When We Were Twenty-one - 1900 - Broadway Articles Page 6

George John guest blogs for BroadwayWorld about bringing Tobacco Road to the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

WILLA OF THE WOOD is amazing. Stunning. Beautiful. It is one of the best books I've read in 2018. I wasn't expecting it. I am so, so enamored.

Back in 2005 Broadway was abuzz with the arrival of a musical version of the much beloved book and movie "The Color Purple". The problem was, when it arrived it landed with a thud and not a splash. It had a decent showing running for three years and touring but never really catching fire (at least not for me). I saw the original on Broadway and in the tour and it just felt like they missed the mark not really focusing on the heart of the story and with music that felt out of place. Then in 2013 the folks at The Menier Chocolate Factory in London revived the show, scaling it down to a more intimate and streamlined piece and low and behold, it now works! And that, Dear Readers, is the gloriousness that's currently playing at the Paramount.

Let me start, Dear Readers, by saying this is NOT the frothy Disney cartoon you may recall from your youth. Yes, it does contain many of the Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz songs from the 1996 Disney animated film but this show is more akin to the Victor Hugo novel than the cartoon. Gone are the silly, wise-cracking gargoyles whom you might find recreated in a Happy Meal, and amped up is the story of religious persecution, intolerance, sex, and betrayal. Leading me to wonder, what audience are they aiming for? Disney songs, filled out with heady albeit soaringly beautiful choral pieces, and a dark and gritty story that (spoiler alert) does not end well for everyone. And this is my biggest problem with the show, it can't make up its mind as to what it wants to be.

WICKED, quite possibly 'The Best Musical of the Decade' returns to Omaha's Orpheum Theatre May 16. Jon Robert Hall, who plays Fiyero in the national tour, is a man of many talents. Take a look.

5-STAR THEATRICALS (formerly Cabrillo Music Theatre) continues its 2017-2018 season with the Thousand Oaks premiere of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Peter Parnell (based on the Victor Hugo Novel and songs from the Disney film), musical direction by Dan Redfeld, choreography by Michelle Elkin and directed by Misti B. Wills. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME opens on Friday, April 20, 2017 and runs through Sunday, April 29, 2018 at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.  

When you think the classic era of Broadway Musicals, many lean toward Rodgers and Hammerstein or Lerner and Loewe but for my money I always go right to Cole Porter. Maybe not as prolific when it comes to hit shows as the others but you can't dismiss the undeniable genius of "Anything Goes" and of course "Kiss Me, Kate" (my personal favorite), currently playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre. And the folks at the 5th have not only done right by this classic tuner by packing it to the brim with the best singers, dancers and comedians they could find but the production is a love letter to the predecessors of the production, most notably the visual style which is so reminiscent of the 1953 film version, making this far more than a killer show, but an homage.

Rehearsals are in full swing for The 5th Avenue Theatre's production of Kiss Me, Kate, which begins performances next Friday, April 6.

MCC Theater is thrilled to announce four new productions for its 32nd Season in the Theater's new, permanent home. The season includes an exciting mix of world and New York premieres from artists both familiar and new to MCC audiences-each fulfilling MCC's longtime commitment to bold, risk-taking works from the most vital voices working in theater today.

Stanislav Ioudenitch, Artistic Director of Park International Center for Music (Park ICM), announced today that their spring season kicks off in March with a world-class European performer never before heard in Kansas City and in one of Kansas City's acoustical gems, the 1900 Building in Mission Woods, Kansas. "We adore performing in the wonderful spaces of the 1900 Building," said Ioudenitch. "Between their 300-seat Parkway Room and their more intimate Rose Hall (75-150), they can accommodate our different needs as both of their halls can be "tuned" according to our performance requirements. It is truly a hidden jewel that is just being discovered in the Kansas City arts public."

5-STAR THEATRICALS (formerly Cabrillo Music Theatre) continues its 2017-2018 season with the Thousand Oaks premiere of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Peter Parnell (based on the Victor Hugo Novel and songs from the Disney film), musical direction by Dan Redfeld, choreography by Michelle Elkin and directed by Misti B. Wills. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME opens on Friday, April 20, 2017 and runs through Sunday, April 29, 2018at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

Yes, it's that big frothy ABBA musical "Mamma Mia" back again to get all the Dancing Queens shakin' it in the aisles. It's come through town several times and what fan hasn't seen the movie? But the national tour closed a year ago so how has this show not met its Waterloo? Well this is not a tour, this is our local big musical theater house, the 5th Avenue Theatre putting up their very own production. So, how does this local production stack up against that national ones? Let's dive in.

