Intermission! the Musical - 2018 - Regional (US) Articles Page 18

American pianist/composer Thomas Nickell, an artist with 'an ever increasing reputation as a player's player and composer' (Litchfield Live, July 23, 2017) will appear as soloist with the Oistrakh Symphony Orchestra of Chicago under the baton of Mina Zikri at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on Sunday afternoon, June 2, 2019, 3 p.m., presented by the Alexander & Buono Foundation.

On July 26 and 27, 2019, the American Museum of Natural History in association with the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University will present staged excerpts from Moby-Dick, a new musical adaptation of Herman Melville's classic 1851 novel, in the Museum's Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. Written by Tony-nominated composer Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) and directed by Tony nominee Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Hadestown), this adaptation, which will receive its world premiere at A.R.T. in December 2019, reimagines Melville's 19th-century classic for a 21st-century America.

I've never been disappointed by a show at Signature Theatre. Even their ongoing Grand Hotel, which is working with some less-than-stellar source material, is elevated by the wonderful craftsmanship and talented artists this theater welcomes. The same can unfortunately not be said of the disappointing Spunk, which opened in Signature's more intimate ARK theater on Friday. Zora Neale Hurston's masterful prose falls flat in a production that feels like it opened too soon, resulting in an evening lacking in the gumption this show tries to champion.

Pacific Symphony is saddened to announce the recent passing of its Principal Cellist Timothy Landauer. In Landauer's honor, Pacific Symphony will perform a selection of music on the first half of the classical program, May 16, 17 and 18, that will provide a stirring atmosphere to contemplate his many musical contributions over the years.

The women of The Second City return to the mainstage to present SHE THE PEOPLE: THE RESISTANCE CONTINUES, a follow-up to 2018's SHE THE PEOPLE. While the cast and creative team remains mostly the same as the original show, this reimagining explores a wider scope of true-to-life and absurd comedic scenarios. Under direction of head writer Carly Heffernan, the broad capabilities of the actors and creative team were utilized to fully translate the female experience in 2019.

Matthew Morrison and Shoshana been lit up the stage at the Strathmore's Annual Spring Gala in North Bethesda on Saturday. The evening started out with Shoshana Bean's jazz set which perfectly showcased her incredible voice. Bean's set included many songs from her 2018 album 'Spectrum' which she expressed was an album that was rooted in and inspired by music from her childhood. Bean opened her set with a song from this album entitled 'Remember the Day' - an electrifying jazz song which showcased Bean's exquisite voice and personality. She had the audience in the palm of her hand from the first note. Bean continued with songs from 'Spectrum' including 'I Wanna Be Around' and 'Strange Thunder.' Bean introduced her music director and producer David Cook who was on piano, and exclaimed to Cook that 'you're one of my favorite people to make music with.' The Bean and Cook pair made some exceptional music which resonated gracefully, throughout the beautiful Strathmore music hall.

When it comes to developing a loyal fan base, Troubadour Theater Company has found the secret: do outstanding work, stay true to your aesthetic, and give the people what they want - a great time at the theater. Artistic Director Matt Walker started the troupe and, with the help of longtime friend and foil, Beth Kennedy, continues to lead his merry band into the great theatrical unknown. Next up for the company is JULIUS WEEZER, which combines Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR and the music of Weezer to tell its tale of political intrigue Troubie style. Today, they talk about what it's like putting together a new show and why they keep on coming back for more.

After being voted West Virginia's Theatre of the Year in the 2018 BroadwayWorld Regional Awards, West Virginia Public Theatre (WVPT) is thrilled to announce their new summer season: Storming Heaven: The Musical (June 6-9, 11-16) and Patrick Barlow's The 39 Steps (June 26-30).

The Tank in association with All For One Theater will present the World Premiere of Open, written by Crystal Skillman

Beehive: The 60s Musical, takes audiences on a musical journey from hip to groovy to raw, from innocence to loss of innocence, and how the evolution of the music of the decade impacted and propelled the female empowerment movement. You are guaranteed to leave singing some of your favorite 60s tunes for hours, maybe even days afterwards!

Three Rivers Music Theatre's final show for their 2018-2019 season is the much anticipated ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, which opens this weekend at Wunderkammer on Fairfield Avenue. Andy Planck, executive artistic director of TRMT and the director of the show, sat down with BroadwayWorld to talk about his vision for the production and what he sees as its value in today's world.

One of Leonard Bernstein's most iconic compositions will be paired with the legendary Ludwig van Beethoven's most celebrated work in "Bernstein and Beethoven: Part I" on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 8 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore. As a continued celebration of the Leonard Bernstein Centennial, world-renowned pianist Michael Brown will join Philharmonic Music Director and Conductor Piotr Gajewski and the National Philharmonic in performing Bernstein's Symphony No. 2 ("The Age of Anxiety"), a genre-defying work that combines elements of symphony, concerto, and program music and is inspired by the dramatic poem The Age of Anxiety by W.H. Auden. After an intermission, Gajewski will lead the Philharmonic in Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67. This timeless work is one of the most performed, recorded, adapted, and abused of all the works in Beethoven's canonical repertoire. A pre-concert lecture will take place between 6:45-7:15 p.m. From 7-7:30 p.m., families can explore orchestral instruments with Philharmonic musicians. The concert will feature a members-only encore question-and-answer. Ticket prices are $42-$78, and young people 7-17 are free. Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit nationalphilharmonic.org or call 301.581.5100.

