I'll Say She Is Revival 2016 - Articles Page 7

Just try holding Em Rusciano back. The absolute powerhouse of comedy is five shows into an eight-show run of her spectacular sell-out Rage & Rainbows Tour and has just announced her first ever Comedy Special!

Today, BroadwayWorld is excited to share an interview with author F.C. Yee, who has given the world of hit Nickelodeon tv series TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender new life in THE RISE OF KYOSHI, available now.

Raven Theatre launches its 2019-20 season with the Chicago premiere of Rachel Bonds' drama SUNDOWN, YELLOW MOON, featuring music and lyrics by The Bengsons, directed by Artistic Director Cody Estle with music direction by Andra Velis Simon. This warm and delicate play with music is an honest look at the hard work of holding a family together and reconnecting with what we've left behind. Casting will be announced shortly.

Having two completely different shows premiere within a month of each other might be a daunting concept for many playwrights, but Eli Pasic is taking it in stride. The emerging Toronto writers' first fully produced work, the comedic farce FALSE CLAIMS, follows the story of a man who poses as his late aunt's husband in order to collect her life insurance policy and opens August 2. His nautical musical parody SOMETHING FOR THE BUOYS is set to premiere this fall. Pasic was able to take some time away from his heavy workload to discuss his journey from musician to produced playwright, and offered an in-depth look into the differences between writing for plays versus musicals, his creative process, and an unexpected collaboration with an established Broadway composer.

It is rare to encounter a play about the gay lifestyle that is real, intelligent, informative and simultaneously entertaining. Such is the case with award-winning playwright Daniel Hurewitz's Nancy F****ing Reagan currently onstage at The Secret Rose Theatre through August 4. If the title sounds angry, it is, but David (Kiff Scholl), who is about to celebrate his 50th birthday, is at a crossroads in his life. He can no longer tolerate the Reagans' lack of support and caring toward the AIDS epidemic and those dying from it. The scene is Palm Springs in March, 2016, the weekend that Nancy Reagan's body lay in state. David's former partner Alec died from AIDS, and D

Anna Ziegler's play 'Boy' gives an unflinching look at gender identity. I was fortunate enough to see it's Off-Broadway premiere back in 2016 and found it quite moving and engaging. But it's a tough one to get into and requires some top-notch performances to grab the audience as it's all talk. I say this because that's exactly what we do not have with the current production from Fantastic.Z Theatre. What we have here is a series of flat and at times strange line readings from an ensemble that are each in their own play and not connecting with the others with whom they share the stage.

"Felicia and I have a song in our concert, LETTIN' THE GOOD TIMES ROLL, that we wrote. It's called 'That Wasn't Me,' laughs actress E. Faye Butler. It talks about how people will walk up to me and say, 'Felicia, I'm so glad to see you.' And then they do the same thing to Felicia, calling her E. Faye. It makes us laugh!" Butler is speaking of her close friend and co-star at MSMT this summer, actress Felicia P. Fields, with whom she shares the stage in SOPHISTICATED LADIES and in their joint revue, LETTIN' THE GOOD TIMES ROLL. "We have known each other for thirty-one years on and off stage. We both began our journeys growing up on Chicago's South Side. I am godmother to her daughter; our husbands are good friends. We have gone on vacation and spent holidays together. She is like a sister to me. We can laugh, argue, say I'm sorry, and hug it out. We can finish each other's sentences. Working with Felicia is easy, so it is always a treat to do a show together."

At a talkback after a show at her school, the presenter asked the audience if anyone had experienced a time when something they considered a flaw turned out to be an asset. Jessie Knowles raised her hand and boldly told the audience that her bipolar and schizophrenia actually heightened her creativity and spiritual insight. The room went silent and Jessie noticed that afterward people either treated her differently or avoided her altogether. She realized the lack of understanding people had about mental health…and that she could do something about it.

The Wallis Studio Ensemble's latest production THE HITCH-HIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY will open at The Wallis June 6, 2019. Established in 2016 by theatre director and choreographer Madeleine Dahm, WSE (in partnership with GRoW @ The Wallis) strives to share the arts with audiences of all ages. One of WSE's four original company members Alexander Sheldon will be performing multiple roles onstage and off in HITCH-HIKER. Alexander made some time available to answer my queries between his never-ending multi-tasking for WSE.

When it comes to developing a loyal fan base, Troubadour Theater Company has found the secret: do outstanding work, stay true to your aesthetic, and give the people what they want - a great time at the theater. Artistic Director Matt Walker started the troupe and, with the help of longtime friend and foil, Beth Kennedy, continues to lead his merry band into the great theatrical unknown. Next up for the company is JULIUS WEEZER, which combines Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR and the music of Weezer to tell its tale of political intrigue Troubie style. Today, they talk about what it's like putting together a new show and why they keep on coming back for more.

