A Class Act - 2001 - Broadway Articles Page 12

PROOF is an interesting, four person, theatrical enterprise that explores the nexus between genius and profound mental illness. This 2001 Pulitzer Prize winner by David Auburn is currently completing its extended run at Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre's Warwick Theatre in midtown this Saturday February 25.

The Williamstown Theatre Festival has been the starting place for a number of plays and musicals that end up securing a spot on the Great White Way! Recently, there have been multiple Broadway hits that began at the Festival. In honor of the most recent, Grand Horizons, we're taking a look back on some other biggest WTF transfers from the past few years!

Looking back at the (often unexpected) strides and achievements made in 2010s, Indonesian Broadway-style musical theater is poised for a renaissance in this decade. However, challenges are still abound for Nusantara thespians to keep the momentum going towards sustainable success.

The hype surrounding French lyric tenor, Benjamin Bernheim is becoming hard to ignore. Based on last night's performance in the Staatsoper Unter den Linden's listless, tired production of LA BOHÈME, there is reason to believe that Mr. Bernheim will live up to his hype

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) welcomes Broadway sensation, composer Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlett Pimpernel, The Civil War), who joins Jekyll and Hyde revival star and American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis and the star-studded cast of the 2019 TRU Love Benefit: Follow Your Art, Fulfill Your Dreams, honoring York Theatre Producing Artistic Director James Morgan and multi-talented stage, screen and concert performer and producer Haley Swindal.

The national tour of COME FROM AWAY, a Broadway musical about the true story of the small town that welcomed the world, will make its Indianapolis debut at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler Arts Center for a limited engagement January 21-26. COME FROM AWAY tickets are on sale now at the Butler Arts Center box office, online at ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 1-800-982-2787. Groups of 10 or more can book now by calling 317-632-7469 x103.

What has little-known backstories on classic characters, a green leading lady and larger-than-life production value? Nope, not Wicked -- but Shrek the Musical at Walnut Street Theatre checks all the same boxes. The Oldest Theatre in America's take on their holiday show is a Broadway-quality rousing good time for all ages.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces the initial line-up of featured performers for the 2019 TRU Love Benefit: Follow Your Art, Fulfill Your Dreams, honoring James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director of The York Theatre, and performer-producer Haley Swindal.

The Country Music Association's acclaimed CMA Songwriters Series Presented by   U.S. Bank has announced a performance in Portland, OR at Aladdin Theater Sunday, Dec. 8 featuring top tunesmiths Marcus Hummon, Lori McKenna, Lee Thomas Miller and Tenille Townes. The series hosts an intimate round of performances with some of Country Music's hottest songwriters taking turns sharing the stories behind their hit songs and performing them as originally written. Tickets for the performance are $20 (plus fees) and go on sale Friday, Nov. 1 at 12:00 PM/CT (10:00 AM/PT) through Aladdin Theater and CMAsongwritersseries.com. $1 of each ticket sold will benefit the CMA Foundation, CMA's philanthropic arm, which is committed to investing in high quality music education programs for all students in the United States. 

The lines between myth and reality become increasingly blurred in Defenders. When Iceland was threatened with invasion by Germany in WW2, the allies decide to step in. The world premiere from Pandelia's Canary Yellow Company by Cailin Maureen Harrison, and directed by Reena Dutt, follows three American G.I.s who are shipwrecked on the remote island of Hrisey off Iceland's northern coast. The stranded G.I.s find themselves with missing weapons, few supplies, and a broken radio. They realize they must rely on the locals for survival but, like current-day warfare, the locals fear the loss of their culture, their women and their safety with the presence of foreigners on their land. Defenders opens on November 9, with performances continuing through December 8 at The Broadwater Black Box in Hollywood. One lower-priced preview takes place on November 8.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents the 2019 TRU Love Benefit: Follow Your Art, Fulfill Your Dreams, on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 12noon at Caroline's on Broadway, 1626 Broadway (between 49th & 50th Streets). Tickets start at $85 (show only, and two drinks). For additional information and ticket tier pricing, please visit https://truonline.org/events/2019-tru-love-benefit/.

There comes a moment quite near the conclusion of Roxy Regional Theatre's production of Assassins that is both brilliant and chilling, perfectly encapsulating what the Stephen Sondheim-John Weidman musical is all about.

The newly formed J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company launches its inaugural 2020 season with three musical gems: Seesaw (February 13-23, 2020), No Strings (February 27 a?' March 8, 2020) and A Class Act (March 12-22, 2020) at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd street).

Two years ago, I revisited French Woods Festival of the Arts (which I attended from 1999 to 2002 as a camper/teen actor and then as an assistant director/stage manager) and BroadwayWorld kindly published an article I wrote about the experience. In light of my responsibilities at work (attorney by day, theater critic by night) and at home (including a hyperactive toddler and commuting daily between NY and NJ), I was not planning on visiting again this past summer, but that instantly changed when I learned that the camp was planning on presenting 1776 for the first time in nearly two decades - and with an all-female cast.

