The Six-Fifty - 1921 - Broadway Articles Page 12

Smart, provocative and entertaining, The Town Hall's 2017 presenting season is an expansive, ambitious offering of literature, journalism, humor, music and film - all taking place in one of New York's most storied performance spaces.

The Geffen Playhouse today announced the full cast for its production of Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Long Day's Journey Into Night, directed by Jeanie Hackett.

Happy New Year, BroadwayWorld! As we eagerly anticipate the amazing musicals and plays coming up in 2017, we're taking a moment to look back at the significant Broadway closings of 2016.

Feinstein's at the Nikko is proud to present beloved Broadway couple Audra McDonald and Will Swenson in a rare joint performance on Friday, January 27 at 8 p.m. at The Lesher Center for the Arts(1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek). For this spectacular one-night-only concert, the husband-and-wife duo will perform an unforgettable evening of songs and duets, ranging from classic show tunes to contemporary works by emerging musical theater composers.  Tickets range in price from $75-$105 and are available by calling The Lesher Center for the Arts Box Office at 925-943-7469 or visiting www.lesherartscenter.org.

Previews begin this Sunday, November 6, at 7:30pm at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place, for Theatre for a New Audience's production of The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni adapted by Constance Congdon from a translation by Christina Sibul and featuring Steven Epp. Directed by Christopher Bayes, The Servant of Two Masters opens Wednesday, November 16, and is scheduled to run through Sunday, December 4. BroadwayWorld has a fresh sneak peek at the company in rehearsal below!

JoAnn Falletta's newest CD, Mahler (arr. Schoenberg): Songs is now available (Naxos 8.573536). Falletta leads the Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Players, and exemplary soloists Baritone Roderick Williams, Tenor Charles Reid and Mezzo Soprano Susan Platts in this recording of Schoenberg's arrangements of Mahler's songs, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) (arr. A. Schoenberg for voice and ensemble) and Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) (arr. A. Schoenberg for voice and ensemble).

Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald turned to Twitter today to announce that she and husband, Tony nominee Will Swenson have welcomed Sally James McDonald-Swenson, born last night at 11:16pm.

Caffe Cino, which was founded in 1958, is noted as the site that gave birth to off-off Broadway theatre. It was the invention of retired dancer Joe Cino, who offered a place to do inexpensive creative works in New York City and not have to conform to Equity rules. Cino bankrolled the adventure. The shows were staged on a make-shift small platform.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the Cincinnati Pops announced highly-anticipated international tours to Asia in March of 2017 with six performances in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Taiwan, as well as the CSO undertaking an extensive, eleven-concert tour across Europe over three weeks in August and September. The Orchestra will be on tour for five total weeks in 2017, performing in 12 cities across seven different countries.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the Cincinnati Pops announced highly-anticipated international tours to Asia in March of 2017 with six performances in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Taiwan, as well as the CSO undertaking an extensive, eleven-concert tour across Europe over three weeks in August and September.

White Castle, America's first fast food hamburger chain, is partnering with Twentieth  Century Fox Home Entertainment to host an X-Men themed sweepstakes, timed to Digital HD release of X-Men: Apocalypse on September 9, 2016. One lucky winner will receive a three-night trip for two to New York City and the opportunity to meet with a team of Hollywood special effects artists to transform into his or her favorite X-Men character, including a photo shoot to capture the memorable moment. 

22-year-old guitarist Thibaut Garcia makes his Erato debut with Leyendas (Legends), an atmospheric recital of music by Spanish and Argentinian composers: Albeniz, De Falla, Rodrigo, Tarrega (his famous, shimmeringRecuerdos de la Alhambra), Manjon and Piazzolla.

