Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: April 14, 2024
By: Laura Deni
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AWESOME APPROPRIATE ON BROADWAY PUTS A NEW SPIN ON LEGACY LIST

Michael Esper, Corey Stoll and Sarah Paulson in Appropriate. Photo: Joan Marcus

A "legacy list" like none ever found on the popular PBS series of the same name.

When going through the possessions of a relative, how would you feel if you discovered a box containing pictures of lynched Black men?

Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is one of the best ensemble plays to ever be mounted on Broadway.

"Set in the summer of 2011 – before Black Lives Matter, before white America had even begun to absorb the vocabulary of cultural appropriation – Appropriate brings together a mostly estranged trio of siblings as they reconnect to deal with their late father’s estate – a former plantation home in Arkansas, no less, a massive, deteriorating house occupied by various and extended members of the Lafayette family for many, many generations," according to the official promo.

"It’s summer, the cicadas are singing, and the Lafayette family has returned to their late patriarch’s Arkansas home to deal with the remains of his estate. Toni (Paulson), the eldest daughter, hopes they’ll spend the weekend remembering and reconnecting over their beloved father. Bo (Stoll), her brother, wants to recoup some of the funds he spent caring for Dad at the end of his life. But things take a turn when their estranged brother, Franz, appears late one night, and mysterious objects are discovered among the clutter. Suddenly, long-hidden secrets and buried resentments can’t be contained, and the family is forced to face the ghosts of their past," continues the promo.

An off-Broadway flop in 2014 has masterfully been restructured and honed by its author Branden Jacobs-Jenkins into insightful perfection.

Sarah Paulson in Appropriate. Photo by Joan Marcus

Director Lila Neugebauer brings out the best in both Jacob-Jenkins writing and the acting of Sarah Paulson, Corey Stoll and Michael Esper with Natalie Gold, Graham Campbell, Alyssa Emily Marvin, Lincoln Cohen/Everett Sobers and Elle Fanning as River (during the play's run at the Hayes Theatre with Ella Beatty in the role after the play transferred to the Belasco because Fanning had a scheduling conflict).

The performances are nothing less than blistering.

Scenic design by dots of an heirloom plantation home is both poignant and damning.

Eerie sonic sounds and those annoying cicadas thanks to sound designers Bray Poor and Will Pickens will raise the hair on your arms. Creepy lighting by Jane Cox is mesmerizing and mortifying.

An emotional lattice work of combative inadequacy morph into pervasive and debilitating self hatred intertwined with resentments and laughter.

Six months after their father's death, three siblings, Toni (Sarah Paulson), Bo (Corey Stoll) and Franz (Michael Esper), come face to face for the first time in a decade to settle their dad's affairs. The deteriorated mansion where their pack rat of a father lived, mirrors the inhibited and maladjusted resentful children who have come to ready the contents for an estate sale, while undermining each other in an attempt to seek their own form of reparation.

As it is in life, the blacker the drama the bolder the humor. You'll find yourself laughing - wonder if you should be laughing - and then laugh some more.

Toni (Sarah Paulson), the eldest of the siblings, is a neurotic single mother who over compensates by becoming a control freak. With her is her moody son, 18-year old, Rhys (Graham Campbell) whose emotions are already in a low boil. His mother refers to him as a "f**k-up of a son."

Cast of Appropriate. Photo Joan Marcus

Frank — who now goes by Franz — (Michael Esper) is the youngest brother, the one whose life thus far includes drugs and a statutory rape conviction resulting in a stay in the slammer. After being estranged from the family for the past 10 years, he shows up uninvited, with his new fiance, River, (who later discloses that she is pregnant) insisting he wishes to apologize and start over.

Beauregard "Bo" Lafayette, (Corey Stoll), the middle brother, is the most successful and has been the family's personal go to guy for a loan. Now, he is faced with his own financial difficulties; his usual even tempered disposition has frayed.

He and his family live in New York. They have come with him - his hoity toity Jewish wife Rachel (Natalie Gold) and their two children 13-year old Cassidy, (Alyssa Emily Marvin) and an 8-year old son, Ainsley (Lincoln Cohen/Everett Sobers).

When a photo album containing images of slave lynchings is discovered among the items in their father’s living room, this begs the question as to whether what they presumed was their "liberal" Harvard educated lawyer father was really a closeted racist perhaps even a Ku Klux Klan member - forcing the family to confront the situation and unravel their own feelings about each other. With a slave graveyard nearby, they can't help but wonder if their father had a part in the lynchings.

For the financially strapped Bo the opportunity to sell pictures of black men being lynched has dollar signs permeating reason. The right collector would pay big bucks. Money trumps.

