The Year of Magical Thinking - 2008 - West End Articles Page 2

Four decades later and in the middle of a show business shut down, Brandy's Piano Bar is still offering live entertainment ... and some great hot toddies.

Talking to Khori Dastoor, General Director of Opera San José brings to mind that old quote from Elizabeth Taylor when she was faced with unimaginable adversity, “Now is the time for guts and guile.” Just one year into her tenure as GD, Dastoor is faced with an almost impossible situation due to the Covid pandemic. Out of all the arts, opera, the artform which she has made her life’s work, arguably has the biggest challenges. After all, the act of singing operatically produces enormous amounts of aerosols, the core audience is older and thus especially at risk for Covid, and the population at large may not consider opera to be essential to their lives. Since creating new works is practically impossible, many GD’s are offering a sort of greatest hits of former glories, video snippets from past years that were already in the can. Or maybe something like a “reading” of an old holiday chestnut like Der Rosenkavalier, presented Brady-Bunch style on Zoom. So what does Dastoor do instead? She goes bravely programs a brand-new, beautifully-produced production of Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers, starring no less than world-renowned opera star Susan Graham, alongside two of Opera San José’s super-talented Resident Artists, soprano Maya Kherani and baritone Efraín Solis. This immensely moving chamber work is based on an unpublished play by Terrance  McNally, adapted by librettist Gene Scheer, and tells the story of a family struggling to connect during the early years of the AIDS pandemic. The work premiered in 2008, yet somehow feels more relevant than ever, given the parallels with what we’re all going through today, as evidenced by McNally’s death from Covid earlier this year. The opera is currently available for streaming through the end of December. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit operasj.org. BroadwayWorld spoke with Dastoor shortly after the filming of Three Decembers had been completed. Dastoor was remarkably open and forthcoming about the challenges of the opera world right now, even as her passion for growing the artform burns stronger than ever. We talked about how she managed to produce Three Decembers during Covid, her successful earlier career as a lyric soprano, and the imperative to keep the arts alive during these difficult times. Her responses to my questions were invariably thoughtful, often surprising and not without humor. And, as a rare woman of color leading an opera company, her understanding of the need to open up her artform runs deep. Above all, though, she is just plain fun to talk to - effortlessly engaging, whip-smart, emotionally transparent, and without an ounce of pretension.

Tis the season for holiday tunes! From festive favorites to brand-new bops, Broadway isn't disappointing this year, with a huge variety of new holiday albums from your favorite artists to put under the tree.

Irish Fiction Laureate and award-winning writer, Sebastian Barry's critically acclaimed play On Blueberry Hill  to audiences around the world as it debuts on Audible on 19th November.

Shortly after remixing Nicky Romero's 'Stay,' Dash Berlin makes a triumphant return to Protocol Recordings with his very first single on the label 'Keep Me Close.' The veteran producer teamed up with fellow Dutchman and Protocol's very own artist Timmo Hendriks for their first euphoric progressive collaboration.

Cate Blanchett has jokingly suggested some interesting methods of safety to move forward with theatrical productions amidst the health crisis.

Today (May 26) in live streaming: Star Trek Voyager reunites, a new episode of It's the Day of the Show Y'all, and so much more!

Today (May 18) in live streaming: Laura Benanti hosts Stars in the House, Broadway comes together for Covenant House, and so much more!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best TV episodes from the 1950's to 2020; see if your favorites made the list!

The 2020 Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival has announced the award winners for its eighth annual event which featured a lineup of screenings, premieres, panels, virtual reality demonstrations, and the launch of a new screenplay competition held in honor of acclaimed novelist Philip K. Dick. The festival was held from March 4-8, 2020 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, NY and recognized nine films and three screenplays for their outstanding filmmaking and storytelling.

Last week the book 'Me' was released by the legend Elton John and it got me thinking about Elton's contribution to musical theatre. His music and his generous personality have touched millions. His musical fantasy movie Rocketman, that came out earlier this year, based on his life is one of the greatest, in my opinion, films ever made. He has such a passion and love for everything he does and what he has given the magical world of musical theatre is just as extraordinary.

General public tickets are now on sale for a one-day-only Master Class exploring the craft of acting taught by Kathleen Turner, a living legend of the stage and screen.

