Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 1981 - Articles Page 5

North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) is ready to work its magic, once again, to transport audiences to a purrrr-fect evening at "The Jellicle Ball," in CATS, one of Broadway's longest running musicals. The show leaps onto the stage for two weeks only starting Tuesday, August 20 and playing through Sunday, September 1.

Theatre by the Sea (TBTS) is ready to work its magic, once again, to transport audiences to a purrrr-fect evening at 'The Jellicle Ball,' in TBTS's premiere production of CATS, Broadway's long running musical. The show leaps onto the stage for a four week run starting tonight, June 19 and playing through Saturday, July 13.

Theatre by the Sea (TBTS) is ready to work its magic, once again, to transport audiences to a purrrr-fect evening at "The Jellicle Ball," in TBTS's premiere production of CATS, Broadway's long running musical. The show leaps onto the stage for a four week run starting Wednesday, June 19 and playing through Saturday, July 13. Press night is scheduled for Friday, June 21 at 8:00 p.m.

Yale Repertory Theatre presents Paul Giamatti in HAMLET by William Shakespeare, directed by James Bundy, at the University Theatre (222 York Street), tonight, March 15-April 13. Opening Night is Thursday, March 21, at 7:30PM.

Cabrillo Music Theatre announces the next in a series of fundraising and entertainment events in the recently renovated Founders' Room of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. SHIRLEY JONES & PATRICK CASSIDY: TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY will take place tonight, February 10th, at 7:00PM, and reunites the Oscar-winning star of stage, films and television, Shirley Jones, with her son, Broadway and television star Patrick Cassidy. The Founders Room is located in the Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, January 27, 2013 - Sunday, January 27, 2013.

Yale Repertory Theatre presents Paul Giamatti in HAMLET by William Shakespeare, directed by James Bundy, at the University Theatre (222 York Street), March 15-April 13. Opening Night is Thursday, March 21, at 7:30PM.

Cabrillo Music Theatre announces the next in a series of fundraising and entertainment events in the recently renovated Founders' Room of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. SHIRLEY JONES & PATRICK CASSIDY: TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY will take place on Sunday, February 10th, at 7:00PM, and reunites the Oscar-winning star of stage, films and television, Shirley Jones, with her son, Broadway and television star Patrick Cassidy. The Founders Room is located in the Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

Arizona Theatre Company presents the Arizona Premiere of "Jane Austen's Emma" a new romantic musical comedy that brings Jane Austen's masterpiece to life. "Jane Austen's Emma" plays at the Temple of Music and Art and runs from December 1, 2012 - December 22, 2012. It continues its run in Phoenix at the Herberger Theater Center from December 31, 2012 - January 20, 2013. "Jane Austen's Emma" is sponsored by Shirley Estes. ATC's season sponsors are I. Michael and Beth Kasser.

According to a feature about the new UK arena touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar in the Sydney Morning Herald, Andrew Lloyd Webber reveals he would like to collaborate with Stephen Sondheim.

It's an election year - meaning many people are in need of laughs. Enter The Capitol Steps, a political satire group who are setting out to put the 'mock' in 'democracy' on Friday, Oct. 12, at 8 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets are $30-$35. For tickets and information, go to ParamountAurora.com, call the Paramount box office, (630) 896-6666, or visit the box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or two hours prior to evening performances.

This summer, original 'Effie,' Jennifer Holliday will return to DREAMGIRLS, playing the role at the MUNY in St. Louis. According the the MUNY's official website, Milton Craig Nealy will star as Jimmy, alongside previously announced Demetria McKinney as Deena, Jenelle Lynn Randall as Lorrell, Muny veteran Ken Page as Marty, Christopher Jackson as Curtis, Karla Mosely as Michelle, and Tommar Wilson as C.C.

This summer, original 'Effie,' Jennifer Holliday will return to DREAMGIRLS, playing the role at the Muny in St. Louis. According the the MUNY's official website, she will be joined by Demetria McKinney as Deena, Jenelle Lynn Randall as Lorrell, Muny veteran Ken Page as Marty, Christopher Jackson as Curtis, Karla Mosely as Michelle, and Tommar Wilson as C.C.

