The Play's the Thing Revival 1973 - Articles Page 5

Jim Thompson, an Army Ranger and POW of the Viet Namese for 9 years, deserves to have his story widely known. In 2001, Tom Philpott published an oral biography of Thompson; later that year, the next undeclared war was triggered. Glory Denied, a 90 minute opera based on Philpott's book, definitely contributes to raising Thompson's profile. Urban Arias has mounted a strong production of the 2007 one-act work in English through January 19 in the Keegan Theatre's space on Church Street.

This perfectly-timed holiday revival will feature British actors, performing an iconic British play!

When I reached for my phone to call Tovah Feldshuh to interview her on her upcoming role as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the west coast premiere of SISTERS IN LAW at The Wallis, I never expected to be so enthralled for the fifty minutes that followed; not only by the irascible, most delightful Tovah Feldshuh herself, but by the razor-witted Justice Ginsburg a?' a two-for-one interview!

The renaming of the theatre was dedicated to Stephen Sondheim, the greatest and best known artist in American musical theatre on his 80th birthday. 

Geva Theatre Center presents La Cage Aux Folles, with book by Harvey Fierstein, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, based on the play by Jean Poiret, directed by Melissa Rain Anderson, with musical direction by Don Kot, and choreography by Sam Hay in the Elaine P. Wilson Stage from September 3 through October 6. 

Geva Theatre Center presents La Cage Aux Folles, with book by Harvey Fierstein, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, based on the play by Jean Poiret, directed by Melissa Rain Anderson, with musical direction by Don Kot, and choreography by Sam Hay in the Elaine P. Wilson Stage from September 3 through October 6.

Basée sur une nouvelle de Charles Bukowski titré Un Homme tiré du recueil Au sud de nulle part publié en 1973. L'histoire de la pièce se résume à ces quelques phrases : Constance a plaqué Walter. Elle vient retrouver George, amenant une bouteille de Whiskey. La pièce est trilingue, elle est en français, en espagnol et en anglais.

Cameron Mackintosh today announces he is delighted that in honour of Stephen Sondheim's 90th birthday next March, the Queen's Theatre will be renamed the Sondheim Theatre, making him the only living artist to have a theatre named in his honour both in the West End and on Broadway. Following the renovation of wartime bomb damage and a major restoration of the auditorium and the complete backstage, the newly named Sondheim Theatre will continue as the home of world's longest running musical Les Miserables as it enters its 35th year.

Just in time for LGBTQ Pride Month, and on the cusp of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, SpeakEasy Stage Company presents the New England premiere of the Off-Broadway musical THE VIEW UPSTAIRS in the Plaza Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts. Inspired by a little-known historical event, Max Vernon pays tribute to '70s gay culture and the victims of the firebombing of the UpStairs Lounge in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1973. Although 32 people perished (the deadliest assault on a gay bar prior to the 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub which killed 49 people), Vernon's book and score focus on the personalities of the archetypal characters, the challenges they faced in that era, and the strong ties they forged to make a life in the homosexual community.

The 72nd Annual Tony Awards are this Sunday June 10th at 8/9c hosted by Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles. It's the biggest award show of the Broadway season and it closes out a long awards season for Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and plays. We can't help but wonder what chances this year's Best Musical and Best Play nominees have of taking home the ultimate prize...

The Philharmonia Orchestra is delighted to announce the appointment of Santtu-Matias Rouvali as its next Principal Conductor, only the sixth person to hold the title in its 75-year history. Following in the footsteps of the legendary Riccardo Muti, appointed as the Principal Conductor of the Philharmonia in 1973 at 32, 33-year-old Rouvali is one of the youngest-ever artists appointed as Principal Conductor of a London orchestra.

Four Chords and a Gun is an intense black comedy about the infamous punk band the Ramones written by John Ross Bowie (“The Big Bang Theory”, “Speechless”). The play reveals the drama-filled 1979 recording session that led to The Ramones album, End of the Century, produced by the eccentric gun wielding Phil Spector. The Canadian premier of this sometimes funny, sometimes wrenching, always gritty, story of how the world's greatest Punk album came to be is directed by long-time Toronto Star theatre critic and Stratford Festival director Richard Ouzounian. Hey Ho Let's Go! to a play about the Ramones followed by a concert. Not a f***ing musical.

The musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 thriller featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on a 1973 play of the same name by Christopher Bond. Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway in 1979 and won the Tony Award for Best MusicalThe Broadway production starred Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury, both of whom won Tony Awards for originating the roles of Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett.

