Boys' Life 2008 - Articles Page 19

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce the Chicago engagement of August: Osage County, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play that tells the bitingly funny and sensationally entertaining tale of the Weston family of Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Academy Award-winning actress Estelle Parsons will star as the family matriarch, Violet Weston. August: Osage County comes to Chicago's Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre for a limited two-week engagement February 2 - 14, 2010. Written by 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Letts (Superior Donuts, Man From Nebraska, Killer Joe, Bug), this grand and gripping new play tells the story of the Westons, a large extended clan that comes together at their rural Oklahoma homestead after the alcoholic patriarch disappears. Forced to confront unspoken truths and astonishing secrets, the family must also contend with matriarch Violet, a pill-popping, deeply unsettled woman at the center of the storm. Directed by 2008 Tony Award-winner Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County is a rare theatrical event: a large-scale work filled with 13 unforgettable characters, a powerful tragicomedy told with unflinching honesty and the unforgettable breakthrough of a major American playwright. August: Osage County premiered and was produced at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in 2007. 'Steppenwolf is delighted that August: Osage County has a new life in Chicago,' comments Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey. 'Steppenwolf audiences were the first to see this exciting play written by our ensemble member Tracy Letts, under the direction of fellow ensemble member Anna Shapiro, and we're thrilled that it will be playing in Chicago again after its successful runs on Broadway and at the National Theatre of London,' Lavey said.

In their latest example of cross-border cooperation, two entertainment industry charities are sharing $32,000 after cast members of the US national touring company of Jersey Boys collected donations from audiences during their stop in Toronto in the last two weeks of November. The Toronto-based Actors' Fund of Canada and New York-based Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) have collaborated in the past, sharing donations collected from audiences at other shows on Broadway and in Toronto. Jersey Boys' fundraising success came in the weeks prior to installing a new, mostly Canadian cast to carry the show through to March 1. It follows on the heels of Actors' Fund curtain speech fundraisers at Dancap's Toronto revival of The Drowsy Chaperone last season and performances of Avenue Q, presented by the company in the fall of 2008. Commenting on the relationship between the Actors' Fund and his company, Dancap President Aubrey Dan said: 'Dancap Productions is delighted to assist the Actors' Fund of Canada in any way possible. We have the greatest respect for artists and those who work with them to create and perform the top-notch productions Canada offers to the world. We know the Actors' Fund does extremely valuable work for members of our industry and we endorse it wholeheartedly.'

Kaufman Center and New York Festival of Song (NYFOS, www.nyfos.org), will present Voices of the Jewish Diaspora on Tuesday and Thursday, February 10 and 12, at 8 PM at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center. It is the third subscription program this season for the New York Festival of Song, whose 2008 CD Spanish Love Songs, featuring Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Joseph Kaiser, Steven Blier and Michael Barrett (Bridge Records) was named one of the 'Best Of the Year' by Opera News. The program features songs in many languages celebrating the culturally diverse Jewish communities that flourished as the tribes of Israel spread out across the globe: Sephardic melodies arranged by Roberto Sierra; Second Avenue specialties by Irving Berlin and Abraham Ellstein; art songs by Ravel and Mahler; plus music by Gershwin, Bernstein, and Harold Rome.

The 2008-2009 Reprise Theatre Company season continues with the classic international hit 'Man of La Mancha,' starring Brent Spiner as Cervantes/Quixote. Julia Migenes, the renowned opera and theatre performer, will play Aldonza/Dulcinea; Valerie Perri will play the role of Aldonza/Dulcinea at matinee performances; and Tony nominee Lee Wilkof will play Sancho Panza.

Back in Pictures celebrates the songs that were originally written for the masterpieces of the Golden Age of Hollywood, featuring music from Casablanca, Easter Parade, A Star Is Born, Pennies From Heaven, Disney, Meet Me In St. Louis, Gentlemen Prefer Blonds, The Wizard of Oz and many more. Back in Pictures is showing at the Reprise Room, 245 West 54th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue, New York, from April 7, 2008 through January 5, 2009.

What a year it has been here at BroadwayWorld, truly an astonishing 12 months of talent and excitement in the world of theatre and beyond! As always we have strived to bring you the very best, but as always you've got the final say and boy did your numbers show it in regards to what you found most exciting story wise. We tallied the numbers, combed the archives and are proud to bring you the top twenty articles of 2008! Relive the memories, revisit the opening nights and remember the magic of 2008, we can't wait to bring you whats ahead in 2009! Happy New Year from the entire BroadwayWorld.com team.

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) continues its 2008/2009 Season with the New York premiere of THE SAVANNAH DISPUTATION, a new play by Evan Smith (Psych and The Uneasy Chair at Playwrights Horizons, Remedial English for the Young Playwrights Festival at Playwrights Horizons, Servicemen at The New Group). This will be Mr. Smith's fourth collaboration with the theater company.

Recently, the boys of Upright Cabaret attended the L.A. premiere of Emmy Award winner Leslie Jordan's new show entitled 'My Trip Down The Pink Carpet', and then sat down with Mr. Jordan and Director David Galligan to discuss the show, approaching off-Broadway run, and important social issues.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Monday, December 15, 2008.

