What Goes Up…! - 1963 - West End Articles Page 4

Go inside the creation and 63-year evolution of the musical theatre masterpiece, West Side Story.

In their continued and laudable feat of presenting diverse voices in theater, Orange County's South Coast Repertory is currently staging another stirring new drama, this time from playwright Donja R. Love entitled FIREFLIES, which continues performances through January 26, 2020 in Costa Mesa under the admirable direction of Lou Bellamy. At times heartbreaking and devastating, but ultimately empowering and (slightly) hopeful for future generations, FIREFLIES is a must-watch drama with searing emotions and real-world importance, highlighted by powerful performances from its two talented leads.

Everyone loves a good Romantic Comedy, and when people find a good one, they latch onto it. Such a RomCom was the 1937 play a?oeParfumeriea?? by Miklos Laszlo. Now, if you're not familiar with that one maybe you're more familiar with some of the films that were based on it. There was the 1940 James Stewart-Margaret Sullavan film a?oeThe Shop Around the Cornera??, or how about the 1949 Judy Garland-Van Johnson musical version a?oeIn the Good Old Summertimea??. No? Well I'm sure you remember the 1998 Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan feature a?oeYou've Got Maila??. And beyond those, the play also spawned one of the most underrated and underappreciated shows in American Musical Theatre, a?oeShe Loves Mea?? by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick with a book by Joe Masteroff, currently playing at Village Theatre. a?oeShe Loves Mea?? has been revived on Broadway since it's 1963 beginnings twice, plus a concert version in 1977, but still there are too many people who don't know the glory of this show. Well, Dear Readers, let's try and change that.

Executive and Artistic Director Keith Gerth and Associate Artistic Director Stephen Smith of the Oil Lamp Theater in Glenview announce their next production, Neil Simon's dramatic comedy Jake's Women. This production is directed by Josh Johnson and will be performed from January 16th through March 1st 2020 at 1723 Glenview Road in Glenview.

It's a?oelights, camera, action!a?? for South Florida film fans with today's announcement of the schedule and lineup for the 30th Annual Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival. The Film Festival is hosted by the Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches and will be held from January 26 to February 16, 2020 in theaters in Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter and Boynton Beach. This year's films span diverse themes from sports, politics and history to music, romance and religion. Evoking the past, present and future of Jewish life in the United States, Israel and far-flung corners of the world, the 32 festival selections offer compelling dramas, light comedies and edge-of-your-seat thrillers.

Dogfight, currently playing at The Eagle Theatre in Hammonton, NJ is a contemporary musical with book by Peter Duncan, and music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Dogfight is based on Nancy Savoca's 1991 film starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor.

Lorna Luft... and The Beatles? That's right. Lorna Luft, famous for her Broadway belt and her concerts that pay tribute to The American Songbook and the musical legacy of a legendary Lady with whom she shares a special bond has a brand-new show, and it's an extremely personal one because it's all hers.

When it comes to Tony Award snubbing, there are several artistic high crimes and misdemeanors. For instance, Fiorello! winning Best Musical over Gypsy, or the good Music Man besting the better West Side Story. Or how about this awful upset: Two Gentlemen of Verona (the since-forgotten musical) beating both Grease and Follies for the top honor. Perhaps worst of all is this: Even though A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM was Stephen Sondheim's first and most successful Broadway show as a composer and lyricist, and even though it would win six of its eight nominated Tony Awards in 1962-1963 (including Best Musical), Mr. Sondheim himself was not even nominated for his lyrics and score. A show that features some of the most beloved comic songs from the early 1960's--'Comedy Tonight,' 'Lovely,' and 'Everybody Ought to Have a Maid'--wasn't even nominated for these iconic numbers. (For the record, Oliver! won that year for Best Score.) Broadway's greatest composer would have to wait almost a decade to receive his first Tony Award.

Tickets for State Theatre New Jersey's 2019-20 Broadway Season, featuring Tony Award-winning hits, beloved classics, and some returning favorites, goes on sale Friday, July 19 at 10am.

The Palace Theater is observing its 15th performance season this year since re-opening in 2004 and the programming reflects this milestone worthy of celebration.

