Come Out to Play - 1940 - West End Articles Page 13

What I found so utterly engaging about the world premiere of Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's new musical BRIGHT STAR is its complete unpretentiousness. Certainly its musical style --American bluegrass with a heaping helping of laid back mountain charm -- has the kind of lilting homespun ease that makes you feel like you're listening to the neighborhood jug band on mama's back porch, and there's something oddly comforting about that.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces its theater, music, dance, lectures and Theater for Young Audiences programming for the 2014-2015 Season, which begins today, October 7-19 with the Edinburgh-based Puppet State Theatre Company production of The Man Who Planted Trees in the Lovelace Studio Theater; and in the Bram Goldsmith Theater a new lecture series in partnership with Writers Bloc, presenting a conversation with Leon Panetta on October 15 and Marsalis Well Tempered: An Evening with Branford Marsalis featuring the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia on October 16.

'The Merry Wives of Windsor,' a version of which is now on stage at Great Lakes Theatre, is considered by many literary critics to be one of Shakespeare's 'lesser' plays. Not bad, just not up to the dramatic level of the great writer, though its farcical nature is often praised.

Director Amber Jackson has assembled a brilliant cast, creating an anarchic and, yes, surreal atmosphere in which anything and everything can happen. Zachary Fernebok's performance of Dali is priceless, and Jos. B. Musumeci Jr.'s set is a perfect evocation of the surreal atmosphere of Obolensky's play.

Today we are talking to a multi-award-winning stage and screen musical master all about the forthcoming Fathom presentation of his new musical FROM HERE TO ETERNITY premiering in movie theaters nationwide early next month, the sharp and affable Sir Tim Rice. Outlining his impetus for pursuing a musical adaptation of the acclaimed novel upon which the multi-Academy Award-winning film is based, Rice reveals what drew him to the project as well as what viewers can expect from the dense, complex and majestic score created along with composer Stuart Brayson for the enterprise. Additionally, Rice sheds some light on the specifics of crafting the show, with a special emphasis on the controversial elements contained within the material. Plus, Rice shares specific examples of how some of the biggest showstoppers in the rich and varied score were crafted, as well as his impressions of the impeccable cast featured in the stage version, and, now, the Fathom film - and preliminary prospective plans for an American production, too. Furthermore, Rice reflects on his work with recently deceased entertainment icons Robin Williams, on ALADDIN; Lauren Bacall, on THE FAN; and Richard Attenborough on the JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT film. Also, Rice shares new details on the forthcoming 30th anniversary 3-disc special edition of CHESS set to be released next month. All of that and much, much more awaits!

The Shakespeare Theatre Company announces its 2014-2015 ReDiscovery Series with a selection of five plays by significant women playwrights of the early 20th Century, directed by local D.C. directors. The first reading to kick off the series will be Chains of Dew by Susan Glaspell, directed by Holly Twyford, on Monday, September 15.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces its theater, music, dance, lectures and Theater for Young Audiences programming for the 2014-2015 Season, which begins October 7-19 with the Edinburgh-based Puppet State Theatre Company production of The Man Who Planted Trees in the Lovelace Studio Theater; and in the Bram Goldsmith Theater a new lecture series in partnership with Writers Bloc, presenting a conversation with Leon Panetta on October 15 and Marsalis Well Tempered: An Evening with Branford Marsalis featuring the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia on October 16.

The final, 70th episode in the dramatization of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot stories, CURTAIN, starring David Suchet in his definitive portrayal of the Belgian detective, is now being streamed by AcornTV. This long-awaited episode, a career-capping achievement for Suchet, does not disappoint; it is among the best of the more recent Poirot episodes, and is relatively faithful to Christie's novel, written in the 1940's and published in 1975. While multiple suspicious characters and blind alleyways abound in this 90 minute adaptation, the plot does not rely as heavily on familiar Christie parlor tricks such as unbelievable double identities. Instead, it explores a much more psychological landscape, particularly in terms of Poirot himself, his longtime friend Hastings (Hugh Fraser), and a diabolical psychopath who revels in provocation rather than personal bloodletting.

From September 4-14, 2014, Houston Ballet launches its 45th season with the company premiere of John Neumeier's three-act ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream. The ballet is based on Shakespeare's lighthearted play of the same name and follows the hijinks and hilarity that ensues when a well-intentioned plan with a love potion goes awry. Created in 1977, A Midsummer Night's Dream has served as Mr. Neumeier's calling card, being seen as one of his most joyous and popular creations. Houston Ballet is the first American ballet company to perform the famous work and it is the first piece by Mr. Neumeier to enter the Houston Ballet repertoire.

Since 1971, The Kitchen has served as an important catalyst for a broad community of groundbreaking artists working across disciplines-a mission uniquely attuned to contemporary efforts by artists and arts institutions alike to collaborate and generate new contexts for the continuing evolution of multi-disciplinary art. In fact, as a smaller-scale organization, The Kitchen is unique today for providing artists of both emerging and established statures with a hot-house environment for the presentation and discussion of their work, supporting and seeking to foster a vibrant, living dialogue among artists from every field and area of culture. The institution's fall 2014 season, September 5-December 13, exemplifies this commitment.

A great, big Broadway season is on its way, with fourteen productions already slated to open in the next few months. With several weeks until the craziness begins, there is still plenty of time to catch up on what's been going on at Broadway's already occupied theaters . BroadwayWorld will be profiling the hits of the Great White Way that continue to draw crowds after months, years, and (in some cases) decades. Meet the current cast of Broadway's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA below!