In the opposite corner is Toni, desperate to protect her father's image. For Frank (or Franz, the reborn version of his addict/law-breaking self) the photographs are an opportunity to clear himself as the worst one in the family. On the flip side, if he can clear his father from any involvement, then he becomes the hero and, and in a manner of speaking, polishes his own tarnished reputation.

Uncomfortable truths unravel, accusations are hurled and the responses and horrific.

Go see the play.

The creatives are Scenic Design by dots; Costume Design by Dede Ayite; Lighting Design by Jane Cox; Sound Design by Bray Poor and Will Pickens; Associate Costume Design: Avery Reed - Associate Lighting Design Bailey Costa - Assistant Lighting Design Tess James - Hair Consultant J. Jared Janas - 2ST General Manager Chris McGinnis - Company Manager Ashlyn Smith - 2ST Director of Production Matthew Given - Production Stage Manager Barclay Stiff - Stage Manager Kelly Levy - Fight direction by UnkleDave's Fight-House - Vocal Coach Kate Wilson - Press Representative: Polk & Co. - Casting Jim Carnahan, CSA and Alexandre Bleau, CS - Advertising AKA - Fight Captain Graham Campbell - Photographer Joan Marcus.

World premiere production in the 2013 Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville; World premiere production in Chicago, IL at Victory Gardens Theatre (Chay Yew, Artistic Director/Chris Mannelli, Managing Director); Developed, in part, at 2011 Playwrights Retreat and 2012 Theatre Lab at The Sundance Institute; Developed, in part, at Vineyard Arts Project (Ashley Melone: Founder and Artistic Director).

Extended to June 23 at the Belasco Theatre in New York City.

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Thank you for your interest.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

ART AND ABOUT

BIENNALE ARTE 2024 The 60th International Art Exhibition will take place in Venice at Giardini, Arsenale, Lido, and in other venues in the city and the mainland, from Saturday April 20 to Sunday November 24, 2024 (pre-opening on April 17, 18 and 19), curated by Adriano Pedrosa. "I am honored and humbled by this prestigious appointment, especially as the first Latin American to curate the International Art Exhibition, and in fact the first one based in the Southern Hemisphere", Pedrosa commented.

Adriano Pedrosa (Brazil) is currently the artistic director of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand – MASP, where he has curated many exhibitions, including Histories of Dance (2020) and Brazilian Histories (2022). He has recently been appointed the 2023 recipient of the Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence, that was presented to him by the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, New York.

PROPSTORE'S COLLECTIBLE POSTERS LIVE AUCTION on over 600 rare and collectible vintage posters from over 470 films takes place with bidding is available online, by absentee and by phone only and ends April 18 & 19, 2024.

Posters include: The Astounding She Monster (1958) - The Empire Strikes Back (R-1982) - The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - The Thing (1982) - The Shining (2018) - James Dean (1954) - Mad Max (R-1983) - Popeye: I Like Babies and Infinks (1937) - Batman (1989) and Destry Rides Again (1932).

THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART AUSTRALIA on Friday, April 12, welcomed its 20 millionth visitor.

The event kicked off with a special Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony* on Tallawoladah Lawn, Circular Quay, followed by an improvisational drumming performance in the Museum by contemporary artists Tina Havelock Stevens and Chloe Kim.

The Hon. John Graham MLC and MCA Director Suzanne Cotter presented the lucky 20 millionth visitor with a lifetime membership to the MCA. Celebrations continued throughout the day with a series of free talks and tours.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional owners of the land and waters upon which the MCA stands.

*Smoking ceremony is an ancient and contemporary custom among some Aboriginal Australians that involves smouldering native plants to produce smoke. This herbal smoke is believed to have both spiritual and physical cleansing properties, as well as the ability to ward off bad spirits. In traditional, spiritual culture, smoking ceremonies have been performed following either childbirth or initiation rites involving circumcision. In contemporary culture, elements of smoking ceremonies have been incorporated into Welcome to Country performances and other spiritual events held for the general public.

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SWEET CHARITY

THE BREAD AND ROSES GALA an unforgettable afternoon that includes a deeply compelling drama – A Staged Reading Of Unlucky Gal: The Jane Doe Story, followed by a tribute to three extraordinary people – legendary lawyer Martin Garbus, the iconic folk singer and songwriter Judy Collins, and former NYPD Deputy Chief Special Victim’s Unit Mike Osgood. Sunday, April 21st at Adler Hall at The New York Society for Ethical Culture, NYC.

A V.I.P reception will follow.

The Bread and Roses Gala takes its name from one of Ms. Collins' albums and has been a powerful political slogan — "Bread for all and roses too — striving for dignity and respect."

