Having Our Say - 1995 - Broadway Articles Page 10

Capital City Men's Chorus, an outstanding staple of Austin's gay community, kicks off their 25th Anniversary Season tonight with a special Fall Benefit Concert. BroadwayWorld recently sat down with Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, the choir's Artistic Director, as well as members David Nielsen and Jimmy Hickey to discuss the choir's history, their recent involvement in the It Gets Better Project, and the camaraderie that comes from singing with 50 other voices.

MEMPHIS, the 2010 Tony Winning Best Musical is preparing to launch the national tour in Appleton, WI at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, October 15th. MEMPHIS is in Boise, ID for technical rehearsal at the Morrison Center with three performances beginning October 9th - 11th.

As a ballet, THE MERRY WIDOW is an adaptation of Franz Lehar's popular romantic operetta Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), which premiered in 1905. In the process of adapting the score for ballet, John Lanchbery and Alan Abott retained the style of Franz Lehar's orchestrations and included several of the well-known tunes from the operetta. Their score premiered in 1975 when The Australian Ballet, under the Musical Direction of John Lanchbery, produced the World Premiere production with choreography by Ronald Hynd and Scenario and Staging by Sir Robert Helpmann. This grandiose and radiant ballet of THE MERRY WIDOW had its Houston Ballet Premiere on September 17, 1995 in the Brown Theater. The Houston Ballet also performed it in 1999 and 2007. Now, in 2013, the lavish production is serving as Mireille Hassenboehler's gorgeous swan song and letter of admiration to the audiences of the Houston Ballet.

Apropos of the show's most famous song and its opening lyrics, this September is precisely the time to remember the longest running show in American theatre history, THE FANTASTICKS, especially as it celebrates its 20,000th Off-Broadway performance on September 15.

Seattle Theatre Group (STG)'s mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region's cultural identity while keeping three historic venues, The Paramount, Moore and Neptune, alive and vibrant. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz, to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows - at these three iconic theatres in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound region and in Portland, Oregon. STG announces the following concerts going on sale this week.

Seattle Theatre Group (STG)'s mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region's cultural identity while keeping three historic venues, The Paramount, Moore and Neptune, alive and vibrant. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz, to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows - at these three iconic theatres in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound region and in Portland, Oregon. STG announces the following concerts going on sale this week.

Now performing at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa through June 9, Director Amanda Dehnert's beguiling new revival of THE FANTASTICKS comes to vibrant life as an old-timey vaudevillian review that just happens to have a love story woven into it. This clever, magical makeover, setting the piece in the midst of an abandoned, dilapidated amusement park called Rocky Point, has wonderfully spilled over into the show's staging, sets, costumes, and, yes, even the songs and characters, resulting in a refreshing new take on the 50-plus-years-old musical.

Jeremy Kushnier sat down with BWW on a sunny morning in Stratford to talk about his character in "Tommy", revisiting The Who's "Tommy" after 17 years, rehearsing for both "Tommy" and "Fiddler on the Roof" at the same time, and how becoming a father has changed his role as an actor.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'American Idiot' pays a visit, Circle's 'Death Takes A Holiday,' Porchlight's 'Pal Joey,' TMTC's 'Pajama Game,' plus a piano show, two children's shows, Seth Rudetsky and more, including an unbelievable roundup of current shows!

Megan Mullally is a two-time Emmy-winning star of TV's Will & Grace, and recent star of Broadway's Young Frankenstein. On April 6, she makes her New Orleans debut in the acclaimed Broadway @ NOCCA series for two shows only, at 7:30PM and 9:30PM, joined by Seth Rudetsky at piano. For tickets please visit http://www.broadwaynola.com/. Megan will also attend a special Meet and Greet reception directly following her 9:30 show that will benefit The NOCCA Institute. Tickets to the reception, which will take place at Reilly Hall at NOCCA, are also available at the above link. The Broadway @ NOCCA series is also announcing that it will initiate a new, $2,500 per-year scholarship.

In some communities, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking for short, is transforming the landscape above ground as much as it is underground and changing kids' lives for better or worse. Kids share their thoughts on this issue in the Nick News with Linda Ellerbee half-hour special, 'What's the Deal With Fracking?' premiering Monday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

She is a beast to an exceptional degree. She is a Don Juan among women. She is insatiable, unnatural and altogether fairly appalling. (Hotel Manager as Judge POWDER HER FACE, Act II, Scene 6: 1955)

The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced today the lineup for the upcoming 13th edition of FILM COMMENT SELECTS (February 18-28), Film Comment magazine's essential and eclectic film festival.

