Porgy and Bess - 2006 - West End Articles Page 15

Take a trip to the Great White Way with Broadway superstar Brian Stokes Mitchell and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in "Broadway and Beyond with Brian Stokes Mitchell" on Oct. 17-20 at Heinz Hall.

Victoria Burnett, one of Segerstrom Center for the Arts' teaching artists on its Arts Teach roster, will be a featured performer at the 41st National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. The event will be held today, October 4 - 6 at the International Storytelling Center, the prime destination for storytellers around the world who treasure and practice the age-old art of using storytelling to teach, inspire and preserve cultural and historical lore.

Celebrating holiday musical traditions in the most festive and non-traditional way has been a year-end hallmark of the 25-year-old Oakland East Bay Symphony and Music Director Michael Morgan since 1992, and this year's edition of Let Us Break Bread Together promises seasonal sizzle Sunday, December 15, at 4 pm at the Paramount Theatre. Joining Morgan and the Oakland East Bay Symphony will beOakland Symphony Chorus, Mt. Eden High School Choir, Kugelplex, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Linda Tillery's Cultural Heritage Choir and Crystal Children's Choir in a program that celebrates and festively fuses multiple holiday traditions including the world premiere of new Gospel settings of Christmas favorites and, of course, plenty of opportunities for audience sing-alongs. Let Us Break Bread Together is often a sold-out performance that, for many concert-goers, marks a high point of the season. For more information, visitwww.oebs.org.

Tony Award-winner and vocalist Audra McDonald is coming to Houston Saturday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. in the Brown Theater at the Wortham Theater Center, presented by Society for the Performing Arts. Accompanying her on stage will be Houston native Andy Einhorn.

Bay Area Cabaret, devoted to presenting audiences with top performers who expand the definition of cabaret, enters its 10th season this fall with a gala series at the Fairmont San Francisco's historic Venetian Room. To celebrate this significant milestone, Bay Area Cabaret presents a star-studded lineup of performers making their Bay Area Cabaret debuts, as well as the return of a few favorites from the past decade. Opening the seas tonight, September 21, 2013 with a bang is Broadway's Megan Hilty, known to millions as the powerhouse 'Bombshell' on NBC's television program Smash. The season continues October 20, 2013 with Tony nominee Norm Lewis (The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess) and November 10, 2013 with 'America's romantic piano sensation,' multi-platinum selling recording artist Jim Brickman, joined by special guest Broadway heartthrob David Burnham.

As Houston's leading performing arts presenter, Society for the Performing Arts (SPA) has announced its 2013-2014 season filled with music, dance and family entertainment from the world's best artists and companies.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University welcomes three-time Emmy Award-winning actor Bryan Cranston to play the lead role of Lyndon Baines Johnson in Robert Schenkkan's new play All The Way opening the A.R.T.'s 2013-14 Season at the Loeb Drama Center. The production, directed by Bill Rauch, will begin performances tonight, September 13, 2013.

Continuing its 10th Anniversary Season, Bay Area Cabaret presents Tony Award-nominated Broadway star Norm Lewis. Mr. Lewis comes to the Bay Area for this special one-night-only engagement 5:00pm, Sunday, October 20, at the historic Venetian Room of the Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason Street. Tickets ($43-$48) are available at www.bayareacabaret.org or by phone at City Box Office (415) 392-4400.

Top-of-the-charts Romanticism meets a contemporary fusion of symphony, electronic music and improvisation in a tour-de-force concert that will open Oakland East Bay Symphony's 25thanniversary season Friday, November 8, at 8 pm at the Paramount Theatre. Music Director Michael Morgan has programmed the kind of musical range, interest and innovation for the opening that dynamically demonstrates the orchestra's long-established reputation for audience-captivating and imaginative music.

Victoria Burnett, one of Segerstrom Center for the Arts' teaching artists on its Arts Teach roster, will be a featured performer at the 41st National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. The event will be held October 4 - 6 at the International Storytelling Center, the prime destination for storytellers around the world who treasure and practice the age-old art of using storytelling to teach, inspire and preserve cultural and historical lore.

The 2013-2014 Florida Opera Festival presented by Opera Tampa is certain to exhilarate every opera buff and fascinate any curious opera novice. Composers Bizet and Mozart, among others, will be showcased in a magnificent season of passion, intrigue and magic. The season also features L'amour Toujours, a Popera! Concert and options to attend the 2012 Tony Award-winning Best Revival of a Musical, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, and a concert by international superstar Andrea Bocelli.

Cape Town Opera opened its 2013 season in April to rave reviews with Verdi's Otello, an international collaboration between Cape Town Opera and five major Australian and New Zealand opera companies, set to tour for five years. Next on the calendar were two short operas from South Africa and Sweden, entitled TWO:30, staged in Cape Town and in Stockholm to critical acclaim.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) has announced the appointment of commercial producers Michael Alden, Patrick Blake and Patricia R. Klausner as the new directors of theTRU Producer Development and Mentorship Program (PDMP), beginning September 2013.

