Eddie Mekka, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the musical
Shenandoah and rose to name fame as Carmine the Big Ragu on Laverne and
Shirley will be reunited with his Laverne and Shirley pal Cindy Williams, when they
co-star in Grease at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
EDDIE MEEKA
Meeka was trained as an opera singer and was a theatrical performer before scoring on
Laverne and Shirley which was his first part as a television regular
The first reunion of the Laverne and Shirley cast Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, David I.
Lander, Michael McKean and Mekka is taking place today, Sunday April 9 at the MS Walk 2000
at the Warner Bros. Lot. Lander, who played Squiggy has multiple sclerosis and is hosting today's
fund raiser, which is expected to draw more than 10,000 walkers.
It is also anticipated that most of the cast will be in Vegas applauding Williams and Mekka
when they open in Grease.
Mekka won't have too far to travel. He lives in Las Vegas.
Written by Jim Jacobs and Warner Casey, Grease is ranked as the fifth longest running
musical in Broadway history. It opened in 1972 and clocked 3,388 performances until its close on
April 13, 1980. It's revival opened on Broadway in 1994 and has featured virtually everyone from
Rosie O'Donnell to Brooke Shields. Nominated for seven Tony Awards the first time around and
for three more during its revival, the popularity of Grease has achieve cult status.
Grease is the word April 27-May 3 MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas.
TITANIC REMEMBERED
The sinking of the Titanic at 2:27 a.m. off Newfoundland on April 15, 1912, remains the
quintessential disaster of the 20th century. A total of 1,517 souls - men, women and children - lost their lives with only 711 surviving.
TITANIC the 1997 movie rekindled America's
interest
That tragedy has long been a favorite of Hollywood spinning off several movies including the first
Titanic in 1953, A Night To Remember in 1958, SOS Titanic in 1979,
Raise the Titanic in 1980 and the 1997 $200 million dollar epic Titanic
The blockbuster movie spawned a hit song, fake jewelry and a brisk sale in corsets ever since the
constricting undies appeared in Titanic - and it's reported that 35 percent of new corset
customers are business men trying to hide their bulging beer bellies.
A laced up middle is not without its drawbacks. Many corset wearers are now complaining of
"corset constipation" from all the squeezing, which forces them to eat smaller meals.
Interest has not been limited to celluloid. There was also a Broadway musical - now on a national
tour - and a fascinating exhibit which can be seen in Chicago and at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas.
Nearly 5,000 artifacts have been recovered from the wreck of Titanic.
The Titanic catastrophe has social ramifications that went far beyond that night's events. For the
first time since the beginning of the industrial revolution early in the 19th Century, bigger faster
and stronger did not prove automatically to be better. Nor was this the only question arising from
the disaster.
The accommodations of the ship, divided into lst, 2nd and 3rd Classes, mirrored almost exactly
the class structure - upper, middle and lower - of the English-speaking world.The cost of a first
class ticket was $4,350 which would be about $50,000 today. A third class ticket was $30 or
$345 today.
All but two of the women in lst Class were saved, while 155 women and children from 2nd and
3rd - mostly 3rd - drowned - there was a new, long-overdue scrutiny of the prevailing social
system and its values.
She was the most luxurious moving object ever built. No other
story in history has captured our
hearts and imagination like hers. In the Titanic Exhibition
history is brought to life as you view
over 200 authentic artifacts recovered from Titanic's wreck
site, amazing recreations of her
famous rooms, and personal stories of her passengers and crew.
This bronze cherub is similar to the one
that stood at the foot of the Grand Staircase at the entrance to First class
A microcosm of the Edwardian era, the Titanic carried all types of people from all over the
world.The Chicago exhibit in the Museum of Science and Industry, spotlights the only black on
board the Titanic.
French researcher Olivier Mendez and the Massachusetts-based Titanic Historical Society are
credited with first uncovering the information that a black was aboard the Titanic.
Joseph Laroche, a Haitian-born French-educated engineer boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg ,
outside Paris, with his wife and two daughters. They weren't featured in the popular 1997 film.
Two of the museum's "program interpreters" are portraying the couple. Other passengers being
portrayed include socialite Margaret "Molly" Brown and Capt. Edward Smith.
The Laroches - played by Gregory Armstrong and Meredith Browder -provide a history lesson
about their lives and the fateful journey that would separate them forever.
RECOVERED DISHES
They had not planned to leave France on the Titanic, but Mrs. Laroche was pregnant and her
condition required that they leave while it was still safe for her to travel. The family dined
together at a 9 p.m. seating on April 14. Joseph retired to the smoking parlor with other men in
second class. Juliette and their daughters, 3- year-old Simone and 1- year-old Louise, returned to
their suite.
