Ragtime - 1998 - Broadway Articles Page 14

Prospect Theater Company announces that tickets are now on sale for the rest of its 2018 line-up of performances.  During the 18-19 Season, Prospect celebrates its 20th year of continuous operations, and the company is proud to continue in its mission to develop and produce compelling new musical theater by emerging artists. 

Ragtime, one of the most powerful and vibrant musicals of this era, will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this July on the Dixon Hall stage.  Based on the E.L. Doctorow novel, Ragtime tells the story of a restless America at the turn of the twentieth century where everything is changing and anything is possible.  It is a timeless celebration of life - what it could and should be. It tells the stories of an upper-class wife, a Jewish immigrant and a daring Harlem musician - All three characters are united by their desire and belief in a brighter tomorrow.  The Tony-winning score by Ahrens & Flaherty will be brought to life with the 38 member cast and 26-piece orchestra.

Ragtime, based on E.L. Doctorow's 1975 novel and featuring a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens will run June 13 - July 1 on the Main Stage at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of DeSales University.

Today's subject, Alexandra Silber, is known on both sides of the pond as a versatile, killer performer. This international dynamo is currently living her theatre life onstage at Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) as Guenevere in Camelot. The production has been extended and now runs through July 8th in STC's Sydney Harman Hall space.

n 1998 when Jason Robert Brown won a Tony Award for the score of this unusually provocative musical Parade, the opulent Broadway production closed to critical acclaim, but due to excessive costs, the show remained inaccessible until the Donmar Warehouse resurrected it and produced a tight - minus the frills - mounting at the Mark Taper Forum in 2009. 3-D Theatricals, who are becoming increasingly known for their superlative skill with producing big musicals, have decided to put back many of the frills of the original and double the cast to its original size - 36, in order to enhance and give the musical the big, full-voiced chorus sound it deserves. And, in my mind, this bigger hybrid version surpasses the Taper's for its grande musical elegance and the presence of a perfectly cast lead actor in the role of Leo Frank, Jeff Skowron.

The 72nd Annual Tony Awards are this Sunday June 10th at 8/9c hosted by Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles. It's the biggest award show of the Broadway season and it closes out a long awards season for Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and plays. We can't help but wonder what chances this year's Best Musical and Best Play nominees have of taking home the ultimate prize...

Los Altos Hills will be alive with The Sound of Music this summer, when multi-award winning Foothill Music Theatre presents the Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award-winning musical. This beloved musical, set in Austria in 1938, follows novice Maria Rainer who becomes the governess for the von Trapp family, capturing the hearts of the seven children and their father, a widowed naval captain. As the Nazis occupy Austria, the family is forced make decisions which forever change their lives, fleeing their home in pursuit of freedom.

Vineyard Theatre announces the second extension of the world-premiere production of THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE.  This original dance play by legendary composer and four-time Tony Award winner John Kander, Tony-nominated playwright David Thompson, and five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman will extend until through Sunday, June 24.

BroadwayWorld has a first look at Vineyard Theatre's world-premiere of THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE, check them out below! 

The DC theatre community hurried along the waterfront on Monday night, attempting to beat the looming, black storm clouds that threatened, but this could not dampen the vibrant crowds as they entered the recently opened Anthem for this year's Helen Hayes Awards. This stunning, modern space will be greeting the likes of Belle & Sebastian, Janelle Monae, and Nine Inch Nails in the coming months, and on this evening, theatre creative showed off their finest.

RAGTIME is such an underrated piece of art. Although written in 1996 and staged for Broadway in 1998, it is almost prophetic in its reflection of the social unrest, racism and immigration sanctions prevalent in our world today. Based on the 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow, with a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, RAGTIME is as relevant today as it was when first conceived. Its timelessness is a credit to its brilliant and perceptive writing, albeit a sad commentary of our present society which has not learned from its past and has not progressed much in civility or compassion.

Next week, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

This year marks 50 years since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr and 30 years since the first performance of the late Martin Smith's acclaimed musical KING. Hackney Empire, in co-production with London Musical Theatre Orchestra, presents a special concert version for two performances only.

Vineyard Theatre's Artistic Directors, Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern, release rehearsal photos before previews begin tomorrow, Friday, May 4 for the the world-premiere of THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE. This original dance play by legendary composer and four-time Tony Award winner John Kander (CABARET, CHICAGO), Tony-nominated playwright David Thompson (STEEL PIER; FLORA, THE RED MENACE), and five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman (THE PRODUCERS, CONTACT) will open on Wednesday, May 23 and play through Sunday, June 17.

