A Life in the Theatre - 1977 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 15

Performing Arts Fort Worth, the non-profit owner and operator of Bass Performance Hall, has announced that ANNIE will host a digital ticket lottery powered by Broadway Direct.

The 2023 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has been awarded to U.S. playwright Sarah Mantell for their play In the Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot.

There is a short, tight list of Houston actors who could do a show about their life and have it mean anything more than a vanity project, but she is at the top of that register. There is something about Mary Hooper that Houston loves, and if you are lucky enough to catch this one woman show called THE BOOK OF MARY you will learn why.

The Robey Theatre Company is inspired by Paul Robeson, the Black social activist, humanitarian, actor, singer and athlete. On Sunday, April 9, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., The Robey will celebrate the man, his accomplishments, and his legacy on the occasion of Paul Robeson's 125th birthday.

On Saturday, April 1st, Broadway legend Ben Vereen will be coming to North Carolina to perform at High Point Theatre with his one-man show, STEPPIN' OUT. 

The American Theatre Critics Association announced six finalists for the 2023 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, recognizing the playwrights who produced the best scripts that premiered professionally outside of New York City in 2022.

Shakespeare's Globe has announced the cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Elle While (The Merry Wives of Windsor, 2019; As You Like It, Hamlet, 2018).

Watch Susan Stroman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Colton Ryan, Anna Uzele and the cast and creative team of NEW YORK, NEW YORK surprise John Kander with a Big-Apple-sized rendition of “Happy Birthday'!

Factory International has announced the 2023 edition of Manchester International Festival (MIF) from 29 June to 16 July. Working with partners regionally and across the globe, the wide-ranging programme of original new work by an array of international artists will take place in venues and spaces around the city and at Factory International's much-anticipated new home, which opens its doors for the first time for the Festival, in advance of its official opening in October. 

Hennepin Theatre Trust has announced NPR humorist David Sedaris returns by popular demand on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023 at 8 p.m. at the historic State Theatre (805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis).

Pat Catterson and Molissa Fenley, two of the seminal figures in modern dance, will present a collaborative program titled Taking the Long View at The Dance Complex on Saturday and Sunday April 15-16.  

History Theatre has announced that Glensheen will return for performances beginning July 8, 2023.

What did our critic think of ANNIE at Cadillac Palace? The new national tour of Annie is the current offering at Chicago's Cadillac Palace. Hard to believe Annie has been entertaining audiences since it opened on Broadway in 1977. The book was written by Thomas Meehan with lyrics by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. Director Jenn Thompson's recreation is very similar to the original production and why not? She was the original Pepper in the Broadway run starring Andrea McArdle. Ms. Thompson's history with Annie is very apparent in this production. I had forgotten the emotional aspect of this story. The talented ensemble of young actors portraying the orphans is an absolute joy to watch. Their energy is infectious. This production is the national tour debut for each of these young actors. This is also Ellie Rose Pulsifer's (Annie) national tour debut. She fits the role perfectly. Especially touching was her interaction with Daddy Warbucks (Christopher Swan giving a very in depth portrayal) and his assistant Grace Farrell (Julia Nicole Hunter breathtaking). Then there is Miss Hannigan (Stefanie Londino's commanding portrayal spot on), her conman brother Rooster and his girlfriend Lily St. Regis (wonderful singing, dancing and comedy by Nick Bernardi and Krista Curry) round out the villains in Annie's life. The story is about Annie trying to find her parents who left her at the orphanage as a baby. Daddy Warbucks enlists the help of President Franklin Roosevelt (Mark Woodward in his national tour debut) to find her parents. Annie runs away where she immediately befriends a dog named Sandy. She also has soup with inhabitants of a Hooverville under the 59th Street Bridge. This wonderful ensemble of adults also portray Oliver Warbucks' employees, other citizens of NYC and the cabinet of FDR. Quick costume changes are also involved!

The Sauk, Hillsdale County's community theatre, has announced plans for their ninth annual 'Plays-in-Development.'

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The renowned London Classic Theatre have announced the full cast for their UK and Ireland tour of Mike Leigh’s classic comedy, Abigail’s Party. 

Ensemble Studio Theatre and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have announced that Mary Elizabeth Hamilton, an EST Youngblood Graduate, will make her Off-Broadway debut with her new play SMART.

Terence Blanchard’s opera Champion, based on the true story of the troubled former middleweight boxing champion Emile Griffith, will have its highly anticipated Metropolitan Opera premiere on April 10, with nine performances running through May 13.

The V&A has announced it will secure the archive of David Bowie for the nation – revealing the creative processes of one of the most pioneering and influential figures in the history of live and recorded music, film, fashion and beyond. From 2025, the archive will be made available to the public, from fans to school children and researchers, through the creation of The David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performing Arts at V&A East Storehouse, in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

What did our critic think of ANNIE at Kentucky Performing Arts? When most people think of Annie, I'm sure the first thing that comes to mind is the 80s film, starring the iconic likes of Carol Burnett, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, and Bernadette Peters. However, before that now-classic film, Annie started as a musical stage adaptation of the Little Orphan Annie comic strips. The show opened on Broadway in 1977, where it was a smash success in its own right, even before the film adaptation that would come later. The show and story have undoubtedly stood the test of time, what with numerous stage revivals, three film adaptations, and a live TV version broadcast on NBC. Not to mention every family-based community theatre in the country has had it as part of their seasons for the past 40 years.

Following the success of previous album-in-concerts Stevie Wonder's 'Songs in the Key of Life,' Queen's 'A Night at the Opera,' David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust...', and Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon,' musicians from local community theatre group Fairfield Center Stage will recreate Fleetwood Mac's classic album 'Rumours', featuring a rotating cast of singers and a 5-piece band performing the classic album in its entirety.

Camden Repertory Theater celebrates Black History Month with an immersive production of Aishah Rahman’s rarely produced underground classic Unfinished Women Cry In No Man's Land While A Bird Dies In A Gilded Cage, directed by Chyna Michele and featuring music direction by JoJo Streater. See photos from the production.

An absorbing portrait of one of the most influential women photographers in the history of photography, UNVEILED: JOYCE TENNESON AND THE HEROINE’S JOURNEY is one of the featured films at this year's Sedona International Film Festival.

Belgian dance company Peeping Tom verily put the 'trip' into Triptych, a brilliantly bizarre neo-noir dance trilogy full of deliciously dark delights.

Melinda Dillion, known for countless screen and stage roles, including her Tony Award nominated performance as Honey in the original production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? passed away on Monday, January 9, at the age of 83.