Night Life - 1962 - Broadway Articles Page 17

Over coffee, on the morning after seeing Verge Theater Company's production of Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play - the dark comedy by Anne Washburn, directed by Nashville theater veteran Amanda Card - last weekend, a friend allowed as how he had heard of the play, but had no idea what it was about, asking me for a brief synopsis: "It's about a group of five people in a post-apocalyptic society, presumably brought about by nuclear events across the country, if not the world, who entertain one another with detailed stories based upon episodes from The Simpson," I answered.

The 14th Annual Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival is pleased to announce the details of its full 2019 program in September, titled Tennessee Williams and Yukio Mishima.

Bay Area Musicals has announced the full cast and creative team for the final production of the Company's 2018-2019 season, the international smash hit HAIRSPRAY (Winner of 8 Tony Awards including "Best Musical"). Based on the 1988 John Waters film, HAIRSPRAY features music by Mark Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman & Mark Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell & Thomas Meehan.

Odyssey Theatre Ensemble kicks off its "Circa '69" season of significant and adventurous plays that premiered around the time of the Odyssey's 1969 inception with Joe Orton's darkly comic masterpiece Loot. Bart DeLorenzodirects this tour de force of corrosive wit, dizzying intrigue and classic farce for aJune 8 opening, with performances continuing through Aug. 10.

What makes a Broadway theatre? Technically any venue with 500 seats or more, located along Broadway in New York City's Theatre District is a Broadway theatre, and the art that is produced in these special places is widely considered the highest form of theatrical entertainment in the world. Today, forty-one theatres are technically Broadway houses, each with their own rich history. Below, we're giving you the scoop on the life of every one of them!

Actress Fay McKenzie Waldman passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of April 16th at the age of 101. She was born February 19, 1918 into a show business family where she was the youngest of two sisters and an actress cousin, and made her screen debut at only ten weeks old in "Station Content" (1918) in which she was carried in the arms of Gloria Swanson. Her parents, Eva & Bob "Pops" McKenzie were already veteran performers and apparently wanted their daughter to get an early start in films. She nearly stole the show from Oliver Hardy as "the baby" in the Alice Howell short "Distilled Love" (filmed in 1918 but released two years later). By the time she was six, Fay was considered an old hand, having played diverse parts in her father's stock company. Among her early films was the 1924 Photoplay Medal Winner, "The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln." 

SCHOOL OF ROCK is heading to the Orpheum on April 23-28. Here to talk about the musical and his personal road to touring with a hit show is Layne Roate, who plays the roommate Ned Schneebly.

Today, April 15 (3pm EST), Pulitzer Prize Administrator Dana Canedy will announce the winners of the the 2019 Pulitzer Prizes, including the finalists and winners for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This announcement marks the 103rd year of the Prizes. For more information on this year's and all past years' winners and finalists, please visit http://www.Pulitzer.org.

It was just announced by Pulitzer Prize Administrator Dana Canedy that Jackie Sibblies Drury's Fairview has officially won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Richard Pryor, Jr visits Los Angeles with IN A PRYOR LIFE as part of multi-city tour. The book released on April 8th has already sold out its first printing and into its second.

After two previously sold out shows, Paul Anka returns to The Ridgefield Playhouse stage with a new show - Anka Sings Sinatra: His Songs, My Songs, My Way - on Wednesday, May 15th at 8pm.

First Stage is delighted to announce its upcoming 2019/20 season. The 33rd season includes a little something for every member of the family - including Madeleine L'Engle's beloved sci-fi/fantasy adventure A WRINKLE IN TIME; an epic musical battle royale in THE LEGEND OF ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS; a cup overflowing with heart and inspiration in playwright/actor James DeVita's world premiere play ALEX AND THE AMAZING LEMONADE STAND; a huge dose of holiday cheer in ELF - The Musical, which leaps from the screen to Broadway and now to First Stage; the bilingual, world premiere play ON THE WINGS OF A MARIPOSA - and so much more! This upcoming season is bound to offer the best family experiences in Milwaukee and to those Milwaukee theatergoers who enjoy great theater.

 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.

As I'm going through all my Gypsy CDs (yes, to ensure I have them all either on my hard drive or accessible in the cloud, before throwing them out), I'm finding myself weirdly most drawn to Tyne Daly's recording, from her Tony-winning performance in the 1989 revival. The thing is I know Tyne Daly, I mean I know her work. She's been a familiar and distinctive presence on stage and screen for as long as I can remember and I even have a few musical theater recordings featuring her singing, but hers is not a singing voice I live with on a LITERALLY daily basis like, say, Ethel Merman's, Angela Lansbury's, Bette Midler's, Bernadette Peters's or Patti LuPone's. So to me, Tyne Daly's Rose is a unique sound that I can only identify with Tyne Daly's Rose and, therefore, a character. For today, that's the Gypsy I most feel like listening to.

Richard Pryor, Jr returns to his home town of Peoria to share the Glitz, the Glamour and The Gutter of IN A PRYOR LIFE, then onto Altoona Iowa

'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. 

Richard Pryor, Jr Recently Announced the Publication of IN A PRYOR LIFE: Richard, Jr.'s self proclaimed 'Freakish Life' paralleled his famous father's and namesake in many ways. A Peoria whorehouse, abuse, alcohol and drug addition, as well as frequent bad decisions. However, he survived. And that's what his book is about, a real-life story of overwhelming obstacles, surviving, and thriving.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Happy Friday! Finish off your week by catching up on the latest Broadway news!

Royal Family Productions will present a special invite-only reading of the musical Rock and Roll Refugee. Written by Chris Henry and Genya Ravan, directed by JoAnn Hunter with musical direction by Daniel A. Weiss, the readings will take place March 14-16 at Royal Family Performing Art Space (145 West 46th street). For more information please email jessica@royalfamilyproductions.org.

The Tony Award winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) will launch its 84th year and Bill Rauch's final season as artistic director with preview performances beginning on March 1. The 2019 season officially kicks off Friday night, March 8, in the Angus Bowmer Theatre with Shakespeare's As You Like It (director, Rosa Joshi). On Saturday afternoon, Cambodian Rock Band (director, Chay Yew) opens in the Thomas Theatre, and Hairspray The Broadway Musical (director, Christopher Liam Moore) opens that evening in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. On Sunday afternoon, the drama by Southern Oregon based playwright Octavio Solis, Mother Road (director, Bill Rauch), will see its world premiere in the Angus Bowmer Theatre.

Had Lucy's family stayed in Trenton, history might have been very different, but the Garden State stayed peripherally involved the Queen of Comedy's life and work.

'Me and Lee - The Musical' is the true story of Judyth Vary Baker - a teen science super-star recruited by the U.S. Government during the height of the Cold War in 1962

Richard Pryor, Jr Recently Announced the Publication of IN A PRYOR LIFE: Richard, Jr.'s self proclaimed 'Freakish Life' paralleled his famous father's and namesake in many ways. A Peoria whorehouse, abuse, alcohol and drug addiction, as well as frequent bad decisions. However, he survived. And that's what his book is about, a real-life story of overwhelming obstacles, surviving, and thriving.

Born in Peoria, Illinois, on April 10, 1962, at only 6 months, the first-born son of Richard Pryor and his first wife, Patricia Watts, had to stay in the hospital for several weeks until he reached 5 pounds - and he was so small, his parents had to buy doll socks to fit his feet. 

Irish Repertory Theatre announced today special events and programming for the month of March as part of the The Sean O'Casey Season, a comprehensive retrospective of the work of renowned Irish playwright Sean O'Casey, celebrating 30 years of Irish Repertory Theatre.