Just So 1990 - Articles Page 10

What would you do if, upon walking in on your first date, you saw your date as a sixty-year-old woman? Would you turn and run, or would you tell her you saw your future? The Ferryman's Ralph Brown chose the latter when walking in 25 minutes late to his date with Cursed Child's Jenny Jules and, 20 years of marriage later, they are sitting down with BroadwayWorld to talk all things life, love and all magic that comes in between.

Okay, this week, I only have to throw out two CDs, but it hurts! I'll never forget May 31, 1992--the 46th Annual Tony Awards. I had just turned 16 and was eagerly tuning in to absorb the Broadway of it all. I didn't really know much about any of the shows, other than that friends and family in New York had flipped for Guys And Dolls and that my parents had loved an earlier incarnation of Jelly's Last Jam when it played the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Glenn Close was hosting and Patti LuPone was presenting and I was not moving from my seat on the couch until I had a ranked list of the shows I wanted to see when I got to New York to visit my grandparents for Thanksgiving.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! We're so close to Friday! Power through the rest of your week by catching up on the latest Broadway news!

Rare is the wedding, Bar Mitzvah, office holiday party or Sweet 16 that does not at some point feature a rousing rendition of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine's 'Conga.' Particularly for those of us in Generation X - for whom the pop music of the 1980s, in all its glorious forms, remains a source of unbridled nostalgic celebration - 'Conga' is such a staple that any gathering involving a dance floor just seems incomplete without it. As it turns out, the 2018-2019 season at Memphis's Orpheum also needed a fresh injection of the Conga, and the immensely talented and attractive touring cast of On Your Feet!, the Emilio and Gloria Estefan Broadway Musical, delivered all that and more. Quite literally and as advertised, Memphians in the audience at the run's premiere leapt to their feet to celebrate Gloria and Emilio Estefan, a couple whose success story remains as relevant today as ever in today's political climate, not to mention their remarkably prolific song catalog. Broadway has seen its fair share of jukebox musicals in recent years, but there is something unique and special about On Your Feet!, not only in the time period it evokes, but also in the indomitable spirit of its core subjects, portrayed with incredible heart by Christie Prades and Eddie Noel.

Chester Theatre Company (CTC) has just announced a significant, new artistic undertaking. Playwright Darcy Parker Bruce has been selected to author the new work, tentatively slated for the 2020 Season. Longtime, loyal CTC attendees Frances Henry and Walter Korzec have generously underwritten the project with a $100,000 gift to the company. This marks the first commission in what the organization sees as a new artistic initiative, to consistently develop original works that will appear on its stage and have life in other theatres beyond Western Massachusetts.

Three riddles stand between love and death in Giacomo Puccini's last and most majestic opera, as Turandot returns to the Sarasota Opera House on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 7:00pm. The passionate tale of intrigue and mystery is based on an age-old Persian fairy tale and set in legendary Peking. The Princess Turandot, sung by Kara Shay Thomson, is so desirable that men come from all over the world to win her love, and yet underneath her royal beauty beats a cold heart, turned bitter by desire to avenge the honor of an ancestor. The fearless prince Calaf, played by tenor Jonathan Burton, takes on the challenge posed by the three questions he must answer to win her hand in marriage. If he errs, he will lose his head just like countless princes before him. Will he outwit her, or will he face a gruesome death? Soprano Anna Mandina will play the faithful Liu, a slave girl loyal to Calaf's father Timur, sung by returning Sarasota Opera favorite, bass Young Bok Kim. The most outspoken of the three royal ministers, Ping, will be sung by baritone Filippo Fontana, returning after his celebrated performance as Figaro in Fall 2018's The Barber of Seville. Stephanie Sundine is the stage director of this critically acclaimed production of Turandot, which premiered in 2013, with Maestro Victor DeRenzi conducting. Turandot is one of the grandest operas to ever play the stage of the Sarasota Opera House, with 74 performers on stage and one of the largest orchestras assembled in opera house history.

