All of the Above - 1982 - Off-Off-Broadway Articles Page 16

'I tried to tell a simple story about droughts that happen to people, and about faith. I tried to say that belief in a forked stick is sweet in an eight-year-old but a grownup has to find his magic in the rites of daily living. I tried to protest that the dreamers who are fugitive from the world have too long pretended that they alone know what is beautiful; that there's beauty for those who stick around and have a good look at things. That there is beauty in reality, beauty in the balances of nature, no matter how brutal the imbalances; beauty in the togetherness of people which, sadly, must sometimes be measured by loneliness; beauty in seeing the fact and naming it the fact.' -- N. Richard Nash

In recognition of Black History Month, Sony Movie Channel (SMC) is turning over its Take Two Tuesday night programming franchise to movies featuring some of film's top African-American stars.

With her tribute show to the music of Harold Arlen and Duke Allington, 'When Harry Met The Duke' is Rosemary Loar's creative foray back into the caressing arms of the Great American Songbook. If you consider that the contemporary cabaret scene in New York is 30 years on (since the opening of Don't Tell Mama in 1982 and the start of MAC in 1983), there have been likely been thousands of cabaret shows with GAS themes and the interesting new ideas may be down to a precious few. And Loar, who has been performing cabaret shows during that same time frame, has managed to come up with yet another variation and her erudite and accessibly sophisticated show goes down like a delicious vodka martini topped with a skewer of blue cheese stuffed olives.

Luna Stage continues the second season of its jazz series, 'Music In The Moonlight: An Intimate Evening of Jazz', on Sunday February 10th at 7pm with a one-night only concert by acclaimed pianist and vocalist Daniela Schachter. The Linden, NJ-based pianist, vocalist, composer and arranger will be joined at Luna Stage by tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm, bassist Steve La Spina and drummer George Schuller to present 'Jazz and the American Songbook: The Music of Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen.'

B. B. King Blues Club and Grill, NYC has announced its lineup, December 18, 2012 - January 1, 2013.

Bringing the beautiful message of Christmas to the Spencer stage - cowboy style- are the world famous Flying J Wranglers of Alto. These longtime Lincoln County entertainers celebrate the heritage of the west and the spiritual wealth of the holiday season with rich melodious western yodeling, vocals, fiddle and guitars in soaring renditions of spirituals like "Go Tell It On The Mountain" and "Beautiful City," and old time cowboy Christmas tunes like "Corn, Water and Wood," "Christmas For Cowboys" and "Yuletide Yodel." The exceptional beauty of songs like "Virgen Maria" and "Mary Did You Know?" resonates with power, as do new works like an a-cappella version of the traditional religious carol "The First Noel." (The latter is included in the Flying J Wrangler's most recent western flavored Christmas CD). Rounding off the night's repertoire are Flying J originals like James' "Riding to Ruidoso" and "White Mountain Christmas"; sizzling hot western instrumentals and ballads, and lots of down-home Flying J Wrangler humor for which the Flying J Wranglers have long won acclaim.

Today we are celebrating the classic holiday-themed ballet that originally premiered one week prior to Christmas Day exactly 120 years ago, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's THE NUTCRACKER. The ideal respite from the holiday rush, Fathom Events will be presenting the all new 3D film presentation of Tchaikovsky's THE NUTCRACKER on December 3, starring members of the very ballet company of the theater in which the fantastical family-friendly fable first debuted, the Russian Imperial Mariinsky Theatre.

Film Society of Lincoln Center Announces Upcoming Events for December and January:

The universal language of the blues 'speaks eloquently in this scorching, Tony-nominated musical! The twenty-six hot, torchy numbers that tell the sweet, sexy and sorrowful stories of four colorful inhabitants of a 1930s Chicago saloon, will leave audiences energized, inspired and ready to wail. This dynamite revue features blues classics from Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Bessie Smith and many more, packed into a larger-than-life score that'll bring down the house!'

Yesterday's MEET THE PRESS WITH DAVID GREGORY featured a network exclusive interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; an interview with the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice. Read excerpts of the program below.

Actor/singer Maxwell Caulfield became an instant heartthrob in 1982 when Grease 2 hit the big screen. He also created a sensation in TV's Dynasty and The Colbys and has essayed countless MOWs on TV and stage plays internationally. Without question he has turned into a fine dramatic actor over the last 30 years. Originally from Great Britain, Caulfield has been married to actress Juliet Mills since 1980. He is currently rehearsing Euripides' Helen as King Menelaus at the Getty Villa in Malibu which opens September 6. In our chat he talks about Helen, some of his recent stage roles and those he would like to play.

Dallas Theater Center presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center tonight, June 22 - Aug. 5. DTC Associate Artistic Director Joel Ferrell will direct and choreograph a fresh retelling of this family-friendly musical staring Sydney James Harcourt as Joseph and Dallas favorite Liz Mikel as the Narrator.