After the collision, Joseph ran back to the suite awakening his wife and daughters. Juliette and her
daughters were placed in a lifeboat. Joseph draped his coat, stuffed with money and family
valuables, across his wife's shoulders. "You will need it," he said to his wife. "I will see you in
New York. I must take another raft. God be with you.
This particular artifact, a magazine found
among the passenger's luggage, has been remarkably restored despite having
been two and a half miles below the surface for 81 years.
Those were the last words he spoke to his wife. The coat was stolen, but Juliette Laroche and
the girls survived. Joseph Laroche, 26, the only black man aboard the ship, was one of 166
second-class passengers who died.
Transported on the rescue ship Carpathia, Juliette Laroche, whose feet were frozen, and her
daughters arrived in New York, where they were treated at St. Vincent's Hospital. She later
returned to France where Joseph Lemercier Laroche was born on Dec. 17, 1912.
Juliette Laroche never remarried, nor spoke of the disaster except in letters in the Titanic
Historical
Society.
She died in 1980. Her daughters never married. The younger Joseph Laroche,
who married and had three children died in 1987.
The Broadway musical opened at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre on April 23, 1997. Titanic is
now on a nationwide tour. With a story and book by Peter Stone and music and lyrics by Maury
Yeston, the action takes place between April 10 and 15, 1912. All characters and events are based
on fact.
TITANIC THE MUSICAL
The original cast recording on RCA Victor, produced by Tommy Krasker and Maury Yeston, was
recorded and mixed by Joel Moss. It was recorded April 27, 1997 at the Hit Factory's Studio I,
New York City and is a must have for Titanic historians and Broadway enthusiasts.
Look for the production when it comes to your area of the country. From April 11-16 the boat
docks at the Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte, NC. Pulls up anchor and sails to the Juanita K.
Hammons Hall in Springfield, MO April 25-30.
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APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE
ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE/SLOAN PROJECT is a half million dollar, three year program fostering new theatrical
explorations of the worlds of science and technology. This season, the Project is awarding
$57,000 in commissions to playwrights, choreographers and scientists, including: Peter Basch,
Bob Clyman, Arthur Giron, Brian Greene, Sandra Kaufmann, Quincy Long, Cassandra Medley,
Rita Nachtman, Dan O'Brien, Jeff Reich, Jacquelyn Reingold, Jamie Richards, Elyse Singer,
Matthew Wells, and the NYU Graduate Acting Program.
The Ensemble Studio Theatre is the nation's foremost developmental theatre, with over five
thousand plays produced over its twenty seven year history. It has a core membership of over
four hundred professional theatre artists.
Moving Bodies by Arthur Giron is about Nobel Prize winning scientist Richard Feynman.
Directed by Chris Smith, Moving Bodies is the centerpiece production of this festival,
which runs through April 29. Moving Bodies is the story of the young physicist Feynman
as he explores nature science, sex, anti-Semitism, and the world around him. This epic, comic
journey portrays Feynman as an iconoclastic young man, a physicist with the Manhattan Project,
and confronting the mystery of the Challenger disaster.
Founded in 1934, the New York based Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic, nonprofit
institution that makes grants in science and technology and economic competitiveness. Sloan's
program in public understanding of science and technology aims to enhance people's lives
through a keener appreciation of our increasingly scientific and technological world. The
program also strives to convey some of the challenges and rewards of the scientific and
technological enterprise, and of the lives of the men and women who undertake it.
FRANK SINATRA will be
christened with a bottle of Jack Daniels cracked across the bow. Named in honor of the late
crooner, the New York Waterway trans-Hudson fleet will name a boat after him with Frank's
granddaughter, Angela Jennifer (AJ) Lambert, doing the christening honors on April 12.
THE MUSIC GOES ROUND AND
ROUND
CONFIDENTIALLY COLE
the
original cast CD has been released. Sean Hayden created a riveting theatrical production
that used
the music and lyrics of Cole Porter, with additional music by Steve Ross and Ann Hampton
Callaway, to produce a new look at the music and life of one of the 20th century's great musical
theatre composers. Music director and co-arranger is Rick Jensen.
During his time, Cole Porter's conflicting passion produced a collection of over 800 songs, many
with recurring themes of forbidden love, longing and obsession. Although married for 34 years.
Cole had several intimate relationships during these years. Thus his double life was infused
throughout his music with coded references to his lifestyle as well as a fatalistic view of
love.
COPENHAGEN written
by Michael Frayn, directed by Michael Blakemore stars Philip Bosco, Michael Cumpsty and Blair
Brown.
