Joy - 1970 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 15

ABC is the home for unforgettable holiday programming as the network celebrates the joy of the season. In November, the network serves up a bounty of Thanksgiving-themed episodes and the classic animated special “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” In December, ABC decks the halls with special Christmas and Hanukkah-themed episodes—the return of fan-favorite series “The Great Christmas Light Fight” and “The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition”; and an all-new holiday movie, “Same Time, Next Christmas,” starring Lea Michele. Timeless cartoons and beloved holiday films will also return. The fun continues after Christmas with New Year's-themed programming ringing in 2020. 

RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL originally opened Off-Broadway in 1992, created as an over-the-top dark comedy spoof of the films The Bad Seed and All About Eve, and well-known Broadway musicals Gypsy and Annie. Similar to the dark comedy in musicals such as Little Shop of Horrors and Sweeney Todd where characters are murdered and then eaten, RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL centers on 8-year old Tina Denmark, who knows she was born to play the lead in her school's third grade show and will do anything to win the part. And I do mean anything. Now onstage at Theatre Palisades, directed by Alta Abbott who first fell in love with the show during its 1993 West Coast premiere at the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills, I can only say that the over-the-top production sometimes seemed so dark that the comedy became invisible.

Roald Dahl wrote books for the children of his time and it is a wonder that many of his creations have remained as popular and well-loved as they have decades after his death. Although James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Witches, and The Twits can all trace thematic influence back to Dahl's involvement in World War II, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory seems to be the most heavily-informed by an unquestioning devotion to western industrialization and hope for the germinating seeds of our present-day capitalism. The 1971 movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is indicative of its time not only in its psychedelic colors and film effects but in its Vietnam-Conflict-era praise of Americanized consumerism. While Tim Burton's 2005 film adaptation reclaimed the title of the 1964 book and attempted to be a more faithful translation, its darkness and sterile settings have not garnered the cultural embrace of its predecessor, mainly because (I believe) of the public's common, shifting relationship with and disdain for industrialization and capitalism.

Serving as the gloriously buoyant 56th season-opening production at Orange County's South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, AMERICAN MARIACHI---which continues performances through October 5, 2019---is a wonderful play about the love of family and the love for achieving personal dreams. Playwright José Cruz González's joyful, musical-leaning play combines gorgeous music with broad comedy and touching drama that gives a fresh spin to the story of pioneering women subverting expectations to achieve their dreams in a world dominated by men's old world outlook.

The Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT), The Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and the NYPL community have announced the passing of Betty L. Corwin, who died Tuesday, September 10, at the age of 98 at her home in Weston, Connecticut surrounded by loved ones. The Founder and Director (from 1969 - 2000) of the Library's groundbreaking Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, Betty created one of the most important and vital resources in the worldwide theatre community.

Right after the opening night of Upstart Productions' staging of George Furth and Stephen Sondheim's beloved musical comedy Company, we found ourselves asking a similar question with what the central character, Bobby, has been trying to answer: 'What do you get?'

Players Workshop, the original school of improvisation in Chicago established in 1970, is reopening its doors just in time for a 50th anniversary celebration next year with classes beginning at its new facility, Pendulum Theatre, 1803 W. Byron Street, #216, starting Monday, Sept. 16. New owner Jeff Rogers, actor, creative director, and motivational speaker (Class of '89), has brought back founder Josephine Forsberg's daughter Linnea Forsberg ('70) and former teacher Doug Voegtle ('81) to recreate the famed safe learning space. Registration and list of classes may be found at PlayersWorkshopOnline.com.

Ballet Hispánico will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with free events and performances, a preview of the company's New York Season and more, with an Antojito, a Latinx Leadership Convening, Diálogos, and the 3rd Annual A La Calle Block party.

Ballet Hispánico will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with free events and performances, a preview of the company's New York Season and more, with an Antojito, a Latinx Leadership Convening, Diálogos, and the 3rd Annual A La Calle Block party.

Ballet Hispánico will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with free events and performances, a preview of the company's New York Season and more, with an Antojito, a Latinx Leadership Convening, Diálogos, and the 3rd Annual A La Calle Block party. 'We celebrate our Latinidad on a daily basis, but it is vital that we come together during this month to celebrate the strength of our voices and the impact of our cultural and artistic contributions on our nation,' said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico.

This Month, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.