British composer and electronic producer Circles And Ellipses is set to release 'Burn:Cycle Reworks' on 22nd February via Here & Now Recordings; a follow-up EP to the original soundtrack of the 1994 video game Burn:Cycle, the first ever video game soundtrack to feature orchestral music, consisting of four reimagined electronic compositions. Originally composed and produced by both Chris Whitten and BAFTA-nominated British film score composer, conductor, producer and musician Simon Boswell in the early '90s for the adventure video-game title published by Philips Interactive Media, Chris Whitten now returns as Circles And Ellipses to share reworks of this classic game soundtrack. Whitten's musical journey has been a vast and impressive one so far, from producing classic '80s hit-singles such as 'What I Am' by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (which currently boasts 10 million views on YouTube alone), to providing drums for 'The Whole of the Moon' by The Waterboys and the legendary Sir Paul McCartney's 1989 album 'Flowers In The Dirt' and joining iconic British rock band Dire Straits on their final world tour from 1991-1992 and once again during their 2017 reunion tour. Chris Whitten is also widely recognised for composing original scores for top media companies, including BBC and Discovery Channel. Circles And Ellipses has just done a Mix for NTS Radio's Tim Noakes' 'Synth Hero Show' whose previous guests include film composer Clint Mansell, dance duo Orbital, Stranger Things composer Kyle Dixon, and Paul White from R&S Records. Noakes has described Whitten as 'cult drum God'.

Although it comes across as 'The Breakfast Club' meets 'Natural Born Killers,' it's powerful as hell.

A fun, new musical adaptation of an audience favorite comes to First Stage this holiday season. Created by the talented husband/wife team of Jahnna Beecham (Playwright/Lyricist) and Malcolm Hillgartner (Composer/Lyricist) and based on the play by Barbara Robinson, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL is filled with catchy,'60s-inspired original music and a delightful story that both young and old will enjoy. The horrible Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. The entire town panics when these rowdy six siblings are cast in the church's annual Christmas pageant. It's up to good-hearted Mrs. Bradley to help the Herdmans - and the rest of the town - discover the true meaning of Christmas before it's too late. Silent night? Not a chance, but sometimes a little joyful noise is just right for Christmas. Sponsored by Associated Bank and Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren.

South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo was founded in the early 1960s by Joseph Shabalala, then a teenage farm boy living on the lands just outside the small town of Ladysmith, in the province of kwaZulu Natal, halfway between Johannesburg and Durban. Joseph used his hometown's name to honor his family's history. Joseph added to his group's name the word Black in reference to the black oxen, the strongest of all farm animals. Mambazo is the Zulu word for chopping axe, a symbol of the group's vocal ability to clear the path to success.

Cathy Kurz, Artistic Director and Founder of Omaha's Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre Company, talks about classic theatre and what's ahead for its 26th season.

'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' sets a merry tone for the holiday season - a season that, in the world of this Christmas pageant, challenges kids to focus on something other than just Santa and presents. The holiday season is all about renewed faith and finding something good and peace-willing to believe in. 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' reminds us of that, and such reminders are always a gift for kids young and old.

In 2017, he re-opened the curtains under the production of Bill Kenwright, and after a large tour of the United Kingdom, he toured Istanbul with his international tour. The musical, which has been nominated for three Tony awards and won many awards, brings a new breath to the story with poetic acting and grand stage performance while preserving the romantic atmosphere of the unforgettable film.

A fun, new musical adaptation of an audience favorite comes to First Stage this holiday season. Created by the talented husband/wife team of Jahnna Beecham (Playwright/Lyricist) and Malcolm Hillgartner (Composer/Lyricist) and based on the play by Barbara Robinson, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL is filled with catchy,'60s-inspired original music and a delightful story that both young and old will enjoy. The horrible Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. The entire town panics when these rowdy six siblings are cast in the church's annual Christmas pageant. It's up to good-hearted Mrs. Bradley to help the Herdmans - and the rest of the town - discover the true meaning of Christmas before it's too late. Silent night? Not a chance, but sometimes a little joyful noise is just right for Christmas. Sponsored by Associated Bank and Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren.

