What Goes Up…! - 1963 - West End Articles Page 8

Stephanie Blythe--who's at the Met these days singing Baba the Turk in Stravinsky's THE RAKE'S PROGRESS--“abhors labels.” That's why, despite a cavernous voice that has become even deeper with age and could easily be termed mezzo or contralto, she tells me to call her “a girl singer.”

Any seasoned entertainment pro will tell you that the key to success on a stage is keeping your audience happy. It also helps to throw in a bevy of show-stopping songs, parodies, and raucous tongue-in-cheek laughter along the way. Those make up only a few of the ingredients offered in the ongoing Judy and Liza: Together Again show at Don't Tell Mama (now in its fourth year) starring Tommy Femia and Rick Skye.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre will conclude its 48th season with Richard Bean's internationally acclaimed One Man, Two Guvnors, a sassy update of Carlo Goldoni's classic knee-slapper, The Servant of Two Masters. Set in 1963 Brighton, England, One Man, Two Guvnors is a brilliantly delicious mash-up of splendid comedy, British pantomime, and music-hall revues. The uproarious plot features a disarming and doltish Francis Henshall who finds himself trapped by farce into working for two bosses - who are connected in wildly improbable ways. He just has to keep them from discovering each other. Inspired insanity, high-low antics, and nimble wordplay ensue - all backed by live musicians paying homage to rockabilly and a certain Fab Four. Directed by David Ivers - artistic director of the Utah Shakespeare Festival - and with songs by Grant Olding, One Man, Two Guvnors is a riotous blast complete with a colorful cast of characters in a topsy-turvy world of love triangles and mistaken identities. It previews on Friday May 8, 2015, opens on Friday, May 15, 2015, and plays through Sunday June 21, 2015. Press night for One Man, Two Guvnors will be held on Friday, May 15, 2015. Individual tickets start at $29 and can be purchased by phone at (510) 647-2949 or online at berkeleyrep.org.

Power. Lust. Friendship. Legacy. What matters in a human life? Gilgamesh, the larger-than-life King, travels to the end of the world to find out. Based on the epic from Mesopotamia, one of the oldest pieces of literature known to us today, GILGAMESH - A MUSICAL EPIC is a coming of age story depicting Man's breakthrough into Consciousness, told in the form of an original epic musical experience with a live band.

Broadway fans had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year, with dozens of shows having opened since January, hundreds of actors having made their debuts, and many more having returned to the stage for critically acclaimed performances. Not all news was good though, as we also suffered a loss of an incredible amount of talent. Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2014.

Buried under all the quips, banter, and snark is an interesting play, with a plot that could really be moving and funny if played right.

Feinstein's at the Nikko kicks off 2015 with a bang with an exciting lineup of artists, including Tony Award winner Billy Porter; actress, feminist and activist Kathy Najimy; world-renowned artist Vonda Shepard; Broadway star Constantine Maroulis; and the dynamic cabaret duo Amy and Freddy. Additional artists will be added at a later date. Tickets for all performances are on-sale now and available by calling ?866.663.1063 or visiting www.ticketweb.com.

It is all about how an author carefully and purposely beckons each word to each page until those words pull together into a magnificent creation having a life of its own. The book I am reviewing,All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, is one such masterful creation. Don't wait for the paperback, don't wait for the movie, buy the book, now. Buy it as a gift, buy it for yourself, insist that your book club adds it to the list of must reads. Read it when you have the time to savor each and every word that has been so carefully placed. This book puts to shame many of the other books I have read this year. The characters, the story line, the settings, the time periods, the premise and purpose that stand behind the book are knitted together flawlessly, satisfying the reader completely. Every sentence is fraught with beautiful imagery.

La Jolla Playhouse announces five shows for its 2015/2016 season, featuring all new works, including the world-premiere musical Come from Away, featuring book, music and lyrics by acclaimed Canadian husband-and-wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein, directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley; the world premiere of Indecent, co-created by director Rebecca Taichman (Playhouse's Sleeping Beauty Wakes, Milk Like Sugar), and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive), co-produced with Yale Repertory Theatre; and Blueprints to Freedom: An Ode to Bayard Rustin, by Michael Benjamin Washington (Memphis, The Wiz), directed by The Cosby Show's Phylicia Rashad, which had its first workshop during the Playhouse's 2014 DNA New Work Series.

This just in! Previously announced Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will be joined by Tony Award winner Roger Rees, seven-time Emmy Award winner Tracey Ullman, Academy Award nominee Michael McKean, Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes, Tony Award nominee Michael Berresse, and Don Stephenson in The Band Wagon, an Encores! Special Event from November 6 - 16, 2014 at City Center. The Band Wagon will open on Sunday, November 8.

