The Last Letter - 2003 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 6

It's a whole new year with a whole new slate of fabulous theater coming to Seattle and the surrounding areas. So many exciting shows ready to thrill and astound us, make us laugh and cry. And so, I thought I'd let you in on the Top 10 shows coming up that I'm most excited about (actually 11 since I couldn't narrow it down to 10 but 'Top 10' sounded better) in chronological order.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is delighted to produce the Regional Premiere of Lizzie, The Musical. With music by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer and Alan Stevens Hewitt, lyrics by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer and Tim Maner, a book by Tim Maner, with additional music by Tim Maner, additional lyrics by Alan Stevens Hewitt, based on an original concept by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer and Tim Maner, this musical's orchestrations are done by Alan Stevens Hewitt.

San Francisco Playhouse announced casting for Lauren Yee's King of the Yees, headlined by Obie and Lucille Lortel Award-winning actor and San Francisco native Francis Jue. The play, centered on San Francisco's Chinatown, was inspired by Yee's family and their deep connections within the community. Joshua Kahan Brody will direct the Playhouse production.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced the full cast and creative team for Paradise Square: An American Musical. The world premiere is helmed by acclaimed director Moises Kaufman, with choreography by the legendary Bill T. Jones and a book by Marcus Gardley, Craig Lucas, and Larry Kirwan. Music by Jason Howland and Larry Kirwan, with lyrics by Nathan Tysen, and based on the songs of Stephen Foster. Paradise Square is produced by special arrangement with Garth H. Drabinsky in association with Peter LeDonne and Teatro Proscenium Limited Partnership.

Julien's Auctions, the world record-breaking auction house, has announced that the fall edition of its biannual Street and Contemporary Art Auction will take place November 14, 2018 at Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles and live online at www.juliensauctions.com. Front and center will be a piece of one of the most talked about street artists in the news today-Banksy-whose latest at auction made headlines around the world when the work shredded itself seconds after the gavel came down for £1million.

With Spamilton: An American Parody currently running at the theatre, the Menier Chocolate Factory today announces full casting for their major revival of Hugh Whitemore's Pack of Lies. Hannah Chissick directs Jasper Britton as (Stewart), Sia Dauda (Sally), Alasdair Harvey (Peter Kroger), Chris Larkin (Bob Jackson), Macy Nyman (Julie Jackson), Tracy-Ann Oberman (Helen Kroger), Natalie Walter (Thelma) and Finty Williams (Barbara Jackson). The production opens on 1 October, with previews from 20 September, and runs until 17 November.

Roundabout Theatre Company's premiere of Theresa Rebeck's Bernhardt/Hamlet begins previews today. Get to know the cast as they begin Broadway performances!

As BroadwayWorld reported last week, acclaimed actor and director Brian Murray, who worked extensively on and off Broadway for more than fifty years, passed away from natural causes at the age of 80.

With Spamilton: An American Parody currently running at the theatre, the Menier Chocolate Factory today announces full casting for their major revival of Hugh Whitemore's Pack of Lies. Hannah Chissick directs Jasper Britton as (Stewart), Sia Dauda (Sally), Alasdair Harvey (Peter Kroger), Chris Larkin (Bob Jackson), Macy Nyman (Julie Jackson), Tracy-Ann Oberman (Helen Kroger), Natalie Walter (Thelma) and Finty Williams (Barbara Jackson). The production opens on 1 October, with previews from 20 September, and runs until 17 November.

After a successful run in Central Park, playing to over 4,000 people, performances resume on Wednesday, June 27 in Rockefeller Park/Battery Park City for New York Classical Theatre's critically acclaimed production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by the company's Founding Artistic Director Stephen Burdman. The production will play this week through June 30, before continuing on to The Battery, Carl Schurz Park, and Brooklyn Bridge Park for performances through July 29. There is no ticketing, and all performances are free and open to the public. Performance schedule can be found at newyorkclassical.org.   

Freeform announces its programming schedule for June 2018, which includes two series premieres, two season premieres, an epic three-night finale, the broadcast debut of “iHeartRadio's Wango Tango” and offerings of fan-favorite movies.

New York Classical Theatre (Stephen Burdman, Artistic Director), New York City's only all-free professional Off-Broadway theatre company, is pleased to announce a new production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to celebrate its 19th Anniversary Season. The production, directed by Mr. Burdman, is the company's first staging of Shakespeare's tale of star-crossed lovers, and will be presented in five New York City parks - Central Park, Rockefeller Park/Battery Park City, The Battery, Carl Schurz Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park - with performances from June 5 through July 29 at 7:00 PM. There is no ticketing, and all performances are free and open to the public. New York Classical Theatre also invites audiences to experience unique behind-the-scenes access to open rehearsals on selected dates for each of the five park stagings. 

Santa Fe Opera's General Director Charles MacKay and General Director Designate Robert Meya announced today the repertory, principal singers, conductors, directors, and designers for the company's 63rd season in 2019, along with updates to the 2018 season, which opens June 29. Joining MacKay and Meya were Santa Fe Opera Board of Directors President Susan G. Marineau, and Director of Education and Community Programs Andrea Fellows Walters.

Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA; Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director), an award-winning company presenting Shakespeare alongside other classic and contemporary drama at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, Downtown Brooklyn, is pleased to announce its 2018-19 season-the 39th since its founding in 1979.

Concertmaster Frank Huang will lead the New York Philharmonic from his chair as Concertmaster in a program spotlighting the Orchestra's string section. The concerts will feature Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3, with Principal Associate Concertmaster Sheryl Staples as soloist; Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik; and Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, and take place on Thursday, May 31, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, June 1 at 11:00 a.m.; Saturday, June 2 at 8:00 p.m.; Tuesday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m.; and Wednesday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Semyon Bychkov will return to the New York Philharmonic to conduct two weeks of programs, including the 50th anniversary of a Philharmonic commission, artist debuts, and symphonic cornerstones. In the first week, Mr. Bychkov will conduct Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1, with soloist Bertrand Chamayou in his Philharmonic debut; Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5; and Brahms's Tragic Overture, Thursday, May 17, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, May 18 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 19 at 8:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. 

Telemundo announced today additional music superstars to join the line-up of performers at the upcoming 2018 Billboard Latin Music Awards. Rapper and social media powerhouse, Cardi B, popular Colombian singer, J Balvin, Colombian reggaeton singer and songwriter, Karol G,renowned rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer, Quavo, and international superstar Ricky Martinjoin the previously announced slate of performers at the awards ceremony including Calibre 50, Chayanne, Christian Nodal, CNCO, Maluma, Maná, Nicky Jam, Ozuna and Sofia Reyes. The most prestigious awards show in the Latin music world is celebrating 20 years on Telemundo, broadcasting live on Thursday, April 26 at 7pm/6c, starting with the arrival of the stars on the red carpet at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show will also air simultaneously on Spanish-language entertainment cable network, Universo. Tickets to the Billboard Latin Music Awards are now on sale at AXS.com, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino box offices or by calling (702) 632-7777.

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces its complete 2018-2019 season lineup. The season begins with the World Premiere of The Steadfast Tin Soldier: A Christmas Pantomime, conceived and directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman from the story by Hans Christian Andersen. Following The Steadfast Tin Soldier is the World Premiere of Act(s) of God written by Ensemble Member Kareem Bandealy and directed by Ensemble Member Heidi Stillman.

Esther and Schmuli are shy young Orthodox Jews embarking on an arranged marriage, despite barely knowing each other. Abe and Julia are high-profile celebrities embarking on a dangerously flirtatious correspondence, despite being married to other people. On the surface, the lives of these two couples couldn't be more different. But Anna Ziegler's funny, insightful, and mysterious new drama explores the hidden connections between seemingly disparate people, drawing audiences into an intriguing puzzle and a deeply sympathetic look at modern love.

The 2018/19 Mirvish season will feature six Canadian premieres, one North American premiere, one pre-Broadway engagement and five new productions. A total of 16 shows will play at Mirvish theatres from June 2018 to July 2019. The main subscription season will feature seven shows and the Off-Mirvish season three shows. There will be six bonus shows that will not be on subscription.

PBS is transporting viewers back to East London with a seventh season of the critically acclaimed British drama CALL THE MIDWIFE. The series returns on March 25, 2018, with back-to-back episodes from 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET on PBS. The Sunday night lineup also features two new MASTERPIECE programs, including 'The Child in Time,' starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kelly Macdonald, April 1, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET, and 'Unforgotten' April 8-May 13, 2018, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET.

Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA; Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director) has added a performance (February 8 at 9pm) to its critically lauded world premiere production of Adrienne Kennedy's He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box, directed by Evan Yionoulis. The run will conclude, as a scheduled, on February 11.

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) has collaborated with celebrated theatre director and visual artist Robert Wilson to organize a first-of-its-kind exhibition highlighting the drama, rituals, and opulence of the Qing Empire, the last imperial dynasty of China. Wilson has created an immersive, experiential environment to display rare court costumes, jades, lacquers, bronzes, gold ornaments, paintings, and sculpture from Mia's renowned collection of Chinese art. Power and Beauty in China's Last Dynasty: Concept and Design by Robert Wilson, presented by Sit Investment Associates, is curated by Liu Yang, Mia's Curator of Chinese Art. The exhibition, which opened on February 3, will run through May 27, 2018.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) announces the cast and creative team for Hamlet, directed by STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn and featuring acclaimed actor Michael Urie as the tortured Danish prince. Shakespeare's most celebrated tragedy will run January 16-February 25, 2018 at Sidney Harman Hall.

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is collaborating with celebrated theatre director and visual artist Robert Wilson to organize a first-of-its-kind exhibition highlighting the drama, rituals, and opulence of the Qing Empire, the last imperial dynasty of China. The exhibition will present objects from Mia's renowned collection of Chinese art, including rare court costumes, jades, lacquers, bronzes, gold ornaments, paintings, and sculpture, displayed in an immersive, experiential environment conceived of by Wilson. 'Power and Beauty in China's Last Dynasty: Concept and Design by Robert Wilson, presented by Sit Investment Associates, is curated by Liu Yang, Mia's Curator of Chinese Art, and will be on view February 4 through May 27, 2018.