The King and I - 1985 - Broadway Articles Page 19

On Dec. 9, the Apollo Theater will celebrate 30 years of the ground-breaking New Jack Swing sound and will welcome home Harlem natives Teddy Riley and Keith Sweat for The Kings and Queens of New Jack Swing. This special evening will mark their first time performing at the legendary Apollo in over 20 years. Riley and Sweat will be joined by pioneers of the sound, including, Guy, Blackstreet, Doug E. Fresh, Kool Moe Dee and more to be announced.  More than a concert, The Kings and Queens of New Jack Swing underscores The Apollo's commitment to celebrating the contributions of African American artists and the Theater's role in the American and global musical landscape.

This year, a living legend of musical theatre turns 90: Lyricist-bookwriter Tom Jones (who also, under a stage name) appeared in the original company of his most famous and wildly successful record-breaking musical, The Fantasticks. His collaborator, composer Harvey Schmidt, just recently passed away. The production's record-breaking run closed, on January 13, 2002, after 17,162 performances. Their shows also include 110 in the Shade, I Do! I Do!, Philemon, Celebration and many more. And celebration is what it's about when Broadway veterans Carole Demas, who originated the role of Sandy in Grease, and Sarah Rice, who originated the role of Johanna in Sweeney Todd, return to celebrate Jones & Schmidt. Demas and Rice have based the show on their 50 years of work and personal relationships with Tom and Harvey. With very special guest Broadway's Hal Robinson who is also a Fantasticks alumni.

Tom Petty's career-spanning box set, An American Treasure, enters the Billboard Top 200 chart at #9, marking his 13th top 10 album, and it is the #1 Rock Album. The collection is available for purchase HERE. 

Greenway Arts Alliance (Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz, Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors) announced the cast and creative team for the THE COLOR PURPLE, which will play at the Greenway Court Theatre (544 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles). Performances run from November 9 through December 9 with the official press opening on Saturday, November 10. The Tony Award-winning musical features a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. Directing and choreographing the cast of 15 is NAACP Theater Award-winner Jeffrey Polk (Smokey Joe's Cafe).

August Wilson authored Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars, Jitney, King Hedley II, Gem of the Ocean, and Radio Golf. These works explore the heritage and experience of the descendants of Africans brought to North America, decade-by-decade over the course of the twentieth century, and together, they form a compilation entitled The American Century Cycle.

The video for “Gainesville”—a previously unreleased song on the Tom Petty career-spanning box set An American Treasure—is premiering today. “Gainesville” was recorded in 1998 during Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' Echo sessions, and the video was directed by Brantley Gutierrez and produced by Michael W. Abbott with Subtractive Inc. Watch HERE.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre has announced initial casting for the 30th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which takes place on Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26, 2018 at New World Stages

The Actors' Gang Theater will begin previews of The Madwoman of Chaillot today, September 27th and run through Saturday, November 10th with an official press opening on Saturday, October 6th.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today announced that husband-and-wife team Emilio and Gloria Estefan are the next recipients of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The honorees represent two historic firsts for the prize – the first time it has been awarded to a married couple or to musicians-songwriters of Hispanic descent.

Following the announcement of their Opening Night Film, Yen Tan's award-winning AIDS drama 1985, NewFest today announced the full lineup of their 30th annual celebration of the year's best LGBT films from around the world. The program of more than 140 narrative features, documentaries, episodic series and shorts runs from October 24-30 at the SVA Theatre, Cinépolis Chelsea, and The LGBT Community Center in New York City.

New Titles Coming to Amazon Prime Video and Prime Video Channels October 2018

The Actors' Gang announced today that the stage adaptation of Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo's war novel, Johnny Got His Gun, written by Bradley Rand Smith and directed by Tim Robbins, will kick off The Actors' Gang 2018/19 Season from Saturday, October 6th to Saturday, November 10th, 2018. The press opening is Saturday, October 13.

To open their ninety-eighth season, the Community Players is offering SOCIAL SECURITY by Andrew Bergman at Jenks Auditorium in Pawtucket. The play has an excellent pedigree. After twenty-six previews, the Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, opened on April 17, 1986 and ran for 388 performances. Not chopped liver. And New York magazine in 1985 dubbed playwright Andrew Bergman 'The Unknown King of Comedy,'. His best known films include Blazing Saddles, The In-Laws, and The Freshman. Again, not chopped liver.

Going strong after more than 45 years, Grammy Award winner The Manhattan Transfer, with tenor vocals from Kean University alumnus Alan Paul '71, will captivate Kean Stage audiences with their distinctive four-part harmonies at Enlow Recital Hall at 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 30.

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino will present this year's Legacy Award to Megan Follows, one of Canada's most beloved performers, who shot to fame around the world for her award-winning portrayal of Anne in the 1985 miniseries Anne of Green Gables and its sequel Anne of Avonlea. Cimolino and Follows played opposite each other as Romeo and Juliet in Stratford in 1992.

October brings four Prime Original series, one Prime Original series special and one Prime Original movie exclusively available for Prime members to stream or download at no additional cost to their membership.

Today, we're remembering some of Marin's greatest performances. Re-live her performances of these iconic songs in the videos below.

Randall Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso headline Centenary Stage Company's (CSC) presentation of a free staged reading of Sophocles' drama Oedipus Rex on Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30 PM in the Kutz Theatre at the Lackland Performing Arts Center, Hackettstown, New Jersey.

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), the nation's premier orchestra dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing, and recording new orchestral music, begins its 23rd season with Time Release: a one-night-only concert of orchestral music headlined by the American premiere of Steven Mackey's Time Release. Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Gil Rose, BMOP also celebrates the Boston premieres of Tonic by Steven Mackey, Concerto No. 2 for Harp and Orchestra by Hannah Lash, and Vision Machine by Harold Meltzer.

The Actors' Gang Theater will begin previews of The Madwoman of Chaillot on Thursday, September 27th and run through Saturday, November 10th with an official press opening on Saturday, October 6th.

An Academy Award-winning comedian will open up the 2018-2019 season at the State Theatre. Steven Wright, with his distinctly lethargic voice and deadpan delivery, kicks off the 92nd year of the historic venue today, September 7th.

Seattle Opera announced today that General Director Aidan Lang will leave the company to become General Director of Welsh National Opera. The third General Director of Seattle Opera, Lang departs at the close of the 2018/19 season following a five-year tenure. Under Lang's leadership, Seattle Opera has: increased its audiences, particularly, young people, created a new civic home for opera at Seattle Center, introduced new chamber opera productions in locations around the city, and made organizational strides toward racial equity.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre announces the line-up of directors for their 30th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which takes place on Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26, 2018 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). The Festival events will kick off on Monday, October 22 with Thank You, 30!, a gala event to celebrate the 30th Annual Festival.

Randall Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso headline Centenary Stage Company's presentation of a free staged reading of Sophocles' drama "Oedipus Rex" on Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30 PM in the Kutz Theatre at the Lackland Performing Arts Center, Hackettstown, New Jersey. The September 19 reading and the master classes that precede and follow it marks the first installment of the 2018 Gates Ferry Lecture Series: "What is Truth?" The September 19 reading will be the first of three presentations, all featuring Kim and Occhiogrosso, which also includes a staged reading of scenes from Shakespeare's "King Lear" on November 14 and a full stage production of Henrik Ibsen's "Enemy of The People" from February 15-March 3, 2019. To reserve tickets, please call the Centenary Stage Company box office at (908) 979 0900 or visit www.centenarystageco.org.

It's a mixed bag overall, but the good were really good, with definite standouts (especially IN FARCE and FATHERLESS CHILD).