It is a brilliant production of the second-most produced American opera. (After 'Porgy and Bess')
Gorgeous scenic effects and world-class voices.
A stellar cast brightens a Romberg favorite. Operetta, as a genre, arose in the 1850's and swelled into a widely beloved form of entertainment. In America its chief luminaries were Sigmund Romberg, Victor Herbert, and Rudolf Friml. From the 1920's to the '40's the modern musical gradually drove operettas from the stage (except for the happily undying works of Gilbert & Sullivan). And I miss them! So I greatly approve of Winter Opera's offering us this old piece.
Director Caitlin Lopez, the Associate Artistic Director of Ophelia's Jump Productions (OJP) who also serves as Improv Director for the company elaborates, 'Twelfth Night tells the story of Viola who has washed up on the shores of the vibrant and uninhibited Illyria after a shipwreck. In this modern queer fairytale, she and a cast of colorful characters all must discover what it means to truly love and embrace their heart's desires.' I decided to speak with Caitlin about both her directing and appearing in the production, as well as her background with the history of OJP.
When thinking of the great composers and playwrights whose works have graced Arena Stage, these are the names that come to mind. So when Disney's Newsies was announced for this season, it is understandable why some were shaking their head quizzically.
Lately John Austin's career seems to have two constants, exploring society's most topical issues and doing so at Arena Stage.
Michael J. LaChiusa (music, lyrics and book) and George C. Wolfe's (book) musical interpretation of Joseph Moncure March's once scandalous 1928 poem THE WILD PARTY is an escapist night of deliciously dark debauchery. The latest production from Little Triangle Theatre is a feast for the senses with fabulous music combining with brilliant choreography and creative costuming.
The Philadelphia Artists' Collective returns to the Philadelphia FringeArts Festival with a hauntingly beautiful site-specific work by the famous author of Peter Pan. Mary Rose, by J.M. Berrie, will be presented both inside the historic and ornate mansion - and outside under the stars in the cemetery itself. The show runs for a total of 12 performances through September 22, 2018. All shows are at 7:00pm. Woodlands offers patrons free parking and the cemetery is just one block from a major SEPTA bus hub. Tickets are $20 to $25 each. Tickets are available by calling 215-413-9006 or visiting https://fringearts.com/event/mary-rose/.
On Thursday, July 12th, Hollywood maven and powerhouse, Donelle Dadigan, (Co-Founder of the Jose Iturbi Foundation/President & Founder of The Hollywood Museum, Chairman of The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce) invited a select group of VIPs for an evening of dinner and a concert at The Hollywood Bowl as the Los Angeles Philharmonic presented an evening of Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.2 under the stars with Behzod Abduraimov on piano and conductor, Gustavo Dudamel.
Amanda Glenn's turn as Louise is lovely and heartbreaking. Glenn has a beautiful voice and exquisite is her painstaking, delicate interpretation of the awkward, plain Jane who becomes the iconic burlesque queen.
Surely most theatre folks have seen productions of the fabulous musical THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, winner of six Tony Awards including Best Musical, making the show the 2002 season's most awarded new show on Broadway, based on the original story and screenplay by Richard Morris for the 1967 Universal Pictures film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, the current production directed by Anne Gesling for the Y.E.S. Youth/Teen Program at Santa Monica's Morgan-Wixson Theatre is just as good as many adult production I have seen, given the cast's talent, Gesling's spot-on fast-paced direction and fabulous 1920's costuming, Daniel Koh's musical direction creating wonderful cast harmonies, and creative choreography by Lauren Blair.
One of the most eagerly awaited new shows of this year's New York Musical Festival (NYMF) is the special event 'Midnight at the Never Get' which will be presented at 42WEST (514 West 42nd Street) for three (3) performances: Thursday, July 28 @ 9pm; Sunday, July 31 @ 9pm; Monday, August 1 @ 8pm. Produced by Michael Chase Gosselin, the musical is conceived by and starring Sam Bolen and Mark Sonnenblick, with musical direction and arrangements by Adam Podd, choreography by Andrew Palermo and directed by Max Friedman. Audiences will be transformed back to 1965 when they enter the venue to the back room of The Never Get. Featuring a sultry score fashioned after the American Songbook, 'Midnight at The Never Get' imagines two men who never existed at a time that very much did.
The Mac-Haydn Theatre roars back to the 1920's with Kander and Ebb's jazzy music and a deliciously scandalous story in CHICAGO.
A school year at Gloucester County Institute of Technology is more like a tumble. Somehow we muddle through the enormity of each event, emerging from it a little prouder, a little smarter, a little more appreciative. There's apexes tacked onto every month, among these being shows, Thespian Cabarets, and competitions. Anymore I envisage my mind as a scrapbook, with washi tape borders reading an event's name, the center of the page a sprawl of selfies, ticket stubs, and phrases the resound in the aesthetic of those hours.
Next week the Memphis Orpheum will teem with gun-toting lugs in pinstripes and leggy Jazz Age chorines as BULLETS OVER BROADWAY takes the stage. This roaring twenties crime comedy, based on Woody Allen's 1994 film by the same title was transformed for the stage with Susan Stroman's guidance. In Allen's film, the lead character, David Shayne, was played by John Cusack. In this stage version, a young actor named Michael Williams inhabits the role.
Imara Savage's (Director) staging of Noel Coward's HAY FEVER for Sydney Theatre Company proves the farcical comedy of manners, written in 1925, is truly timeless.
Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2015.
Surflight Theatre, under the leadership of Executive Director Ken Myers presents the 1920s musical comedy The Boy Friend, from May 25 through June 16. Check out a first look at the cast in action, below!
Since 1985, The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles has been a vibrant hub of unique programs and events designed to make Shakespeare accessible and engaging in Los Angeles. At last April's annual "Simply Shakespeare" fundraiser, Helen Hunt read the role of Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing."
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