The West End and Broadway musical Song & Dance has taken up a lot of space in my CD collection. In addition to the Original London Cast Recording starring Marti Webb (recorded live at the Palace Theatre in 1982), the 1984 British television broadcast from the stage of recently closed production at the Palace starring Sarah Brightman and the Original Broadway Cast Recording (of just the songs half, no dance music...) starring Bernadette Peters, I'm also including the original 1979 'Tell Me on a Sunday' album starring Marti Webb in her first stab at the material, from which the sung portion of Song & Dance was derived, as well as its 2003 London production starring Denise Van Outen.
Prominent Canadian playwright George F. Walker (Order of Canada, Governor General's Lifetime Achievement Award, five-time Dora Award winner) brings his many years of experience to Toronto's indie theatre scene to direct his acclaimed 2010 dark comedy And So It Goes for fledgling Kyanite Theatre.
Best-known for his hits 'Is She Really Going Out with Him?,' 'Steppin' Out,' and 'You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want),' singer/songwriter Joe Jackson celebrates a 40-year-long career with a tour that draws from five of his albums—Look Sharp (1979,) Night and Day (1982), Laughter and Lust (1991), Rain (2008), and Fool (2019)—and throws in a few other songs from other albums and new covers.
On Wednesday, March 22nd, I sat down to watch my first production of EVITA, ever, at the Century II Concert Hall. Grimly aware of my myriad prejudices, chief among them being the fact that I had listened to the original Broadway cast recording with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin ad infinitum ad nauseum since its eagerly awaited release back in 1979. It was the second rock musical concept piece written by Webber and Rice, and was directed by Harold Prince, and garnered 11 Tony nominations. The show has lived in my head all these years, every minute choreographed and staged. Since I was a poor working actor back in Buffalo, NY, I knew I was never going to get to NYC to see this show unless some fairy godmother intervened. Which was sadly not the case. Since I was a working class girl in a working class town, cutting my musical theatre teeth in the Meatloaf era (late 70s, early 80s), I liked my musicals with a certain amount of grit and truth, and have bemoaned the sanitization of my favorites, including Grease. It was with these heavy expectations and much trepidation that I sat down to watch Evita.
Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Another Monday means another week full of Broadway news! Catch up on the latest below!
Check Out Everything Coming And Going From Hulu In April
In 10th Grade, I was in the chorus of a production of Oklahoma! in the auditorium of my synagogue and it was the best theatrical experience I've ever had. I remember getting home from the closing night cast party and crying myself to sleep. I could cry now putting on the movie or listening to 'The Farmer and the Cowman,' or maybe most of all, if I sing a little bit of the introduction to the title song.
The Academy of Country Music announced today the nominees for the 54TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, Country Music's Party of the Year®, honoring country music's superstars and hottest emerging talent. Iconic entertainer and sixteen-time ACM Award® winner Reba McEntire will return to host LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.
The year is 1979; the location, Atlanta. The city is enveloped in a time of change, but just when it feels like Atlanta is turning towards an era of peaceful prosperity, two 14-year-old boys go missing. A few days later a woman stumbles across their remains, with one boy fatally shot and the other strangled. This incident begins a horrifying 23 months, with a total of 29 African-American children being stolen from their families and killed. Multiple suspicions lead nowhere, and under intense pressure, local police rush to find the killer before he strikes again. The city is primed to blame someone, anyone, for these cold-blooded crimes against the community. Yet decades later, no person has been tried for these murders, and the killer has never been confirmed. THE ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS premieres on Saturday, March 23rd at 10/9PM CT only on Investigation Discovery.
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster hit musical Evita celebrates the 40th anniversary of its 1979 Broadway debut. Staged by Andy Ferrara with musical direction by Lloyd Cooper, the tour brings together talent from around the country to perform one of the best-known musicals in history.The McCallum Theatre presents the 2019 touring production of Evita, with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, for three performances - Wednesday, February 27, at 8:00pm, and Thursday, February 28, at 2:00pm and 8:00pm.
The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia presents the inimitable, genre-defiant music of Bobby McFerrin on February 17, 2019, at 7pm in the Chan Shun Concert Hall. The concert will feature Gimme5 - McFerrin's newest band comprised of veterans from his a cappella Voicestra group Joey Blake, Dave Worm, Rhiannon, and Judi Vinar - and local choral ensemble musica intima. The program will be based on Circlesinging, a musical practice and philosophy that McFerrin has been honing since he began as a solo a cappella performer, assigning vocal parts to his onstage collaborators and audience members - transforming sold-out houses into glorious impromptu choirs.
Exquisitely told in a stunning blend of documentary theatre, striking visual projections and choreography, Grace is a searing piece that ignites a discussion on the failures and limitations of the legal system. "There was no justice, there was just a legal outcome." In the wake of a young woman's disclosure of childhood sexual assault, a family presses charges. A true story about survival, hope, and the pursuit of justice at a time when provability still usurps truth in our courtrooms.
