Sweeney Todd - 1989 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 13

Halloween's all done in, there are still three weeks ahead before we officially give thanks, and Christmas - and all its accompanying frenzy and frivolity - is about seven weeks away! So what's there to do for all the theatrical types jonesing for a trip to make believe? Plenty! Theater companies all over middle Tennessee are showing off their best and brightest, with a number of eagerly anticipated shows opening this weekend and/or continuing from their earlier opening nights and next Tuesday there's a sparkling new Broadway musical swinging through Music City to entertain you…

It's Halloween weekend and every dramatic personage and theatrical type we've ever encountered is caught up in the annual rush to find just the right costume for their holiday revelries (we confess we've never had the knack for coming up with Halloween get-ups - not since we went in drag to a party at the First Baptist Church as the age of 12…tongues were wagging, we are certain, but we lived to tell about it, so it couldn't have been that bad). In the meantime, there are all sorts of onstage happenings this weekend to keep you otherwise engaged should the difficulty of selecting your costume prove to be too much.

BootStrap Theater Foundation is pleased to announce the world premiere of 'Arctic Requiem: The Story of Luke Cole and Kivalina' created by Sharmon J. Hilfinger and Joan McMillen, directed by Tracy Ward. This multifaceted theatrical production will run October 23 - November 15 at San Francisco's Z Below Theater 450 Florida Street with an Opening Night on Sunday, October 25, 5 p.m.

Amanda McBroom -- American international theater and cabaret performer and writer of the hit song, 'The Rose' -- will return to 54 Below tonight, September 30th and October 1st at 7pm with her new show, UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL, featuring unheard songs from her own songwriter's trunk, plus music by some of her favorite writers including Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins, Fran Landesman, John Bucchino, Jacques Brel and more.

Lyric Opera of Kansas City General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler today announced the four conductors for the 2015-2016 season in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Gary Thor Wedow (pictured, left, Mozart's Don Giovanni), and David Charles Abell (Bizet's Carmen) will be returning to the Lyric Opera. Alexander Polianichko (Dvorak's Rusalka) and Christopher Allen (Donizetti's The Elixir of Love) will be making their Lyric Opera debut.

Nominees for the 2015 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards were announced on Thursday, September 24 on @ This Stage Magazine [ThisStage.la]. This year's Ovation Awards ceremony will take place Monday, November 9 at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center. The curtain will rise at7:30pm.

Emma Thompson is one of the most celebrated British actresses of her generation. Not only is she noted as an actress, but she is also recognized as a comedian, screenwriter, author and activist. From her beginnings as a member in the Footlights troupe alongside Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, Thompson's credits and filmography have exploded, as well as her presence as a stage-performer. On the upcoming 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards, Emma Thompson is nominated for Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her work in SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET.

Today in 1989, the first Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd opened at the Circle inthe Square Theatre, where it ran for 188 performances. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler. Set in 19th century England, the musical tells the story of Benjamin Barker, alias Sweeney Todd, who returns to London after 15 years' transportation on trumped-up charges. When he finds out that his wife poisoned herself after being raped by the judge who transported him, he vows revenge on the judge and, later, the whole world. He teams up with a piemaker, Mrs. Lovett, and opens a barbershop in which he slits the throats of customers and has them baked into pies.

Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) - the world's number one live-theatre company with over 40 venues - has signed a deal to acquire ACE Theatrical Group (ACE), a company which specialises in the operation, design, development and construction of world class, live performance venues throughout North America. This brings the total number of ATG venues to 45 in the UK, Australia and North America, including the two biggest theatrical markets - Broadway and London's West End.

BootStrap Theater Foundation is pleased to announce the world premiere of 'Arctic Requiem: The Story of Luke Cole and Kivalina' created by Sharmon J. Hilfinger and Joan McMillen, directed by Tracy Ward. This multifaceted theatrical production will run October 23 - November 15 at San Francisco's Z Below Theater 450 Florida Street with an Opening Night on Sunday, October 25, 5 p.m.

Lyric Opera of Kansas City General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler today announced the four conductors for the 2015-2016 season in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Gary Thor Wedow (pictured, left, Mozart's Don Giovanni), and David Charles Abell (Bizet's Carmen) will be returning to the Lyric Opera. Alexander Polianichko (Dvorak's Rusalka) and Christopher Allen (Donizetti's The Elixir of Love) will be making their Lyric Opera debut.

Amanda McBroom -- American international theater and cabaret performer and writer of the hit song, "The Rose"  -- will return to 54 Below on September 30th and October 1st at 7pm with her new show, Up Close and Personal, featuring unheard songs from her own songwriter's trunk, plus music by some of her favorite writers including Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins, Fran Landesman, John Bucchino, Jacques Brel and more.

Pieter Toerien's Montecasino Theatre will play host to Steven Stead's production of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's musical thriller, which first premiered on Broadway in 1979.

Join one-of-a-kind mother, Rose, and her two talented daughters as they search for fame in Pittsburgh CLO's production of GYPSY, tonight, July 10, through July 19 at the Benedum Center. This entertaining musical is complete with memorable performances, mother-daughter struggles and the hardships of show business life, all while set during the infamous vaudeville era.

Join one-of-a-kind mother, Rose, and her two talented daughters as they search for fame in Pittsburgh CLO's production of GYPSY, July 10-19 at the Benedum Center. This entertaining musical is complete with memorable performances, mother-daughter struggles and the hardships of show business life, all while set during the infamous vaudeville era.

This July and August, 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street. For a detailed schedule of upcoming performances at 54 Below and to purchase tickets, visit www.54Below.com.

Judy Blazer joins the cast of the Tony Award winning Best Musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, in the role of 'Miss Shingle' tonight, June 30.

How does one go about explaining what playwright Eric Coble describes as "the speed of the end?" Assuming a person knows what the end looks like and how it will come about, the mere realization that each of our lives will someday end and that we must deal with the complete decay of who each of us once was as that life fades away is daunting; it's almost too finite yet still so simple an idea to understand completely. So, what would a woman faced with the elimination of all that she has ever been do when confronted with the prospect of change - a change that will destroy her foundation but improve her life to the extent of prolonging it in a personally undesirable way?The Cape Playhouse begins its 89th season with The Velocity of Autumn; directed by Skip Greer, this is a beauty of a story written by Eric Coble and now brought to the Playhouse following its recent Broadway run.

Kevin Spacey, Eddie Redmayne, and Michael Ball have been added the long list of Hollywood and Broadway stars to be honored by the Queen of England.

Jamie Muscato will join the cast of The House of Mirrors and Hearts, a new British chamber musical to play in Studio 1 at Arcola Theatre from Thursday 2 July 2015. Jamie will play the role of Nathan, replacing the previously announced Bart Edwards, who has had to withdraw from the production due to unforeseen circumstances.

It was announced today that Judy Blazer will join the cast of the Tony Award winning Best Musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, in the role of Miss Shingle.  She will begin performances on Tuesday, June 30.  Carole Shelley, who currently fills the role, will play her final performance on Sunday, June 28.

The Off-Broadway hit Murder for Two opens tonight (June 3) in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater.  The production has now been extended through Sunday, August 2.

The 69th Annual Tony Awards are this Sunday June 7th at 8/9c hosted by Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming. It's the biggest award show of the Broadway season and it closes out a long award 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. 

This is no joke, Ray of Light Theatre, San Francisco's non-profit musical theatre company, will be the Bay Area premiere of Heathers: The Musical. The first time the show has been seen since it closed off-Broadway late last year. Based on the 1989 cult classic film, Heathers kicks off Ray of Light's 15th anniversary season and runs tonight, May 22 through June 13 at the historic Victoria Theatre.

Casting is announced today for the World Premiere of The House of Mirrors and Hearts, a new British chamber musical which will open the Summer/Autumn Season at Arcola Theatre from Thursday 2 July to Saturday 1 August, with a press night on Tuesday 7 July at 7.30pm.