THE ASTORIA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (APAC) is pleased to announce Willy Russell's (Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine) BLOOD BROTHERS, musical staging by Christine O'Grady, musical direction by Julianne B. Merrill, and directed by Tom Wojtunik. BLOOD BROTHERS will play a limited engagement at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church (30-44 Crescent St, Astoria, NY 11102. Entrance on 30th Road.) Performances begin Thursday, May 2 and continue through Saturday, May 18. Opening Night is Saturday, May 4 (8 p.m.).
Thodos Dance Chicago will celebrate 13 years of dance creation with its annual New Dances performance series, July 19-21, 2013 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago. Performances are Friday and Saturday, July 19 and 20 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, July 21 at 5 pm. Tickets are $35; $28 for students and seniors; $20 industry (dancers and teachers); $10 for children 12 and under and for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are on sale now at thodosdancechicago.org or by calling 312.266.6255.
Berkeley Playhouse presents its next KidStage production, DISNEY'S ALICE IN WONDERLAND JR. Based on the 1951 Disney film "Alice in Wonderland," and the novels "The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll, this madcap musical follows young Alice down the rabbit hole into a wonderland of adventure as she chases the White Rabbit, races the Dodo Bird, gets tied up with the Tweedles, raps with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar, goes to the craziest tea party ever, and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game. Featuring familiar songs from the original animated Disney classic, including "The Unbirthday Song," "I'm Late," and "Painting the Roses Red," along with additional sing-along gems like "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," ALICE IN WONDERLAND JR. is a musical feast for the entire family.
When Fabio Luisi took up his post as General Music Director of the Zurich Opera last fall, he helped launch a new era, marked by bold productions and inspired artistic collaborations. For the great Swiss opera house's newly announced 2013-14 season, he continues to build on this auspicious start. As the Intermezzo blog reports, "Zurich's programming is showing an increasingly adventurous touch," and Luisi has succeeded once again in attracting some of today's most visionary directors and conductors - with such young stars as Mikko Franck, Teodor Currentzis, Cornelius Meister, and Pavel Baleff - and in drawing together first-rate casts that juxtapose living legends like Cecilia Bartoli, Edita Gruberova, Anne-Sofie von Otter, Rene Pape, and Nina Stemme with emerging singers on the cusp of international stardom. Anchoring the new season are eleven new productions, 18 revivals, and six orchestral concerts. Having just won a Grammy Award for his leadership of Wagner at the Metropolitan Opera, in Zurich Luisi sets his sights on this year's other great operatic bicentennial, with four operas by Giuseppe Verdi. The conductor himself will play a major part in the new season, premiering important productions of Fidelio and Aida, as well as leading four programs with the Philharmonia Zurich and revivals of Don Carlo, Les contes d'Hoffmann, and Bellini's La straniera. By way of a prelude to the upcoming season, the company's new take on this bel canto classic will form the centerpiece of Luisi's summer in Zurich, which also sees him directing Rigoletto, Der Rosenkavalier, and concerts of Schumann's orchestral and choral music.
The Theatre By The Sea (TBTS) box office will open Sunday, May 5 for the eagerly awaited 80th Anniversary Season produced by owner Bill Hanney. All tickets will go on sale at 10am by phone (401-782-8587), online (www.theatrebythesea.com) or in person at 364 Cards Pond Road in Matunuck, RI. Patrons who visit the box office in person on May 5 are encouraged to bring their family to enjoy complimentary light snacks and explore the beautiful seaside grounds.
The Hudson Valley Singers present HYMN OF LOVE, featuring the music of Weber, Schumann, and Nielsen, conducted by Eugene Sirotkine and joined by the New York Metamorphoses Orchestra. The performance will take place on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at 8pm at the landmark Heckscher Theatre at El Museo del Barrio, 1230 5th Avenue (at 104th Street), NYC. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door, $25 for seniors and students, and can be purchased at http://www.hudsonvalleysingers.org/tickets.htm#orderform, by calling 914-674-2865, or via email at tickets@hudsonvalleysingers.org.
