Unexpected Joy 2018 - Articles Page 9

National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is thrilled to announce this year's directors and musical directors for their 31st Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which takes place on Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25, 2019 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). The Festival events will kick off on Wednesday, October 23, with the return of The 46th Minute Concert at The Green Room 42.

New York's leading LGBTQ film festival, NewFest, has announced the full lineup of their 31st annual celebration of the year's best LGBTQ films from around the world. As announced earlier this week, the festival will kick off the festival's 31st edition with the New York premiere of Mike Doyle's Manhattan-set ensemble rom-com SELL BY, featuring an eclectic cast including Scott Evans (Netflix's “Grace and Frankie”), Kate Walsh (ABC's “Grey's Anatomy”), Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award-winner Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Buteau (Netflix's “Tales of the City”) and Augustus Prew (HIGH-RISE), and will close the festival with the New York premiere of Rodrigo Bellott's award-winning film TU ME MANQUES, which was recently announced as Bolivia's submission for Best International Feature Film selection for the 2019 Academy Awards. 

Initial casting has been announced for the UK premiere of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella. The star-studded line up of West End favorites is led by Christine Allado (Prince of Egypt, Hamilton andIn The Heights) who will star as the titular Ella, alongside Jodie Jacobs (Unexpected Joy, Bananaman and Lizzie) as Charlotte, Dean John-Wilson (Cruel Intentions, The King & I and Aladdin) as Jean-Michel, Cedric Neal (Back To The Future, The View UpStairs and Motown The Musical) as Lord Pinkleton, Dianne Pilkington (Only Fools and Horses, Young Frankenstein and Wicked) as Marie, Zoe Rainey (Kiss Me Kate, An American in Paris andRomeo & Juliet) as Gabrielle and Jac Yarrow (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Winner of the 2019 Stage Debut Award) as Prince Topher.

The much in-demand playwright Bekah Brunstetter will west coast premiere her latest MISS LILLY GETS BONED in a Rogue Machine production opening September 21, 2019 at the Electric Lodge. Robin Larsen directs Brunstetter's story involving a captive elephant and its unexpected effects on a virginal Sunday school teacher. Bekah managed to find a few moments of what little spare time she has (between making last minute notes for MISS LILLY's opening, and penning the much anticipated musical adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook) to answer a few of my queries.

Calgary's thriving theatre season officially got under way this September with the opening of Stage West's a?oeThere Goes The Bridea??. Broadway World has compiled a list of some of the exciting upcoming shows that Calgarians and visitors can look forward to in this 2019/2020 season.

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) is proud to announce the premiere production of Snow White, running September 29 through December 8, 2019. Commissioned and developed by CTC, this new, two-actor take on the classic Grimm's fairy tale is adapted and directed by Greg Banks who has over 19 years of experience working at CTC and is his 14th production with the theatre. Bringing all 13 characters to life is Joy Dolo (CTC: The Hobbit, Pinocchio, The Last Firefly, and The Snowy Day and other stories by Ezra Jack Keats) and Dean Holt (CTC: now in his 25th year as a member of CTC's Acting Company; has appeared in over 100 productions). Both actors frequently appear in Banks' productions, most recently in last season's critically-acclaimed production of The Hobbit.

You may not have realised it at the time, but at some point or other in your life there's a strong chance you will have heard some of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in D minor. Whether it was thanks to Alex's love of a bit of a?oeLudwig vana?? in A Clockwork Orange or through the affiliation of a?oeOde to Joya?? to the European Union, it has cropped up a lot in the almost three hundred years it has existed. It was no surprise, then, that the Royal Albert Hall was packed to the rafters for its performance at this year's Proms; it has been part of the programme nearly every year, this time at the hands of the BBC Symphony Orchestra a?' and the voices of the BBC Symphony Chorus.

Netflix has released the first trailer for DOLEMITE IS MY NAME starring Eddie Murphy, Keegan-Michael Key, Wesley Snipes, Tituss Burgess, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson and Da'Vine Joy Randolph.

The Tribeca TV Festival will return September 12-15 for its third edition.The lineup is a showcase of new series debuts, new episodes from fan favorites, talks with creators and stars, and one-night-only events that can only be seen at Tribeca. The 2019 Tribeca TV Festival will take place at Regal Battery Park in New York City. Tickets go on sale today, Monday, August 12, at 11am ET at tribecafilm.com/TVFestival.

Known for her recent work in The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse and Follies at the National Theatre, Gemma Sutton can currently be found singing the blues at the Kiln Theatre in Blues in the Night.

