Leave It to Me! - 2001 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 8

There's an unfortunate guffaw in the otherwise well-calibrated British thriller of '46, 'Dead of Night,' when Mervyn Johns (Glynis' dad), sensing he's sinking into insanity, brings a shaky hand to his forehead and says, 'I've got to get to a mental specialist.'

To celebrate the release of beloved songwriter, guitarist and singer JJ Cale's Stay Around, Because Music will release an exclusive 7' vinyl for Record Store Day on April 13. The B-side features “Worrying Off Your Mind,” a bonus track from 2009's Roll On.

Razzmatazz, glitz, glamour, intrigue: 42ND STREET is filled with these classic themes, which is why it still thrills audiences decades after its premiere.

Remember Henry Albertson? Sure, you do. He's that ancient, arthritic, fragile/agile but eternally game actor who traveled by stage trunk from scene to scene throughout the longest-running musical of all time, 'The Fantasticks.' You may even remember during one exit, just as the lid was closing, he managed to peer urgently out of the trunk at the audience and implore them, with proper theatrical flourish, 'Remember me -- in light.'

 In 1962, fifty-seven years ago, the magnificent TONY BENNETT recorded "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."  The song was honored with two Grammy Awards, including "Record of the Year" and gave Tony a signature tune that, as he delights in saying, has made him "A Citizen of the World."  Last March, the classic was entered into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress as "an aural treasure worthy of preservation." Now in 2019, and about to turn an ageless 93, the legendary performer -  himself a world treasure - continues to leave his heart in each song that he sings and in every aspect of his life.

In anticipation of opening night of Theatre Calgary's production of Billy Elliot, I sat down with Dance Captain Amber Bissonnette to talk about her career and life as a dancer. 'I got started in dance when I was five. My second cousin's mom owned a dance studio and my mom and my sister had just moved to Edmonton - where I'm from - and she was looking for a way to keep us busy. I started singing and acting when I was about thirteen and it was all downhill from there.'

'Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations' opened March 21, at Broadway's legendary Imperial Theatre. However, many fans of the Temptations music may not know the group's long and complicated history. 

The award-winning, autobiographical comedy MY LIFE ON A DIET, starring Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning writer and actress Renee Taylor ("The Nanny"), kicks off a national tour this weekend with three performances at The Gateway, Performing Arts Center of Suffolk County (215 South Country Road, Bellport, NY 11713) on Friday, March 15 at 8pm and Saturday, March 16 at 3pm & 8pm.  The tour continues with a limited run at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts' Lovelace Studio Theater (9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210) from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 14.

Music Director Ivan Fischer returns with the Budapest Festival Orchestra this April performing music by Bartok along with traditional Hungarian songs. On Friday, April 5 at 8:00 p.m. the orchestra plays the suite from The Miraculous Mandarin; Concerto for Orchestra; and selections from Twenty-Seven Two- and Three-Part Choruses featuring Hungary's Cantemus Choir, under the direction of Choir Master Denes Szabo. A pre-concert talk begins at 7:00 p.m. with Peter Laki, Visiting Associate Professor, Bard College.

Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson brings his autobiographical solo show LACKAWANNA BLUES to the Mark Taper (already in previews), with opening night set for March 13, 2019. Hearkening back to his 1950's childhood in Lackawanna, New York; Ruben assumes the roles of twenty-plus characters he grew up with.

After a wildly successful run last year and subsequent awards for 'Best Musical' and 'Best Actor in a Musical' in the fan nominated and voted on Broadway World's Regional Awards, the West Virginia Public Theatre (WVPT) in Morgantown, WV has decided to bring The Last Five Years back to the stage for a second run, this time heading out on the road for two additional stops after their opening at the Tanner Theatre, located inside the Monongalia Arts Center.

Mark Murphy has announced his decision to leave REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater), the California Institute of the Arts' contemporary performing arts and exhibition space located in The Walt Disney Concert Hall, at the end of the 2018/2019 season, in order to focus his attention on initiating new creative programs and productions in a variety of US and international cities. Murphy has led REDCAT for more than seventeen years, starting as its founding Executive Director in 2001, before overseeing the grand opening of the facility in 2003. Edgar Miramontes, Associate Director at REDCAT, will assume additional duties of interim leadership until a permanent appointment is made.

