How Much How Much? - 1970 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 5

Company returns to the Orpheum stage but it's likely not the show you remember! A 1970 muscial with music and lyrics by the late great Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth, Company has been transformed since its revival, which is what Memphis audiences are witnessing this week. 

It's a Tale of Two Stevies in December concerts uptown when two men are celebrated in the series that began in 1970 when Stevie Wonder was 20 and already had been recording for about 7 years and Stephen Sondheim had 'Company' debut on Broadway.

Arizona Theatre Company's adaptation of SCROOGE! ~ the most notable element missing in this largely unsuccessful adaptation is any sense of a true Dickensian backdrop. Runs through December 30th.

Dazzling and rare high fashion pieces owned and worn by legendary style icons, Princess Diana, Princess Grace of Monaco, Audrey Hepburn, Sarah Jessica Parker, Elizabeth Taylor, Cher, Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman, Joan Collins, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga, Paris Hilton. Check out the full lineup!

Long Beach Opera announces a generous gift of $1.25 million from Carol Richards. Major donations and grants are also announced, and single tickets are now on sale.

Howe’s performance was spectacular from the first shows she performed, but as the show has aged, she has comfortably fallen into a vocal performance that is extraordinary. Her meticulous phrasing and body language has continued to mature with each performance. She comfortably inhabits Ronstadt’s voice and delivers the songs with self-assured ease and panache. As a Ronstadt superfan it is hard to pick a favorite song, but Howe delivers “You’re No Good,” “When Will I Be Loved,” “It’s So Easy,” “Tumbling Dice,” and “Just One Looks” like she herself is a rock goddess. The audience mouths the words of Ronstadt’s well-known classics, bob their heads with the beat, and responds with thunderous applause following each number. It is not until Howe takes on Ronstadt’s later in career work that the audience gains appreciation for Howe’s immense talent. Her version of “When You Wish Upon a Star” is out of this world. She confidently handles “Poor Wondering One” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta PIRATES OF PENZANCE, and skillfully sings “Por Un Amor” in Spanish from Ronstadt’s album “Los Canciones de Mi Padre.” Howe digs into every Ronstadt song she sings and delivers a memorable performance that allows the audience to reminisce in the music that defined female rockers for a generation.  

This time, the reader question was: With Merrily We Roll Along back on Broadway as a hit, how many musicals are flops in their original Broadway production and then return as smashes?

Boston rock legends Nervous Eaters have released a new single and video titled 'Talkk.'

Matt Chait’s A Family Business world premieres November 17, 2023, at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre (with previews November 15th and 16th). Brian Shnipper directs the cast of Eric Stanton Betts, Alli Brown, Michelle Jasso, Lindsay G. Merrithew, Bruce Nozick and Julie Pearl. I had the chance to throw out a few questions to Matt, the playwright and man integral to Los Angeles Theatre history.

The Hermitage Artist Retreat has revealed new programs throughout the months of January and February.

As announced last Thursday, October 26, the last Beatles song, “Now And Then” will be released this Thursday, November 2. Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe are pleased to share the details and premiere plans for the song’s evocative new music video, which Peter Jackson has directed in his first foray into music video production.

Each Halloween Season, many horror and science fiction offerings hit our stages. This year, David P. Johnson is bringing his Sally Spectre: The Musical back to Theatre West weekends through October 29. A combination horror and morality play, it centers around the ghost of a 5-year-old girl trying to escape from her locked bedroom where she was brutally murdered. But is this musical really for children? To find out, I decided to speak with David P. Johnson who not only wrote the book, music, and lyrics but also directs and co-produces it, and appears onstage accompanying the cast on keyboard during every performance.

The quintet, comprised of John Popper (vocals, harmonica), Chan Kinchla (guitar), Tad Kinchla (bass), Ben Wilson (keyboards) and Brendan Hill (drums), channel the same magic as always, but this time the group put their spin on R&B and soul staples straight out of the American Songbook, and it’s nothing short of spellbinding.

The Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's and George Furth's Company, winner of five 2022 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, launched its North American Tour this month at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, NY. Read the reviews for Company here!

This time, the reader question was: With Purlie Victorious returning to Broadway, what are other plays that were revived on Broadway after their musical adaptations premiered?

The Wiz is now on tour! Check out the reviews here!

This past week, I had the absolute pleasure of debuting a brand new play of mine at my school, Dobbins Conservatory for Theatre and Dance. This is probably one of my new favorite pieces I’ve ever written and I’m sad to let it go so soon, but I could not be happier with how it went. This month, I wanted to talk briefly about Roulette, what it is, how I felt about it, how I came upon writing this piece, and just how cool it is that I get to do this.

Get ready for an unforgettable night as Broadway legend André De Shields takes the stage at the TUTS Lights Up Gala. Find out all the details about this must-see performance, including the date and venue. Don't miss out on this electrifying event!

FRIGID New York will present the 12th Annual Gotham Storytelling Festival, featuring some of the most cutting-edge storytellers in New York City. Learn how to purchase tickets!

Modern workplace safety owes a debt to the tragic story of the 'Radium Girls.' Little Theatre of Norfolk brings their story to the stage, shedding light on the history of the labor movement. Don't miss this important and compelling play from October 20 to November 5. Learn more about the show and how to get tickets here!

If an education in cleaning chicken carcasses is what you’re looking for, you’ll find it at The Hen House.

What did our critic think of SISTER ACT at Theatre Memphis? For those of an older generation, did you ever look back at sitcoms from the 1970’s and wish they were set to music? Did you ever wish Fred Sanford (from “Sanford and Son”) or Squiggy (from “Laverne and Shirley) broke out into song to better share their deeper wants and desires?

Presenter of variety shows with Broadway stars and podcast 'Backstage Babble' interviewER becomes our interviewEE as we learn about his early start, the current agenda of activities, and look forward to a future celebrating theatre's past (his favorite pastime---and job).

The American Theatre Guild, the largest not-for-profit touring Broadway presenter in the nation, unveiled its highly anticipated 2023-2024 Season for the Peoria Civic Center earlier this spring. Today, we are announcing that Broadway’s most popular musical, WICKED, will be part of the 2024-2025 Season!

Learn how Sondheim made Sweeney sing and how Mr. Todd made his mark on mass media in Part 2 of SWEENEY TODD, A History.