Only Kidding! 1989 - Articles Page 18

Today we begin a new comprehensive academic music discussion series on BroadwayWorld in which I speak to the most cutting-edge artists in the recording industry, on Broadway and in Hollywood about their influences and experiences in the industry with an emphatic emphasis on the songwriting process itself and what drives and inspires it. While these discussions may be on occasion only tangentially theatre-related, the insights provided by the various participants is a demonstrative way in which to illuminate perhaps the most mysterious of all the arts: music. Peering into the psyche of the composer and lyricist, we may begin to understand what the craft of composition and lyric-writing is all about and why musical theatre tends to attract the most talented and innovative songwriters, both in the twentieth-century and today (as this column proves).

Concluding BroadwayWorld's exclusive three-part series on Edward Albee's newest masterpiece ME, MYSELF & I, comes this exciting and energized interview with the youngest star of the show, playing one of the titular twosome both named Otto, the enthusiastic and expressive Preston Sadleir! In this in-depth conversation we discuss working with Elizabeth Ashley and Brian Murray on ME, MYSELF & I as well as the director, Emily Mann, and the master writer himself, Edward Albee. Additionally, we discuss the rehearsal process at Playwrights' Horizons, the themes of the play, the acting process onstage acting every night with two of the greats, as well as what the play means to not only himself as an actor, but also to the twenty-first century audience coming to see the show (which has just been extended and now runs to October 31st). We also talk about the exciting workshop productions and readings of two burgeoning musicals that are eyeing Broadway soon, including the much anticipated Broadway revival of CARRIE and a new original cougar-themed musical starring Jane Krakowski called MRS. SHARP! Few performers are so at ease in plays and musicals as Preston is - and at barely twenty-five years old - so here is a chance to see why he is one of the hottest new theatrical stars on the rise! Enjoy!

The Pitmen Painters recently concluded an acclaimed run at London's Royal National Theatre.

Last week I had a true Broadway baby's dream come true by having the thrill of interviewing not only one of the best interview subjects (check out her episode of INSIDE THE ACTOR'S STUDIO for further proof of that) but also one of the very greatest and most highly-rewarded stars in Hollywood and Broadway history, the recipient of the Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, multiple Tony Awards and Hollywood Royalty like none other before or since: Miss Liza Minnelli. In this special preview of a much longer interview which will go live in a few weeks, we discuss her revealing and intimate new studio album CONFESSIONS featuring a riveting 'At Last', her impressions and opinions on Lady Gaga and Beyonce, as well as discussing her blockbuster HSN Liza Collection success, the recent Snickers commercial with Aretha Franklin, GLEE, and much, much more. Plus, some stories about her father, director of GIGI and AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, Vincente Minnelli; as well as her mother, Judy Garland, by most accounts the greatest star in Hollywood history and as popular today as ever thanks to THE WIZARD OF OZ. Liza Minnelli has conquered every arena of entertainment and in the complete discussion she opens up and reveals fascinating, absorbing and electrifying new sides to her legendary, starry and incomparable career on stage and on screen.

Mary Hart, the host of Entertainment Tonight, announced today that her final year on the show will be ET's upcoming 30th season, which launches September 13, 2010. Hart joined ET in 1982 and was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 1999 recognizing her contributions to television.

I started to play the guitar when I was 12. When I finally decided to try to be an actor for a living.... Musical theatre was something I gravitated to because it combined two of my favorite things...music and dance belts (or girls...or girls in dance belts). When I was in high school I sang in a rock band (we were totally sensitive) and I love that feeling of getting out there with a band creating a cacophony of different sounds. So, when they asked me to write a blerg (the Tina Fey pronunciation), I decided to write mine about the band.

