As You Like It - 1950 - Broadway Articles Page 17

Copies of C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe have decorated children's bookshelves since its publication in 1950, and the image of a solitary gas lamppost amidst a blanket of white snow has become iconic. Following a successful run at the Leeds Playhouse in 2017, Sally Cookson's adaptation of Lewis's novel is now at the Bridge Theatre, and proves a perfect tonic to the theatrical soul, with impeccable design and innovative scenic effects.

The production really comes together as a whole-from the lights to the sound to the costumes to the set and even the set changes, everything has been carefully designed and choreographed to give the audience the sense of wonder and magic that should accompany any telling of Narnia.

The Joe Lovano Nonet, Marta Sanchez Quintet, Lorna Dallas, And more! Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts:

From November 21st-24th, Judson Theatre Company will be presenting a production of Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution at the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center. I recently had the great pleasure of interviewing actor Alan Campbell, who will be starring in the role of Sir Wilford Robarts.

Birdland's December 2019 schedule will feature The Joe Lovano Nonet, Stacey Kent, Monty Alexander, A Swinging Birdland Christmas, Freddy Cole Quartet, Gunhild Carling, Julius Rodriguez, Veronica Swift Holiday Show, 'Season's Swingin' Greetings!a??, Marta Sanchez Quintet, Darius de Haas, Marilyn Maye New Years Eve Extravaganza, The Lineup with Susie Mosher, Jim Caruso's Cast Party, and MORE!

David Hirata is the creator and sole performer of a?oeA Box Without a Bottom (Soko-nashi Bako)a?? currently running at The Marsh Berkeley. Within the context of a magic show, Mr. Hirata connects his own personal story to that of earlier Japanese magicians in a way that explores the illusions of race and identity in America. Talking with him, it's evident that he's a true magic geek as he delights in sharing his extensive knowledge about the history of magic and finding hidden links to his heritage as a Japanese American.

Golden nuggets of wisdom, from Julio Monge: 'Work requires work. You don't need to speak English or a common language to connect to other people. Things should be protected and blessed. The best technology in theater is the simplest one. Nothing replaces the human spirit. People are attracted to creativity.'

When television was in its infancy, few actors were as beloved as Gertrude Berg and few shows were as popular as The Goldbergs, the gentle comedy that she created, starred in, wrote, and produced. The program began on radio in 1929, and 20 years later became one of TV's earliest sitcoms. For her portrayal of Molly Goldberg, the matriarch of a Jewish family living in the Bronx, Berg was the first recipient of an Emmy Award for Best Actress.  

Ray of Light's (ROL's) production of The Rocky Horror Show filled me with hope for the youth of America. Lest that sound a bit strange, allow me to explain. Yes, ROL's a?oeRockya?? delivers in spades on the sexy entertainment value of this transgressive, go-for-broke show. But a?" it is also grounded in layers and layers of queer showbiz history even though it is presented by performers and designers who are way too young to have been around for the real thing. Taking the written-in-the-1970s-but-set-in-the-1950s show as its starting point, this production adds loopy gay cultural references from the 1930s right up to the present day - as if concocted by some crazed drag queen and thrown into a blender to see if it will explode. Surprisingly, it never does and it somehow all works.

Rex Allen - America's Last Singing Cowboy is the latest release by Country Rewind Records and the first in a new series, referred to as the Western Heritage Series which will also feature The Son's of the Pioneers and Tex Ritter. Rex Allen was a multimedia star before the term 'multimedia' was coined. He found fame as a singer, a song- writer, a Western movie star, a television actor and (in later life) as a narrator of Disney movies and TV shows. Rex Allen - America's Last Singing Cowboy is being distributed by Select-O-Hits and available to order on Country Rewind Records website countryrewindrecords.com.

Billboard chart-topping jazz singer Deborah Silver and four-time Grammy nominated crooner-pianist Freddy Cole have been friends for two decades yet they had never sung a duet before they entered a Hollywood recording studio to record a loving tribute to commemorate Nat King Cole's centennial birth year. Tapping Grammy winners Steve Tyrell and Alan Broadbent to respectively produce (with Jon Allen) and arrange the track, Silver and Freddy Cole's enchanting “Orange Colored Sky” dropped Monday as a single.

Today, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre announced a brand new season of shows, taking audiences into the autumn of 2020 with a variety of hit musicals, classic dramas, one night concerts, opera, dance and comedy.

