If It Was Easy 2001 - Articles Page 11

This show marks the first for another new ambitious DC theatre company. With this extremely solid first outing, I can't wait to see what they do next!

I was just a little more than a year into my new side career as a cabaret show reviewer when I first saw a Karen Oberlin show. It was Valentine's Day night 2012 and Oberlin—with guitarist Sean Harkness and guest violinist Aaron Weinstein—would be performing her romance-laced set, Stringing Along With Love, at the Metropolitan Room. At the time, all I knew about Oberlin was that she was considered among New York's best female cabaret singers, and I hadn't researched her performing history pre-show. About a third of the way into her set I leaned over to my wife (it was Valentine's Day after all) and whispered, “You know, she has a real Doris Day quality in her voice and in the way she delivers some lyrics.” This immediately ratcheted up my appreciation for Oberlin since there are four passions I inherited from my Dad—baseball, reading the morning papers, sports writing and Doris Day (well, also Sophia Loren, but that's for another column). Since Dad had grown up during the prime of the Big Band Era of the 1940s, I heard the sultry sounds of a young Doris Day singing songs like “Sentimental Journey” on the family stereo more than a few times. Once I saw Day's strikingly adorable blondness on a record cover and her rocking body in one of her films, I knew what Dad was talking about. As popular, famous, and near iconic as Doris Day became, in my book, as a singer and screen beauty she's always been vastly underrated. Little did I know that Karen Oberlin had been doing a Doris Day tribute show so since 2001 at places like Firebird, Iridium, and the late Danny's Skylight Room, and produced a CD, Secret Love: The Music of Doris Day, in 2002. Karen Oberlin had instantly become my secret love.

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announces a second set of performances to complete the 2014 Summer season. Wolf Trap offers unparalleled diversity in programming in a stunning natural environment, and builds upon its founding principles of celebrating music while nurturing the next generation through education.

Joe's Pub at the Public has announced an exciting lineup of performances now through April 27. Check out the full schedule and details below!

First Folio Theatre, known for presenting acclaimed musicals, plays and classic and reimagined works of Shakespeare to the Chicagoland stage, announces its 2014-2015 season. The season begins with the World Premiere of the riveting drama THE GRAVEDIGGER, which previews October 1, opens October 4 and runs through November 2, 2014. Neil Simon's whimsical comedy LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR previews January 28, opens January 31 and runs through March 1, 2015; Nora Ephron's poignant play LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE previews March 25, opens March 28 and runs through April 26, 2014; and Shakespeare's masterpiece THE WINTER'S TALE, First Folio Theatre's annual Shakespeare Under the Stars production, previews July 8, opens July 11, and runs through August 9.

This spring marks the 15th anniversary production of The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett at Park Square Theatre. When it closes on May 15, the production-the touching story of a brave young woman coming of age in hiding from the Nazis-will have played for 638 performances and inspired 201,000 audience members, including tens of thousands of students from all over Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. The original Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway production played for 717 performances. Julie Ann Nevill, who has played Mrs. Van Daan since the first curtain call, said 'This show has tremendous impact on our whole region with as many as 16,000 students seeing it every year - for most it's their first professional live theatre experience. Who wouldn't want to be part of that magic?'

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) have announced three world premiere productions for Manhattan Theatre Club's upcoming 2014-2015 theatrical season.