Beginning Wednesday, June 19, the Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom Events will once again present Summer HD Encores, a series of encore performances from the groundbreaking Live in HD series, in nearly 400 select U.S. cinemas nationwide
With a voice like whiskey and a laugh like pure joy, Janis Joplin took the music scene by storm. Simultaneously rough and vulnerable, Joplin was dubbed the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, proving music wasn't just a man's world anymore. Now, in a new musical event featuring more than a dozen singers and band members, playwright-director Randy Johnson creates 'a compelling portrait of an artist' (Culturemob) through the words, inspiration and music of one of America's greatest rock 'n' roll originals. One Night With Janis Joplin is a full-on concert experience and musical journey into the life and inspirations of one of rock 'n' roll's greatest legends and it runs in The Rep's Quadracci Powerhouse from May 3 - June 2, 2013 and opens on Monday, May 6, 2013. Packed with classic songs ('Piece Of My Heart,' 'Summertime,' 'Mercedes Benz'), One Night With Janis Joplin also shines the spotlight on trailblazers who influenced Janis - like Bessie Smith, Etta James and Aretha Franklin.
Jen Gapay of Thirsty Girl Productions (the producer of The NY Burlesque Festival) and Daniel Nardicio, NYC's 'Willy Wonka of Queer New York (Next Magazine), present The 2nd Annual New York Boylesque Festival, today, April 26th & the 27th 2013.
The third release in Silva Screen's TV theme compilation series offering a comprehensive snapshot of the very best music on television is now available.
The Concerts for City Greens may be a Spring and Summer music extravaganza held in the lovely early evening air of Manhattan's East Side, but Broadway actress and cabaret headliner Raissa Katona Bennett, who is the concert series' founder and producer, is launching the 2013 season indoors-with a gala benefit concert featuring a star-studded lineup of performers, including quadruple-platinum songwriter and Today Show regular David Friedman as a special guest performer (with Bennett in photo, left). A celebratory retrospective of the program's first five seasons will be staged at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd Street, tonight April 23 at 7pm.
The world premiere in June 2013 of Manchester Sound: The Massacre, in which the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 clashes with the city's second Summer of Love in 1989, directed by Paul Jepson and written by Polly Wiseman; a revival for autumn 2013 of Educating Rita, Willy Russell's marvellous heart-warming comedy; Wanted! Robin Hood, a new adaptation for Christmas 2013 of the classic Robin Hood story by Charles Way, directed by Amy Leach; and the first regional production of Anya Reiss's contemporary translation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull for spring 2014 are the next four productions from Manchester's Library Theatre Company, the company's final programme under the Library Theatre Company banner prior to the Library's move with Cornerhouse to HOME.
If you haven't had the chance to catch up on your theater news, look no further than today's recap of all things theater - exclusive features, interviews, reviews and more! - around the Broadway World for the week of April 15!
Florida Repertory Theatre has announced the opening of the final play in its Fifteenth Anniversary Season, a touching, Olivier Award-winning Best Comedy, Educating Rita by Willy Russell.
Bethesda becomes Neverland this summer, as Imagination Stage presents Peter Pan and Wendy, a swashbuckling adventure with audience participation. Directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer, it is a story in which two young heroes must decide if growing up is really all that bad.
According to published reports, Pamela Parsons Naughton, wife of Tony winner James Naughton, mother of Greg and Keira Naughton, and mother-in-law of Kelli O'Hara passed away earlier this month after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 66 years old.
Florida Repertory Theatre has announced the opening of the final play in its Fifteenth Anniversary Season, a touching, Olivier Award-winning Best Comedy, Educating Rita by Willy Russell.
The Concerts for City Greens may be a Spring and Summer music extravaganza held in the lovely early evening air of Manhattan's East Side, but Broadway actress and cabaret headliner Raissa Katona Bennett, who is the concert series' founder and producer, is launching the 2013 season indoors-with a gala benefit concert featuring a star-studded lineup of performers, including quadruple-platinum songwriter and Today Show regular David Friedman as a special guest performer (with Bennett in photo, left). A celebratory retrospective of the program's first five seasons will be staged at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd Street, on Tuesday April 23 at 7pm.
Dahl's classic novel comes to life on stage at the Lincoln Theatre in CCT's delightful production of WILLY WONKA. Adapted for stage by Leslie Bricusse and Timothy Allen McDonald with music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, this timeless story reminds us of the magic of theatre and obsession of chocolate.