Mark Murphy has announced his decision to leave REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater), the California Institute of the Arts' contemporary performing arts and exhibition space located in The Walt Disney Concert Hall, at the end of the 2018/2019 season, in order to focus his attention on initiating new creative programs and productions in a variety of US and international cities. Murphy has led REDCAT for more than seventeen years, starting as its founding Executive Director in 2001, before overseeing the grand opening of the facility in 2003. Edgar Miramontes, Associate Director at REDCAT, will assume additional duties of interim leadership until a permanent appointment is made.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts presents the Los Angeles premiere of Renee Taylor's MY LIFE ON A DIET, the award-winning, autobiographical comedy written by Taylor and Joseph Bologna, which opens its 12 performance, limited engagement on Friday, April 5 and continues through Sunday, April 14, 2019, in The Wallis's Bram Goldsmith Theater.

The 2019 Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival features an extraordinary roster of twenty-two musical groups, highlighted by the festival debut of Grammy award winning artist Norah Jones, and the return of jazz legend George Benson and festival favorite Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Back by popular demand is also Los Van Van 50th Anniversary, Django Festival All-Stars with Edmar Castañeda and Grace Kelly, Joshua Redman Quartet, and James Carter Organ Trio. Fifteen emerging artists making their Saratoga debuts include Kandace Springs, Donna Grantis, Joey DeFrancesco Trio, Mercy Project which features Jon Cowherd, Brian Blade, John Patitucci, and Steve Cardenas, Antonio Sanchez & Migration, and Cha Wa. The festival will also feature a record number of groups led by women artists, highlighted by Allison Miller, Veronica Swift, Ruthie Foster and Youn Sun Nah.

The award-winning, autobiographical comedy MY LIFE ON A DIET, starring Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning writer and actress Renee Taylor, will kick off a national tour this spring with three performances at The Gateway, Performing Arts Center of Suffolk County (215 South Country Road, Bellport, NY 11713) on Friday, March 15 at 8pm and Saturday, March 16 at 3pm & 8pm. The tour continues with a limited run at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts' Lovelace Studio Theater (9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210) from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 14. Dates in other cities across the U.S. and in Canada will be announced in the coming weeks.

Following last year's momentous 50th anniversary celebrations, The Isle of Wight Festival today announces the first artists for the 2019 event, which kicks off the British festival season on  13th - 16th June.

Mel Brooks' musical comedy The Producers won a record-setting 12 Tonys in 2001, including Best Musical - the most in the awards' history. It also set the standard for outrageous, in-your-face, politically incorrect humor. Stage Door Theatre will present what Variety's Charles Isherwood called 'a rip-roaring, gut-busting, rib-tickling, knee-slapping, aisle-rolling … good time' musical at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center (LPAC). The show will open on January 18th and run through February 10th.

Mel Brooks' musical comedy The Producers won a record-setting 12 Tonys in 2001, including Best Musical - the most in the awards' history. It also set the standard for outrageous, in-your-face, politically incorrect humor. Stage Door Theatre will present what Variety's Charles Isherwood called 'a rip-roaring, gut-busting, rib-tickling, knee-slapping, aisle-rolling … good time' musical at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center (LPAC). The show will open on January 18th and run through February 10th.

Given the current political climate in this country you have to ask if there is any such thing as a truly honest politician. Today's subject, Nehassaiu deGannes, is currently living her theatre life onstage at Studio Theatre portraying just that type, Rep. Sydney Millsap, in local playwright Sarah Burgess' Kings. The production runs through January 13th in Studio's fourth floor space.

Already a few cities into their 27-city national circuit, the touring company of COME FROM AWAY has landed in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson. Helmed by its Tony Award-winning director Christopher Ashley, COME FROM AWAY runs through January 6, 2019. Still fresh and reeling from the audience's passionate responses to this tale of a major true event in the aftermath of 9/11, Christine Toy Johnson (who's playing multiple roles in this feel-very-good musical) took a few moments to respond to my inquisitive queries.

The holiday season is here at last, and in just weeks, the world will be spreading yuletide cheer by decking the halls, wrapping the gifts and sipping the eggnog. There are plenty of ways to join in the spirit, because for theatre fans, Broadway is everywhere this season... and BroadwayWorld has a complete guide of where to find it!

Last night, Renee Taylor won the annual The United Solo Special Award, which recognizes artists who have made significant recent contributions to solo theatre during the year, for her critically acclaimed autobiographical comedy MY LIFE ON A DIET. Along with Ms. Taylor, this year's nominees included Derek DelGaudio (In & Of Itself), Alison S. M. Kobayashi (Say Something Bunny!), John Lithgow (Stories By Heart), Chita Rivera (An Evening with Chita Rivera) and Bruce Springsteen (Springsteen on Broadway).