Smile, Smile, Smile - 1974 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 4

These days at Birdland, trying to channel Dolly Parton's bigger-than-life-persona is the sultry Natalie Douglas, a seven-time MAC Award, Nightlife, and Backstage Bistro Award winner, who (on April 20) brought her own hip, quick-witted, earth-mother persona--along with her smokin' hot vocals--in a joyful tribute show to the country music icon, Hello Dolly: The Music of Dolly Parton, as part of the Jim Caruso's Broadway at Birdland Series.

Following their triumphant, sold-out New York engagement last spring, the Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre of Russia returns with a new theatrical masterpiece Smile At Us, Oh Lord, based on the novels of Lithuanian-born Israeli writer Grigory Kanovich and directed by Rimas Tuminas (Eugene Onegin). Presented by The Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation (www.CherryOrchardFestival.org), Smile At Us, Oh Lord will play 4 performances at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street): June 5th at 8pm, June 6th at 2pm and 8pm and June 7th at 2pm. Tickets are $45-$150.

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.

Broadway fans had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year, with dozens of shows having opened since January, hundreds of actors having made their debuts, and many more having returned to the stage for critically acclaimed performances. Not all news was good though, as we also suffered a loss of an incredible amount of talent. Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2014.

In their current offering, The Fabulous Lipitones, barbershop harmony takes center stage at George Street Playhouse.

In their current offering, The Fabulous Lipitones, barbershop harmony takes center stage at George Street Playhouse.

For one very special night only, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's critically acclaimed and award-winning musical? A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC will be performed with an all-star cast at the Palace Theatre in the West End on Monday January 26, 2015

Much to the excitement of Captain Beefheart fans worldwide, Gonzo Multimedia just released on DBL CD a rare live recording of the Captain in concert at the Le Nouvel Hippodrome in Paris on November 19, 1977!

A.R. Gurney's enduring romance about first loves and second chances, LOVE LETTERS, will have its first Broadway revival, beginning performances Saturday, September 13, 2014, at 8pm, at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41 Street).

People's Light & Theatre presents the regional premiere of Itamar Moses' acclaimed comedy Bach at Leipzig running tonight, July 9-August 10, 2014 on the Steinbright Stage. Associate Artistic Director Pete Pryor directs. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355.

People's Light & Theatre presents the regional premiere of Itamar Moses' acclaimed comedy Bach at Leipzig running July 9-August 10, 2014 on the Steinbright Stage. Associate Artistic Director Pete Pryor directs. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355.

I never thought that writing a rave review would be more difficult than constructing a less than positive critique, but Carole J. Bufford, damn her, is causing me creative problems. That's because for the third time in three years I'm compelled to praise this attractive powerhouse cabaret singer to the skies (you can find my two previous essays on her unassailable talent here and here) and my author's arsenal contains only so many superlatives. With yet another outstanding performance last Thursday night at the Metropolitan Room, the young woman who was named BroadwayWorld.com's 2013 Cabaret Vocalist of the Year has snatched my mental thesaurus (not to mention my online one) and trampled all over it. She's given me the writer's block blues.

From One Singular Sensation to The Way We Were, composer Marvin Hamlisch left a legacy of hits that have brightened Broadway and the musical catalogue of America forever. And, now, The Philly POPS is proud to present 'Marvin Hamlisch - A Musical Tribute' conducted by Larry Blank, Hamlisch's conductor, and three of his favorite singers ... Donna McKechnie, Jodi Benson and Doug LaBrecque. Taking place on Friday, March 14 (8 p.m.), Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16 (3 p.m.) in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center, Blank and the guest artists will not only present wonderful musical memories with the audience, they'll share personal recollections of Marvin Hamlisch as well.

Sherrie Edelen shines in iconic role as Momma Rose in GYPSY which due to popular demand has been extended to January 26, 2014.

While watching the opening night performance of Musical Theatre West's lively (haha) regional premiere of Mel Brooks' YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, something struck me almost immediately: I'm laughing hysterically. Though previous productions have certainly entertained in the past, much of the jokes and silly lyrics have been rendered inaudible. Thankfully, MTW's remount fixes the problem. Who would have guessed that a combination of good diction, under-emphasized accents, and working microphones---performed by a wonderful cast---would be a real, honest-to-goodness asset for a show? The show continues through November 17 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced today the full schedule and complete lineup for the upcoming film series, Jean-Luc Godard - The Spirit of the Forms.