In the 60th anniversary year of A.A Milne's death and the 90th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh's publication, Close Quarter Productions, in association with Jermyn Street Theatre, today announces a new production of Milne's play THE DOVER ROAD. Nichola McAuliffe directs Stefan Berdnarczyk, Tom Durant-Pritchard, Katrina Gibson, Georgia Maguire, Gareth McLeod, Patrick Ryecart and James Sheldon in the production opening at Jermyn Street Theatre, on Tuesday 6 September running until Saturday 1 October.

Mark Cortale, Producing Artistic Director of The Art House in Provincetown, MA, has announced that Audra McDonald, the historic six-time Tony-winner and star of Broadway's "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill," "Porgy and Bess," "Ragtime," "Master Class" and TV's "Private Practice," will perform for Broadway @ Town Hall in Provincetown on August 21 for one show only at 8:00 pm, and will also perform for Broadway @ The Performing Arts Center on Martha's Vineyard on August 22 at 8:00 pm for one show only.

SHUFFLE ALONG will play its final Broadway performance today, July 24, 2016, the day six-time Tony-winning star Audra McDonald was already set to depart the production for a multi-month maternity leave. SHUFFLE ALONG began performances on March 15, 2016 and officially opened on April 28 at the Music Box Theatre. It will have played 38 previews and 100 regular performances by the time it ends. Below, BroadwayWorld takes you back through the show's Broadway journey!

Lin-Manuel Miranda tweets high praise for the show and for Audra McDonald's understudy Darlesia Cearcy.

Tony Award winner Billy Porter will return to the Huntington to direct next seasons Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks. Mr. Porter directed the Huntington's 2015 production of George C. Wolfe's The Colored Museum and is currently performing on Broadway in Wolfe's production of Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed. Topdog/Underdog will perform March 10 - April 9, 2017 at the BU Theatre/Avenue of the Arts.

The pregnant Broadway stars says she will definitely be showing the animated program to her little one.

The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) presents ULTIMATE MAN! a new colorful adventure with comic overtones with a book by Jane Edith Wilson & Charles Abbott, music By Alastair William King, and lyrics by Paul Gambaccini, Alastair William King & Jane Edith Wilson. Charles Abbott directs a cast of six including Gayle Samuels, Douglas Ladnier, Alan Gillespie, Michael Glavan, Joyah Love Spangler and Sidney Fischer. ULTIMATE MAN! is an official selection of the 2016 New York Musical Festival and is being staged at The Pearl Theatre, 555 West 42nd Street (bet. 10th and 11th Aves.) in NYC for five performances from July 19-26, 2016.

The legendary dancer/director/choreographer and the great Broadway clown greet the Tony-winning star backstage.

The New York Times is reporting that Shuffle Along will close on July 24th, currently the date of Audra McDonald's departure citing a low advance for after she leaves the show. 

Earlier today, Actors' Equity Association presented Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed with the tenth annual ACCA Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus. Presented by Equity's Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs (ACCA) the ACCA Award is the only industry accolade of its kind to honor the distinctive talents and contributions made by the original chorus members of a Broadway musical.

Actors' Equity Association (Equity) today announced that Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed will receive the tenth annual ACCA Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus.  Presented by Equity's Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs (ACCA) the ACCA Award is the only industry accolade of its kind to honor the distinctive talents and contributions made by the original chorus members of a Broadway musical. 

2016 is one of Broadway's most diverse seasons, so much so it spawned a Twitter trending hashtag #TonysSoDiverse following the nominations for this past weekend's awards ceremony. 12 Black and non-Black actors of color were nominated for a Tony Award. For the first time in the Tonys' history, all four musical acting categories were won by Black actors, and if you walk down 45th Street, as soprano Paula Dione Ingram has, the block is lit up by 'Black Broadway.' It's a laudable moment in a theatre history that has not always been so and still continues to have a long way to go, the subject of Ingram's Dark Legacy: Bright Lights of Black Broadway, her debut show at Feinstein's/54 Below on June 4.

The cast of SHUFFLE ALONG performed a rousing number from the Tony nominated musical. Watch the clip below!