Married Alive! 2005 - Articles Page 8

This Spotlight focuses on Melanie MacQueen, an actress and playwright who found her a?oeHome Basea?? directing plays at Theatre 40, who I recently saw in that group's annual production of THE MANOR in which she and her real-life husband, Daniel Leslie, portray married couple Senator Alfred Winston and his long-suffering wife Cora. The pair are so perfectly cast in the roles that no doubt they will continue playing these two characters for as long as the annual production at Greystone Mansion runs! But now she is waiting to find out what happens to her latest directing project, the world premiere of TAMING THE LION which was forced to close after just a few performances in mid-March.

With the current theatre world on hiatus, I have created a Spotlight Series of interviews with some of am the many talented artists who make our Los Angeles theatre community so exciting and vibrant thanks to their ongoing contribution to keeping the arts alive in the City of the Angels. And like all of us, how are they dealing with the abrupt end of productions in which they were involved? This Spotlight focuses on married couple and soon-to-be-parents Paul and Alicia Luoma who met in NYC and moved to L.A. together to pursue their mutual passion for the Performing Arts.

With the current theatre world on hiatus, I have created a Spotlight Series of interviews with some of am the many talented artists who make our Los Angeles theatre community so exciting and vibrant thanks to their ongoing contribution to keeping the arts alive in the City of the Angels. And like all of us, how are they dealing with the abrupt end of productions in which they were involved? This Spotlight Series interview features Kristin Towers-Rowles, an Award-Winning Director, Triple-Threat Actress, and Granddaughter of Screen Legend Kathryn Grayson.

How do we make a list of the 101 greatest show tunes from the past 100 years? Well, we did the near-impossible task.  Check out our full list here! 

Local companies ~ ALL PUPPET PLAYERS and BRELBY THEATRE COMPANY ~ rise to the occasion to keep the spirit of theatre alive during the COVID-19 virus crisis.

Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre has announced the five Mainstage productions secured for its 2020 - 2021 Mainstage Season.

Stephen Sondheim's cerebral, minimalist COMPANY might not be an obvious choice for a community theater here in Indonesia where musicals are still often seen as jazz-hands and kicklines, but director Fonnyta Amran and JPAC (Jakarta Performing Arts Community) made it work. The production of COMPANY was as game-changing as its original Broadway counterpart back in the day.

Company, is a bold, seminal musical that premiered on Broadway in 1970. Brief vignettes (by George Furth) and dazzling songs (Stephen Sondheim) are flashes of insight into the life of commitment-phobic, Manhattan bachelor, Bobby as he listens to advice from his married friends while struggling with his fear of both long-term relationships and the possibility of ending up on his own.

Many years ago, I was having drinks with a married couple who were my two best friends. They both greeted me with warm hugs, and then he ran out to the store for cigarettes. She had a pitcher of homemade margaritas, and suggested we enjoy them on the back patio. We'd just settled in, and were looking out on her beautiful garden when she quietly said, 'He wants a divorce.' I was shocked and confused, and my reaction surprised even me. I threw up. My mind was trying to figure out how this had happened - they'd worked so hard to be together, he'd talked her into marriage just a few years prior after being together for over ten years; I just didn't see this coming, and neither did she. In the end, she fared much better than I did; she went on a couple of dating sites, met a new guy and they're crazy in love. I don't think I ever got over it. And that's pretty much what Donald Margulies Pulitzer Prize-winning Dinner With Friends explores.

Following on the rousing success of Antigona, their acclaimed and wildly popular flamenco adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone, Noche Flamenca returns to San Francisco's Z Space with their latest program Entre Tú y Yo (You and I). Conceived, choreographed, and directed by Noche Flamenca Artistic Director Martín Santangelo and lead dancer Soledad Barrio, Entre Tú y Yo explores romantic relationships through dance, music, and song. BroadwayWorld recently caught up with Mr. Santangelo, who also just happens to be married to Ms. Barrio. A legendary dancer known for the drama and ferocity of her movements, Barrio has been called the a?oecrown jewel of flamencoa?? by Dance Magazine and a?oea force of naturea?? by The New York Times. Santangelo himself also has a rich history as a dancer, including performing on Broadway in Julie Taymor and Elliot Goldenthal's Juan Darien.

ArtsEmerson, Boston's leading presenter of contemporary world theatre, proudly announces its 4th annual World Alive! Celebration. The fundraising event will honor Cicely Tyson with ArtsEmerson's inaugural Decade Award which will be presented every ten years to an artist that best represents the goals of ArtsEmerson for a performance in the preceding decade. Cicely Tyson reprised her Tony Award-winning performance as the feisty and funny Carrie Watts in Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Horton Foote's beloved American classic The Trip to Bountiful at ArtsEmerson in 2014. World Alive! Celebration will take place on Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 6:00pm at the Four Seasons Hotel located at 200 Boylston Street in Boston, tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.ArtsEmerson.org.

Have you ever 'trash talked' a fellow theater-goer as you passed each other in the aisle? Probably not, right?