Unlucky Gal: The Jane Doe Story, is the second production in the series, “All The Court’s A Stage,” exploring seven controversial cases of legendary attorney Martin Garbus, described by The Guardian as "one of the world’s finest trial lawyers." Other plays from the series, originally produced by Food For Thought Productions, include those based on Lenny Bruce, Penguin Books The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, and a woman who was beaten and arrested for registering to vote in 1965.

Unlucky Gal: The Jane Doe Story is a compelling drama written by Susan Charlotte, directed by Antony Marsellis and featuring a Broadway cast including Stephen Schnetzer, Larry Pine, Nesha Ward, Kit Flannagan, Jon Stewart and Michael Citriniti. The play revolves around a twenty-seven-year-old black woman who was raped in Prospect Park in April 1994, and who told Garbus when they first met, "I have had the misfortune of being raped twice. Once in the park and once by the press." Mike McAlary of the Daily News published three articles falsely claiming Jane Doe lied. Jane Doe and Garbus sued McAlary and the News but lost. In 2013 the play Lucky Guy, based on McAlary, opened on Broadway. Martin Garbus wrote an editorial for The New York Times pointing out that Jane Doe’s story still had not been told, and asked, "Who will tell Jane Does’ story?" In 2017, Michael Osgood, Deputy Chief of the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, heard a radio interview that mentioned the Jane Doe case and Martin’s op-ed article. Osgood read the article, and knowing Garbus’ extraordinary reputation, reopened and solved the case.

Those attending on April 21st, will have an opportunity to hear how an innocent walk in broad daylight turned into a never-ending nightmare. Three decades have passed since that day. It is time to tell the story of Jane Doe. Unlucky Gal is that story.

Proceeds from the event will be used towards the furtherance of the goals of Cause Celebre-- to connect theatre, film and television with compelling causes. Since December 2007, Cause Celebre has honored over 40 groups and individuals, including Tina’s Wish— early detection of Ovarian Cancer; Alzheimer’s Foundation; National Alliance of Mental Illness; Columbia University Medical Center; and St. Jude’s.

Cause Celebre will produce other plays based on the cases Martin Garbus tried, including the New York trial of Lenny Bruce (which played to sold-out audiences at Ethical Culture and will be presented again on July 21 and 22 at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank, CA), as well as a Jackson, Mississippi case where he represented a black woman suing the Sheriff after she was beaten and imprisoned for registering to vote!Unlucky Gal: The Jane Doe Story will again be seen on June 14th as part of the Ethical Culture’s Juneteenth Celebration.

The New York Society for Ethical Culture is a Humanist community dedicated to ethical relationships, social justice, and democracy since 1876. As the founding institution of the Ethical Movement and a cornerstone of Progressivism in New York City, the Society’s members put deed before creed and ethics in action to educate, advocate, organize, and build coalitions to end racism, poverty, and war; abolish the death penalty and mass incarceration; guarantee reproductive freedom; welcome refugees and immigrants; fight climate change and pollution; and more.

THE MATTHEW PERRY FOUNDATION an organization dedicated to helping people who struggle with addictions, will receive a portion of the sale when a signed season finale Friends TV script hits the auction block .It is expected to be gaveled down in the thousands.

United Kingdom auction house Hanson Ross did the honors.

The script, from the Season 8, double-length finale of the popular sitcom, is 76 pages long and is classified as a "table read" copy. It is signed by all six of the cast members.

Ollie Locke, an English actor, owner of the script, purchased it at an auction prior to the death of Matthew Perry, who passed away in October 2023.

The script, which is the television episode, The One Where Rachel Has A Baby, which aired in 2002.

The script went under the hammer at Hanson Ross in Royston, Hertfordshire, England, on April 12, with an estimated sale price of $5,000-$8,600. Along with the script, the pop culture auction included the sonogram of Rachel’s "baby," which was used in the same episode. The inclusion was consigned by a seller in Scotland and is expected to sell for over $650.

According to the auction house, in January, two original scripts from the Friends episode "The One With Ross’s Wedding Part I" sold at a Hanson Ross auction for $31,700. Two hundred and nineteen bidders were in contention to purchase the script. The hopeful buyers were from the U.K., Germany, Spain, Australia, Ukraine, Dubai, Switzerland and the United States.

GIBSON GIVES the charitable arm of Gibson believe in the power of music, and that getting instruments into the hands of those with a desire to make music is a life-changing event. A state-of-the-art music school in Inglewood, CA, 1500 Sound Academy offers comprehensive courses to music students and aspiring professionals who want to learn the craft of Music Production, Engineering, Songwriting, Mixing, Music Business, and Artist Branding.

Gibson Gives is proud to announce it will partner with 1500 Sound Academy this year to give five music scholarships valued at $25,000. in addition to instruments and gear totaling over $12,500 across the program in Los Angeles, California, Beijing, China and Taipei, Taiwan.

