Stunning 2009 - Articles Page 22

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Tuesday, February 3, 2009.

Week three of Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook brings to The Allen Room a soulful tribute to black music, a bluegrass legend, a genre-busting singer and the concert debut of a gifted actor, all celebrating the diversity of American popular song. On February 4th Soul Deep, an ensemble of some of the top black singers from Broadway and beyond will perform music - black music - that is the basis for most of the popular music heard today. The next night, bluegrass reigns with The Del McCoury Band (top right), who started out in the 1960s and remain so on top of their game that their latest CD is nominated for a 2009 Grammy. A new voice on the scene, and one that is electrifying all within range, is Lizz Wright (bottom left), who performs two shows on February 6th. She will perform songs from The Orchard, her third CD, as well as other pieces that shine with her expressive treatment. Next up on February 7th is the concert debut of the always surprising actor Alan Cumming (bottom right). Equally at ease in film and on the stage, this classically-trained star has never sung a concert before, and he has selected Dolly Parton and Cindi Lauper tunes, among others, to celebrate this new dimension in his career. American Songbook is presented in the spectacular Allen Room of Frederick P. Rose Hall. The Allen Room possesses one of New York's greatest settings - a stunning vista of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline provides an evocative backdrop for the performers.

The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall announces its 2009-2010 season of jazz and classical concerts, which includes Jazz @ Massey Hall (series of 3 concerts), International Vocal Recitals (series of 4 concerts), Virtuoso Performance (series of 3 concerts), and four special concerts. Subscriptions are currently on sale. For more information call: 416-872-4255, go online at www.masseyhall.com or www.roythomson.com, or visit the Roy Thomson Hall box office.

Auckland Festival 09 'Venus & Adonis' Theatre Wednesday, 18 March 2009 until Sunday, 22 March 2009 Venus & Adonis Bell Shakespeare and Malthouse Melbourne (Australia) Shakespeare?s Venus and Adonis is a subversive re-working of Ovid?s original love story: it is vulgar, funny, sexy and whole-hearted. This Venus and Adonis is an equally subversive re-working of Shakespeare.

How do you portray democracy through the arts? That question was the inspiration for Visions of America and the collaboration between famed Grammy Award-winning pianist/conductor Peter Nero, renowned Americana photographer Joseph Sohm, and Grammy Award-winning pianist/composer Roger Kellaway. Visions of America paints a portrait of America by choreographing Sohm's photographs to stirring traditional and new music performed by Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, resulting in a photo symphony that celebrates the sights and songs of democracy. With the world premiere taking place at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia on January 25, 2009, five days after America inaugurates its new president, Visions of America is a post-inaugural celebration for the people that marks a unique time in the nation's history. Visions of America unfolds for audiences as a visual and musical journey through the 50 states over three musical-movements and 13 'Mosaics' (visualized-songs). Nero, who is the founding music director of the Philly Pops, will conduct the world premiere of original music composed by Kellaway to support Sohm's stunning visuals. Kellaway, a fellow jazz pianist, has been friends with Nero for 50 years. Legendary lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman (best known for their Grammy and Academy Award-winning work with Barbra Streisand) collaborated with Kellaway on two new songs, written specifically for this program and performed by 2008 Grammy Award-winning vocalist Patti Austin. The concert is preceded by a video introduction by Pennsylvania Governor Edmund G. Rendell, who acknowledges Peter Nero on the 30th anniversary of his Philly Pops.

Hello from London, Cold and dark though it is - theatre here and especially musicals and serious drama are enjoying a surge of popularity. This has been put down to the sheer RANGE of shows on offer. Take where i am now at the Hampstead Theatre. Mike Leigh and David Hare are favourites here and tonights show is no exception at this cutting edge building and stage. Rehearsals on the eve of opening night are always a rush and a panic. But under cool headed Lucy Bailey the revival of Noel Coward's 'Private Lives' is proving to be a real hit with cast and critics alike. Broadway World caught up with her in a break from rehearsals after she'd sent via MMS, some photos of the actors going through their paces.