Continuing the momentum created with the current season launch of its Music Knows No Borders series, Executive Director Thor Steingraber unveils the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts' 2018-19 Season, which features four world premieres, two American premieres, several of the world's greatest orchestras, innovative jazz programs, two tributes to Hollywood legends, Broadway classics plus artists from 18 different nations who will appear on stage at The Soraya next season.  New Subscription Series tickets will go on sale May 1, 2018.

Trinity Rep closes out its 2017-18 Season with the Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime, which was written by Terrence McNally (book), Stephen Flaherty (music), and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics). Under the direction of Artistic Director Curt Columbus, Trinity Rep's production examines how the musical, which is set in 1906, reflects the country's current political and social climate. Based on the celebrated 1975 novel of the same name by E.L. Doctorow, the musical tackles race, women's rights, immigration, and workers' rights. Ragtime runs April 26 - May 27 in Trinity Rep's Elizabeth and Malcom Chace Theater, with press opening on Monday, April 30 at 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $25. More information can be found at www.trinityrep.com/ragtime.

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival will present Open Captioned performances in its upcoming 27th season as part of an ongoing commitment to broadening the Festival's accessibility offerings. In addition to American Sign Language-interpreted and Audio Described performances, new Open Captioning and additional Relaxed Performances align with PSF's mission "to enrich, inspire, engage, and entertain the widest possible audience."

Vineyard Theatre's Artistic Directors, Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern, announce that the world-premiere of THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE will extend until Sunday, June 17. This original dance play by legendary composer and four-time Tony Award winner John Kander (CABARET, CHICAGO), Tony-nominated playwright David Thompson (STEEL PIER; FLORA, THE RED MENACE), and five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman (THE PRODUCERS, CONTACT) will begin performances May 4, 2018 with an opening night set for May 23.

Two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, who has starred on Broadway in Kiss Me Kate, Man of La Mancha, King Hedley II and Shuffle Along, will close out the 2017/18 season at Kean Stage with two shows on Saturday, April 28.

From Harry Houdini, to baseball, to Booker T. Washington, to the American Dream, Des Moines Playhouse's production of Ragtime covers a lot of ground - ten years to be exact. In presenting an encyclopedic glance of these ten years from 1902 - 1912, the musical, with book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty, slowly becomes a big ball of dense nostalgia with glimpses of heart every now and then. But that seems to be a bigger problem with the intent of the show to nicely wrap up ten years of history in under three hours rather than The Des Moines Playhouse's production. Yes, The Des Moines Playhouse's production (directed by John W. Viars)  is grand, beautiful, heartfelt and absolutely delicious to listen to, which makes it an excellent season closer for the company as they head into their 100th season and a renovated theatre.

Trinity Rep closes out its 2017-18 Season with the Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime, which was written by Terrence McNally (book), Stephen Flaherty (music), and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics). Under the direction of Artistic Director Curt Columbus, Trinity Rep's production examines how the musical, which is set in 1906, reflects the country's current political and social climate. Based on the celebrated 1975 novel of the same name by E.L. Doctorow, the musical tackles race, women's rights, immigration, and workers' rights.

Laguna Playhouse is proud to announce a very special event, the Coyote Stageworks, Founding Artistic Director Chuck Yates, production of Bets Malone starring as Mae West in DIRTY BLONDE, written by Claudia Shear and directed James W. Gruessing, Jr.. DIRTY BLONDE will perform six performances only, Thursday, April 26 through Sunday, April 29 at Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.

On Monday, April 2nd at 9:30pm, Christopher Sloan & Gavin Esham want YOU to vote them to Broadway after getting to know them during Chris & Gavin's Broadway Campaign Spectacular, an evening of sketch comedy, song and unintentional nudity that tackles hot topics.

Performing Arts Fort Worth announces its 2018-2019 Broadway at the Bass Season at Bass Performance Hall! Comprised of seven shows, plus two add-on specials, the series offers a mix of all-time favorites with brand-new shows direct from Broadway. Season ticket packages start at $268.40 - that's seven shows for $38 each!

Christian Coulson of HARRY POTTER To Play King Richard II at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival