Like Other People - 1963 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 16

Go inside the creation and 63-year evolution of the musical theatre masterpiece, West Side Story.

In their continued and laudable feat of presenting diverse voices in theater, Orange County's South Coast Repertory is currently staging another stirring new drama, this time from playwright Donja R. Love entitled FIREFLIES, which continues performances through January 26, 2020 in Costa Mesa under the admirable direction of Lou Bellamy. At times heartbreaking and devastating, but ultimately empowering and (slightly) hopeful for future generations, FIREFLIES is a must-watch drama with searing emotions and real-world importance, highlighted by powerful performances from its two talented leads.

Everyone loves a good Romantic Comedy, and when people find a good one, they latch onto it. Such a RomCom was the 1937 play a?oeParfumeriea?? by Miklos Laszlo. Now, if you're not familiar with that one maybe you're more familiar with some of the films that were based on it. There was the 1940 James Stewart-Margaret Sullavan film a?oeThe Shop Around the Cornera??, or how about the 1949 Judy Garland-Van Johnson musical version a?oeIn the Good Old Summertimea??. No? Well I'm sure you remember the 1998 Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan feature a?oeYou've Got Maila??. And beyond those, the play also spawned one of the most underrated and underappreciated shows in American Musical Theatre, a?oeShe Loves Mea?? by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick with a book by Joe Masteroff, currently playing at Village Theatre. a?oeShe Loves Mea?? has been revived on Broadway since it's 1963 beginnings twice, plus a concert version in 1977, but still there are too many people who don't know the glory of this show. Well, Dear Readers, let's try and change that.

When even a single play by Samuel Beckett might become a test of endurance for an audience, putting three of them together risks missing the mark. But as Trevor Nunn's superb Beckett Triple Bill at Jermyn Street Theatre confirms, it's a risk worth taking, and the results might be astounding. This potent line-up of three Beckett one-acts about memory and old age allows each play to clarify and enrich the other two, giving rise to an evening that is gloriously bigger than the sum of its parts.

Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM), in partnership with Broadway Across America (BAA),  has announced the full lineup of Broadway shows coming to Dallas in the 2020-2021 season. The eight-show lineup features fan-favorites, fresh adaptations, and seven Tony Award® winners including 2019's Best Musical, HADESTOWN. Season tickets will go on sale at 12 p.m. on Friday, January 17.

Musical legends Mariah Carey, Annie Lennox / Dave Stewart p/k/a Eurythmics, Ernie Isley / Marvin Isley / O'Kelly Isley / Ronald Isley / Rudolph Isley / Chris Jasper p/k/a The Isley Brothers, Steve Miller, Chad Hugo / Pharrell Williams p/k/a The Neptunes, Rick Nowels and William “Mickey” Stevenson will become the latest inductees of the Songwriters Hall of Fame at the organization's 51st Annual Induction and Awards Dinner. These legendary songwriters wrote mega-hits such as, 'Vision of Love,”  “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” “Shout,” “The Joker,” “Hollaback Girl,” “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” and “Dancing In The Street.” The star-studded induction event is slated for Thursday, June 11th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Additional special award honorees will be announced soon.

For the past 126 years, Gibson has been synonymous with creating and shaping sound. The new Gibson era celebrates the iconic models of the Gibson Golden Era while leaning into the future with instruments that nurture new players across generations, genders, and genres of music. In 2019, Gibson emerged as the legitimate leader again by offering new, relevant and award-winning guitars.

UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) presents Pam Tanowitz/Brice Marden/Kaija Saariaho's Four Quartets on Saturday, February 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 16, at 3 p.m. at Royce Hall. Tickets starting at $28 are available now at cap.ucla.edu, 310-825-2101, and Royce Hall box office.

Charley Pride: I'm Just Me, a documentary about the life and career of legendary Country music superstar Charley Pride, will debut on CBC's documentary Channel on Wednesday, January 1 at 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT as part of their All Day Music Marathon. It will repeat on Sunday, February 2 at 9:00 pm ET/PT.

Alex Poots, Artistic Director and CEO of The Shed, today announced its 2020 Season of new productions by progressive artists from across the performing arts, visual arts, and pop culture, including live performances, solo exhibitions, and the final group of The Shed's inaugural Open Call series for emerging New York City-based artists. Poots also announced the appointment of Madani Younis, who joins The Shed in January as Chief Executive Producer. To celebrate the opening season as it draws to a close, The Shed will host its first open house, Meet at The Shed, on Saturday, January 11, 2020, featuring special pop-up events and free admission to its current exhibitions.

Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue, will present its 45th annual Thunderbird American Dancers Dance Concert and Pow Wow from January 24 to February 2, 2019. There will be dances, stories and traditional music from Native Peoples of the Northeast, Southwest and Great Plains regions. The event, emceed by Bessie-winner Louis Mofsie (Hopi/Winnebago), has become a treasured New York tradition for celebrating our diversity by honoring the culture of our first Americans.

New Repertory Theatre dusts off an old chestnut for a family-friendly, non-holiday, crowd-pleasing offering as their gift for the season. Lionel Bart's OLIVER!, based on Charles Dickens' novel OLIVER TWIST, is known to be a little dark, with its themes of orphans, child exploitation, and vast income inequality (sound familiar?), but in the hands of New Rep's new Artistic Director, Michael J. Bobbitt, the darkness is lightened up with jaunty performances, a smattering of silly antics, and a set design (Luciana Stecconi) that skews to the cartoonish. With almost a dozen capable adults anchoring the cast, the seven children of all ages are given free rein to behave like children, albeit amazingly talented and spirited ones.

The incomparable Darlene Love returns to Kean Stage at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 14 to perform Love for the Holidays, a Christmas show like no other. The event will take place at Wilkins Theatre, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, N.J. on Kean University's main campus.

The incomparable Darlene Love returns to Kean Stage at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 14 to perform Love for the Holidays, a Christmas show like no other. The event will take place at Wilkins Theatre, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, N.J. on Kean University's main campus.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. That's a sentiment that has been expressed for many years, sometimes merely through the utterance of the sentence, but usually through the singing of the popular song written by Meredith Wilson in 1951. While many attribute the song to the 1963 Broadway musical Here's Love, it was actually written simply as a Christmas song and singers have been crooning the tune ever since.

SHE LOVES ME is a rare gem in the 21st century. 

Wagner College Theatre continues its 2019-20 Mainstage Season with the charming, romantic musical She Loves Me, with performances November 14-24 in the Main Hall Theatre.

The Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture presents Havana Jam honoring the 500th Anniversary of the Founding of Havana with bassist / violinist / composer Yunior Terry leading his septet Son de Altura featuring vocalist David Oquendo and special guests - Cuban song stylist Gema, Charanga flutist Eddy Zervigón, of Orquesta Broadway, and classical pianist Adonis González, on Friday, November 15, 7:30 PM in the Repertory Theater at Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street in the Bronx.

The Basel-Kiene Family joins City Beverages in presenting PlayFest. Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF's PlayFest 2019 is set for November 1 a?" 3 and 8 a?" 9, 2019 and features seven readings of new plays in development.

Jazz all-stars salute one of their own a?" the late piano legend and influential music educator Harold Mabern a?" in Giants of Jazz 22 Honoring Harold Mabern, a concert celebration of his life and craft on Saturday, November 16 at 8 p.m.

Trinity Rep presents its annual holiday tradition, A Christmas Carol. Noted for being a new production each year, the 2019 production has been inspired by the senses, with a focus on the sights, sounds, and smells of the holiday season.

The Basel-Kiene Family joins City Beverages in presenting PlayFest. Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF's PlayFest 2019 is set for November 1 a?" 3 and 8 a?" 9, 2019 and features seven readings of new plays in development. At the two-weekend festival, patrons will experience ground-breaking new works while participating in the creative process. Tickets to individual PlayFest readings ($10) may be purchased online at orlandoshakes.org, by phone at (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street). PlayFest Passes ($56) and PlayFest VIP Passes ($100) are on sale now and may be purchased by phone or in person.

Due to audience demand, Florida Studio Theatre (FST) announces the extension of its Summer Cabaret, Who Loves You: Musical Tribute to Frankie Valli and Beyond. Produced in association with Sharon Klein Productions, Who Loves You is a celebration of the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, one of the most successful groups in music history. Called a?oeDynamitea?? and a?oeSharpa?? by The Observer, this high-energy music revue features the signature songs and dance moves of The Four Seasons and the musicians they inspired. Who Loves You is now held over through October 17, 2019 in FST's Goldstein Cabaret. Tickets range from $34-39 and are now on sale at floridastudiotheatre.org, or by calling (941) 366-9000.

There is just something so damned exciting about Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's 'Caroline, or Change'! It is rare indeed to experience a work of art this ambitious, morally complex, entertaining, honest, and just plain downright human. It is easily one of the handful of best musicals written in the past 25 years. And how original - a musical play about nothing less than the human capacity for change and growth despite seemingly insurmountable odds. For anyone out there bemoaning the dumbing-down of the American musical theater and longing for the halcyon days of Broadway's supposed Golden Age, you need look no further than 'Caroline' to restore your confidence.