The Bossy Collective is thrilled to present The Wives of Henry the Eighth, a new musical written by Tisch School of the Arts graduate Ellie Handel, May 10-12, 2019 at Royal Family Productions located at 145 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036 (between 6th & 7th avenue).

The nation's most diverse orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, and Music Director Mei-Ann Chen are proud to present the finale to the illustrious 2018-2019 season with SoundSketch, a concert rooted in painting portraits in rhythm, blues and beyond. The orchestra puts its own spin on the concept of "the tribute" by highlighting musical icons throughout history in a string-centric program, with MacArthur Genius and violin virtuoso Regina Carter as a featured special guest. Chicago Sinfonietta's performances will occur Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 8 p.m. at Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville, and on Monday, May 13, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

Grand Rapids Symphony will conclude its 2018-19 Great Eras Series on Friday, May 3, with a concert titled The 20th/21st Century Concert: Celebrating Women featuring music by women plus a woman as guest soloist.

Daring to dream, to allow one's imagination to soar and one's creativity to thrive is at the core of theater and thanks to a clever and engaging retelling of a time-honored fable now onstage at Nashville's Darkhorse Theatre - Jack and the Giant, the latest offering of ACT 1's 2018-19 season - audiences are reminded of the power of live performance to transport them to another world.

San Jose Stage Company (Randall King, Artistic Director and Cathleen King, Executive Director) has announced the cast and creative team for the final production of The Stage's 36th Anniversary Season, the smash hit ABBA musical MAMMA MIA! The production run from May 29 - July 7, 2019 at San Jose Stage Company (490 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA, 95113). MAMMA MIA! will be directed by Allison F. Rich* (who will also play the role of "Tanya Cresham-Leigh"), with choreography by Keith Pinto (who will also play the role of "Harry Bright"). Martin Rojas Dietrich will serve as Associate Music Director. The press opening will take place on Saturday, June 1, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.

Pure Joy turned into Grief and Terror then finally Relief coursed through me. For 90 minutes, I was completely immersed in the experience that is AMPARO. And that is exactly what AMPARO is; a complete theatrical experience. As I am writing this I can still feel all the emotions I went through when I first participated in AMPARO. I say participated because you don't watch AMPARO, you live it. I also haven't stopped talking about it to anyone who will listen and even now when I describe the experience as I am urging family and friends to GO SEE IT, I get goosebumps. I fear that I won't do the experience justice with my mere words but I will do my best.

There are certain things that really bother me in theater.  One of the biggest is when a theater company that is capable of brilliance presents a show that should be a perfect fit – and unfortunately ultimately delivers a final product that does not meet my expectations.

First Stage concludes its 2018/19 mainstage season with a sparkling new adaptation of TINKER BELL, written by playwright Patrick Flynn and based on the works of Sir J.M. Barrie. This family-friendly adventure brings to the stage characters audiences know and love - Peter Pan, Wendy, the Lost Boys and Captain Hook - but told all from the unique perspective of the feisty fairy, Tinker Bell. With over a dozen different puppets, original music and even some potent fairy dust, Milwaukee families will get to experience theater magic at its best. The world of Neverland will come to life in the Todd Wehr Theater like it has never been seen before! Audience members young and old won't want to miss taking this fantastic voyage in TINKER BELL.

Stages Theatre Company (STC) is excited to continue its 2018/2019 Most Magnificent Season with The Most Magnificent Thing, based on Ashley Spire's bestselling book published by Kids Can Press. The STEM-inspired production follows a creative little girl, Maggie, who is determined to make the most magnificent thing for her canine best friend but discovers that the invention process is anything but easy. With colorful characters, beautiful music, and a lovable dog, this world-premiere musical adaptation about learning through perseverance and hard work jumps off the page and onto our mainstage on April 12 through May 12, 2019.

Great Lakes Theater (GLT), Cleveland's Classic Company, concludes its 2018-19 season with the Tony-winning rock 'n' roll tribute, Million Dollar Quartet. The production will be performed in the company's intimate home at the Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square, May 3-26, 2019. GLT's production of Million Dollar Quartet will feature a number of Broadway actors from shows such as Monty Python's Spamalot, Hello Dolly!, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Anything Goes and more playing the iconic quartet and supporting roles. Tony-Winning Broadway star, Hunter Foster, directs.

Music Director Jaap van Zweden will conduct the New York Philharmonic in Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 at the 28th Annual Free Memorial Day Concert, Monday, May 27, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the performance; ticket distribution will begin at 5:00 p.m. The audio of the performance will be broadcast onto the adjacent Pulpit Green, weather permitting. The program will be presented without intermission.

Jack and the Giant is described as "a joyous, heartfelt, and family-friendly new folk musical." This new spin on the classic fairy tale 'Jack and the Beanstalk' has a dynamic score and intriguing new characters. Directed by Jacob Heinz, the world premiere production features Dwayne Benn, Ryan Harrelson, Brett Myers, Caroline Nelson and Alaina Smith who found time this week to answer our questions for the latest Friday 5 (+1) on Thursday...

If you're a fan of the Percy Jackson novels, mark your calendars because lightning will strike the Mahalia Jackson Theatre with the arrival of THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL this April.