Oklahoma! - 1984 - US Tour Articles Page 7

Charles Dickens' beloved orphan makes his Goodspeed debut in the hope-filled musical set in the dark shadows of Victorian London. Bounced from workhouse to forced labor, Oliver Twist escapes to the streets where he meets Fagin, the Artful Dodger and a band of child pickpockets. Will he find love, home and happiness before it's too late?

Opera Saratoga's Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson announced that the company's 2018 Summer Festival will feature new productions of four operas at The Spa Little Theatre in Spa State Park, along with a wide variety of free and ticketed concert events from May 26 through July 15 at venues throughout the region.

The full cast for The 5th Avenue Theatre's spectacular new production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which stars Deaf actorJoshua Castille as Quasimodo, has been announced. Castille will use American Sign Language (ASL) throughout his performance, bringing new life and perspective to Quasimodo, who is deaf in the novel by Victor Hugo.

Lookingglass Theatre Company concludes its 30th Anniversary season with the world premiere of 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas adapted by David Kersnar and Althos Low, from the books by Jules Verne, directed by Ensemble Member David Kersnar. 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas runs May 23 - August 19, 2018 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. The Press Opening is Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.

Theatre Arlington's 45th Anniversary Season is ready to cut loose...footloose that is, with the production of Footloose the Musical, opening on May 11th. The stage adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie is based on Pitchford's original screenplay. 

Romance of the Rose Productions announces the first casting for the new West End musical Knights of the Rose. Directed by Racky Plews and created by Jennifer Marsden, Knights of the Rose opens on 29th June for 9 weeks only at The Arts Theatre. Leading the noble Knights is Adam Pearce (King Aethelstan) who is joined by Chris Cowley (Palamon), Oliver Saville (Hugo), Rebecca Bainbridge (Queen Matilda / Bess), Rebekah Lowings (Isabel), Matt Thorpe (Horatio), Ruben Van keer (John), Katie Birtill (Hannah) and Bleu Woodward (Emily). Ian Gareth-Jones, Kelly Hampson and Tom Bales make up the ensemble.

Opera Saratoga's Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson announced the complete casting and programming for the company's 2018 Summer Festival, which will feature new productions of four operas at The Spa Little Theater in Spa State Park, along with a wide variety of free and ticketed concert events from May 26th through July 15th at venues throughout the region. Single tickets, as well as subscription packages, are on sale now at www.operasaratoga.org.

Ms. McEntire, the third in a family of four children, grew up on a cattle ranch in the small, rural town of Chockie, Oklahoma. Her father expected all the children to work on the ranch and Ms. McEntire began riding horses at the age of three. By the time she was seven, she was gathering cattle from before daylight until after dark. In what little spare time she had, McEntire also competed in rodeos as a barrel racera sport she continued until she was 21. As a child, Ms. McEntire's mother taught her and her three siblings how to sing and harmonize as they traveled to and from their father's rodeo performances. While in high school, Ms. McEntire and her siblings formed their own group, The Singing McEntires, and performed frequently at rodeos, clubs, and dance halls. Ms. McEntire attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University, graduating with a major in elementary education and a minor in music. She continued to work on her father's ranch to help pay her tuition. While the more predictable career paths for Ms. McEntire would have been to become a teacher or barrel racer, she was determined to pursue her dream of becoming a country music artist. Ms. McEntire got her first break singing the national anthem at a rodeo in 1974, which resulted in an invitation to move to Nashville and ultimately a deal with Polygram Mercury Records. Although her first recordings were not an immediate success, Ms. McEntire worked diligently, releasing a series of increasingly popular albums and winning the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award four years in a row, from 1984 to 1987. As the only country female solo act to have a No. 1 hit in four straight decades, Reba has achieved a rare pinnacle with 35 No. 1 singles and over 56 million albums sold worldwide often prompting her to be called the 'queen of country music.' The Country Music Hall of Fame and Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame member has won 15 American Music Awards, 13 ACM Awards, nine People's Choice Awards, seven CMA Awards, two GRAMMY Awards, an ACM Career Achievement Honor and the National Artistic Achievement Award from the U.S. Congress, in addition to other leadership and philanthropic accolades. With SING IT NOW: SONGS OF FAITH AND HOPE(Nash Icon Records / Capitol Christian Music Group), which topped both theBillboard Country and Christian/Gospel charts for multiple weeks and marked her thirteenth summit, Ms. McEntire won her first GMA Dove Awards forBluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year as well as a GRAMMY Awards nomination for Best Roots Gospel Album to be broadcast live on January 28, 2018 on CBS. Her creative and entrepreneurial endeavors have established her as a household name across music, television, film, theater and retail. Proving her business acumen, Ms. McEntire has expanded her brand to include lines with Dillard's and Justin Boots. She wrote her autobiography, Reba: My Story, in 1994, and a second book, Comfort from a Country Quilt, in 1999. Ms. McEntire is also an acclaimed actress with 11 movie credits, a lead role on Broadway and starred in her own six-season television sitcom 'Reba,' for which she received a Golden Globe nomination in 2004. 'The Horatio Alger Association stands for integrity, honesty and resilience qualities that Reba certainly exemplifies,' said Matthew Rose, president, Horatio Alger Association and 2013 Horatio Alger Award recipient. 'She has faced numerous challenges in both her early career and personal tragedies, with admirable strength and grace. Reba inspires us all with her tenacity and always upbeat attitude. Her positive outlook is contagious and she will serve as an excellent role model for our Scholars. For these reasons and more, we are proud to recognize her as a 2018 Horatio Alger Member.'< Ms. McEntire is also well-known for her charitable efforts, working with organizations such as The Salvation Army, Texoma Medical Center, Children's Medical Research, Habitat for Humanity, Outnumber Hunger and more. The Texoma Medical Center in Denison, Texas, is home to the Reba McEntire Rehabilitation Center, Reba's Ranch House, and the TMC Reba Mobile Mammography Unit. In recognition of her philanthropic efforts, Ms. McEntire has received the Salvation Army Award, the Home Depot Humanitarian Award and Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award.