Summer is just around the corner and families are already thinking about packing picnics and heading out to Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine for five music-infused evenings under the stars with Pacific Symphony. Presented by Mercedes-Benz, the Symphony's 2014 Summer Festival explodes with the annual July 4th extravaganza, featuring Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and a brilliant fireworks finale. Then it's on to classic Americana for “Gershwin Greats,” featuring guest pianist Jeffrey Biegel, soprano Angela Brown and bass Kevin Deas. Next, it's the the magnificent repertoire of Disney “Fantasia”: Live in Concert from the original 1940 version and “Fantasia 2000,” performed live as Disney's stunning footage is shown on the big screen. The fourth concert delivers the silky smooth sounds of saxophone superstar Kenny G, before the Symphony concludes the season with an OC tradition: “Tchaikovsky Spectacular,” which this year features guest pianist Jon Nakamatsu, and, of course, breathtaking cannons and fireworks during the “1812 Overture.”

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, will present two unique programs during the June 17-22, 2014 New York Season at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC.

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, will present two unique programs during the June 17-22, 2014 New York Season at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC. The schedule runs:Today at 7:30pm; Wednesday at 7pm; Thursday and Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm & 8pm; and Sunday at 2pm & 7:30pm. Tickets start at $10 and are available at JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800, in person at The Joyce Theater Box Office, or online at joyce.org.

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, will present two unique programs during its June 17-22, 2014 New York Season at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC. The schedule runs: Today at 7:30pm; Wednesday at 7pm; Thursday and Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm & 8pm; and Sunday at 2pm & 7:30pm. Tickets start at $10 and are available at JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800, in person at The Joyce Theater Box Office, or online at joyce.org.

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, will present two unique programs during the June 17-22, 2014 New York Season at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC.

As part of BroadwayWorld's expansive coverage of the 68th Annual Tony Awards, we are providing the full text of all of the Tony Award acceptance speeches; from the emotional to the bizarre, and everything in between. Keep up with all of the winners' speeches on our continuously updated list.

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, will present its 2014 Gala Performance and Dinner (featuring a raffle) on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. The performance will begin at 7pm at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC, and the Gala Dinner will follow the performance at Metropolitan Pavilion, 123 West 18th Street (between 6th and 7th Aves). This special evening will honor the company's influential, founding supporters, Donald L. Holley, Esq. and Paul Lepercq (in memoriam). Festive attire suggested. For more information and tickets, please call 212-398-5901 or email gala@rioult.org.

The 9th Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, Tennessee Williams' Circle of Friends, features humor, love, disappointment and healing that springs from friendships.

Hilda Morales was born in N.Y. City, and grew up in Puerto Rico. Her early training was with Ana Garcia of the Ballet San Juan. At 14 years of age, Ms. Morales received a Ford Foundation Scholarship to study at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet. She danced as a principal dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet, soloist with American Ballet Theatre, artist-in-residence with the Colorado Ballet and guest appearances with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Albuquerque Ballet and Jacksonville Ballet. During her dancing career, Ms. Morales performed in full-length classic ballets as well as works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, Antony Tudor, John Butler, Alvin Ailey, and Jose Limon. Ms. Morales was featured in the movie The Turning Point, in the role of Sandra, directed by Herbert Ross. She guest teaches and is on the faculty of the Central Pennsylvania summer programs, and joined The Hartt School faculty in 1998.

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, will present two unique programs during the June 17-22, 2014 New York Season at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC. The schedule runs:Tuesday at 7:30pm; Wednesday at 7pm; Thursday and Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm & 8pm; and Sunday at 2pm & 7:30pm. Tickets start at $10 and are available at JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800, in person at The Joyce Theater Box Office, or online at joyce.org.

Tony-Nominated Director Randal Myler and multi-talented Music Director Dan Wheetman return to Lone Tree Arts Center (LTAC) to create a new vision for Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn after setting the bar high with Hank Williams: Lost Highway last spring and John Denver Holiday Concert in 2012. Returning to the roots of Mark Twain's classic American folktale, this production of Big River focuses on the talent and voices of the cast as they each become storytellers.

Somehow, I think your normal GLEE-capper, Robert Lawlor, knew this was going to be a down week for GLEE when he asked me to pinch-hit for him (don't worry if you don't know what that means, it's a sports term). While I have been generally quite pleased with the majority of episodes over the last two seasons, this episode felt like a throwback to Season 2 or 3, where far too many episodes felt like simply filler. While they might have ultimately been entertaining, they primarily served as a placeholder until we got to the more plot-specific episodes. With Kurt's attack last week and Rachel's 'Funny Girl' opening a week away, this episode felt disappointingly like a very low-stakes buffer between the two.

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, will present two unique programs during the June 17-22, 2014 New York Season at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC. The schedule runs:Tuesday at 7:30pm; Wednesday at 7pm; Thursday and Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm & 8pm; and Sunday at 2pm & 7:30pm. Tickets start at $10 and are available at JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800, in person at The Joyce Theater Box Office, or online at joyce.org.

Summer is just around the corner and families are already thinking about packing picnics and heading out to Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine for five music-infused evenings under the stars with Pacific Symphony. Presented by Mercedes-Benz, the Symphony's 2014 Summer Festival explodes with the annual July 4th extravaganza, featuring Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and a brilliant fireworks finale. Then it's on to classic Americana for “Gershwin Greats,” featuring guest pianist Jeffrey Biegel, soprano Angela Brown and bass Kevin Deas. Next, it's the the magnificent repertoire of Disney “Fantasia”: Live in Concert from the original 1940 version and “Fantasia 2000,” performed live as Disney's stunning footage is shown on the big screen. The fourth concert delivers the silky smooth sounds of saxophone superstar Kenny G, before the Symphony concludes the season with an OC tradition: “Tchaikovsky Spectacular,” which this year features guest pianist Jon Nakamatsu, and, of course, breathtaking cannons and fireworks during the “1812 Overture.”