For more than half a century the name Florence Foster Jenkins has been guaranteed to produce explosions of derisive laughter. Not unreasonably so, as this wealthy society eccentric suffered under the delusion that she was a great coloratura soprano when she was in fact incapable of producing two consecutive notes in tune. Nevertheless, her annual recitals in the ballroom of the Ritz Carlton hotel brought her extraordinary fame. As news of her terrible singing spread, so did her celebrity. Her growing mob of fans packed her recitals, stuffing handkerchiefs in their mouths to stifle their laughter—which Mrs. Jenkins blissfully mistook for cheers. The climax of her career was a single concert at Carnegie Hall in 1944. Famously, it sold out in two hours. SOUVENIR, by turn hilarious and poignant, tells her story through the eyes of her accompanist, Cosme McMoon. Faced with her boundless certainty, Cosme comes to revise his attitude, not only towards her singing but to the very meaning of music itself. As the play ends the audience enters her world completely, finding there the beauty she'd heard in her head all along. SOUVENIR is a musical odd-couple for the ages.
Baltimore, Md. (March 23, 2015) — For the conclusion of the 2014-2015 season, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and Music Director Marin Alsop lead the BSO premiere of Leonard Bernstein's comedic operetta Candide on June 11 at the Music Center at Strathmore, and June 12 through June 14 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The BSO announced today that the semi-staged production of Candide will be directed by Garnett Bruce and features an all-star cast including Peter Sagal, the host of NPR's weekly current events quiz show “Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me,” and Judy Kaye, Tony Award-winning star of The Phantom of the Opera. Rounding out the cast are Keith Jameson, Lauren Snouffer, Joshua Hopkins, Mark Diamond, Marie Lenormand, Stephanie Sadownik, Curtis Bannister, Patrick Cook, Andrew McLaughlin, Melissa Wimbish and Lewis Shaw.
Heartbeat Opera is a new company intent upon re-imagining opera in intimate spaces for a new generation. Employing a minimalism that allows the emotional integrity of the music to shine through, the company's work focuses on the body of the singer and the visceral power of the music. Co-Artistic Directors Louisa Proske and Ethan Heard, who trained together in the Directing program at the Yale School of Drama, are committed to nurturing the actor in every singer they work with. The company creates productions of classics and new pieces that are daring and visceral—productions that manifest the emotional grandeur and theatrical power of opera with minimal means. Heartbeat's one-act festival presentation of György Kurtág's Kafka-Fragments, directed by Heard, and the New York premiere of Jacques Offenbach's Daphnis & Chloé, in a new English translation directed by Proske, marks this young company's debut. Heartbeat Opera's resident music ensemble Cantata Profana, described by The New York Times as “a stylish early music ensemble,” will provide musical accompaniment.
Leonard Cohen releases Can't Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour on May 12, 2015. The ten songs of this hypnotic album are Cohen rarities recorded on his recent, celebrated 'Old Ideas World Tour.'
Heartbeat Opera is a new company intent upon re-imagining opera in intimate spaces for a new generation. Employing a minimalism that allows the emotional integrity of the music to shine through, the company's work focuses on the body of the singer and the visceral power of the music. Co-Artistic Directors Louisa Proske and Ethan Heard, who trained together in the Directing program at the Yale School of Drama, are committed to nurturing the actor in every singer they work with. The company creates productions of classics and new pieces that are daring and visceral—productions that manifest the emotional grandeur and theatrical power of opera with minimal means. Heartbeat's one-act festival presentation of György Kurtág's Kafka-Fragments, directed by Heard, and the New York premiere of Jacques Offenbach's Daphnis & Chloé, in a new English translation directed by Proske, marks this young company's debut. Heartbeat Opera's resident music ensemble Cantata Profana, described by The New York Times as “a stylish early music ensemble,” will provide musical accompaniment.
Heartbeat Opera is a new company intent upon re-imagining opera in intimate spaces for a new generation. Employing a minimalism that allows the emotional integrity of the music to shine through, the company's work focuses on the body of the singer and the visceral power of the music.
Heartbeat Opera is a new company intent upon re-imagining opera in intimate spaces for a new generation. Employing a minimalism that allows the emotional integrity of the music to shine through, the company's work focuses on the body of the singer and the visceral power of the music. Co-Artistic Directors Louisa Proske andEthan Heard, who trained together in the Directing program at the Yale School of Drama, are committed to nurturing the actor in every singer they work with. The company creates productions of classics and new pieces that are daring and visceral—productions that manifest the emotional grandeur and theatrical power of opera with minimal means. Heartbeat's one-act festival presentation of György Kurtág's Kafka-Fragments, directed by Heard, and the New York premiere of Jacques Offenbach's Daphnis & Chloé, in a new English translation directed by Proske, marks this young company's debut. Heartbeat Opera's resident music ensemble Cantata Profana, described by The New York Times as “a stylish early music ensemble,” will provide musical accompaniment.
Boston Playwrights' Theatre (BPT) continues its 2014-15 season of new plays next week with Monica Bauer's Chosen Child.
Boston Playwrights' Theatre (BPT) continues its 2014-15 season of new plays next week with Monica Bauer's Chosen Child.
