On the Town - 1971 - Broadway Articles Page 19

When Alvin Ailey and a small group of African-American modern dancers first took the stage in 1958, appearing at New York City's 92nd Street Y, the engagement was for one night only—but it turned out to be the start of a new era in the performing arts. Mr. Ailey became one of the groundbreaking greats in African American history, while the work of his Company grew beyond the limits of the stage to encompass education at all levels, community outreach and cultural diplomacy. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater now embodies six decades of achievement, celebrating the human spirit with performances that unite and inspire all.

The international movement and entertainment company, Pilobolus (Executive Producer, Itamar Kubovy; Renee Jaworski and Matt Kent, artistic directors), kicks-off its first ever Pilobolus Five Senses Festival this weekend. A celebration of arts and ideas convening the company's vast network of creative, world-renowned collaborators in its own backyard of Washington, Connecticut, the festival begins Friday, July 27 and runs through August 11, rain or shine. For more information and to purchase tickets to The Pilobolus Five Senses Festival, please visit www.FiveSensesFestival.com.

Go behind the scenes of Wolf Trap's Bernstein 100 celebration today as Tony Yazbeck takes over our Instagram account to give you a behind the scenes look at rehearsal!

Fasten your seat belt, it's going to be a grumpy ride! The Ogunquit Playhouse is proud to produce the U.S. premiere of the new musical-comedy, Grumpy Old Men the Musical on stage from August 8 to September 1 - just in time to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the hit film that starred Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and Ann-Margret. This hilarious new show was penned by Dan Remmes, with music by Neil Berg and lyrics by Nick Meglin. Director for the Ogunquit production of Grumpy Old Men the Musical is Matt Lenz.

This week, Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival added its two-cents to the Leonard Bernstein centennial festivities, with the first of two performances of Bernstein's MASS: A THEATRE PIECE FOR SINGERS, PLAYS AND DANCERS, in an environmental production by Elkhanah Pulitzer.

The special exhibition Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music is on view through September 2 at the National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH). The first large-scale museum exhibition to illustrate the famed conductor and composer's life, Jewish identity, and social activism, Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music features approximately 100 historic artifacts-from Bernstein's piano and conducting suit to family heirlooms-along with original films and immersive sound installations. The exhibition is part of the worldwide centennial celebration of Bernstein's birthday.

THE LORAX is a fantastic fable, one that seems as apt for today as when the book was written in 1971. Playing at The Old Globe through August 12th. For information on tickets and showtimes go to www.theoldglobe.org

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces a one-on-one networking event with commercial and indie producers, Writer-Producer Speed Date onJuly 15, 2018 with coaching sessions at 4:30pm and 5:30pm at Studios 353,353 W 48th St, NYC.

Prog rock pioneers YES have revealed more exciting plans for their official 50th Anniversary celebration #YES50 by announcing that former member Trevor Horn will sit in with the band during their special two-night stand at The Fillmore in Philadelphia July 20 and 21. In addition, Horn is set to participate in the YesFanFest - 50 True Summers U.S. fan convention taking place Saturday, July 21 at The Foundry in Philadelphia, where he'll join the current members of YES and other alumni, including keyboardists Patrick Moraz and Tom Brislin, for a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the band's dedicated fan base. Famed artist Roger Dean, who's designed countless album covers and logos licensed exclusively for YES, will also take part in the fan convention.

San Francisco Playhouse (Artistic Director Bill English; Producing Director Susi Damilano) announced casting for the final show of its 2017-18 Mainstage Season--Sunday in the Park with George, the quintessential Stephen Sondheim musical about the art of creation and the creation of art. Bill English will direct the 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical.

The Theatre Group at SBCC will start the season July 11-28, 2018 in the Garvin Theatre with the musical, GREASE.  Book, lyrics and music by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.

London's Dirty Water Records, together along Metronomo Management (Lisbon), Peer Music and Alter-K Records (Paris) and in cooperation with Sony Music/Jive Epic, are pleased to announce the US and UK album release of 'Misfit' by European blues-punk sensation, The Legendary Tigerman (A.K.A. Paulo Furtado). 'Misfit' will be released on Dirty Water Records in the US and UK territories on August 24th, 2018 and will feature limited edition white coloured 12' vinyl coupled with four exclusive and unreleased bonus tracks entitled 'Misfit Ballads EP'.

Acclaimed North Shore performer, choreographer, and dancer Karen Pisani joins the Marblehead School of Ballet's (MSB) faculty this summer guest teaching a special Acting for Dancers master class.  Dancers are invited to attend this master class on July 16 and 17 from 3:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the school, located at 115 Pleasant Street in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Sid & Marty Krofft received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 45th Daytime Emmys and are coming back to Comic-Con. After producing 73 episodes of MUTT & STUFF for Nickelodeon, the legendary producers have just produced two 1-hour MUTT & STUFF specials, and are preparing for the MUTT & STUFF LIVE Tour. Come hear showbiz stories and tales from the 1970s all the way through to the present day.  In an exclusive for Comic-Con, Sid & Marty will give audience members details on a brand new project for grownups that uses ALL their iconic characters from ALL their shows. Its big. Its exciting. And its exclusive for Comic Con! Emmy Award winning actress and Daytime Emmy Social Media Hostess, Carolyn Hennesy, known for 'Rosalyn Harris' on HBO series True Blood, and 'Diane Miller' on ABC'S General Hospital, will be moderating!  (Room 23ABC)

The 133rd spring season of The Boston Pops Orchestra at Symphony Hall is winding down, but the final week is a whirlwind of activity, culminating in three performances of WEST SIDE STORY: In Concert, and an appearance by two of the stars of the groundbreaking HAMILTON: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL. Tony Award-winning actress Renee Elise Goldsberry and her special guest, Tony-nominated Phillipa Soo, stepped in to replace Leslie Odom, Jr. (another HAMILTON alum) when a scheduling conflict made him unavailable.

