Something Wonderful - 1995 - Broadway Articles Page 10

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, the area's only year-round producing theatre, reached a milestone in 2014, celebrating its 20th Anniversary Platinum Season. Today, the theatre's producers have announced the line-up for the 2015 Mainstage Season.

In my recent very extended assessment of cabaret shows I never reviewed during the second half of 2014, there were two significant omissions. I didn't leave these out of my critical mix because they weren't strikingly significant. In fact, it was just the opposite. The new variety game show, Tune In Time, which dubs itself the “Musical Theater Olympics,” and the musical theater piece/song cycle, New World Waking, were among the most original and entertaining productions I witnessed this year and deserved more of a feature treatment than a quickie review. My take on Tune In Time (which will begin a new monthly run at the York Theatre on January 5) should beat the clock before the next show. So by simple process of elimination, this commentary will be on New World Waking, which when performed on December 6 was one of the highlights of the recent annual 12-day, 20-show Winter Rhythms Festival at Urban Stages.

In a much heralded return engagement, The COPA Palm Spings presents Chicago music and comedy legends Amy Armstrong and Freddy Allen for two performances, December 27 at 8:00 pm and December 28 at 7:30 pm in very special holiday show. Amy and Freddy have graced the stages coast-to-coast, in venues both large and small, and in over 20 countries with their one-of-a-kind wit and musical prowess. They have had the pleasure of opening and sharing the spotlight with Kathy Griffin, Mary Wilson and the Supremes, Phyllis Diller, Bea Arthur, Jennifer Holiday andJudy Gold, to name a few. In 2009, Amy & Freddy were featured on national television on Entertainment Tonight as part of their work with the NBC reality show 'America's Got Talent. They are also the proud multi-recipients of both the Gay Chicago Magazine 'After Dark' and Chicago Free Press 'Pressie' awards. I had the chance to chat with Amy and Freddy prior to their sell-out July performances at The Copa and I thought is was worth sharing again - here are a few excerpts from that conversation:

The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York City premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) at Carnegie Hall, tonight and tomorrow, December 15-16, 2014 at 8pm.

The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York City premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) at Carnegie Hall, December 15-16, 2014 at 8pm.

The Alliance is pleased to partner with Dad's Garage to present the holiday themed production, It's a Wonderful Laugh. The award-winning Dad's Garage Ensemble will parody the quintessential Christmas story It's a Wonderful Life with a fun rotating cast of familiar and not-so-familiar characters. It's a Wonderful Laugh runs on the Hertz Stage from November 28 - December 20, 2014. Opening Night is Today, December 5, 8:00 p.m.

Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation presents its second season at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center -- Three Dog Night on Saturday, January 10 at 8 pm; The Four Tops on Saturday, February 21 at 8 pm; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on Friday, March 27 at 8 pm; The Muppet Movie Sing-a-Long on Saturday, May 16 at 2 pm and Dick Fox Doo Wop Extravaganza on Saturday, June 6 at 7 pm. This four concert season, and the additional attraction The Muppet Movie Sing-A-Long, is presented by the Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation and is a means of raising funds to support arts in the schools and maintain this new, state-of-the-art facility.

The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York City premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) at Carnegie Hall, December 15-16, 2014 at 8pm.

The Alliance is pleased to partner with Dad's Garage to present the holiday themed production, It's a Wonderful Laugh. The award-winning Dad's Garage Ensemble will parody the quintessential Christmas story It's a Wonderful Life with a fun rotating cast of familiar and not-so-familiar characters. It's a Wonderful Laugh runs on the Hertz Stage from November 28 - December 20, 2014. Opening Night is Friday, December 5, 8:00 p.m.

The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York City premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) at Carnegie Hall, December 15-16, 2014 at 8pm.

MARK MY WORDS 2014: A WICKED COOL EVENING, tonight, October 21 at 8:00 p.m., is a once-in-a-lifetime event - a conversation between the creators of the book and Broadway smash Wicked. Gregory Maguire wrote the original novel Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Stephen Schwartz, legendary composer and lyricist of Pippin and Godspell, adapted Maguire's twisted take on L. Frank Baum's universe into one of the most successful musicals in history. Moderated by Connecticut theater legend Frank Rizzo, this is a unique opportunity to hear these creators talk about writing, music, theatre and, of course, the Wonderful World of Oz.

