Broadway Follies - 1981 - Broadway Articles Page 16

On this very day in 1943, Michael DiFiglia was born in Buffalo, New York, and the world of Broadway would simply never be the same. Cutting his teeth with the accomplished choreography for A JOYFUL NOISE, PROMISES, PROMISES, SEESAW and COCO was merely the beginning of a career that would virtually rewrite and revolutionize the ways and means by which a director could yield ultimate control over a project. With COMPANY and FOLLIES, the later co-directing with Hal Prince, Bennett solidified himself as one of the most talented and brilliant choreographers of his generation and, shortly thereafter, proved with A CHORUS LINE that he was a master theatrical engineer with few, if any, peers. Worldwide success, Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize were just the gravy. Who else but Michael Bennett would then, or ever, receive - or should I say, earn - the credit "Entire Production Conceived, Produced and Directed by," besides him? While BALLROOM failed to live up to A CHORUS LINE in mostly every way, he soon after reinvented the wheel yet again with DREAMGIRLS in 1981. We never got to see his productions of CHESS and SCANDAL, both of which he was in the latter stages of developing at the time of his death in 1988. Broadway has never been the same since he's been gone. So, today, on the day following a glittering new production of COMPANY at Lincoln Center - with the complete dance sequence "Tick Tock" fully restored, now with five dancers - we take a tip of the top hat to the tops in taps, temerity and truthfulness onstage - the one and only Michael Bennett.

Three-time Tony Award-winning scenic designer ROBIN WAGNER and esteemed costume designer LEWIS BROWN are among the 2011 TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards recipients. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, April 8 at 6:30pm at the Hudson Theatre (145 West 44th Street). Mr. Brown was selected to receive the 2011 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for costume design, and Tony Award-winning scenic designer Robin Wagner will receive the Robert L.B. Tobin Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatrical Design. Sadly, Mr. Brown passed away in January of 2011. His award will be accepted by his long-time colleague and friend, Albert Wolsky, who was the recipient of the 2010 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present the smash-hit Broadway Musical Urinetown, featuring Broadway star Andrea McArdle, April 14 - 17 & 27 - 30, 2011 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre on the Storrs campus.

Dundalk Community Theatre continues its 2010/11 season with Reginald Rose's stage version of Twelve Angry Men through March 6th. Individual tickets are $22 for adults, $19 for senior adults and $14 for students/DCT Actors/Children 12 and under. The CCBC Box Office between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at 443-840-2787, or visit www.ccbcmd.edu/performingarts/dct.html . The CCBC Box Office is also open two hours before each performance for ticket sales.

Dundalk Community Theatre continues its 2010/11 season with Reginald Rose's stage version of Twelve Angry Men from February 25th - March 6th.

Three-time Tony Award-winning scenic designer ROBIN WAGNER and esteemed costume designer LEWIS BROWN are among the 2011 TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards recipients. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, April 8 at 6:30pm at the Hudson Theatre (145 West 44th Street). Mr. Brown was selected to receive the 2011 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for costume design, and Tony Award-winning scenic designer Robin Wagner will receive the Robert L.B. Tobin Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatrical Design. Sadly, Mr. Brown passed away in January of 2011. His award will be accepted by his long-time colleague and friend, Albert Wolsky, who was the recipient of the 2010 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award

Dundalk Community Theatre continues its 2010/11 season with Reginald Rose's stage version of Twelve Angry Men from February 25th - March 6th.

A little know fact is that Carol Channing was Betty's roommate in the early days of their careers, before either of them became successful. About Betty's death, Carol had this to say 'No one could have had a dearer sweeter more unselfish roommate than Betty Garrett. To save me after I was fired from the Borstht Circuit (Camp Cataminm), she kept encouraging me. She was gorgeously talented and funny herself. My deep gratitude goes with her.'

Broadway star Betty Garrett died in Los Angeles at the age of 91. Garrett died Saturday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, most likely from an aortic aneurysm, according to her son Garrett Parks. Garrett was in good health and even taught her musical comedy class at Theater West on Wednesday night. Theater West is a non-profit organization which she helped found. Friday, she checked into the hospital with heart trouble and died the next morning, with her family at her side.

Musical Theatre West is proud to announce the opening of its production of CATS at the beautiful 1,070-seat Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. CATS previews February 11 and runs February 12 through February 27, 2011. Dana Solimando directs and choreographs Musical Theatre West's production of CATS with musical direction by Dennis Castellano.

Today we are taking a look and a listen to the biggest and brightest Broadway beacons of the year that was, all amidst the dismal landscape of the Street as we now know it, though I won't name names or titles (hyphenated or otherwise). Between the ultimate diva triptych of Barbra, Liza and Cher each releasing not only new albums in 2010, but also DVDs of their work - and, in Cher's case, a smash-hit big-screen original movie musical, BURLESQUE, to the stars-on-the-rise of two leading men of far off shores - Stuart Matthew Price and David Campbell. In a year with far too few new cast albums, these solo albums certainly shine with lots of luster. On Broadway it might have been the year of epic disaster, but on record we may be able to find the Broadway we knew and loved once in any number of these highly-recommended releases. Oh, yeah - and Sondheim, too!

Every year bars across the state are jam-packed with New Year's Eve celebrants fighting three-deep crowds for drinks and watching the latest teen sensation on television, but this year Performance Network Theatre offers a welcome alternative for ringing in the New Year with style.

After only five weeks, Performance Network Theatre's production of the musical comedy, 'The Drowsy Chaperone' has broken box office records.

Performance Network Theatre announces it's production of 'The Drowsy Chaperone' with book by Bob Martin and Don Mckeller and musics and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. The musical comedy, which recently received the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, will run November 11 through December 26, 2010. 'The Drowsy Chaperone' is directed by Carla Milarch (Little Shop of Horrors, The Baker's Wife, The Fantasticks) with Musical Direction by R. MacKenzie Lewis (Little Shop of Horrors, The Baker's Wife) and stars Naz Edwards, Scott Crownover, Phil Powers, Andrea Mellos, Mark Hammell, Matt Anderson, Eva Rosenwald, Linda Rabin Hammell, Brian Thibault, Lisa Lauren Smith, Charlie Sutherland, Pete Podolski and Phill Harmer.

After only five weeks, Performance Network Theatre's production of the musical comedy, 'The Drowsy Chaperone' has broken box office records.

After only five weeks, Performance Network Theatre's production of the musical comedy, 'The Drowsy Chaperone' has broken box office records.

Listening to the popular theatre critic/journalist Peter Filichia talk about musicals can be twice as entertaining as half the shows on Broadway.  Ever hear his story about the audience reaction at the first preview of Bring Back Birdie?  Or the way he one-upped David Merrick after being tossed out of a preview of 42nd Street?  Or the exact moment he could tell, while watching an out-of-town tryout of Company, that Dean Jones would not be playing Bobby for long?

The New York Philharmonic will present Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking Company, with an all-star cast led by Neil Patrick Harris, star of the hit television series, How I Met Your Mother, on April 7-9, 2011. The award-winning musical will be produced and directed by Lonny Price, who directed and co-produced last season's SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert!, and will be conducted by Sondheim specialist Paul Gemignani, with the original orchestrations for a 35-piece orchestra by Jonathan Tunick. More details will be announced at a later date.

In a recent interview with PBS, Jeffrey Brown sits down with the legendary Stephen Sondheim to chat about 'his life, career and the art of writing music, lyrics and rhymes that stand the test of time.' Click below to watch the interview!

Thousands of patrons are flocking to Performance Network's production of 'The Drowsy Chaperone' making it the most popular Performance Network show in years. Now Ann Arbor's award-winning professional theatre offers patrons a chance to go behind the scenes with the cast, crew and director of this season's most beloved musical.

Every year bars across the state are jam-packed with New Year's Eve celebrants fighting three-deep crowds for drinks and watching the latest teen sensation on television, but this year Performance Network Theatre offers a welcome alternative for ringing in the New Year with style.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) is pleased to announce the full company of the new Broadway production of Anything Goes, starring Tony Award winner Sutton Foster as 'Reno Sweeney' and Tony and Academy Award winner Joel Grey as 'Moonface Martin.'

The composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim is the most important artist to work in the American musical theatre over the past half-century. He has not only collaborated on more than a dozen landmark shows and written countless standard songs, but has also been the single most influential force in bringing the Broadway musical into the modern age.

The Public Theater will present the third Public Forum event, 'The Public Forum: Sondheim/Kushner,' held at the New York University's Skirball Center on Monday, November 29 at 8 p.m. Curated by Jeremy McCarter, The Public Forum is an exciting new series of lectures, debates and conversations that showcase leading voices in the arts, politics and the media. Tickets are $25 and currently on sale to Public Theater members. Any remaining single tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, November 17.

Due to record-breaking ticket sales before it has even opened, Performance Network Theatre will extend it's production of 'The Drowsy Chaperone' for an additional week past it's originally scheduled run. This musical comedy, with book by Bob Martin and Don Mckeller and musics and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, will now run through January 2.