Mid-Summer - 1953 - Broadway Articles Page 12

Craig Lucas' evocative libretto and Adam Guettel's lushly romantic (and Tony Award-winning) score, notwithstanding - and putting aside the momentous occasion of Street Theatre Company inaugurating a new theater venue - perhaps the most notable attribute of the Ernie Nolan-directed version of The Light in the Piazza debuting tonight is its stellar cast of artists who bring the show to life with such apparent ardor. Continuing through April 20, STC's The Light in the Piazza is beautifully sung and impressively acted by Nolan's impeccably cast ensemble in a production fairly redolent of mid-century Florence and it serves as the perfect introduction to STC's new home.

Today, we invite you to get to know Briar Moroschak and Lindsay Hess, who play the daughter and mother at the heart of the story, who graciously answered our questions for the latest in our continuing series of Friday 5 (+1) in order to gain some insight into the two women and to suggest why you might want to make reservations now to see the acclaimed musical at Street Theatre Company.

This last month came with a lot of new stage to screen news and we're here to catch you up on all of it! The film adaptation everyone is talking about, CATS, just recently wrapped production! The cast and crew also made an appearance at CinemaCon, where Jennifer Hudson sang 'Memory.' CinemaCon also shed light on the upcoming Disney live-action adaptations of both ALADDIN and THE LION KING! And just a few weeks ago, a new trailer was released for ALADDIN. It was recently announced, too, that a film remake of GUYS AND DOLLS is in the works!

Scenario Two have announced that three-time Olivier Award winner and current BAFTA nominee, Alex Jennings (My Fair Lady, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Queen, Bridget Jones: The Edge, Babel, The Lady in the Van and most recently the critically acclaimed Netflix series The Crown and Unforgotten for which he has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor) will complete the cast for the London premiere of the acclaimed Broadway musical The Light in the Piazza. A stunning story about the life-changing thrill of first love, Jennings will play Signor Naccarelli the father of dashing Italian lover, Fabrizio.

Their May 8 concert, From Song Came Symphony, will explore the symphonic influence of composer Harry T. Burleigh, whose legacy is often tied to the concertization of the American spiritual. He is also increasingly credited as influencing some of the spiritual-inspired thematic material for the 'New World Symphony' and 'American String Quartet' of Antonin Dvorak. The Burleigh Society, which advances studies of black art music through scholarship and performance, hopes to broaden audiences' understanding of Burleigh's foundational contributions to American classical music.

The Light in the Piazza, starring four-time Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Renee Fleming as Margaret Johnson, is coming to Chicago. Additional casting including Broadway and West End stars to be announced soon.

Dove Cameron will make her LA Opera debut in The Light in the Piazza, running from October 12 through 20, 2019, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. She will play the role of Clara Johnson, a young woman with a long-hidden secret that threatens her hopes of finding true love during a summer vacation through Italy. Opera superstar Renee Fleming will portray her mother, Margaret Johnson.

Dove Cameron will make her LA Opera debut in The Light in the Piazza, running from October 12 through 20, 2019, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Roundabout Theatre Company presents the new Broadway production of the musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate, starring Tony Award winner Kelli O'Hara, opening tonight!

Following the success of last year's program, Stephane Wrembel returns to New York City withDjango a Gogo 2019: A Celebration of Guitar Mastery Through The Music of Django Reinhardt, at The Town Hall in New York City on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at 8 p.m. This year's program will not only feature Reinhardt's classics and originals inspired by his work, but also an unusual glimpse of the legendary guitarist's solo pieces. This is a music treasure rarely explored -- and the subject of Wrembel's latest research. 

The Light in the Piazza will be lighting up City Theater in Biddeford for 3 weekends in March. This exciting production features some the best vocal talent in Southern, Maine and an extraordinary 5 piece chamber orchestra. This new production has been said to have 'the most intensely romantic score of any musical since West Side Story' (NY Times) THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA will sweep you off your feet as it transports you to a beautiful, sun-drenched Italian piazza.

Richard Wright's iconic novel, Native Son,  streamlined into a blazing 90 minute adaptation by actor/playwright Nambi E. Kelley, will run in repertory with Les Deux Noirs: Notes on Notes of A Native Son, inspired by James Baldwin's blistening critique of Wright's controversial work. Award-winning director and playwright Psalmayene 24's stages the innovative take on Wright's masterpiece while authoring a modern reimagining of Wright's real-life meeting with Baldwin in 1953 Paris.

