The Bench 2018 - Articles Page 5

The only thing that stands between Bianca and a bevy of eligible suitors is her quick-tempered, elder sister Katherina. That is until fortune-hunting Petruchio takes up the challenge to "tame" Kate and make her his wife. A madcap marriage and much mayhem ensues in a beguiling battle of wits and wills between the sexes which ultimately reveals an unlikely romance. Can love tame a shrewish heart and surprise an unbridled bachelor? 

MONSIEUR LINH AND HIS CHILD is playing at the Grand Theatre in Luxembourg from May 3 to 7, 2019.

The Marsh San Francisco presents work in progress performances of Uncertainty Principle, the newest solo show by award-winning actor and playwright Adam Strauss. In this latest work by the creator of The Mushroom Cure, Strauss grapples with the big questions.

The Flat Rock Playhouse audience will enjoy a historic Homecoming season this year thanks to significant theatre upgrades to the Leiman Mainstage. These include brand new seating, floor lighting, new carpet and a state-of-the-art hearing loop.

Grammy-winning new-music choir, The Crossing, announces a program change to its current concert season with For Joe on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 8pm at The Crossing's home, The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. For Joe honors the life of Joseph Flummerfelt, the preeminent choral conductor of our time who passed away on March 1. Flummerfelt was a former teacher of conductor Donald Nally and together they wrote the 2011 book Conversations With Joseph Flummerfelt: Thoughts on Conducting, Music, and Musicians.

Proving the enduring vibrancy and relevancy of the art form (while celebrating a milestone for its leader), Boston Lyric Opera's 2019/20 Season of new productions spans three centuries of composers -- focusing on works that reflect the highs and lows of power and politics, bringing passionate opera installations to new neighborhoods, and introducing audiences to rising stars from diverse backgrounds. Among the season highlights, Russian-born soprano Elena Stikhina returns to BLO, where she made her 2017 American debut, to sing the lead role in NORMA. Stanford Calderwood General & Artistic Director Esther Nelson marks her 10th programming season, which the company will commemorate throughout the year.

The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, today unveiled its feature film lineup. Continuing its tradition of elevating exceptional storytelling rooted in today's global film communities, the 18th annual Festival will showcase debut works from emerging talent and new works from notable filmmakers. The program includes discoveries, comedies, music-centered, political and social films. The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 24 - May 5.  

The Greenhouse Theater Center, in association with The Marsh, is pleased to present the Chicago premiere of the off-Broadway hit THE MUSHROOM CURE, the true story of one man's attempt to treat his severe OCD with psychedelics. 

MONSIEUR LINH AND HIS CHILD is playing at the Grand Theatre in Luxembourg from May 3 to 7, 2019.

Actor/writer and 2018 Fred Ebb Award winner Will Reynolds makes his Birdland debut premiering all new songs, including selections from his musicals RADIOACTIVE and THE VIOLET HOUR (recently developed by MTC), written with collaborator Eric Price. Special guests include trumpeter and Birdland favorite Benny Benack III, Broadway stars Kirsten Anderson (MY FAIR LADY), Aisha Jackson (FROZEN), Adam Kaplan (A BRONX TALE), and soul singer-songwriter Chris Ams (FAVORITE STATES band).

'This is a story of kings.' The opening line of playwright Ayad Akhtar's JUNK gives the audience an epic summary of what they're about to experience. Kings not determined by the biggest crown or most expansive army, but by the fullest pockets. Robert Merkin, played by Carlo Lorenzo Garcia, is one such king, though unconventional in that the lead character of Akhtar's longest work sees debt as an asset. Robert sits proudly on the cover Time Magazine, and he's ready to capitalize on his role as 'America's Alchemist'. Performer Garcia revels in all the teeth sucking, furtive gesticulating, and slick talking of a classic 1980's Wall Street yuppie.

The Marsh San Francisco announces the return of its 2017 hit, The Mushroom Cure by Adam Strauss. Inspired by a scientific study that hallucinogenic mushrooms may cure obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Strauss embarked on a program of vigilante psychopharmacology. The true tale of Strauss' hilarious, harrowing, and heartrending attempts to treat his debilitating OCD with psychedelics was an Off-Broadway hit, where it was named Critics' Pick by Time Out New York and hailed by The New York Times as "mining a great deal of laughter from disabling pain" before moving to San Francisco for an extended run. The Mushroom Cure will be presented March 16 - 30, 2019 with performances 8:30pm Saturdays and 5:30pm Sundays at The Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia St., San Francisco. For tickets ($20-$35 sliding scale, $55-$100 reserved), the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call The Marsh box office at 415-282-3055 (open Monday through Friday, 1pm-4pm).