NEW ORLEANS DOWN THE HATCH: A CABARET IN TWO COCKTAILS for Two shows only! • July 30 & 31 at 8pm, Tickets: $20

Yesterday, I had the exceptional privilege of conducting an InDepth InterView with legendary Oscar-winning Hollywood and Broadway legend Julie Andrews, star of films like MARY POPPINS, THE SOUND OF MUSIC; original TV musicals like Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA; and stage shows like the original productions of MY FAIR LADY, CAMELOT and VICTOR/VICTORIA. In our exclusive conversation we discussed everything from her favorite cast albums and theatre scores to working with Robert Wise on THE SOUND OF MUSIC and STAR! to ENCHANTED, THE PRINCESS DIARIES, SHREK and this summer's smash-hit Pharrell Williams/Neptunes-composed animated musical DESPICABLE ME. We also discuss plans for a US tour and the resounding success of her children's book series - even after all these years she still was at the top of the book charts and featured in the top movie of the week last week! Additionally, We also discuss her opinions on co-stars Russell Brand and Steve Carell, rock music in the theatre, GLEE, the Obamas, Sondheim, the Tony Awards and much more. Here is much more than a mere spoonful of the endless vat of sweetness - as well as generosity, beauty, elegance and class - that defines Ms. Julie Andrews.

Last weekend, I had the exceptional privilege of conducting an InDepth InterView with 2010 Tony-winning Best Featured Actress In A Play: the luminous and winsomely witty film and stage star Scarlett Johannson. We talked about her work in the theatre on this year's highly-praised revival of Arthur Miller's A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, as well as her feelings on musicals, Stephen Sondheim, and growing up in New York, which then veered off into a considerable discussion of her film work and working with actors like Hugh Jackman, Robert Downey Jr. and Penelope Cruz, as well as directors like Woody Allen and Christopher Nolan. Additionally, we discussed her love of musicals, her favorite shows, scores and cast albums, singing showtunes with Hugh Jackman, her thoughts on a Woody Allen musical, what Sondheim roles she would like to play, GLEE, and, of course, a detailed and descriptive discussion of the entire process of bringing BRIDGE to the stage. This is the complete InDepth InterView you have all been waiting for - of course, two sneek peek samples have gone up on BWW this week and have so far been quoted and reprinted in US WEEKLY, Perez Hilton and Oh No They Didn't, just to name a few, all of whom also reprinted her e-mail response to me. She is without a doubt one of the brightest stars of our age and it was a extreme privilege for me to help her shine some light on the more obscure corners of her career, as well as the highs - on Broadway, in Hollywood and elsewhere. Enjoy!

@BroadwayGirlNYC is live blogging and tweeting all throughout the 2010 Tony Awards! To follow her along on Twitter, click here!

As she assumes the position of Artistic Director, Laura Kaminsky announces Symphony Space's 33rd year of diverse multidisciplinary arts programming, featuring an ever-expanding schedule of groundbreaking works by renowned musical artists, authors and performers. Primary to Kaminsky's artistic vision are a commitment to new and innovative work, internationalism, and creating an atmosphere of intimacy and access between artists and audience.

Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS and Jerry Mitchell are pleased to announce BROADWAY BARES: CLASSIC, the latest edition of their popular 'Solo Strips' series to be held Sunday, June 6 (9 & 11 PM) at Splash (50 West 17th Street). BROADWAY BARES: CLASSICwill feature strips inspired by favorite numbers fromBROADWAY BARES' 20-year history. Headlining the evening will be BARES creator and executive producer Jerry Mitchell, who will take the stage of Splash, where he first created the event in 1992. Other favorite performers set to strut, strip and show that they 'still got it' include: Jennifer Cody(Shrek The Musical), Steve Geary (Contact),Sebastian LaCause (The Rocky Horror Show), Rachelle Rak (Fosse) and more.

Today, in honor of the DVD release of Rob Marshall's film version of the 1982 Tony-winning Best Musical NINE, Maury Yeston was gracious and generous enough to grant me a few hours in which I could ask him intimate questions about his life, career and the future of theatre itself. Not one to mince words, Yeston is a veritable font of knowledge and it became clear during the interview that he may be as gifted and talented in his educational and mentorship skills as he is as a two-time Tony-winning composer and lyricist. His stage musicals include two Tony-winning Best Musicals, NINE and TITANIC, as well as: IN THE BEGINNING, GRAND HOTEL, PHANTOM, and the forthcoming DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY, as well as a full-length ballet of TOM SAWYER premiering later this year. From the handwritten letter sent by Katharine Hepburn to Frederico Fellini after seeing the workshop of NINE thirty years ago to this very day when NINE hits DVD, we will take a look at this magnanimous maestro's starry career in this inaugural InDepth InterView. Enjoy!