Forget "Rock Of Ages." That 21st century musical about the 1980s has nothing on the real thing. "Cats," the show that set much of the look and tone of musical theater for the next decade or so when it opened in London in 1981 and in New York in 1982 (and began continuous touring in 1984, a record unmatched in theater history) is on display for this week only (sorry, "Now And Forever") at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre. Forget "Rock Of Ages." That 21st century musical about the 1980s has nothing on the real thing. "Cats," the show that set much of the look and tone of musical theater for the next decade or so when it opened in London in 1981 and in New York in 1982 (and began continuous touring in 1984, a record unmatched in theater history) is on display for this week only (sorry, "Now And Forever") at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre. And I, who saw the original Broadway production twice during that heady decade and have not seen the show in any form since then, was eager to go and see what the fuss was, and is, all about. So I went, Tuesday night. If you've never seen this show, if you kids have never seen it, or if you want to experience the magic of this unique theatrical masterpiece one more time, then this is a great opportunity to do so, as this is the only remaining North American production to (somewhat) accurately replicate the award-winning, record-setting British musical that took America and the world by storm thirty years ago. This tour of non-Equity performers, with its usual orchestra of five beefed up to eight for a weeklong stand (May 1-6) in a major theatrical market, has enough going for it that I highly recommend it. It's a little like entering a time machine, and there's a lot of sleight of hand, but it works. Let me explain. What is "Cats?" Much maligned by insiders, derided as dated by visual artists, underrated by dance teachers and ignored by voice teachers (save for its megahit song, "Memory," which is heard twice, but never in the sheet music version everything has heard and claims to know), it is in many ways a dichotomy. It's a dance show (choreography by Gillian Lynne) written by a singer's songwriter (Andrew Lloyd Webber), as well as a British song cycle based on poems written by a St. Louis-born English poet (T. S. Eliot) who never intended his work ("Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats," and other snippets) to be either musicalized or staged. Its plot, slight though it is, is also the subject of much derision, but to this observer is very reminiscent of "A Chorus Line," a universally revered work that does include dialogue and more depth of character, but also honors unity of time and place. However, there are indeed works that dispense with plot entirely, and which people unabashedly love (you know, revues--"Ain't Misbehavin'" comes to mind), and even shows like "Forever Plaid" and Lloyd Webber's "Starlight Express" feature heaven-going as a climax that is not entirely a surprise. So, enough complaining about there being no dramatic tension, already. But the spectacle! Is it a rock concert with dance, a dance concert with character, a makeup and hair extravaganza with arena-style lighting (still thrilling, the work of David Hersey, as recreated by Rick Belzer), a radio-friendly cast album with a decidedly British keyboard-rock spin, an intellectual set of inscrutable poems with earworm melodies, an environmental theater piece that's fun for all ages (an unmistakeable set and costume design by the remarkable John Napier)--what exactly is going on? The answer, of course, is all of the above. Oh, and it owes a lot to the English music hall tradition and to contemporary classical music, too, not to mention Puccini. Name another show that encompasses so much. Not to mention that original marketing campaign. Aside from his immature works (the children's show "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and others), Lloyd Webber's previous shows written with Tim Rice (the two nominated for the Best Revival of a Musical Tony Award this year, "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita,") were both introduced to the world via record albums and marketing campaigns that featured a logo rather than a star name and image. But "Cats" seemed to take that even further, dispensing with the concept album and zeroing in on the show AS the star. Indeed, this show has no leading roles. Really. But who can forget that moon/cats' eyes/dancer silhouette logo, and the letters of the title in color-coordinated graffiti (echoing the oversized junkyard scene design). It was exciting and revolutionary at the time, and the only shows that have done it