FOREVER FLOWERS WITH FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE HOSPICE CHARITY takes place April 17 - 28, 2028 in Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, England.

Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity has partnered with Waddesdon Manor, part of the Rothschild Foundation, for its third Forever Flowers event to celebrate and remember loved ones this spring. A stunning, temporary display of 750 bespoke metal red roses will be installed in the Rose Garden. Each rose will represent the life of a loved one.

The Charity is offering its supporters the opportunity to be a part of this event by dedicating one of these limited Forever Red Roses, which also includes an invitation to a private viewing of the display on Monday, April 15 while the grounds are closed to the public. The Forever Red Roses installation will then remain on display to the public for two weeks. Once the installation is removed, those who have dedicated a flower will be able to take it home to display as a forever keepsake.

By dedicating a Forever Red Rose, supporters will be helping the Charity to provide excellent hospice care for more patients and their families.

THAT'S IT SALON in Miami Shores, Florida is throwing a three year anniversary party promising "a night with bubbles, bites, and beats" on Thursday, April 25, 2024.

"Expect a fabulous evening filled with photography by World Red Eye, music by DJ Mike Trotter, performances by FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance Queen, Juicy Love Dion, beautiful bites and bar, swag bags, and a raffle giveaway including one free month of all services, a color makeover, a keratin treatment, and a hair extension service."

For the month of April, in celebration of Autism Awareness Month, That’s It supports The Kind Group which is dedicated to creating a kinder community and is all about a safe space to express yourself. The organization was inspired by an autistic, nonverbal child and celebrates the beauties of being different. That’s It will be donating 60% of all Kind Group merchandise sold at the salon to the organization.

SPREADING THE WORD

LATELY BROADWAY TO VEGAS HAS SEEN PICTURES

Jessica Lange is currently starring on Broadway in Mother Play. Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas

Rod Stewart is living up to his song title. He recorded Forever Young in 1988.

of beloved, talented, senior citizen stars who have tended to permit themselves to look a tad bit scruffy.

Not sure why, since they all have money, connections and the time to get themselves together.

Not wanting people to think that, with a few birthdays under your belt, you look like you've been run over by a truck, we have compiled a group of over 70-year-old fabs who are downright glamorous, sexy, attractive and appealing. Some are coping with degenerative diseases or cancer, yet you've never know it by looking at them.

Take heart. As you grow older, you don't have to look like you belong in a trash bag.

The following is a quick cross section. There are numerous other Golden Glams. All Golden Glams have a few things in common: they are smart, keep active and have opinions.

Paul Anka (82) * Alan Alda (88) * Jane Alexander (84) * Dame Julie Andrews (88) * Kathy Bates. (75) * Mel Brooks (97) * Betty Buckley (76) * Carol Burnett (90) * Cher (77) * Dame Joan Collins (90) * Robert De Niro (80) * Jane Fonda (86) * Harrison Ford (81) * Goldie Hawn (78) * Samuel L. Jackson (74) *Sir Elton John (79) * James Earl Jones (93) * iane Keaton (78) * King Charles III (75) * Robert Klein (82) * Jessica Lange (74) * Jay Leno (73) * Steve Martin (78) * Sir Dr Brian May (76) * Sir Paul McCartney (81) * Dolly Parton (78) * Diana Ross (80) * Tom Selleck (79) * Martin Sheen (83) * Martin Short (74) * Sylvester Stallone (77) * Sir Rod Stewart (79) * Meryl Streep (75) * Barbra Streisand (81) * Lily Tomlin (84) * Leslie Uggams (80).

PITTSBURGH PUBLIC THEATER and American Theatre magazine have announced a groundbreaking investment in arts journalism and the next generation of theater critics with Critical Insight, a new generative arts journalism fellowship that brings the best in the field to early-career and aspiring critics through mentorship, professional insight, arts experiences, and an immersive regional theater retreat. Applications to the inaugural cohort are available now at PPT.org/Insight and close July 15.

The inaugural program will include speakers and mentors such as Peter Marks, Sara Holdren, Helen Shaw, Naveen Kumar, Charles McNulty, Brittani Samuel and many more.

Fellows will receive a stipend from Pittsburgh Public Theater and complimentary season subscription to numerous theater companies in the Pittsburgh area, thanks to The Public’s partnerships with organizations including Quantum Theatre, the New Hazlett Theater, Pittsburgh Playwrights, and more. Critical Insight culminates with an all-expenses-paid four-day regional theater retreat in spring 2025 to Washington, D.C., where fellows will be immersed in another thriving theatrical region.

CITY WINERY HOSTS 31ST ANNUAL DOWNTOWN SEDER on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Michael Dorf started this event at the Knitting Factory in 1993, moved it to Museum of Jewish Heritage, and it has been held at his City Winery since 2008.

The Downtown Seder is not your typical Passover Seder.

