West End Does: Country - - West End Articles Page 19

Geffen Playhouse’s next live production in their Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater, Lindsay Joelle’s TRAYF opens March 10th (with previews already in progress). Maggie Burrows directs the cast of Ilan Eskenazi, Ben Hirschhorn, Louisa Jacobson and Garrett Young. For those unfamiliar with the term “trayf,” Oxford Language dictionary defines trayf as “adjective: (of food) not satisfying the requirements of Jewish law.” I had the opportunity to throw out a few questions to Lindsay amidst her final rehearsals.

Ahead of his Australian season, we had a chat with Robert Fairchild - a former principal dancer with the New York Ballet who made his debut as Jerry in An American in Paris on Broadway and then reprised it for London's West End.

MICHAEL CERVERIS and KIMBERLY KAYE bring a stripped down version of their band LOOSE CATTLE to Evanston SPACE in an intimate afternoon of songs from their recent album Heavy Lifting (and perhaps a rock showtune or two). 

A deeply perceptive look at a political campaign (and a political marriage) in crisis. 'Hillary and Clinton' opens at the West End Players Guild.

Emmy Award winning screen writer and director Todd Robinson is known for his work on White Squall, Lonely Hearts, The Last Full Measure and more. But a little known fact about Robinson is that he was the college roommate and best friend of Jonathan Larson.

Mimma, a new musical telling the stories of Italians living in London during World War Two, will debut in a one-night-only concert performance at Cadogan Hall later this month. We talk to Celinde Schoenmaker, the Dutch star best known for her West End roles in Les Miserables and The Phantom Of The Opera, about her eponymous role in Mimma and the musical’s universal themes.

While we’ve thought we were looking at this turning point before, that doesn’t change the fact that the work to bring further equity to the industry remains ongoing, and as companies continue to chart their paths forward, many are working to build that equity into their recovery.

In New York, some governmental support may be renewed for the performing arts sector in the form of the New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit. Meanwhile last week, members of the creative economy were in front of the House Small Business Committee to lobby for more support from a national level.

How do families stay together, even when they are kept apart? The Fountain Theatre presents a gripping new docudrama, a compilation of true stories that explores the rippling impact of mass deportations on families. The world premiere of Detained, written by 2021 Lorraine Hansberry Award-winning playwright France-Luce Benson and directed by Mark Valdez, winner of the 2021 Zelda Fichandler Award, opens February 19 at the Fountain Theatre.

'I've always wanted to be an actress,' Racks Nieto tells me. She's 6 hours ahead of me. She's in London and I'm in Costa Rica. But not even the Atlantic Ocean can get between our friendship. She remembers a documentary she watched recently, because a dancer is asked the same question. 'She thought it was a weird question because it was like asking her why she breathes. She just does it. And I know what she means. I feel the same way about acting. It's always been a part of me. I just do it.'

The National Tour of Ain't Too Proud officially kicked off at the Kennedy Center, after cancelling 15 performances due to COVID-19. Performances began on December 28 and continued through January 16.

We got a chance to chat with Melissa Jacques (who plays Jamie's mother Margaret) on her history with JAMIE, her first time working in Los Angeles and the decline of theatre etiquette.

News of more closings - and planned reopenings - highlighted the Broadway news last week, and Broadway and many regions also announced an extension of mask mandates and vaccination requirements for audiences into the spring, serving as a reminder that the path to that final “new normal” will likely have a few more twists and turns before we arrive.

As the industry works to both emerge from the pandemic and deal with the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, responses are starting to differ based on region. Some Broadway producers are prioritizing their ongoing tours, others are pulling people from the tour to keep running on Broadway. In Chicago, no food and drink are allowed in the theatre.

You owe it to yourself to see the most divisive musical of the year... or maybe of the decade.

These are the things that helped get us through a tough year.

On Sunday, the West End Calling Grand Finals took over the Charing Cross Theatre for the day, where 28 young performers from all over the country came together to perform in the two shows - the Junior Final and the Senior Final.

Anna-Jane Casey is known for her roles in shows such as Chicago, Forbidden Broadway, and Annie Get Your Gun. She is currently playing Fräulein Kost in the recent revival of Cabaret at the Playhouse Theatre. We spoke with Casey about being in the show.

The most important figure in musical theatre history is gone; let's celebrate his life by listening to his incredible works. Reviewer Peter Nason gets you started by listing his choices for the 91 greatest Sondheim songs.

A popular fixture of the New York cabaret scene, Jim Caruso brings his JIM CARUSO’S CAST PARTY across the nation to Feinstein’s At Vitellos November 28th and 29th. An evening of “extreme open mic” provides a platform for new performers as well as surprise established guests. Jim took a few moments after completing his CAST PARTY in Nashville to give us some behind-the-scenes of his once-was “weird, show-biz adjacent gig,” now his most enjoyable passion CAST PARTY.

Soho Theatre has announced their upcoming November programming featuring MUM, SESSIONS, MAKROOH and more. 

Paradise Square began its pre-Broadway engagement on November 2, at Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre (24 West Randolph Street). The production plays five weeks only through December 5, 2021.

The North American tour of Rogers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! began performances at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN on November 9, 2021 and will continue to play over 25 cities during the 2021-2022 season including stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Chicago and Nashville, and more. Read the reviews!

Company has officially returned to Broadway as of November 15. Meet the current cast and learn more about who is bringing this production to the stage!

The National Tour of the 2019 Drama Desk Award winner for Outstanding Musical THE PROM began performances on November 2 at Playhouse Square in Cleveland. The tour stars Kaden Kearney (they/them) as 'Emma, High School Student, Banned from The Prom,' Kalyn West as 'Alyssa Greene, Head of Student Council with a Secret,' and more.