High Life 1999 - Articles Page 10

HBO Max launches May 27th, but that's just the beginning of what this exciting new streaming bundle has to offer. The month of June brings hundreds of sizzling hot movies and series to keep everyone in the family entertained all month long.

As we hunker down and wait for the world to return to what it was, many have refused to remain stagnant or let discouragement overtake them. This is especially true for Valerie David, a playwright, performer and three-time cancer survivor who now shares her beautiful story and gives us a new perspective on life in the midst of temporary darkness.

Texas Woman's University's College Audition Prep Program is back better than ever this year with two great options for high school musical theater and acting students: a new two week Intensive stay camp hosted by Texas Woman's University on their beautiful Denton, Texas campus OR a four day Weekend event packed with master classes, dance classes, mock auditions and college program overview presentations.

Book lovers have been bursting to know what's in the 20th Auckland Writers Festival, Waituhi o Tāmaki, programme, revealed this evening. The good news is the 2020 line-up for what is one of the most respected literary showcases on the planet is as super-charged, high-powered, diverse and thought-provoking as ever.

Musical Theatre West (MTW) brings Jerry Herman's musical masterpiece Mame to Southern California for a three-week run at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center March 27 a?" April 12.  Based on the novel, Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis and the play Auntie Mame by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, Mame lavishly delivers one of theater's all-time great heroines in a brassy, tuneful, hilarious and touching fashion.  Tickets are available at www.musical.org, by calling (562) 856-1999, or at the Musical Theatre West Ticket Office.  Tickets start at $20.

Fifteen years after its first production of the musical, Musical Theatre West revisits the Tony Award-winning musical RAGTIME for only its second time---smartly reviving the musical in a similarly lavish production that beautifully converges the show's classic staging and vibe with wonderfully integrated 21st Century tech upgrades that help elevate the material rather than hinder its storytelling. Under the enlightened direction of Paul David Bryant (who also provides the production's high-energy choreography), this brand new, spectacularly engrossing production bellows with an emotional fervor and is one of my favorite iterations of this musical I have seen in recent years. This local revival---which continues performances at the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach through February 23, 2020---is a feast for the senses.

The musical parodies hits just keep coming at Rockwell Table & Stage! Popular (sometimes cult) flicks get infused with pop songs resulting in a new twist on the film, and sometimes on the songs. With NEVER BEEN KISSED - THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL, cleverly written by Jordan Ross Schindler, the vocally-gifted, triple-threat cast perform their most entertaining, live, in-your-face version of Drew Barrymore's 1999-starrer Never Been Kissed.

Celebrating 35 years of fusing the beauty of traditional African movement with contemporary choreography, The Joyce Theater Foundation (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) welcomes the return of Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE. With a mixed bill of company classics and a newly-commissioned work, the Brooklyn company will play The Joyce Theater from February 25-March 1.

Since 1976 you've been in love with Carrie White, the telekinetic teen whose catastrophic prom night captivated the nation and led to thrilling adaptations, musicals, and revivals. Since 1999, you've completely missed the fact that CARRIE has a legitimate cinematic sequel that tells story of Carrie's half-sister, Rachel, an angst-ridden rebel whose life seems to be looking up until her mysterious powers take hold. Now, with CARRIE 2: THE RAGE, AN UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY (In Concert), you can relive the magic of CARRIE in nearly every way as prom night survivor-turned-school counselor Sue Snell seeks to help Rachel before it's too late, Rachel's hyper-religious mother tries to kill her, and popular high schoolers prove, once again, they are the absolute worst. Following a Jeff Nominated run at the Underscore Theatre Company in Chicago, this extremely 90s experience featuring an original score by Preston Max Allen, music direction by Patrick Sulken, and direction by Portia Krieger is back in NYC to remind you exactly why the White family line has endured for decades.

In 1999, David Temple claimed he discovered his eight-month-pregnant wife, Belinda Temple, shot dead inside their home. Despite two murder trials and two juries finding David guilty of Belinda's murder, he's once again awaiting sentencing, 20 years after her death. With his bail set at $1 million, Belinda's family is also waiting for justice decades after the terrible tragedy changed their lives forever. “20/20” extensively follows David's most recent trial and reports on a twist in the case involving Riley Joe Sanders III, Belinda's neighbor and student at the time of her murder. Defense attorneys alleged at trial he shot Belinda with a shotgun he secretly took from his father, but Sanders denies any involvement in her murder and was cleared as a suspect during the investigation into her death. Correspondent Deborah Roberts reports for “20/20” on Friday, Nov. 1 (9:00 – 11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC.

