The Contrast

Nominated for 13 Tony Awards, the 2022 musical adaptation SOME LIKE IT HOT is a surprisingly delightful, hilariously fun, and gleefully silly musical comedy that also has an endearingly open-minded new twist that re-contextualizes the movie's main raison d'être into something more empowering and thoughtful. The infectiously joyful show's marvelous touring production—directed and choreographed with rousing, kinetic energy by Casey Nicholaw direct from its Broadway origins—continues performances at OC's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA through October 19, 2025.

The catchy doo-wop and early rock n’ roll style of music alongside the fashion and other paraphernalia of the the 1950s give a nostalgic feeling for this classic show, but this production of Grease still has a necessary edge to make this show successful.

When Our 1972 premiered last year, I thought I’d written the next big queer protest drama. But on night one, and in the run that followed, the increasing laughter and swooning from the audience seemed to declare otherwise. Suddenly, it was a rom-com. I was taken aback and, if I’m honest, annoyed. I challenged myself to work out why, and realised I’d been holding back from fully embracing the queer rom-com myself. In talking to others who felt the same, It became clear that queer joy on stage, and the queer rom-com in particular, still feels oddly taboo.

Because of its great cultural and intellectual influence, Boston has been known as the Athens of America for centuries. That sobriquet is as true today as ever thanks to the area’s vibrant theater scene featuring pre-Broadway productions and national tours, Tony Award-winning regional theaters, and a host of other theater companies presenting everything from Shakespeare to classic and contemporary plays, musicals and concerts.

The iconic multi-platinum-selling group AMERICA is celebrating their 55th anniversary with the “Encore Tour 2025.” The tour, which launched on March 8, will make a stop at the Providence Performing Arts Center.

Craft Recordings will reissue six records from Original Jazz Classics, including newly remastered editions of Bill Evans’ Interplay and Moon Beams, Lee Morgan’s Here’s Lee Morgan, and more.

A world-exclusive exhibition, Radical Textiles will open at the Art Gallery of South Australia on 23 November 2024.

What did our critic think of THE SUNSHINE BOYS at Roxy's Downtown?

This time, the reader question was: Which Broadway theaters are the largest and which are the smallest and our expert, Jennifer Ashley Tepper has done a deep dive on the sizes of Broadway theatres both past and present!

In times of turmoil, oppression, and uncertainty, how do people cope? How do they find joy, hope, and freedom when all seems hopeless? In the early 1930’s many of the citizens of Berlin found ways to escape the realities of life and the rise of the Nazi party by visiting one of the many cabarets in the city where they could leave their troubles at the door and partake in the debauchery of the latest avant garde entertainment. Today, however, in 2024, a visit to the Kit Kat Klub of CABARET, the latest offering from Titusville Playhouse, provides such an escape but with an important cautionary tale about the dangers of extremism and the real consequences of not taking them seriously. 

Nancy Sinatra, the eldest daughter of Frank Sinatra, has released a new album, Keep Walkin’: Singles, Demos & Rarities 1965-1978, which features previously unreleased music. One of the songs on the album is 'Do I Hear a Waltz?' by Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim, from the musical of the same name. Listen to the song here!

Organized by Darling Green in collaboration with Soft Network, Re: Scott Burton's Atrium Furnishment brings together a group of artists in dialogue with artworks and archival material from the estates of Scott Burton (1939–1989) and Rosemary Mayer (1943–2014). 

The Kitchen has announced its Winter/Spring 2023 programming, resulting from durational engagements that give experimental artists and collectives an abundance of time and organizational support to pursue their ideas.

Odyssey Theatre Ensemble presents the U.S. premiere of Yaacobi & Leidental, a funny, provocative romp with music written by Israeli playwright Hanoch Levin and featuring songs by Alex Kagan.

The single also served as the title track to King’s debut LP with Stax. Released in August 1967, Born Under a Bad Sign compiled the above-mentioned singles, plus originals like “The Hunter,” (penned by Booker T. & The M.G.’s, and Carl Wells), “Personal Manager,” (by King and David Porter), and King’s own “Down Don’t Bother Me.”

Widely hailed as one of this century’s great directorial debuts, Jordan Peele’s era-defining Get Out injected new life into horror with its witty subversion of racial politics and elitist social mores. Two years later, his wildly entertaining Us plumbed everything from isolationist fears and late-capitalist power structures to the rich lineage.

Following a two year hiatus as a result of the global pandemic, The Chase Brock Experience (CBE) - the critically acclaimed New York City based contemporary dance company from esteemed Broadway and contemporary choreographer, Chase Brock (Be More Chill, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules) - will return to NYC's Theatre Row this December to debut an all-new dance-narrative inspired by Brock's personal family history.

Acclaimed artist Andrew Combs shares “Anna Please,” the latest single from his forthcoming album Sundays. The song’s sparse, cinematic silence is reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman’s work, and the accompanying music video pays homage to the Swedish filmmaker’s 1972 film Cries and Whispers. Watch the new music video now!

This Memorial Day Weekend, Eric Firestone Gallery unveils Hanging / Leaning: Women Artists on Long Island, 1960s–80s, a sweeping two-part exhibition celebrating the formal ingenuity of postwar women artists with connections to the East End of Long Island.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures today announced the first round of exhibition rotations, which are scheduled for the 2022–2023 season. These rotations further the museum’s mission to advance the understanding, celebration, and preservation of cinema through dynamic and diverse exhibitions.

Like some kind of time-hopping wizard with preternatural melodic sensibilities, M Ross Perkins is back with his sophomore full-length, E Pluribus M Ross. The album, his first for Colemine/Karma Chief Records, is another masterclass in home recording with 12 shimmering slices of purely perfect psychedelic pop.

In 1962 English author Anthony Burgess published the Dystopian-Black Comedy novel entitled A Clockwork Orange. The novel itself was partially written in a Russian-influence argot called “Nadsat” which in a Russian suffix took on its namesake for the equivalent of “TEEN” in English. In 2005 the novel was included by Time Magazine in a list as one of the 100 best English Language novels of the 20th Century. The novel is divided into three parts: Alex’s World, Ludovico Technique, and After Prison, and each of the novel’s three parts contained only 7 chapters. 7 x 3= 21 which was an intentional nod to the age of 21 which is considered a milestone in adult maturation.

The restoration of Michelangelo's Pietà dell'Opera del Duomo, better known as the Bandini Pietà, in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence has been completed. the restoration process provided a unique opportunity to gain a better understanding of the sculpture's complex history, the various phases in its creation, and the master's techniques.

The Decades EP covers a lot of musical ground, from Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame” (1955) and Jackson C. Frank’s “Blues Run the Game” (1965) to Neil Young’s “Old Man” (1972), Kath Bloom’s “Come Here” (1984) and Elliott’s Smith’s “Ballad of Big Nothing” (1997).

The EP features five cover songs, one per decade from the 1950s-1990s. Mara already shared the EP's 1950s cut, a Twin Peaks-inspired cover of 'Ain't That a Shame,' back in February on Fats Domino's birthday (which Flood Magazine called “brilliant” and praised for its dark twist on the original).