Take Me Along - 1985 - Broadway Articles Page 9

A fraternity of alternative British rock bands led by acoustic pioneers The Alarm, post punk auteurs Modern English, and the charismatic Jay Aston's Gene Loves Jezebel have announced they will take to the road throughout North America this summer 2019. See initial dates below.

With Belvo and Meyer leading the way, this is as funny an ODD COUPLE as you will likely see.

Producer Ken Davenport (Once on This Island, Spring Awakening) has obtained the Broadway stage rights to the life story of the great American singer, songwriter, actor and activist, Harry Belafonte.

BroadwayWorld.com continues our exclusive content series, in collaboration with The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, which delves into the library's unparalleled archives, and resources. Below, check out a piece by Doug Reside, Lewis and Dorothy Cullman Curator for the Billy Rose Theatre Division at the The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts!

The Directors Guild of America  today announced the nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials and Documentary for 2018.

Austrian Stage presented the US and English-language premiere of Canned Meat, a staged reading of this funny, touching Austrian drama.  The performance featured Tony Award Nominee Xanthe Elbrick, alongside Teresa Avia Lim, William DeMeritt and Vince Nappo. 

Beetlebung Road LLC, a new theater production company, will launch November 15 to December 9 with a bi-coastal production of Sam Shepard's 'Fool for Love,' to be presented November 15 to December 2 by Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., Manhattan and December 6 to 9 by The Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles.  The production, directed by Kymberly Harris, will arise from a careful artistic process of immersion on many levels.  The company chose to debut at Theater for the New City (TNC) as part of that process: to honor and recapture the path of Shepard's 'Buried Child,' which was commissioned by TNC and premiered there in 1978.

For more than thirty-three years Frank Ferrante has been channeling Groucho Marx. His highly- acclaimed one-man show, 'An Evening with Groucho' has triumphed in New York, London, Australia, and across the U.S., as well as on PBS. Ferrante's tour-de-force stays fresh and fascinating because it relies so heavily on improv and audience interaction that, twelve-hundred shows later, no two performances are alike.

Well-ensconced on the UCLA campus, Los Angeles Theatre Works presents audio theatre, or as pre-millennials call it 'radio drama,' a throwback technique of decades-old entertainment enhanced by current day technology. I had the chance to delve into the inner workings of LATW from one of the co-founders herself, Susan Albert Loewenberg.

Grammy-winning country music artist Lee Greenwood, along with his iconic and patriotic hit song 'God Bless the USA,' will be featured on the latest edition of NPR's American Anthem series. Greenwood's interview with NPR's Don Gonyea will air on Tuesday, September 11 at 5:50 & 7:50 am ET / 6:50 & 8:50 am CT, during NPR's Morning Edition.

My heart is full for many reasons, not the least of which is that I can say, henceforth, that the last production of Steel Magnolias that I reviewed - this one at The Larry Keeton Theatre in Donelson through Saturday, September 1 - was almost as good as that very first production I saw in Chicago in the summer of 1988. In fact, direct Donna Driver and her cast deliver a reading of Steel Magnolias that is as close to what Robert Harling wrote more than 30 years ago as any I've ever seen.

USA Network announced today that its new music showcase series REAL COUNTRY has added country stars Trace Adkins, Wynonna Judd and Big & Rich as celebrity guests. The network also announced a special appearance by the beloved country icon Willie Nelson, and set Graham Bunn - most recently from Southern California's #1 country station, Go Country 105 - as host.

USA Network announced today that its new music showcase series REAL COUNTRY has added country stars Trace Adkins, Wynonna Judd and Big & Rich as celebrity guests. The network also announced a special appearance by the beloved country icon Willie Nelson, and set Graham Bunn - most recently from Southern California's #1 country station, Go Country 105 - as host.

Willie Nelson, Blackbird Presents, Mark Rothbaum, and Live Nation are thrilled to announce the Outlaw Music Festival Tour at the historic Hollywood Bowl with Willie Nelson & Family, Phil Lesh & Friends, Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and Particle Kid.