Leonard Bernstein is an American treasure. He was one of the first American born conductors to receive worldwide acclaim. His fame is derived not only from his long tenure as the music director of the New York Philharmonic, but also from his conducting most of the world's leading orchestras, and from his prodigious body of music as the composer of West Side Story, Peter Pan, Candide, Wonderful Town, On the Town, On the Waterfront, MASS and a range of other compositions, including three symphonies and many shorter chamber and solo works. Bernstein was the first conductor to give a series of television lectures on classical music, primarily aimed at youth, starting in 1954 and continuing until his death. As a composer, he has created pieces that are, without question, part of the fabric of our lives. 'MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers' was composed by Leonard Bernstein with text by Bernstein and additional text and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy, it premiered on September 8, 1971. The performance was part of the opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Austin will have the rare opportunity to experience this glorious piece as part of the Bernstein at 100 celebration this month. BroadwayWorld recently had the opportunity to talk to conductor Peter Bay, Musical Director and Conductor of the Austin Symphony Orchestra about the upcoming production.

Grease has been a part of the American musical theater vernacular for so long - it opened in Chicago some 47 years ago in the halcyon days of 1971 - that it's easy to overlook the show's impact on theater, in general, and audiences, in particular. Its multiple revivals on Broadway, in regional theater and in various community theater and high school drama settings probably makes you believe you've seen in far more often than you actually have (unless, of course, you watch the film treatment with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John over and over).

As both a celebration of the Washington National Opera and a culmination of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' Leonard Bernstein at 100 celebration, last weekend's Opera Gala definitely found success. While the evening had its share of disappointments (Titus Burgess of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt fame fell ill and was unable to perform; Patti LuPone, the top-billed artist of the evening, performed only two fairly short numbers) there was an undeniable electricity to the night. Previously, the WNO held an annual ball which, according to Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein, included neither opera nor a ball. Switching the format to one with a formal gala reception, an opera-filled performance, and elegant dinners hosted by Ambassadors and foreign dignitaries proved the Kennedy Center can still pull off some new tricks.

The Pride Arts Center's summer season will kick off on Sunday, June 3 at 7:30 pm in the PAC's Broadway venue with Melissa Young's OUT AND PROUD: A RAINBOW CELEBRATION.  Young will perform and emcee a musical and comedic tour of LGBTQ history that will also feature in its cast Nick Sula, Daryl Nitz, Jeannie Tanner and Dan Riley, performing some of the most iconic songs of the LGBTQ movement.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will pay homage to the glittering world of Hollywood musicals with Mad About Musicals!, a special month of programming celebrating timeless movie musicals such as The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain and Cabaret. TCM is once again partnering with Ball State University and Canvas to offer a free online multimedia course tied to this programming special about the history of the musical genre and its evolution with cultural and technological shifts. Enrollment is open until June 17 and fans can sign up for the course at musicals.tcm.com.

On this episode of West of Broadway, Lara and Will sit down to discuss the national tour of School of Rock on stage now at the Pantages Theater. Lara raves about her opening night experience and Will shares his one on one interviews with the cast along with a very special audio clip of an acoustic performance from the ensemble.

Stage and screen star, Patricia Morison died today at the age of 103 at home in Los Angeles of natural causes. A stage icon and legend best known for her starring roles in Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate and The King & I opposite Yul Brynner, she established an indelible mark in films with a reputation as a the villainous femme fatale with large blue eyes and extremely long, dark hair that made her a favorite of studios and fans alike. 

I was born in Belfast into a Roman Catholic family. As a child, we lived in a 'mixed area'. I played football with 'Derek', except around the 12th of July, when his mother forbade him to play with the 'wee Fenian'. I knew it had something to do with the Union Jack that flew from their front bedroom window.

Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA; Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director), an award-winning company presenting Shakespeare alongside other classic and contemporary drama at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, Downtown Brooklyn, is pleased to announce its 2018-19 season-the 39th since its founding in 1979.

This August, New York City will host the first ever Classical Bridge, an international music festival, academy and conference designed to build bridges through the music. Presented by New York Concert Artists & Associates (NYCA), the inaugural event runs August 4 - 11 at Merkin Concert Hall atKaufman Music Center (129 West 67th Street, between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave), Symphony Space (2537 Broadway, at 96th Street), and Steinway Hall (1133 Avenue of the Americas at 44th Street). For tickets. reservations and more information visit www.ClassicalBridge.org.