The last time a well-known actor not especially noted for singing graced a major New York stage with a one-person autobiographical musical that focused on personal tragedy, it was Suzanne Somer's unmissably jaw-dropping narcissistic spectacle, THE BLONDE IN THE THUNDERBIRD.  But fear not, playgoers, for while David Cale does provide quite a few original ditties to augment his childhood memoir, WE'RE ONLY ALIVE FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, his not-quite-Sinatra-level vocals are way more suited for this captivating presentation than a more elegant songbird's trill.

Everyman Theatre is presenting two plays in repertory: QUEENS GIRL IN THE WORLD and QUEENS GIRL IN AFRICA. Olney Theatre's wonderful MARY STUART could be labeled QUEENS GIRLS IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND.

Stephen Sondheim's Company, playing now through June 1st at Avon Players in Rochester Hills, is a thought-provoking exploration of love and life in 1970's New York City. Bobby has a full social calendar but avoids romantic commitments. On the night of his thirty-fifth birthday, he reassesses his life by reviewing his relationships with his married friends and girlfriends. While all his friends are happy with their spouses, marriage has never been Bobby's speed. Through a series of vignettes showcasing his friend's day to day lives as couples, Bobby is taken on a journey of self-discovery. Smart and funny, Company takes the audience on a journey of one man's lonely life while he figures out the true meaning behind 'Being Alive'.

The 29th annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival (Inside Out), championing innovative LGBTQ filmmakers from across the globe, revealed its full feature and short film lineup. The announcement was made today by Inside Out's Executive Director Andria Wilson and the festival's Director of Programming Andrew Murphy. Inside Out, which launched the first ever annual LGBTQ Film Finance Forum, has established itself as an international home and incubator for LGBTQ emerging and established filmmakers. This year's festival will take place May 23 to June 2, 2019.

Who would have thought that a play about a dog - a role performed by a human no less - would offer such a thought-provoking look at the meaning of life, the bond between owner and animal, the struggles of a long term married couple, and how to cope with growing older? Well Sylvia, A.R. Gurney's hilarious and emotional tribute to man's best friend, does exactly that.

Celebrating 35 years of entertaining audiences, Lifetime is a premier entertainment destination for women dedicated to offering the highest quality original programming spanning award-winning movies, high-quality scripted series and breakout non-fiction series. Lifetime has an impressive legacy in public affairs, bringing attention to social issues that women care about with initiatives such as the long running Stop Breast Cancer for Life now in its 25th year, Stop Violence Against Women which relaunched in 2018, and Broader Focus, a major global initiative dedicated to supporting and hiring female directors, writers and producers, including women of color, to make its content.

Avon Players closes its 2018-2019 season with the groundbreaking musical examination of modern love from master composer Stephen Sondheim, Company running May 17-June 1.

All My Sons, playing through June 1st at The Purple Rose Theatre Company, is a dramatic and intense adaptation of the Tony-Award winning play. The play follows the story of Joe Keller, a working man who desperately wants to secure the business he spent so many years constructing. He is ready to hand it down to his son, Chris. Joe's wife Kate is still waiting for their eldest son Larry to return from war, determined that he is alive and will marry the former neighbor girl from next door, Ann, who happens to be the daughter of Joe's former business partner. To complicate this family drama, Chris and Ann are in love and want to get married. All My Sons shows a post-war American family in a spiral of lies, greed, love, and loss.

History comes alive at Woodlawn Cemetery, Mausoleum & Mortuary in Santa Monica during their Living History Tour in which costumed actors portraying noted personalities interred there share their stories and contributions to history and society. And although I had heard about the tours in previous years, last weekend was the first time I actually spent two hours on a wonderfully brilliant Saturday afternoon walking among the many souls who chose this peaceful spot as their final resting place. This year's tour featured 14 notable characters more than willing to share their life stories, often adding in many details not widely known about them.

Marianne Elliot's acclaimed revival of Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY will get a physical cast recording release today!

At the University of Utah, Director Ryan Emmons has a thorough understanding of a Sondheim masterwork and shows stellar work with the eager students. With Music Director Alex Marshall and Choreographer Ellie Hanagarne, COMPANY is thrilling.

The digital download and streaming release of COMPANY - 2018 London Cast Recording for, are available Friday, 1st February 2019.

A fun, new musical adaptation of an audience favorite comes to First Stage this holiday season. Created by the talented husband/wife team of Jahnna Beecham (Playwright/Lyricist) and Malcolm Hillgartner (Composer/Lyricist) and based on the play by Barbara Robinson, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL is filled with catchy,'60s-inspired original music and a delightful story that both young and old will enjoy. The horrible Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. The entire town panics when these rowdy six siblings are cast in the church's annual Christmas pageant. It's up to good-hearted Mrs. Bradley to help the Herdmans - and the rest of the town - discover the true meaning of Christmas before it's too late. Silent night? Not a chance, but sometimes a little joyful noise is just right for Christmas. Sponsored by Associated Bank and Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren.