New Girl in Town - 1994 - London Fringe Articles Page 11

Leave it to the creative folks over at 3-D Theatricals, Orange County's award-winning Broadway-caliber theatrical company, to be the entity responsible for this splendid new regional production of DISNEY's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST---the 1994 stage adaptation of the studio's gorgeous Academy Award-winning 1991 animated film that features music by Alan Menken, and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. 3DT's rather complex mounting---directed by 3-DT co-founder and artistic director TJ Dawson---is a marvelously-enchanting reboot, even despite the myriad of unfortunate opening night technical gaffes and (almost) forgotten/missed lines of dialogue that occasionally interrupted some of the wonderment. Of course, surely the kinks will be ironed out for the remainder of its scheduled run at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton through February 21 (which will then transfer for a weekend of shows at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center from February 26-28).

While certainly far from a perfect show (both in staging and execution), the bus-and-truck version of BULLETS OVER BROADWAY - THE MUSICAL---the quirky and highly-amusing stage musical adaptation of the 1994 big screen comedy penned by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath---is nonetheless a supremely fun and engaging stage iteration had me in stitches for much of its two hilarious acts, which have been enhanced by lots of silly, old-fashioned antics and an array of surprisingly top-notch musical/acting performances from a solid, mostly young cast. I can honestly say that this production---now finishing up its Los Angeles premiere performances at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood through January 24---is quite possibly the most enjoyable non-equity first national tour I've watched in a long, long time---a wonderful surprise considering such enterprises have a long, contentious history of enticing lots of industry controversy and skepticism even before the curtain goes up.

CABARET, the musical masterpiece, returns direct from Broadway!

Producers Daniel Nardicio and Andy Brattain will honor Edith Piaf, the iconic French songstress on her actual 100th Birthday with PIAF: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION with stars from Broadway, London's West End, Jazz, Cabaret and Rock 'n' Roll.

The Irish Repertory Theatre (Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director and Ciaran O'Reilly, Producing Director) presents its first production of 2016, THE BURIAL AT THEBES written by Irish Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, based on Sophocles' Antigone.  Directed by Charlotte Moore, THE BURIAL AT THEBES will now star two-time Emmy Award-winner and Tony nominee Larry Bryggman (Proof, Picnic, "As the World Turns") as Creon, The King of Thebes (who replaces the previously announced John Cullum), and Rebekah Brockman (seen as Nettie on the acclaimed Cinemax series "The Knick") as Antigone.  THE BURIAL AT THEBES will be performed Thursday, January 14 - Sunday, March 6, 2016. Opening Night is scheduled for Sunday, January 24, 2016.  Tickets are on sale now through the Irish Rep box office at 212-727-2737 or online at www.irishrep.org.

The New York premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist and Emmy Award nominated writer Rolin Jones and Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winning Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong's new play with music THESE PAPER BULLETS!, directed by Jackson Gay, opens tonight, December 15, at Atlantic Theater Company.

Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel today announced the creative teams for New York City Center's 2016 Encores! season. J. Bernard Calloway, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, and J.D. Webster will star in Vernon Duke and John Latouche's jazz?filled fable Cabin in the Sky, running for seven performances at City Center from February 10-14. The 1940 musical will be directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago?Hudson with choreography by Camille A. Brown.

The New York premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist and Emmy Award nominated writer Rolin Jones and Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winning Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong's new play with music THESE PAPER BULLETS!, directed by Jackson Gay, begins tonight, November 20, at Atlantic Theater Company.

Turkeys are on-sale at your local supermarket, so there's no better way to know Thanksgiving is just around the corner - yep, less than two weeks away! - which means that local theater companies will be unleashing their holiday season productions with enough productions of A Christmas Story (both the musical and the play), It's A Wonderful Life and Ebenezer Scrooge-led shows that you could shake a stick at!

Thus, we are happy to present the return of one our most popular features: The Nashville Theater Calendar, a comprehensive - maybe even exhaustive (lord knows we're exhausted from putting it together, gathering all the info from all over the interwebs!) - listing of theatrical openings for the 2015/16 season. We'll update the calendar every Monday, clearing out the shows that have closed and adding additional information on the shows still to come. Something's missing? That's an easy fix: just send us a message here, on Facebook, or by email at jeffreyellis37215@att.com.

Halloween's all done in, there are still three weeks ahead before we officially give thanks, and Christmas - and all its accompanying frenzy and frivolity - is about seven weeks away! So what's there to do for all the theatrical types jonesing for a trip to make believe? Plenty! Theater companies all over middle Tennessee are showing off their best and brightest, with a number of eagerly anticipated shows opening this weekend and/or continuing from their earlier opening nights and next Tuesday there's a sparkling new Broadway musical swinging through Music City to entertain you…

PRAIRIE-OKE!, the musical mash-up parody that rocked Los Angeles, returns for three weekends only to the Cavern Club Theater.

The Irish Repertory Theatre (Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director and Ciaran O'Reilly, Producing Director) announces its first production of 2016, THE BURIAL AT THEBES written by Irish Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, based on Sophocles' Antigone.

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

PRAIRIE-OKE!, the musical mash-up parody that rocked Los Angeles, returns for three weekends only to the Cavern Club Theater.

Producers Daniel Nardicio and Andy Brattain will honor Edith Piaf, the iconic French songstress on her actual 100th Birthday with PIAF: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION with stars from Broadway, London's West End, Jazz, Cabaret and Rock 'n' Roll. Starring Elaine Paige, Christine Ebersole, Marilyn Maye, Vivian Reed, Little Annie, Gay Marshall, Molly Pope, Amber Martin, Aaron Weinstein and Meow Meow, the concert will take place on Saturday, December 19, 2015 at 8:00 PM at The Town Hall(123 West 43rd Street).

BroadwayWorld is excited to report complete casting for the New York premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist and Emmy Award nominated writer Rolin Jones and Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winning Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong's new play with music THESE PAPER BULLETS!, directed by Jackson Gay at Atlantic Theater Company. Much of the company carries over from the show's Los Angeles premiere.

Returning for its 17th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook will continue to broaden its scope in celebrating the best in American singing and songwriting as interpreted by top performers and rising stars, with events at three Lincoln Center venues.

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

'[Thank you] to an incredible cast of British and American actors who make the Atlantic look like a little creek you can just kind of pop across,' said Dame Helen Mirren upon receiving her 2015 Tony Award. The stage and screen star reprised her critically-acclaimed performance in THE AUDIENCE after a West End run in 2013, and she was just one of many to 'pop across' an ocean for a stab at Broadway.  An unprecedented amount of British talent took over Broadway last year, bringing us such productions as THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, WOLF HALL: PARTS 1 & 2, and SKYLIGHT.   It doesn't seem like the trend is ending anytime soon. This fall, Broadway will welcome a slew of British actors- some of whom will be making their US stage debuts in incoming productions. And it's not just performers. We're getting some complete British imports in shows like A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE and KING CHARLES III. Below, we're taking a moment to shine a spotlight on this season's British imports.

The Coral Springs Center for the Arts is launching a star-packed 2015-2016 season next month with an exciting, diverse, audience-wowing array of hit shows, comic legends and musical superstars, according to Kevin Barrett, the Center's General Manager. 

This November, FRIGID New York @ Horse Trade presents the Fourth Annual Gotham Storytelling Festival. With storytellers from a variety of ethnic, national and sexual backgrounds, this year's festival promises to break the mould and bring you stories that are both intensely individual and strikingly universal. Don't miss out on six days of stories that will make you laugh, cry and want to hear more! This year's festival will run November 4-11 at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Avenue and Avenue A). Tickets ($10-$15) may be purchased in advance at www.horseTRADE.info. 

The Coral Springs Center for the Arts is launching a star-packed 2015-2016 season next month with an exciting, diverse, audience-wowing array of hit shows, comic legends and musical superstars, according to Kevin Barrett, the Center's General Manager. 

The Road Theatre Company and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, are thrilled to announce the first show of its 2015-2016 - 25th Anniversary Season, the World Premiere of HOMEFREE, written by Lisa Loomer and directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews. HOMEFREE will open today, September 18 at 8pm and run through Sunday, November 8th at the Road Theatre Company's second home, the Road on Magnolia, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.