With the International Al Jolson Society's 17th Annual Long Island Festival just three weeks away (On August 17, from 9am to 4:30pm, at Oceanside Knights of Columbus, 2985 Kenneth Place, Oceanside, NY 11572.), BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Review/Columnist and passionate Al Jolson fan Stephen Hanks fantasizes about what it might be like to have a conversation with 'The World's Greatest Entertainer,' 53 years after he died. You ain't read nothin' yet.

In a recent PBS special, Audra McDonald took center stage at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall with 'Audra McDonald In Concert: Go Back Home.' At this special gala concert, the five-time Tony Award winner shined a light on her favorite music, including songs from a wide range of musical theater composers featured on her highly anticipated new recording, Go Back Home (Nonesuch), her first solo album in seven years. An extended version of 'Audra McDonald In Concert: Go Back Home' will air again on PBS stations on August 30 at 9pm and September 1 at 1:30pm. (ET) (check local listings).

The 2013-2014 Florida Opera Festival presented by Opera Tampa is certain to exhilarate every opera buff and fascinate any curious opera novice. Composers Bizet and Mozart, among others, will be showcased in a magnificent season of passion, intrigue and magic. The season also features L'amour Toujours, a Popera! Concert and options to attend the 2012 Tony Award-winning Best Revival of a Musical The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess and a concert by international superstar Andrea Bocelli.

Cape Town Opera opened its 2013 season in April to rave reviews with Verdi's Otello, an international collaboration between Cape Town Opera and five major Australian and New Zealand opera companies, set to tour for five years. Next on the calendar were two short operas from South Africa and Sweden, entitled TWO:30, staged in Cape Town and in Stockholm to critical acclaim.

Our Broadway at the Bass season, nicknamed "I Love Broadway!," will feature the regional premiere of I Love Lucy Live on Stage, a time warp that puts you in the audience, circa 1952, during the taping of two of the sitcom's most well-known episodes. Other powerhouses for the Broadway season include the Bass Hall debut of the Tony Award-winning hit Jersey Boys; Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical; Stomp; American Idiot; the first national tours ofGhost The Musical and Nice Work if You Can Get It; Menopause The Musical; and the return of the Blue Man Group.

Bay Area Cabaret presents Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis in his West Coast concert debut. A commanding yet affable presence, Lewis took Broadway by storm, starring opposite Audra McDonald in the highly-acclaimed The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. His performance brought the singer/actor critical praise, as well as Best Leading Actor nominations for the Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle Awards.

Bay Area Cabaret, devoted to presenting audiences with top performers who expand the definition of cabaret, enters its 10th season this fall with a gala series at the Fairmont San Francisco's historic Venetian Room. To celebrate this significant milestone, Bay Area Cabaret presents a star-studded lineup of performers making their Bay Area Cabaret debuts, as well as the return of a few favorites from the past decade. Opening the season Saturday, September 21, 2013 with a bang is Broadway's Megan Hilty, known to millions as the powerhouse 'Bombshell' on NBC's television program Smash. The season continues October 20, 2013 with Tony nominee Norm Lewis (The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess) and November 10, 2013 with 'America's romantic piano sensation,' multi-platinum selling recording artist Jim Brickman, joined by special guest Broadway heartthrob David Burnham.

Dallas Theater Center presents the world premiere of Fly, a new musical based on J.M. Barrie's novel, Peter Pan. Three-time Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller (Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights) makes his directorial debut with this production.

Audra McDonald' recently released her first solo album in seven years, Go Back Home, and just launched a concert tour across North America, which kicked off with a performance at the Midland Center for the Arts in Midland, MI, on June 8. McDonald recently chatted with PBS about the recent release and you can check out what she had to say below!

According to posts on their Facebook pages, Broadway couple Nikki Renee Daniels and Jeff Kready welcomed a baby girl, Lena Renee Kready, into the world at 6:58 this morning. 'Mother and daughter are doing fine. Father is delirious,' Kready wrote on his Facebook page.

Audra McDonald will perform her only Berkshire solo performance tonight, June 15 at 8pm at The Colonial Theatre accompanied by pianist Andy Einhorn.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment Commissioner Katherine Oliver today presented the eighth annual 'Made in NY' Awards, honoring individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the City's entertainment and digital media industries. The 2013 'Made in NY' honorees include: Tony and Olivier Award-winning actor Alan Cumming; 'Project Runway' host and executive producer Heidi Klum; two time Oscar-nominated director Spike Lee; five time Tony Award-winning singer and actress Audra McDonald; President of HBO Documentary Films Sheila Nevins; NYC-based blogging platform and social networking website Tumblr; and Harvey and Bob Weinstein, founders of The Weinstein Company and Miramax Films. This year's 'Made in NY' Mayor's Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to Emmy Award-winning television host and broadcast journalist Barbara Walters. The awards took place at Gracie Mansion and featured a special performance by the Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots introduced by Harvey Fierstein.