April 8, 2010.

There's a great pleasure in talking to veteran performers. They've been through it all and have many great stories to tell. Such was the case recently in a conversation with dancer/ singer/ actress/comedienne Mitzi Gaynor. This great lady starred in such Hollywood successes as THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS with Ethel Merman, THE JOKER IS WILD with Frank Sinatra, the re-make of ANYTHING GOES with Bing Cosby and Donald O'Connor, LES GIRLS with Gene Kelly and SOUTH PACIFIC with Rossano Brazzi. She also wowed television audiences in the 60's and 70's with a series of specials that captivated America and had schoolboys rushing home from sporting events to watch them. Without a doubt, Mitzi Gaynor was a show business phenomenon and she remains one today as she prepares for the public television airing of her new documentary called 'Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years.'

It's homicide for the holidays when WILDCAT THEATRICALS presents a special staged reading of the classic Broadway comedy MY THREE ANGELS by Sam and Bella Spewack, Sun-Tue Dec 5, 6, & 7 @ 7pm at the Producer's Club Sonnet Theatre.