As You Like It - 1913 - Broadway Articles Page 14

When Thornton Wilder premiered his new play OUR TOWN in 1938, I would wager that more than one person left the theatre asking why anyone would want to watch the lives of "ordinary" people on stage. Fast forward to present day where millions of people the world over tune in to reality tv shows, following the lives of "ordinary" people. The difference is, that there is nothing "brilliant" about the lives of the so-called stars of reality TV. However, Wilder's OUR TOWN is light years ahead of it's time, and the talented cast of his well-known play bring out it's brilliance at the Theater At Monmouth.

Having just completed a month long European tour of performances in the CZECH REPUBLIC, HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA, AUSTRIA, GERMANY, HOLLAND, SWITZERLAND, the GrandMothers Of Invention, featuring legendary Frank Zappa Alumni Napoleon Murphy Brock and special guest artist Don Preston, once again will tour America. This time around the ensemble will be performing the ONE SIZE FITS ALL album in its entirety, along with other MOI/FRANK ZAPPA favorites from BONGO FURY, OVERNITE SENSATION, ROXY & ELSEWHERE, UNCLE MEAT and WERE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY!

WOODY GUTHRIE AT 100! LIVE AT THE KENNEDY CENTER pays homage to the artistry of American folk musician Woody Guthrie. This new CD+DVD commemorative package captures the historic all-star concert staged in his honor last October in Washington, DC.

One of the most stunning, brilliantly-staged productions I've seen in the past few years, Orange County's 3D Theatricals has, once again, outdone itself with its moving, epic-sized revival of Jason Robert Brown's Tony Award-winning musical PARADE. Now playing a limited engagement through May 26 at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton, this triumphant, emotionally-resonant, Broadway-caliber presentation directed by 3DT's co-founder and artistic director TJ Dawson ranks as, arguably, the best musical this relatively young regional theater company has produced thus far.

Below, check out highlights from SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE'S WEEKEND UPDATE with Seth Meyers, from May 4!

WOODY GUTHRIE AT 100! LIVE AT THE KENNEDY CENTER pays homage to the artistry of American folk musician Woody Guthrie. This new CD+DVD commemorative package captures the historic all-star concert staged in his honor last October in Washington, DC.

With a new leadership team of Gregory Doran, Artistic Director, and Catherine Mallyon, Executive Director, at the helm, the Royal Shakespeare Company returns to New York this spring with two productions, Julius Caesar and Matilda The Musical. Both began their lives at the RSC's Stratford-upon-Avon home and reflect the Company's continuing commitment to Shakespeare and the work of contemporary playwrights and theatre artists, as it celebrates one hundred years of touring work from Shakespeare's birthplace to the US.

Collaborations with The National Theatre of Scotland and Tramway, as well as Arches Brick Award and Platform 18 winners, together with some of the very best interNational Theatre companies, will all feature as part of the 2013 BEHAVIOUR festival at the Arches, today, 3rd April - 11th May 2013.

Florida Grand Opera (FGO) has announced a new three-year program entitled 'Unexpected Operas in Unexpected Places,' designed to bring less-known works to unique venues throughout South Florida in an effort to expose new audiences to opera, with the support of a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as part of its Knights Arts Challenge. The first installment of this new initiative will bring operatic productions to the Midtown neighborhood for the first time with a tango double-bill featuring Robert Xavier Rodriguez's Tango and Ástor Piazzolla's Maria de Buenos Aires, held at the popular Midtown music venue The Stage tonight, March 21-24, 2013.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'Fiddler' and the Paramount triumph and make plans, two Sondheim shows next year from Gary Griffin, the return of 'Hank Williams' and 'Last Five Years,' 'Parade' and 'Pirates' in short runs, and two Victorian musical dramas, spanning the pond...and more!

Music Director Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) announce the Orchestra's 2013-2014 season, its seventh under the direction of Maestra Alsop.

Collaborations with the National Theatre of Scotland and Tramway, as well as Arches Brick Award and Platform 18 winners, together with some of the very best international theatre companies, will all feature as part of the 2013 BEHAVIOUR festival at the Arches, 3rd April - 11th May 2013.

Russia's profound and far-reaching impact on 20th-century culture will be explored at the 2013 annual Bard SummerScape festival, which once again offers an extraordinary summer of music, opera, theater, dance, film, and cabaret, keyed to the theme of the 24th annual Bard Music Festival, Stravinsky and His World. Presented in the striking Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and other venues on Bard College's bucolic Hudson River campus, the seven-week festival opens on July 6 with the first of two performances of A Rite (2013) by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and SITI Company, and closes on August 18 with a party in Bard's beloved Spiegeltent, which returns for the full seven weeks. Complementing the Bard Music Festival's exploration of “Stravinsky and His World,” some of the great Russian-born composer's most captivating compatriots provide key SummerScape highlights. These include the first fully-staged American production of Sergey Taneyev's opera Oresteia; the world premiere of an original stage adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's seminal novel The Master and Margarita; and a film festival titled “Between Traditions: Stravinsky's Legacy and Russian Emigré Cinema.” Together, SummerScape's offerings will continue Bard's yearlong tenth-anniversary celebrations for the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center, which commence with a month of special performances in April.

