Porgy and Bess - 1985 - New York Articles Page 4

The Janet and Mark L. Goldenson Broadway Musical Concert Series at Rubicon Theatre Company continues in its second year with a weekend concert celebrating one of the most significant and popular American songwriting teams of all time, George and Ira Gershwin. WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE? will be presented for two nights only on Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3.

Catalina Bar & Grill will present singer ALEXIS GERSHWIN, the niece of the iconic American composer and lyricist, GEORGE & IRA GERSHWIN, in a 75-minute musical journey and salute to her uncle's music in a show entitled 'GERSHWIN SINGS GERSHWIN,' backed by The Gershwin Singers & Band, under the musical direction of Steven Applegate, to be presented One Night Only on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 8:30 p.m. at Catalina Bar & Grill; 6725 West Sunset Boulevard (just east of North Highland Avenue); Los Angeles, CA 90028. There is $20 Cover Charge, plus dinner or a two-drink minimum per person. Valet Parking is available.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is thrilled to announce the cast for the SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE and the SONGWRITERS CABARET at the 27th ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS on Thursday, October 15 and Friday, October 16. Both events take place at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). In person registration for industry members will be available on Thursday at 9:30 AM at New World Stages (340 West 50 Street). (Please note the admission process for each event in the individual descriptions.)

New York City Ballet will open its 2015-16 Season at Lincoln Center tonight, September 22 with eight performances of Peter Martins' production of Tschaikovsky's Swan Lake, through Tuesday, September 29, to launch the Company's 2015 Fall Season, which will continue for four weeks through Sunday, October 18.

BroadwayWorld has learned that Roundabout Theatre Company's 50th Anniversary Gala: 'Spring Gala 2016: Celebrating 50 Years of Extraordinary Theatre' will recognize the accomplishments of six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald and Roundabout's Chairman of the Board Thomas E. Tuft and present them with The Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre. The gala will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria on Monday, February 29, 2016.

Karen Zacarias' new telenovela-inspired comedy Destiny of Desire receives its world premiere at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, kicking off the company's 66th season with dramatic storytelling and comic flair. Zacarias, an inaugural resident playwright of the theater's American Voices New Play Institute whose previous credits include The Book Club Play and Legacy of Light, collaborates with renowned director Jose Luis Valenzuela, Artistic Director of the Latino Theater Company, to bring the Latin-American telenovela genre to life on stage. Destiny of Desire runs September 11-October 18, 2015 in the Kreeger Theater.

The American Theatre Wing has just announced new appointments to its Board of Trustees and Advisory Committee, BroadwayWorld has learned.

STAGES St. Louis celebrates its 100th production with Smokey Joe's Cafe, from the legendary rock and roll songwriting team, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The show will run through June 28 at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood. Due to an unprecedented advance in sales, STAGES has added a performance to the original schedule on Sunday, June 21st at 7:30 pm.

One of America's most versatile and prolific living composers, Andre Previn, joins Pacific Symphony as the honored guest and focus of the 15th American Composers Festival (ACF). Previn, who has been called one of America's least easily categorized musicians, began his remarkable career as a Hollywood "wunderkind" and a best-selling jazz pianist. Now 86, Previn has received four Academy Awards for his work in film, 10 Grammy Awards for his recordings (plus one more for his Lifetime Achievement), and he is also an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He's held a series of major conducting posts, including the L.A. Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, but now exclusively composes. The concert is led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, whose great admiration for the legend shaped this year's ACF to reveal the scope of Previn's prowess as a composer. 

Orange County, Calif.-May 11, 2015-One of America's most versatile and prolific living composers, Andre Previn, joins Pacific Symphony as the honored guest and focus of the 15th American Composers Festival (ACF). Previn, who has been called one of America's least easily categorized musicians, began his remarkable career as a Hollywood "wunderkind" and a best-selling jazz pianist. Now 86, Previn has received four Academy Awards for his work in film, 10 Grammy Awards for his recordings (plus one more for his Lifetime Achievement), and he is also an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He's held a series of major conducting posts, including the L.A. Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, but now exclusively composes. The concert is led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, whose great admiration for the legend shaped this year's ACF to reveal the scope of Previn's prowess as a composer. 

New York City Ballet will open its 2015-16 Season at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, September 22 with eight performances of Peter Martins' production of Tschaikovsky's Swan Lake, through Tuesday, September 29, to launch the Company's 2015 Fall Season, which will continue for four weeks through Sunday, October 18.

New York City Ballet will open its 2015-16 Season at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, September 22 with eight performances of Peter Martins' production of Tschaikovsky's Swan Lake, through Tuesday, September 29, to launch the Company's 2015 Fall Season, which will continue for four weeks through Sunday, October 18.

The unique performing arts intensive will take place at the Dallas Convention Center (600 South Griffin Street, Dallas, TX) tonight, March 10 - Saturday, March 14, 2015. The five-day intensive will culminate in a unique Broadway-style concert event featuring performances by Dallas' brightest rising stars on Friday, March 13, 2015 at 8 p.m.

Tony Award-winning costume designer, JESS GOLDSTEIN (currently represented on Broadway with Jersey Boys and On the Town), and scenic designer DOUGLAS W. SCHMIDT are among the 2015 TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards recipients. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, May 1, at 6:30pm, at the Hudson Theatre (145 West 44th Street). Mr. Goldstein was selected to receive the 2015 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for costume design and Mr. Schmidt will receive the Robert L.B. Tobin Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatrical Design.

The unique performing arts intensive will take place at the Dallas Convention Center (600 South Griffin Street, Dallas, TX) Tuesday, March 10 - Saturday, March 14, 2015. The five-day intensive will culminate in a unique Broadway-style concert event featuring performances by Dallas' brightest rising stars on Friday, March 13, 2015 at 8 p.m.

Once again crowned as the No. 1 Performing Arts Hall of its size in North America (Venues Today, 2000 seat category), the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is proud to announce a new season bustling with fresh talent and seasoned stars, with every performance delivering a dose of extraordinary. Single tickets go on sale this coming Saturday, September 13 at 10 AM at the Box Office, online, and by phone. Appointments are available for ticket buyers by calling the Box Office at 941-953-3368.

The Metropolitan Opera will open its 130th season on Monday, September 22 with a new production of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Met Music Director James Levine and directed by Richard Eyre.

Principal casting has been announced for the upcoming world premiere production of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. The cast will include Robert Fairchild as Jerry Mulligan, Leanne Cope as Lise Dassin, Veanne Cox as Madame Baurel, Jill Paice as Milo Davenport, Brandon Uranowitz as Adam Hochberg, and Max Von Essen as Henri Baurel.

Musical theatre performers MARY LOU BARBER, EDWARD PLEASANT and BEN RAUCH will be performing dramatic readings of excerpts from The Very Reverend James Parks Morton's forthcoming memoir at the 12th Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Awards gala tonight, June 5 at the New York Hilton Midtown. This is the first time in the history of the Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) awards dinner that a theatrical event has been presented.

Musical theatre performers MARY LOU BARBER, EDWARD PLEASANT and BEN RAUCH will be performing dramatic readings of excerpts from The Very Reverend James Parks Morton's forthcoming memoir at the 12th Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Awards gala on Thursday, June 5 at the New York Hilton Midtown. This is the first time in the history of the Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) awards dinner that a theatrical event has been presented.

Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will feature Resident Actor Jeffrey Bean as Vanya, Sharon Lockwood returning to the Alley as Sonia, Alley Artist Josie de Guzman returning as Masha, and Resident Actor Jay Sullivan as Spike. Rounding out the cast and making their Alley debuts are Rachael Holmes as Cassandra and Sarah Nealis as Nina. Jonathan Moscone, Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Theater, helms the production and returns after having directed the Alley's 2011 production of Amadeus.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for recent Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Appearing in titles roles are Resident Actor Jeffrey Bean as Vanya, Sharon Lockwood returning to the Alley as Sonia, Alley Artist Josie de Guzman returning as Masha, and Resident Actor Jay Sullivan as Spike. Rounding out the cast and making their Alley debuts are Rachael Holmes as Cassandra and Sarah Nealis as Nina. Jonathan Moscone, Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Theater, helms the production and returns after having directed the Alley's 2011 production of Amadeus.

Cabaret Icon Michael Feinstein returns to the McCallum Theatre with his highly anticipated "The Gerswhins And Me" for two performances - Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8 at 8:00 pm. Michael Feinstein, the multi-Platinum, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy nominated entertainer dubbed "The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook," is one of the premier interpreters of American standards. His 200-plus shows a year have included performances at Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, the Hollywood Bowl, the White House and Buckingham Palace. I had the chance to catch up with Michael as he was preparing for his Palm Desert engagement, Here are a few excerpts from that conversation:

It might surprise many to find that the original 1935 Broadway production of 'PORGY AND BESS' ran only 124 performances. The reasons were many including the all Black cast, some of the overtones of the script were perceived by some to be 'too Negro,' the opera format was considered 'not Broadway,' while some railed that it 'had racial overtones.' Other suppositions were that the heavy dependence of a strong story line was not a familiar format during the era of escapist comedies, follies and vaudeville. Not to be overlooked was the fact that the production lasted four hours, with two intermissions.

Executive produced by James Lapine and Frank Rich, the exclusive HBO presentation premieres today, DEC. 9 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT).