Because I Say So 2019 - Articles Page 7

Thrills and chills were abound earlier this week on 45th Street as Grey House, the first show of the 2023/24 Broadway season celebrated its opening night and now the reviews are rolling in! See what the critics had to say below!

BroadwayWorld UK caught up with Dan Partridge about his own return as Danny Zuko. We discussed what it's been like to have been a part of the show for over four years, how this production is different than the classic movie, and how being half deaf has affected his performance.

On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, I had the excellent opportunity to sit down with Eric Sciotto, Director and Choreographer of Rock of Ages at MTWichita, and Brian J. Marcum, Artistic Director at MTWichita. It was a wide ranging interview, with a very stream of consciousness feel, and they were gracious enough to grant me an hour over a lunch break during rehearsal last Tuesday. The energy was high, and I was able to get some excellent insight into Eric’s choreographic process. I also spoke to Brian about leading MTWichita into a new era.

Director Nick J. Browne and the Center at West Park are set to premier the new play with music Is My Microphone On? from May 26-June 3, 2023.

Opening Night of the 2023 season of the Stratford Festival is almost upon us, and for the first time in nine years, the Festival is staging a production of KING LEAR. A few weeks ago, BroadwayWorld had the opportunity to chat with the production’s director, Kimberley Rampersad about her vision for this production, what it means to be doing this show now, the complexity of the piece, the stellar company she is working with, and why Lear is a favourite of many a Shakespeare fan.

The next production to take The Actors' Gang stage is The Darkness: Goddess Revealed, written and performed by Nick Gillie and directed by Dwain Perry. Presented as a special co-production in partnership with Black University and Okan Entertainment, the story is told through the perspective of three vastly different characters (played by Gillie) who enter the afterlife and meet sacred female beings called The We. But have they gathered to hear the new arrivals’ life stories or have a more spiritual lesson in mind? I was curious to hear about the genesis of the play, more about the characters, the purpose of The We in the storyline, and Nick Gille’s personal involvement with Black University.

TOOTSIE (The Musical), is a fun opening evening for the seventy-first season of Starlight Theatre at Swope Park across from the Kansas City Zoo. Tootsie (The Film) was so good it is preserved it on the United States National Film Registry. Add the sea-change in attitudes surrounding same-sex relationships and this show is set up to be a very tough sell. Remarkably, TOOTSIE (The Musical) absolutely works.

Up-and-comer no more, Zoe Van Tieghem is FLINGING herself into her art.

For New Theatre, presenting the Australian premiere of Ben Weatherill's warm and engaging love story marks an important step: it's the first time an actor living with disability has featured on our stage.

Cleveland Play House will bring its 2022-2023 season to a close with the world premiere production of Ken Ludwig's Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure. Running April 29 through May 21 in the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square.

The Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has selected Chicago, IL as the location for its 2024 National Conference, which will be hosted by the League of Chicago Theatres. Meanwhile, the WGA strike, turmoil at regional theaters continues, and Britain gets a King who loves the arts.

Tove Lo returns with ‘DIRT FEMME (Stripped)’, a new 7-track EP featuring raw and stripped back versions of tracks from her critically acclaimed fifth studio album, DIRT FEMME, including fan favorites like ‘No One Dies From Love,’ ‘Suburbia,’ ‘Pineapple Slice,’ and ‘Grapefruit,’ plus a vulnerable new version of her latest release, ‘Borderline.’

It's a rare treat when an actual living legend of musical theatre like Jason Robert Brown comes to our neck of the woods to talk about his work, let alone perform some of these works live in an intimate cabaret setting. But thanks to Segerstrom Center of the Arts, the composer gave us a spectacular show with an amazing special guest, Mykal Kilgore.

Nutley Little Theatre presents Tin Cat Shoes, written by Trish Harnetiaux and directed by Sarah Gorden. I had the pleasure of interview Sarah. Tin Cat Shoes is a madcap odyssey through a wilderness of corporate bureaucracy and crippling human dependencies. Blessed with the can-do American spirit, a troop of dedicated shoe store employees embark on a journey of personal expansion. But when 'work is your life' and systems breakdown, all that remains is you, a casino, and the truth.

April 18th through the 23rd only, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical comes to Wharton Center for the first time. Tina premiered in London in 2018 before moving to Broadway in 2019. Last fall, the national tour started its journey in theatres across North America.

During the second act of Kimberly Akimbo, eagle-eyed fans may notice that Alli Mauzey, playing the character of Pattie, switches the leg brace she is wearing from one leg to the other between scenes. The move is missed by the vast majority of the audience and it’s possible some who do catch it may think it an accident. But for Mauzey it has meaning. It saves her hips, but it also adds another layer to the character: Pattie, already established as a hypochondriac, is so much of one that she could easily forget which leg the brace belongs on.

Prospect Theater Company has announced the complete company for the New York premiere of the award-winning new indie-rock musical Lizard Boy. See who is starring, and learn how to purchase tickets!

The DOWNTOWN URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL will present 16 plays (nine shorts and seven one-acts.) The festival kicks off on Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6 when Savion Glover and Reg E. Gaines (Bring in da Noise Bring in da Funk) make a much-anticipated return to The Public Theater with the centerpiece production If Trane Wuz Here. 

The cornerstone influences - a sprinkle of Queens of the Stone Age swagger; a splash of glam; a Lennon-like knack for melody - remain present, but utilised in ways that rely wholly on Matthew Marcantonio, Adam Godfrey and Thomas Armstrong’s specific magic as a unit: one that values a “janky guitar solo.”

BroadwayWorld UK spoke with Robert Hastie about what it's been like to be involved with Operation Mincemeat, how he became a director, and what it's like to direct both Shakespeare and musicals!

First of all I want to say, this is a very good production of Hand To God at a very good theater company, and if you've never seen the play you should absolutely go.

BroadwayWorld talks to playwright Kareem Fahmy and director Giovanna Sardelli about TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's world premiere production of 'A Distinct Society' inspired by the Muslim travel ban. The intensely moving play runs April 5th to 30th in Mountain View, CA.

Next week, Houston Ballet is presenting the premiere of Cathy Marston's SUMMER AND SMOKE, inspired by Tennessee Williams' play. It was my joy to speak with Jessica Collado, one of the leads for SUMMER AND SMOKE; I learned about her background, how SUMMER AND SMOKE was uniquely developed, and what we can expect from this beautiful production.

ROMEO AND JULIET…the classic love story of star-crossed lovers. To say that our culture is saturated with this tale is a fact that no one can deny. However, knowing the talent of the Houston Ballet, I was intrigued to see this legend translated to dance. As I watched the production, I quickly realized that this story is simply perfect as a ballet!