Co-Optimists - 1925 - West End Articles Page 18

Retro Productions is celebrating their 10th anniversary with, The Butter and Egg Man by George S. Kaufman. Perhaps one of Kaufman's lesser known works, The Butter and Egg Man is a wonderful comedy about producing theater and was one of Kaufman's biggest Broadway successes when it opened at the Longacre Theatre in 1925. The production is directed by Ricardo Rust, who co-produced Retro Productions, An Appeal to the Woman of the House which was nominated for 3 New York Innovative Theater Awards and won an award for Heather E. Cunningham for Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Art & culture are vital to our existence and Seattle Theatre Group's 2015-2016 season features ample offerings of live performance experiences from arts provocateurs, global masters, cultural icons, and contemporary legends.

Charged with momentum from the launch of BCMF Spring, the festival's first spring series of two concerts, the 32nd season of Long Island's longest-running classical music festival presents 11 concerts July 29 - August 23, 2015.

Retro Productions is celebrating North America's first Red Nose Day at their performances on May 20th & 21st. Red Nose Day was started by Comic Relief UK in 1988 and is now held every two years with the goal of raising funds for children and young people living in poverty. The US will celebrate its first Red Nose Day on May 21st. Retro Productions will be passing the hat after their performances of The Butter and Egg Man on May 20th & 21st and they'll also encourage their audience members and supporters to purchase red noses and tweet photos.

Following critically-acclaimed runs at London's National Theater and Philadelphia's The Wilma Theater along with recognition in Israel and throughout Europe, The Temple Emanu-El Skirball Center and the Polish Cultural Institute New York present a one-night-only staged reading of Our Class by Tadeusz S?obodzianek. The cast includes Emmy, Oscar and Tony-winner Ellen Burstyn; Obie winner Alvin Epstein; Tony-nominee Boyd Gaines; Mamie Gummer (The Good Wife, Emily Owens, M.D.); Randy Harrison (Queer as Folk); Grant Kretchik; Obie winner Brian Murray; John Pankow (Episodes, Mad About You); Obie winner Austin Pendleton. The staged reading is directed by Cosmin Chivu and includes original music by Jesse Selengut performed by Tatiana Eva-Marie (vocal), Marius Mihalache (cimbalom) and Stefan Zeniuk (clarinet). Previously announced performers, Nina Arianda, Kim Cattrall and Hunter Parrish, are no longer available to participate in the reading.

Retro Productions is celebrating their 10th anniversary with, The Butter and Egg Man by George S. Kaufman. Perhaps one of Kaufman's lesser known works, The Butter and Egg Man is a wonderful comedy about producing theater and was one of Kaufman's biggest Broadway successes when it opened at the Longacre Theatre in 1925. The production is directed by Ricardo Rust who co-produced Retro Productions, An Appeal to the Woman of the House which was nominated for 3 New York Innovative Theater Awards and won an award for Heather E. Cunningham for Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role.

Artistic Director Robert Falls announces the wide range of stories and voices that comprise Goodman Theatre's upcoming 2015/2016 Season-a 'Big-Bold-Brilliant' line-up beginning September 2015.

At a press conference held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel this morning, representatives from Legend River Entertainment (Beijing) announced that they will produce a theatrical show, entitled "Pearl", based on the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck. This show is also being co-produced by an American company, Studiomusica USA. This story, which is familiar to both the Chinese and Western audiences, will be brought to life through the art of dance, highlighting the blending of two cultures and "East meets West" in abstract form. The show will run from August 27-30, 2015 at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Led by guest conductor Donato Cabrera and featuring guest pianist Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini, this concert offers not only Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, the all-time classic synthesis of Carnegie Hall and Tin Pan Alley, but two more pieces with similar flavors from Gershwin's fellow American, George Antheil.

Following critically-acclaimed runs at London's National Theater and Philadelphia's The Wilma Theater along with recognition in Israel and throughout Europe, The Temple Emanu-El Skirball Center and the Polish Cultural Institute New York present a one-night-only staged reading of Our Class by Tadeusz Slobodzianek. The cast includes Tony-winner Nina Arianda; Emmy, Oscar and Tony-winner Ellen Burstyn; Golden Globe winner Kim Cattrall; Obie winner Alvin Epstein; Obie winner Brian Murray; television stars John Pankow and Hunter Parrish; Obie winner Austin Pendleton. The staged reading is directed by Cosmin Chivu with original music by Jesse Selengut.

With the 87th annual Academy Awards just two days away, Hollywood stars seem to be on everyone's mind. Who will win? Who will beat Meryl Streep? Will host Neil Patrick Harris take a star-studded selfie? And most importantly, which Broadway stars will take home a statue? Many stars through the years have earned both a Tony and an Oscar, and as we know from Robert Lopez's win last year, there are some industry professionals with the coveted EGOT- Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony. But did you know nine stars in history have won two awards for the same role? That is, they won a Tony for their Broadway portrayal and an Oscar for the film version. Below, take a look back at the actors who have earned this rare honor!

