Changes - 1980 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 6

What did our critic think? Chris Cavazza as George and Lindsey Fabian as Dot are stellar in this production of one of Sondheim's most uncompromising shows.

Expect cross dressing, deceit, and general campy comedic hijinks.

Drew Gasparini is a composer who has been writing Broadway scores for more than a decade-and-a-half. He shared that in mid-2018 the producers from Gorgeous Entertainment were reaching out to his agents asking about his interest in submitting songs for a new musical production of The Karate Kid. 

Due to current health issues Alan White will not be taking part on the forthcoming 50th Anniversary Close to the Edge UK Tour. Alan was really looking forward to playing live again preparing to celebrate 50 years with Yes, having joined the band for the July 1972 Close to the Edge Tour, coming full circle in 2022.  Alan’s close friend Jay Schellen will be taking on drumming duties in Alan’s place.     

With a little poetic license and some help from one of the show's most famous lines, the Tony Award winning 42nd Street presented by Fleet Landing will open at Jacksonville's iconic Alhambra Theatre & Dining on May 12 for a limited four-week run. The tenth longest-running show in Broadway history is celebrating is 42nd anniversary, having opened on August 25, 1980 at the Winter Garden Theatre. 

An era will be over.

Based on the hit 1980 film and the television series it spawned, FAME: THE MUSICAL has burst into Crown Theatre to tell the story of a group of aspiring performers. This production bills itself as being by Western Australians, for Western Australians, and in doing so shows that WA is indeed home to many talented performers and creatives. Read our critic's review.

Dear Readers, if you’ve ever been to a Showtunes show, you know the amount of joy and fun that floods off the stage from those insanely talented performers. And their current production of “9 to 5: The Musical” is no exception.

Today, the GRAMMY Award-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) self-releases its 14th commercial album, Opalescent, marking the group's 40th anniversary as a touring ensemble. Dedicated to the memory of the brilliant Australian composer Phillip Houghton, it features his pieces Opals and Wave Radiance, exploring the synesthetic intermingling of light and sound. Other works include Andrew York’s Hidden Realm of Light, Kevin Callahan’s Alki Point, Matt Greif’s arrangement of Michael Hedges’ Aerial Boundaries, Frederic Hand’s Chorale, Robert Beaser’s Chaconne, and Tilman Hoppstock’s Suite Transcendent. 

Spring has sprung and the great weather calls for a great book to enjoy outdoors! You're in luck, because this year, Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind. From theatre biographies to theatre fiction; theatre books for kids to theatre history; check out our collection of 28 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's spring reading list.

On Friday, April 8, 2022, the GRAMMY Award-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) will self-release its fourteenth commercial album, Opalescent, marking the group's 40th anniversary as a touring ensemble.

Desert Theatreworks has produced another winner: Neil Simon’s I OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES. This story, with its emphasis on rekindling father-daughter love, is deeper than many of his plays. The two casts make the audience care about the characters. Director Daniela Ryan has done a superb job of coaxing brilliant performances from both.

The original drum kit used in the Quarry Men, the pre-Beatles group formed by John Lennon and Madonna’s iconic “Material Girl” pink gown ensemble, will headline a lineup featuring over 1,000 spectacular collectibles and memorabilia owned and used by some of the world’s most influential and music artists of our time will be offered.

Emmy Award winning screen writer and director Todd Robinson is known for his work on White Squall, Lonely Hearts, The Last Full Measure and more. But a little known fact about Robinson is that he was the college roommate and best friend of Jonathan Larson.

The most important figure in musical theatre history is gone; let's celebrate his life by listening to his incredible works. Reviewer Peter Nason gets you started by listing his choices for the 91 greatest Sondheim songs.

Tommy Faragher, a long-time denizen of the entertainment industry, will next be onstage playing live for JOHN LLOYD YOUNG: SOLID GOLD at Feinstein’s at Vitello’s October 22nd and 23rd. Had the chance to delve into Tommy’s storied resume as a producer, composer, songwriter, arranger, and musician.

Those of us too young to have identified with the Rat Pack of the 50's and 60's, a group of Hollywood A-listers including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, can easily resonate with the themes of the 1980's teen-oriented coming of age films whose soundtrack defined the era. Excellently crafted and superbly performed, this all-new production-built specifically for Feinstein's at the Nikko by the original creative team, crackles with energy and timeless emotional catharsis.

Get out the Aqua-Net and leg warmers, Hershey Area Playhouse is taking you back to the 80's with their return to live theater, Rock of Ages. The show is both fun and funny. It doesn't take itself so seriously, in fact, at one point it makes a self-referential comment that the show is nothing but 'poop jokes and Whitesnake'.

Catch Birdland favorites Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble, Jim Caruso’s Cast Party, The Lineup with Susie Mosher, and David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band all month long for only .99 cents when booked in advance! There are a limited number of these tickets available for each show so booking early is advised. 

Live theatre returns to the Coachella Valley with the Desert Rose Playhouse's THE MISS FIRECRACKER CONTEST, in Desert Rose's new Palm Springs venue. The production is worth seeing, with fine acting, direction, and visual design.

Aside from the subtle musical and lyrical nod to Bruce Springsteen's 'Born In The USA', Bluenose B takes influences from the likes of Glass Animals, David Bowie and Prince, to name a few.

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts today announced the re-launch of its beloved flagship series, Broadway @ the Ordway. Broadway @ the Ordway 2021-2022 includes four popular musicals: 'Fiddler on the Roof,' 'Summer: The Donna Summer Musical,' 'An Officer and a Gentleman' and 'Waitress.'

Like the classic movies and tv shows of yesteryear, every once in awhile something comes along that takes you down memory lane and allows you for even just a fleeting moment to live outside of your present tense. Like a warm blanket just out of the dryer the memories envelop themselves around you and put you at ease in comfort, joy, and sometimes in sadness and pain. All of these lessons and more make up the root of the story in Luis Santeiro’s The Lady from Havana. Set to the tune of these classic films and tv shows like The Golden Girls, Miami Vice, etc.... The Lady from Havana tells the story of a daughter Marita, her elderly mother Mama, and her Mama’s closest confidant Zoila in 1980’s Miami all living under the same roof.

The track was produced by David Ellefson & Andy Martongelli, mixed by Alessio Garavello in Wembley, England and mastered by Maor Appelbaum in Los Angeles, CA. The video is directed by Elia Turra for Fisheye Studio in Verona, Italy.

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the 91 greatest Sondheim songs from stage, screen and beyond. See if your favorites made the cut! What's at #1?