The Moment When - 1999 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 19

From Friday, May 3 through Wednesday, May 22, BAM presents Black 90s: A Turning Point in American Cinema, a nearly three week-long program of films, both low-budget art films and classic blockbusters, from an era of explosive creativity and newfound studio support for black filmmakers.

A.D. Players at The George hosted their second annual After Dinner Affair on Saturday March 23. The event celebrated all the theater has accomplished in the last year, and looked forward to the upcoming 2019-2020 season. Over 450 guests were in attendance for the West Side Story themed evening, enjoying dinner catered by Churrascos, a silent auction, dessert and champagne, and show stopping entertainment of Broadway favorites supported by a full band and featuring some of Houston's top vocal talent such as; Jake and Emily Speck, Chelsea McCurdy, Brooke Wilson, and out of town guests John-Mark McGaha, Mike Elred, and Piper Jones.

Buried amongst the over twenty names receiving the smallest-sized billing for their contributions to Roundabout Theatre Company's hot new revival of Cole Porter and Sam & Bella Spewack's masterpiece of kick-back musical comedy entertainment, Kiss Me, Kate, is the credit 'Additional Material' with the name of the accomplished Broadway lyricist Amanda Green written below.

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia presents Portugal's brightest star Mariza on April 17, 2019, at 8pm in the Chan Shun Concert Hall. The internationally lauded fadista a performer of Portugal's traditional soul music, fado will showcase brand new material from her recently released eponymous album produced by Spain's Javier Lim n, the singer's seventh studio recording. Effortlessly effusing passion, joy, and nostalgia, the talented vocalist will weave her impressive vocal range and commanding stage presence into a deeply moving and memorable evening of music.

KCMPT's 2019-20 lineup features some of the greatest names in African American theater: August Wilson, Lorraine Hansberry, and Ntozake Shange and newcomer Lewis J. Morrow. Newly minted Artistic Director Nicole Hodges Persley states "We wanted to give our audiences a "Greatest Hits" of African American theater.

I thought throwing out my Annie CDs would be easy--I thought I only had one! Obviously that would be the indispensable Original Broadway Cast Recording with Dorothy Loudon and Andrea McArdle. How wrong I was! I knew that, as a kid, I had the tape of the 1982 movie soundtrack with Carol Burnett and Aileen Quinn (and an all-star supporting cast!), but I didn't remember buying it on CD. And when the hell did I get the CD of the 1999 TV version (with Kathy Bates and an all-star cast)? And, oh yeah... I forgot about this studio album from the 90s with studio cast queen Kim Criswell--I think I bought back in the day somehow convincing myself Ruthie Henshall was playing Annie. (Spoiler alert: She plays Grace.) Oh, and I do remember this '30thAnniversary' deluxe production with Chicago area diva (and original star of the sequel, Annie Warbucks) Alene Robertson as Miss Hannigan plus a lot of bonus material. To add insult to injury, I also have a Blu-Ray of the recent Hollywood remake with Cameron Diaz. I don't even have a Blu-Ray player! This thing is definitely going into the trash along with all the audio, but I will listen to a few tracks online for my edification.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra returns to Carnegie Hall this March for two back-to-back programs in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. In an all-Richard Strauss program on Tuesday, March 19 at 8:00 p.m., music director and conductor Andris Nelsons and the BSO are joined by world-renowned soprano Renee Fleming for the closing scene in the composer's final opera, Capriccio, on a program also including the Sextet and Moonlight Music from that opera, as well as the tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra.

Walnut Street Theatre's 2018-19 Independence Studio on 3 season continues with an intimate portrait of Katharine Hepburn inKATE THE UNEXAMINED LIFE. Written by Rick Foster and directed by Peter Sander, the production begins previews on March 5, opens March 7, and continues through April 7.

Sad Planets will release their debut album Akron, Ohio on April 19th via Tee Pee Records. The band features John Petkovic (Cobra Verde, Sweet Apple, Guided by Voices, Death of Samantha) and Patrick Carney (The Black Keys), and the album features a guest appearance by J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.; also plays with Petkovic in Sweet Apple). 

In addition to performing masterworks from past centuries at major halls and with leading ensembles worldwide, pianist Kirill Gerstein has a deep interest in the music of our time, including that of composer Thomas Ad s, with whom he has formed a close artistic relationship and performs together twice next month at Carnegie Hall. On Wednesday, March 20 at 8:00 p.m., Mr. Gerstein gives the New York premiere of a new piano concerto composed for him by Mr. Ad s on commission from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which performs the work under the baton of the composer, who is the BSO's Artistic Partner. The concerto is the second work on the program, which opens with Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No. 1 (orchestral version) and closes with Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4.

Crafting a musical theater hit is a lot like alchemy - the ancient study focused primarily on creating gold from baser elements - and oftentimes no matter the ingredients, directors never quite achieve the outcome for which they strive. But in the case of director/choreographer Everett Tarlton's production of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate (now onstage at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre through March 7), he has crafted something so special that it essentially defines the theatrical gold standard.