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is pleased to announce that single tickets for the 2015 season have now officially gone on sale.

Led by guest conductor Donato Cabrera and featuring guest pianist Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini, this concert offers not only Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, the all-time classic synthesis of Carnegie Hall and Tin Pan Alley, but two more pieces with similar flavors from Gershwin's fellow American, George Antheil.

On Her Shoulders is pleased to present a FREE staged reading of Chicago (1926) by Maurine Dallas Watkins, directed by Melody Brooks today, December 17, 2014.

The Louis Armstrong House Museum presents CoolYule! today, December 6, 2014 to welcome the holiday season. CoolYule! is the museum's first tree lighting ceremony featuring live jazz with Ben Flocks Trio and holiday treats. CoolYule! is free and open to the public. Downbeat for Ben Flocks Trio begins at 4:00 pm. The tree will be lit at 4:30pm in the Armstrong's Japanese inspired garden.

New Worlds Theatre Project (Ellen Perecman, Producing Artistic Director) has announced that it will present Peretz Hirshbein's Yiddish play, On the Other Side of the River, in a world premiere translation, beginning tonight, November 29 at 7pm at HERE, 145 Sixth Avenue. The opening night is set for Thursday, December 4. On the Other Side of the River runs through Sunday, December 21.

On Her Shoulders is pleased to present a FREE staged reading of Chicago (1926) by Maurine Dallas Watkins, directed by Melody Brooks on Wednesday, December 17, 2014.

The Louis Armstrong House Museum presents CoolYule! on Saturday, December 6, 2014 to welcome the holiday season. CoolYule! is the museum's first tree lighting ceremony featuring live jazz with Ben Flocks Trio and holiday treats. CoolYule! is free and open to the public. Downbeat for Ben Flocks Trio begins at 4:00 pm. The tree will be lit at 4:30pm in the Armstrong's Japanese inspired garden.

New Worlds Theatre Project (Ellen Perecman, Producing Artistic Director) has announced that it will present Peretz Hirshbein's Yiddish play, On the Other Side of the River, in a world premiere translation, beginning Saturday, November 29 at 7pm at HERE, 145 Sixth Avenue. The opening night is set for Thursday, December 4. On the Other Side of the River runs through Sunday, December 21.

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) announces the appointment of an all-star cast of Visiting Industry Faculty and Guest Artists to its new Technology and Applied Composition (TAC) program, an undergraduate degree offering an unparalleled foundation for success in the diverse and evolving music industry. A unique curriculum integrating compositional craft with music technology will launch a new generation of composers adept in the fields of concert music, sound design and film and game scoring. Now accepting applications for the inaugural class of 2015, the Conservatory will produce versatile graduates who thrive as individual artists and as members of a creative team.

Casting is complete for the three developmental productions featured in 2014 New Stages, a free annual festival of new American plays that also includes three staged readings.

Casting is complete for the three developmental productions featured in 2014 New Stages, a free annual festival of new American plays that also includes three staged readings.

The New York Philharmonic and Alan Gilbert continue The Nielsen Project - the Philharmonic's acclaimed multi-season survey of the six symphonies and three concertos by Danish composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) - with performances of Nielsen's Maskarade Overture and Symphonies No. 5 and No. 6, Sinfonia semplice, as well as the second release of the Philharmonic's series of recordings of Nielsen's complete symphonies and concertos.

In July, Cumberland County Playhouse and the Scopes Trial Festival in Dayton co-produced Front Page News, a new, historically accurate 'play with music' about the famous Scopes 'Monkey Trial.' Following that success, director Jim Crabtree turns to the fictional drama inspired by those events, Inherit The Wind. The play is based on elements of the Scopes trial, but also inspired by the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s. Crabtree's hymn-filled production strives to promote respect for all views. 'Working on Front Page News was a revelation,' says Crabtree. 'The more I learned the actual surrounding the Scopes Trial, the more respect I gained for the real people of Dayton. This knowledge informs our Inherit The Wind.'

When Gaston Leroux published THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA back in 1911, little did he realize the numerous chandeliers that would come crashing down through the decades, and I've witnessed a good number of them. First, in 1925, there was 'the Man of a Thousand Faces,' Lon Chaney, Sr., who frightened poor Mary Philbin (a well-done version, even IF the film was silent); then, for Universal in 1941, Claude Rains (Bette Davis' favorite co-star) was a more subdued vocal coach for soprano Susanna Foster (a wooden Nelson Eddy, alas, is a greater impending horror as 'Raoul'). I could go on - even Herbert Lom, the actor who was the harried police superior to Peter Sellers' 'Inspector Clousseau,' took a swing on the old light fixture. (And let us not forget diminutive Paul Williams in the slightly askew PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE.) All of these pale, of course, in comparison to the legendary interpretation by Michael Crawford in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, which first brought the audience to its feet in 1986.