Song Night in the City - 1980 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 10

'No Day But Today!'

On a rainy night, The Diviners was presented by Wichita Community Theatre, a play written by Jim Leonard, Jr. and set during the depression era of a small town named Zion, Indiana. The play has a rich production history having been performed on the upper east coast during the year 1980 when it was first written for the American College Theatre Festival in Washington, D.C. Many theatres and high schools subsequently followed and produced The Diviners until of course Wichita Community Theatre decided to wisely include it into their current 2018-2019 season. The show has similar themes seen earlier in the season and centers mainly around the relationship of C.C. Showers, a former preacher, and Buddy Layman, a mentally challenged young boy whose mission is to divine or search for running water yet at the same time has fears of water himself.

I am a big fan of campy rock musicals and what's not to like with EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL. Hilarious, wonderful music, appropriate scenery, fabulous talent, and a talking moose. Throw in a half dozen zombies and you have the makings of a wonderful night at the theater. That's what Padgett Productions delivers with EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL which opened Friday, June 7 and runs through June 22 at Prohibition Hall in Kansas City. The outrageous musical comedy written by playwright and lyricist George Reinblatt features music composed by Reinblatt, Christopher Bond, Frank Cipolla, and Melissa Morris.

In celebration of the 25th anniversary edition of King of California, out June 28 on Craft Recordings, acclaimed Los Angeles-based artist Dave Alvin will embark on a 22-date U.S. tour beginning June 11, with an intimate conversation and performance at GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. Dave will share the stage with special guest and King of California producer Greg Liesz on nine dates, seven of which are already sold out, two new dates have been added in the Northwest. A full list of dates is below or at DaveAlvin.net

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...

I had the pleasure of seeing A Bronx Tale with my friend Cassy, who had NEVER seen a musical before! (I know, right?!) I invited Cassy because the 1993 movie, off which the musical is based, is her favorite. Seriously, her cat is named Calogero, after the lead character in both the movie and the play. I was excited to see this show, and especially excited to see it through the eyes of a neophyte theater goer. I was not disappointed!

Nettle Creek Players, a 501c3 not-for-profit arts organization in Hagerstown, Indiana, has announced its 2019 troupe of visiting professional theatre artists who will live in the community for nine weeks as they prepare and present the Nettle Creek Players 2019 Summer Stock Tent Theatre Season featuring productions of JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, GERSHWIN & FRIENDS: A BROADWAY SONGBOOK CABARET, and RUMPELSTILTSKIN, OR THE FAIRIE'S SECRET NAME. Performances of JOESPH will be at 7:30pm on July 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 25, 26 & 27 & 5:00pm on July 7 with GERSHWIN & FRIENDS at 5:00pm on July 14, 21 & 28 and RUMPELSTILTSIKIN at 11:00am on July 20 & 27. All performances will take place in the Nettle Creek Players Show Tent at 150 N. Plum Street in historic downtown Hagerstown, Indiana. Tickets for JOSEPH and GERSHWIN & FRIENDS are $15 per person with discounts available for students, children and groups of 10 or more. Tickets for RUMPELSTILTSKIN are $5 per person. Tickets and more information are available at www.nettlecreekplayers.com, at Facebook/NettleCreekPlayers and by phone at 765-312-2722.

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts.

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), under the leadership of Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Executive Producer Diane Borger announced its 201920 Season programming today, including subscription offerings, A.R.T. Breakout, Afterglow @ OBERON, Live @ OBERON, the Run AMOC! Festival, The Donkey Show, and A.R.T. in the World.

42nd Street, the iconic Broadway masterpiece and winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1980, is tap-dancing its way onto the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center's Little Theater stage in Charleston, WV from April 26th, 2019 through May 11th, 2019 courtesy of the talented performers and crew of the Charleston Light Opera Guild.

