My Vaudeville Man! 2008 - Articles Page 6

Ronald 'Smokey' Stevens has adapted his autobiographical novel, 'I Just Want to Tell Somebody: The Autobiography of Ronald Smokey Stevens,' into a one-man, two character theater production.

Hadestown, the 2019 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, officially opened its North American Tour on October 15, at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Kicking off at the Peace Center in Greenville, SC, the tour will visit over 30 cities in its first year. Check out all the reviews...

Birdland, the world-famous jazz club, features two of these latter-day vaudeville offshoots. Jim Caruso's Cast Party has been a staple of Birdland for years, serving as Broadway's open mic experience. But every Tuesday evening, Susie Mosher presides over a somewhat more curated and far more ribald variety show in Birdland's downstairs theatre. THE LINEUP is not an open mic. Mosher puts together its guests each week. They are from every echelon of show business, from Tony winners to new up-and-coming artists. They often have nothing in common except for a wild amount of talent. Susie Mosher serves as the host of the evening. She is a combination of den mother, improv artist, and Tasmanian devil. Her wit is faster than lightning and she can turn on a dime into a fantastic chanteuse. I was lucky enough to catch the latest edition of THE LINEUP this evening.

Tonight, in their debut show at Don’t Tell Mama, Quentin Harris and Bryce Edwards added their own names to the list of performing teams who use opposition to their advantage. They bill themselves simply as MR. HARRIS AND MR. EDWARDS. If this sounds like a throwback to vaudeville days, it’s not entirely an accident. Harris and Edwards owe much to those old-time show business acts and most of their musical material is drawn from the Great American Songbook and from jazz standards. Quentin Harris knows a great deal about jazz and plays piano in the style of Oscar Peterson and many of the other jazz greats. Bryce Harris is a charmingly off-kilter one-man band, who plays ukulele, banjo, and the world’s most cumbersome looking kazoo. His style is bombastic and more than a little Jolson-esque. Both men are young, still in school, in fact, and so their show is a little rough around the edges as they find their footing. But they have the bones of a really interesting and unique act.

There is no better time than summer to relax by the pool and curl up with a great book, and you're in luck, because this year, Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind. From theatre biographies to theatre fiction; theatre books for kids to theatre history; check out our collection of 30 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's summer reading!

This stirring play gives a rare glimpse into the real-life struggles faced by two important figures from the early-20th century: Marian Anderson and Albert Einstein. My Lord, What A Night will run in FST's Keating Theatre starting Wednesday, June 30.

Eldridge Plays & Musicals has just published ASCAP award-winning writer Chip Deffaa's play 'Irving Berlin & Co.'   It's the final play in Deffaa's Irving Berlin cycle.

Riverside Studios today announces further programming for its inaugural Christmas season in association with New Frame Productions, including an evening of unplugged performance with West End Acoustic featuring SIX's Maiya Quansah-Breed and Renée Lamb, Wicked's Nicholas McLean, Jesus Christ Superstar's Tyrone Huntley and Dear Evan Hansen's Oliver Award-winning Sam Tutty.

Following the success of Noël Coward's Private Lives in September which raised £44,000 for the Royal Theatrical Fund, Lockdown Theatre today announces a live virtual table read of The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard, in association with The Royal Theatrical Fund. The table read will take place via Zoom, followed by a live Q&A with the cast and director on Sunday 25 October at 7pm.

Need something new to read or listen to? Check out this week's list of new and upcoming releases! This week's newly-announced releases include music from Forbidden Broadway, the cast recording for A Killer Party, and more.

Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma will present the world premiere of the Native American Musical Distant Thunder this month as part of the organization's New Works Initiative.

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.

Bryony Corrigan is part of Mischief Theatre and has been seen both on stage in The Play That Goes Wrong and Groan Ups, and also recently on our TV screens in The Goes Wrong Show on BBC1. She spoke to BroadwayWorld about her career and her current role in Magic Goes Wrong at the Vaudeville Theatre.

