Follow the Star - 1975 - London Fringe Articles Page 15

Opera, orchestral and pop music are on the menu at Lincoln Center Festival (today, July 5-August 5). Highlights include the New York premieres of two operas: Kaija Saariaho and Amin Maalouf's monodrama Émilie on July 19, 21 and 22 performed by soprano Elizabeth Futral and directed by Marianne Weems and inspired by the life of French mathematician Émilie du Chatelet; and Guo Wenjing's chamber opera, Feng Yi Ting on July 26, 27 and 28, based on an ancient story of a legendary beauty who was the central figure in a dangerous rivalry, directed by Atom Egoyan. July 20, 21 and 22 the Paris Opera Ballet will perform the U.S. premiere of Pina Bausch's dance/opera Orpheus and Eurydice to music by C.W. Gluck. On July 20, the Festival features a 70th birthday tribute to the late soul music icon Curtis Mayfield with a star line-up including Sinead O'Connor, Aloe Blacc and The Impressions. On July 11, John Adams leads the Juilliard Orchestra and London's Royal Academy of Music in concertin Avery Fisher Hall. Imogen Cooper is the piano soloist.

Bruce Springsteen will be honored as the 2013 MusiCares® Person of the Year on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. It was announced today by Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the MusiCares Foundation® and The Recording Academy®, and Scott Pascucci, Chair of the MusiCares Foundation Board. Proceeds from the 23rd annual benefit gala dinner and concert - to be held in Los Angeles during GRAMMY® Week two days prior to the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards® - will provide essential support for MusiCares (www.musicares.org), which ensures that music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical, and personal need. Arranger/composer and nationally renowned music producer Rob Mathes will be the evening's musical director.

Opera, orchestral and pop music are on the menu at Lincoln Center Festival (July 5-August 5). Highlights include the New York premieres of two operas: Kaija Saariaho and Amin Maalouf's monodrama Émilie on July 19, 21 and 22 performed by soprano Elizabeth Futral and directed by Marianne Weems and inspired by the life of French mathematician Émilie du Chatelet; and Guo Wenjing's chamber opera, Feng Yi Ting on July 26, 27 and 28, based on an ancient story of a legendary beauty who was the central figure in a dangerous rivalry, directed by Atom Egoyan. July 20, 21 and 22 the Paris Opera Ballet will perform the U.S. premiere of Pina Bausch's dance/opera Orpheus and Eurydice to music by C.W. Gluck. On July 20, the Festival features a 70th birthday tribute to the late soul music icon Curtis Mayfield with a star line-up including Sinead O'Connor, Aloe Blacc and The Impressions. On July 11, John Adams leads the Juilliard Orchestra and London's Royal Academy of Music in concertin Avery Fisher Hall. Imogen Cooper is the piano soloist.

The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake offers a dazzling new production of the 1996 musical RAGTIME that makes a case for the show as a great American musical. A terrific cast wins standing ovations nightly at the Festival Theater where the show plays until October 14.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, June 3, 2012 - Sunday, June 3, 2012.

The admirable mission of Gigi Naglak and MeghAnn Williams, writer/performers of Chlamydia Dell'Arte: A Sex Ed Burlesque, is to remove some of the awkwardness in open discussions about human sexuality by treating intimate issues with humor.  Their modestly produced show, which just completed a week-long run at Los Kabayitos, is obviously built to travel, coming to Gotham via stints in Philly and DC, and the amiable pair pulls off their mission with endearing enthusiasm.

The Fred Ebb Foundation (Mitchell Bernard, Trustee) in association with the York Theatre (James Morgan, Artistic Director) presents an invitation-only showcase presentation entitled Trunk and Disorderly: Songs from the Deep Dark Trunk of Jeff Blumenkrantz, who received the 2011 Fred Ebb Award. The presentation will feature Drew Gehling, Dee Hoty, Dee Roscioli, and Sarah Stiles.

The Fred Ebb Foundation (Mitchell Bernard, Trustee) in association with the York Theatre (James Morgan, Artistic Director) is pleased to present an invitation-only showcase presentation entitled Trunk and Disorderly: Songs from the Deep Dark Trunk of Jeff Blumenkrantz, who received the 2011 Fred Ebb Award. The presentation will feature Drew Gehling, Dee Hoty, Dee Roscioli, and Sarah Stiles.