Dallas Theater Center presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center June 22 - Aug. 5. DTC Associate Artistic Director Joel Ferrell will direct and choreograph a fresh retelling of this family-friendly musical staring Sydney James Harcourt as Joseph and Dallas favorite Liz Mikel as the Narrator.

Gary Naylor is immersed in the fog of war, as he is made to feel N-N-N-N-Nineteen again.

During May and June the Brooklyn Museum will present a wide array of public programs for adults, teens, families, and kids including art-making classes and workshops; talks and tours; Thursdays @ 7, a series of engaging adult programs that takes place every Thursday evening; and the return of the Audiophile concert series.

Forget "Rock Of Ages." That 21st century musical about the 1980s has nothing on the real thing. "Cats," the show that set much of the look and tone of musical theater for the next decade or so when it opened in London in 1981 and in New York in 1982 (and began continuous touring in 1984, a record unmatched in theater history) is on display for this week only (sorry, "Now And Forever") at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre. Forget "Rock Of Ages." That 21st century musical about the 1980s has nothing on the real thing. "Cats," the show that set much of the look and tone of musical theater for the next decade or so when it opened in London in 1981 and in New York in 1982 (and began continuous touring in 1984, a record unmatched in theater history) is on display for this week only (sorry, "Now And Forever") at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre. And I, who saw the original Broadway production twice during that heady decade and have not seen the show in any form since then, was eager to go and see what the fuss was, and is, all about. So I went, Tuesday night. If you've never seen this show, if you kids have never seen it, or if you want to experience the magic of this unique theatrical masterpiece one more time, then this is a great opportunity to do so, as this is the only remaining North American production to (somewhat) accurately replicate the award-winning, record-setting British musical that took America and the world by storm thirty years ago. This tour of non-Equity performers, with its usual orchestra of five beefed up to eight for a weeklong stand (May 1-6) in a major theatrical market, has enough going for it that I highly recommend it. It's a little like entering a time machine, and there's a lot of sleight of hand, but it works. Let me explain. What is "Cats?" Much maligned by insiders, derided as dated by visual artists, underrated by dance teachers and ignored by voice teachers (save for its megahit song, "Memory," which is heard twice, but never in the sheet music version everything has heard and claims to know), it is in many ways a dichotomy. It's a dance show (choreography by Gillian Lynne) written by a singer's songwriter (Andrew Lloyd Webber), as well as a British song cycle based on poems written by a St. Louis-born English poet (T. S. Eliot) who never intended his work ("Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats," and other snippets) to be either musicalized or staged. Its plot, slight though it is, is also the subject of much derision, but to this observer is very reminiscent of "A Chorus Line," a universally revered work that does include dialogue and more depth of character, but also honors unity of time and place. However, there are indeed works that dispense with plot entirely, and which people unabashedly love (you know, revues--"Ain't Misbehavin'" comes to mind), and even shows like "Forever Plaid" and Lloyd Webber's "Starlight Express" feature heaven-going as a climax that is not entirely a surprise. So, enough complaining about there being no dramatic tension, already. But the spectacle! Is it a rock concert with dance, a dance concert with character, a makeup and hair extravaganza with arena-style lighting (still thrilling, the work of David Hersey, as recreated by Rick Belzer), a radio-friendly cast album with a decidedly British keyboard-rock spin, an intellectual set of inscrutable poems with earworm melodies, an environmental theater piece that's fun for all ages (an unmistakeable set and costume design by the remarkable John Napier)--what exactly is going on? The answer, of course, is all of the above. Oh, and it owes a lot to the English music hall tradition and to contemporary classical music, too, not to mention Puccini. Name another show that encompasses so much. Not to mention that original marketing campaign. Aside from his immature works (the children's show "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and others), Lloyd Webber's previous shows written with Tim Rice (the two nominated for the Best Revival of a Musical Tony Award this year, "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita,") were both introduced to the world via record albums and marketing campaigns that featured a logo rather than a star name and image. But "Cats" seemed to take that even further, dispensing with the concept album and zeroing in on the show AS the star. Indeed, this show has no leading roles. Really. But who can forget that moon/cats' eyes/dancer silhouette logo, and the letters of the title in color-coordinated graffiti (echoing the oversized junkyard scene design). It was exciting and revolutionary at the time, and the only shows that have done it better since then (Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom Of The Opera" and director Trevor Nunn's "Les Miserables," all three produced by wunderkind Cameron Mackintosh) are the only ones that have run longer in London and New York, due to the lessons they learned from the feline juggernaut before us now. It was "the birth of the musical spectacular," as Broadway In Chicago's promotional materials tell us. This particular edition of the endless "Cats" tour, directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford and featuring mostly young, recent graduates of top U.S. musical theater and dance schools, is indeed "cut down" from the total makeover that the Winter Garden Theatre in New York displayed for the 18 years it played there (1982-2000). But the "Christmas lights" that once ringed the audience do indeed extend past the proscenium arch, and the cast makes several trips out into the aisles, a nice touch. The back wall of the set does not swing down to reveal the ship's set needed for the "Growltiger's Last Stand" sequence--they use drops and a false proscenium downstage center here, and I almost liked it better. The set as a whole is not as detailed and certainly not as deep as it once was, but if you haven't seen the video of the London production, or the show as it played in the early '80s, you would be none the wiser. Sound-wise, I have to give credit to sound designer Duncan Robert Edwards, musical supervisor Kristen Blodgette and music director J. Michael Duff. I swear the show sounds better than ever, even with a smaller orchestra than originally employed. And I could understand the lyrics! The costumes and makeup design look simplified to me, though, but again, a newcomer to the proceedings wouldn't know. And do I care of part of the set is inflatable, as rumor would have it? I don't care how they get it from city to city, or how quickly they do it, but somebody does care, and they figured out a way to make it work! The floating tire and the thing that comes down from the fly space (spoiler alert?) look great, absolutely. Absolutely. The cast is led by Melissa Grohowski as Grizabella, the role made famous by Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley and carrying with it, shall we say, a certain expectation of a certain money note. Boy, does Ms. Grohowski deliver! Three people stood during the applause for the number. Bravo to Clemmons/Dewing Casting, I say! The two singing roles for the men, Old Deuteronomy and Gus/Growltiger/Bustopher Jones, are essayed here by Nathan Morgan and Christopher E. Sidori, who both acquitted themselves well and were very effective theatrically, whatever their actual ages. Among the dance roles, Daniel J. Self as the narrator Munkustrap, Chris Stevens as Rum Tum Tugger and especially Chaz Wolcott as Mistoffelees were crowd pleasers: Self with his movement detailing, Stevens with his Elvis impersonation and Wolcott with his amazing fouette turns. The cast of two dozen or so performers dances uniformly well, and sings very well, too, save for a few minor quibbles with single lines here. And there or some missing low notes that older performers would probably have no trouble with. But these are easily forgiven. Who cares if the leading lights of Broadway (Harry Groener, Terrence Mann, Anna McNeely and of course Ken Page) have been replaced in these roles by recent graduates of Wright State, SUNY-Purchase and Oklahoma City University? These energetic, disciplined performers are working their tails off (pun intended), singing like people who can't dance a lick and are basking in the glow of theater history with every city they visit. Yes, the show has moments that seem a little longwinded, and sure, it doesn't challenge your intellect as much as it challenges your wallet and your caffeine intake (it takes place at night, and everybody is dressed like a cat!). But I challenge you to remain unmoved when Grizabella begs for physical contact, when old Gus relives his moment of youthful theatrical triumph, when assorted junk becomes the train that Skimbleshanks loves, and when the sopranos of the ensemble soar on the words, "'Round the cathedral rang 'Vivat!" Come on! It's "Cats." It's eye and ear candy galore. I don't even like cats, but I do like "Cats." Very much. "Cats" plays this week only, Tuesday night through Sunday night, with additional matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph Street in Chicago. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago box offices, the Ticket Kiosk at Water Tower Place, all Ticketmaster retail outlets, by phone (800.775.2000) and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Photos: Melissa Grohowski; The Cast