The Buck Creek Players will wrap up their 39th season 'In the Spotlight' with their fifth biennial Play-A-Part Fundraiser of the hit musical, Oklahoma!, sponsored in part by The Friends of Sue Leavell. Quickly becoming a BCP audience favorite, the Play-A-Part Fundraisers separate themselves from the playhouse's traditional community theater productions in that all roles are 'won' through an online silent auction with no required auditions! Veteran musical theater performers join first-timers to give this classic musical a comedic twist much like The Carol Burnett Show. Oklahoma features music by Richard Rodgers, and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Boasting one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including 'Oh What a Beautiful Mornin',' 'The Surrey With the Fringe on Top,' 'I Cain't Say No,' and the title tune, you can bet that this comedic take on the traditional classic musical will definitely bring a smile to your face.

The Buck Creek Players will wrap up their 39th season 'In the Spotlight' with their fifth biennial Play-A-Part Fundraiser of the hit musical, Oklahoma!, sponsored in part by The Friends of Sue Leavell. Quickly becoming a BCP audience favorite, the Play-A-Part Fundraisers separate themselves from the playhouse's traditional community theater productions in that all roles are 'won' through an online silent auction with no required auditions! Veteran musical theater performers join first-timers to give this classic musical a comedic twist much like The Carol Burnett Show. Oklahoma features music by Richard Rodgers, and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Boasting one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including 'Oh What a Beautiful Mornin',' 'The Surrey With the Fringe on Top,' 'I Cain't Say No,' and the title tune, you can bet that this comedic take on the traditional classic musical will definitely bring a smile to your face.

The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, has announced that The Rossano Sportiello Trio will debut at the Cafe Carlyle during their two week engagement running tonight, June 11 and June 22. The Trio will be performing their program, The Smiling Piano: A Tribute To The Artistry Of Jazz Piano Icon George Shearing.

The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, has announced that The Rossano Sportiello Trio will debut at the Cafe Carlyle during their two week engagement running June 11 through June 22. The Trio will be performing their program, The Smiling Piano: A Tribute To The Artistry Of Jazz Piano Icon George Shearing.

Bring out your bobby sock and leather jackets. The gang from Rydel High is taking over Philly for the summer.

Golf has an abundance of compelling, real-life stories waiting to be told about the game and the characters that inhabit it. Golf Channel's new original series, IN PLAY WITH JIMMY ROBERTS, will scour the globe to uncover the most compelling stories in golf, premiering tonight, March 12 at 10:30 p.m. ET and returning monthly.

Ailey II, the youthful and gifted second company of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, returns to its home, The Ailey Citigroup Theater, from March 13- 24 for a highly anticipated two-week season - the first led by recently appointed Artistic Director Troy Powell. The 14 exciting performances experienced through two dynamic programs come on the heels of a successful North American tour to over 20 cities and an array of critically-acclaimed performances in Germany and France.

Russia's profound and far-reaching impact on 20th-century culture will be explored at the 2013 annual Bard SummerScape festival, which once again offers an extraordinary summer of music, opera, theater, dance, film, and cabaret, keyed to the theme of the 24th annual Bard Music Festival, Stravinsky and His World. Presented in the striking Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and other venues on Bard College's bucolic Hudson River campus, the seven-week festival opens on July 6 with the first of two performances of A Rite (2013) by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and SITI Company, and closes on August 18 with a party in Bard's beloved Spiegeltent, which returns for the full seven weeks. Complementing the Bard Music Festival's exploration of “Stravinsky and His World,” some of the great Russian-born composer's most captivating compatriots provide key SummerScape highlights. These include the first fully-staged American production of Sergey Taneyev's opera Oresteia; the world premiere of an original stage adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's seminal novel The Master and Margarita; and a film festival titled “Between Traditions: Stravinsky's Legacy and Russian Emigré Cinema.” Together, SummerScape's offerings will continue Bard's yearlong tenth-anniversary celebrations for the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center, which commence with a month of special performances in April.

Now, Disney Theatrical Productions has confirmed that Aladdin, a new musical based on the Academy Award winning animated film, will play its pre-Broadway engagement at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theatre(formerly the Canon) November 13, 2013 to January 12, 2014 and will open at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre in 2014. The show will feature music by Alan Menken; lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin with a book by Beguelin. Casey Nicholaw will direct and choreograph.