Today we are kicking off BroadwayWorld's exclusive multi-part InDepth InterView series focusing on the New York Pops 29th Birthday Gala concert celebrating the music and musicals of Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty, JOURNEY ON, that will take place at Carnegie Hall on April 30 at 7 PM by taking to the lyricist half of the lauded Tony Award-winning songwriting team herself, the thoughtful and candid Lynn Ahrens. In a wide-ranging conversation covering many of her theatrical collaborations with Stephen Flaherty from their first musical, LUCKY STIFF, in the 1980s, to their Tony-winning success with RAGTIME in the 1990s, to their astounding slate of shows since - SEUSSICAL: THE MUSICAL, DESSA ROSE and THE GLORIOUS ONES included - all the way up to 2012 and their new musical in pre-production in Germany, ROCKY, based on the iconic 1975 Oscar-winning Sylvester Stallone-starring boxing film. Ahrens also shares firsthand news on the new Ahrens & Flaherty musical based on the art and life of Degas and the upcoming feature film version of LUCKY STIFF, directed by Christopher Ashley, as well as reflects on her work for the stage, page and screen outside of her work with Flaherty - songs for SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK and songs for the hit indie musical film CAMP among them. Plus, Ahrens shares her enthusiasm for her many collaborators and the performers famous for interpreting her work as well as relates her excitement for the star-studded JOURNEY ON concert spectacular at Carnegie Hall. All of that and much, much more!

The April 2012 at the B. B. King Blues Club and Grill, NYC, has been announced, featuring Melanie and Oleta Adams.

On Sunday February 12 LA's Next Great Stage Star brought its annual six-week singing competition to a rivetingly pulsating conclusion @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. Twenty contestants who began on Sunday January 8 performed, and 14 judges then narrowed the group to five finalists. Not an easy task, as this year's contestants were all immensely talented vocalists who gave their all to every single performance! Once the five finalists were announced, each performed one more time in order for the judges to pick a winner. Lovely Chelsea Emma Franko from Apple Valley took the top prize. In second place is Carrie St. Louis. Tyson Pyles and David Michael Laffey tied for third place, and in fourth, sweet, petite Justine Huxley. Audience had assigned points to the contestants for the first five weeks and the judges weighted these results as part of the final voting.

With George Clooney's 'The Ides of March' - which he directed and in which he also stars -- receiving critical kudos and film festival acclaim, 'Reel 13' will unspool his directorial debut, 2002 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,' on February 11 at 11:20 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

CLOO will feature a 24-hour marathon of the classic television series MANNIX on Saturday, January 28 starting at 6 AM. A long-time fan of the show, Ted Linhart, senior vice president of research for USA Network and CLOO, chose his favorite 12 episodes to be a part of the marathon which feature a variety of episodes including Diane Keaton in one of her earliest roles.

With George Clooney's 'The Ides of March' - which he directed and in which he also stars -- receiving critical kudos and film festival acclaim, 'Reel 13' will unspool his directorial debut, 2002 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,' on February 11 at 11:20 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

CLOO will feature a 24-hour marathon of the classic television series MANNIX on Saturday, January 28 starting at 6 AM. A long-time fan of the show, Ted Linhart, senior vice president of research for USA Network and CLOO, chose his favorite 12 episodes to be a part of the marathon which feature a variety of episodes including Diane Keaton in one of her earliest roles.

Roundabout Theatre Company will present the national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the 2011 Tony® Award winning Broadway musical theatre masterpiece. Roundabout Theatre Company's ANYTHING GOES sets sail at Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare in October 2012. Following its opening in Cleveland, Roundabout Theatre Company's ANYTHING GOES will cruise into more than 25 other cities during the 2012/2013 season including the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts this year honors singer Barbara Cook, singer and songwriter Neil Diamond, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins, and actress Meryl Streep as their 2011 honorees. The special broadcast of the gala will air on December 27 on CBS. BroadwayWorld is excited to present special video coverage of Broadway's own Barbara Cook and more... Here is what President Obama had to say.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts this year honors singer Barbara Cook, singer and songwriter Neil Diamond, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins, and actress Meryl Streep as their 2011 honorees. The special broadcast of the gala will air on December 27 on CBS. BroadwayWorld is excited to present special photos and coverage of Broadway's own Barbara Cook and more... Here is what President Obama had to say.