Well, it's that time of the year again--time for a look-back on what was worth making note of during the calendar year that's about to come to an end. It's from a totally personal, subjective point of view, of course, but frankly that's the way opera-lovers always seem to like it, n'est-ce pas? The productions worth noting come from places big, small and in-between, from composers old as the hills to freshly minted or somewhere in between (likewise the performers), from traditional or boldly modern to simply stand up and sing.
Exquisitely told in a stunning blend of documentary theatre, striking visual projections and choreography, Grace is a searing piece that ignites a discussion on the failures and limitations of the legal system. "There was no justice, there was just a legal outcome." In the wake of a young woman's disclosure of childhood sexual assault, a family presses charges. A true story about survival, hope, and the pursuit of justice at a time when provability still usurps truth in our courtrooms.
This quote is the opening sentence from the author of the book and the words that inspired, created and catapulted The White Album -- a theatrical representation in full of Didion's autobiographical, literary essays of the same name published in 1979 but focused on the tumultuous period of time between 1966 (though it was officially started in 1968) and 1971, which had an engagement as part of BAM's Next Wave Festival November 28 - December 1, through collaborators between Lars Jan/Early Morning Opera, Mia Barron (who portrayed Didion herself), and multiple commissioners and supporters including Center Theatre Group, arts centers at CalArts, UCLA, Ohio State University and the UCross Foundation, amongst others.
The Killers' founding member and guitarist Dave Keuning has debuted his new single “Boat Accident.” The upbeat track and animated video showcase Keuning's knack for crafting hooks and creative visuals. “Boat Accident” gives fans yet another preview of Keuning's 14-track debut album, Prismism, which will be released on January 25, 2019. The new album, written and recorded by Dave in his San Diego home studio, was taken from hundreds of voice memos that he stockpiled while on tour with The Killers over the last decade that evolved into songs (pre-order here). To hear Keuning's new track “Boat Accident” and accompanying music video, head to USA Today or Keuning's YouTube Channel.
February 8 will see the release via the venerable Bar/None label of Songs From Robin Hood Lane and From Memphis to New Orleans, two thought-provoking looks at an often overlooked period of Alex Chilton's long, curious career. He was at the height of his cult star fame in the mid 1980s to mid 1990s when he made these recordings. It is some of his best most honest work oddly neglected for some time but delivered here for enthusiasts and neophytes alike. All these recordings have been out of print for decades.
Jamie Lloyd's 10-anniversary season of Pinter (which kicked off in style earlier this autumn) continues with two more batches of miniatures - from familiar shorts like A Kind of Alaska to sketches and more obscure works - plus another tantalisingly starry company.
The Killers' founding member and guitarist Dave Keuning is celebrating the release of his second solo track “Prismism.” The synth-y, melodic ballad gives fans another preview of Keuning's 14-track debut album, Prismism, which will be released on January 25, 2019. The new album, written and recorded by Dave in his San Diego home studio, was taken from hundreds of voice memos that he stockpiled while on tour with The Killers over the last decade that evolved into songs (pre-order here). To hear Keuning's new track “Prismism,” head to Billboard or Keuning's YouTube channel to view the official music video.
This season, Harvey Fierstein's seminal Broadway classic, Torch Song has made its way back to Broadway 36 years after its original run, in a brand-new production.
Frontier Touring are pleased to confirm that second and final concerts for the Eagles World Tour have been added in Melbourne and Brisbane to meet overwhelming demand. The new concerts will take place on Wednesday 6 March at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena and Sunday 10 March at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, with tickets on sale Wednesday 31 October at 10am local time.
Tom Petty's career-spanning box set, An American Treasure, enters the Billboard Top 200 chart at #9, marking his 13th top 10 album, and it is the #1 Rock Album. The collection is available for purchase HERE.
The video for “Gainesville”—a previously unreleased song on the Tom Petty career-spanning box set An American Treasure—is premiering today. “Gainesville” was recorded in 1998 during Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' Echo sessions, and the video was directed by Brantley Gutierrez and produced by Michael W. Abbott with Subtractive Inc. Watch HERE.
In anticipation of the biennial Ryder Cup next week outside of Paris, Golf Channel will showcase its latest Golf Filmsproject, Famous 5, outlining how five European golfers – born within 11 months of one another – collectively helped revitalize the international competition and redefine the professional golf landscape. The film will premiere on Monday, Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. ET to kick off NBC Sports Group's Ryder Cup week programming.
Centaur Theatre announces its 50th Anniversary LEGACY SERIES, three staged play readings that will each run for a limited time throughout the 2018-19 season. For the uninitiated, staged readings are not full-fledged productions, however the who's who of participating artists is guaranteed to evoke vibrant memories for audience members fortunate enough to have seen the original productions. For younger audiences, it's a rare opportunity to experience these enduring favourites.
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