Annie - 1998 - West End Articles Page 14

'Magic Tree House: Showtime with Shakespeare,'a new hip hop adventure for young audiences, embarks on a 13-city tour beginning March 11 in Las Vegas and concluding on May 31 at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).

In 10th Grade, I was in the chorus of a production of Oklahoma! in the auditorium of my synagogue and it was the best theatrical experience I've ever had. I remember getting home from the closing night cast party and crying myself to sleep. I could cry now putting on the movie or listening to 'The Farmer and the Cowman,' or maybe most of all, if I sing a little bit of the introduction to the title song.

Musco Center presents actor, writer, singer, style icon, activist, and all-around Renaissance man Alan Cumming in Legal Immigrant on Wednesday, April 17 at 7:30 pm. The show is a cabaret of powerful songs and stories, anecdotes and social commentary written with the hope to change negative rhetoric around immigration. Cumming uses his own journey to obtaining American citizenship in 2008 to remind audiences that America is a country shaped by its rich diversity.

The idea of two companies in one community doing the same show within a few months of each other poses many questions. Sometimes the rights to a popular musical become available and there is something of a feeding frenzy - a dedicated theatergoer could have availed themselves of no less than four productions of Mamma Mia! in this area in the last year. Perhaps they were all stellar productions. I certainly didn't hear any complaints about poor attendance, which indicates either an insatiable appetite for an ABBA jukebox musical or the payoff of careful cultivation of core audience support by each company. In any case, nobody appeared to suffer any ill effects from the repetition.

The Oshman Family JCC presents internationally renowned performer Alan Cumming in his hugely acclaimed cabaret show Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs for one night only in Palo Alto. The beloved actor, singer, writer, producer, and activist will be joined onstage by Emmy Award-winning musical director Lance Horne and cellist Eleanor Norton for this delightful appearance declared an "emotional firestorm" by The New York Times, telling vivid stories of his most emotionally harrowing moments accompanied by sentimental tunes sung with Broadway-worthy bravado. From Billy Joel to Annie Lennox, and even an extraordinary mash-up of Adele, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry in "Someone Like the Edge of Firework," this "evening of intimacy at Club Cumming" (The Guardian) offers a no-holds-barred visit with one of the most exciting performers of our time. Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs will be presented 7:30pm, Sunday, April 14, 2019 at the Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. For tickets ($250 premium with post-performance reception, $150 general, $145 OFJCC members and J-Pass holders) and more information, visit paloaltojcc.org/cumming or call (650) 223-8649.

The League of Professional Theatre Women (Kelli Lynn Harrison and Catherine Porter, Co-Presidents), an organization which has been leading the gender parity conversation and championing women in the professional theatre for over 35 years, will present the 2019 Theatre Women Awards at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012) on Monday, March 25 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm). For more information on the 2019 TheatreWomen Awards, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.theatrewomen.org.

The Castillo Theatre (Dan Friedman, artistic director; John Rankin, associate managing director) has scheduled two talk backs in-conjunction with its current production of Fred Newman's Billie, Malcolm & Yusuf, directed by award-winning director, Gabrielle Kurlander. The production commemorates the 30th anniversary of Yusuf Hawkins' murder in 1989. The Castillo Theatre is located at 543 West 42nd Street.  Performances Billie, Malcolm & YusufThe Castillo Theatre (Dan Friedman, artistic director; John Rankin, associate managing director) has scheduled two talk backs in-conjunction with its current production of Fred Newman's continues through March 17, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

Most of our cultural stories (plays, movies, news stories) are about the first group. In THE DELAYS, now in its world premiere at Theatre Vertigo, Sara Jean Accuardi gives us a look into the lives of some people in the second group. It's a moving, well-crafted play that shows how easy it is to get trapped.

On Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at 7:30pm, Bang on a Can will present the 2019 Bang on a Can People's Commissioning Fund (PCF) concert, one of the most anticipated and reliable launching pads for composers in New York and beyond. The performance is presented as part of Kaufman Music Center's Ecstatic Music Festival at Merkin Hall (Kaufman Music Center, 129 W. 67th St.) and a New Sounds Live co-presentation with host John Schaefer, streamed live at www.newsounds.org. 

Edward R. Matthews, CEO of ADAPT Community Network, announced its 2019 ADAPT Leadership Awards Gala to take place on Thursday, March 14th, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. The event will be hosted by Cara Buono, co‐star of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, and Emmy‐ nominee for her role on Mad Men. The awards honor the accomplishments of extraordinary individuals and corporations who have made an impact on people with disabilities and have inspired others through their professional and charitable endeavors. The gala benefits the important ongoing programs and services of ADAPT Community Network. This year's honorees will be announced next month.

