Just Once - 1986 - Off-Off-Broadway Articles Page 12

"Only tame birds feel longing. Wild birds fly."  Thus muses Ragnar, a recently retired small-town school principal, as he looks back on the things he never did, and tries to sort out what's ahead in this charming and wonderfully humorous play, mixing comedy, farce, drama, and an element of surprise.  Ragnar's vices are fine cigars and the occasional glass of whiskey.  Which brings him into conflict with his wife Anneli, who is trying to get him to lead a healthy life.  But is life without passion any kind of life at all?  Mix in the widowed town pastor Lars (Ragnar's faithful old friend), along with Lars daughter Monika, who shows up at the door in the midst of a possible divorce, and passions once again permeate the household. 

Over eight million people have lived to tell the tale of one of the most successful - and terrifying - theatre events ever staged, and it's coming to shock audiences in Chicago this fall. The Woman in Black - London's long-running West End play -  will open at Chicago's Royal George Theatre in November with all the stage thrills that have led audiences in London to shriek in fear for 30 years.

'My life has always been about what I ate,' said the veteran comedy writer and actor. 'What can I tell you?' In this latest theatrical production of her 1986 book, it's quite a lot, actually.

Sam Llanas (pronounced yanas), formerly of the BoDeans, will release album Return of the Goya - Part 1, arriving June 15th

Directed by Adam Knight ('In The Room, 'Naperville. Performances of STUPID F##KING BIRD are on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8PM, July 6th through July 21st.

Vencl Dance returns to Graham Center of Contemporary Dance June 21-23 with 'Critical Junctures,' an evening of contemporary modern dance by Susan Vencl with music by Arlene Sierra. The concert premiers 'Intersections,' a 35 minute sextet, and presents a 33 minute reconstruction of Vencl's 2016 meditation on randomness and unpredictability, 'Long Before Afterward.'

Jason Kao Hwang, Rosi Hertlein, Fung Chern Hwei (violins), Stephanie Griffin (viola), Lenny Mims and Carol Buck (cellos), Steve Swell (trombone), Vincent Chancey (French horn), Waldron Mahdi Ricks (trumpet), Richard Keene (oboe), Elliott Levin (flute, tenor saxophone), Ras Moshe Burnett (soprano and tenor saxophones), Michael Lytle (bass clarinet), and myself, Michael Moss (Bb clarinet), Steve Cohn (piano), Billy Stein (guitar), Rick Iannacone (ambient guitar), Larry Roland (string bass), Warren Smith (percussion, vibraphones), Badal Roy (tabla), Chuck Fertal (drums),

The Gospel musical Crowns is one of the country's most produced musicals about women with courage, faith, and hats filled with joyful gospel music. Crowns is based on the beloved book by North Carolinians Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry, which Regina Taylor adapted into the stage production.

Following the sell-out success of The Wipers Times in the West End and across the country, Ian Hislop and Nick Newman have once again taken inspiration from real life events for their new play Trial by Laughter, based on their critically acclaimed original BBC Radio 4 drama of the same name. The production will be developed with The Watermill Theatre before playing at the venue for six weeks from 17th September - 27th October 2018. Following this, it will be heading on a UK tour visiting Guildford, Ipswich, Cheltenham and Brighton, with further venues to be announced.

Continuing the momentum created with the current season launch of its Music Knows No Borders series, Executive Director Thor Steingraber unveils the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts' 2018-19 Season, which features four world premieres, two American premieres, several of the world's greatest orchestras, innovative jazz programs, two tributes to Hollywood legends, Broadway classics plus artists from 18 different nations who will appear on stage at The Soraya next season.  New Subscription Series tickets will go on sale May 1, 2018.

Let's make one thing perfectly clear from the start. If you are expecting a sequel to Phantom of the Opera in Love Never Dies, you may be let down. This new show that is making its American premiere in the tour across North America, after a dismal opening in London in 2010, has been rewritten and reworked many times over, and is based on Frederick Forsyth's The Phantom of Manhattan, not on Gaston Leroux's Le Phantome de l'Opera upon which the first Phantom was based. Even Lloyd Webber stated emphatically that it is not a sequel, but a different story with the same characters. If you open your imagination and find it in your heart to believe that the Phantom and Christine consummated their love for one another by having sex and producing a son, you will enjoy much of the show. If not, and you want this production to follow the original from 1986, it will most likely not suit you.

Few painters have been as awe-inspiringly prolific as Pablo Picasso. One of the most influential and celebrated artists of the 20th century, his career spanned more than 80 of his 91 years, during which time he produced an estimated 50,000 works. His passionate nature and relentless creative drive were inextricably linked to his personal life, which included tumultuous marriages, numerous affairs and ever-shifting political and personal alliances. Constantly reinventing himself, Picasso always strove to innovate and push the boundaries of artistic expression, leading to his worldwide renown as a genius.

The Country Music Association held a press conference this morning to announce the 2018 inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame-Johnny Gimble, Ricky Skaggs and Dottie West.

Just last night, the best of Broadway walked the red carpet in celebration of one of the most anticipated events of the theatrical season- MCC Theater's annual Miscast gala. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the big night and you can check out photos below! Be sure to check back later to watch a performance from the show!

