Believe - 1999 - West End Articles Page 19

On the heels of Illinois becoming the 37th state since 1972 to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment on Wednesdaynight, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), House sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment (H.J. Res. 33), will host a shadow hearing on the need for an Equal Rights Amendment on Wednesday, June 6 from 3 – 5pm on Capitol Hill. Hearing witnesses will be actress and activist Alyssa Milano, Co-President of the ERA Coalition Carol Robles-Román, and Jessica Lenahan, plaintiff in Supreme Court case Castle Rock v. Gonzales. In April,Maloney sent a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte requesting a hearing on the ERA but has received no response. There has not been a Congressional hearing on the ERA since 1984.

New York Thespians presents THESPROM! A retro, drama-friendly, high-school-prom-themed, kick-ass, 70's-80's-90's, musical theatre, dance party!

The Alexander Children's Theatre School (ACTS) announces their Spring 2018 musical: PIPPIN, the Tony Award-winning musical from Grammy and Oscar winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pocahontas) and bookwriter Roger O. Hirson. Performances are June 15-17, 2018, at Concord Academy (166 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742).

CHRISTAFARI return with their latest studio album, 'Original Love' (Lion of Zion Entertainment) - available now for pre-order at iTunes, with 4 instant tracks available upon purchase. After nearly three decades, CHRISTAFARI is the all-time top selling Gospel Reggae act and continues to be a driving force in world music. Their last 6 albums have debuted at #1 on the Billboard Reggae Chart. But the band considers themselves to be more than just musicians, but rather 'musicianaries' (musical missionaries), spreading the message of hope and salvation globally to approximately 20 countries per year.

On April 21, 2018, Patrick Marber spoke about Travesties with Education Dramaturg Ted Sod as part of Roundabout Theatre Company's lecture series.

When you hear the first few notes of the rollicking overture, you know Bernstein is genuflecting hard to Johann Strauss. Yet this is a story in which the principal characters are bayoneted, hanged, maimed, raped, prostituted, ravaged by disease, and enslaved, among other things, a story which, thematically, takes the characters and us right to the edge of the Nietzschean abyss and gives us a good long sobering look into it - not the sort of thing Strauss or Gilbert and Sullivan ever did.

Paying homage to one of the most influential groups of all time, NBC is celebrating Sweden's most popular export with 'ABBA: Thank You for the Music, An All-Star Tribute.' The two-hour special, set to air in December, will showcase specially invited artists performing classic songs made famous by ABBA, including 'Dancing Queen', 'Mamma Mia', The Winner Takes It All' and 'Take A Chance On Me'.

The London Symphony Orchestra, under its new Music Director, Sir Simon Rattle, will tour Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru in May 2019, the first time that the orchestra has performed in South America, it was announced today.

On the occasion of the 20-year mark of Matthew Shepard's tragic death, the Ford Theatres presents Considering Matthew Shepard, on Friday, June 15 and Saturday June 16 at 8:30pm, in association with Chris Isaacson Presents. Part of the 2018 Season and the IGNITE @ the FORD! series, Considering Matthew Shepard is performed by the 30-member GRAMMY Award-winning Conspirare choir, and composed and conducted by its GRAMMY Award-winning artistic director, Craig Hella Johnson. 

As we enter into this, the most industry of all industry times, there are some Tony related questions that many believe need answering.