Craft Recordings is pleased to announce the 25th anniversary reissue of  GRAMMY®-award winning artist Dave Alvin's King of California. Available at streaming services and on CD, and for the first time on vinyl, the album was originally released in 1994, to critical acclaim on Hightone Records. The remastered, expanded edition includes a previously unreleased instrumental studio track, “Riverbed Rag,” along with bonus material. Click here to pre-order King of California, available June 28.

Birdland has announced its upcoming May program!

Well-aware of the Peter Shaffer implications of programming MOZART'S REQUIEM with a Salieri symphony, Charlotte Symphony flipped the script, revealing a happy-go-lucky Salieri and a fearsome Mozart.

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University announces April and May 2019 programming at OBERON, its club theater space for cutting-edge performance and a thriving incubator for local and emerging artists. Upcoming events include A.R.T. Breakout, Live @ OBERON, and Afterglow @ OBERON series, A.R.T. presentations, and independently produced events.

Today, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (LBC) announced the first 11 new shows to be added to its 2019 2020 season, continuing its tradition of showcasing a diverse lineup of chart-topping musicians, compelling dance companies, and groundbreaking storytellers. Tickets for all shows go on-sale to LBC members today, Friday, April 5 at 12 p.m., and to the general public on Friday, April 26 at 12 p.m. Tickets are available online at lutherburbankcenter.org, by calling 707-546-3600, or at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts ticket office (50 Mark West Springs Road in Santa Rosa), open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.

Skylight Theatre Company (Producing Artistic Director, Gary Grossman and Co-Artistic Director Tony Abatemarco) announced today the world premiere of BRONCO BILLY - THE MUSICAL, It marks the organization's first world premiere musical production. The new musical, based on the Warner Bros. film Bronco Billy, features a book by Dennis Hackin, lyrics and music by Chip Rosenbloom and John Torres, with additional lyrics by Michele Brourman. Hunter Bird will direct. Preview performances begin on May 10, with the official press opening on Saturday, May 18, 2019. The limited engagement plays through June 30 at the Skylight Theatre, located at 1816 ½ North Vermont in Los Feliz, Ca. Tickets are now on sale now at http://www.SkylightTix.com.

Was the pairing of Iain Bell and Mark Campbell--respectively, composer and librettist of New York City Opera's (NYCO) world premiere STONEWALL--'love at first sight”? I asked them. We were at the workshop in New York earlier this month that allowed them and director Leonard Foglia to cross the t's and dot the i's (and hear their new work performed).

Actor/cabaret singer Stephanie Trudeau will perform an updated version of her docu-cabaret musical, 'Chavela: Think Of Me,' at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, April 12 and May 17.

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University and the Harvard Ed Portal announce the A.R.T. New Year Celebration, to be held Sunday, March 10, 3PM - 7:30PM. All are welcome at this free public event that will occur at the Harvard Ed Portal, located at 244 Western Avenue, Allston. The Harvard Ed Portal is an innovative collaborative partnership for members of the Allston-Brighton and Harvard communities to come together to share ideas and learn from one another.

Woof. This week is the biggest decluttering task I've attempted yet-throwing out my Evita CDs. I got 99 problems and Evita CDs are all of them. And that's not including the vinyl and the bootlegs on audio cassette. And the strange flash drives people handed me in dark bars muttering something about Elaine Paige and 'A New Argentina.'

Artistic Director Mark Clements and Executive Director Chad Bauman have just announced Milwaukee Repertory Theater's 2019/20 Season, which celebrates the 10th Anniversary Season of Artistic Director Mark Clements with 15 productions across four venues in the Patty & Jay Baker Theater Complex.

Red Bull Music Festival Los Angeles (RBMF LA) returns to the City of Angels next Thursday, February 7. Today, additional programming for the ambitious Center Channel film series--taking place at the historic Ukrainian Culture Center from February 8 - 20--has been announced. Tickets for all RBMF LA events are now available via www.redbullmusic.com/los-angeles.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Happy Monday! Kick off your week with today's top stories!

Spring activities for the Centennial, which continues through all of 2019, include a wide range of performances, film screenings, discussions, education initiatives, community programming, and new works by other artists in conversation with Merce Cunningham's work.