In Real Life - 2002 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 15

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts wants you to start your new year with some unforgettable experiences and extraordinary entertainment!  

Each of the shows mentioned below stood out this year in a year of people working hard to get back to work and who all deserve praise for doing so. With all that and a whole lot more in mind, here is the Best of Bobby - 2021 Edition:

The Music Man officially begins previews tonight on Broadway! Meet the cast bringing the iconic musical back to the stage!

The leading male roles of the identical twin Antipholus brothers will be played by real-life identical twins John and Matthew Drinkwater, the young musical duo who have become stars of the internet and have performed at major New York venues including Birdland, Feinstein's/54 Below, The Green Room 42, The Town Hall, and Don't Tell Mama.

The phrase “No one is irreplaceable” was shattered this past week when composer/lyricist/GOD of American musical theatre Stephen Sondheim passed away at age 91. Simply put, Sondheim was unique, groundbreaking and a true original that many tried to copy and never could.

2021 closes with new soundtracks, including West Side Story and Annie LIVE!, and new musical films, including Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas and Encanto, hitting streaming services. This month also features new livestream concerts from Seth Rudetsky and Jessica Vosk, with RHONY's Countess Luann streaming from 54 Below.

Barry and Fran Weissler are adapting the acclaimed 2002 independent film Real Women Have Curves into a musical. Sergio Trujillo has been tapped to direct, with Lisa Loomer writing the book and Grammy-winning dup Jesse & Joy writing the score, likely making it the first Broadway musical with a Latine director, bookwriter, lyricist, and composer.

The new song and video that pairs luxurious flexes and fierce bars with a nostalgic, fitting, and booming sample of Crime Mob's 'Stilettos (Pumps).' “Designer” arrives hot on the heels of Banks’ 2021 American Music Award nominations — for “Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist,” and “Favorite Trending Song” for her hit single, “Buss It.”

In October 2001, Mamma Mia! opened on Broadway, just weeks after the horrific events of 9/11, and most pundits had little inkling that the show – a jukebox musical comprised of ABBA hits and the story of a young girl trying to divine the identity of her father from among three of her mother’s suitors some 21 years earlier – would go on to become the ninth longest running musical in the history of the New York theatrical enclave. But Mamma Mia! was exactly what the theater-going public needed in the aftermath of an epoch-shattering and historic event: an enormously entertaining, fast-paced show set to an eminently hummable, danceable score of songs that could whisk them away to another time and place.

Greystone Hall and the Colonial Playhouse of Delaware County present the 2021 production of The Manor, a two-act play by Kathrine Bates, directed by Sam Barrett.  Inspired by a true story from the 1920''s, the play was designed to be performed in the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills where those events took place.

Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright August Wilson’s play “Radio Golf” will officially open the 2021-2022 mainstage season at Gulfshore Playhouse. Directed by Marshall Jones III, “Radio Golf” will play at Gulfshore Playhouse beginning Nov. 11 through Dec. 5, 2021.

The national tour of MY FAIR LADY opens October 7th in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theatre, running through October 31st. Bartlett Sher directs this timeless story of Professor Henry Higgins’ experiment to transform the social standings of Eliza Doolittle, a lowly flower girl, to one fitting comfortably in high society. MY FAIR LADY, brimming with familiar musical standards, stars Laird Mackintosh as Professor Higgins and Shereen Ahmed as Eliza Doolittle. Had the chance to catch Laird during his offstage time before his evening performance.

Chris O'Connor, Mile Square Theatre's Founder and Artistic Director, has announced he is stepping down from his role in January. O'Connor founded Mile Square Theatre (MST) in 2002 while he was pursuing his master's degree at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts. The company got its start performing shows in Hoboken's parks, libraries, high school auditoriums, and even private homes.

LA Opera has opened their 35th season with Verdi's IL TROVATORE. Conducted by James Conlon and directed by Francisco Negrín, live performances at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion through October 10th will be supplemented by two live streams October 3rd and 6th. IL TROVATORE stars Guanqun Yu in the role of Leonora. Had the chance to query Guanqun on her vocal regimen and her lightbulb moment when she realized she wanted a career singing opera.

Memories are fickle things. We rehearse them, we shape them, and we eventually forget the original events and end up making new ones, filling the gaps with our experience of them rather than the actual occurrences. It’s the core concept of Shelagh Stephenson’s multi-awarded play, The Memory of Water. Premiered in 1996 on the Hampstead Theatre stage, it went on to win an Olivier in 2000, debut in the States, tour internationally, and even landed on the big screen in 2002 titled Before You Go directed by Lewis Gilbert.

Legendary actor, activist and philanthropist Ed Asner passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, surrounded by family at 91.

Both “Cry Macho” and “Malignant” will be available in theaters and on HBO Max the same day. Streaming only on the $14.99/month Ad-Free HBO Max plan for 31 days from their theatrical release.

The 44th Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF44) kicked off on Aug. 11 with the New York City premiere of its Opening Night film SNAKEHEAD by Evan Jackson Leong (LINSANITY).

Learn more about the casts of both productions and how to purchase tickets here!

The Actors’ Gang Theater has just begun streaming their live virtual production of WE LIVE ON, based on the 1970 Hard Times by Studs Terkel. Directed by Actors’ Gang’s artistic director Tim Robbins, WE LIVE ON is performed in three parts. Had a chance to have a fun chat with Patti Tippo, who’s playing legendary burlesque dancer Sally Rand.  

These six shows are the first to be performed inside the auditorium since the pandemic forced our temporary closure in March of 2020.  Tickets for this schedule are now on sale at The Paramount Theatre Box Office, by phone at (802) 775-0903 or via The Heritage Family Credit Union Online Box Office.

Early in her career Deborah Stone used her body as a dancer in demand and left her voice to its own devices. Now, the singing actress from The Snarks has found that her voice works just as well when set to music as it does when reciting dialogue, and the cabaret community has taken to that voice like a toddler to an ice cream cake.

Artistic Director Ryan Rilette and Managing Director Ed Zakreski have announced the full six-show lineup for Round House Theatre’s 44th Season. Following a historic season of digital performances, Round House will welcome audiences back into its Bethesda theatre for live, in-person productions with a slate of shows designed to transport them around the world. 

The State Theatre Center for the Arts, Easton, PA, has announced its 2021-2022 Season, the 95th season at the historic venue.  Tickets for the new season will go on sale to State Theatre Members on Monday, August 2nd, and to the general public on Monday, August 9th.

After spearheading a $3M renovation of Austin’s largest theater, Executive & Artistic Director Bob Bursey has announced his first curated season of music, dance, theater, and performance for Texas Performing Arts. A dozen live productions will mark its 40th Anniversary season in 2021-2022.