Take It Easy 1996 - Articles Page 3

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's Artistic Director Tim Bond and Executive Director Phil Santora announced today that the Tony Award-winning theatre will postpone the opening of its 51st mainstage season to March 2021, with eight plays presented through May 2022.

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best musical theatre characters from 1940-2020; see if your favorites are on our list of the best characters from Broadway musicals.

The Beatles! Rihanna! Michael Jackson! Johnny Cash! Kanye West! The Rolling Stones! Aretha Franklin! Bob Dylan! Miles Davis! Nirvana! BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest albums from the rock and rap era (1950-2020); see if your favorites made the grade!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best film musicals since the sound era began; see if your favorites made the list!

How do we make a list of the 101 greatest show tunes from the past 100 years? Well, we did the near-impossible task.  Check out our full list here! 

Sherry Glaser is bringing her one-woman a?oeOh My Goddess!  A Comedy of Biblical Proportionsa?? to The Marsh Berkeley for a 6-week run. To say she has had an unorthodox career would be an understatement. After spending her formative years in the early 80's San Diego improv scene alongside other young upstarts like Whoopi Goldberg and Kathy Najimy, she shot to prominence with a?oeFamily Secretsa?? which remains the longest-running female solo show in Off-Broadway history. Shortly thereafter, tragedy struck with the disappearance of her husband and creative partner. Stunned by that turn of events, Glaser focused on raising her two daughters while also developing new works and playing smaller venues close to her northern California home. She is now back, feisty and funny and political as ever.

How lucky we are to be living in the age of Mark Morris! My first thought watching San Francisco Ballet's opening night performance of their a?oeClassical (Re)Visiona?? program was a?oeGod, they're good!a?? SF Ballet presents a sparking and varied program of contemporary ballet that will leave you skipping down the steps of the Opera House on your way home.

Sasha Regan revisits her 2015 production of the 1996 musical to deliver a splendid show for Christmas, with a relevance and harder edge that was missing a little four long years ago.

Three playwrights present excerpts from holiday plays at a networking lunch sponsored by the CT Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women.

In 1996, Jonathan Larson's rock-opera RENT changed the landscape of American theatre. A re-imagining of Puccini's La Bohème, RENT chronicles a tumultuous year in the life of seven artists, struggling to navigate between their dreams and the harsh struggles of real life. Though first performed two decades ago, RENT's messages of love, acceptance, and loss remain poignant today.

Audiences for the Seacoast Repertory Theatre's production of Evita can make up their own minds whether Argentine legend Eva Peron used sex as a path to political power, or overcame personal hardships to emerge as a revered champion of the country's 'shirtless ones.'

Influential NYC indie greats Versus have shared new single 'Gravity' from their upcoming album Ex Voto, their first full-length album in nine years. The track debuted via The Big Takeover, who called it a 'spacey and vibrant stunner.' Ex Voto will be released on August 16, 2019 via Ernest Jenning Record Co. 

Lloyd Cole will release his new album Guesswork on July 26 via earMUSIC. Today he reveals the video for his single ”Violins.” Looking for visual ideas for the video for the track, Lloyd stumbled upon The End of Civilisation by Douglas Gordon. Lloyd says: “It's perfect for the song. What could be worse than burning a grand piano and filming it?.”  It took a few months but Lloyd eventually tracked down Douglas who was preparing an exhibition in Paris. He gave the project his blessing. Lloyd then worked with FeltFilm in Toronto to edit and synchronise the footage. “I am so excited about this video. If I have a regret from the early years, it's that I didn't get more involved with our videos. These days I have to be, and that's a good thing.” 

'No Day But Today!'

The Flea Theater is proud to announce the addition of six new Resident Directors to its intensive practicum for early-career directors. Rebecca Aparicio, Jake Beckhard, Daniella Caggiano, Lauren DeLeon, Will Steinberger, and Raz Golden will join the current group of Resident Directors. 

The National Theatre has announced 15 productions of new plays and fresh adaptations by leading writers.

The musical The Spitfire Grill was first produced Off-Broadway at the Duke Theatre in 2001. Written by James Valcq and Fred Alley, the musical is based on the 1996 film. The show presents us with a moment in the life of Percy Talbot, a young woman recently released from prison, and the residents of Gilead, where the Spitfire Grill is up for sale. The Spitfire Grill is a beautiful show that requires a strong cast and creative direction to truly come alive. Under the direction of Laurie Riffe, the cast and crew at DreamWrights Center for Community Arts deliver an authentic, heartwarming production of The Spitfire Grill.

The 29th annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival (Inside Out), championing innovative LGBTQ filmmakers from across the globe, revealed its full feature and short film lineup. The announcement was made today by Inside Out's Executive Director Andria Wilson and the festival's Director of Programming Andrew Murphy. Inside Out, which launched the first ever annual LGBTQ Film Finance Forum, has established itself as an international home and incubator for LGBTQ emerging and established filmmakers. This year's festival will take place May 23 to June 2, 2019.

The International Festival of Arts & Ideas today announced complete details for Festival 2019, which opens on June 8 and continues for two weeks through June 22 in New Haven, Connecticut.

Multiple Grammy and Oscar winning artist, musician and producer T Bone Burnett gave a thought provoking keynote speech at SXSW today, warning of the current dangers of the dominance of digital monopolies like Google and Facebook, while championing the value of the independence of artists. See below for the full text of the speech.

Award Winning RAIN AND ZOE SAVE THE WORLD by Crystal Skillman has been selected for a reading in the Living Room Series at the Blank Theatre in Los Angeles. The reading will take place on Monday, March 18th at 8 PM at The Blank's 2nd Stage Theatre at 6500 Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood.

The McCallum Theatre presents the 20th Anniversary Tour of Rent for five performances, Friday, February 8, through Sunday, February 10. In 1996, an original rock musical by a little-known composer opened on Broadway and forever changed the landscape of American theatre. Two decades later, Jonathan Larson's Rent continues to speak loudly and defiantly to audiences across generations and all over the world. I had the chance to chat with Lencia Kebede who plays Joanne in this current production, as the tour is making its way to The McCallum, about her personal journey and her journey with Rent. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation.

Broadway Across Canada has unveiled their upcoming 2019-2020 Season package on sale today. Four theatrical productions take centre stage at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium beginning next fall including the spectacular Broadway Musical, DEAR EVAN HANSEN.