Willie Nelson, Blackbird Presents, Mark Rothbaum, and Live Nation are thrilled to announce the Outlaw Music Festival Tour at the historic Hollywood Bowl with Willie Nelson & Family, Phil Lesh & Friends, Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and Particle Kid.

Back in 2005 Broadway was abuzz with the arrival of a musical version of the much beloved book and movie "The Color Purple". The problem was, when it arrived it landed with a thud and not a splash. It had a decent showing running for three years and touring but never really catching fire (at least not for me). I saw the original on Broadway and in the tour and it just felt like they missed the mark not really focusing on the heart of the story and with music that felt out of place. Then in 2013 the folks at The Menier Chocolate Factory in London revived the show, scaling it down to a more intimate and streamlined piece and low and behold, it now works! And that, Dear Readers, is the gloriousness that's currently playing at the Paramount.

Our team put our heads together to figure out who we'd want to appear in the production! Check out some of our picks below - and join in the coversation on Facebook and Twitter to share your thoughts!

While its original production, as most Broadway shows go, offered the expected big sets, first-rate costumes, and impressive production values, the 2015 Tony Award-winning revival production of THE COLOR PUPLE---currently slaying audiences for a week-long stop at Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through June 24---is decidedly more subdued and scaled-down by comparison, allowing the songs, the story, and the cast performances to shine on their own merits instead. The resulting show is a powerful, uplifting one, bathed in a loving, spiritual embrace that shines a light on the struggles, the insecurities, the passions, and the tenacity of African-American women living in the early decades of the 20th Century. I can say without hesitation that this revival production is an excellent way to experience this beautiful, touching, and ultimately triumphant musical.

LUMBERYARD Contemporary Performing Arts opens its inaugural summer 2018 season, which will fill venues surrounding the organization's highly anticipated new facility in Catskill, New York, with Scat!,a dance-driven musical from Urban Bush Women set in Hudson, NY's Club Helsinki (June 29-July 1). The season,which runs from June 29 - September 2, represents the fullest realization to date of LUMBERYARD's unique dual promise: to make transformative contributions both to the cultural landscape and economic health of Upstate New York and to the field of contemporary performance in New York City and the U.S. by bringing renowned and emerging artists across the performing arts landscape to Catskill for out-of-town premieres, often incubated through LUMBERYARD's signature technical residencies.

The 2018-2019 season includes six Broadway shows, headlined by the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Blockbuster Beautiful – The Carole King Musical. Also coming as part of the Haverland Carter Broadway in New Mexico series are Finding Neverland, The Sound of Music, Kinky Boots, and the newly-restaged Cats. RENT 20THANNIVERSARY TOUR will also tour to Popejoy as a Broadway Extra.

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...

"Country crooners, '80s hitmakers and man's best friend are among the headlining talent Poway OnStage have lined-up for their 2018/19 Professional Performance Series. This season we are delighted to welcome old friends and new talents to the Poway stage," says Poway OnStage President and CEO Michael Rennie.  "Returning Poway OnStage alum include perennial Poway favorites and equal opportunity offenders The Capitol Steps, guitar masters the Romeros; and celebrity talents from Dancing with the Stars and American Idol performing the all-new Motown with a Twist."  

On May 24th, Public Television's critically acclaimed conversation series Speakeasy, will return to The McKittrick Hotel's Manderley Bar in New York City to film an all new episode, presented by Citi, featuring iconic musicians Sting and Shaggy discussing their new album, 44/876. Doors will open at 4:00 PM and the show will begin promptly at 5:00 PM. Tickets are available on May 9th at 10:00 AM EST here.