Two years ago, I revisited French Woods Festival of the Arts (which I attended from 1999 to 2002 as a camper/teen actor and then as an assistant director/stage manager) and BroadwayWorld kindly published an article I wrote about the experience. In light of my responsibilities at work (attorney by day, theater critic by night) and at home (including a hyperactive toddler and commuting daily between NY and NJ), I was not planning on visiting again this past summer, but that instantly changed when I learned that the camp was planning on presenting 1776 for the first time in nearly two decades - and with an all-female cast.

New York's leading LGBTQ film festival, NewFest, has announced the full lineup of their 31st annual celebration of the year's best LGBTQ films from around the world. As announced earlier this week, the festival will kick off the festival's 31st edition with the New York premiere of Mike Doyle's Manhattan-set ensemble rom-com SELL BY, featuring an eclectic cast including Scott Evans (Netflix's “Grace and Frankie”), Kate Walsh (ABC's “Grey's Anatomy”), Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award-winner Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Buteau (Netflix's “Tales of the City”) and Augustus Prew (HIGH-RISE), and will close the festival with the New York premiere of Rodrigo Bellott's award-winning film TU ME MANQUES, which was recently announced as Bolivia's submission for Best International Feature Film selection for the 2019 Academy Awards. 

The opening of the 17th season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center (Dance at The Music Center), programmed by TMC Arts, will sparkle as two of the world's preeminent arts organizations, Mariinsky Ballet and Mariinsky Orchestra, return to Los Angeles with five performances of George Balanchine's Jewels at The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion from October 24a?"27, 2019. Jewels, a fan favorite, was choreographed by Balanchine in 1967 and is considered the first great three-act abstract ballet. The jewel motif, sustained by costumes and décor, is actually a device to unify sections that would otherwise be disparate; each act is distinct in its style and choreographed to music by a different composer. Since receiving its first performance at the Mariinsky in 1999, Jewels has become a core part of the company's repertoire.

In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda's love letter to the New York neighborhood in which he grew up, is finally at Broadway at Music Circus after a summer of anticipation. The first draft was written in 1999, when he was a sophomore at Wesleyan University. After being accepted by the student theatre company, it was seen by four people who decided it was worth a further look-one of them being Thomas Kail, who went on to direct both In the Heights and Hamilton. After opening on Broadway in 2008, In the Heights took home four Tony Awards out of thirteen nominations and solidified Miranda's place on Broadway.

a??a??a??a??a??a??a??Chyna Whyne is truly an inspiring Renaissance Woman and dynamic holistic artist-practitioner - Born in London to Jamaican parents, she is an Alexander Technique Practitioner and Teacher (a world-renowned body management discipline), High-Heel Guru with her Walking in Stilettos Workshops, Recording Artist/Songwriter/Singer, Author, Model, Pageant Coach, International Public Speaker, Kemetic Yoga Teacher and Entrepreneur (Owner of VIP Yoga Retreats at Ocho Rios, Jamaica).

The cast of 'ANNE FRANK, a musical', based on Anne Frank's life will feature 12 artists on stage to recreate Anne Frank's life filled with the touching music and lyrics written by Jean Pierre Hadida. This production marks the U.S Off-Broadway Premiere of this successful French musical which will be performed for the first time in English (adapted by Dylan Hadida). Directed and produced by David Serero, this new Off-Broadway production will take place at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street New York 10016), originally produced by Francine Disegni for Broadway Mad Production, Simon & Michal Kalfon.

HartBeat Ensemble announces the world premiere of Pegao, a family drama set in Puerto Rico in the 1970s. The new work, built a round of high-stakes game of dominos, is written by Ensemble member Cin Martinez with dramaturgy by acclaimed playwright Edwin Sanchez and is directed by Ensemble member Hannah Simms. The cast for Pegao includes Yohanna Florentino, Clara Tristan, Joel Oramas, and Angelina Adam. Performances run May 30 through June 9, 2019 at HartBeat Ensemble's Carriage House Theatre (360 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT). Pegao will be presented in Spanish and Spanglish with English captioning. The Saturday performances will be presented without English captions. Tickets are $25; $20 for students, seniors, and Greater Hartford Arts Councils' Let's Go cardholders. No one is turned away due to lack of funds. Tickets can be secured by calling (860) 548-9144 or visiting HartBeatEnsemble.org.

1999 marked a momentous year for Scottish rock band Travis. Singer/songwriter Fran Healy, guitarist Andy Dunlop, drummer Neil Primrose, and bassist Dougie Payne had been together since the beginning of the decade, and were gearing up for the release of their sophomore album, The Man Who, following the release of their 1997 debut, Good Feeling. Though the album found moderate success in the UK and set the band up for extensive touring—opening for the likes of Oasis—Travis were still reasonably unknown internationally. All of that was about to change.