MARK MY WORDS 2014: A WICKED COOL EVENING, on Tuesday, October 21 at 8:00 p.m., is a once-in-a-lifetime event - a conversation between the creators of the book and Broadway smash Wicked. Gregory Maguire wrote the original novel Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Stephen Schwartz, legendary composer and lyricist of Pippin and Godspell, adapted Maguire's twisted take on L. Frank Baum's universe into one of the most successful musicals in history. Moderated by Connecticut theater legend Frank Rizzo, this is a unique opportunity to hear these creators talk about writing, music, theatre and, of course, the Wonderful World of Oz.

Come one! Come all! Experience the bizarre and the strange! Marvel at the oddities of the human condition and see yourself reflected in the freakish mirror of Shadowbox Live's Evo, opening tonight, September 26th!

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, the area's only year-round producing theatre, reached a milestone in 2014, celebrating its 20th Anniversary Platinum Season. Today, the theatre's producers have announced the line-up for the 2015 Mainstage Season.

Come one! Come all! Experience the bizarre and the strange! Marvel at the oddities of the human condition and see yourself reflected in the freakish mirror of Shadowbox Live's Evo, opening Sunday, September 26th!

Hands on a Hardbody is a new rock musical about 10 Texans whose new lease on life is so close they can touch it. Under a scorching sun for days on end and armed with nothing but hope and ambition, they'll fight to keep at least one hand on a brand-new truck in order to win it. In this hard-fought contest, only one winner can drive away with the American dream.

Hands on a Hardbody is a new rock musical about 10 Texans whose new lease on life is so close they can touch it. Under a scorching sun for days on end and armed with nothing but hope and ambition, they'll fight to keep at least one hand on a brand-new truck in order to win it. In this hard-fought contest, only one winner can drive away with the American dream.

The COPA PALM SPRINGS presents Chicago, music and comedy legends Amy Armstrong and Freddy Allen for two performances, July 18 and 19 at 8:00 pm. Amy and Freddy have graced the stages coast-to-coast, both large and small, and in over 20 countries with their one-of-a-kind wit and musical prowess. They have had the pleasure of opening and sharing the spotlight with some familiar (and some not so familiar) names including Kathy Griffin, Mary Wilson and the Supremes, Phyllis Diller, Bea Arthur, Jennifer Holiday and Judy Gold to name a few. In 2009, Amy & Freddy were featured on national television on Entertainment Tonight as part of their work with the NBC reality show "America's Got Talent. They are also the proud multi-recipients of both the Gay Chicago Magazine "After Dark" and Chicago Free Press "Pressie" awards. I had the chance to chat with Amy and Freddy about their upcoming engagement at THE COPA and more - here are a few excerpts from that conversation:

In a recent interview with BroadwayWorld, broadway veteran Cybill Shepherd revealed that she'd love to star in a musical. When asked at the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame concert if she'd like to star in a Hollywood Bowl summer show, she responded: 'I'd like to do Annie Get Your Gun, to be perfectly honest! I may be a little old for it... but I could find something else!'

The Brevard Music Center (BMC) will open its 2014 season tonight, June 21, with the Music Center debut of one of the true superstars of classical music - violinist Itzhak Perlman.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, beloved as one of the world's most popular dance companies, will return to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts with four different programs for a 15-performance engagement at the David H. Koch Theater June 11 - 22, 2014.

From May 2014 - March 2015, Sadler's Wells presents its biggest ever programme of inclusive dance. =dance is a new series featuring some of the most exciting and innovative work created and performed by deaf and disabled artists.

From May 2014 - March 2015, Sadler's Wells presents its biggest ever programme of inclusive dance. =dance is a new series featuring some of the most exciting and innovative work created and performed by deaf and disabled artists.

Delving into the darkly absurd corners of corporate America and middle-man-purgatory, director Michael Sladek makes his NYC stage debut with a fresh production of Below the Belt by acclaimed playwright, Richard Dresser. Presented by Black Lodge Theater, the work will be staged in the old boiler room of the iconic Westbeth Center for the Arts.

Pacific Symphony's critically-acclaimed American Composers Festival (ACF) continues for the 14th year with 'From Screen to Score: New Concert Music by Famous Film Composers'-who happen to be four of today's biggest Hollywood heavy-hitters: John Williams ('Star Wars,' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'E.T., the Extra Terrestrial'), Howard Shore ('Lord of the Rings,' 'The Hobbit,' 'Hugo'), James Horner ('Titanic,' 'Star Trek,' 'Apollo 13') and Elliot Goldenthal ('Alien 3,' 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman and Robin'). Together, these iconic composers boast 11 Oscars and countless billions of box office dollars. They also hold the ironic position of simultaneously being the most-heard orchestral composers ever (the soundtrack for 'Titanic' sold 30 million copies), yet their music is the least performed.