A fun, new musical adaptation of an audience favorite comes to First Stage this holiday season. Created by the talented husband/wife team of Jahnna Beecham (Playwright/Lyricist) and Malcolm Hillgartner (Composer/Lyricist) and based on the play by Barbara Robinson, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL is filled with catchy,'60s-inspired original music and a delightful story that both young and old will enjoy. The horrible Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. The entire town panics when these rowdy six siblings are cast in the church's annual Christmas pageant. It's up to good-hearted Mrs. Bradley to help the Herdmans - and the rest of the town - discover the true meaning of Christmas before it's too late. Silent night? Not a chance, but sometimes a little joyful noise is just right for Christmas. Sponsored by Associated Bank and Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren.

The show offers lots of nice voices and some incredible moments, but it's overall very inconsistent.

Get ready for movie night on Broadway! The latest flick to get the Broadway treatment is the 1990 hit rom-com PRETTY WOMAN. The musical is shaping up to be popular at the box office, seems to be the current standout for the 2018-2019 Broadway season so far. It joins the ranks of a bevy of musicals that have been adapted from films, like Mean Girls, Frozen, The Band's Visit, the forthcoming KING KONG, to name a few. PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL recently opened on at the Nederlander Theatre, and Atlantic Records just released the original Broadway cast recording last week. Give it a listen here!

The San Diego Symphony's annual January Festival returns in its fourth year entitled, Hearing the Future. Throughout the festival, which runs January 9 - 27, 2019, the organization explores and celebrates the power of music and art to give voice to the evolution and revolutions in the world at large. The festival, curated by composer-conductor Matthew Aucoin (b.1990), will shine a spotlight on the music being made today - from composers and performers who are still in high school, to a 90-year-old jazz master. The festival will also explore the way music from the past - from Haydn, Beethoven and Berlioz to the creators of African-American spirituals - engaged with the most urgent issues of their time.

This Friday, September 14th at 7:00pm at Pangea, Downtown's Alternative Supper-Club. Dinner is available before the show. Use "MAC" when you reserve online for a $5 discount here: https://m.bpt.me/event/3594715 Pangea is at 178 Second Avenue in the East Village, between 11th and 12th streets, NYC. Hope to see you there. Tex has written gorgeous arrangements for some lovely songs that aren't heard as often as they should be. And that Scotty is an interesting character who really got around. So, it'll be fun!

 Last year, the four members of the Cranberries – Dolores O'Riordan, Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan, and Fergal Lawler – came together to plan a 25 th Anniversary box set release for their debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, one of the definitive indie albums of all time. Following Dolores' untimely death in January this year, the remaining band members have decided to go ahead with the album's expanded 25 th Anniversary Edition box set, which is set for global release on October 19 by Island/UMe in 4CD and digital audio formats. On the same date, a 2CD Deluxe package pairing the remastered album with session outtakes, B-sides, the band's debut EP, and early demos will be released, as well as digital and vinyl editions of the remastered album, including a 180-gram black LP and a limited edition color LP.

Today Robby Clater speaks to BroadwayWorld about making his Broadway debut in a show which takes the true spirit of the iconic film PRETTY WOMAN and brings it to a whole new generation of theater-goers.

With an innocuous book more focused on moving to plot points than creating interesting leading characters and a platitude-heavy score that tends to linger on moments instead of expanding on them, PRETTY WOMAN, based on the hit 1990 film, is the blandest musical to hit Broadway in recent memory.

Hulu is a leading premium streaming service that offers instant access to live and on demand channels, original series and films, and a premium library of TV and movies to more than 20 million subscribers in the U.S.  Here's what is coming to Hulu for September:

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL, with original music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Bryan Adams and his longtime songwriting partner Jim Vallance, a book by Garry Marshall and the film's screenwriter J.F. Lawton, and direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, opens tonight, Thursday, August 16, 2018, at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre.

Today's subject Ann Hould-Ward is both a Tony and Drama Desk Award winning costume designer. Her work isn't limited just to the theatre by any means. Besides contributing designs for such legendary Broadway productions as Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George (co-design with her mentor Broadway legend Patricia Zipprodt), her work has also been seen with many dance and opera companies all over the world.