Spotlight On PHANTOM 25 DVD/BLU-RAY: A Michael Crawford Appreciation
by Pat Cerasaro - Feb 14, 2012
Headlining the most successful entertainment of all time, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Michael Crawford was actually not the first name the creative team considered for the gothic musical undertaking during its creation in the mid-1980s, believe it or not. Steve Harley famously recorded the original single of the title song with composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's muse Sarah Brightman and subsequently starred in the grandiose Ken Russell fever dream music video. While the public and critics alike assumed Harley's bid for the lead role in the gestating show was all but guaranteed after the video debut, it was not meant to be. Master director Hal Prince had his sights set on a British stage and screen star who had made a name with American audiences decades before in the troubled film versions of two Broadway hits - A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM and HELLO, DOLLY! - as well as made a name for himself the world over in the British sitcom SOME MOTHERS DO 'AVE 'EM. Crawford had also cemented his place in the musical theatre with his roles in FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON and BILLY, but it was PHANTOM that would catapult him into the ranks of iconic musical megastar. So, today, let us take a look at what made Michael Crawford's performance in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA so unforgettable as we celebrate this week's US release of the simply spectacular DVD/Blu-ray of the 25th anniversary production mounted late last year at the Royal Albert Hall starring Ramim Karimloo and Sierra Boggess, loving assembled and presented by original lead producer Cameron Mackintosh and featuring a grand finale complete with original PHANTOM cast-members Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford, among a host of other glories.
Kaufman and Hart's ONCE IN A LIFETIME Opens At A.C.T.
by BWW News Desk - Sep 22, 2011
The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) 2011-12 season opens with a new revival of the dazzling George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart 1930 comedy Once in a Lifetime, which has been called 'a delicious Hollywood send up' (The New York Times) and 'a tinseltown satire [with] bite' (Newsday).
Kaufman and Hart's ONCE IN A LIFETIME Opens At A.C.T.
by Gabrielle Sierra - Aug 29, 2011
The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) 2011-12 season opens with a new revival of the dazzling George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart 1930 comedy Once in a Lifetime, which has been called 'a delicious Hollywood send up' (The New York Times) and 'a tinseltown satire [with] bite' (Newsday).
Kaufman and Hart's ONCE IN A LIFETIME Opens At A.C.T.
by Gabrielle Sierra - Aug 1, 2011
The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) 2011-12 season opens with a new revival of the dazzling George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart 1930 comedy Once in a Lifetime, which has been called 'a delicious Hollywood send up' (The New York Times) and 'a tinseltown satire [with] bite' (Newsday).
Harris Theater Presents 2011-2012 Season, Begins With HEAR THE MUSIC
by Gabrielle Sierra - Jul 5, 2011
The Harris Theater for Music and Dance today announced its full Harris Theater Presents 2011-2012 season, offering Chicago audiences a ground-breaking collection of innovative, culturally diverse programming by the world's finest musicians and dance companies, as well as Harris' signature collaborations with Chicago's leading dance and music institutions.
BWW Reviews: Until Someone Gets Hurt - THE WILD PARTY at Teatro101
by Jack L. B. Gohn - May 23, 2011
I'm reminded of the old joke: It's only funny till someone gets hurt; then it's hilarious. Jacobean audiences liked the stage littered with corpses at the end; we settle for one or two corpses and people's lives shattered. And that this show certainly delivers. There may not be much depth to it, much in the way of a philosophical point, but it's absorbing to see.
BWW Reviews: FLY, GIRL! from Nashville's SistaStyle Productions
by Jeffrey Ellis - Feb 21, 2010
Actress-playwright-producer Mary McCallum gives an extraordinarily strong and vibrant performance as aviatrix Bessie Coleman in her self-written new historical drama, Fly, Girl!, now in its premiere production at Darkhorse Theatre, courtesy of SistaStyle Productions. With an outstanding supporting ensemble, all of whom are completely committed to both their roles and this important production, it is a sharply written and movingly acted new work - definitely one that deserves a broader audience beyond the confines of the Nashville stage.