'The Color Purple' was riveting due to its top talent, high energy and high production quality in every aspect of the performance.The vocals throughout the performance are rich with full harmonies, belting solos. The intimate stage springs alive with swashes of vibrant colors combined with familiar visual elements of traditional southern charm.

The Drama League (Gabriel Stelian-Shanks, Executive Artistic Director) has announced the theater directors and ensembles chosen to develop new plays and musicals as part of the 2018 Drama League Artist Residency Program. Public work-in-progress presentations will be held periodically throughout the year at The Drama League Theater Center, 32 Avenue of the Americas, in Tribeca. Schedules are available at www.dramaleague.org or by calling (212) 244-9494.

Building on the Blaine County School District's mission of inspiring, engaging, educating and empowering every student, Company of Fools announces the 21st year of Stages of Wonder-an in-school dramatic arts program that has served as the theatre curriculum in local elementary schools since 1997.

Palm Canyon Theatre has pulled off quite a coup by acquiring rights to Hello, Dolly, one of America's favorite musicals, while the revival is still packing houses on Broadway. In one year, we have had Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters (Bette's replacement), and now Se Layne all giving their take on the matchmaker of Yonkers at the turn of the 20th century

Chris Isaacson Presents has announced a full slate of winter entertainment at three venues: Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood, Martinis Above Fourth in San Diego, and The Purple Room in Palm Springs. The lineup begins with vocal powerhouse Crissy Collins and continues with Will & Anthony Nunziata; Alisan Porter (winner of NBC's The Voice); Emmy Award-winner Leslie Jordan in his new show Exposed; and American Idol's Anthony Fedorov with Australian singer/songwriter Shelley Segal.

With growing Birmingham audiences looking for new and fun ways to laugh and be entertained, it looks like 'Nick & Jacob: A Two-Man Variety Show' is the right show at the right time.

I should start, Dear Readers, by saying that I've been spoiled where the stage musical of Holiday Inn is concerned. Spoiled by the filmed version of the recent Broadway incarnation which captured every single ounce of Broadway magic you'd want. So, while the current production of this wonderful Irving Berlin classic at the 5th Avenue is a lot of fun and looks quite like the Broadway (not surprising since the sets and costumes were based on the Broadway designs) it just didn't quite live up to that spark of the Broadway for a few key reasons that we'll get to in a bit.

The Mabel Mercer Foundation announced this week that Adela and Larry Elow have established a $50,000 endowment fund, created specifically to 'encourage teenagers to learn and perform The Great American Songbook, as composed between the years 1900-1970.'

Throughout my life one song's melody and lyrics have played on a continuous loop. I've heard it sung by my wife's Russian family and their friends at parties and family affairs. Last night that song in the hands of Charles Busch at Feinstein's/54 Below was it's most heartfelt and profound interpretation I've ever experienced.

With Lauren Gunderson's Silent Sky, the Next Act Theatre invites us, for a couple of hours, to orient ourselves in a place and time before the 1990 Hubble telescope, before the 1969 moon landing, before the first rocket launch in 1926, and before Edwin Hubble proved the vastness of galaxies far beyond our own in 1923. It's here that we meet mathematician and aspiring astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, played by the always-brilliant Deb Staples.

Villanova Theatre will kick off the 2017-2018 season with the iconic musical Godspell, directed by Philadelphia favorite Matt Pfeiffer, who took home the Barrymore Award for Best Direction of a Play two years in a row.

Let's set the Way Back Machine to the 2014/2015 season where the 5th Avenue Theatre touted the pre-Broadway tryout of a new musical comedy called Something Rotten! . Many musical theater geeks, myself included, were quite excited at the premise of this new tuner but then the theater Gods frowned upon us and smiled on them as they announced they would go right to Broadway. The show had a respectable run on Broadway despite getting a few tepid reviews from the New York critics but now it's back and the question remains, did we miss out and was the show worth the wait? Well I can say that the show is incredibly stupid and silly, filled with crass and bawdy humor and more musical theater references than you can shake a jazz hand at. But above all, it's FUN! If you're looking for some deep meaning then, by all means look elsewhere but if you want to laugh and don't mind repeated phallic jokes then this could be right up your alley.