Passion - 1997 - West End Articles Page 20

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.

The 3rd Annual Founder's Gala for the Garry Marshall Theatre honors the original Happy Days cast -- Ron Howard, Don Most, Marion Ross, Anson Williams and Henry Winkler.

Last week the book 'Me' was released by the legend Elton John and it got me thinking about Elton's contribution to musical theatre. His music and his generous personality have touched millions. His musical fantasy movie Rocketman, that came out earlier this year, based on his life is one of the greatest, in my opinion, films ever made. He has such a passion and love for everything he does and what he has given the magical world of musical theatre is just as extraordinary.

Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director and Despina Tsatsas, Executive Director, today announce the appointment of Glenn Earle as the new Chair of the Young Vic Board. He succeeds Patrick McKenna, who was Chair of the Young Vic board for nearly 20 years.

It takes a village to create a masterpiece. OBIE Winner, José Rivera ('Marisol' and 'References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot'), premieres another powerful stage-work at the East Village's arts haven, The theater at the 14th Street Y.

Showcasing one of the greatest voices of our time, Linda Eder's diverse repertoire spans Broadway, Standards, Pop, Country, and Jazz. When she performs a?oelivea?? in concert, it is amazing to experience the ease with which she moves back and forth from one genre to another as if she were gifted with the vocal ability to perform each genre as well as all the others.

With two decades of success and over 2,000 shows to its credit, the rollicking Irish band Gaelic Storm returns to SOPAC for a much-anticipated appearance on Friday, November 22 at 8 p.m.

Based on the 1997 animated film 'Anastasia', Anastasia the New Broadway Musical, bowing on broadway in 2017, is an entertaining whirlwind of sight and sound. It will make you laugh and cry. You will undoubtedly leave the theatre with a lasting impression of grande theatricality and how it weaves its magic into our humdrum lives. Plus, it is based on fact. Currently onstage at the Hollywood Pantages until October 27 only, this Anastasia has the makings of a great big hit.

Columbia Artists will present Chicago The Musical - In Concert, premiering with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in Dallas, TX tonight, October 4, 2019.

The Namâd Trio brings together three brilliant musicians in the world of Persian music. The internationally-renowned Pejman Hadadi, considered to be one of the most innovative Iranian percussionists today, is known for his work with the Dastan Ensemble and Zarbang, as well as his performances with celebrated artists from Iran and other cultures, including Hossein Alizadeh, Shahram Nazeri, Parissa, Ali Akbar Moradi, and Shujaat Khan. Saeed Kamjoo (kamancheh a?" spike-fiddle) has appeared as a guest artist with the Dastan Ensemble and been noted for his style which combines tradition with innovation. Kourosh Taghavi (setar-lute) studied with masters Mohammad Reza Lotfi and Hossein Alizadeh and has collaborated with many international and local cultural organizations to raise awareness on the importance of music in people's lives. Their critically acclaimed program, a?oeOde to Hope: A Melodic Epiphany,a?? is rooted in diverse world cultures. Featuring both ancient and modern melodies and rhythms, this haunting music provides an inner journey to passion and peace.

Speaking with Seibi Lee and Rachna Nivas (of the Leela Dance Collective) Performing in the Los Angeles Premiere of 'Son of the Wind' An All-Female Production of India's Ancient Epic, the Ramayana I had the great pleasure to speak with both Seibi Lee and Rachna Nivas, of the Leela Dance Collective, both directors, performers and disciples of the art form of Kathak, (pronounced Ka'ta'k'); both choreographers, followers, leaders, teachers; devoted, focused, grateful, studied and deeply, intelligently guided artists. In the truest sense. I could go on, but I must write about the performance they are to give on September 14th, 2019 at The John Anson Ford Theatre, World Premiering the Indian saga 'Son of The Wind,' a full-length telling of a story through dance, emotions, traditions, belief, wisdom, beauty, ancestry, soul-searching, the tempered future, and perfected performance. I am so excited to witness this amazing piece of theatre.

The Board of Directors of The Music Center announced the addition of six esteemed members of the Los Angeles community to The Music Center Board. They include Jill Baldauf, UCLA Anderson School of Management associate dean of alumni relations; Susan Baumgarten, former aerospace engineer/executive and president of Center Dance Arts; Terri Kohl, co-founder of Brighton Collectibles and president of The Blue Ribbon; Melissa Ann Romain, a public relations consultant and arts philanthropist; Maria S. Salinas, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce; and Matthew J. Spence, a national security expert and co-founder of the Truman National Security Project

a??a??a??a??a??a??a??The Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of their 2019 Idea Awards for Theatre; three grants awarded to adventurous new voices in playwriting and musical theatre, as well the visionary playwrights who have inspired and blazed trails before them.