Blitzstein! 1966 - Articles Page 2

Steven Blier, Artistic Director a?? Michael Barrett, Associate Artistic Director   presents Marc Blitzstein's No For An Answer and Kurt Weill's Der Silbersee (Silverlake). Two powerful, neglected works by two masters of political theater. Each speaks passionately to the issues of our times. 

New York Festival Of Song Has Announced The Lineup For Its 2019-20 Season.

The little OPERA theatre of ny will present a FREE concert of scenes from American operas in collaboration with Bronx Opera and operamission. The concert will showcase the diversity of music and stories written for the opera stage by both native born and immigrant composers and librettists. The concert will take place outdoors on Governors Island in Nolan Park, in front of building 25. The performance is at 5pm and is FREE to the public. (Rain date: Sunday, June 23 at 4pm.)

Now onstage through Mother's Day (Sunday, May 12) in a much anticipated and gleefully subversive production from Nashville Opera, The Cradle Will Rock remains hard to define: It could be described as a work of art whose meaning, its very raison d'etre, can be bent to suit any conceivable justification. Variously, Blitzstein described his 1937 work as a 'play in music' or an 'opera for actors' and its history clearly paints it as either or even as both.

It's another busy weekend in Nashville - but when is Music City not packed with events, festivals, affairs? - and we're back with our Critic's Choice recommendations to have you cut through the theatrical flotsam and jetsam and find a cultural opening that's a good fit for your harried lifestyle. Nashville Opera opens its staging of Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock at Noah Liff Opera Center, Way Off Broadway Productions unveils its version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Music Valley Event Center, Street Theatre Company invites you to the see their staging of Lynn Nottage's Sweat at their new venue on Elm Hill Pike and Nashville Rep continues its celebration of 10 years of The Ingram New Works Festival at Nashville Children's Theatre.

Classic Stage Company announces two events in conjunction with Tony Award-winner John Doyle's production of Marc Blitzstein's 1937 play in music The Cradle Will Rock. On May 14, legendary former New York Times labor reporter Steven Greenhouse, author of the forthcoming Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor (Alfred A. Knopf, August 2019),and Kate Shindle, president of Actors' Equity Association, will discuss the history and current state of labor and union movements in relation to Cradle's timely and timeless themes. 

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Broadway veteran Elizabeth Josephine 'Jo' Sullivan Loesser passed away yesterday, April 28, from heart failure in her New York City Home. She was 91 years old.

Classic Stage Company announces two exciting and illuminating events in conjunction with Tony Award-winner John Doyle's production of Marc Blitzstein's 1937 play in music The Cradle Will Rock.

Classic Stage Company presents Marc Blitzstein's allegorical play in music The Cradle Will Rock, directed by John Doyle, March 21 - May 19, 2019.

In June of 1937, the United States government padlocked New York's Maxine Elliot Theatre and sent security guards to prevent the performance of a new musical, but the unknown leading lady Olive Stanton courageously fought her fears and led an act of defiance that made headlines the morning after opening night.

Lawrence Edelson, Artistic and General Director of Opera Saratoga, announced today that the company's critically acclaimed recording of Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rockwill be featured this Friday evening, March 15th, 2019, on the CBS series Hawaii Five-0 (Season 9, Episode 19).

In the spirit of Classic Stage Company's new production of The Cradle Will Rock, Marc Blitzstein's historic pro-labor American play in music (March 21 - May 19), CSC is implementing a policy through which members of any union will receive $25 rush tickets to the show. In order to redeem these tickets, patrons must show their union ID at the box office the day of the performance they would like to attend, pending availability. This will be in addition to CSC's regular and student rush policies.

The Kurt Weill Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Jesse Leong as the recipient of the Julius Rudel/Kurt Weill Conducting Fellowship. Established in 2015 to honor Rudel's extraordinary artistic achievements and dedication to the music of Kurt Weill, this award enables a young conductor in the early stages of a career to assist a master conductor in the preparation and performance of a work by Weill or Marc Blitzstein and expand his or her knowledge of their works. The fellowship carries a stipend of $10,000.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), announced today that Director James Blaszko has been named the 2019 Kurt Weill Fellowship recipient. With generous support from The Kurt Weill Foundation, Blaszko will serve as Assistant Director to SDC Member, Tony Award-winner, and Classic Stage Company's (CSC) Artistic Director John Doyle on his upcoming production of Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock at CSC, opening on April 3, 2019.