On Monday, May 14, 2018, Third Street Music School Settlement (Third Street), the nation's longest running community school, will honor Grammy Award-winning Singer and Songwriter Rosanne Cash, Tony and Oscar Award-winner Joel Grey, and long-time Board Member and Award-winning Architect Byron Bell at its Annual Spring Gala. Graham Parker, President of Universal Studios Classical Music Labels, will serve as master of ceremonies and Lydia Fenet, Senior Vice President of Christie's Auction House will host the live auction. Members of the cast of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical also will perform. Held at Capitale (130 Bowery) in New York City, the gala will bring together hundreds of luminaries from the arts, culture, education, media, business, finance and philanthropy worlds to pay tribute to the honorees for their contributions to and leadership in arts and music education. Funds raised through attendance, live and silent auction participation will help support Third Street scholarships and financial aid services. With its roots in the settlement movement, Third Street today serves more than 5,000 New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds by providing high quality, accessible music and dance instruction in more than 25 instruments and voice. More than 75% of Third Street students receive financial aid or scholarships through the school's Partners program, which sends teaching artists into community centers and public schools throughout New York City. Alumni include well-known artists Bobby Lopez, Jessie Montgomery, Irving Caesar, among others. This year's honorees join a roster of previous honorees that includes The Roots, Sting, Yoko Ono, Harold Prince, Philip Glass, and Audra McDonald. Rosanne Cash will be presented with Third Street's Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts and Joel Grey will receive Third Street's Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. 'Third Street is founded on the principles of artistry, diversity, and community. We believe music connects us and that it is crucial to support programs that enable accessibility to the arts for people of all backgrounds,' said Third Street Music School's Anna-Maria Kellen Executive Director, Valerie G. Lewis. 'We are proud to celebrate our 123rd Anniversary with music visionaries, Joel Grey and Rosanne Cash, along with a long-time supporter of Third Street, Byron Bell. They have been incredible advocates for the arts, fostering artistic creativity in their communities and beyond,' she said. Gala Co-chairs are Jeannie Park and Larry Hackett, Kara Saxon and Amit Malhotra, and Kate and James Vanek. Anniversary Co-chairs include Beau Everett and Stephanie Goodman, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Tatiana Serafin and Mick Kalishman, Felipe Toews and Yuu Fujita. Honorary Co-chairs include Barbara E. Field, Philip Glass and Harold Prince. Event sponsors include Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Baldor Specialty Foods, Ernst & Young LLP, Putney, Twombly, Hall & Hirson LLP, Industry City, JD Carlisle Development Corporation, Steinway & Sons, and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. For more information visit thirdstreetmusicschool.org/gala or contact Katharine Nemeth at 212-777-3240 ext. 26 or gala@thirdstreetmusicschool.org. Tickets start at $500 per person and $5,000 per table. About Third Street Founded in 1894, Third Street Music School Settlement is the nation's longest-running community music school. Celebrating 123 years of service, Third Street works to enrich lives and communities by providing access to high quality music and dance instruction to students of all ages and backgrounds, regardless of artistic ability or socio-economic circumstances. As a pioneer of community arts education in the United States, Third Street today serves more than 5,000 students in our primary location on East 11th Street, and through partnerships with nearly 25 public schools and community centers throughout New York City. Third Street alumni include violist Masumi Per Rostad of the acclaimed Pacifica String Quartet; Ray Chew, musician and music director of Dancing with the Stars and American Idol; Irving Caesar, composer of the 1920's hit 'Tea for Two'; Bobby Lopez, co-creator of the hit Broadway musical Avenue Q and Academy Award-winning writer of 'Let It Go' from Disney's Frozen and 'Remember Me' from Disney's Coco; Ingrid Michaelson, pop singer/songwriter with hits on the Top 40 charts; and Jessie Montgomery, recipient of the Sphinx Award. Visit http://www.thirdstreetmusicschool.org/ for more information, and follow Third Street on Instagram @3rdstreetnyc and twitter @Third_Street.

A Turntable Friend Records has announced the forthcoming 'Magical Thinking' EP from Liverpool-based The Room in the Wood. Comprised of Paul Cavanagh and Dave Jackson, the duo shall present their debut EP digitally on April 20, followed by an 11-track album, to be released later this spring on vinyl, CD and digitally.

I have a confession to make. Though I have seen hundreds of plays and musicals since MAMMA MIA! premiered on Broadway in 2000, until I saw Riverside Theatre's giddily silly, yet oddly emotional production-running now through April 29- I had never seen this polarizing jukebox musical; neither on stage, nor screen. However, it would have been impossible for anyone with even a passing interest in theatre or pop culture to not have heard countless opinions about the show, both good and bad, over the years. Is MAMMA MIA! hokey? Yes, it is. Does it have plot holes large enough that you could scuba through? In spades. Nearly two decades after it premiered in London, does it already feel even more dated than its disco-era music would lead you to believe? Absolutely. But, if you go in knowing and accepting MAMMA MIA! for what it is, then it is also an absolutely transportively entertaining night at the theatre.