better since then (Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom Of The Opera" and director Trevor Nunn's "Les Miserables," all three produced by wunderkind Cameron Mackintosh) are the only ones that have run longer in London and New York, due to the lessons they learned from the feline juggernaut before us now. It was "the birth of the musical spectacular," as Broadway In Chicago's promotional materials tell us. This particular edition of the endless "Cats" tour, directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford and featuring mostly young, recent graduates of top U.S. musical theater and dance schools, is indeed "cut down" from the total makeover that the Winter Garden Theatre in New York displayed for the 18 years it played there (1982-2000). But the "Christmas lights" that once ringed the audience do indeed extend past the proscenium arch, and the cast makes several trips out into the aisles, a nice touch. The back wall of the set does not swing down to reveal the ship's set needed for the "Growltiger's Last Stand" sequence--they use drops and a false proscenium downstage center here, and I almost liked it better. The set as a whole is not as detailed and certainly not as deep as it once was, but if you haven't seen the video of the London production, or the show as it played in the early '80s, you would be none the wiser. Sound-wise, I have to give credit to sound designer Duncan Robert Edwards, musical supervisor Kristen Blodgette and music director J. Michael Duff. I swear the show sounds better than ever, even with a smaller orchestra than originally employed. And I could understand the lyrics! The costumes and makeup design look simplified to me, though, but again, a newcomer to the proceedings wouldn't know. And do I care of part of the set is inflatable, as rumor would have it? I don't care how they get it from city to city, or how quickly they do it, but somebody does care, and they figured out a way to make it work! The floating tire and the thing that comes down from the fly space (spoiler alert?) look great, absolutely. Absolutely. The cast is led by Melissa Grohowski as Grizabella, the role made famous by Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley and carrying with it, shall we say, a certain expectation of a certain money note. Boy, does Ms. Grohowski deliver! Three people stood during the applause for the number. Bravo to Clemmons/Dewing Casting, I say! The two singing roles for the men, Old Deuteronomy and Gus/Growltiger/Bustopher Jones, are essayed here by Nathan Morgan and Christopher E. Sidori, who both acquitted themselves well and were very effective theatrically, whatever their actual ages. Among the dance roles, Daniel J. Self as the narrator Munkustrap, Chris Stevens as Rum Tum Tugger and especially Chaz Wolcott as Mistoffelees were crowd pleasers: Self with his movement detailing, Stevens with his Elvis impersonation and Wolcott with his amazing fouette turns. The cast of two dozen or so performers dances uniformly well, and sings very well, too, save for a few minor quibbles with single lines here. And there or some missing low notes that older performers would probably have no trouble with. But these are easily forgiven. Who cares if the leading lights of Broadway (Harry Groener, Terrence Mann, Anna McNeely and of course Ken Page) have been replaced in these roles by recent graduates of Wright State, SUNY-Purchase and Oklahoma City University? These energetic, disciplined performers are working their tails off (pun intended), singing like people who can't dance a lick and are basking in the glow of theater history with every city they visit. Yes, the show has moments that seem a little longwinded, and sure, it doesn't challenge your intellect as much as it challenges your wallet and your caffeine intake (it takes place at night, and everybody is dressed like a cat!). But I challenge you to remain unmoved when Grizabella begs for physical contact, when old Gus relives his moment of youthful theatrical triumph, when assorted junk becomes the train that Skimbleshanks loves, and when the sopranos of the ensemble soar on the words, "'Round the cathedral rang 'Vivat!" Come on! It's "Cats." It's eye and ear candy galore. I don't even like cats, but I do like "Cats." Very much. "Cats" plays this week only, Tuesday night through Sunday night, with additional matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph Street in Chicago. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago box offices, the Ticket Kiosk at Water Tower Place, all Ticketmaster retail outlets, by phone (800.775.2000) and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Photos: Melissa Grohowski; The Cast