The League of Professional Theatre Women (Kelli Lynn Harrison and Catherine Porter, Co-Presidents), an organization which has been leading the gender parity conversation and championing women in the professional theatre for over 35 years, will present the 2019 Theatre Women Awards at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012) on Monday, March 25 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm). For more information on the 2019 Theatre Women Awards, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.theatrewomen.org. 

Theatre Communications Group has announced that its 2019 Gala will be directed by Tony Award-winner Michael Mayer and feature performances from Oklahoma!'s Ali Stroker, Hadestown's Patrick Page and Eva Noblezada, and Angels in America's Beth Malone.

"New York Days become New York Nights when the sun goes down…"* so went the theme song for "New York Cabaret Nights," a weekly series of 26 live performances broadcast in 1990 from three historic cabaret venues (Rainbow and Stars, the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room and The Ballroom in Chelsea).

Throughout her illustrious career, Tony Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters has dazzled audiences and critics with her performances on stage and television, in concert, and on recordings. The McCallum Theatre presents Bernadette Peters, with Marvin Laird, Musical Director, today, January 24, at 8:00pm.

Open Space, SFMOMA's contemporary arts and culture interdisciplinary platform, is pleased to announce de(composition), a four-week workshop led by the artist and activist Keith Hennessy with an opening ceremony and talk by Kanyon CoyoteWoman Sayers-Roods (Mutsun-Ohlone, California Native). Free of charge and open to all bodies, the program will focus on experiences, histories, and ideas to inspire composition; activities will include an unpredictable mix of embodied studio practice, lecture, and discussion for artists of all kinds.

The Castillo Theatre (Dan Friedman, artistic director; John Rankin, associate managing director) is proud to announce that it will produce a revival of the 1991 play by Fred Newman, Billie, Malcolm & Yusuf, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Yusuf Hawkins' murder in 1989.  Billie, Malcolm & Yusuf will be directed by award-winning director, Gabrielle Kurlander.  The production includes blues and rap music. The Castillo Theatre is located at 543 West 42nd Street in Manhattan. Performances are between February 15 and March 17, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! We hope all of our northeast readers survived yesterday's windstorm. Settle in to this much quieter morning by reading the top Broadway stories.

Walnut Street Theatre continues its landmark 210th season with the uproarious Ken Ludwig's A COMEDY OF TENORS. Directed by and starring Frank Ferrante, this over-top-top comedy from Tony Winner Ken Ludwig begins previews on January 15th, opens on January 23rd, and runs through March 3rd on the Walnut's Mainstage.

David R. Jimenez, President of the Board of Directors of Hartford Stage, announces that OBIE Award-winning director Melia Bensussen has been named the next Artistic Director of the Tony Award-winning theatre. She will assume the role in June.

2018 was an amazing year for theatre in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and if the proposed seasons for area theatres are any indication, 2019 is going to be a great one, too. From classic plays to super contemporary ones, and of course, a decent amount of musicals, this year has a lot for theatregoers to look forward to. Here are some productions I'm particularly excited about in the coming months.

With lead vocals by a dozen Broadway stars, Yellow Sound Label has announced the release of the debut album of eleven original songs by award-winning songwriter and Berklee College of Music Professor Michael Wartofsky, in digital, streaming and physical formats, today, Friday, January 4.

Throughout her illustrious career, Tony Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters has dazzled audiences and critics with her performances on stage and television, in concert, and on recordings. The McCallum Theatre presents Bernadette Peters, with Marvin Laird, Musical Director, on Thursday, January 24, at 8:00pm.

From December 20 to 23, La MaMa Experimental Theater in association the GOH Productions will present the fourth annual production of East Village Dance Project's The Shell-Shocked Nut, an alternative Nutcracker set in the East Village, featuring an intergenerational cast of dancers and musicians.  The piece is recommended for family audiences.

Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie are pleased to announce Lavern Chatman, vice president of business development at EDJ Associates and Arena Board of Trustees member as the chairwoman, and Annie Simonian Totah, Armenian Assembly of America's Board of Trustees member and recipient of their 2018 Distinguished Humanitarian Award, as the honorary chairwoman of the 2019 Arena Stage Annual Gala

Walnut Street Theatre continues its landmark 210th season with the uproarious Ken Ludwig's A COMEDY OF TENORS. Directed by and starring Frank Ferrante, this over-top-top comedy from Tony Winner Ken Ludwig begins previews on January 15th, opens on January 23rd, and runs through March 3rd on the Walnut's Mainstage.