Classic Stage Company presents Marc Blitzstein's allegorical play in music The Cradle Will Rock, directed by John Doyle, March 21 - May 19, 2019. A Depression-era indictment of rampant capitalism told almost entirely in song, The Cradle Will Rock maintains a twinkle in its eye while bearing sharp fangs. The 1937 premiere of this story of American class tensions-directed by Orson Welles-was famously shut down on the eve of opening night by federal authorities over so-called 'budget cuts,' commonly considered a thin veil for fears of the play's pro-labor stance. The artists involved rebelliously circumvented its cancellation, making for one of the most memorable stories in 20th century theater history. While Blitzstein's libretto is very much a product of its own 1930s political context, The Cradle Will Rock pulses with immediacy in an era of expanding economic inequality and policy for purchase. CSC's 2018-2019 season began with The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Bertolt Brecht's allegory about the rise of fascism via a charismatic tyrant; this spring, it closes with an all-American Brecht-and-Weill-inspired work, which carries a message of defiance built into its very title.

Bridge Records will issue the first complete recording of Marc Blitzstein's signature creation, the opera The Cradle Will Rock.

Bridge Records is issuing the first complete recording of Marc Blitzstein's signature creation, the opera The Cradle Will Rock.  The new recording features Blitzstein's original 1937 orchestrations and was recorded live at Opera Saratoga in July 2017. The performance features a stellar cast including Ginger Costa-Jackson as Moll; Keith Jameson as Harry Druggist; Christopher Burchett as Larry Foreman; Audrey Babcock as Mrs. Mister; and Matt Boehler as Mr. Mister.

Bridge Records is pleased to be issuing the first complete recording of Marc Blitzstein's signature creation, the opera The Cradle Will Rock. The new recording features Blitzstein's original 1937 orchestrations and was recorded live at Opera Saratoga in July 2017. The performance features a stellar cast including Ginger Costa-Jackson as Moll; Keith Jameson as Harry Druggist; Christopher Burchett as Larry Foreman; Audrey Babcock as Mrs. Mister; and Matt Boehler as Mr. Mister. The production is conducted by John Mauceri with direction by Lawrence Edelson. The two-disc set also includes a rare recording of Marc Blitzstein discussing the opera's opening night in 1937.

Bridge Records will be issuing the first complete recording of Marc Blitzstein's signature creation, the opera The Cradle Will Rock. The new recording features Blitzstein's original 1937 orchestrations and was recorded live at Opera Saratoga in July 2017. The performance features a stellar cast including Ginger Costa-Jackson as Moll; Keith Jameson as Harry Druggist; Christopher Burchett as Larry Foreman; Audrey Babcock as Mrs. Mister; and Matt Boehler as Mr. Mister. The production is conducted by John Mauceri with direction by Lawrence Edelson. The two-disc set also includes a rare recording of Marc Blitzstein discussing the opera's opening night in 1937.

Vocalist Danya Katok is joined by pianist Michael Sheetz in an evening of musical theatre, jazz, and contemporary folk gems that tell a story of perseverance towards her ultimate wish, motherhood. Songs by Marc Blitzstein, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Randy Newman, Stephen Sondheim, Georgia Stitt, and more capture the pain, heartbreak, fear, and finally, joy in this most personal story directed by Dewey Moss.

For certain xenophobic East Coast opera lovers, the words 'St.Louis' and 'Opera' could seem like an oxymoron. However, this would be an invalid assumption.

Opera Theatre St. Louis has produced many wonderful productions, and a handful of simply perfect ones. Their production of 'Regina' is among the latter.

Vocalist Danya Katok is joined by pianist Michael Sheetz in an evening of musical theatre, jazz, and contemporary folk gems that tell a story of perseverance towards her ultimate wish, motherhood. Songs by Marc Blitzstein, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Randy Newman, Stephen Sondheim, Georgia Stitt, and more capture the pain, heartbreak, fear, and finally, joy in this most personal story directed by Dewey Moss.

Opera Saratoga's Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson announced that the company's 2018 Summer Festival will feature new productions of four operas at The Spa Little Theatre in Spa State Park, along with a wide variety of free and ticketed concert events from May 26 through July 15 at venues throughout the region.

On Saturday, May 26, Grammy Award-winning mezzo Susan Graham – “an artist to treasure” (New York Times) – makes her title role debut in Marc Blitzstein's Regina at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She will be joined by veteran bass-baritone James Morris, Broadway and television actor Ron Raines, and award-winning soprano Susanna Phillips in a new production by Artistic Director James Robinson, with Music Director Emeritus Stephen Lord leading from the pit (May 26–June 24).