The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival is pleased to announce that Kathleen Turner, a living legend of the stage and screen, will be the guest of honor at this year's Performance Gala, the festival's annual fundraising dinner.

BroadwayWorld has teamed up with Broadway alum Ilana Levine, who makes her entrance onto the podcast stage with her new show Little Known Facts. Ilana's unique brand of celebrity interview, 'Podcast Verite,' is unfiltered, raw, honest and uniquely funny.

The Old Globe regards William Shakespeare as our premiere resident playwright, whose universal themes continue to resonate more than 400 years after his plays were written. For many San Diegans, their ability to understand and appreciate the wonders of the Bard during our Summer Shakespeare Festival has increased exponentially since they joined us for Thinking Shakespeare Live! Part of The Old Globe's ongoing commitment to serve the public good by hosting programs that make theatre matter to more people, Thinking Shakespeare Live! is consistently one of our most popular offerings, a 90-minute exploration of the language of Shakespeare led by the Globe's Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and assisted by three professional classical actors. 

The Metropolitan Opera presents Donizetti's comedy La Fille du Régiment, with performances February 7 to March 2, 2019. Pretty Yende stars as Marie, the young canteen girl of the local regiment. Javier Camarena is the boy with whom she falls in love, Tonio, whose show-stopping aria “Ah! mes amis” is famous for its remarkable nine high Cs. Stephanie Blythe is the outlandish Marquise of Berkenfield, and Alessandro Corbelli and Maurizio Muraro share the role of the comical sergeant Sulpice.

The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival's spring series is turning five. BCMF Spring 2019, three 5:00 pm concerts - Saturdays in March and May, a Sunday in April - is marking this first milestone on the heels of the 35th anniversary this past summer of BCMF, the longest-running classical music festival on Long Island.

From December 20 to 23, La MaMa Experimental Theater in association the GOH Productions will present the fourth annual production of East Village Dance Project's The Shell-Shocked Nut, an alternative Nutcracker set in the East Village, featuring an intergenerational cast of dancers and musicians.  The piece is recommended for family audiences.

Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie are pleased to announce Lavern Chatman, vice president of business development at EDJ Associates and Arena Board of Trustees member as the chairwoman, and Annie Simonian Totah, Armenian Assembly of America's Board of Trustees member and recipient of their 2018 Distinguished Humanitarian Award, as the honorary chairwoman of the 2019 Arena Stage Annual Gala

From December 20 to 23, La MaMa Experimental Theater in association the GOH Productions will present the fourth annual production of East Village Dance Project's The Shell-Shocked Nut, an alternative Nutcracker set in the East Village, featuring an intergenerational cast of dancers and musicians.  The piece is recommended for family audiences.

The 2008 song by the Killers 'Are we human or are we dancer' rings true for professional dancers as it transcends just being a career. To make it as a professional dancer you have to dedicate years of your life and lots of money to achieve the peak level of fitness required to be a 'professional'. Not to mention the networking, auditioning, knockbacks and receiving more noes than 'yeses'.

Arena Stage announces the presentation of the fourth annual Beth Newburger Schwartz Award to National Public Radio's Nina Totenberg, with actor and performer Kathleen Turner headlining the 2019 Arena Stage Annual Gala. The Gala will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at the Mead Center for American Theater

TSG Theatricals announces the developmental reading of "Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins" by Allison and Margaret Engel at the Tony Kiser Theater on Monday, November 5 at 7pm.

Kathleen Turner will join the cast of Donizetti's comedy La Fille du Régiment at the Metropolitan Opera February 7–March 2, in the non-singing role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. She will perform alongside Pretty Yende in the role of Marie, and Javier Camarena as Tonio. Stephanie Blythe will play the Marquise of Berkenfield, with Alessandro Corbelli and Maurizio Muraro sharing the role of Sergeant Sulpice. Laurent Pelly's staging will be conducted by Enrique Mazzola.

When NBC Sports presents the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Atlanta Falcons in the “NFL Kickoff” game next Thursday, Sept. 6 (coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC), it will mark the 10th season together in the broadcast booth for the NBC Sunday Night Football announce team of Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth.