Just Say No - 1988 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 13

In celebration of 30 years, country music hitmakers RESTLESS HEART are returning home to their first label to release music, old and new, in commemoration of the three decades. On May 21, 2013, RCA / Legacy will unveil the latest addition to its artist compilations with the release of Playlist: The Very Best of Restless Heart. The 14-track album includes 12 of the group's biggest hits, and two new songs, previously unreleased.

MATILDA THE MUSICAL, produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company and The Dodgers, opens tonight April 11, 2013 at Broadway's Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street). The four girls sharing the title role are Sophia Gennusa -- who will play the lead for tonight's opening -- Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro, each of whom will be making her Broadway debut. Let's see what the critics had to say...

So, welcome to my blog. I should begin with a little about myself. First of all, personality wise, I can be a bit too honest, or blunt, as some people have told me. I speak my mind, what you see is what you get; you either love me or hate me. I am an egg, all hard on the outside but can be all gooey on the inside. I am loyal to the end and will stand up for you when you can't. I can forgive anything except cruelty to animals. Long story, seemingly endless, I am a dancer-singer-actor who has had the pleasure, and sometimes displeasure, of working with some amazing shows on Broadway, on tour, and in a hole in the wall downtown with no coffee pot. All of them are a learning experience; some I still shake my head about.

A humorous stage adaptation of an award-winning book, JASON INVISIBLE is a world premiere commission by the Kennedy Center and VSA. The story of a young teenager dealing with a mentally ill father, JASON INVISIBLE shows the power of friendship in an interactive theatrical experience directed by Rosemary Newcott of Atlanta's Alliance Theatre.

The star of off-Bway's 'My Name Is Asher Lev' talks about his role, his background and his musical sideline.

In this industry, I thrive on what I love to do, whether it's performing, directing, radio presenting or, occasionally, dressing up as a nun. But in the past weeks the events that have taken place have been another major learning curve in one's career, dears.

There are certain occasions when even the most jaded New York audience can just smile and say thank you. The duo recital by soprano Renee Fleming and mezzo-soprano Susan Graham Sunday night at Carnegie Hall was just such an occasion. Given that both divas have sold out Carnegie Hall as individual performers, the dual recital was something very special indeed.

Lloyd Webber and Brightman recorded an interview together in London that was played for the audience at the special performance an dyou can check out what they had to say about the show's early days below!

With news coming late this week of a revised and reworked edition of the Cole Porter/Abe Burrows Golden Age musical CAN-CAN aiming for a reading in October and the possibility of a potential major production thereafter, now seems like a tres bien moment in time to glance back at the underappreciated charms of this alluring, Paris-set show. Plus, from Gwen Verdon, Patti LuPone, Eartha Kitt, Shirley MacLaine and Chita Rivera to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Kelly Clarkson, MAD MEN's Christina Hendricks and many more, this clip collection has more than just an errant bright bulb or two to add to the already magnificent and romantic sights of the city of lights.

A legendary flop gets a second chance, a fabled night spot closes as a new one opens and a mysterious investor supposedly dies of malaria. These were just a few of the stories and issues theatre lovers talked about in 2012.

John and Morgan Langley, the father-son duo who serve as executive producers to the hit FOX reality show COPS, have undoubtedly made a long-lasting mark on the television industry. The pair talk ghost-cars, suburban moms with butcher knives, and the show's lasting legacy. COPS' 25th season premiere airs tomorrow night, Dec. 15 on FOX.

The Jewish Museum and the Film Society of Lincoln Center will present the 22nd annual New York Jewish Film Festival at the Film Society's Walter Reade Theater, Jan. 9-24, 2013. The festival's 45 features and shorts from 9 countries - 23 screening in their world, U.S. or New York premieres - provide a diverse global perspective on the Jewish experience. Many film screenings will be followed by filmmakers and special guests in onstage discussions.

Below, check out some hilarious quotables from NBC's LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON for the week of DECEMBER 3 - DECEMBER 7

In 1988, John Lennon's wife Yoko Ono gave a candid interview to record-label president Joe Smith about the Beatles' split: "For John, it was a divorce. I think he was feeling very good about it, as if a big weight was off him." Ono was among more than 200 celebrated performers, producers and industry leaders whose words Smith captured on audiotape more than 25 years ago in an effort to document the oral history of popular music.

