Passion - 1997 - West End Articles Page 20

Following a sell-out run in 2017, the gripping revival of Karoline Leach's passion-fuelled thriller, Tryst, returns to the reinvented Chiswick Playhouse under the direction of Phoebe Barran (Four Days In Hong Kong, Orange Tree Theatre; award-winning short film Snapshots). Actor Fred Perry (Black Comedy UK Tour; The Honourable Woman, BBC) will reprise his acclaimed role alongside Scarlett Brookes (Blood Wedding, Young Vic; Macbeth, Shakespeare's Globe; The Merchant of Venice, RSC) in this stylish adaptation.

Today, multi-platinum Danish rock band Volbeat confirm 15 U.S. headlining dates on their  “Rewind, Replay, Rebound World Tour” this April and May, bringing the tour to cities including Las Vegas, Nashville, Atlanta, Baltimore, and New York City (full dates below). Special guests Clutch will be direct support on all dates, with the exception of the May 2nd Hershey, PA show which will feature direct support from Gojira. The Picturebooks will open each night on this tour. Ticket pre-sales begin Tuesday, January 14th and general on-sales begin Friday, January 17 at 10am local time here. A limited number of VIP packages will also be available for purchase and include meet & greet and photo opps, exclusive merch items and priority check in with early entry to the show and early access to merch.

Actress, singer, author, and activist Eartha Kitt might be best known as the singer behind 'Santa Baby' and 'C'est si bon,' or as the third Catwoman on the sixties Batman TV series.

Jason O'Neill was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He became passionate about Irish dancing, Irish culture and music as a young boy and seeing RIVERDANCE changed his life. It became his goal to become a professional Irish dancer and perform in RIVERDANCE, which he has now done for 10 years. I had the chance to speak with O'Neill prior to his arrival in Montreal where the RIVERDANCE 25th ANNIVERSARY tour will play a limited engagement at Salle Wilfred-Pelletier, Place des Arts, January 10-12, 2020.

Soka Performing Arts Center presents internationally-acclaimed pianist Yefim Bronfman in a solo piano recital on Sunday, March 29, 2020 at 3pm. 'Listening to Bronfman play... is like being in a crowded room when suddenly a profound conversationalist begins to speak and everyone just steps back to listen with rapt attention.' (Chicago Sun Times). What more needs to be said about this titan of the piano whose playing exhibits all the elements - humor, playfulness, roguishness, nobility, and passion - of Beethoven's sonatas. The all-Beethoven program includes: Piano Sonata No.5 in C minor, Op. 10, No.1; Piano Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10, No. 2; Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3; Piano Sonata No.23 in F minor, Op.57, Appassionata

City Winery Chicago has released its schedule (1200 W. Randolph St) for the month. All City Winery Chicago events are open to all ages and start at 8:00 p.m., unless noted.  Tickets can be purchased by calling 312-733-WINE (9463) or by visiting www.citywinery.com/chicago.

Liz Kathman Grubow, president of Cincinnati Opera's board of trustees, today announced that Christopher Milligan has been named the next Harry Fath General Director & CEO of the company. Milligan's tenure begins March 2, 2020. 

New Adventures has announced that Adam Cooper and Ashley Shaw will star in the return of Matthew Bourne's double Olivier award-winning, smash hit production of 'THE RED SHOES'. a seven-week Christmas season at Sadler's Wells, London, from Tuesday 3 December to Sunday 19 January 2020.

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Michael Stotts- Managing Director), recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, begins the new year with the world premiere Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and written with Richard Curtis. Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber begins performances Thursday, January 30, 2020, and will continue through Sunday, March 1, 2020 at Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ). JPMorgan Chase & Co. is the major sponsor of Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Paper Mill Playhouse's 2019-2020 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank. Opening Night is Sunday evening, February 9, 2020 at 7:00pm.

In the last decade or so, musicals based on movies have become a regular occurrence. It seems like several new shows are opening each year, so it's not surprising that a?oeAnastasia,a?? Don Bluth's semi-unconventional take on a princess movie, made the transition a?' and thankfully, the end result maintains much of the magic of its source material.

The Fred Ebb Foundation (Mitchell S. Bernard, Trustee) in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presented the fifteenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to Angela Sclafani & Benjamin Velez. The award, named in honor of the late award-winning lyricist Fred Ebb, was presented by Kate Baldwin on Monday, December 2nd from 6-8pm at a by-invitation-only ceremony in the Penthouse Lounge of The American Airlines Theater.

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts:

KATIE McDERMOTT, and CHRISTIAN LAVERDE KÖNIG will appear as guest artists in Ballet Arts of Jackson's production of The Nutcracker on December 13, 14 & 15, 2019 at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee.

The following acts are performing at City Winery Chicago (1200 W. Randolph St) throughout the month. All City Winery Chicago events are open to all ages and start at 8:00 p.m., unless noted.  Tickets can be purchased by calling 312-733-WINE (9463) or by visiting www.citywinery.com/chicago.

Chris Perez, husband to the late superstar, Selena, dubbed the 'Queen of Tejano music,' released his custom “Perez Pepper Sauce” on Saturday, November 16th. The small-batch sauce will be available online at CaJohns.com and at select locations where Perez will make personal appearances to offer on-site demonstrations to fans and customers.

From November 21st-24th, Judson Theatre Company will be presenting a production of Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution at the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center. I recently had the great pleasure of interviewing actor Alan Campbell, who will be starring in the role of Sir Wilford Robarts.

Birdland's December 2019 schedule will feature The Joe Lovano Nonet, Stacey Kent, Monty Alexander, A Swinging Birdland Christmas, Freddy Cole Quartet, Gunhild Carling, Julius Rodriguez, Veronica Swift Holiday Show, 'Season's Swingin' Greetings!a??, Marta Sanchez Quintet, Darius de Haas, Marilyn Maye New Years Eve Extravaganza, The Lineup with Susie Mosher, Jim Caruso's Cast Party, and MORE!

The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) is pleased to announce long-serving unsung hero of the Toronto International Film Festival, Michèle Maheux, as the recipient of this year's Technicolor Clyde Gilmour Award.

The Fred Ebb Foundation (Mitchell S. Bernard, Trustee) in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) will present the fifteenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to Angela Sclafani & Benjamin Velez. The award, named in honor of the late award-winning lyricist Fred Ebb, will be presented by Kate Baldwin on Monday, December 2nd from 6-8pm at a by-invitation-only ceremony in the Penthouse Lounge of The American Airlines Theater.

BMG and Niji Entertainment Group Inc. have partnered to reissue DIO's 1996 - 2004 studio albums: Angry Machines (1996), Magica (2000), Killing The Dragon (2002), and Master Of The Moon (2004). These newly remastered versions feature rare and never before released live and studio bonus tracks, and were remastered by longtime DIO collaborator Wyn Davis with updated artwork from frequent DIO designer Marc Sasso.

Dance To The Holidays comes to The Ridgefield Playhouse on Sunday, December 8 at 4pm and 7:30pm. This holiday spectacular for the whole family stars a?oeDancing with the Starsa?? Mirrorball Champions Tony Dovolani and Anna Trebunskaya along with other celebrity pros from a?oeDancing with the Stars,a?? a?oeAmerican Idol,a?? and a?oeSo You Think You Can Dance.a?? Backed by a live band, see all the talent-based reality TV show stars up close and personal in an unforgettable spectacular, directed and choreographed by Jaymz Tuaileva from a?oeDancing with the Stars,a?? a?oeDonny and Marie's Las Vegas Christmas Showa?? and a?oeSo You Think You Can Dance.a?? Dance To The Holidays is part of Northern Trust Broadway & Cabaret Series, Bruce Bennett Nissan Family Series, and the Holiday Series, presented by La Quinta Inn & Suites, sponsored by Arthur Murray Dance Center of Danbury & Ring's End, and partially underwritten by Benchmark Senior Living at Ridgefield Crossings. Join us in the lobby before the show for a complimentary wine tasting courtesy of Treasury Wine Estates. The Leir Foundation Arts for Everyone Recipient for this show is SPHERE of CT with additional sponsorship provided by Union Savings Bank. Make it a great night out with dinner and a show! Visit Bailey's Backyard (23 Bailey Avenue a?? Ridgefield) for dinner and receive 10% off when you show your ticket! Media partners for this event are WEBE 108 and Macaroni Kid.

