The Thin - 2019 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 15

BWW Review: Jen Silverman's WINK at Marin Theatre Company explores the thin line between savagery and civilization.

Though the actual libretto is long past its expiration date, there's no denying that this nostalgic throwback is a great musical revue if nothing else.

Go see THIS IS OUR YOUTH. Don't miss some great theatre by one of our newest companies!

Wild Swan Theater Co-Artistic Directors Hilary Cohen and Sandy Ryder announce the company's 40th season of performances. Nationally regarded as one of the finest theaters for young people in the country, Wild Swan produces artistic, accessible and affordable theater for families.  The upcoming season will feature some of our favorites, including the classics Strega Nona and the Magic Pasta Pot, A Christmas Carol, Frog and Toad, and Treasure Island, as well as the world premiere of the original drama Coding to the Moon:  Margaret Hamilton and the Apollo Missions.

Starlight Theatre's opening offering for the 2019 summer season 'Rock Of Ages' was the single most disagreeable theatrical experience in more than fifty years spent attending live theater.  The performance of this rude, crude tribute to 1980s rock bands was probably OK, but it was impossible to hear.  Seated directly behind us was a group of ten who competed with the performers with full voice sing-a-longs, continuous hoots-hollars, yelled commentary, hand clapping, and finger snapping.  

To close out its 55th season, Orange County's Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory is mounting David Henry Hwang's intriguing and mysterious play M. BUTTERFLY, using the playwright's much more layered and riveting 2017 Broadway revival as its source material. Marked assuredly by powerful, gripping performances, this admirable OC staging---directed with clarifying precision by Desdemona Chiang that continues through June 8 in Costa Mesa---keeps you at the edge of your seat, as it unpacks a story filled with wobbly uncertainties and vague declarations. A beautifully complex production that echoes sentiments of gender conformity/fluidity crossed with geopolitical issues that still resonate in today's ever-changing world, M. BUTTERFLY---particularly with this strong new update instituted by the original playwright himself---is definitely worth seeing.

Like a lot of good music, Riot Fest began in a basement, when a rabid fan wanted to connect his favorite bands with like-minded music lovers in Chicago. Fifteen years and 1,500+ bands later, Riot Fest returns to Douglas Park with a stacked array of bands to score the festivities—featuring many friends of Riot Fest returning to pay tribute to the festival and its loyal fans, alongside iconic and emerging artists who reflect the broad musical tastes the festival is known for.

After selling out all four nights of performances at three independent venues last year, Philly Music Fest—the city's only music festival to feature exclusively local bands—will return for its third year September 25-28, 2019, featuring headliners Man Man, Vacationer, Speedy Ortiz, and Ceramic Animal.

Actor Will Holbrook made a big splash as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet when he first arrived in Los Angeles in 2016 at the Archway Theatre Co. The grandson of Hal Holbrook, Will is ambitious with two plays scheduled to perform this summer and the presentation of his new production company dedicated to film. In our conversation, Will talks with candor and enthusiasm about his plans for this summer and beyond.

Only at Outside Lands do festival-goers plan their meals as excitedly as they plan their shows, and what else would one expect at the festival that changed the landscape forever? Here, 200+ menu items from 80 restaurants combine with 46 wineries, 31 breweries, and 6 cocktail bars to underscore why Northern California's culinary culture is among the best in the country. Outside Lands has seven distinct food and drink experiences -- A Taste of the Bay Area, Wine Lands, Beer Lands, Cheese Lands, Outside Clams, GastroMagic, and Cocktail Magic -- allowing festival-goers to immerse themselves in a food and drink wonderland, all while discovering the culinary creatives who make the Bay Area so special. Outside Lands will take place in San Francisco's historic Golden Gate Park August 9-11, 2019. 3-Day and Single Day tickets are on sale now via www.sfoutsidelands.com. 

Felix Nobis' BOY OUT OF THE COUNTRY expresses of the degradation of the community and culture of Australia's regional towns in the name of progress and capitalism. 

Sundance Institute announces six projects selected for the 2019 Sundance Institute New Frontier Story Lab, which supports independent artists working at the cutting-edge convergence of film, art, media, live performance and technology.  The New Frontier Story Lab is a week-long immersive experience that empowers creatives with individual story sessions, conversations about key artistic, design and technology issues and case study presentations from experts in multiple disciplines. Past participants include Roger Ross Williams, Josephine Decker, Silas Howard, Tracy Fullerton, Yung Jake, Chris Milk, Hasan Minhaj, Tommy Pallotta, Amelia Winger-Bearskin, Hank Willis Thomas, Jillian Mayer, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Navid and Vassiliki Khonsari, A Dandy Punk, and Nicolas Peufaillit. The Lab takes place May 16-21 at the Sundance Resort in Utah, under the leadership of Sundance Institute Feature Film Program Founding Director Michelle Satter and Ruthie Doyle, Interim Director of New Frontier Lab Programs.

