When Oklahoma! was first produced on Broadway in 1943 it became the first smash hit for the newly formed collaborating team Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and was also the first real book musical, preceded only by Showboat. It was a breakthrough musical, which when given a first-class production, is still, some 74 years later, without question, one of the greatest American musicals ever written. 'The Farmer and the Cowman' truly represents the philosophy of what America is all about, a unity and pride that is unmistakable. Oklahoma! is currently onstage in Redondo Beach, directed byT.J. Dawson, artistic director of 3-D Theatricals. He has beautifully succeeded in reimagining Oklahoma! for the 21st century. In the 40s it was not appropriate to portray racism onstage the way it clearly existed. Modern audiences, however, demand that musicals go a giant step further and explore life in all its complexities. I can thruthfully state that this Oklahoma! is quite unlike any production you have ever seen....and that means you should put it at the top of your must-see list.
Our country has always been referred to as a melting pot culture. The expression rings in this produciton of Oklahoma! There's Ali Hakim (Drew Boudreau), the traveling pedlar, who sets his eyes on Ado Annie (Kelley Dorney). He is Persian. And in this production Jud Fry is African American (played by Rufus Bonds, Jr.). His hidden affections for Laurey (Julia Aks) are not only difficult for her to accept because of his low class, rough and cruel behavior, but being black in 1906 made you ... intolerable. Casting Fry as black adds a whole other dimension to the story. Fry seems beleaguered by previous war inju
Known for stylish award-winning productions and their signature flair for bringing to the stage thoughtfully reimagined interpretations of musical theatre spectaculars, 3-D Theatricals of Los Angeles and Orange County takes on Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!... with a new point of view.
The corn was high as an elephant's eye at the Alex Theatre in Glendale last Sunday as Musical Theater Guild presented a staged reading of Rodgers and Hammerstein's bucolic musical State Fair, the only musical R&H wrote specifically for the screen. State Fair wasn't adapted for the stage until 1996, the final show produced by David Merrick, Broadway's notorious 'abominable showman.'
On Saturday, May 13, 2017, following the 2 p.m. matinee performance of Fiasco Theater's "Into the Woods" at the Ahmanson Theatre, Center Theatre Group will throw a cast party for all the Bakers and Witches, Cinderellas and Princes, Milky Whites, et al., who have ever appeared in a production of "Into the Woods."
Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, concludes the 2016-2017 season by taking family audiences to the fair!
BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature THE SNEETCHES in Minneapolis, THE GREAT GATSBY in ORLANDO, Andrew Lippa's THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SNOOPY in Austin and more. Check out our top features below!
Don't cry for Eva! Tim Rice's & Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita has had a thirty-nine year international love affair with the public since it premiered in 1978 in London and in 1979 on Broadway. The latest revival in regional theatre is currently at MTW in Long Beach.
An operetta, or rock opera, with no spoken dialogue, and based on Eva Duarte Peron and husband Juan Peron of Argentina, the story documents the rise to power of a simple peasant girl to the rank - almost - of Vice-President of her country. I say almost because she became too ill to accept the nomination in 1951 and passed into immor
Musical Theatre West's (MTW) Reiner Staged Reading Series (RRS) presents the romantic romp She Loves Me, Today, December 3, at 7:00pm at its new home, the Beverly O'Neill Theater, located at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.
Musical Theatre West's (MTW) Reiner Staged Reading Series (RRS) presents the romantic romp She Loves Me, Saturday, December 3, at 7:00pm at its new home, the Beverly O'Neill Theater, located at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.
On Monday evening August 22 An Evening of Classic Broadway returned to Rockwell Table and Stage for another resoundingly superb and downright mirthful show. Headed by Brad Ellis and Dianne Fraser, this show really grows on you. I love talent, and you can definitely find it here in abundance. On the bill this time around were of course ringmaster Ellis, ingenious as always with his delicious banter at the piano, and Fraser, who manages to do it all, even adjusting microphones and assisting with the props. She's amazing! Guest singers included Joshua Finkel, Zachary Ford, Susan Edwards Martin, Barrett Foa, Christina Saffran and daughter Emma Ashford and last but never least the inimitable Julie Garnye.
BUMPERSTICKER: THE MUSICAL conquers the Hollywood Fringe Festival with its terrific triple threat combination making it great for people who don't like musicals and even better for those who do. It's the right show in the right venue with the right cast, and a rousing good time from beginning to end.
Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will continue their 20thAnniversary Season with the Broadway musical A CLASS ACT. The one-night-only concert will take place at Glendale's historic Alex Theatre on Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 7:00 PM.
San Francisco continues a – hopefully – new tradition this week with “A Charlie Brown Christmas – Live!” This delightful program had its West Coast premiere last season, with first-half vocals from Lisa Vroman and the Symphony Chorus. This week, the concert features “Little Mermaid” voice Jodi Benson, a perfect choice for the production's youthful target audience.
Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, continued their 2015-2016 season with the Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim andArthur Laurents 1965 musical DO I HEAR A WALTZ? The one-night-only concert took place at Glendale's historic Alex Theatre on Sunday, November 15 at 7:00 PM. Scroll down for photos from the evening!
Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will continue their 2015-2016 season with the Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents 1965 musical DO I HEAR A WALTZ?
Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will conclude their 2014-2015 season with Stephen Sondheim's latest work, ROAD SHOW. The one-night-only concert will take place at the Moss Theatre at New Roads School in Santa Monica on Sunday, June 14, 2015 at 7:00 pm.
Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will continue their 2014-2015 season with 1949's classic GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES.
