Broad Comedy - 2018 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 20

Canadian Stage is thrilled to announce today that following a wide-reaching candidate search, Montreal-born award-winning theatre director and actor Brendan Healy, 43, has been appointed Artistic Director of Canadian Stage. Currently Artistic Director, Performing Arts, for the City of Brampton, Healy plans to join Canadian Stage on August 7th, 2018.

George M. Cohan has been attributed to being the father of the American Musical, whose works are the very roots of Broadway and musical theater that we know today. Without his numerous contributions to the American theater, Broadway as we all know it probably wouldn't even exist. This is the idea that's drummed rather loudly and patriotically by the ending of YANKEE DOODLE DANDY, the 2004 stage musical now in the midst of its Southern California regional premiere via Musical Theatre West. A fairly entertaining, if inescapably old-fashioned jukebox musical that paints rather broad strokes rather than giving a deep dive into Cohan's life story, this new production continues performances at the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach through July 22, 2018.

THE VIEW UPSTAIRS, a musical by Max Vernon, whose musical KPOP won Best Musical honors in off-Broadway's Lortel Awards and was also nominated for seven Drama Desk awards, is inspired by real life events of the 1973 arson attack at the UpStairs Lounge, a vibrant gay bar in New Orleans. Now accepted as a targeted anti-gay attack, the arson resulted in the deaths of 32 people and was, until the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting, the deadliest assault on a gay club in U.S. history. The show is inspired by and pays tributes to many of the patrons that frequented the venue.

Organizers of the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival (Wednesday, September 12 – Saturday, September 22, 2018) announced the seventh annual festival's entire lineup and invited Rochester to “Join the pARTy” at their BIG REVEAL press conference yesterday. For the first time, Rochester's Fringe will span 11 days, up from 10 for the past five years.

Organizers of the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival (Wednesday, September 12 - Saturday, September 22, 2018) announced the seventh annual festival's entire lineup and invited Rochester to "Join the pARTy" at their BIG REVEAL press conference yesterday. For the first time, Rochester's Fringe will span 11 days, up from 10 for the past five years.

RuPaul, the Emmy-winning host of “RuPaul's Drag Race” is bringing his personality to the daytime space, filming a talk show pilot for Telepictures, Variety has learned exclusively.

Organizers of the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival (Wednesday, September 12 - Saturday, September 22) announced the seventh annual festival's entire lineup and invited Rochester to "Join the PARTY" at their BIG REVEAL press conference this morning. For the first time, Rochester's Fringe will span 11 days, up from 10 for the past five years, and it will open on a Wednesday evening.

Blue Man Group Boston is hosting their 5th annual Drum-Off competition which showcases the area's extraordinary drumming talent and where one lucky winner gets the opportunity to play with the famed performance group. In addition, the winner will also receive over $6,000 in prizes from Blue Man Group, DW, Sabian and Vic Firth. The finals are open to the public and will be held today, July 7th from 5:00-6:00 pm during the free Summer Block Party at The Lawn on D in Boston.

This is a sleek and infinitely varied production

FOX has set the fall premiere dates for its new and returning series.

Friday the 13th is widely considered to be an unlucky day. The National Theatre, however, is making sure that Friday, July 13, 2018 is a lucky one for theatergoers as tickets for the pre-Broadway world premiere of the new musical comedy BEETLEJUICE will go on sale that day at 10:00 AM.

Alberta Bair Theater has added four additional shows since the season preview for its stakeholders on May 24:  for fans of 60's rock: Felix Cavaliere & Gene Cornish's RASCALS with special guest Carmine Appice on drums on Friday, September 7 at 7:30; for fans of 80's rock and Broadway musicals: ROCK OF AGES on Monday, November 19 at 7:30;  for a fun ladies night out during the holidays: 'Twas a Girls Night Before Christmas on Friday, December 14 at 7:30;  and for family entertainment at its best the multi Tony awarded THE SOUND OF MUSIC on Monday, April 8 and Tuesday, April 9, both at 7:30.