Five days before the actual Passover holiday begins, Dorf brings together 20 musicians, comedians, political thinkers, activists into an unprecedented mix and interpretation of this ancient holiday which transcends Judaism and takes the Passover story of tyrants harboring lethal hatred for outsiders and immigrants, the liberation struggles, the histories of oppression, bigotry, and antisemitism, and makes this dinner party relevant for our times. Dorf explains, "Our interpretation of this timeless story is to tell it in the language of the arts, in ways that we can relate and truly empathize with what it would like to be in bondage, to be emancipated, and the universal civil rights we need to continually remind ourselves."

While the challenging subject of Israel/Palestine will be argued at tables around the world this year for the actual Passover Seders five days later, the City Winery version uses both diffuses with a number of comedy artists such as Alex Edelman and Judy Gold, or musicians from early in the civil rights movement like Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary to Israeli superstar, David Broza. To punctuate and provide context to the story of Egyptian slavery, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. will speak, as well as George Floyd’s brother Terrance Floyd. NYC Comptroller Brad Lander will offer words as well as Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie and Rabbi Tamar Manasseh, one of the leading black female rabbis in the US. Sprinkled into the dinner party is multi-year attendee Laurie Anderson, Steven Bernstein, comedian Jared Freed, the actor from Curb your Enthusiasm, Richard Kind, and gospel blues singer Nicki Richards. This one-of-kind evening is sure to be inspiring and bring back important messages to family Seders the following week.

SONGBOOK SUNDAYS at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club hosted by Deborah Grace Winer.

It Might as Well Be Rodgers & Hammerstein featuring five-time Grammy Award nominee Karrin Allyson, Broadway’s Outer Critics Circle Award nominee Jenn Gambatese and JALC rising star Tyreek McDole.

Music director Tedd Firth leads a band of all-stars including Endea Owens on bass, Bryan Carter on drums and Coby Petricone-Berg on alto saxophone.

With some breezy stories, it’s a swinging spring celebration. Two shows on Sunday, April 21, 2024.

DUBAI COMEDY FESTIVAL: A WORLD OF LAUGHS is taking place at Dubai Opera in Dubai UAE through April 21, 2024.

Laugh makers scheduled are: Saaniya Abbas, Ismail Abdirahman, Sahar Ali, Liz Bains, Maher Barwany, Yash Bhardwaj, Moncef Boumaza, Varun Bhatia, Bronwyn Byrnes, Joshua Dias, Imah Dumagay, Amr Elassal, Shaddy Gaad, Varun Ghatia, John Hague, Folly Olubiyi, Tai Paschall, Salman Qureshi, Tabarak Razvi, Sadiq Saboowala, Rami Salame, Steve Severance, Emaad Siddiqui, and Adi Thomas.

The evenings will be hosted by Liz Bains, Imah Dumagay, Tai Paschall, and Salman Qureshi.

THE CHERRY ORCHARD FESTIVAL presents the New York premiere of Address Unknown, a play starring pianist Evgeny Kissin and baritone Thomas Hampson in acting-only roles, with Kissin's wife Karina Arzumanova, based on the anti-fascist novel by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor banned in 1930s Germany. The performance will take place on April 17, 2024 at The Town Hall, New York, NY.

"In an era of austerity, recession, and rising nationalism, two friends are torn apart when the Nazi regime infiltrates their friendship and families to devastating effect. Based on the bestselling book, written as an anti-fascist call to arms and banned in 1930s Germany for dramatically exposing the threat of Nazism, Address Unknown is a timely warning of how humanity can fail in the face of extreme ideology."

Directed by Marianna Arzumanova, a Q&A session with the actors will be held after the show, moderated by Motl Didner, Program Director, National Yiddish Theater-Folksbiene.

Part of the proceeds from the show will be donated to UJA of New York’s Israel Emergency Fund.

20TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL OF SHAKESPEARE, HIS CONTEMPORARIES, & MORE takes place April 15th Through May 13th presented by Red Bull Theatre at the Sheen Center in New York City.

Festival presentations include: How Shakespeare Saved My life by & starring Jacob Ming-Trent -- Shakespeare’s Macbeth with Chukwudi Iwuji,Jason Bowen, Jason C Brown, Jason O’Connell, Derek Smith, Zuzanna Szadkowski, Raphael Nash Thompson, Ayana Workman - - Aphra Behn’s The Rover with Kelley Curran, Darryl Gene Daughtry Jr., Zachary Fine, Santino Fontana, Ismenia Mendes - - God's Spies New York Premiere by Bill Cain with Matthew Rauch - - Shakespeare’s The Tempest with Patrick Page, Jason Bowen, Reeve Carney, Robert Cuccioli, Howard Overshown, Jacob Ming-Trent, Carson Elrod, Anthony Michael Martinez, Lily Santiago, Derek Smith, Myra Lucretia Taylor - - Or, What She Will by Liz Duffy Adams with Rebecca Hall - - Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus with Patrick Page, Teagle F. Bougere, Derek Smith, John Douglas Thompson - - Euripides’s Medea US Premiere by Ben Power with Elizabeth Marvel - - Another Medea by Aaron Mark with Tom Hewitt.