The Marsh San Francisco presents work in progress performances of Uncertainty Principle, the newest solo show by award-winning actor and playwright Adam Strauss. In this latest work by the creator of The Mushroom Cure, Strauss grapples with the big questions.

Love is in the air with Opera Theater of Cape Cod's (OTCC) Valentine's weekend benefit concert Some Enchanted Evening: A Valentine's Gala today, February 16, 7:00 pm, Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St., Wellfleet. Joseph Turbessi serves as music director, and Ethan DePuy is stage director. Black-tie dress is encouraged, but optional. Proceeds from the performance fund OTCC's expenses for its production of Puccini's La boheme, being performed this summer.

The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival is pleased to announce that its Annual Dinner will return on Saturday, June 1, 2019.

The Greenhouse Theater Center, in association with The Marsh, presents the Chicago premiere of the off-Broadway hit THE MUSHROOM CURE, the true story of one man's attempt to treat his severe OCD with psychedelics.

The Crossing and Donald Nally have won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance for their recording of Lansing McLoskey's Zealot Canticles. The award was presented yesterday, February 10, 2019, at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. This marks the Philadelphia new-music choir's second consecutive Grammy in the category, previously winning the 2018 Grammy for Gavin Bryars' The Fifth Century with PRISM Saxophone Quartet on ECM. The Crossing's recording of Thomas Lloyd's Bonhoeffer (Albany 2016) was nominated for the 2017 Grammy in the same category.

The Drama League (Executive Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks) presents DirectorFest 2019: The 35th Annual Directors Festival, the only festival in the United States exploring the art of contemporary stage directing, concludes with First Love andDeathwatch at the New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street). Festival programming, tickets and additional details are available atwww.directorfest.org, or by calling (212) 244-9494.

Love is in the air with Opera Theater of Cape Cod's (OTCC) Valentine's weekend benefit concert Some Enchanted Evening: A Valentine's Gala on Saturday, February 16, 7:00 pm, Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St., Wellfleet. Joseph Turbessi serves as music director, and Ethan DePuy is stage director. Black-tie dress is encouraged, but optional. Proceeds from the performance fund OTCC's expenses for its production of Puccini's La boheme, being performed this summer.

Sundance Institute will gather 20 celebrated and revered expert voices across film, art, culture and science to award feature-length and short films shown at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival with 12 prizes, announced at a ceremony February 2 that will be livestreamed at sundance.org and on YouTube. Short Film Awards will be announced at a separate ceremony on January 29 and will also be livestreamed. The Festival takes place January 24 through February 3 in Park City, Salt Lake City and Sundance, Utah.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents the West Coast premiere of the roof-raising musical play Marie and Rosetta. Developed at TheatreWorks' 2015 New Works Festival by Lucille Lortel Award-winner George Brant, Marie and Rosetta shares the saga of a musical legend. From stirring up churchgoers in the morning to rocking the Cotton Club at night, Sister Rosetta Tharpe inspired Elvis, Ray Charles, and more on her way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Growing competition on the 1940s Gospel Circuit finds Rosetta auditioning a new partner with a voice made from heaven. Will they break, blend, or find harmony at last?

The Drama League (Executive Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks) has announced casting for DirectorFest 2019: The 35th Annual Directors Festival, the only festival in the United States exploring the art of contemporary stage directing. DirectorFest takes place at various locations around NYC: New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street), The Drama League Theater Center (32 Avenue of the Americas), LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (31-10 Thompson Avenue, Long Island City), and Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette Street). Festival programming, tickets and additional details are available at www.directorfest.org, or by calling (212) 244-9494.

Though it's not billed as a musical, there's quite a bit of singing in Chesapeake Shakespeare's A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Anchored by strong character work, the production diverges from the format of 'straight play' by featuring wonderful harmonies and active, authentic-looking dances. Visual interest is high with action on three levels of staging, brisk pacing, brilliant costuming and dramatic special effects. Charles Dickens' effervescent dialogue and narrative paired with writer Ian Gallanar's adjustments create a classic rendition with a special Christmas In Baltimore flourish, a successful adaptation full of little surprises.

Desert Theatreworks' THE SOUND OF MUSIC is a must-see, with great acting, singing, staging, and technical production.

Taking over the title role in Neil Koenigsberg's play WINK, Andrik Ochoa begins rehearsals this week after replacing Javen Marquise Smith. A non-binary actor, Ochoa is based in Los Angeles and was recently seen in the film 'Morir de Amor.'