Before Jennifer Hudson gave Effie White life on the big screen, Jennifer Holliday was playing her on the Broadway stage. This summer, Holliday will return to DREAMGIRLS, playing the role at the Muny in St. Louis. She recently performed the DREAMGIRLS anthem 'And I'm Telling You' at the Apollo Theatre, and you can catch it by clicking below!

The Old Globe today announced principal casting for the Globe's 2012 Shakespeare Festival. Craig Noel Award winner Jay Whittaker returns to the Festival for his third consecutive season to appear in the title role of William Shakespeare's Richard III. He will also appear as Oliver in Shakespeare's As You Like It. Also returning to the Festival are Craig Noel Award winner Robert Foxworth and Adrian Sparks, who will take to the courtroom floor as titanic lawyers Henry Drummond and Matthew Harrison Brady, respectively, in the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee classic Inherit the Wind. Foxworth, an Old Globe Associate Artist, will also play Lord Hastings in Richard III, and Sparks will play Lord Mayor of London in Richard III and Corin in As You Like It. Festival veteran Dana Green will star as Rosalind, and Dan Amboyer, new to the Festival stage, will play Orlando, the object of her affections, in As You Like It. Green will also play Queen Elizabeth in Richard III. Amboyer will also be featured as Bertram Cates in Inherit the Wind and the Earl of Richmond in Richard III. Festival newcomer Jacques C. Smith will play Jacques in As You Like It, the Duke of Buckingham in Richard III and Mr. Meeker in Inherit the Wind. Adrian Noble returns for his third outing as Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Festival and will helm As You Like It and Inherit the Wind. Renowned British director Lindsay Posner makes his debut at the Globe with his production of Richard III. Noble recently directed the World Premiere stage version of The King's Speech, which is currently touring England, and Posner's hit revival of Noises Off is currently playing at London's Old Vic and will transfer to the West End in March. The 2012 Shakespeare Festival, performed in repertory in the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, runs June 3 - Sept. 30, 2012.

Before Jennifer Hudson gave Effie White life on the big screen, Jennifer Holliday was playing her on the Broadway stage. This summer, Holliday will return to DREAMGIRLS, playing the role at the Muny in St. Louis.

MCC Theater has announced the complete cast for the newly reworked and fully re-imagined production of Carrie, the musical. Carrie features music by Michael Gore, lyrics by Dean Pitchford (Academy Award winning composer and lyricist for the original film Fame) and a book by Lawrence D. Cohen (who also adapted the 1974 novel by Stephen King for the 1976 Brian DePalma film). Directed by Stafford Arima, performances for Carrie begin January 31, 2012, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC). The official opening night is set for March 1, 2012.

Jim Caruso's Broadway at Birdland concert series presented the premiere of Liza Minnelli and Sam Harris in 'Schmoolie & Minnooli' on Sunday November 20 at 6pm and Broadway Beat was there to capture the show's zippy opening number with musical direction by Billy Stritch!

Jim Caruso's Broadway at Birdland concert series will present Liza Minnelli and Sam Harris in 'Schmoolie & Minnooli,' Sunday November 20 at 6pm and Monday, November 21 at 7pm. Billy Stritch musical directs.

Jim Caruso's Broadway at Birdland concert series will present Liza Minnelli and Sam Harris in 'Schmoolie & Minnooli,' Sunday November 20 at 6pm and Monday, November 21 at 7pm. Billy Stritch musical directs.

Steve Solomon's international hit comedy My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm in Therapy! opens Wednesday October 19 starring Tony Award-winner Paul Kreppel.

Steve Solomon's international hit comedy My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm in Therapy! opens Wednesday October 19 starring Tony Award-winner Paul Kreppel.

Steve Solomon's international hit comedy My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm in Therapy! starts performances next week starring Tony Award-winning stage and television star Paul Kreppel. The hilarious show has a 12-week run at the Bathurst St. Theatre from October 12, 2011-January 1, 2012. (The media performance is Wednesday, October 19 at 7pm.). Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster or www.italianjewish.ca.

Tony Award-winning stage and television star Paul Kreppel will make his Toronto debut in the international hit comedy My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm in Therapy! at the Bathurst St. Theatre, October 12, 2011-January 1, 2012, the show's producers announced today.