PLUS: Two Person Place Thing Live In-Person Podcast Recordings,Hosted by Randy Cohen: With Santino Fontana and Patrick Page.

DESIGNATED SPACE FOR DRUGGIES British Columbia, Canda will require every hospital in the province to have a designated space for patients with substance-use disorders to use illicit drugs after concerns were raised that an increase in such activity in prohibited areas of hospital grounds is putting health care workers at risk.

MERV GRIFFIN'S EXOTIC ESTATE

A Guest Pod of the former Merv Griffin Estate. Photo credit Andrew Bramasco.

One of the living rooms of the original Griffin Estate. Photo credit Andrew Bramasco.

the original owner is best known as the creator of game shows Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. Merv Griffin was a multi-talented entertainer whose career spanned six decades. The California native got his start as a big-band singer, earning enough from touring to start his own record label. He hit it big in 1950 with the #1 box office hit “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts.” At a nightclub performance, he was discovered by Doris Day and appeared in several movies in 1954. Disillusioned by Hollywood, he bought out his contract from Warner Brothers and devoted himself to a then-new medium: television. He hosted and produced several game shows, including Play Your Hunch, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, before launching his own talk show in 1965. The Merv Griffin Show ran for 21 years and garnered 11 Emmys. In 1986, when he retired and sold his production company, Merv Griffin Productions, to Colombia Pictures Television for $250 million, he was declared Hollywood’s richest performer. He died in 2007 at the age of 82.

Merv Griffin’s La Quinta estate is as legendary as the man. The current owner is real estate investor Mark Majerovic, who paid the Griffin estate $7 million for the property in 2013 and turned it into a high end version of a B&B charging $15,000 a night. Celebrities flocked to the place. He is now offering the estate for sale at $36 million, according to Top Ten Real Esate Deals. The unique property spans 40 acres and includes seven separate residences. A blend of California modern and Morrocan influences, it was inspired by Yves St. Laurent’s Marrakesh home and designed by noted Los Angeles interior designer Waldo Fernandez.

The estate’s crown jewel is the stunning 5,409-square-foot main residence. An airy-open floor plan, bright white walls, wood accents, and Moroccan-inspired lamps complement the fantastic views of the surrounding mountains and private lake. A frequent party, he added 500-square-foot guest pods to offer intimate housing for guests, while two additional homes, the West Building and the Gate Building at 1,568 and 1,708 square feet respectively, provide additional housing for guests or staff.

The extensive grounds offer manicured lawns, tall palm trees, and an expansive orchard with oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, pomegranates, and guavas, as well as the iconic King Fig Tree, one of the largest in the Coachella Valley. The tranquil Lake Merveilleux is filled with koi, turtles, and bass and attracts numerous migratory birds. Professional equestrian facilities with top-of-the-line stables, a racetrack, a pool, and a six-bay garage complete the estate. Surrounded by towering twelve-foot walls, the compound is private and secure.

The listing is held by Mauricio Umansky and Zach Goldsmith of The Agency.

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ALL MY SONS by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Arthur Miller.

Director Melia Bensussen.

A masterpiece of the American theater. All My Sons brings us into the Kellers’ backyard, where a neighborhood is forced to reckon with buried truths, leading to the unraveling of a family. More than seventy-five years later, this Arthur Miller classic still packs a strong emotional punch and reveals as much about today’s America as it did when it first premiered.

A timely revival that weighs the cost of the American dream.

In the aftermath of World War II, two families come to terms with their involvement in the manufacture of faulty airplane parts that caused the deaths of many soldiers.

Starring Marsha Mason as Kate Keller - Ben Katz as Chris Keller - Fiona Robberson as Ann Deever - Caitlin Zoz as Lydia Lubey - Yadira Correa as Sue Bayliss - Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. as Dr, Jim Bayliss - Malachy Glanovsky as Bert - Reece Dos Santos as George Deever - and Dan Whelton as Frank Lubey.

The production - as do most productions of this play - provides a vocabulary of terms used in the production. There are even teacher study guides to use for classroom assignments and discussions.

Act One:
outskirts - hedge - secluded - upstage - sod - trellis - arbor - stolid - dredge - wry - wisp - self-effacing - peevishness - saunter - calamity - prevail - robust - knockout - settee - abreast -lapel - undertone - grub - inspiration - scour- undercurrent - exasperated - resolutely - haberdasher - parole - staunch - penitentiary - exonerated - sentiment - rat race - subtle - misgiving - apprehensive - combative - override.