Erik Lee Preminger, the son of legendary burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee (whose 1957 memoirs inspired the classic musical GYPSY) and film director Otto Preminger, will appear in-person at Naples's Theatrezone on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 to present his one-man show about his famous mother (featuring rare home movies, television shows, newsreel footage, a question-and-answer session, and more). He was kind enough to give me and BroadwayWorld readers some insight into his life and his show ahead of the January 15 performance; read below. 

Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma will present the world premiere of the Native American Musical Distant Thunder this spring as part of the organization's New Works Initiative.

In 2019, I reviewed 30 shows for BroadwayWorld, but I actually wrote more interviews - around 50 articles on my count. Here's my attempt to pick out some highlights alongside the other pieces of theatre I saw this year.

The most unique and most beloved man in the cabaret business came out of retirement in 2018 and discovered he still had it. That's why he is PANGEA'S choice to ring in the new year with their discerning clientele.

'What could be better than a play that asks you to shout? Well, one that asks you to sing. All this fun is part of an updated version of 'The Brave Little Tailor...' My son also thought of another reason that Seven in One Blow is the greatest play ever: the actors pass out candy at the end.'-The New York Times

Christina Bianco took a break from playing Fanny Brice in Funny Girl in Paris to visit The Theatre Café for a sing! Christina sang the iconic 'Don't Rain on My Parade'.

David Hirata is the creator and sole performer of a?oeA Box Without a Bottom (Soko-nashi Bako)a?? currently running at The Marsh Berkeley. Within the context of a magic show, Mr. Hirata connects his own personal story to that of earlier Japanese magicians in a way that explores the illusions of race and identity in America. Talking with him, it's evident that he's a true magic geek as he delights in sharing his extensive knowledge about the history of magic and finding hidden links to his heritage as a Japanese American.

For her 4th CD release, vocalist/violinist Calabria Foti wanted to do an album like her vocal heroes did back in the day; that is, with a big orchestra and legendary arrangers on the podium in an iconic Hollywood recording studio. Ms. Foti says, “This is the most expansive project I have ever done, and at the same time, it's the most intimate and personal. I recorded at Capitol Records with a full orchestra, singing some of the most endearing, sentimental songs ever written, all for my loved ones. This album is a full-production tear-jerker!”

Trent Mills is one of those versatile young actors who can do it all - a 'five-tool' player who can act, sing, dance, do drama, and comedy and do it all well. Mills is starring as Marcellus Washburn in 5-Star Theatricals' production of 'The Music Man,' which plays through Oct. 27 at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. We talked with Mills about the art of physical comedy and his fresh, new approach to his character.

A limited 'sneak peek' run of Gentleman-George Production's ORRY will begin November 1, 2019 at The Lee Strasberg Theatre. Writer/performer Nick Hardcastle has adapted Oscar-winning costume designer Orry-Kelly's memoirs Women I've Dressed for a ninety-minute stage production (directed by Wayne Harrison) incorporating music, dance, vaudeville, puppetry, special effects and some of Orry-Kelly's award--winning creations. I had the chance to ask a few questions of Nick, in between his many, many responsibilities - theatrical and otherwise.

Over twenty years after debuting his one-man solo musical HOUDINI in New York City nightclub cabaret Don't Tell Mama, Tom Frueh brings the fully fleshed out show to the prestigious United Solo Theatre Festival, giving hope to every cabaret artist who dreams, one day, of seeing their show off-Broadway as well.

Keith Pinto is one of those fortunate stage actors who seems to work almost constantly. If you attend Bay Area theater with any regularity, chances are you've seen him, most likely in a role that showcases his energetic performance style and talent for movement. His latest role is the iconic a?oesweet transvestitea?? Frank-N-Furter in San Jose Stage Company's new production of a?oeThe Rocky Horror Show.a?? Mr. Pinto recently chatted with BroadwayWorld about his process while he was between rehearsals.