A Song to Sing - 1981 - West End Articles Page 9

Jim Messina's legacy spans five decades and three acclaimed rock super groups: Loggins & Messina, Buffalo Springfield, and Poco. And he's had a vibrant solo career, plus a dizzying array of producing and engineering credits for such luminaries as The Doors, Joni Mitchell, and Herb Alpert. Performing with his band in Folsom, the concert will include songs we all know and love, from across his storied career. Get ready for "…a splendid good-timey sensibility and professionalism" (Los Angeles Times).

The Actors Fund announced today a 40th Anniversary reunion benefit concert of the 1979 hit Broadway production of They're Playing Our Song. The concert will be held on Monday, February 11th at 7:30 pm at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th St.) and will star the Broadway cast members Lucie Arnaz as 'Sonia Walsk' and Robert Klein as 'Vernon Gersch'.

Presented by a brand new Production group, 4 Leaf Music Productions, in Association with Golden Performing Arts Center, and based on a 1934 Kaufman and Hart play of the same name, this musical tells the story of three friends, Franklin, Charley, and Mary, and the progressive decadence of their bonds and their dreams. The story is told in reverse. When it begins, in 1980, they're in their 40's: Franklin, is a rich, successful, conceited and confused noted songwriter; Charley, the lyricist in the duo, has cut off ties with his partner after a nervous breakdown and Mary is a lonely alcoholic still secretly in love with Franklin from when they first met, years and years ago. As we move forward in the play but backwards in time, we see how their friendships disintegrate, along with their aspirations and Franklin's many whirlwind marriages. Rewinding through the '70s and '60s, we end up in 1957, when the three of them meet for the first time, on a rooftop in the city, all hopeful young talents per-chance gathering to watch Sputnik go by in the pre-dawn sky. The song they sing, 'Our Time' ('We're the movers, we're the shapers/ the names in tomorrow's papers'), is undercut by some very keen irony, since we've already seen how it all turns out, at the beginning.

You only have until Saturday 4th August to see this excellent production.

The stage is being set for the Jellicle Ball! According to The Stage,  the Royal Ballet's resident choreographer, Wayne McGregor, has signed on to choreograph Tom Hooper's big screen adaptation of Cats. Filming is set to begin in London this November. Casting is now underway.

The producers of Tennessee Whiskey the Musical, are opening up a national talent search to cast the role of the King of Country, George Strait for their upcoming production of Tennessee Whiskey the Musical, the story of Dean Dillon. To kick-off the search, they are launching a virtual audition process where interested performers can post a video singing and playing a George Strait/Dean Dillon song. These videos will be seen by the show's casting team and it could earn them a chance for a callback at one of the show's National auditions taking place in New York, Nashville and Las Vegas in the summer of 2018.*

As many of you know, Arena Stage's Artistic Director Molly Smith has been very active on a number of national social issues, including LGBT rights and gun control in addition to her exemplary artistic work. In this way, perhaps it's only natural that the headliner at this year's Arena Stage Gala on May 10th is not only a great singer/songwriter, but also an accomplished speaker and humanitarian.

Flashdance - The Musical made a welcome return in 2017 for an extensive UK tour. Starring Strictly favourite Joanne Clifton and singer-songwriter Ben Adams, Flashdance arrives at The Bristol Hippodrome on Monday 25th June.

Before his guest starring role on Young Sheldon, last season's off-Broadway production of The Portuguese Kid and of course nearly a decade as George Costanza on Seinfeld, Jason Alexander was a song and dance man on Broadway. He made his Broadway debut in Merrily We Roll Along in 1981, followed by a continual decade of shows: The Rink, Broadway Bound, Jerome Robbins' Broadway (in which he won a Tony Award for his performance) and Accomplice. Highlights of how his Broadway career began will be hilariously re-told next week, as his tour heads back to his home state of New Jersey to perform with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra at NJPAC in Newark and the State Theater in New Brunswick. Newark is actually where Alexander was born before growing up in Maplewood and Livingston.

Maureen McGovern is celebrating the 45th Anniversary of her theme song, "The Morning After," which won the Oscar for Best Song of the Year in 1973, and became an international Gold Record and garnered her a Grammy Nomination for Best New Artist.  Along with musical director/pianist Jeff Harris, Ms. McGovern will perform some of her most beloved hits, including "Can You Read My Mind?," "We May Never Love Like This Again," and of course, "The Morning After," along with many other Oscar-winning and classic film songs.

Academy Award-nominee, Angela Bassett will join Kathleen Battle as a guest narrator in Battle's program Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey accompanied by pianist Joel Martin and the LA-based choir, The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) on Thursday, March 29 at 8:00pm.

Singer TONIA TECCE, who has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia's Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Academy of Music and sung with Peter Nero and many orchestras, made her very successful New York City cabaret debut in 2013 at The Metropolitan Room.

Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Founder and Artistic Director) Jim Bredeson, Managing Director) today announced the cast for their next mainstage production, the New York premiere of David Ives's The Metromaniacs, directed by Michael Kahn:Noah Averbach-Katz (The Bachelors - Williamstown Theater Festival, Othello =Dir. Pam MacKinnon); Christian Conn (RBT: The School for Scandal, Desire Under the Elms -Broadway, The Liar -CSC); Adam Green (RBT: The Witch of Edmonton,  two Helen Hayes nominations for Midsummer Night's Dream and the world premiere of The Liar - Shakespeare Theatre of DC); Peter Kybart (Broadway: Awake and Sing, The Diary of Anne Frank, Judgment at Nuremberg; Off-Broadway: Beckett-Albee, Andorra, Cymbeline); Adam LeFevre (Bway: Devil's Disciple; Our Country's Good; Summer & Smoke; Footloose; Mamma Mia; Guys and Dolls; Priscilla Queen of the Desert; The Liar - CSC, Marriage of Bette and Boo - Roundabout); Amelia Pedlow(RBT: 'Tis Pity She's a Whore; Pride and Prejudice - Primary Stages; The Liar, The Heir Apparent - CSC); and Dina Thomas (Tribes, Clever Little Lies  - Off-Broadway).

American soprano Kathleen Battle's luminous voice has been called by The Washington Post "...without qualification, one of the very few most beautiful in the world."  Yet beyond the glory of her singing, in a career filled with countless accolades, honors and major milestones, what has perhaps distinguished her most is her almost magical ability to create an unwavering emotional bond between herself, her music and her audience.  On Thursday, March 29 at 8pm, that special bond will be on full display when Ms. Battle makes her debut at The Soraya with Kathleen Battle: Underground Railroad-A Spiritual Journey accompanied by pianist Joel Martin and the LA-based choir, The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers.

LA based The Launchpad Group partners with writer/producer Dewey Moss of DMoss Productions andWildcatters Network to bring the story of Dean Dillon and his music to the stage in the new jukebox musical, Tennessee Whiskey The Musical. Dates, theatre and cast TBA.

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is once again offering audience members a dazzling, star-packed lineup of amazing shows, memorable concerts, insightful lectures and very special events during the months of March and April.

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the next mainstage production it its 2017 - 2018 season Merrily We Roll Along, January 26 - March 11,  2018, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth, with direction by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Director Michael Weber, associate direction and musical staging by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Associate Christopher Pazdernik and music direction by Aaron Benham at Porchlght's home, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Merrily We Roll Along is based on the play by the same name written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. (March 4 and March 11) and 6 p.m. (February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25) with a weekday matinee Thursday, March 8 at 1:30 p.m. There is no 4 p.m. performance Saturday, Feb. 3 and no 7:30 p.m. performance on Thursday, March 8. Tickets are $33 - $60 and are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884.

The Wallis will be the place for jazz lovers this month when the performing arts center, in conjunction with the Arturo Sandoval Institute, present a special four-night musical celebration curated by the dynamic American jazz legend Arturo Sandoval from Today, January 25 through Sunday, January 28. Sandoval shines a spotlight on his legacy, as well as up-and-coming musicians, in an exciting jazz series featuring a Master Class, sponsored by the Arturo Sandoval Institute; two extraordinary nights of emerging jazz artists, whom Sandoval proudly calls the Young Lions; and an unforgettable concert of his own with special guests.

To celebrate this amazing milestone, we checked in by phone with Michael Crawford, from New Zealand. As many know, along with a long career creating numerous roles, the star also inspired the creation of this very web site. After I saw the production myself in 1994, my father said 'If you thought that was great, you need to hear the original...' And, the rest is BroadwayWorld history.

Join Magic Radio at the iconic London Palladium on Saturday February 10th 2018 for a special concert as we celebrate the greatest soul music of all time.

The Wallis will be the place for jazz lovers this month when the performing arts center, in conjunction with the Arturo Sandoval Institute, present a special four-night musical celebration curated by the dynamic American jazz legend Arturo Sandoval from Thursday, January 25 through Sunday, January 28. Sandoval shines a spotlight on his legacy, as well as up-and-coming musicians, in an exciting jazz series featuring a Master Class, sponsored by the Arturo Sandoval Institute; two extraordinary nights of emerging jazz artists, whom Sandoval proudly calls the Young Lions; and an unforgettable concert of his own with special guests.

The Capitol Steps, a Washington DC-based comedy troupe that began as a group of Senate Staffers will present a show based on songs from their current album What to Expect When You're Electing. The Capitol Steps have been a Washington, DC institution for over thirty years, providing a unique blend of musical and political comedy to our nation's Capitol and more. The McCallum Theatre presents The Capitol Steps on Sunday, January 14, at 3:00pm.

Bill Kenwright's 'Dazzling' (Sunday Telegraph) production of the international smash hit musical Blood Brothers announces its 2018 tour, opening on Tuesday 16 January at the Theatre Royal Bath. This iconic musical has been visiting theatres across the country throughout 2017 in celebration of its 30th anniversary, performing to sell-out houses and receiving standing ovations.

In the Guggenheim Museum's iconic rotunda, celebrate the season with the joyous sounds of holiday music and a new Works & Process commission by composer Nico Muhly, December 17 & 18, 2017.

Colleen Kollar Smith, Producer of Moonlight Presents, announces the 2018 ClubM series at the Moonlight Amphitheatre. Smith has programmed three popular musical theatre songstresses to appear at the Moonlight Amphitheatre's intimate indoor cabaret space. The series opens Jan. 13, 2018 with Bets Malone: Broadway the BROAD Way. An Intimate Evening with Lucie Arnaz is next on Feb. 10, 2018, followed by Daebreon Poiema: The Reason Why I Sing on March 3, 2018. Tickets for all concerts are on sale now at moonlightstage.com, or by phone at (760) 724-2110.