Act Two and Three:
sprig - noncommittal - intern - resent - aspersion - idealism - ignoramus - brooch - broach - civilize - forestall - appeal - deliberation - unabashed - relish - solicitude - draft - reprimand - fascism - jovial - somberly - dominant - swindler - brisk - ultimatum - transfixed - unyielding - presently - grope - husky.

The creatives include: Scenic Design Riw Rakkulchon - Costume Design An-lin Dauber - Lighting Design Mary Louise Geiger - Original Music & Sound Design Lucas Clopton - Wig, Hair, and Makeup Design J. Jared Janas - Fight Director Ted Hewlett - Voice & Dialect Coach Julie Foh - Casting Alaine Alldaffe - Production Stage Manager Nicole Wiegert - Assistant Stage Manager Theresa Stark - Youth Coordinator Shelby Demke.

Performances through May 5, 2024 at Hartford Stage in Hartford, CT.

On Sunday, April 21, a free panel discussion with Arthur Miller scholars takes place. The topic: Arthur Miller and his contributions to American drama.

Featuring Arthur Miller scholars and former Arthur Miller Society Presidents: Joshua Polster, PhD • Emerson College - Stephen Marino, PhD • The Arthur Miller Journal in conversation with Melia Bensussen.

Coffee, Tea, Bagels, & Breakfast refreshments provided. Tickets are free, but reservations are required.

THE WIZ a book by William F. Brown. Score by Charlie Smalls. Additional material by Amber Ruffin.

Directed by Schele Williams.

Musical Director Paul Byssainthe, Jr.

Choreography by JaQuel Knight.

(choreography), The Wiz premiered on Broadway in 1975 and became an instant sensation, going on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical. This groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway—from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and 70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world. A dynamite infusion of ballet, jazz, and modern pop brings a whole new groove to easing on down the road.

The cast features Nichelle Lewis as 'Dorothy,' Wayne Brady as 'The Wiz,' Deborah Cox as 'Glinda,' Melody A. Betts as 'Aunt Em'/'Evillene,' Kyle Ramar Freeman as 'Lion,'' Phillip Johnson Richardson as 'Tinman,' and Avery Wilson as 'Scarecrow.' The Wiz ensemble includes Lauryn Adams, Maya Bowles, Shayla Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George, Collin Heyward, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Polanco Jones, Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareem Marsh, Alan Mingo, Jr., Anthony Murphy, Dustin Praylow, Cristina Raé, Matthew Sims, Jr, Avilon Trust Tate, Keenan D. Washington, and Timothy Wilson.

The creative team for The Wiz Joseph Joubert (music supervision, orchestrations, & music arrangements), Hannah Beachler (scenic design), Sharen Davis (costume design), Ryan J. O’Gara (lighting design), Jon Weston (sound design), Daniel Brodie (video & projection design), Charles G. LaPointe (hair & wig design), Kirk Cambridge Del-Pesche (makeup design), Allen René Louis (vocal arrangements, music arrangements), Adam Blackstone (dance music arranger).

In previews, officially opening on Wednesday, April 17, at the Marquis Theatre in New York City.

JANE EYRE adapted by Elizabeth Williamson from the beloved classic novel by Charlotte Brontë.

Directed By Eleanor Holdridge.

Jane Eyre follows the heroine who struggles for freedom and fulfillment on her own terms. She survives a childhood as an orphan and confronts poverty, injustice, and the discovery of a bitter betrayal, before she makes the ultimate decision to follow her heart. In the enchanting world of literature, few works are as profound as Charlotte Brontë's classic, Jane Eyre.

The cast in order of appearance: Melissa Molanoas Jane Eyre; Susan Koozin as Mrs. Fairfax/ Lady Ingram/ Mrs. Reed/ Bertha; Ana Miramontes as Adèle/ Young Jane; Melissa Pritchett as Grace Poole/ Mary Ingram/ Bessie; Chris Hutchison as Edward Fairfax Rochester; Joy Yvonne Jones as Leah/ Blanche Ingram/ Diana Rivers; Todd Waite as John/ Colonel Dent/ Mr. Carter/ Mr. Wood and Gabriel Regojo as Mr. Mason/ John Reed/ St John Rivers/ Servant.

The mise-en-scene includes: Scenic design John Coyne, Lighting design Alberto Segarra, Costume Designs for Jane Eyre by Valérie Thérèse Bart. The creatives are:Fight direction and intimacy specialist Adam Noble, Sound design Melanie Chen Cole, Casting by Brandon Weinberger, Dialect Coach Carolyn Johnson, Stage manager Tenley Pitonzo, Assistant stage manager Kaylee Sarton McCray.