The first clue that ANASTASIA was going to be different than what I expected was a note on the title page reading, “Inspired by the Twentieth Century Fox Motion Pictures.” Plural? A savvy journalist, I quickly asked Siri to bring up the imdb page for “Anastasia”. Turns out Fox made ANASTASIA twice, the 1997 animated movie and a 1957 film that scored Ingrid Bergman's second Oscar and marked Helen Hayes' transition to the big screen. And it turns out the musical version has more in common with LES MISERABLES and RAGTIME than BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Gone is the hell-wizard Rasputin, his talking fruit bat sidekick, and the singing demon caterpillars. At intermission, I asked my third grade niece, Adalyn, how she was liking it. “It's awesome…it's real people, like no Beast or anything. No animals.” We decide that Disney staged musicals are great but more it's more impressive when you can achieve the magic without a story that departs from reality. ANASTASIA is historical fiction hypothetical. It poses a “what if…?” that a daughter of the last czar of Russia (The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna) escaped when the czar's family was executed in 1918. Rumors persisted for decades that Anastasia did, in fact, escape. In 2007, DNA testing confirmed the remains of all four Grand Duchesses were in the Imperial grave. In this version, Terrence McNalley's book follows Anastasia's rediscovery of her identity after surviving the attack on her family and sustaining some plot enabling amnesia. Renamed “Anya” she grows up and makes a life in post-Revolution Russia. Anastasia's grandmother, the Dowager Empress (in a staggeringly moving performance by Joy Franz) has fled to France and offered a cash reward for anyone escorting the rumored alive Anastasia to Paris. The wily duo Vlad (Edward Staudenmayer) and Dmitry (Jake Levy) pull a My Fair Lady style makeover on Anya to collect the Dowager's prize. They are pursued by Gleb (Jason Michael Evans). A Soviet officer drawn to Anya romantically but tasked with finding and eliminating the last Romanov. Anya's memory becomes somewhat coaxed back, but the Dowager has stopped seeing Anastasia claimants after too much heart-break from countless frauds. It sounds dark, but with high-tech digital scenery and inspired performances across the cast it is delightful. Stephen Flaherty (Music) and Lynn Ahrens (Lyrics), responsible for bringing us RAGTIME, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, LUCKY STIFF, as well as the Oscar nominated songs carried over from the animated film. ANASTASIA is a perfect context for this pair. “Stay, I Pray You” (my favorite song of the evening) is evocative of RAGTIME's “New Music”. The two songs literally race my heart in a strangely specific way. My real test of a National Tour at Gammage is how fast I get the music playing in my car on the way home. At ANASTASIA I was already finding, “Stay, I Pray You” walking through the parking lot. The rest of the score is similarly haunting. Lila Coogan, as Anya/Anastasia, powers through the score with nuance, clarity, and passion. Tari Kelly, as Countess Lily, and Stadenmayer (Vlad) were Adalyn's favorite performances and I have to agree. This incredibly gifted pair take the “triple threat” designation (singer, dancer, actor) and go quadruple with the addition of flawless comic timing. The choreography by Peggy Hickey is masterful. It somehow combines inventive and traditional throughout and the ten-minute slice of “Swan Lake” infused into “Quartet at the Ballet” is the highlight of the second act. It's a fun-size version that gets an under-represented art form onto the plate. This kind of trope often means the plot putting the plot on hold. But here, it is the connective tissue between Anya, Dmitry, the Dowager, and Gleb as they each bring us up to speed heading into the show's climax. Ultimately, the show's success comes from applying a higher artistic standard to the “previously-animated-film-now-theatrically-staged” genre. It cashes in on the name draw of the 1997 film then gives the viewer something much more enriched than what they think they are coming to see.

Day one of the 2019 Cabaret Convention presented by the Mabel Mercer Foundation featured Deborah Grace Winder hosting, 'The Sunny Side of the Street: Celebrating Dorothy Fields & Great Women Songwriters' starring Christine Andreas, Karrin Allyson, and more!

The Board of Directors of The National Ballet of Canada today announced that Karen Kain will retire as Artistic Director in January 2021 and will be named Artistic Director Emeritus.