Elvis People - 2007 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 18

Veteran Las Vegas performer Steve Connolly stars as the legendary Elvis Presley in the stage production SPIRIT OF THE KING, which premiered March 6 for an open-ended engagement in the Cascade Lounge of the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs. Dubbed "The hardest working KING in show biz," Steve Connolly has performed as Elvis Presley more than 4,000 times in his career and was chosen by the Las Vegas Review Journal's staff as "Best Elvis in Las Vegas" in 2006 and 2007. I had the chance sit down recently with Mr. Connolly to talk about his career and "all things Elvis". He was charming, funny, charismatic -- and, holds "The King" and his legacy in great reverence. Here are a few highlights from our brief chat:

Veteran Las Vegas performer Steve Connolly stars as the legendary Elvis Presley in the stage production SPIRIT OF THE KING, which premiered March 6 for an open-ended engagement in the Cascade Lounge of the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs. Dubbed "The hardest working KING in show biz," Steve Connolly has performed as Elvis Presley more than 4,000 times in his career and was chosen by the Las Vegas Review Journal's staff as "Best Elvis in Las Vegas" in 2006 and 2007. I had the chance to see the production on opening night and again this week and it could, and very well should, become one of the "must see" attractions in Palm Springs. But, even though Connolly is at the top of his game, it just misses the mark. It is, however, still a "work in progress" and so I have extremely high hopes for its success.

Based on the book of the same title by Jaap Polak and Ina Soep Polak, STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME, a new opera with music by Gerald Cohen and libretto by Deborah Brevoort, will have its premiere in Scarsdale and New York City, NY in late April, 2013. STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME is a love story set in two concentration camps during World War II. It is based on the true story of Jaap and Ina Polak, whom the composer has known for the last 25 years, and who just celebrated their 100th and 90th birthdays.

Olympia Entertainment announces the return of Jimmy Buffett and The Coral Reefer Band to Comerica Park on Saturday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m., as part of Jimmy Buffett's "Songs from St. Somewhere Tour 2013" with special guest Jackson Browne and His Band. Doors open at 6 p.m. Last July marked Michigan's largest single-night Buffett concert in history with a sold out crowd at Comerica Park.

With the premiere of One Night With Janis Joplin at the Pasadena Playhouse tonight, March 15, writer-director Randy Johnson brings yet another electrifying musical experience to Southern California audiences.

With his production of The Full Monty on national tour, and The Daughter-in-Law opening earlier this week, Artistic Director Daniel Evans announces the new season for Sheffield Theatres.

FLASHDANCE-THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation, will perform at the Majestic Theatre for eight performances June 18-23. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m., Friday, March 1.

Yoshi's San Francisco has announced newly-added shows fro March, April and June 2013, featuring Jeff Bradshaw, The Family Stone, DJ Afrika Bambaata, The Tubes feat. Fee Waybill, Dawn Richard, Freddie Jackson, Boca Do Rio, Marcus Johnson, Portland Cello Project Play Beck, Brubeck & Bach, Pharoah Sanders, Renaud Garcia-Fons, Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks and Catherine Russell. More details below.

FLASHDANCE - THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation, will make its Segerstrom Center premiere May 7 - 19, 2013.

With the premiere of One Night With Janis Joplin at the Pasadena Playhouse on March 15, writer-director Randy Johnson brings yet another electrifying musical experience to Southern California audiences.

The night Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis jammed at Sun Records is brought on stage at Hershey by director Eric Schaeffer

The Pasadena Playhouse announced that Playhouse 'Angels' and current Board Members Mike Stoller and Corky Hale Stoller are the anonymous donors whose one million dollar gift in May 2010 was vital to The Playhouse's emergence from bankruptcy that summer. It inspired additional substantial donations as a part of a matching fundraising campaign.

2012 was indeed a very good year for the art of Cabaret in New York City. Here, BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Reviewer and Columnist Stephen Hanks offers up his exclusive 'Best New York Cabaret Performers of the Year' for 2012, plus some surprising honorable mentions. Let the debates begin!

Bringing the beautiful message of Christmas to the Spencer stage - cowboy style- are the world famous Flying J Wranglers of Alto. These longtime Lincoln County entertainers celebrate the heritage of the west and the spiritual wealth of the holiday season with rich melodious western yodeling, vocals, fiddle and guitars in soaring renditions of spirituals like "Go Tell It On The Mountain" and "Beautiful City," and old time cowboy Christmas tunes like "Corn, Water and Wood," "Christmas For Cowboys" and "Yuletide Yodel." The exceptional beauty of songs like "Virgen Maria" and "Mary Did You Know?" resonates with power, as do new works like an a-cappella version of the traditional religious carol "The First Noel." (The latter is included in the Flying J Wrangler's most recent western flavored Christmas CD). Rounding off the night's repertoire are Flying J originals like James' "Riding to Ruidoso" and "White Mountain Christmas"; sizzling hot western instrumentals and ballads, and lots of down-home Flying J Wrangler humor for which the Flying J Wranglers have long won acclaim.

