PARADE Begins at World's Oldest Paper Factory Tonight
by BWW News Desk - Sep 7, 2017
Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown's 1998 Tony Award-winning musical PARADE, based on the infamous trial and lynching of Leo Frank, is set to be professionally staged at the world's oldest working paper factory this month.
Theater Critic at Theater Camp: A Return Visit to French Woods
by Matt Windman - Aug 15, 2017
How do you take hundreds of kids (ages 7 to 17) and put up over a dozen shows (mostly musicals, plus a few plays) in as little as three weeks, with rehearsals limited to maybe just 12 or 13 days, with all or most of the cast rehearsing just slightly more than two hours each day, and many campers working on multiple shows at once? And I'm talking about completely staged shows with full production values, including sets, lighting, sound, costumes and live orchestras. Not only that, imagine repeating this same frenzied process four times over the course of a single summer.
GYPSY to Open Next Weekend at Music Theater Works
by BWW News Desk - Aug 11, 2017
Music Theater Works (formerly Light Opera Works) presents GYPSY, the tale of an ambitious stage mother fighting for her daughters' success, at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, August 19 through 27. A 25-piece orchestra accompanies such well-known songs as 'Everything's Coming Up Roses,' 'Let Me Entertain You' and 'Some People.'
WaterTower Theatre Announces Details of the 2017 Community Cast Party
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 8, 2017
WaterTower Theatre is excited to be continuing one of our most talked about and anticipated traditions, the Community Cast Party! CCP Co-Chairs Stan Graner, Corky Pledger, Deborah Staggs and Maureen Anderson today announced details for the 4th Annual Community Cast Party. The party will be held on Saturday, September 9th, 2017 at WaterTower 's home, the Addison Theatre Centre from 7 pm to 10 pm. The Community Cast Party is designed to attract a wide audience of patrons, partiers, and food lovers who are interested in supporting WaterTower Theatre while enjoying an evening of entertainment with cuisine offered from many fine local restaurants. Attendees will have a unique opportunity to mix and mingle with artists from the DFW theatre community at the "open house" style event, where everyone is welcome.
BWW Review: Chance Theater presents Emotional, Intimate Staging of PARADE
by Michael Quintos - Jul 24, 2017
It is nearly impossible not to be emotionally affected by the events depicted in PARADE, the stirring, Tony Award-winning 1998 musical inspired by shocking actual events surrounding the trial of a man accused of raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl. It's certainly a heavy, morose subject to wrap an entire musical around, which is probably why PARADE is so rarely produced, despite its high-caliber book by Alfred Uhry and gorgeous music by Jason Robert Brown. But when the material is executed with emotional heft and interesting staging---as it mostly is in Chance Theater's latest production---the results can be powerful, gut-wrenching, and, most importantly, thought-provoking.
PARADE to Be Staged at World's Oldest Paper Factory This Autumn
by BWW News Desk - Jul 17, 2017
Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown's 1998 Tony Award-winning musical PARADE, based on the infamous trial and lynching of Leo Frank, is set to be professionally staged at the world's oldest working paper factory this September.
GYPSY Comes to Cahn Auditorium This Summer
by A.A. Cristi - Jul 11, 2017
Music Theater Works (formerly Light Opera Works) presents GYPSY, the tale of an ambitious stage mother fighting for her daughters' success, at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, August 19 through 27. A 25-piece orchestra accompanies such well-known songs as "Everything's Coming Up Roses," "Let Me Entertain You" and "Some People."
BWW Review: PARADE at Writers Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - Jun 3, 2017
PARADE is now in a blistering and beautifully minimalist production from director Gary Griffin. Though it is based off the real-life 1913 trial of Jewish pencil factory worker Leo Frank and was written by Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry in 1998, this musical feels entirely of this moment. Set in Atlanta, Georgia, the musical follows Leo as he is imprisoned and put on trial after being falsely accused of the murder of Mary Phagan, a pre-teen girl found dead in the basement of the pencil factory. Georgia governor Hugh Dorsey wants to rapidly resolve the case and pins the blame on Leo-and coerces factory janitor Jim Conley to serve as an eye witness. The residents of Atlanta buy into Dorsey's false narrative, as they're distrustful of Frank and also want to see Mary's death avenged.
BWW Review: Keegan Theatre Presents Masterful PARADE, A Must See Production
by Jeffrey Walker - Mar 18, 2017
Co-directed with precision by Christina A. Coakley and Susan Marie Rhea, Keegan's PARADE keeps the staging simple and imaginative, cutting away clutter and using only the barest of props and scenic elements to help the story unfold. No one who has seen previous Keegan musicals, such as HAIR, CABARET, or AMERICAN IDIOT could be surprised by the quality of this rendering of PARADE; I fully expect this production to be recognized multiple times when the next round of Helen Hayes Awards comes around.
BWW Exclusive: COME FROM AWAY Joins Band of Historical Musicals
by Daniella Parcell - Mar 12, 2017
Opening tonight on Broadway, Come From Away spotlights the town of Gander, Newfoundland, which became the temporary home of over 6,000 passengers whose planes were rerouted during the 9/11 attacks. In its dramatization of real-life figures such as Beverley Bass, a stranded pilot portrayed by Jenn Colella, and Claude Elliott, the Gander mayor brought to life by Joel Hatch, the musical provides a historical recount of the week following 9/11, heavily inspired by true stories of the compassion and camaraderie that came about in Gander.
Euan Morton to Lead HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH Tour, Strutting Into Chicago Next Spring
by BWW
News Desk - Mar 7, 2017
Broadway In Chicago has announced Tony and Olivier Award-nominated Euan Morton will play the role of Hedwig, and Hannah Corneau will play Yitzhak in the National Tour of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the 2014 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival. Hedwig and the Angry Inch will play Chicago's Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) March 7-19, 2017.
BWW Interview: Michael Innocenti & Eleanor J. Todd of PARADE at Keegan Theatre
by Jamie McGonnigal - Mar 6, 2017
When PARADE opened on Broadway in 1998, it was a historical musical drama based on a true story about anti-semitism and racism in the post Civil-War South. Nearly 20 years later, it has become a stark reminder of times we may not want to return to, but our front pages seem to be repeating.
Music Director Leonard Slatkin Conducts Orchestre National de Lyon First American Tour Since 2003
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 1, 2017
Beginning February 18, the Orchestre National de Lyon, “probably the most refined ensemble of the world” (The Guardian), tours the United States for the first time since 2003, playing concerts with music director Leonard Slatkin on a six-city tour. The Orchestra performs in renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and at the University of Georgia, Wake Forest University, and others. Special guest artists at Carnegie Hall include two of classical music's most treasured American voices, soprano Renée Fleming and baritone Thomas Hampson. The New York program will feature debut performances of Guillaume Connesson's Celephaïs and a new Ravel arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov's Antar with text by Amin Maalouf.
EaDo Playhouse Opens with Limited Engagement Production of A NEW BRAIN
by A.A. Cristi - Dec 6, 2016
In 1998, musical theatre masterminds William Finn, James Lapine and Jason Robert Brown premiered their mind-blowing 'brain'-child, A NEW BRAIN, off-Broadway. Closing out 2016, Houston's newest arts venue and production company, EaDo Playhouse, officially opens its doors with a brand new production of A NEW BRAIN for a limited engagement run from December 14 through 18.