Watching Richard O'Brien's a?oeThe Rocky Horror Showa?? at San Jose Stage Company, I was struck by what an odd duck the show is. There really is nothing else even remotely like it in the musical theater canon. At this point in its stage-to-screen-back-to-stage evolution, it invites you not just to experience the live stage play unfolding in front of you, but also encourages you to re-enact own your own experience of having seen the movie, probably decades ago. To aid in the latter, goody bags including all the necessary accoutrements such as newspaper, squirt guns, toilet paper, etc. are available in the lobby at 5 bucks a pop. Audience members gleefully shout out all the expected callbacks from midnight screenings of yore (a?oeAsshole!a??, a?oeSlut!a??) while engaging in a playful competition to come up with the most clever and unexpected contemporary retorts. Surely audiences in the late 1970's did not reference such things as Mar-a-Lago. So here we have a show set more or less in the 1950's, written in the 1970's, and with references to 2019. Talk about your time warp!  

Written by Dann Berg and Avital Asuleen (Director/Choreographer), THE FLOORSHOW intersperses song-and-dance numbers into the dramatization of the personal and professional hurdles that an all-female performance troupe faces in 1951 New York City. Moving between onstage and backstage at The Gilded Palace, THE FLOORSHOW nests an emotionally rich female-sisterhood narrative within a framework of creative competition and sexism.

The Rochester Broadway Theatre League opens its 2019-2020 season with a glitzy, glamorous, and soulful look at the queen of the disco era, Donna Summer. 'Summer: The Donna Summer Musical', which began its national tour in Rochester this week, isn't just for children of the 1970's, but for anyone who wants a more intimate look into the life and career of one of the music industry's most iconic figures.

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature ALMOST FAMOUS, Rob McClure As MRS. DOUBTFIRE, and more!

In the annals of musical theater, Norma Desmond is one of those larger than life characters, like Mame Dennis, Dolly Levi, and Eva Peron, who cries out for an actor with a specific and rare combination of skills to play the role. Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley ascends to playing the faded silent-screen star in the North Shore Music Theatre production of SUNSET BOULEVARD, after originating the role of Betty Schaefer in the 1994 original Broadway cast which starred Glenn Close. In so doing, Ripley joins the pantheon of singular talents who have put their personal stamp on the musical iteration of Norma, stepping out of the shadow of the indelible mark Gloria Swanson made on celluloid in Billy Wilder's 1950 film.

You asked, and we've answered! We asked BroadwayWorld readers to give us their most burning questions about theatre's inner workings, and we received a question asking about the Legacy Robe. We've put together a guide to let you know all about the history behind the ritual of the robe and to give you a glimpse inside what the ceremony is like. Check it all out!

The London Theatre Company by special arrangement with Elliott & Harper Productions and Catherine Schreiber, presents the much-celebrated Leeds Playhouse production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe over the 2019/20 festive season at the Bridge.

The 32nd Annual Virginia Film Festival will feature a deep and diverse program of more than 150 films, including some of the hottest titles on the festival circuit today, and an array of special guests from throughout the industry, and from across the globe. This year's lineup includes award-winning actor, writer, and director Ethan Hawke, noted actor Ann Dowd, international bestselling author John Grisham, actor Dennis Christopher, acclaimed filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu - plus more than 100 filmmakers in all.

The STRAY CATS--Brian Setzer (guitar, vocals), Lee Rocker (bass, vocals) and Slim Jim Phantom (drums, vocals)--came back strong this year with red-hot shows and the critically acclaimed 40. It's their first new album in 26 years and one celebrating the iconic American rock and roll trio's 40th anniversary. Issued by Surfdog Records and distributed by BMG (CD, vinyl, digital), the album spun off four singles: 'Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me),' 'Rock It Off,' 'Cry Danger' and the latest, 'Desperado,' described by the Washington Post as an 'instrumental that could have been plucked from one of Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns' (5/21/19).

Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel's soaring romantic and tragic musical a?oeLight in the Piazzaa?? is not often tackled a?? thank the theater Gods. I'm not saying it's bad by any stretch of the imagination, it's just that I'd hate to see every small company, without the resources to handle it well, take it on. Fortunately, they've built in a few traps that may dissuade. First off, it's not your typical, rollicking musical with songs you'll be singing after. Second, there's all that Italian that your cast needs to learn and deliver authentically. And finally, it's some tough music. It needs to be done by insanely talented professionals who can handle these beautiful melodies that fly up into the rafters (often in Italian) as well as the heartfelt story. Enter Showtunes Theatre as they begin their 20th season, who routinely gather together the cream of the crop of Seattle artists for just a few weekends, books in hand, and you'll find yourself gifted with the mind-blowingly gorgeous evening that is their current production of a?oeLight in the Piazzaa??.