How do you portray democracy through the arts? That question was the inspiration for Visions of America and the collaboration between famed Grammy Award-winning pianist/conductor Peter Nero, renowned Americana photographer Joseph Sohm, and Grammy Award-winning pianist/composer Roger Kellaway. Visions of America paints a portrait of America by choreographing Sohm's photographs to stirring traditional and new music performed by Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, resulting in a photo symphony that celebrates the sights and songs of democracy. With the world premiere taking place at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia on January 25, 2009, five days after America inaugurates its new president, Visions of America is a post-inaugural celebration for the people that marks a unique time in the nation's history. Visions of America unfolds for audiences as a visual and musical journey through the 50 states over three musical-movements and 13 'Mosaics' (visualized-songs). Nero, who is the founding music director of the Philly Pops, will conduct the world premiere of original music composed by Kellaway to support Sohm's stunning visuals. Kellaway, a fellow jazz pianist, has been friends with Nero for 50 years. Legendary lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman (best known for their Grammy and Academy Award-winning work with Barbra Streisand) collaborated with Kellaway on two new songs, written specifically for this program and performed by 2008 Grammy Award-winning vocalist Patti Austin. The concert is preceded by a video introduction by Pennsylvania Governor Edmund G. Rendell, who acknowledges Peter Nero on the 30th anniversary of his Philly Pops.

Broadway in Concert! at The Canyon, the all new Wednesday night series of intimate concerts headlined by the best of Broadway musical theatre stars and Nightclub artists opening January 7, 2009 at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA, has added longtime LA musical theatre star Steve Gideon to its opening month roster - it was announced today by Canyon Club Managing Partner Lance Sterling and Producer Michael Sterling of Michael Sterling & Associates in Los Angeles.

ABT, Arizona's one-of-a-kind, award-winning, state-of-the-art professional dinner theatre showcases locally and nationally acclaimed artists both onstage and behind the scenes. Following Annie Get Your Gun, ABT will be producing: Guys & Dolls (February 27 ? April 5), Miss Saigon (April 17 ? May 24), Bye Bye Birdie (June 5 ? July 19), Forever Plaid and The Taffetas (August 7 ? September 20).

As previously announced, on Monday, February 2, 2009, Chita Rivera, Donna Murphy, Christine Ebersole, Cheyenne Jackson, Kerry Butler and more will take part in The Drama League's 25th annual all-star gala, 'A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF BROADWAY.' This year's black-tie event, to be held at New York City's famed Rainbow Room (30 Rockefeller Plaza), will honor Broadway producers Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, as well as the 25th Anniversary of The Drama League Directors Project. Among the highlights of The Drama League's annual benefit gala is the remarkable Gala Auction. This year?s auction will prove to be the most exciting in years and will feature a variety of stunning one-of-a-kind vacation packages, luxury gift items, intimate lunches with celebrities and unique theatrical experiences. For the first time this year, bidding on the Gala Auction has been made available to the general public via The Drama League's website, www.dramaleague.org, or directly at http://thedramaleague.cmarket.com.

Week three of Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook brings to The Allen Room a soulful tribute to black music, a bluegrass legend, a genre-busting singer and the concert debut of a gifted actor, all celebrating the diversity of American popular song. On February 4th Soul Deep, an ensemble of some of the top black singers from Broadway and beyond will perform music - black music - that is the basis for most of the popular music heard today. The next night, bluegrass reigns with The Del McCoury Band (top right), who started out in the 1960s and remain so on top of their game that their latest CD is nominated for a 2009 Grammy. A new voice on the scene, and one that is electrifying all within range, is Lizz Wright (bottom left), who performs two shows on February 6th. She will perform songs from The Orchard, her third CD, as well as other pieces that shine with her expressive treatment. Next up on February 7th is the concert debut of the always surprising actor Alan Cumming (bottom right). Equally at ease in film and on the stage, this classically-trained star has never sung a concert before, and he has selected Dolly Parton and Cindi Lauper tunes, among others, to celebrate this new dimension in his career. American Songbook is presented in the spectacular Allen Room of Frederick P. Rose Hall. The Allen Room possesses one of New York's greatest settings - a stunning vista of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline provides an evocative backdrop for the performers.

The greatest family musical of all time, THE WIZARD OF OZ, is coming to Providence, as NETworks Presentations brings what they call a 'national treasure' to the Providence Performing Arts Center from February 27 - March 1, 2009.

Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook returns in January for its eleventh season celebrating the diversity of American popular song. For 17 nights of pop, folk, cabaret, R&B, country, rock, show tunes, bluegrass and multimedia, the series will explore the best of the golden age of musical standards through to today's most dynamic contemporary songwriting. The 2009 season - January 14 through March 6 - will bring to the stage some of today's most gifted interpreters of song, including top vocalist Kurt Elling and country's winning Patty Loveless. It will feature the rare opportunity to hear Paulo Szot, star of Broadway's South Pacific, and film and stage star Alan Cumming, in intimate concert settings.