'Million Dollar Quartet', that Rock and Roll spectacular, has long held a special place in the hearts of Village Theatre patrons owing to it being one of those shows that made a name on Broadway after having its beginnings in the Village Originals workshops. Well, those prodigal sons (and daughter) have returned to Village's stage and this new cast, while still paying homage to the iconic characters, are definitely putting their own spin on the roles. And it amounts to a rockin' good time!

This week, New York City Center presents the final Encores! production of the City Center 75th Anniversary Season, High Button Shoes. The production features Aidan Alberto (Stevie), Jennifer Allen (Shirley Simpkins), Kevin Chamberlin (Mr. Pontdue), Carla Duren (Fran), Chester Gregory (Papa Longstreet), Mylinda Hull (Nancy), Marc Koeck (Oggle), Matt Loehr (Uncle Willy), Wayne Pretlow (Elmer Simpkins), Michael Urie (Harrison Floy), and Betsy Wolfe (Sara Longstreet).

It's a fun-house mirror of Americana arcana, reminding us that the reason blood is thicker than water is because it's larded with toxic sentiment

The actual outcomes from self-care retreats comes into focus as six strangers struggle to connect when they aren't allowed to use their voices in Bess Wohl's SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS. 

Award-winning artists' collective Rogue Artists Ensemble is thrilled to announce the Inaugural Rogue Lab Readings Series, a four-day event that includes readings of seven new works written, directed, and designed by emerging LA artists, as well as post-show discussions and receptions. The reading series will feature new plays by 2018-2019 Rogue Lab playwrights Lisa Sanaye Dring, Eric Fagundes, John Guerra, Mildred Inez Lewis, Chelsea Sutton, and Jennie Webb, and a special new play presentation by writing team Taylor Coffman and Z. Lupetin.

On Saturday, April 27, I had the pleasure of seeing SNOW WHITE at the Downtown Cabaret Children's Theatre in Bridgeport, CT.  This is an excellent season finale to what has been another wonderful season at the Downtown Cabaret Children's Theatre.  Under the direction of Frank Root and choreography of Cassie Carroll, the stellar cast has once again brought life to Phill Hill's brilliant writing that keeps the children enthralled while simultaneously providing entertainment for the adults. 

International visual artist, Margrit Newman, is pleased to announce her solo art exhibition, which will include 50 select pieces of her work that Newman created over the past 50 years. The exhibition will open on Thursday, May 9, 2019, and continue through Saturday, May 18, 2019, at One Art Space at 23 Warren Street, New York, NY. Born in Switzerland, Newman has spent her life traveling the world and residing at various periods of her life in Switzerland, France, New York City and Argentina. Her worldly experiences over the last five decades have served as inspiration for her new eclectic collection, whose themes include: miniature boxes, musical composition paintings, voodoo, and plant boxes and acrylic paintings with photos incorporated.

Beehive: The 60s Musical, takes audiences on a musical journey from hip to groovy to raw, from innocence to loss of innocence, and how the evolution of the music of the decade impacted and propelled the female empowerment movement. You are guaranteed to leave singing some of your favorite 60s tunes for hours, maybe even days afterwards!

Theatre of NOTE continues its 2019 season with ROOTS: An Evening of World Premiere Shorts,by Lisa Sanaye Dring, Phinneas Kiyomura, Erik Patterson, and Bill Robens, directed by Lee Hannah Conrads.

he Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@ArshtCenter) is proud to announce additional shows for its anticipated 2019 SUMMER LIVE! AT ARSHT series.

Classic Stage Company announces two exciting and illuminating events in conjunction with Tony Award-winner John Doyle's production of Marc Blitzstein's 1937 play in music The Cradle Will Rock.

Theatre of NOTE continues its 2019 season with ROOTS: An Evening of World Premiere Shorts,by Lisa Sanaye Dring, Phinneas Kiyomura, Erik Patterson, and Bill Robens, directed by Lee Hannah Conrads. ROOTS: An Evening of World Premiere Shorts is an evening of four wonderfully strange world premiere short plays, written by four accomplished Theatre of NOTE-grown playwrights, which together usher audiences through the complexity of the human condition.