Shah Peerally is more than a just a renowned lawyer. He is a humanitarian and an expert in United States immigration. Being himself an immigrant, he understands the hardship faced by new immigrants aka arriving aliens. At an early stage Shah realized that most new immigrants aren't fully aware of their legal rights which render them vulnerable to abuses. As a result, Shah spent much of the beginning of his career speaking about 'Know Your Rights' in mosques, churches and temples. After working for two prestigious law firms, in 2005, he opened the Law Offices of Shah Peerally which will ultimately become the Shah Peerally Law Group PC. In 2010, Shah started a radio show on AM radio KLOK 1170 AM and an online radio at www.AttorneyOnAir.com. His radio shows are a praised for helping thousands understand the law and making a good decision on their cases. In the same spirit of helping the community, in 2011 Shah started a small production company (Shah Peerally Productions Inc). The company gained momentum by releasing three movies including one full feature film and two short dramas, two of which were selected for the movie festivals. All the movies tackle immigration law problems and other socially sensitive issues such as domestic violence, INA 221g Administrative Processing and Immigration Fraud. Today Shah is considered one of the most respected attorneys of his time. He has been featured as an expert on major TV networks such as NDTV, Times now and his work published several major newspapers. He has been rated by Avvo.com as a Superb attorney with a perfect 10/10 score, and in 2013 was selected as a Rising Star by Superlawyers.com. With his social activism, Shah hopes to better the lives of the immigrants through education and advocacy. Recently Shah has been focusing on writing books as a means to educate the community. Shah's new book, "The Immigration Lawyer Asylum," seems to have all the ingredients to keep the reader captivated including how a US immigration court functions. Being an attorney author, he wants to use his book to assist the average US citizen and immigrants to understand the realities of being a new immigrant. In this book, he covers immigration law, hate crimes and other sensitive issues and their implication on society. Reading this book will fascinate you, especially because it has realistic law notions embedded into a fiction novel. "The Immigration Lawyer Asylum" was written from the attorney author's perspective, and all the US immigration issues found between the lines have been experienced by Shah Peerally. From his immigration and visa lawyer experience, he managed to create an amazing work of fiction which will guide many who plan to go to America. The American dream is not the same for everybody, and the land of opportunities comes with its difficulties and can sometimes be an American nightmare. The situation is worse when there is nobody to explain the law and most of the things one should know about the United States of America. This book is recommended to all the American natives who are unaware of the struggle of the immigrants. It also gives an overview of the operations of agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security including its subdivisions such as the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE) and the Custom Border Patrol (CBP). Immigration lawyer Shah Peerally is definitely a person with substantial experience. In his eagerness to educate the public, he wrote the book which is both entertaining and useful. Inspired by his real experiences, he created an amazing educational work of fiction which is not only captivating but illustrates the process of present US immigration system. The main character in the book is Sarah, a corporate lawyer turning into an immigration lawyer. She is married to a Caucasian Muslim immigrant from Bosnia. Not happy with the corporate world, she decides to become an immigration lawyer and decides to fight for immigrants' equal rights to justice. As a result, she joins SPLG, an immigration law firm in California and ultimately ends up with the case of Ahmad. Ahmad is a visitor from Iraq, who despite having a valid entry visa is apprehended at that San Francisco airport on pretext of immigration violations. In fact, the actual motive of his arrest was that he was suspected of being a terrorist. While Ahmad's tale is not the usual situation of most immigrants, it is still a reflection of the misfortune of many Muslims and Middle Easterners trying to enter the US post September 11, 2001. The book not only shows the hardship of these individuals and their lawyers but also the challenges faced by American Muslims or people who look like Muslims. On a positive note the book praises the triumph of the American legal system and the US Constitution over arbitrary and capricious abuses of power. So one might think that Shah Peerally is trying to put all his hopes and dreams about a better world into a work of fiction. But in fact, through this he is actually trying to depict an a lesser known unique facet of the post 9/11 US immigration system including its strength and its flaws. The editorial reviews of the book say it all: Simon Barett From Blogger News review: "...I will however make some general observations. The author clearly understands the subject, and that makes this a great, if too short read. What I enjoyed are some of the nuances, the minor asides. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the life of being a refugee is not an easy one. Ahmad is lucky, he has people to help him, even better, people from other cultures that join for the common good..." ; and Jack Magnus from Readers' Favorites gives it a 5 Stars: "...I am so impressed by The Immigration Lawyer. This legal thriller by Shah Peerally is entertaining and highly inspirational and not only for young adults. I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to make a difference, especially law students and young lawyers who aren't quite sure about their career plans. Peerally sets out the procedural steps by which Sarah helps Ahmad simply and eloquently, and he makes accessible what has always seemed to me to be a very complicated branch of law. 'The Immigration Lawyer' also explores the all-too-real plight of immigrants in the U.S. after the 9/11 attacks who have been the victims of hate-crimes, and it does all this in an entertaining graphic novel format. The Immigration Lawyer is remarkable and a definite must-read." For those who want to curl up with a good book, "The Immigration Lawyer Asylum" has something for everyone including romance, suspense, and drama while keeping its educational nature. This makes "The Immigration Lawyer Asylum" a book which is a "definite must-read" or it can be listened to on audio. Series: The Immigration Lawyer Paperback: 72 pages Kindle Version: 74 pages Publisher: Shah Peerally Productions Inc.; 1 edition (February 7, 2014) Language: English ISBN-10: 0615783783 ISBN-13: 978-0615783789 Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.2 inches "The Immigration Lawyer: Asylum" is available in print priced just $9.99 from http://www.amazon.com/The-Immigration-Lawyer-Asylum-Volume/dp/0615783783/ and is also available as a Kindle download priced $3.07 (Free on KDP Select on specific days) An audio version will soon be available on www.audible.com.