Broadway in Concert! at The Canyon, the all new Wednesday night series of intimate concerts headlined by the best of Broadway musical theatre stars and Nightclub artists opening January 7, 2009 at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA, has added longtime LA musical theatre star Steve Gideon to its opening month roster - it was announced today by Canyon Club Managing Partner Lance Sterling and Producer Michael Sterling of Michael Sterling & Associates in Los Angeles.

Audiences around the Bay can ring in the Year of the Ox with the Divine Performing Art's presentation of the Chinese New Year Spectacular. Presented by New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV). The stunning evening brings the divine beauty of the ancient East to magnificent life, with a dozen brand new acts reviving the long lost treasures of Chinese culture. This celebrated worldwide tour, the largest production of its kind, features an outstanding cast of classical Chinese dancers, international vocalist and a live orchestra composed of both traditional Chinese and Western instruments, in a cross-cultural experience that is unparalleled. The Chinese New Year Spectacular is performed in both Chinese and English.

The OBIE-winning HERE Arts Center's annual CULTUREMART festival is set for January 7 -February 4, 2009, this year featuring 17 works that blur the lines between dance, theatre, music, new media, puppetry and visual art. Reflecting a core philosophy that it's not possible for any one art form alone to convey the flood of images, data and sound bytes that inundate the senses in today's world of information and communication overload, CULTUREMART's cross-disciplinary presentations embrace and illuminate our modern experience by integrating many forms of media and content into exciting new works.

This past year's most outstanding performances in cabaret, comedy, and jazz have been chosen by more than two-dozen critics and experts who concluded their voting over the holidays (see below).

Young Frankenstein will close on Broadway on Janury 4, 2009. The announcement was made by Producer Robert F.X. Sillerman. The show opened in November 2007 at the Hilton Theatre.

Court Theatre continues its 2008-09 season with the World Premiere translation of Henrik Ibsen's modernist classic The Wild Duck, directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell. The production will run at the MCA Stage at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 East Chicago Avenue, January 15 - February 15, 2009.

Broadway in Concert! at The Canyon, the all new Wednesday night series of intimate concerts headlined by the best of Broadway musical theatre stars and Nightclub artists opening January 7, 2009 at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA, has added longtime LA musical theatre star Steve Gideon to its opening month roster - it was announced today by Canyon Club Managing Partner Lance Sterling and Producer Michael Sterling of Michael Sterling & Associates in Los Angeles.

Broadway in Concert! at The Canyon, the all new Wednesday night series of intimate concerts headlined by the best of Broadway musical theatre stars and Nightclub artists opening January 7, 2009 at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA, has added longtime LA musical theatre star Steve Gideon to its opening month roster - it was announced today by Canyon Club Managing Partner Lance Sterling and Producer Michael Sterling of Michael Sterling & Associates in Los Angeles.

Audiences around the Bay can ring in the Year of the Ox with the Divine Performing Art's presentation of the Chinese New Year Spectacular. Presented by New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV). The stunning evening brings the divine beauty of the ancient East to magnificent life, with a dozen brand new acts reviving the long lost treasures of Chinese culture. This celebrated worldwide tour, the largest production of its kind, features an outstanding cast of classical Chinese dancers, international vocalist and a live orchestra composed of both traditional Chinese and Western instruments, in a cross-cultural experience that is unparalleled. The Chinese New Year Spectacular is performed in both Chinese and English.

The OBIE-winning HERE Arts Center's annual CULTUREMART festival is set for January 7 -February 4, 2009, this year featuring 17 works that blur the lines between dance, theatre, music, new media, puppetry and visual art. Reflecting a core philosophy that it's not possible for any one art form alone to convey the flood of images, data and sound bytes that inundate the senses in today's world of information and communication overload, CULTUREMART's cross-disciplinary presentations embrace and illuminate our modern experience by integrating many forms of media and content into exciting new works.

WAR HORSE, the hugely acclaimed, award-winning production based on Michael Morpurgo's novel, adapted by Nick Stafford, will open at the New London Theatre on 28 March 2009 (with a press night on Friday 3 April), due to overwhelming demand. The West End run follows the production's second sell-out season at the National Theatre which finishes on 18 March.

Court Theatre continues its 2008-09 season with the World Premiere translation of Henrik Ibsen's modernist classic The Wild Duck, directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell. The production will run at the MCA Stage at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 East Chicago Avenue, January 15 - February 15, 2009.