Participants of the 32nd annual Tennessee Williams Literary Festival descend to Jackson Square for the 2018 edition of the Stella Shouting Contest in hopes of seeing who will best channel their inner Tennessee Williams.

Particularly in light of the 2016 documentary I Am Not Your Negro, author and civil rights activist James Baldwin is garnering new attention and appreciation for his astute analyses of race, class, and sexuality in U.S. culture. Our reading group will take up his groundbreaking semi-autobiographical first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953). Attendees are invited to read this seminal text that brought mid-20th Century African-American literature out of the shadow of Richard Wright while deftly exploring the post-Civil War Great Migration, its southern roots, its religious inflections, and its generational tensions. The suggested edition is the most recent paperback (ISBN 978-0345806543). Traditional New Orleans fare of coffee and beignets at Muriel's Jackson Square with lively discussion to follow led by Festival favorite and Southern literary scholar Gary Richards. Seating is limited to 50 persons; pre-registration is required.

Join Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Ford for this Master Class where he presents thirteen items that make up good writing, all of which he deems important and valuable. He will go through each one, explicating what he means and why they are so vital, citing books and references and sources, all both serious and yet with much amusement. Not only will you get great advice, but you'll be able to ask your questions too!

What do Jay-Z, Kobe Bryant, Archie Bunker, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ed Koch, Bart Simpson, Bruce Campbell, Bonnie and Clyde, and J-Lo have in common?  The answer: Charles Strouse (and his hit songs)!

In this one-woman variety show - Jordan Barr is the girl you bonded with once in a dirty nightclub bathroom. You know her. She loved your statement glitter sneakers. She told you to chase those dreams. She gave you the details of that family member your mum has been searching for since 1986. She wants you to feel important and empowered - but is just taking a little time figuring out how to do that.

Michael Kahn today announces Shakespeare Theatre Company's 2018-2019 Season. With two world premieres from celebrated playwrights, a multiple Tony Award-winning presentation, a dynamic adaptation of a classic novel, two Shakespeare plays and a group of acclaimed directors and artists, it is an ambitious grand finale for STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn, who will retire from the company at the end of the Season.

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop) has announced complete casting for its upcoming production of Lerner & Loewe's MY FAIR LADY. As previously reported, Lauren Ambrose will be playing as Eliza Doolittle and Harry Hadden-Paton will play Henry Higgins, alongside Norbert Leo Butz as Alfred P. Doolittle and Diana Rigg as Mrs. Higgins. Just announced are: Allan Corduner as Colonel Pickering, Jordan Donica as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, Linda Mugleston as Mrs. Pearce, and Manu Narayan as Zoltan Karpathy.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces Life Is a Dream: The Films of Ra l Ruiz (Part 2), February 9-18. Following a memorable first part in December 2016, FSLC is pleased to present the next edition of an ongoing retrospective devoted to Ruiz, among the great visionaries in film history and perhaps its most intrepid explorer of the unconscious.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces Life Is a Dream: The Films of Raul Ruiz (Part 2), February 9-18. Following a memorable first part in December 2016, FSLC is pleased to present the next edition of an ongoing retrospective devoted to Ruiz, among the great visionaries in film history and perhaps its most intrepid explorer of the unconscious.

The Kitchen presents 'Julius Eastman: That Which Is Fundamental,' an interdisciplinary project of performances and a two-part exhibition, curated by artist Tiona Nekkia McCloden and Bowerbird founder Dustin Hurt, that comprises the most expansive demonstration yet of Julius Eastman's rousing creative output, January 19 - February 10, 2018.

I've seen The Phantom of the Opera around 25 times and it's really one of my favorite musicals. The music is amazing, the clothes are wonderful and the storyline is classic with the beauty and the beast, the hero. The fragile Christine, who is abducted by the horrible phantom but rescued by her youth love but the fragile side of the Phantom is shown and she is torn between them. It has been played the same way since 1986 and Andrew Lloyd Webber and The Really Useful Group have kept firm in how it gets played and staged, by who, where and when. But when the Finnish National Opera was going to play it, they got permission to make a new adoption of it. The creative team, Tiina Puumalainen director, ??Teppo J rvinen scenographer, Marjaana Mutanen, costume designer, Osku Heiskane choreographer, Teemu Nurmelin light designer and Andreas 'Stanley' L nnquist and Sakari Kiiski sound designer, create a totally reworked musical. It started playing in Finland and was transferred the 23rd of September 2017 to Sweden and the Opera in Gothenburg. As I wanted to see Fred Johanson as the Phantom and John Martin Bengtsson as Raoul, I had to find a date when they played in the same performance, and the date was set for December 9th. Before I saw it, I had seen some pictures that appear on the website and in press and I have to say that I was both excited and curious about what to expect. I've seen the musical so many times so it feels like I know every sequin on the fantastic dresses and when an eyebrow is to be raised so it was with mixed feelings I booked the ticket. Should I like the changes or not? I had no doubt that Fred and John Martin would deliver as I seen them several times. Fred lastest in Sunset Boulevard on West End in London. The same role as he did on Broadway this year with Glenn Close. John Martin was understudy to both The Phantom and Raoul in Stockholm this year and I had the privilege to see him as Phantom. Both has absolutely amazing voices. But for the new adoption I was not sure...