Celebrating Quentin Tarantino's legendary filmmaking, Lionsgate and Miramax are proud to present the TARANTINO XX: 8-Film Collection, arriving on Blu-ray Disc today, November 20th.

Broadway stars Emily Padgett and Matthew Hydzik will star as "Alex" and "Nick" in the world premiere of FLASHDANCE - THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation. Padgett and Hydzik will be joined on stage by the legendary Rachelle Rak in the role of "Tess." Sergio Trujillo, director and choreographer for the production returned to the home of FLASHDANCE and launch of the world premiere, Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall, to announce the lead casting from a press conference. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Kevin McMahon, CEO of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, were also on hand to welcome the cast and creative team to Pittsburgh and to make a proclamation, naming January 1, 2013 as FLASHDANCE DAY. Celebrating its 30th Anniversary,FLASHDANCE kicks off a national tour January 1-6 at Heinz Hall and continues on to more than 20 cities with additional bookings to be announced:

GREASE, il musical dei record prodotto dalla Compagnia della Rancia, festeggia i 15 anni esatti dal suo debutto italiano e ritorna in grande stile al Teatro Brancaccio in una nuovissima edizione. Nel cast troviamo Riccardo Simone Berdini nel ruolo di Danny; Serena Carradori e Floriana Monici tornano ad interpretare rispettivamente Sandy e Rizzo.

Versatile raconteur Garrison Keillor will return to the New York Philharmonic as narrator and vocalist for Mr. Keillor at 70 with pianist Richard Dworsky and vocalist Christine DiGiallonardo tonight, October 16, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. in an evening conducted by conductor and pianist Rob Fisher.

Beginning with two sold-out shows in Newfoundland on September 7 & 8th to the closing night in Victoria, BC on September 29th, JOHN FOGERTY rocked his way through Canada night after night, solidifying his stature as a rock and roll icon and songwriter extraordinaire.

Following an SRO engagement of his acclaimed theatrical concert BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman Theatre last May, two-time Tony Award nominated and Emmy Award winning performer ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS returns to the cabaret stage! His latest theatrical concert, I PUT A SPELL ON YOU will be performed for two shows only, Friday evenings October 5 and 12 at The Laurie Beechman Theatre Downstairs at The West Bank Café (407 West 42 Street).

Fresh off its acclaimed run at the Cleveland Play House, One Night with Janis Joplin will take D.C. audiences on a musical journey into the life and inspirations of one of rock 'n' roll's greatest legends. The production is led by Cleveland native Mary Bridget Davies, who performs with Joplin's original band Big Brother and the Holding Company, and also features Sabrina Elayne Carten as the Blues Singer who pays homage to the artists that influenced Joplin's incomparable blues-rock blend. Created, written and directed by Randy Johnson, the production is produced in partnership with Cleveland Play House in association with Todd Gershwin and Daniel Chilewich of Premiere Media, with support from The Estate of Janis Joplin and Jeff Jampol of JAM, Inc. One Night with Janis Joplin runs September 28 - November 4, 2012 in the Kreeger Theater. Check out photos from the show's opening night party below!

Fort Worth Opera revealed today the names of the composers whose works have been selected for participation in the first season of the company's exciting, annual new works program, Frontiers, making its debut May 6 - 11, 2013. The showcase will present eight unpublished works by composers from the Americas during the last week of the 2013 Opera Festival in the McDavid Studio across from Bass Hall in downtown Fort Worth.

Versatile raconteur Garrison Keillor will return to the New York Philharmonic as narrator and vocalist for Mr. Keillor at 70 with pianist Richard Dworsky and vocalist Christine DiGiallonardo on October 16, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. in an evening conducted by conductor and pianist Rob Fisher.

Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Marc Cohn has been obsessed with pop music for as long as he can remember: "I was hooked from day one. My older brother had a band that rehearsed in our basement, so I heard Bacharach, The Beatles, Ray Charles, and Motown coming up through the floorboards from the time I was six years old. By the time I was eleven though, the Beatles were breaking up and singer-songwriters were breaking through, and a lot of that music really resonated for me"

Original Celtic Thunder vocalist Paul Byrom decided in Fall of 2010 to leave the group, in order to re-locate to the States and launch his worldwide solo career with a new solo recording. The resulting album, THIS IS THE MOMENT has been released and is available online and at all shows. Byrom's concert tour will take him to the New York area tonight, Sept 21, 2012. He will be at B.B. Kings Blues Club and Grill.