The Rochester Broadway Theatre League and Albert Nocciolino announce the national tour of COME FROM AWAY, a Broadway musical about the true story of the small town that welcomed the world, will make its Rochester debut at RBTL's Auditorium Theatre for a limited engagement November 19-24.

The lines between myth and reality become increasingly blurred in Defenders. When Iceland was threatened with invasion by Germany in WW2, the allies decide to step in. The world premiere from Pandelia's Canary Yellow Company by Cailin Maureen Harrison, and directed by Reena Dutt, follows three American G.I.s who are shipwrecked on the remote island of Hrisey off Iceland's northern coast. The stranded G.I.s find themselves with missing weapons, few supplies, and a broken radio. They realize they must rely on the locals for survival but, like current-day warfare, the locals fear the loss of their culture, their women and their safety with the presence of foreigners on their land. Defenders opens on November 9, with performances continuing through December 8 at The Broadwater Black Box in Hollywood. One lower-priced preview takes place on November 8.

Bristol Riverside Theatre announces that Founding Director Susan D. Atkinson and Artistic Director Keith Baker will be stepping down from their day-to-day roles at the end of the 2019-2020 season. Atkinson is credited with helping to rejuvenate Bristol Borough during her 33 years of service. She led the way in turning an old adult movie theatre into a professional theatre company that has produced five world class productions a year for the past 33 years. Baker steps down after 28 years of service to the theatre. He wore many different hats at BRT, directing, singing and acting in over 120 plays and musicals, and steering its artistic vision. The duo will step down from their roles at the conclusion of the current season. The BRT Board of Directors has launched an extensive search for a new artistic director. Later in the season, look for news of a special event that will honor Atkinson and Baker's service to the organization and the community. 

Elizabeth is convinced her husband Robert is at death's door, and she's determined to get the whole brood together for a final family holiday, quickly, before his bird has flown. Of course, all three kids and their spouses have their own lives, agendas and emergencies, but a few obstacles won't stop Elizabeth. Some people will do anything to defend their nest in the world premiere of Last Swallows, a modern family dramatic comedy by Cailin Harrison. Kiff Scholl directs Pandelia's Canary Yellow Company's production, opening on September 21 with a run through October 20 at the The Other Space @The Actors Company in West Hollywood. One lower-priced preview takes place on September 20.

Walnut Street Theatre opens its 211th season with Mel Brooks' hilarious musical comedy, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN THE MUSICAL. Directed by Charles Abbott and choreographed by Mary Jane Houdina, the electrifying production begins previews on September 3, opens September 11, and continues through October 20.

Today a consortium of New York City cultural, educational, and media institutions announce Peter Brook/NY (Karen Brooks Hopkins, Executive Producer), a citywide recognition of Brook's work and his collaborations with Marie-Hélène Estienne from 1953 to the present. In addition to the U.S. Premiere of Brook and Estienne's Why? which Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA) presents September 21 a?" October 6 at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, Peter Brook/NY features programing from BAM, The Center for Fiction, Columbia University, French Institute Alliance Française's Crossing the Line Festival, Hunter College, The Juilliard School, TFANA, and WNET.  A booklet produced by BAM Hamm Archivesa?"featuring historic photographs, a timeline of Brook's productions and New York presence, an essay by writer Violaine Huisman, and information about Peter Brook/NY eventsa?"will be available to all attendees and online at BAM.org and TFANA.org.

Directed with his signature creative flair, boundless imagination and penchant for fun by Benji Kern, Studio Tenn's interim artistic director, Mamma Mia! features a stellar cast of performers bringing the show to life with the expected verve and energy that the ABBA score virtually demands. Led by Erica Aubrey as Donna and Emily Urbanski as her daughter Sophie, Studio Tenn's production is vibrant, colorful and energetic, tapping into the universal appeal of the music thanks to music director/conductor Stephen Kummer and his seven member band who perform the score with consummate professionalism and more than a little Disco-era panache.

The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's Department of Theatre and Dance and Kennedy Theatre will be hosting a celebration of the life and career of Terence a?oeTerrya?? Knapp on Saturday, October 19, 2019. Doors will open at 5:00pm, participants will be welcome to visit with one another on the upper lanai; the formal Celebration will begin at 5:30pm in the Kennedy Theatre auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public. 

Porchlight Music Theatre's 25th anniversary season began with the 14th Annual Chicago Sings concert: Chicago Sings 25 Years of Porchlight, Monday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m., at The Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave, directed by Christopher Pazdernik and Artistic Director Michael Weber with music direction by David Fiorello and a band featuring Kelsey Boltz, Cara Hartz, John McCreary, Greg Strauss, Celeste Park and Jake Saleh.

DPAC announces that the national tour of COME FROM AWAY, a Broadway musical about the true story of the small town that welcomed the world, will make its DPAC debut for a limited engagement January 14-19, 2020, as part of SunTrust Broadway's 2019 / 2020 season.  Tickets to individual shows of COME FROM AWAY go on sale Thursday, August 29th. 

Big wow moments at Saturday Night Fever at Theatre By the Sea, Matunuck, R. I.