World Premiere April 12 – May 5, 2024 at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas.

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FINAL OVATION

BOB SLUTSKE an acknowledged industry expert on efficiencies and effectiveness of media issues through the entire production process died on April 2, 2024 after a long illness. He would have turned 82 in May.

Throughout his 60-year career, Slutske worked in the theater and entertainment space, serving as one of the initial developers of nonlinear editing technology. He also helped pave the way for computerized lighting and automated mix-down in the industry with "first of a kind" systems.

He started working in theater, focused on lighting, stage management and direction, including in the productions Amen Corner with James Baldwin and The Loudest Sound in the World with Frank Silvera. He transitioned to Ampex and LucasFilm, where he worked with Stanley Kubrick, Sidney Lumet, Alan Alda and George Lucas to bring nonlinear editing systems to market.

Slutske served 17 years as the vice president of National TeleConsultants, where he provided his tech expertise to industry leaders including Warner Bros., Universal Television, the Walt Disney Co., NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, ESPN, BET, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Television Archive, Microsoft and more.

Slutske was a lifelong member of the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers and served on several key committees.

He was married to Jacqueline Amira Slutske until her death in April 2016. He is survived by his daughters Shoshana and Reina Slutske, his brother Dale Lewis, and son-in-law Christopher Alden.

ROBERTO CAVALLI famed Italian fashion designer died April 12, 2024. He was 83.

The designer credited with making Maximalism "cool" has "a life lived with love." The fashion house, founded by Cavalli in 1975, released a quote by the designer that paid tribute to his ultimate muse: “I copy the dress of an animal because I love to copy God. I think God is the most fantastic designer.”

The Florence-born designer became renowned in the early 1970s for his animal prints and for a sexy, over-the-top style that remained his trademark throughout his long career.

Taylor Swift, Zendaya, Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, more celebrities have worn Roberto Cavalli.

He is survived by six children, Reuters reported, including a son born just last year with his partner of 10 years, Sandra Nilsson. He was previously married twice.

ELEANOR COPPOLA documentary film director, screenwriter and artists who was the matriarch of the Coppola film making family died Friday, April 12, 2024 at her home in Rutherford, CA. She was 87.

Eleanor documented the making of her husband Francis Ford Coppola's iconic films, including Apocalypse Now, for which she won an Emmy. She had studied design at UCLA an met her future husband while working as an assistant art director on Dementi 13. Within months of dating she discovered she was pregnant. The couple wed in Las Vegas in February 1963.

Together they had three children; first born Gian Carlo followed by Roman and Sofia. All would have successful careers in the film business.

Gian Carlo died in a boating accident at the age of 22 in 1986, riding in a boat piloted by Griffin O'Neal, son of Ryan O'Neal. Griffin was found guilty of negligence. Roman is president of his father's San Francisco based film company. Oscar winner Sofia is the writer-director of Lost In Translation and Priscilla, which she dedicated to her ailing mother.

Eleanor is survived by her husband Francis Ford Coppola, their children and their families.

ROBERT MacNEIL who created the famed PBS newscast The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour in the 1970s and co-anchored the show with his late partner, Jim Lehrer, for two decades, died on Friday, April 12, 2024 at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He was 93.

The nation’s first one-hour evening news broadcast, and recipient of several Emmy and Peabody awards, it remains on the air today with Geoff Bennett and Amna Nawaz as anchors. MacNeil left anchoring duties at “NewsHour” after two decades in 1995 to write full-time. Lehrer took over the newscast alone, and he remained there until 2009. Lehrer died in 2020.

MacNeil wrote several books, including two memoirs, “The Right Place at the Right Time” and the bestseller “Wordstruck,” and the novels “Burden of Desire” and “The Voyage.” MacNeil also created the Emmy-winning 1986 series “The Story of English,” with the MacNeil-Lehrer production company, and was co-author of the companion book of the same name. Another book on language that he co-wrote, “Do You Speak American?,” was adapted into a PBS documentary in 2005. In 2007, he served as host of “America at a Crossroads,” a six-night PBS package exploring challenges confronting the United States in a post-9/11 world. He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1999 along with Fred Silverman, Carl Reiner, Ethel Winant, Lorne Michaels, Jim Lehrer, and Fred Rogers.

Married three times, he is survived by his children; Cathy, William and Alison and Tony Award winning theatre scenic designer Ian MacNeil who took home the Tony for Billy Elliot the Musical.

Next Column: April 21, 2024
Copyright: April 14, 2024 All Rights Reserved. Reviews, Interviews, Commentary, Photographs or Graphics from any Broadway To Vegas (TM) columns may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, utilized as leads, or used in any manner without permission, compensation and/or credit.
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Laura Deni

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