Christopher Sieber is taking the stage in the musical that's touching hearts and funny bones alike, The Prom. Sieber took a moment to speak with us about what it's like being part of such a relevant and heartfelt show alongside some of the biggest stars in the biz.

Theatrical hyphenate Michael Shaw Fisher brings his latest creation DR. NYMPHO VS. THE SEX ZOMBIES - A ROCK MUSICAL to the Celebration Theatre @ the Lex beginning April 26, 2019. I had the very fun opportunity to probe actor/writer/producer Michael's brain for his birthing of Dr. NYMPHO.

Rebel Playhouse is thrilled to be remounting their New York Innovative Theatre Award Nominated** production of OLD TURTLE AND THE BROKEN TRUTH, with a book by Catherine Bush, music and lyrics by Dax Dupuy, and based on the book by Douglas Wood.

Taking us through the gamuts A to Z of 'I'm Still Here', Tracie Bennett and Nigel Lilley breakdown the demands, delivery and tiny details of the number.

This sweeping musical from the creators of Les Miserable is blazing a trail across the country.

Queen of the Mist is a curious musical about the nearly forgotten woman who was first to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and who lived to tell her story - the problem was that few wanted to hear it the way she told it.

Broadway favorite Catherine Ricafort recently made her debut as a director and choreographer with the release of a new hip-hop video from her brother Juan Drigo Ricafort, also known as 'Super Smack.'

Today's subject Laura Giannarelli has been living her theatre life for many years now on both sides of the footlights. As a performer she just completed a star turn in Gulf View Drive at Washington Stage Guild (WSG), the company she helped found back in 1986. The company's current show Resolving Hedda runs through April 14th at their home at The Undercroft Theatre at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church.

Soho Rep. presents the New York Premiere of Obie Award-winning playwright Christopher Chen's Passage (April 23-May 26), a fantasia on colonialism past and present that asks the question: if Country Y occupies Country X, can someone from Country X and someone from Country Y ever form a mutual relationship? Directed by Saheem Ali, Passage is a playful and gripping experiment that isolates power as the sole differentiator between people challenging the arbitrary binaries that define how we live.

David Mirvish in a co-production with the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre presents A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2 by Lucas Hnath. Starring four outstanding Canadian actors and directed by Krista Jackson, this brilliant and audacious play is performed March 23 to April 14, 2019 at Toronto's CAA Theatre as part of the Off-Mirvish Season. 

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, on Sunday, March 31, after 808 performances on Broadway, Anastasia will take its final journey to the past- a journey that has lasted for three years. Even before it started winning the hearts of audiences at the Broadhurst Theatre in 2017, the musical made its world premiere in a sold-out, record breaking run at Hartford Stage in Connecticut.

Nassim Soleimanpour is an Iranian playwright whose new play NASSIM is currently being presented by Barrow Street Theatricals at New York City Center Stage II. NASSIM has previously played to sold-out audiences across the globe and features a unique set-up of a new guest actor at each performance who has not read or rehearsed the play. Soleimanpour previously explored this concept in his play WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT, which ran Off-Broadway for nine months in 2016. So far in its run, NASSIM has been performed by guest actors such as Michael Urie, Tatiana Maslany, Beth Malone, Ethan Slater, Kate Walsh and many more. Nassim Soleimanpour talked to BroadwayWorld about working with these amazing guest artists, how NASSIM differs from WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT, and the difficult process that almost didn't allowed him to be in the country for the play's American premiere.

Three of New York City's most beloved Downtown acts join the comic sensation Wilfredo for the February edition of Wilfredo a Go Go! tonight. Stand-up magician the Great Dubini, sideshow sensation Fibi Eyewalker and burlesque art star Cassandra Rosebeetle are lined up to appear in the variety show produced and presented by the Slipper Room at 9pm.

Once in every decade or so, a musical is created that redefines the genre. Lin-Manuel Miranda's HAMILTON joins that elite Parthenon of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, LES MISERABLE and RENT. The two-act musical rolled into the Ohio Theatre (39 East State Street in downtown Columbus) on Jan. 29 pulling a 400-boxcar train of hype it couldn't possibly live up to.

Well, next up in decluttering my apartment is clearing out the big, tall stack of different Guys and Dolls CDs I've spent a few decades collecting. I think I could hack this particular task without any tears (or maybe like you know without having to blog about it) were it not for that gorgeous black square with the orange and yellow title letters thrown into the air alongside perfect pair of cartoon dice. 1992 Grammy Award-winning New Broadway Cast Recording, it's gonna be hard to leave you, baby.