Add together a foggy night, dead body, clues that point in different directions, twists and turns, and what do you get? Agatha Christie's The Unexpected Guest. The Unexpected Guest opened in 1958 in the West End and was turned into a novel by Charles Osborne in 1999. Test out your detective skills at Little Theatre Mechanicsburg where The Unexpected Guest will take the stage April 26-May 12. I had the opportunity to take a sneak peak of the first act and to speak with two of the actors-Kaitlyn Booth, portraying Laura Warwick, and Nova Lorraine, playing Inspector Thomas.

Seattle Rep today announced the complete casting for its highly anticipated west coast premiere production of Christina Ham's Nina Simone: Four Women, a celebration of the life and journey of one of America's most iconic singers and civil rights activists. When 'The High Priestess of Soul' Nina Simone heard about the tragic bombing deaths of four young girls in an Alabama church in 1963, the songstress turned to her music as a means of expressing the country's agony. In Nina Simone: Four Women, Ham uses Simone's 'Four Women' as the framework to explore Simone's shift from artist to artist-activist through storytelling, debate, and music, immersing audiences in the complex harmony of protest. Nina Simone: Four Women is directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton and runs April 26 - June 2, 2019 (opening night is May 1) on the Bagley Wright stage. Single tickets are on sale now (starting at $17) and are available through the Seattle Rep Box Office at 206.443.2222 or online at SeattleRep.org.

Musical Theatre West's entertaining, high-energy new production of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN---which continues performances at the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach through April 14, 2019---is, for the most part, a sleek, stylish, and abundantly entertaining piece of theater, filled with nostalgic fun and features a plucky anti-hero at its center whose bad behavior can both be seen as terrible and worth cheering for in his sheer audacity and skill. Despite its flaws, the show is a worthy trip back in time, especially with the presence of its two terrific lead actors Jacob Haren and Jeff Skowron as the teenage con artist and the FBI agent chasing him.

"Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough," says Peter Pan, and this month it definitely seems that BroadwayHD subscribers will be getting everything they've dreamed about and even more! In April, BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, will be adding a number of standout productions to their service including the beloved family favorite Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby, remastered in high definition and available on streaming for the very first time, and an intriguing documentary Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. In addition, one of the most renown music festivals, the BBC Prom, will be coming to the service with the debut of BBC Prom: Dawn at Dusk and BBC Prom: Rogers and Hammerstein this month as well.

Oh, those wacky Brits: They love their comedy dry, broad and often rather lowbrow, they adore mistaken identities, hijinks in the bedchamber and a bit with a dog. And that, gentle readers, is exactly what is delivered in the deliciously irreverent, surprisingly heartfelt Shakespeare in Love - Lee Hall's stage adaptation of the 1999 Oscar-winning best film of the same name - now onstage at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Johnson Theatre in a sparkling new production from Nashville Repertory Theatre.

This Spring marks the start of the 36th season of the Verdi Chorus, who will present their Spring Concert, L'Amore e la Vita (Love and Life) for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on April 6 and 7. Led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum, the Verdi Chorus is the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus. This program, which Ketchum humorously calls the Rom-Com of opera, will feature selections from two Verdi operas I vespri siciliani and Ernani, three Donizetti operas - Don Pasquale, La fille du r giment and L'elisir d'amore, as well as operatic sequences from Bizet's Les p cheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers), Delibes' Lakm , and Puccini's La rondine.

I thought throwing out my Annie CDs would be easy--I thought I only had one! Obviously that would be the indispensable Original Broadway Cast Recording with Dorothy Loudon and Andrea McArdle. How wrong I was! I knew that, as a kid, I had the tape of the 1982 movie soundtrack with Carol Burnett and Aileen Quinn (and an all-star supporting cast!), but I didn't remember buying it on CD. And when the hell did I get the CD of the 1999 TV version (with Kathy Bates and an all-star cast)? And, oh yeah... I forgot about this studio album from the 90s with studio cast queen Kim Criswell--I think I bought back in the day somehow convincing myself Ruthie Henshall was playing Annie. (Spoiler alert: She plays Grace.) Oh, and I do remember this '30thAnniversary' deluxe production with Chicago area diva (and original star of the sequel, Annie Warbucks) Alene Robertson as Miss Hannigan plus a lot of bonus material. To add insult to injury, I also have a Blu-Ray of the recent Hollywood remake with Cameron Diaz. I don't even have a Blu-Ray player! This thing is definitely going into the trash along with all the audio, but I will listen to a few tracks online for my edification.