Walnut Street Theatre's 2018-19 Independence Studio on 3 season continues with an intimate portrait of Katharine Hepburn in KATE THE UNEXAMINED LIFE. Written by Rick Foster and directed by Peter Sander, the production begins previews on March 5, opens March 7, and continues through April 7.

Based on the songs of ABBA, Mamma Mia! is set on a Greek Island where a young woman named Sophie Sheridan is about to get married, and she wants her birth father to give her away. Yet, she has no idea who it is, so she invites three men who were romantically involved with her mother 20 years ago to the wedding. When they arrive to the island, Sophie's mother, Donna Sheridan, is brought back memories of love and heartbreak.

The McCallum Theatre and Jim "FITZ" Fitzgerald co-present Keiko Matsui on Saturday, February 23, at 8:00pm as part of the Fitz's Jazz Cafe at the McCallum series. A producer, contemporary jazz pianist and composer, Keiko Matsui's career spans three decades, over twenty CDs, and numerous continents receiving international acclaim. Her music transcends geographic, generational, and musical boundaries and her unique melting pot of musical influences have garnered her a devout international following. 'Music has no borders and it creates a oneness among people,' confides Matsui. 'There have been many occasions when I have felt like music saved me. There is a connection between my fans and I, and together in my music we are sharing harmony.'

With rehearsals underway for As You Like It, this is a formative time for Lucy in what is her first encounter with not only the play, but also the character. Talking ensemble and expectations, Lucy also shares her initial impressions of Rosalind, namely (and in her own words): 'How has she not been in my life before now?!'

Dance maker Paul Taylor first presented his choreography with five other dancers in Manhattan on May 30, 1954. That modest performance marked the beginning of 64 years of unrivaled creativity, and in the decades that followed, Mr. Taylor became a cultural icon and one of American history's most celebrated artists, hailed as part of the pantheon that created American modern dance. The Paul Taylor Dance Company will make its ninth appearance at the Eisemann Center, 2351 Performance Drive, Richardson, Texas on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $39 and are available at www.eisemanncenter.com.

Kicking off the 2019 theatre calendar in Hong Kong is the feel-good classic that is Mamma Mia! Seen by over 60 million people around the world, the musical premiered in London's West End back in 1999, and is now celebrating its 20th anniversary! With no sign of it slowing down, 2018 saw the launch of its International Tour, and after months on the road, it has finally arrived in Hong Kong, opening on January 16th!

Although it comes across as 'The Breakfast Club' meets 'Natural Born Killers,' it's powerful as hell.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts welcomes back Grammy® Award-winning vocalistSteve Tyrell for three performances February 7-9, 2019 at 7:30pm. Tyrell returns with a show that celebrates the Great American Songbook, sung with his signature contemporary flair, and honors some of the songwriting greats, including Burt Bacharach & Hal David, Sammy Cahn, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, among others.

In this dark comedy, Reza de Wet weaves together a collection of Chekhov's iconic characters into a single musing on the end of a world. On February 1, EgoPo Classic Theater presents this great South African playwright's take on Anton Chekhov's classic, twenty years later, during the fall the privileged society. Three Sisters Two previews January 30-31 and opens Friday, February 1. The show runs three weeks, closing Feb. 17.

On July 16, 1999, the world stood still when John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette were killed in a plane crash. Now almost 20 years after that tragic day, ABC News presents a two-hour prime-time special about John, featuring his closest friends and rare, candid video footage of John and Carolyn. 'The Last Days of JFK Jr.' airs Thursday, Jan. 3 (9:00 - 11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC.

Two-time Grammy-nominated and millions-selling progressive music titans Dream Theater recently announced the forthcoming worldwide release of their 14th studio album, Distance Over Time on February 22, 2019. Distance Over Time showcases a newfound creativity for Dream Theater while maintaining the elements that have garnered them devoted fans around the globe. The album also marks the first for the band's new label InsideOutMusic / Sony Music. The artwork was created by long-time cover collaborator Hugh Syme (Rush, Iron Maiden, Stone Sour). Distance Over Time was produced by John Petrucci, mixed by Ben Grosse and mastered by Tom Baker.

I caught up with rising star bass-baritone Christian Van Horn the other day, to find out what the devil was going on with his starring role in the Met's first performance of Arrigo Boito's MEFISTOFELE in almost 20 years. Were you nervous as hell (pun intended) on the first night, I asked Van Horn, winner of this year's prestigious Richard Tucker Award, in your role as the Devil?

DANCE NOW is pleased to present an encore performance of Megan Williams's ONE WOMAN SHOW, a post-postmodern dance-theater follies for the small stage, on Sunday, January 6, 2019, at 5pm, at Joe's Pub.

The Met is offering Robert Carsen's 1999 production of Arrigo Boito's MEFISTOFELE to show us what bass-baritone Christian Van Horn--winner of this year's Richard Tucker Award--could do in his first starring role at the house and the answer was: plenty.