London's Finborough Theatre will present THREE SEAGULLS, three staged readings complementing the London premiere production of The Notebook of Trigorin. The three works scheduled for readings are THE SEAGULL, HIS GREATNESS, and PIETA.

St. Louis' favorite - and only - parody theatre company, MAGIC SMOKING MONKEY THEATRE, presents the return of THE ONE-HOUR STAR WARS TRILOGY: LIVE! April 23 - May 8 at the Regional Arts Commission Studio Theatre.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Bohemian Theatre Ensemble, 'Into the Woods,' Writers' Theatre, 'No Way To Treat a Lady,' Andrea McArdle, Michael Cullen, more.....

Barbra Streisand celebrates her birthday on April 24th and her highly-anticipated new DVD comes out May 4th. To help celebrate the new release, BroadwayWorld.com is proud to present an online exclusive 3500 word piece written by Richard Jay-Alexander, who has worked with Streisand since 2000. This specially written piece is from the upcoming issue of All About Barbra Magazine, which will also feature many other articles, including another 'exclusive' written by Barbra's A&R guy, Jay Landers, who accompanied her on the day of and writes about the recording session of 'We Are the World 25'. Click here for more information on the magazine and how to order the upcoming current issue.

Piven Theatre will end its production of Emilie Beck's Number of People, directed by Emilie and featuring Piven Ensemble Member Bernard Beck on April 18th.

London's Finborough Theatre will present THREE SEAGULLS, three staged readings complementing the London premiere production of The Notebook of Trigorin. The three works scheduled for readings are THE SEAGULL, HIS GREATNESS, and PIETA.

Performance Network Theatre presents staged readings of new plays from local playwrights at the Fireside Festival of New Works Sunday, May 2nd - Wednesday, May 5th at 8 pm. The Fireside Festival is an exciting, affordable way to see brand new plays produced by Performance Network, Michigan's premier professional theatre. Admission for all shows is pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $10. The festival is generously underwritten by Joseph Walters.

Piven Theatre Workshop will host a pre-show event in observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 11, 2010 at 1:15PM, prior to the matinee performance of Number of People. The hour long program will feature speeches by Rabbi Josh Feigelson, Campus Rabbi & Senior Director Fiedler Hillel at Northwestern University, and Fr. John Karjte, Chaplain and Director of the Sheil Catholic Center at Northwestern University; a special performance of 'Raining Season' by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Teen Committee on Conscience; and Hannah Senesch's song 'Eili, Eili' led by David Y. Chack, President of the Association for Jewish Theatre.

Piven Theatre Workshop will end the world premiere of Number of People, written and directed by Emilie Beck on April 11th.

London's Finborough Theatre will present THREE SEAGULLS, three staged readings complementing the London premiere production of The Notebook of Trigorin. The three works scheduled for readings are THE SEAGULL, HIS GREATNESS, and PIETA.

St. Louis' favorite - and only - parody theatre company, MAGIC SMOKING MONKEY THEATRE, presents the return of THE ONE-HOUR STAR WARS TRILOGY: LIVE! April 23 - May 8 at the Regional Arts Commission Studio Theatre.

Piven Theatre Workshop will host a pre-show event in observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 11, 2010 at 1:15PM, prior to the matinee performance of Number of People. The hour long program will feature speeches by Rabbi Josh Feigelson, Campus Rabbi & Senior Director Fiedler Hillel at Northwestern University, and Fr. John Karjte, Chaplain and Director of the Sheil Catholic Center at Northwestern University; a special performance of 'Raining Season' by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Teen Committee on Conscience; and Hannah Senesch's song 'Eili, Eili' led by David Y. Chack, President of the Association for Jewish Theatre.