1969 marked a year that was full of both trepidation and excitement for Stax Records. Just one year before, the Memphis soul outlet ended its relationship with musical giant Atlantic Records, effectively leaving the label as an independent entity, without a music catalog (which had previously included a formidable collection of hits by Otis Redding, Carla Thomas and Sam & Dave, among others). Under the guidance of co-owner Al Bell, the label proceeded to rebuild and release an impressive collection of 27 albums and 30 singles in just a handful of months—a period known as “Soul Explosion.” The gamble paid off, and at the 1969 Stax sales summit—themed “Getting It All Together”—the label reaffirmed its place as a soul powerhouse. Craft Recordings celebrates the 50th anniversary of this prolific, make-or-break moment for Stax—and its enduring legacy—with a wide selection of physical and digital reissues. Additionally, Craft will pay tribute to the label throughout the year with a series of playlists, original content, contests and more.

ZACH Theatre, Central Texas' premier professional theatre, announces six Mainstage productions along with the Family Series and holiday add-ons as part of the 2019-20 season. The Mainstage Season includes: Steven Dietz's new work Dracula: Mina's Quest, a 21st century look at the Bram Stoker classic; A Night with Janis Joplin returns celebrating the legendary rock goddess;  Every Brilliant Thing, Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe's touching and charming play; the timely and probing new work Roe by Lisa Loomer; the new immersive musical Reunion '85; and the quintessential family musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein's, The Sound of Music.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Happy Friday! Finish off your week by catching up on the latest Broadway news!

Sam & Dave's 1967 hit single “Soul Man'; the classic radio western “Gunsmoke”; Ritchie Valens' groundbreaking 1958 sensation “La Bamba”; the revolutionary 1968 Broadway musical “Hair”; and Neil Diamond's 1969 “Sweet Caroline,” which became a popular sports anthem, are the newest recordings inducted into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today named these and 20 other recordings as aural treasures worthy of preservation because of their cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation's recorded sound heritage.

Desert Rose Playhouse's production of THE VIEW UPSTAIRS is a must-see -- 100 minutes of an emotional roller coaster with tears and laughs and great acting, singing, and dancing.

Longtime fixtures of the Nashville live music scene, Indianola are ready to hit the road and bring their brand of American Gothic troubadour rock'n'roll to the national stage. The band, led by Owen Beverly (Nicole Atkins, Oh Land) is announcing their debut full-length, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, with a visual glimpse into their dark inspiration. The Orbison-esque “Too Good To Be True” meets its unexpected match in chopped visuals from 1973 campy horror b-movie Messiah of Evil. Such is the vibe of Indianola and the rest of Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye - an homage to the nostalgic, swooning camp of mid-century southern-bred radio hits with a fast-paced, deliberate, electric 2019 update.

The Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program is proud to present Noel Coward's classic comedy Hay Fever. This madcap play about a weekend with the eccentric Bliss family will star the MFA Class of 2020 and a guest performer.  Director Jerrold Scott's production will take the audience back to the 1920's and remind them of the joy of life and fear of boredom. The show will run from February 27th-March 9th in Helen Theatre at Playhouse Square.

Anne Hathaway is set to star in Robert Zemeckis and Warner Bros.' “The Witches” adaptation, according to Variety. 

Comedian Dom Joly, actress Beverley Callard, TV presenter Alison Hammond, comedian Steve Punt and actor Philip Franks will star as The Narrator in the 2018/9 UK tour of The Rocky Horror Show. The five stars will take to the stage to perform the iconic role at various moments during the new national tour of the show, which opens at Theatre Royal Brighton this December and then travels across the country until November 2019. More celebrity narrators will be announced over the coming months.

Antaeus Theatre Company opens its 2018-19 season with an epic drama about a Southern family in crisis directed by Cameron Watson (award-winning Antaeus productions of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Picnic, Top Girls). Kristin Couture, John DeMita, Judy Louise Johnson, Mike McShane, Rob Nagle, Calvin Picou, Deborah Puette, Jocelyn Towne, Timothy Adam Venable and William L. Warren star in The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman, opening Oct. 25 at the Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center in Glendale, where performances will continue through Dec. 10. Low-priced previews begin Oct. 18.

Fog comes billowing out over the footlights, bringing with it a pervasive sense of foreboding that sets the tone for the next three hours of what is - without any fear of exaggeration - the most satisfying theatrical experience of 2018. Eye-poppingly gorgeous, with a design aesthetic that's perfectly wedded to the source material provided by composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim and book writer Hugh Wheeler, and featuring some of the most electrifying performances we've ever witnessed at Cumberland County Playhouse (where they know a thing or 100 about staging musicals), Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is spectacular.

Antaeus Theatre Company opens its 2018-19 season with an epic drama about a Southern family in crisis directed by Cameron Watson (award-winning Antaeus productions of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Picnic, Top Girls). Kristin Couture, John DeMita, Judy Louise Johnson, Mike McShane, Rob Nagle, Calvin Picou, Deborah Puette, Jocelyn Towne, Timothy Adam Venable and William L. Warren star in The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman, opening Oct. 25 at the Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center in Glendale, where performances will continue through Dec. 10. Low-priced previews begin Oct. 18.