At least four plays have been written about Florence Foster Jenkins, who in the 30s and 40s, in spite of being considered the worst singer ever, recorded and gave highly publicized annual SRO concerts including one in 1944 at... Carnegie Hall. A rank amateur, Jenkins had no pitch, tone or rhythm and decimated just about every note and lyric in every score she put her voice to. BUT, she had a dream and she loved music with a passion. In her head and heart, she sounded like one of the most gorgeous sopranos that ever graced a stage. Maybe she really knew she was tone deaf and couldn't hit the mark... or maybe she didn't. If we cannot get our hands on one of her recordings, we can only estimate the truth of the matter by what we read or see in the various plays about her life.
The star-studded Broadway production of the backstage comedy It's Only A Play, by 4-time Tony Award winner Terrence McNally, opened on October 9, 2014, at Broadway's Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street). Scroll down to learn more about the full cast and watch interviews with the company below!
This summer, the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival marks its 31st season in the beautiful seaside setting of Long Island's East End. The Island's longest-running classical music festival this year features 12 concerts from today, July 30 to August 24, featuring the signature mix of renowned and up-and-coming artists and classic and new music that has made it one of the most noteworthy summer music festivals in the country.
This summer, the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival marks its 31st season in the beautiful seaside setting of Long Island's East End. The Island's longest-running classical music festival this year features 12 concerts from today, July 30 to August 24, featuring the signature mix of renowned and up-and-coming artists and classic and new music that has made it one of the most noteworthy summer music festivals in the country.
Join the quest for the Holy Grail today, July 29-August 3 with Monty Python's Spamalot. Based on the classic film comedy 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail,' Spamalot is the award-winning Broadway musical that took the Tony Awards by storm in 2005.
As a highlight of its 2014 Spring Festival, 'Sleeping Around: the Cultural Lives of New York's Hotels,' Symphony Space presents Virgil Thomson and Friends at the Chelsea Hotel on Thursday, May 8, at 7:30 pm, in the Leonard Nimoy Thalia.
Join the quest for the Holy Grail July 29-August 3 with Monty Python's Spamalot. Based on the classic film comedy "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," Spamalot is the award-winning Broadway musical that took the Tony Awards by storm in 2005.
This summer, the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival marks its 31st season in the beautiful seaside setting of Long Island's East End. The Island's longest-running classical music festival this year features 12 concerts from July 30 to August 24, featuring the signature mix of renowned and up-and-coming artists and classic and new music that has made it one of the most noteworthy summer music festivals in the country.
As a highlight of its 2014 Spring Festival, 'Sleeping Around: the Cultural Lives of New York's Hotels,' Symphony Space presents Virgil Thomson and Friends at the Chelsea Hotel tonight, May 8 (7:30 pm) in the Leonard Nimoy Thalia.
Golden Thread Productions presents The Fifth String: Ziryab's Passage to Cordoba, the second play to come out of its innovative 'Islam 101' initiative, which is dedicated to creating dynamic plays inspired by Islamic art and philosophy. Written and directed by Torange Yeghiazarian with original music by Faraz Minooei and production design by Mokhtar Paki, The Fifth String is a multifaceted performance created collaboratively with an ensemble of actors, clowns, and musicians. The piece is commissioned by the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California and presented in partnership with San Francisco's Brava Theatre Center with presentations in Oakland and San Francisco in May 2014. It will also have a third engagement at San Francisco's ODC in December 2014.
This summer, the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival marks its 31st season in the beautiful seaside setting of Long Island's East End. The Island's longest-running classical music festival this year features 12 concerts from July 30 to August 24, featuring the signature mix of renowned and up-and-coming artists and classic and new music that has made it one of the most noteworthy summer music festivals in the country.
As a highlight of its 2014 Spring Festival, 'Sleeping Around: the Cultural Lives of New York's Hotels,' Symphony Space presents Virgil Thomson and Friends at the Chelsea Hotel on Thursday, May 8 (7:30 pm) in the Leonard Nimoy Thalia.
With Broadway's 2014 season now in full swing, there's a solid group of performers making their Broadway debuts this Spring. Meet all of the Great White Way's newest stars below, and be sure to let us know who you're most looking forward to seeing onstage!
Golden Thread Productions presents The Fifth String: Ziryab's Passage to Cordoba, the second play to come out of its innovative 'Islam 101' initiative, which is dedicated to creating dynamic plays inspired by Islamic art and philosophy. Written and directed by Torange Yeghiazarian with original music by Faraz Minooei and production design by Mokhtar Paki, The Fifth String is a multifaceted performance created collaboratively with an ensemble of actors, clowns, and musicians. The piece is commissioned by the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California and presented in partnership with San Francisco's Brava Theatre Center with presentations in Oakland and San Francisco in May 2014. It will also have a third engagement at San Francisco's ODC in December 2014.
Since its highly successful Broadway debut 80 years ago, Anything Goes has been revived multiple times and now receives a world premiere symphonic version with Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) and an all-star Broadway cast, Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10, as part of the ISO's Printing Partners Pops Series at the Hilbert Circle Theatre.
The Lyric Stage Company of Boston presents DEATH OF A SALESMAN, running tonight, February 14 - March 15, 2014. The play, by Arthur Miller, will be directed by Spiro Veloudos.
The Lyric Stage Company of Boston presents DEATH OF A SALESMAN, running February 14 - March 15, 2014. The play, by Arthur Miller, will be directed by Spiro Veloudos.
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