Suzi Ruffell is happy and she's not afraid to celebrate with you. She's passionate about things that bring joy and lists her quiff, therapy, meditation, yoga, cross-fit and a source of pure elation- her nutribullet. Love is the little things. Keep on with the joy, it is infectious #glaydy #lgbtqi+ #joy #happy #edfringe #comedy

Mosaic Theater Company of DC announces its season opener, Fabulation Or, The Re-Education of Undine by Lynn Nottage, starring Helen Hayes Award winner (and two time HHA host) Felicia Curry in the title role (see full bio below), with a stellar supporting cast including Roz White (Mosaic's Marie and Rosetta) as Undine's mother, and Aakhu TuahNera Freeman as the Grandmother (Death of a Salesman at Ford's Theatre), directed by Eric Ruffin (director of the multiple Helen Hayes Award winning Black Nativity at Theatre Alliance).

Kitchen Theatre Company, Central New York's Off Broadway theatre, announces its 2019-20 season: seven exciting productions that explore what it means to be part of a family, and finding both our inner and outer strength. This season begins with a Broadway hit and finishes with an energetic, engaging world premiere. The Kitchen Theatre's 29th season runs from September 8th, 2019 to June 21st, 2020. Single tickets and subscriptions are on sale now!

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.

Quantum Theatre creates Looking for Violeta, a world premiere collaboration brimming with the music, poetry, joy, and sorrow of the life of legendary Chilean folk singer and activist Violeta Parra.

'Grief is a lonesome but loyal friend. I lost a brother when I was seventeen. His name was Jay. He was three years younger than me and was born paralyzed from the chest down. He was an incredible person, full of joy and laughter in the face of a life of physical trials that most humans will never encounter. I started writing songs in college as a way to deal with the loss. In those early years, I only wrote one song explicitly about him, and have struggled to do it again in the following fourteen years. 

On Tuesday, August 20, beloved author Meg Mitchell Moore visits The Music Hall Loft with her new novel THE ISLANDERS, a delicious summer story of three strangers, unexpected romance, well-meaning lies, and damaging secrets-all on one island.

Did you know that songs by Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse sound great when performed in a French accent and with an accordion? I certainly didn't, and so imagine my surprise when I walked into the theatre at the Mill at Sonning to find Celia Cruwys-Finnigan doing just that. To say it was an unexpected introduction to a production of Noel Coward's Private Lives would be an understatement.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 842 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. The 2019 class is 50% women, 29% people of color, and represents 59 countries. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy's membership in 2019.

Weston Playhouse Theatre Company presents a fresh take on the inimitable masterpiece, Rodgers and Hammerstein's OKLAHOMA! (July 18 - August 10 | Weston Playhouse), Tues - Sat 7:30pm; Wed & Sat 2:00pm; Sun 3:00pm.  

If every performer's thought bubble were visible above their heads, onlookers would see a mixture of angst, tension, joy, insecurity, overconfidence and a host of other thoughts. "A Chorus Line" at Monticello Opera House puts all of those thoughts into motion.

Goodspeed Musicals continues its commitment to innovative, thought-provoking new works with inspiring new musical Passing Through, based on the book Walking to Listen by Andrew Frosthoefel.

American playwright Neil Simon's prolific and wide-ranging contributions to theater range from the sublime (The Odd Couple and Rumors) to the ridiculous (Fools), with God's Favorite - now onstage through tomorrow - falling somewhere in the middle. While it's not one of the master craftsman's best scripts, it nonetheless is certain to provoke thought and when performed by a talented cast of actors, like it is in its current iteration at The Barn, it is certain to entertain and to evoke an emotional response.

Woody (voice of Tom Hanks) has always been confident about his place in the world, and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that's Andy or Bonnie. So, when Bonnie's beloved new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky (voice of Tony Hale), declares himself as “trash” and not a toy, Woody takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. But when Bonnie takes the whole gang on her family's road trip excursion, Woody ends up on an unexpected detour that includes a reunion with his long-lost friend Bo Peep (voice of Annie Potts). After years of being on her own, Bo's adventurous spirit and life on the road belie her delicate porcelain exterior. As Woody and Bo realize they're worlds apart when it comes to life as a toy, they soon come to find that's the least of their worries. 

Today, NY's Charly Bliss have shared a video for their critically acclaimed sophomore album's title-track 'Young Enough.' High Snobiety, who premiered the video today and profiled the band, is saying Young Enough finds the band 'confronting some of life's most distressing and unexpected twists head on with pure rage, positive energy, and even paralyzed joy.' Young Enough is out now via Barsuk Records.