Whirl-I-Gig - 1899 - Broadway Articles Page 12

Manhattan Repertory Theatre will showcase two new one-act plays 'No Turning Back' by Richard Thomas Henle and 'Evening With Stephen Crane' by Phil Paradis. The double-bill will have two performances Friday and Saturday, August 24-25, 2018 at 6:30 pm at Manhattan Repertory Theater, 17-19 West 45th St., Third Floor #301, New York, NY 10036. Tickets are $20 at the door. Seating is limited; reservations are recommended and can be secured at www.manhattanrep.com/e-series-summer-new-works-2018

This little musical that could is now playing at the Titusville Playhouse through Sept. 9, and though on a more modest scale, maintains the intoxicating charm and heart of the original. Directed by Steven J. Heron, the dramatically fictionalized story of the real-life 1899 Newsboys Strike carries an unexpected power thanks to its earnest sentiment and prescient politics.

Newsies is Disney's fictional account of the actual Newsboys Strike of 1899 where paper New York hawkers, as they were called, banned together and formed their own so-called 'union' to strike in protest of their distribution centers whose publishers raised the cost of the newspapers they bought and sold in Manhattan in order to earn a living. The 1992 Disney film starring Christian Bale was not a commercial success although the film carried a large home base audience, making it a cult classic. The 2012 Broadway musical version, book by Harvey Fierstein and starring Jeremy Jordan met with more acclaim. Any ensemble attempting to produce this high energy, fast-paced, testosterone-packed production better have their act together in more ways than one. Manatee Performing Arts Center came prepared and delivered.

High-spirited, energetic and enormously entertaining, Circle Players' Newsies is a certified hit - thanks in large part to the focused direction of Jim Manning, the athletic and challenging choreography of Tosha Pendergrast and the superb musical direction of DaJuana Hammonds - performed by an impressive cadre of actors young and old, a blend of familiar faces and Nashville stage newcomers, who infuse the show with all the spunk necessary to bring the turn-of-the-century newsboys and a smattering of historic figures to life.

This reviewer is in awe of what he saw opening weekend of Valley Youth Theatre's production of NEWSIES The Musical: A spectacular triumph of talent and artistry, all the more impressive because of the amazing young performers (ages 12 to 18!) whose versatility and range of technical proficiency is jaw-dropping. Kale Burr is terrific! Tony Spinosa's choreography is tremendous! So is the entire ensemble! An auspicious way to begin the company's 30th Anniversary Season! Runs thru Aug 26 at Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix.

Extra! Extra read all about it! NEWSIES, playing at the Moonlight Amphitheatre through Sunday August 5th is a high energy, song and dance filled evening that has the audience leaving while humming a tune and doing a dance to their vehicles.

The Broadway Bound Vista Theatre Project (BBVTP) presents the South Carolina premiere of Lost in My Wonderland, a new full-length musical adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, August 2-5 in Cardinal Newman School's Anna Tronco Williams Performing Arts Center, 2945 Alpine Road in Columbia (29223).

For the past several summers, I have attended the Festival of Arts and The Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach. But this year, I also decided to also visit two other art festivals along Laguna Canyon Road rather than spend any time cruising the town as I had done before. The full-day of exploring all the artistic delights on display this year at all three locations left me dazzled by all the talent on display, while wishing I had lot of extra income to purchase and bring home many of the awe-inspiring items that caught my fancy. But the real highlight of the day was viewing the abundance of 'local color' on display in this summer's 'Under the Sun' themed Pageant of the Masters.

The Broadway Bound Vista Theatre Project (BBVTP) presents the South Carolina premiere of Lost in My Wonderland, a new full-length musical adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, August 2-5 in Cardinal Newman School's Anna Tronco Williams Performing Arts Center, 2945 Alpine Road in Columbia (29223).

Based on the 1992 Disney film of the same name, which in turn was inspired by the real-life newsboys strike of 1899 in New York City, Newsies tells the captivating story of a band of underdogs who become unlikely heroes when they stand up to the most powerful men in New York. When I last met up with these newsboys, it was during their strike at DPAC back in 2015. Since then, the tour closed up shop after a two-year run, became a hit Fathom Event, and is now available for licensing to schools, community, and regional theatres all over the world.

Nestled in the gorgeous countryside of Cortland County at Cortland Repertory Theatre's (CRT) summer theatre at picturesque Little York Lake is the breathtaking production of Disney's Newsies under the brilliant direction of Mark Reynolds. The production is exciting, powerful, and just pure magic on stage.

Choreography isn't as eye-popping in CPCC Summer Theatre's NEWSIES as the Broadway version was, but the hero's role and all the colorful elders are performed on the same lofty level as the impressive set design.

Park City Institute presents legendary singer and violinist, Lucia Micarelli, and award-winning cellist, Joshua Roman, on Sunday August 5th, at the 2018 St. Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights Concert Series. The performance will "pop up," at Quinn's Junction Sports Complex, Sunday August 5th, at 6:00 PM.