Once in a while, you come across a stage show that, on paper, may not have had the buzz that other high-profile shows may have had initially, but then you see it … and it just completely surprises you in the best possible way. That pretty much sums up my recent experience with the oh-so delightful NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, Musical Theatre West's buoyant and sublime new regional production of the 10-time Tony Award-nominated 2012 musical comedy now on stage at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach, CA through April 22. An irresistibly silly and infectiously tuneful stage show that will have you smiling from start to finish, this roaring 20's throwback with modern sensibilities provides lots of zany antics, lots of witty one-liners, and lots of spectacular song-and-dance showstoppers that will have you wondering---where has this show been all my life?

CHRISTAFARI return April 13th with their latest studio album, 'Original Love' (Lion of Zion Entertainment) - available now for pre-order at iTunes, with 4 instant tracks available upon purchase. After nearly three decades, CHRISTAFARI is the all-time top selling Gospel Reggae act and continues to be a driving force in world music. Their last 6 albums have debuted at #1 on the Billboard Reggae Chart. But the band considers themselves to be more than just musicians, but rather 'musicianaries' (musical missionaries), spreading the message of hope and salvation globally to approximately 20 countries per year.

A Turntable Friend Records has announced the forthcoming 'Magical Thinking' EP from Liverpool-based The Room in the Wood. Comprised of Paul Cavanagh and Dave Jackson, the duo shall present their debut EP digitally on April 20, followed by an 11-track album, to be released later this spring on vinyl, CD and digitally.

CNBC Transcript: DoubleLine Capital CEO Jeffrey Gundlach Speaks with CNBC's Scott Wapner Today

NEXTGEN BROADWAY, the premiere performing group from David Green's Musical Theatre University in Southern California have recorded an anthem to support the efforts of March for Our Lives, the organization which supports the end of gun violence in schools, following the tragic event at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14. A FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES was recorded as a way for students to utilize their voices to add to the call for action to end gun violence in our nation and our nation's schools. You can Link To LISTEN TO THE SONG here.

MCC Theater is thrilled to announce four new productions for its 32nd Season in the Theater's new, permanent home. The season includes an exciting mix of world and New York premieres from artists both familiar and new to MCC audiences-each fulfilling MCC's longtime commitment to bold, risk-taking works from the most vital voices working in theater today.

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, celebrates the opening of NNPN Rolling World Premiere of The Arsonists by Jacqueline Goldfinger at Capital Stage. By the end of its Roll, The Arsonists will have received four productions at NNPN Members Azuka  Theatre (May 3-21, 2017 in Philadelphia), Know Theatre of Cincinnati (September 22-October 14, 2017), and Perseverance Theatre (January 11-21 in Anchorage and coming soon, May 4-20, 2018 in Juneau). The Arsonists in NNPN's 67th Rolling World Premiere.

ABC News' '20/20' Reports on Two Women Undergoing DNA Testing After Claiming They May Be the 5-Month-Old Infant Who Disappeared From Her Crib 20 Years Ago, Airing 3/16

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet plays through March 25th at Ritz Theatre Company in Haddon Township. For more information about the show and to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.ritztheatreco.org/show/shakespeares-romeo-and-juliet/

Showtunes Theatre Company will return to the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, March 23-25, 2018 with a concert production of The Boys from Syracuse, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and book by George Abbott. The show is produced by Showtunes in association with Village Theatre, directed by Steve Tomkins in his final year as Artistic Director of Village and is being presented as part of the city-wide "Seattle Celebrates Shakespeare" festival. With Kim Douglass music directing, the show will have four performances over one weekend. Performances are Friday, March 23 at 8:00 pm, Saturday March 24th at 2 pm and 8pm and Sunday, March 25th at 2 pm.

Producers Eva Price and Sucker Love Productions have announced that actor, singer and television personality FRANKIE J. GRANDE will step into the role of Blaine Tuttle in CRUEL INTENTIONS - the new musical nightlife experience based on Roger Kumble's 1999 cult-hit film, now playing at downtown hotspot (le) Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street). Grande joins the cast on Sunday, March 18.

Final cast is today announced for Charles Court Opera's smart, stylish, sparkling fresh version of the most loved of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic masterpieces, The Mikado.