Having composed the musical scores for some of the biggest films of the century so far, Alexandre Desplat has displayed an uncanny ability to tap into the thoughts, emotions and even the very dramatic themes inherent in properties as diverse as - just to use his most recent projects as examples - TWILIGHT: NEW MOON, HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, Roman Polanski's THE GHOST WRITER and CARNAGE, Stephen Daldry's upcoming EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE, George Clooney's THE IDES OF MARCH (another stage-to-screen adaptation like CARNAGE), Terrence Malick's THE TREE OF LIFE, as well as the main theme for MY WEEK WITH MARILYN - performed on the soundtrack by noted pianist Lang Lang. Discussing all aspects of his compositional process as well as outlining his interactions with the respective directors of each entity - his ongoing collaboration with Roman Polanski, first and foremost - Desplat and I delve into the delicate art of film composing and how he has achieved such great success and international acclaim for his incredibly impressive work on a heady list of projects in a relatively short period of time - last year's Best Picture Oscar-winner THE KING'S SPEECH included. Desplat and I also touch on some of his own favorite film composers and he shares his opinions on Broadway and Hollywood music icons such as Bernstein, Sondheim, Cole Porter, Michel Legrand, fellow Modern Music Master Mark Isham and also sheds some light on his plans for the future - and much, much more!

MCC Theater has announced the complete cast for the newly reworked and fully re-imagined production of Carrie, the musical. Carrie features music by Michael Gore, lyrics by Dean Pitchford (Academy Award winning composer and lyricist for the original film Fame) and a book by Lawrence D. Cohen (who also adapted the 1974 novel by Stephen King for the 1976 Brian DePalma film). Directed by Stafford Arima, performances for Carrie begin January 31, 2012, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC). The official opening night is set for March 1, 2012.

Queen, one of the most dynamic and influential rock bands of all time, will be honoured with the Global Icon Award at the '2011 MTV EMA', MTV announced today. The legendary rock band will also take the stage for a special performance.

Queen, one of the most dynamic and influential rock bands of all time, will be honoured with the Global Icon Award at the '2011 MTV EMA', MTV announced today. The legendary rock band will also take the stage for a special performance.

Today, in an extension of the FLASH FRIDAY column, we are sharpening our focus on the six upcoming revivals of musicals that are soon to hit the boards in the next few months (post-FOLLIES) and battle it out for the Best Revival as the Broadway season heats up just when the weather begins to cool: the classic Jule Styne/Bob Merrill musical that originally starred that star-of-stars, Barbra Streisand - FUNNY GIRL; the groundbreaking rock opera that rewrote the theatrical rulebook thanks to young creators Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice - JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR; the hippie, flower child take on the Christ story covering some similar Biblical ground to that of SUPERSTAR, with this one being the composing debut of WICKED songwriter Stephen Schwartz - GODSPELL; another Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice collaboration that won seven Tony Awards and acted as the vehicle for Patti LuPone's blazing Broadway debut in a starring role - EVITA; the significantly reworked, revised and rewritten new version of the beautifully scored time-travel musical by Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner, this time starring a male movie star crooner - ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER; and, the landmark American opera composed by the Gershwins with DuBose Haywerd - PORGY & BESS. While each and every one of these entities has a huge hit song or two that nearly everyone on the planet knows by heart - "Don't Rain On My Parade", "I Don't Know How To Love Him", "Day By Day", "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", "On A Clear Day…" and 'Summertime' included - each of these revivals also comes after a film version (or two) that, in more than a few of these cases, will be relatively difficult to top as far as expectations of many audience members undoubtedly will go. So, by taking a listen to the smash hit crossover songs from these musicals as well as looking at their respective film version's trailers - as well as a couple of surprises, too - perhaps we can glean some insight into what makes these generally pretty terrific properties so well worth reviving on Broadway, here, now, today, in 2011. Furthermore, all of this crystal ball commentary is not even taking into account the starry assortment of performers that have already been announced for these productions so far - especially with FUNNY GIRL's Lauren Ambrose and Bobby Cannavale, GODSPELL's Hunter Parrish, SUPERSTAR's lauded Josh Young, EVITA's Ricky Martin and Michael Cerveris, PORGY's Norm Lewis and Audra McDonald, as well as the leading man in what was once a leading lady's role (that of Barbara Harris) in ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER, Harry Connick, Jr.! What a tight race it is turning out to be for these new productions, particularly come Tony time in June! With rock to rhumba and borscht belt comedy to messianic hosannas and even full-out opera, seemingly every conceivable customer base is more than covered by this packed, potentially, well, awesome, season of shows - and many Broadway babies around BroadwayWorld are undoubtedly looking most forward to these six forthcoming revivals - with particularly good reason given the relative dearth of new musicals announced so far. So, let these revivals revive your flagging spirits as we leap into the 2011-2012 season with this comprehensive prospective and retrospective all about what makes them work so well in the first place and so worthy of another look!

Popejoy Presents is thrilled to announce their 2011-12 Broadway in New Mexico Series in Albuquerque, featuring the New Mexico premiere of the Broadway phenomenon Disney's The Lion King in October 2012 at Popejoy Hall.

One of the great stage actors of our time once gave a chilling performance on the small screen that lured tourists to Broadway.