The quintessential portrait of maniacal ambition and lust for power is on stage in William Shakespeare's epic history play Richard III at Folger Theatre. Robert Richmond

City Winery Napa at the Historic Napa Valley Opera House hased announce the much-anticipated artist lineup from the soft launch in April through June 2014. Over the next few weeks ten new concert dates a week will be released until the complete schedule of approximately twenty shows per month is announced. All shows begin at 8pm unless otherwise noted. Tickets available at citywinery.com.

Stagecrafters wows with 'SHREK THE MUSICAL'

In a new pop science series premiering tonight, Jan. 13, at 10 & 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, co-hosts Michael Ian Black ( @michaelianblack), Tom Papa ( @tompapa) and Seth Herzog ( @Thezog) assess the validity of these and other weird, unusual and over-the-top hypotheses through a series of interactive, original and often hilarious scientific tests.

In a new pop science series premiering Monday, Jan. 13, at 10 & 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, co-hosts Michael Ian Black ( @michaelianblack), Tom Papa ( @tompapa) and Seth Herzog ( @Thezog) assess the validity of these and other weird, unusual and over-the-top hypotheses through a series of interactive, original and often hilarious scientific tests.

The quintessential portrait of maniacal ambition and lust for power is on stage in William Shakespeare's epic history play Richard III at Folger Theatre. Robert Richmond

NYU Steinhardt Music and Performing Arts Professions, New York Foundation for the Arts, Yamaha Pianos, RS Berkeley Horns, presents the 42nd Street Jazz Festival, from December 16-23, 2013 at Theater Row, 410 W. 42nd Street, NYC.

In Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre's 'The Republic, or My Dinner with Socrates,' playwright/director Vit Horejs dramatizes the historic role of the renowned philosopher with toga-clad puppets, shadow figures and live music. The play's world premiere will be presented by La Mama E.T.C. in association with GOH Productions from tonight, November 29 to December 15 in its First Floor Theater at 74A East Fourth Street.

In Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre's 'The Republic, or My Dinner with Socrates,' playwright/director Vit Horejs dramatizes the historic role of the renowned philosopher with toga-clad puppets, shadow figures and live music. The play's world premiere will be presented by La MaMa E.T.C. in association with GOH Productions from November 29 to December 15 in its First Floor Theater at 74A East Fourth Street.

DRAMA HIGH is a million dollar title if ever there was one. It sounds like an emotionally-charged film or a soap opera-ish TV series, but it's a fascinating new book which delivers all of the above and more.

Singer/songwriter John Ondrasik, also known as Five for Fighting, the band name under which he records and performs, will release his sixth studio album Bookmarks on September 17, 2013.

Singer/songwriter John Ondrasik, also known as Five for Fighting, the band name under which he records and performs, releases his sixth studio album Bookmarks today, September 17, 2013 - the cover art has now been revealed. Bookmarks was produced by Gregg Wattenberg (Phillip Phillips, Train) & Derek Fuhrmann (Phillip Phillips, O.A.R).

Artists Rep's 2013/14 season kicks off with The Big Meal by Dan LeFranc in its West Coast premiere, directed by new Artistic Director Damaso Rodriguez. Set in a quintessential American restaurant, entire lives whiz by for a modern family whose stage and age are short-order fare. From birth to that inevitable last course - and every corndog, calamari and Cadillac margarita in between - a multi-generational potluck of characters live life's major and minor moments around the dinner table.

SEATTLE, WA - National Purchasing Partners (NPP) and Expedia, Inc.'s namesake brand, Expedia.com, agreed to a partnership that offers members exclusive savings over and above Expedia's industry leading prices. The new partnership pairs the nation's top online travel company with the country's fastest growing group purchasing organization (GPO).

Don't let this summer end without seeing 'America's Favorite Original Boy Band'! Olney Theatre Institute presents a limited return engagement of Forever Plaid today, August 24 through September 15 on Olney Theatre Center's Historic Stage.

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino has announced the 2014 season, in which, through the prism of a dozen plays, the Stratford Festival will explore the theme of Madness: Minds Pushed to the Edge.

Artists Rep's 2013/14 season kicks off with The Big Meal by Dan LeFranc in its West Coast premiere, directed by new Artistic Director Damaso Rodriguez. Set in a quintessential American restaurant, entire lives whiz by for a modern family whose stage and age are short-order fare. From birth to that inevitable last course - and every corndog, calamari and Cadillac margarita in between - a multi-generational potluck of characters live life's major and minor moments around the dinner table.