The Gladstone will present THE COMMUNICATION CORD by Brian Friel and directed by John P. Kelly from March 28th through April 14th.

The Gladstone will present THE COMMUNICATION CORD by Brian Friel and directed by John P. Kelly from March 28th through April 14th.

The Gladstone will present THE COMMUNICATION CORD by Brian Friel and directed by John P. Kelly from March 28th through April 14th.

The landmark trial of the Scottsboro Boys is brought to life in Philadelphia Theatre Company's production of the multiple Tony-nominated musical The Scottsboro Boys with music and lyrics by the legendary team of John Kander and Fred Ebb and book by David Thompson, running January 20-February 19 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).

The Christmas tree and Neapolitan Baroque crèche at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a long-standing yuletide tradition in New York, is now on view for the holiday season through January 8, 2012.

The landmark trial of the Scottsboro Boys is brought to life in Philadelphia Theatre Company's production of the multiple Tony-nominated musical The Scottsboro Boys with music and lyrics by the legendary team of John Kander and Fred Ebb and book by David Thompson, running January 20-February 19 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).

The Christmas tree and Neapolitan Baroque crèche at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a long-standing yuletide tradition in New York, is now on view for the holiday season through January 8, 2012.

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT), which has supported the advancement of women in the entertainment industry for more than 30 years, will present their 31th annual Muse Awards at a gala luncheon to be held Wednesday, December 7th at the New York Hilton.