From Oklahoma! to The Sound of Music, American composer Richard Rodgers forever changed the face of Broadway musicals, giving them stories and making them oh, so hum-able. Now, The Soraya will present two special events that celebrate this legendary artist, South Pacific (April 13-15) and Tony Award winner Billy Porter's The Soul of Richard Rodgers (June 2).

Mercury Theatre Colchester and TBO Productions today announce full casting for the world premiere of their brand-new musical - Pieces of String, with book, music and lyrics by Gus Gowland. Ryan McBryde directs Carol Starks (Jane), Andy Coxon (Ed), Marilyn Cutts (Rose), Ella Dunlop (Gemma), Lauren Hall (Anna), Joel Harper-Jackson (Tom), Craig Mather (Edward) and Gary Wood (Harry). Open auditions were held in Colchester to cast Young Rose, and the part will be alternated by three young people local to the theatre. Pieces of String, designed by 2017 Linbury Prize Finalist Fin Redshaw, opens on 27 April at the Mercury, with previews from 20 April and runs until 5 May.

Goodspeed Musicals kicks off its 2018 season with the Broadway hit The Will Rogers Follies, A Life In Revue. The exuberant dance-filled musical will be running April 13 - June 21 at The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn.

Due to demand, The New Group has announced a three-week extension for Jerry Springer - The Opera, with Matt McGrath appearing as Jerry Springer beginning March 13.  Terrence Mann, currently appearing in the role of Jerry Springer, plays his final performance March 11 due to an existing commitment beyond that date.

Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announce that Irina Dvorovenko ('The Americans'), a former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, Tony Award nominees Tony Yazbeck (ON THE TOWN, FINDING NEVERLAND) and Peter Friedman (RAGTIME, The Vineyard's THE SLUG BEARERS OF KAYROL ISLAND...), and Teagle F. Bourgere (THE CRUCIBLE, A RAISIN IN THE SUN) will be featured in the world premiere of THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE, an original work fusing dance, drama and music by legendary composer and four-time Tony Award winner John Kander (CABARET, CHICAGO), Tony Award nominee playwright David Thompson (STEEL PIER; FLORA, THE RED MENACE), and five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman (THE PRODUCERS, CONTACT). Performances will begin May 4, 2018 with opening night set for May 23. Kander, Thompson, and Stroman previously collaborated at The Vineyard on THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS.

Edward R. Matthews, CEO of ADAPT Community Network announced its 2018 ADAPT Leadership Awards Gala will take place on Thursday, March 8th at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. Judy Woodruff, Anchor and Managing Editor of the PBS NewsHour will host the event.

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today proudly announced that Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes, stars of television, film and stage and Sid and Marty Krofft, two legendary television producers, will be honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards this year during the Daytime Emmy® Awards.  The Krofft Brothers will be celebrated at the 45th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy® Awards which will take place on Friday, April 27th, 2018, while Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes will be celebrated on Sunday, April 29th, 2018 at the 45th Daytime Emmy® Awards.  Both presentations will take place at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Southern California.

It was announced today that the hilarious new Broadway musical comedy THE PROM will star Tony Award Nominee Brooks Ashmanskas (Something Rotten!), Tony Award Winner Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone), two-time Tony Award Nominee Christopher Sieber (Shrek the Musical), Caitlin Kinnunen (Bridges of Madison County), Isabelle McCalla (Aladdin), Michael Potts (Jitney), Angie Schworer (The Producers), Courtenay Collins (Broadway Debut) and Josh Lamon (Groundhog Day) and will officially open on Broadway on Thursday, November 15, 2018 at a Shubert theater to be announced.

Reba McEntire came to visit the diner at Waitress last night, January 27! The country icon took a photo with the show's current stars, Sara Bareilles and Jason Mraz.

The Drama League announced today the expansion of their annual event, DirectorFest, into a multi-week, city-wide festival focusing on the art of contemporary stage directing.

The Drama League officially launches DirectorFest tomorrow, a city-wide festival focusing on the art and future of contemporary American stage directing, at various locations around NYC: The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture (18 Bleecker Street), The Drama League Theater Center (32 Avenue of the Americas), and The Drama Book Shop (250 West 40th Street) from January 13-22, 2018. Festival details, tickets and additional information are now available at www.directorfest.org, or by calling (212) 244-9494.

Broadway In Boston announced today that tickets for the upcoming Boston engagement of THE WIZARD OF OZ, are currently on sale to the public. THE WIZARD OF OZ will play a limited five performances at the Boston Opera House January 12-14, 2018 as part of the 2017-2018 Lexus Broadway In Boston Season.

THE KING AND I is bringing more than a great show to Omaha. Jose Llana, who stars as the King of Siam, says, 'I think it's healthy to have conversation, especially in this political climate, when the country is so divided to tell a story about a world leader extending a hand of friendship to a person from another country. That's the story we're telling and the message that we're trying to convey.'

Broadway In Boston announced today that tickets for the upcoming Boston engagement of THE WIZARD OF OZ, are currently on sale to the public. THE WIZARD OF OZ will play a limited five performances at the Boston Opera House January 12-14, 2018 as part of the 2017-2018 Lexus Broadway In Boston Season.

Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, today announced that multi-media entertainer and entrepreneur Reba McEntire has been selected for membership in this prestigious organization.

This month, Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, just in time for the holidays. Scroll down for details!