Five of the entertainment world's leading ladies will perform in New Orleans in 2013 as Seth Rudetsky's popular Broadway Concert Series makes the leap to NOCCA's Lupin Hall from its summer home at The Art House in Provincetown, MA. Patti LuPone, two-time Tony winner for Gypsy and as the legendary original Evita, will appear for two shows only on January 7th at 6:30 and 8:30. Sutton Foster, two-time Tony-winner for this year's Anything Goes and previously for Thoroughly Modern Millie and star of the ABC Family series Bunheads arrives for one show only on March 2nd at 7:30. Megan Mullally, two-time Emmy-winning star of TV's Will and Grace and star of Broadway's Young Frankenstein performs two shows only on April 6th at 7:30 and 9:30. Audra McDonald, a five-time Tony Award winner and recent star of Porgy and Bess on Broadway and TV's Private Practice will make her New Orleans debut with two shows only on May 18 at 7:30 and 9:30. Betty Buckley, the Tony winning legendary star of Cats and Sunset Boulevard will close the series on June 1 with two shows only at 7:30 and 9:30. The visiting Broadway artists will also be giving master classes for the NOCCA Institute's high school-aged musical theatre students. All five concerts are produced by Mark Cortale, long time producer/manager of Jeffery Roberson aka Varla Jean Merman, and will be hosted by Sirius/XM radio star Seth Rudetsky at the piano. The series is sponsored exclusively by the New Orleans Hotel Collection and Gambit. Tickets can be purchased at www.broadwaynola.com or by calling 800-838-3006.

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston presents Moises Kaufman's 33 VARIATIONS, tonight, January 4 - February 2, 2013.

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston presents Moises Kaufman's 33 VARIATIONS, January 4 - February 2, 2013.

Five of the entertainment world's leading ladies will perform in New Orleans in 2013 as Seth Rudetsky's popular Broadway Concert Series makes the leap to NOCCA's Lupin Hall from its summer home at The Art House in Provincetown, MA. Patti LuPone, two-time Tony winner for Gypsy and as the legendary original Evita, will appear for two shows only on January 7th at 6:30 and 8:30. Sutton Foster, two-time Tony-winner for this year's Anything Goes and previously for Thoroughly Modern Millie and star of the ABC Family series Bunheads arrives for one show only on March 2nd at 7:30. Megan Mullally, two-time Emmy-winning star of TV's Will and Grace and star of Broadway's Young Frankenstein performs two shows only on April 6th at 7:30 and 9:30. Audra McDonald, a five-time Tony Award winner and recent star of Porgy and Bess on Broadway and TV's Private Practice will make her New Orleans debut with two shows only on May 18 at 7:30 and 9:30. Betty Buckley, the Tony winning legendary star of Cats and Sunset Boulevard will close the series on June 1 with two shows only at 7:30 and 9:30. The visiting Broadway artists will also be giving master classes for the NOCCA Institute's high school-aged musical theatre students. All five concerts are produced by Mark Cortale, long time producer/manager of Jeffery Roberson aka Varla Jean Merman, and will be hosted by Sirius/XM radio star Seth Rudetsky at the piano. The series is sponsored exclusively by the New Orleans Hotel Collection and Gambit. Tickets can be purchased at www.broadwaynola.com or by calling 800-838-3006.

New York Philharmonic Chairman Gary W. Parr and Executive Director Matthew VanBesien announced today the extension of Alan Gilbert's contract as Music Director through the 2016-17 season. Mr. Gilbert opened his tenure as Music Director on September 16, 2009, and has just begun his fourth season.

Tap Dogs returns to Toronto tonight for a limited engagement at The Royal Alexandra Theatre. Two Canadians are in the current cast, including swing MacKenzie Greenwell who took some time to talk with BWW about the challenges associated with this daring and dangerous production, as well as why this is a show you can see many times and have a different experience each time.

Kids might not be old enough to vote yet, but they're watching, listening and have strong opinions about the campaign issues that matter most to them. Those opinions are heard in the Nick News with Linda Ellerbee special, KIDS PICK THE PRESIDENT: THE ISSUES, premiering tonight, Sept. 17, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

National Geographic Channel President Howard T. Owens announced today that actor, producer, writer and director Tom Hanks is joining the two-hour television event KILLING LINCOLN from executive producers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott's Scott Free Productions.

Kids might not be old enough to vote yet, but they're watching, listening and have strong opinions about the campaign issues that matter most to them. Those opinions are heard in the Nick News with Linda Ellerbee special, KIDS PICK THE PRESIDENT: THE ISSUES, premiering Monday, Sept. 17, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

MTV's THE REAL WORLD celebrates its 27th season on the exotic island of St. Thomas when the series premieres tonight, June 27 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Watch a sneak peek at the upcoming season below!

MTV's THE REAL WORLD celebrates its 27th season on the exotic island of St. Thomas when the series premieres on Wednesday, June 27 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Watch a sneak peek at the upcoming season below!

We'll be talking to nominees all day for their reactions! Click here for the complete list! Audra McDonald for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS 'I am honored and grateful and I'm super thrilled for the production as a whole to get so many nominations. I am so proud of this production and thankful to the Tony nominating committee for recognizing all aspects of the show. I got the news via text message. As usual, it was up at 6:15 for me to get the kids to school and I was back in bed by 8! Will was here though so it was nice to roll over when I got the news and say 'Hey I got a nomination!' Then we both conked out again. When we finally got up I asked him to be my date for the Tonys - he said yes! - so I guess that was our little celebration. Now it's back to being a mom for the day and get ready for the show tonight. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone at the theater tonight to congratulate them.'