Casting of Goodspeed Musicals' Cyrano is complete. Film and TV actor Blake Jenner will play Christian. He joins previously announced Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Peter Dinklage, who will play Cyrano alongside film actress Haley Bennett as Roxanne in this bold new musical.

Today, Marie decides to leave her husband: 'Let me tell you something. I find my husband so God damned irritating that I'm planning to leave him. And that's a fact.' But in Wallace Shawn's 1978 American masterpiece, facts are slippery things. In this radical re-imagining at JACK, two multi-disciplinary artists play the combative titular couple and head up the design team. Joined by an ensemble of some of Brooklyn's sharpest comedic voices, Gordon Landenberger (Bruce) and trans actress Theda Hammel (Marie) double as the set and sound designers, respectively, for this hilarious and timely new production. 

MCC THEATER today announced the complete cast and creative team for the first show of the 2018/19 season: the New York Premiere production of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties, written by Jen Silverman, and directed by MCC alum Mike Donahue

Blue Man Group, continuing its open run at Chicago's Briar Street Theatre (3133 N. Halsted), will welcome the summer season with a robust performance schedule in June, July and August. The expanded Chicago schedule will provide audiences of all ages with the opportunity to beat the heat and make colorful and lasting memories this summer.  

Seven Souls in the Skull Castle (Dokurojo no Shichinin), The Ultimate Fighting Fantasy Spectacle at IHI Stage Around Tokyo, Makes History for Japan and the Global Entertainment Industry. #japan #ihistagearoundtokyo #360theater #japanesetheater #revolutionary #success

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is proud to announce its first show of the 2018-2019 Winter Mainstage Season: the Tony Award-winning musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. Called one of the "Most inspired new musicals in years" by The New York Times, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder follows Monty Navarro, a lowly born Englishman who suddenly discovers he is ninth in succession to become the Earl of Highurst. Filled with remarkable music and killer laughs, this Broadway hit takes audiences on a journey through Monty's murderous hijinks as he pursues his "rightful" place in the family.

Desert Rose Playhouse, the Coachella Valley's LGBT theatre company, always picks something light and enjoyable as their season finale, the slot they refer to as 'Hot summer nights.' To balance out the fact that the last two summers had an all-male show, this year's choice is Women Behind Bars with a mostly female cast. They pulled out all the stops to assemble some of the Valley's top actresses for this side-splitting send up of the tawdry prison dame B-features of the 50's. They are joined by one man and a couple of dolls who arrive at the theatre as men. The results are hilarious, and this show should be on your 'Must See List!'

Following last year's critically acclaimed release of 'Lost West End Vintage' (highlighted in The Sunday Times as an "Essential New Release') Stage Door Records are pleased to continue the album series with 'Lost West End Vintage 2' to be released on July 27th 2018.

The 2018 edition of the 'Heart of America Shakespeare Festival' offers a very nice production of Shakespeare's 1599 comedy 'Much Ado About Nothing.' 'Much Ado' is a comedy/farce in many ways similar to other Shakespearian comedies 'Taming of the Shrew,' and 'The Merchant of Venice.' All three plays depend on misdirection and romances somehow gone way awry.

Today, Marie decides to leave her husband: 'Let me tell you something. I find my husband so God damned irritating that I'm planning to leave him. And that's a fact.' But in Wallace Shawn's 1978 American masterpiece, facts are slippery things. In this radical re-imagining at JACK, two multi-disciplinary artists play the combative titular couple and head up the design team. Joined by an ensemble of some of Brooklyn's sharpest comedic voices, Gordon Landenberger (Bruce) and trans actress Theda Hammel (Marie) double as the set and sound designers, respectively, for this hilarious and timely new production.

Laugh Out Loud, the comedy brand and multi-platform network founded by the world's top comedian Kevin Hart in partnership with global content leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B),  announced today an expanded slate of original programming that builds on the network's rapid growth since launching last summer.