Omara Portuondo, legendary Cuban diva and original member of the famed Buena Vista Social Club, comes to North America this spring/summer for the final time as part of her worldwide “Last Kiss” farewell tour. Highlights of the tour's North American portion include performances at the Regent Theater in Los Angeles, Sony Hall in New York, the Barns at Wolf Trap in Washington, D.C. and the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. See below for a list of dates.

The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) is proud to announce the initial lineup for 2019. Among the shows announced in the lineup are the Next Link Project selections, as well as the Invited Production selections. Now in its sixteenth year, the 2019 Festival will take place July through August at locations around midtown Manhattan in New York City. Scott Pyne serves as Executive Director and West Hyler serves as Producing Artistic Director.

February was full of stage to screen news and we're here to catch you up on all of it! In the biggest news of the month, it has just been confirmed that Glenn Close will star in a Rob Ashford-directed film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, which is set to begin shooting this October! It was also announced that a film adaptation of One Man, Two Guvnors is on the way. Both Lion King and Aladdin released new TV spots and Idris Elba talked about the upcoming Cats film!

The Light in the Piazza will be lighting up City Theater in Biddeford for 3 weekends in March. This exciting production features some the best vocal talent in Southern, Maine and an extraordinary 5 piece chamber orchestra. This new production has been said to have 'the most intensely romantic score of any musical since West Side Story' (NY Times) THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA will sweep you off your feet as it transports you to a beautiful, sun-drenched Italian piazza.

Here's what is coming and going to Hulu for March!

In celebration of her career as a dance critic, writer, dancer, choreographer and educator, From the Horse's Mouth will dedicate its next theater/dance performance event to Deborah Jowitt, whose lifelong accomplishments exemplify a storied career spanning more than 50 years.

On Tuesday, March 26, award-winning author Christopher Castellani visits with his new novel LEADING MEN, a story of desire, artistic ambition, and fidelity featuring Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and their social circle in 1950s Italy.

Scenario Two have announced further casting for the London debut of the acclaimed Broadway musical The Light in the Piazza. The Light in the Piazza will be performed in a full staging at the Royal Festival Hall in a limited run of only twenty performances directed by Olivier award-winner, Daniel Evans, designed by Robert Jones with costumes by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting by Mark Henderson and sound by Mick Potter. The ravishing score will be played by the 35 piece orchestra of Opera North under the baton of Kimberly Grigsby, conductor of the original Lincoln Center production.

T. Fellowship, in association with Columbia University School of the Arts, announces the next T. Fellow is Rachel Sussman, the seventh fellow in the one year program designed to educate and empower new creative producers. The fellow will receive a stipend of $10,000 with a $20,000 budget for the development of a new theatrical production, and will have access to courses in Columbia's MFA Theatre Management & Producing Program.

????Mr. Kavakos and Ms.Wang are frequent collaborators in concert and on recordings. There is such a rapport between them that an easy flow of ideas and emotions inform all of their performances.

Since 2010, Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center (BMCM+AC) has hosted the {Re}HAPPENING inspired by John Cage's 1952 Theatre Piece No. 1, an unscripted performance at Black Mountain College considered by many to be the first Happening. The annual {Re}HAPPENING brings together dozens of contemporary artists whose work responds to and extends the legacy of Black Mountain College visionaries such as John Cage, David Tudor, Merce Cunningham, M.C. Richards and Robert Rauschenberg. The 2019 {Re}HAPPENING celebrates the influence of non-western music on such legendary artists by showcasing contemporary musicians who continue the legacy of experimental music within a global context. As part of the international Merce Cunningham Centennial Celebration, BMCM+AC will juxtapose these contemporary performances and installations alongside projections of historic Cunningham dance footage, including Variations V, a collaboration with John Cage and fellow BMC faculty Stan VanDerBeek.

Backs Against the Wall: The Howard Thurman Story explores the extraordinary life and legacy of one of the most important religious figures of the 20th century. Born the grandson of slaves, Howard Thurman became the “spiritual foundation” for the Civil Rights Movement, inspiring many of its leaders — including his close friend Martin Luther King, Jr. Featured in the film are a host of scholars, theologians, and Civil Rights pioneers including Congressman John Lewis, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Vernon Jordan, and more. Written and directed by Martin Doblmeier, the creator of dozens of award-winning films on faith, Backs Against the Wall premieres on the WORLD Channel today, February 8, 2019, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings), and on public television stations throughout the month of February.