Ted Sperling, Artistic Director of MasterVoices, announced details of the acclaimed ensemble's 78th season, celebrating the joy of choral singing and the power of the human voice to unite, inspire and connect since 1941. Highlights include three major musical presentations at top venues, including a New York premiere, and the World Premiere of a new work, commissioned by the Company. Throughout the season there will be collaborations with leading singers, artists, ensembles and organizations, some who are familiar with and others who are new to the Company.

With Carnegie Hall's Opening Night less than two months away, we are eagerly anticipating the 2019a?"2020 season.

Robert Battle, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, announced today that the Company's beloved mainstay for nearly five decades, Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya, intends to retire on January 5, 2020, following the conclusion of the Company's New York City Center season. Having joined the Company in 1972 as a dancer, Mr. Chaya performed under Mr. Ailey's direction for 15 years, subsequently assumed responsibility for rehearsing the Company—a role for which Mr. Ailey had cultivated him—and for more than 28 years, as Associate Artistic Director, has maintained the repertoire, handled innumerable creative decisions, and guided generations of the Company's dancers.

The National Civil Rights Museum is honored to present the exhibit Romare Bearden: Vision and Activism opening Friday, June 21. The exhibit shows how African American artist Romare Bearden (1911-1988) broke stereotypes about black life by envisioning a complex community striving for collobarative justice and redefining beauty in the landscape of the African American experience.

The Palace Theater is observing its 15th performance season this year since re-opening in 2004 and the programming reflects this milestone worthy of celebration.

The Gallery at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker Street, NYC) presents 'Entanglements by Alex Harsley.' The photo exhibition launches with an opening reception in the Gallery and a talkback with the artist on the stage of the Loreto Theater on Thursday, July 11 at 6PM.

BWW's Linda Hodges talks with TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's founding artistic director Robert Kelley about winning the 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award!

Acclaimed playwright Luis Alfaro talks to BroadwayWorld about revisiting his 'Oedipus El Rey' currently playing at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, how he forged a path for himself in the theater world, his influences along the way, and the role of artists in creating change.

Theatre Palisades is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Broadway opening of Ken Ludwig's LEND ME A TENOR, presenting the hilarious comedy which won three Tony Awards and four Drama Desk Awards. An angry wife, a presumed death, crazy costumes designed by June Lissandrello, secret sex romps, loads of slamming doors and mistaken identities make for a delightful, farcical comedy. Director Sherman Wayne encourages you to attend with a willing suspension of disbelief, putting aside your rational faculties and sense of realism/logic for the sake of theatrical merriment and enjoyment, just as worldwide audiences have been doing for the past 30 years. It's an ideal way to laugh your troubles away for a few hours!

On Thursday, June 20, five-time Grammy Award-winning Dionne Warwick will grace the stage of The Palace Theatre in Stamford for the nonprofit's 10th Annual Gala. The event is The Palace's largest annual fundraiser with proceeds benefiting the organization and its arts education programs.

Stephen Sondheim's Company, playing now through June 1st at Avon Players in Rochester Hills, is a thought-provoking exploration of love and life in 1970's New York City. Bobby has a full social calendar but avoids romantic commitments. On the night of his thirty-fifth birthday, he reassesses his life by reviewing his relationships with his married friends and girlfriends. While all his friends are happy with their spouses, marriage has never been Bobby's speed. Through a series of vignettes showcasing his friend's day to day lives as couples, Bobby is taken on a journey of self-discovery. Smart and funny, Company takes the audience on a journey of one man's lonely life while he figures out the true meaning behind 'Being Alive'.

Dorothi Fox and Arthur French will star in the premiere of 'Imminently Yours' by Karimah, to be presented by The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) from June 17 to 30 at Theatre 80, 80 St. Marks Place. The play deals with the socio/philosophical issues of expropriation of their land and history by eminent domain in today's politics.  A secret mountain enclave has been inhabited for centuries by descendants of slaves. When its tradition of secrecy is breached by a millenial resident, the remote hamlet is discovered by the state's governor, who aims to evict its elderly residents by eminent domain for nonpayment of taxes, but underestimates the savvy community there. The play depicts an antagonistic society pitted against elders who are peacefully reliving their history. Generations ban together as they learn the past, teach the present and fight for their legacy. Count Stovall directs.

RDAY NIGHT FEVER is playing at Sydney Lyric Theatre through June 2, 2019.

Scotland's favourite kilted comedian, Craig Hill is delighted to be the latest celebrity House Guest to have been asked to curate a season of classic films at Edinburgh's iconic Filmhouse cinema. Starting on Monday, 13th May, when Craig will introduce What's Up Doc, his wonderfully eclectic selection of films will run until mid-June.