Over the course of 30 years, Harlem Stage has become one of the nation's leading arts organizations, achieving this distinction by commissioning, developing, producing and presenting innovative works by visionary artists of color. Their Fall 2015 season offers a variety of events, including free neighborhood concerts and ticketed headlining events, as well as lectures and roundtable discussions that advance deeper engagement with Harlem Stage's audience. All will take place in the state-of-the art flexible performance space, the Harlem Stage Gatehouse.
Next spring, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter, Brandon Victor Dixon, and Joshua Henry will star in SHUFFLE ALONG Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, a striking new production that presents both the 1921 musical itself, and additionally details the events that catalyzed the songwriting team of Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, and librettists F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles to create this ground-breaking work.
The second program of the Royal Ballet of England's return to New York City after an 11-year hiatus – and the first appearance of the company at the Koch Theatre in Lincoln Center – was an ambitious but not entirely successful presentation of works by British choreographers. The greatest failing was not onstage but in the Playbill. No notes at all were included to help the audience appreciate the ballets and the music in a historical context. While I applaud the company as well as the presenting Joyce Theater Foundation for eschewing the standard story ballets in favor of repertory fare, I am at a loss to figure out why the dancegoers were not given any information other than titles, credits, and casting. On the afternoon of June 27th when I was there, I overheard many people during pauses and intermissions commenting that a little assistance in comprehending the inspiration and intent of the choreographers would have been appreciated.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is thrilled to present a world premiere adaptation of Ferenc Molnar's The Guardsman - translated from the original Hungarian by Molnar's great grandson Gabor Lukin and adapted and directed by Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte. Performances begin Wednesday, July 8th and continue through Sunday, July 26th at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Avenue (at Lancaster Road) in Madison. Individual tickets and subscriptions can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or by visiting ShakespeareNJ.org.
The production has several aces up its sleeve, the first being John Logan's script. Logan-the scribe behind the plays Red and I'll Eat You Last, films Gladiator, The Aviator, Sweeney Todd, Hugo, and Skyfall, and the T.V. show Penny Dreadful-is easily one of the greatest contemporary writers in any medium. His gift for creating edge-of-your-seat pacing, engrossing and flawed characters, and witty dialogue shows through in Never the Sinner, Logan's 1985 work and first play.
Nominated for seven 'Offies' and 'Best Off West End Production' at the 2012 Whatsonstage Awards, Climar Productions' 2011 production of Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story moved to the Charing Cross Theatre for a very successful run before being revived in 2014 for the Edinburgh Fringe where it won the Bobby Award for 'Best Production'. By special arrangement with Samuel French, the show is now in the middle of a UK tour.
In the new play 'LUNT AND FONTANNE: THE CELESTIALS OF BROADWAY,' playwright and actor Mark E. Lang unites with his wife of twelve years, Alison Murphy to celebrate The Lunts and examine their lives, their work and their legacy... to dig beneath their public personae and discover the all-too-real and sometimes fragile personalities beneath.
In the new play "LUNT AND FONTANNE: THE CELESTIALS OF BROADWAY," playwright and actor Mark E. Lang unites with his wife of twelve years, Alison Murphy to celebrate The Lunts and examine their lives, their work and their legacy... to dig beneath their public personae and discover the all-too-real and sometimes fragile personalities beneath.
It's been almost ten years since the Wildcats first crowded the halls of East High School, singing of a new start, the status quo, and of course, the big game. The first of three HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL movies debuted on January 20, 2006, quickly becoming the most successful Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced. Launching the careers of a then-unknown set of teenagers, lots has happened to the cast since the last film wrapped in 2008.
Much of the cast has continued in the musical tradition of the trilogy, taking on various roles in other musicals on stage and screen. Later this Spring, Vanessa Hudgens will become the second of the group to make her Broadway debut, as the title character in Gigi. In honor of her big debut, BroadwayWorld is recapping you on what's been up with the rest of the gang since Senior Year!
Victory Gardens Theater, under the continued leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Managing Director Christopher Mannelli, announces the lineup for its 2015-2016 Season.
It happened in Wicked, with Louise Dearman making history as the first actress to play both starring roles - Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.
When Cole Porter wrote, 'Anything Goes,' he could have easily been referring to New York cabaret circa the 2000-sies. One of the joys of attending and reviewing cabaret shows in the Big Apple these days is that every performing style, show theme, cultural perspective, political point of view, race, gender, and sexual preference is represented on a stage. Some cabaret purists may not agree, but the genre seems to have no boundaries in terms of what is acceptable and what is not. And as long as a show is entertaining, who cares about boundaries and strict definitions of what works in the art form? Here are reviews of three recent shows from Barbara Malley, Robin Kradles, and Donna Hayes that reflect the delicious diversity that is cabaret.