In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Great Russian Nutcracker, five hand-selected "Musical Wunderkind" in cities across the country open performances accompanying a Moscow Ballet ballerina with St Saens The Dying Swan.

Oh those wonderful Philly actors! Some come and go but they all call Philadelphia home. Let's zero in on one of Philly's brightest stars- Jeff Coon.

Orange County, CA- based 3D Theatricals presents an eye-popping, high-energy production of eight-time Tony Award-winner HAIRSPRAY at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton through October 28 before transferring to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, November 2-4. This truly impressive revival is so much fun that even those who've seen the show numerous times will enjoy it--thanks primarily to its story, score, songs, and characters.

Theatre of NOTE continues its 2012 season with the world premiere of POTENTIAL SPACE written by Kirsten Vangsness and directed by Bill Voorhees. POTENTIAL SPACE will preview tonight, September 21st and Saturday, September 22nd, and will open on Friday, September 28th at 8pm and run through Saturday, October 27th at Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd. (just north of Sunset) in Hollywood.

In the opening song on Barbra Streisand's stunning new album, RELEASE ME (produced by Streisand and Jay Landers)- a career-spanning collection of rarities and recordings that have been heretofore hidden away in vast vaults and rarely even referenced, let alone ever heard - she powerfully imparts a lyric from the Betty Comden/Adolph Green/Jule Styne score of the Arthur Laurents-directed Tony Award-winning Best Musical of 1968, HALLELUJAH, BABY!, also acting as an oh-so-apt autobiographical summation: 'I'll be the best or nothing at all.' Indeed, so goes the legacy of Barbra Streisand - the voice of a generation; the greatest living recording artist, bar (or, if you prefer, Bar) none; who, now, today, is in the final stages of preparation before embarking on her new tour in conjunction with the release of this new album, directed by longtime creative collaborator and co-director, Richard Jay-Alexander with musical director and conductor William Ross.

Theatre of NOTE continues its 2012 season with the world premiere of POTENTIAL SPACE written by Kirsten Vangsness and directed by Bill Voorhees. POTENTIAL SPACE will preview Friday, September 21st and Saturday, September 22nd, and will open on Friday, September 28th at 8pm and run through Saturday, October 27th at Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd. (just north of Sunset) in Hollywood.

In preparation for the All-Day Long Island Al Jolson Festival (in Oceanside, NY) on Saturday, August 18, BroadwayWorld.com cabaret columnist Stephen Hanks offers his take on what made the 'World's Greatest Entertainer' so great, and muses about the reasons as to why he is such a devotee of the man who once owned Broadway and starred in the first talking picture.

In preparation for the All-Day Long Island Al Jolson Festival (in Oceanside, NY) on Saturday, August 18, BroadwayWorld.com cabaret columnist Stephen Hanks offers his take on what made the 'World's Greatest Entertainer' so great, and muses about the reasons as to why he is such a devotee of the man who once owned Broadway and starred in the first talking picture.

Highline Ballroom (431 West 16th Street between 9th Avenue and 10th Avenue) has just announced its line-up from June 18 through July 1. See full details below. Tickets may be purchased through Ticketweb, online at ticketweb.com or at the Highline Box Office from noon until doors close at 866-468-7619.

As part of the current three-play Royal Court at the Duke of York's Season with Posh by Laura Wade, Jumpy by April De Angelis and Constellations by Nick Payne, four of the UK's leading playwrights will direct one of their all-time favourite plays in a series of one-off afternoon readings from 29 June at the Duke of York's Theatre in a special event supported by The Ambassador Theatre Group. Nick Payne, Polly Stenham, Roy Williams and David Eldridge will select their favourite plays and will have less than two days to bring their vision to life with a full cast to be announced for staged readings on Friday afternoons this summer.

On Thursday, March 1, Sophia Salveson-at 19, a college student (at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago) and an aspiring actress-suffered a massive stroke that left her with little to no movement on the right side of her body and major damage to the speech and comprehension center of her brain. Taking her family and friends completely unawares, Salveson's sudden and unexpected medical dilemma sent feelings of shock, dismay and disbelief throughout the country, with its reverberations felt most resoundingly in her hometown of Nashville, where word quickly spread around town and among members of the city's music and theater communities that she had been stricken.