Once again crowned as the No. 1 Performing Arts Hall of its size in North America (Venues Today, 2000 seat category), the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is proud to announce a new season bustling with fresh talent and seasoned stars, with every performance delivering a dose of extraordinary. Single tickets go on sale this coming Saturday, September 13 at 10 AM at the Box Office, online, and by phone. Appointments are available for ticket buyers by calling the Box Office at 941-953-3368.

From September 4-14, 2014, Houston Ballet launches its 45th season with the company premiere of John Neumeier's three-act ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream. The ballet is based on Shakespeare's lighthearted play of the same name and follows the hijinks and hilarity that ensues when a well-intentioned plan with a love potion goes awry. Created in 1977, A Midsummer Night's Dream has served as Mr. Neumeier's calling card, being seen as one of his most joyous and popular creations. Houston Ballet is the first American ballet company to perform the famous work and it is the first piece by Mr. Neumeier to enter the Houston Ballet repertoire.

A.R. Gurney's enduring romance about first loves and second chances, LOVE LETTERS, will have its first Broadway revival, beginning performances Saturday, September 13, 2014, at 8pm, at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41 Street).

The French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF), New York's premiere French cultural center, today announces the full program for Crossing the Line 2014, the eighth annual edition of its celebrated fall arts festival, presenting interdisciplinary works and performances by artists from around the world. Crossing the Line runs from September 8 through October 20 in venues throughout New York City. Nespresso returns as Presenting Sponsor of Crossing the Line in 2014. Tickets will go on sale in late July.

There has barely been a bad word said about this show since it debuted on Broadway in 2012 (racking up seven Tony nominations), but because I didn't know much about it, I took a while to settle into the comedic rhythm of Georgia Shakespeare's production of ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS. However, once I realized that the show was far more farcical than I at first realized, it became one of the most laugh-out-loud, joyous nights of theatre I have had in years. So, if you go and see this show (which you absolutely should) simply give into the goofiness; you will thank me when you do.

This fall the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the final showing of the groundbreaking multimedia exhibition Hollywood Costume in the historic Wilshire May Company building

As the summer months heat up, so do the Columbus stages. Check out BWW's top 5 picks that the whole family can enjoy without breaking the bank this summer:

Warehouse Theatre Company will open it's 2014 season with the world premiere musical BIG VOICE: THE ETHEL MERMAN EXPERIENCE, a unique concert experience that features the music of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Ray Henderson, Jule Styne, and George Gershwin.

John Hammond will perform at Bridge Street Live on Saturday, May 24th, 2014 at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $27 GA, $40 VIP, and available at http://41bridgestreet.inticketing.com/events/JHammond2014.

Starting off the Main Stage season in May of 2014 is the rock musical JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, running May 8 through 24. This rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice is a thought-provoking and emotional dramatization of Christ's final days. Propelled by a stirring score, by turns driving and majestic, satirical and tender, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR illuminates the transcendent power of the human spirit with a passion that goes straight to the heart.

Multi-award-winning blues singer/guitarist Rory Block will release the fourth CD in her 'Mentor Series' on June 4 with Avalon on Stony Plain Records, a tribute to blues master Mississippi John Hurt. Previous Rory Block salutes have been to Rev. Gary Davis (I Belong to the Band), Mississippi Fred McDowell (Shake 'em on Down) and Son House (Blues Walkin' Like a Man).

Broadway stars Ryan Silverman and Nikki Renee Daniels joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on Friday in its most recent pops program, 'The Cocktail Hour: Music of the Mad Men Era.' The program was created and conducted by Maestro Steven Reineke, Music Director of the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, and Principal Pops Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Performances run through March 16.

Multi-award-winning blues singer/guitarist Rory Block will release the fourth CD in her 'Mentor Series' on June 4 with Avalon on Stony Plain Records, a tribute to blues master Mississippi John Hurt. Previous Rory Block salutes have been to Rev. Gary Davis (I Belong to the Band), Mississippi Fred McDowell (Shake 'em on Down) and Son House (Blues Walkin' Like a Man).

On the first Sunday of each month at Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, dinner cabaret nights are presented to packed houses. Due to the Oscars, this month's event was held on Monday, March 3, saluting THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWTUNE: A TRIBUTE TO HAROLD PRINCE whose career has spanned over sixty years and who, as producer and/or director is responsible for some of the greatest musical theater triumphs of all time.

Tonight, February 28, TheatreWorks New Milford will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Neil Simon's first and longest-running theatrical hit, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, by kicking off its 2014 season with that very show. The curtain goes up at 8:00 p.m. on a three-week run. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!