Producer Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group and co-producers Tulchin/Bartner/Jenkins, Bill Kenwright, Northwater Entertainment, Darren Bagert, and Tom Gregory announced the complete cast and design team for the new Broadway production of the greatest musical comedy GUYS AND DOLLS. The first joint Broadway project by two-time Tony Award winning director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo since their collaboration on the Tony Award winning musical Jersey Boys, GUYS AND DOLLS will begin previews on February 3, 2009 at Broadway's newly refurbished Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street). Opening Night is March 1, 2009.

POZ's 'Bacharch to the Future' Fundraiser brought music and promise to the New World Stages on Monday, December 1, 2008, World AIDS Day. The premier performance of Bacharach to the Future, a fund-raiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, honored music legend Burt Bacharach, the composer of 'That's What Friends Are For,' the pioneering recording that benefited The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) in 1985.

The 2008-2009 Reprise Theatre Company season continues with 'I Love My Wife' with book and lyrics by Michael Stewart and music by Cy Coleman, December 2 to 14 at the Brentwood Theatre. Lea Thompson and Patrick Cassidy join Vicki Lewis and Jason Alexander. 'I Love My Wife' will be directed by Larry Moss with choreography by Lee Martino and music direction by Michael Skloff.

The 2008-2009 Reprise Theatre Company season continues with 'I Love My Wife' with book and lyrics by Michael Stewart and music by Cy Coleman, December 2 to 14 at the Brentwood Theatre.

This February, THE STORY OF MY LIFE, a new musical comes to Broadway. Starring Will Chase (Rent, Aida, The Full Monty) and Tony Award nominee Malcolm Gets (Amour, Merrily We Roll Along, 'Caroline in the City'), the show is directed by Tony Award winner Richard Maltby, Jr. (Ain't Misbehavin', Song & Dance), THE STORY OF MY LIFE features a score by Neil Bartram and a book by Brian Hill. Performances begin Tuesday, February 3rd on Broadway at The Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street). Opening night is Thursday, February 19th at 7:30PM.

The Friend Center at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF) continues the 2008-09 season in the New Year with an expansive array of performing arts events, including participation in Evolve, the citywide celebration of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species publication. Also new are two films in the series Let the Games Begin, focusing on the world of sport in a tribute to the upcoming JCC Macabbi Games this summer.

The 2008-2009 Reprise Theatre Company season continues with the classic international hit 'Man of La Mancha,' starring Brent Spiner, written by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion. The production will be directed by Michael Michetti, co-artistic director of The Theatre at Boston Cout.

Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) proudly announces their 2008-2009 season opener-Louis Sachar's stage adaptation of his novel HOLES, directed by Matthew Reeder (ASC's The Shakespeare Stealer, Still Life with Iris).

Theatre Exile's 12th season starts with the Philadelphia premiere of DARK PLAY OR STORIES FOR BOYS by Carlos Murillo, directed by co-artistic director Deborah Block. The show runs from November 13th through December 7th at the Theatre at the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival.

Due to demand for tickets, Naked Angels (Geoffrey Nauffts, Artistic Director and Brittany O'Neill, Managing Director) has extended the world premiere engagement of Stephen Belber's new dark comedy Fault Lines, directed by David Schwimmer. Fault Lines opened September 30, 2008 at The Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street). The run will now continue through November 9, 2008.

Theater news from Broadway and the Baltimore/Washington area.

Black 2: Broadway, the acclaimed production celebrating the contributions of performers of color in the arts, returns with its final production of 2008. Celebrating the life and work of Broadway Veterans BJ Crosby & Adrian Bailey, this exciting evening will feature performances by Broadway's Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Ebony Jo-Ann, Tina Fabrique, Alyson Williams, The Broadway Boys, Chester Gregory, Multi Award Winning Recording Artist Tonex (currently spelled: 'TON3X') and many more on Monday, November 3rd at The Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture located in Harlem.

On Friday, October 31 at 6:00PM, free tickets will be handed out to the first 25 guests who arrive dressed in their best 80's fashion to the BOYS' LIFE box office. Performance begins at 7:00PM. Line forms at 6:00PM. Second Stage Theatre is located at 307 W. 43rd Street, just west of 8th Avenue.

The cast and creative team have been assembled for the gritty, provocative 1930s drama Tobacco Road, which ran on Broadway from December 4, 1933 to May 31,1941, the longest Broadway run ever at the time. Today, 75 years since it opened, it remains the second-longest running drama in Broadway history, second only to Life with Father. It plays September 30 through October 26, 2008 in the Mandell Weiss Forum at La Jolla Playhouse.

The 2008-2009 Reprise Theatre Company season continues with 'I Love My Wife' with book and lyrics by Michael Stewart and music by Cy Coleman, December 2 to 14 at the Brentwood Theatre.

Due to demand for tickets, Naked Angels (Geoffrey Nauffts, Artistic Director and Brittany O'Neill, Managing Director) has extended the world premiere engagement of Stephen Belber's new dark comedy Fault Lines, directed by David Schwimmer. Fault Lines opened September 30, 2008 at The Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street). The run will now continue through November 9, 2008.