When Greg Kamp first performed at the Aurora Theatre in A CHORUS LINE, he was a college without a professional theatre credit to his name. Now eight years and many successful stage and screen productions later, Kamp is back from New York to lead NEWSIES on the Lawrenceville stage.

NewArts presents Newsies, the Tony Award-winning Broadway phenomenon, August 3 -12 at Masuk High School in Monroe, CT. The musical is based on the historical newsboy strike of 1899 that shook the ivory towers of William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. The history lesson leaps onto the stage with soul-stirring music, amazing heart, and stunning choreography and stars over 120 area youth onstage, backstage and in the orchestra.

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.

Shakespeare & Company presents August Strindberg's dark comedy Creditors, adapted by critically acclaimed playwright David Greig and directed by Nicole Ricciardi of last season's hit show 4000 Miles. In this production of what Strindberg calls his 'most mature work,' three characters must face their past, confronting love, debt, and deception. Performances run from July 19 - August 12 in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre.

The Bostonian Society announces the world premiere of Cato and Dolly, an all-new live play by Playwright Patrick Gabridge at Boston's historic Old State House, running Friday, July 6 - September 29, 2018. The new play, commissioned specifically for the Old State House's Through the Keyhole exhibition, reveals life behind the door of the Hancock House, Governor John Hancock's 18th century Beacon Hill home. In addition to viewing the historic door itself, on public view for the first time in decades, visitors to Through the Keyhole will experience the new 20-minute play which offers a glimpse of everyday life behind the Hancock door through the eyes of those who lived there: Cato Hancock, an enslaved person in the Hancock household and Dolly Hancock, John Hancock's wife and First Lady of Massachusetts. Gabridge's powerful site-specific play at the Old State House, Blood On The Snow, had a sold-out run in 2016-2017 and was called "electric and alive" by WGBH's Jared Bowen.

Disney's Newsies is currently playing at Peach State Summer Theatre in Valdosta, and if you're looking to get out of the hustle and grind of Atlanta for a weekend road trip to a place where they're not paving I-285, this is definitely your best-bet theatre destination. Peach State Summer Theatre's energetic production, propelled by a solid book by Harvey Fierstein and memorable music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman, showcases how well this 2011 tuner has aged. It's a story about bucking the corrupt establishment and fighting for an America where everyone has a chance at a piece of the dream-pie (or at least a piece of bread) in exchange for hard work. And Peach State Summer Theatre's talented cast, led by a dazzling Andrew Poston in the role of Jack Kelly and supported by Jason Lee Courson's effective scenic design and Jason Celaya's urban choreography, knows exactly how to tell this story.

Next up at the White Theatre is a joint production with Crown Center's Coterie Theatre of “Disney's Newsies;” a live stage musical version of the 1992 musical film. “Newsies” recalls the real-life newsboys' strike of 1899.   

Unlike the other the major characters in Travesties, the real Henry Carr holds little claim to fame. Stoppard learned about Carr and became intrigued by a real-life incident mentioned in a biography of James Joyce. In Zurich during World War I, Joyce worked with an English theatre to produce Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Joyce cast a mix of professionals and amateurs, including Henry Carr, an Englishman living in exile, as the lead role of Algernon. Apparently, Carr gave an enthusiastic performance, but afterwards, a small financial dispute with Joyce escalated into dueling lawsuits. Carr sued Joyce for reimbursement on clothes he bought as his costume; Joyce counter-sued Carr for money owed on five tickets. Carr lost his case and was further punished by Joyce when he named an unlikeable character in Ulysses after Carr. Stoppard knew little more about the real Henry Carr while writing Travesties; however, after its 1974 London premiere, a surprise letter from Carr's widow provided more details of the real man's life.

Extra! Extra!!  There are only six more chances to catch the high-energy professional production of "Disney's NEWSIES the Musical" at Axelrod Performing Arts Center. A bona-fide Broadway hit, "NEWSIES" was inspired by the real-life Newsboys' Strike of 1899. Performances continue Wednesday, June 13 through Sunday, June 17.

Admirably directed and choreographed by Richard J. Hinds, La Mirada Theatre's NEWSIES aims to be an amiable hybrid between the popularly-received original show and a new iteration that feels fresh for us Fansies forever obsessed with the earlier Disney-backed production that played Broadway and went on tour for a few years. Filled with high-energy music and dancing and a lively, eager-to-please spirit embedded in its DNA, this brand-new Southern California regional theater production of NEWSIES---which continues performances at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through June 24---is a wonderfully caffeinated jolt of a stage show, highlighted by a remarkably talented and athletically-blessed ensemble that leaps and belts one show stopping number after another. What a treat for every Fansie!

There is good news at the Rose Theatre! NEWSIES The Broadway Musical opened on June 1 running through the 17th. BRAVO! I am extra sold on this show.