The Music Center announces that it will partner with Los Angeles Ballet to present that company's productions of Agon and Rubies on Saturday evening July 6, free to the public. Both have music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by George Balanchine.

The Gallery Players, now in its 46th season, will start off the New Year with Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown's PARADE, running January 26 to February 17, 2013. Tony Award winner for Best Book and Best Score in 1999, PARADE is based on the true events of the 1913 trial of Leo Frank, a Jewish man from Brooklyn who runs a pencil factory in Marietta, Georgia. Frank is accused of the murder of 13-year old Mary Phagan, a factory worker under his employ. Already guilty in the eyes of everyone around him, a sensationalist publisher, determined district attorney and a janitor's false testimony seal Leo's fate. His only defenders are a governor with a conscience, and eventually, his assimilated Southern wife who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion. 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the crime.

Florida Grand Opera (FGO) has announced a new three-year program entitled 'Unexpected Operas in Unexpected Places,' designed to bring less-known works to unique venues throughout South Florida in an effort to expose new audiences to opera, with the support of a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as part of its Knights Arts Challenge. The first installment of this new initiative will bring operatic productions to the Midtown neighborhood for the first time with a tango double-bill featuring Robert Xavier Rodriguez's Tango and Ástor Piazzolla's María de Buenos Aires, held at the popular Midtown music venue The Stage on March 21-24, 2013.

The New-York Historical Society is offering a large and diverse selection of activities in January 2013 designed for families to enjoy the holiday spirit together and make history come alive. The exciting series of family programs at the DiMenna Children's History Museum at New-York Historical-the first-ever museum bringing American history to life through the eyes of children.

There is no denying that 2012 was a great year for theatre in Houston. Excellent productions were housed all over the city. And with the way things are shaping up, it appears that 2013 will be another fabulous year for theatre in the city. As I glance at the calendar for 2013, I find that there are many productions that I am already looking forward to. Utilizing the greatest restraint I could muster and considerable effort, I offer to you my top 5 most anticipated shows of 2013 in the order that they open...

The New-York Historical Society is offering a large and diverse selection of activities in January 2013 designed for families to enjoy the holiday spirit together and make history come alive. The exciting series of family programs at the DiMenna Children's History Museum at New-York Historical-the first-ever museum bringing American history to life through the eyes of children.

Dedicated to enhancing the theater-going experience, 'Hodges and Hodges' act as your very own dramaturges, theatre critics and local tour guides so that you can fully immerse yourself in the show - even before you enter the actual theater. It's nothing you couldn't look up yourself - but why bother when they've already done the research for you? So, sit back and enjoy the trip and get ready for the full-on Never Never Land experience of 'Peter Pan!'

Dedicated to enhancing the theater-going experience, 'Hodges and Hodges' act as your very own dramaturges, theatre critics and local tour guides so that you can fully immerse yourself in the show - even before you enter the actual theater. It's nothing you couldn't look up yourself - but why bother when they've already done the research for you? So, sit back and enjoy the trip and get ready for the full-on Never Never Land experience of 'Peter Pan!'

Dedicated to enhancing the theater-going experience, 'Hodges and Hodges' act as your very own dramaturges, theatre critics and local tour guides so that you can fully immerse yourself in the show - even before you enter the actual theater. It's nothing you couldn't look up yourself - but why bother when they've already done the research for you? So, sit back and enjoy the trip and get ready for the full-on Never Never Land experience of 'Peter Pan!'

Richard Eyre directs the world premiere of Nick Dear's The Dark Earth and the Light Sky at the Almeida Theatre. Running until the 12 January 2013, with press night tonight, 15 November 2012. Designs are by Bob Crowley with lighting by Peter Mumford and sound by John Leonard. The cast is Pip Carter (Edward Thomas), Pandora Colin (Eleanor), Ifan Huw Dafydd (Philip Thomas), Shaun Dooley (Robert Frost), Hattie Morahan (Helen Thomas) and Dan Poole (Bott/Major Lushington). Get a first look at the cast onstage in the photos below!

Richard Eyre directs the world premiere of Nick Dear's The Dark Earth and the Light Sky at the Almeida Theatre. Running until the 12 January 2013, with press night on 15 November 2012. Designs are by Bob Crowley with lighting by Peter Mumford and sound by John Leonard. The cast is Pip Carter (Edward Thomas), Pandora Colin (Eleanor), Ifan Huw Dafydd (Philip Thomas), Shaun Dooley (Robert Frost), Hattie Morahan (Helen Thomas) and Dan Poole (Bott/Major Lushington). Get a first look at the cast onstage in the photos below!