'Kafka's Quest, a.k.a. Kafka/Samsa' is a quasi-realistic play by the late playwright Lu Hauser that imagines the family life of Gregor Samsa, the tragic victim of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis,' and his friendship with an historic Yiddish Theater actor and actress in Prague, prior to the events of the famed novella. Set in Prague in 1912, it portrays Gregor Samsa (the name Kafka personified himself with in the book) as torn between his father, who wants to keep him on the straight and narrow with a full time job, and his friendship with artists of the Yiddish Theater, who want him to join and write for them. His father's bankruptcy forces Gregor to become the breadwinner of the family, which has been forced to take in two mysterious lodgers to make ends meet. The back and forth between the two poles of Gregor's life will culminate in 'The Metamorphosis.' Theater for the New City will present the play's world premiere February 26 to March 15, directed by Manfred Bormann.
What If? Productions presents chilling musical THRILL ME: THE LEOPOLD AND LOEB STORY in Threshold Repertory's intimate black box theater in downtown Charleston.
Centaur Records has released the third volume of pianist Jeni Slotchiver's CD series devoted to the music of one of history's greatest composer/pianists, Ferruccio Busoni. Busoni the Visionary III (CRC 3396) offers a cross-section of works from his mature period, plus one of his monumental transcriptions of the organ music of J.S. Bach.
Tommy Tune, Colin Donnell, Danny Gardner, Jeff Hiller, Erin Mackey, Patti Murin, Douglas Sills,Jennifer Laura Thompson and Kirsten Wyatt star in George and Ira Gershwin's Lady, Be Good, the opening production of New York City Center's 2015 Encores! season, running for seven performances, last night, February 4, through February 8, 2015. Let's see what the critics had to say...
Avenue Q, the award-winning musical by Sell A Door, one of Greenwich Theatre's most successful emerging companies, is returning to Greenwich Theatre as part of a vibrant spring season from Tuesday, May 12, to Sunday, May 24.
'Kafka's Quest, a.k.a. Kafka/Samsa' is a quasi-realistic play by the late playwright Lu Hauser that imagines the family life of Gregor Samsa, the tragic victim of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis,' and his friendship with an historic Yiddish Theater actor and actress in Prague, prior to the events of the famed novella. Set in Prague in 1912, it portrays Gregor Samsa (the name Kafka personified himself with in the book) as torn between his father, who wants to keep him on the straight and narrow with a full time job, and his friendship with artists of the Yiddish Theater, who want him to join and write for them. His father's bankruptcy forces Gregor to become the breadwinner of the family, which has been forced to take in two mysterious lodgers to make ends meet. The back and forth between the two poles of Gregor's life will culminate in 'The Metamorphosis.' Theater for the New City will present the play's world premiere February 26 to March 15, directed by Manfred Bormann.
The Jewish Museum and the Film Society of Lincoln Center are presenting the 24th annual New York Jewish Film Festival at the Film Society's Walter Reade Theater and Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, January 14-29, 2015.
Tommy Tune, Colin Donnell, Danny Gardner, Jeff Hiller, Erin Mackey, Patti Murin, Richard Poe, Jennifer Laura Thompson and Kirsten Wyatt will star in George and Ira Gershwin's Lady, Be Good, the opening production of New York City Center's 2015 Encores! season, running for seven performances, February 4 - 8, 2015. Lady, BeGood will be directed by Mark Brokaw and choreographed by Randy Skinner. Founding Encores! Music Director Rob Fisher will return as Guest Music Director, and has supervised the restoration of the Gershwins' original score.
While reviewing What Makes a Man (WMAM), now playing at the Berkley Street Theatre, it's tempting to comment on what's not there, what could and should be there, rather than what is there. What is on display is a marvelous musical stage portrait of Charles Aznavour, the world renowned French singer/songwriter, actor and political activist/diplomat. A man of the world, he is capable of singing in five languages. One of the last surviving 'showmen,' he still is capable of filling the world's most prestigious concert halls. For example, a year ago he performed for the first time in 25 years at London's Royal Albert Hall. Demand was so great, a second concert was booked there for this past June.
The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati kicks off its 90th MainStage season today, October 17 through October 19, and October 25, 2014 at the Taft Theatre with DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR., one of the company's most requested shows.
In this interview, Alley Theatre Artistic Director, Gregory Boyd and I discuss the deep roots and broad influence of DRACULA, the genius and uniqueness of Edward Gorey, and, just for kicks, what it's like to work with David Hyde Pierce.
The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati kicks off its 90th MainStage season October 17-19 and October 25, 2014 at the Taft Theatre with DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR., one of the company's most requested shows. The brainy and beautiful Belle yearns to escape her provincial life...and her brute of a suitor, Gaston. However, Belle gets more adventurous than she wanted when she becomes a captive in the Beast's enchanted castle! Dancing flatware, menacing wolves, and singing furniture fill the stage with thrills in this beloved fairy tale about very different people finding strength in one another and learning how to love.
Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for Dracula, the Original Vampire Play, the second production in the 'Alley Theatre @ UH' season. Featuring iconic costume and set designs by Edward Gorey, the Alley's production is based on the original 1927 adaptation of the classic thriller that marvelously balances the menace of the horror tale with sophisticated satire.
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