Gloucester Stage Company opens its 40th Anniversary Season with a nostalgic romp in the park, specifically Neil Simon's 1963 hit play, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK. Pairing McCaela Donovan and Joe Short (who are married in real life) as the young newlyweds moving from their blissful six-day honeymoon into a Manhattan sixth-floor walk up is a stroke of luck for Director Shana Gozansky. Making her GSC debut, she didn't have to worry about establishing trust and comfort in the romantic aspects of the characters' relationship. Not only do Donovan (Corie) and Short (Paul) fit together hand in glove, but Paula Plum and Richard Snee, another offstage married couple, complete the cast and contribute immeasurably to the hilarity.

I must applaud Everyman Theatre's Artistic Director Vince Lancisi for having the brilliant idea of ending its season with two plays by Caleen Sinnette Jennings in repertory: QUEENS GIRL IN THE WORLD and QUEENS GIRL IN AFRICA. What a genius!

JERSEY BOYS follows the true story of 1960s group The Four Seasons; Tommy DeVito (Corey Greenan), Bob Gaudio (Eric Chambliss), Nick Massie (Johnathan Cable), and Frankie Valli (Jonny Wexler). This jukebox musical, with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe, utilizes some of the bands biggest hits to tell the rise and fall of the iconic group of boys from New Jersey; including "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Sherry," "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)," and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You."

To celebrate the longstanding relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, BritWeek launched its annual event in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on Wed, 4-24-19 with the World Premiere of the new 60th anniversary documentary film 'THE CAVERN CLUB: The Beat Goes On' which shares the story of a Club whose fortunes have ebbed and flowed in tandem with that of the city of Liverpool itself. Not just the launch pad for The Beatles, The Cavern is landmark place that has embraced the ever-changing music scene, enduring the highs and lows, the dramas, the battles, the heartache, but above all… the music.

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!

Geva Theatre Center's Artistic Director Mark Cuddy and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli are proud to announce the 10 major productions and 2 festivals of the much anticipated 2019-2020 Season, the non-profit theatre's 47th year of making professional theatre of a national standard in Rochester.

Asolo Repertory Theatre will proudly present the world premiere of KNOXVILLE in spring 2020. This moving and innovative musical will feature lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty and will be adapted and directed by Frank Galati, reuniting the dynamic Tony Award-winning creative team behind Ragtime, one of the most beloved musicals of all time. KNOXVILLE is based on James Agee's Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiographical novel A Death in the Family and based, in part, on the play All The Way Home by Tad Mosel.  

Pippa Evans talks about the long-running Showstopper! (back in the West End) and about her life in theatre.

 Roy Clark, the legendary 'superpicker', GRAMMY, CMA and ACMaward winner, Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member and co-host of the famed 'Hee Haw' television series, died today at the age of 85 due to complications from pneumonia at home in Tulsa, Okla.

Bristol Old Vic today went on sale with its Winter/Spring 2019 programme, launching a new season of inspiring, cutting-edge and award-winning theatre, set to take Bristol by storm following its ground-breaking Year of Change.

The Barbican today launches Life Rewired, an arts and learning season running throughout 2019 exploring what it means to be human in the face of technological and scientific forces that are dizzying in their speed, scale and complexity.

Firebrand Theatre's second season opens with a poignantly fitting musical choice: composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tony Kushner's CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. In the musical from this renowned writing team, protagonist Caroline Thibodeaux, a black woman working as a maid for a white Jewish family in 1963 Lake Charles, Louisiana goes on a powerful journey of self-discovery. Firebrand, in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company, has made a production choice that fits the company's feminist mission like a glove.

SHE LOVES ME, the 1963 Broadway musical with book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, was based on Miklos Laszlo's 1937 play, Parfumerie, a warm, gentle comedy that follows the tangled dating life of perfume shop employee Georg Horvath whose dating life goes awry when he discovers that the stranger he has fallen in love with through a secret correspondence is none other than Amalia Balash, a co-worker with whom he constantly bickers. This universal tale about mistaken identity and romantic love went on to become the inspiration for the classic films The Shop Around the Corner, In the Good Ole Summertime, and Nora Ephron's 1998 box office hit You've Got Mail in which Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan took their secret romance online through emails.

What if God turned out to be a Puerto Rican steam bath attendant, assisted by a butler named Gottlieb? Renowned stand up comedian and actor Paul Rodriguez stars in a revival of Steambath, the 1970 off Broadway hit comedy by Bruce Jay Friedman that also became a PBS television special. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble artistic director Ron Sossi directs for an Oct. 20 opening at West L.A.'s Odyssey Theatre, where performances will continue through Dec. 16.