On Monday, May 14, 2018, Third Street Music School Settlement (Third Street), the nation's longest running community school, will honor Grammy Award-winning Singer and Songwriter Rosanne Cash, Tony and Oscar Award-winner Joel Grey, and long-time Board Member and Award-winning Architect Byron Bell at its Annual Spring Gala. Graham Parker, President of Universal Studios Classical Music Labels, will serve as master of ceremonies and Lydia Fenet, Senior Vice President of Christie's Auction House will host the live auction. Members of the cast of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical also will perform. Held at Capitale (130 Bowery) in New York City, the gala will bring together hundreds of luminaries from the arts, culture, education, media, business, finance and philanthropy worlds to pay tribute to the honorees for their contributions to and leadership in arts and music education. Funds raised through attendance, live and silent auction participation will help support Third Street scholarships and financial aid services. With its roots in the settlement movement, Third Street today serves more than 5,000 New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds by providing high quality, accessible music and dance instruction in more than 25 instruments and voice. More than 75% of Third Street students receive financial aid or scholarships through the school's Partners program, which sends teaching artists into community centers and public schools throughout New York City. Alumni include well-known artists Bobby Lopez, Jessie Montgomery, Irving Caesar, among others. This year's honorees join a roster of previous honorees that includes The Roots, Sting, Yoko Ono, Harold Prince, Philip Glass, and Audra McDonald. Rosanne Cash will be presented with Third Street's Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts and Joel Grey will receive Third Street's Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. 'Third Street is founded on the principles of artistry, diversity, and community. We believe music connects us and that it is crucial to support programs that enable accessibility to the arts for people of all backgrounds,' said Third Street Music School's Anna-Maria Kellen Executive Director, Valerie G. Lewis. 'We are proud to celebrate our 123rd Anniversary with music visionaries, Joel Grey and Rosanne Cash, along with a long-time supporter of Third Street, Byron Bell. They have been incredible advocates for the arts, fostering artistic creativity in their communities and beyond,' she said. Gala Co-chairs are Jeannie Park and Larry Hackett, Kara Saxon and Amit Malhotra, and Kate and James Vanek. Anniversary Co-chairs include Beau Everett and Stephanie Goodman, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Tatiana Serafin and Mick Kalishman, Felipe Toews and Yuu Fujita. Honorary Co-chairs include Barbara E. Field, Philip Glass and Harold Prince. Event sponsors include Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Baldor Specialty Foods, Ernst & Young LLP, Putney, Twombly, Hall & Hirson LLP, Industry City, JD Carlisle Development Corporation, Steinway & Sons, and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. For more information visit thirdstreetmusicschool.org/gala or contact Katharine Nemeth at 212-777-3240 ext. 26 or gala@thirdstreetmusicschool.org. Tickets start at $500 per person and $5,000 per table. About Third Street Founded in 1894, Third Street Music School Settlement is the nation's longest-running community music school. Celebrating 123 years of service, Third Street works to enrich lives and communities by providing access to high quality music and dance instruction to students of all ages and backgrounds, regardless of artistic ability or socio-economic circumstances. As a pioneer of community arts education in the United States, Third Street today serves more than 5,000 students in our primary location on East 11th Street, and through partnerships with nearly 25 public schools and community centers throughout New York City. Third Street alumni include violist Masumi Per Rostad of the acclaimed Pacifica String Quartet; Ray Chew, musician and music director of Dancing with the Stars and American Idol; Irving Caesar, composer of the 1920's hit 'Tea for Two'; Bobby Lopez, co-creator of the hit Broadway musical Avenue Q and Academy Award-winning writer of 'Let It Go' from Disney's Frozen and 'Remember Me' from Disney's Coco; Ingrid Michaelson, pop singer/songwriter with hits on the Top 40 charts; and Jessie Montgomery, recipient of the Sphinx Award. Visit http://www.thirdstreetmusicschool.org/ for more information, and follow Third Street on Instagram @3rdstreetnyc and twitter @Third_Street.

Everyone knows who Gene Kelly is, but after seeing this wonderful tribute to the many sides of him, you can't help but feel love in your heart for what he accomplished, how he felt about life, love and happiness, work, and for the amazing gifts he gave to all of us.