BLAIR BROWN grew up in a CIA family
Brown, best known as the title character in the quirky cult hit TV series The Days and Nights
of Molly Dodd, is the only child of a schoolteacher mother and a father who was an operative
and then an analyst with the CIA. Early in life she learned how to act. While she was little she was
instructed to tell friends that her father was with the State Department. When she went to drama
school in Canada she was ordered to say he sold greenhouses. Given her background this play
seems a natural for Blair.
Copenhagen is inspired by actual events that have intrigued and baffled historian
for more than 50 years - a 1941 meeting between two brilliant physicists, longtime friends whose
work together had opened the way to the atom, but who were now on opposite sides of World
War II. German physicist Werner Heisenberg (Michael Cumpsty) made a covert trip at great risk
to see his Dutch counterpart Niels Bohr (Philip Bosco) and his wife Margrethe (Blair Brown) in
Copenhagen, but the meeting ended in disaster. Why did Heisenberg go to Denmark, and what
did the two men say to each other? What happened at this pivotal meeting that was a defining
moment of the modern nuclear age? Set design by Peter J. Davison, Mark Henderson and
Michael Lincoln are the lighting designers and Tony Meola is the sound designer. Opens April
11th at the Royale Theatre, NYC
THE REAL THING written by
Tom Stoppard, directed by David Leveaux stars Stephen Dillane, Jennifer Ehle, Nigel Lindsay,
Sarah Woodward, Joshua Henderson, Charlotte Parry and Oscar Pearce. The Real Thing
is about marriage and writing, emotional fidelity and intellectual integrity, the truth and acting,
both onstage and in real life. The play centers around Henry, a successful writer attempting to
balance his professional and personal life and finding the two blurs together more often than
not. In shifting perspectives, couples in The Real Thing flounder and reform. Presented by
Anita Waxman, Elizabeth Williams, Ron Kastner and Miramax Films with sets and costumes by
Vicki Mortimer, Mark Henderson and David Weiner on lights and sound by John A. Leonard.
Opens April 17 at the Barrymore Theatre, NYC.
ENTER THE GUARDSMEN
has its New York premiere May 9 at the Vineyard Theater. The production is a musical based on
the Ferenc Molner play The Guardsman.
THE MUSIC MAN getting
standing ovations in New York City. Seventy Six Trombones gets em every time. The
revival proves to be a hit.
FOSSE the Tony award winning
musical plays the Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis on April 12-13. The show highlights the work of
legendary choreographer/director Bob Fosse and includes rarely seen dance and musical numbers
from his earliest works. In 1973, fosse became the first director in history to win the Oscar,
Tony and Emmy awards in a single year for the film version of Cabaret, the Broadway
musical Pippin and the television special Liza With a Z.
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE Stephen Sondheim's acclaimed musical had an
especially real feel of
the Broadway show when it was staged in Modesto, California.
That's because producer/director
Erik Buck Townsend bought the original set.
ROCK:THE BRITISH SYMPHONY AND CHOIR Direct from London, this two and a half hour celebration of the British
Rock Invasion with 54 hit songs from the Beatles,
The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd,
and The Who - all performed by a powerful cast of 60 including
Zak Starsky - Ringo Starr's son -
on drums. Billy Preston on keyboards and Dave Edmunds on
guitar. April 15 at the Robert Ferst
Center for the Arts, Atlanta, GA.
FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE is
accepting shots and resumes from experienced union and
non-union performers for consideration
for the 2000 season. Send to Paige Posey,
Flat Rock Playhouse, Boc 310 Flat Rock, NC 28731.
Do not phone.
WHO'S WHERE
WYNTON MARSALIS
conducts The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra For Dancers Only
at the Art Ham Concert Hall in Las Vegas on April 16. This is part of a 23 city tour
with Las Vegas among the first of their stops.
The band will feature timeless dance classics from jazz
legends such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Benny Goodman, as well as newly commissioned
works by LCJO members Wycliffe Gordon, Ron Westray, and Ted Nash. Jazz at Lincoln Center
(J@LC) is the world's largest not-for-profit arts organization committed to promoting the
appreciation and understanding of jazz through performance. Education and preservation.
Famed jazz musician Wynton Marsalis has a multi-faceted career as an instrumentalist, composer,
bandleader, recording artist and educator has earned him several awards including the
prestigious Pulitzer Prize in music. Tickets for the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
are $35-$55.
COMDEN AND GREEN At the 92nd
St Y, NYC. April 15,16,17 Tickets are $40.
MARY TYLER MOORE April 17
discusses her life and experiences at the Au-Rene Theater, Fort Lauderdale Florida. There is also
a post lecture VIP reception.
TONY VINCENT has replaced Jason
Pebworth as Judas in the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. The decision was made by the
American producers, privately being called "the Judas kiss off."
UTE LEMPER performs at Davies
Hall San Francisco on April 13, then at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago on April 15. The next
night its on stage at the Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
JACK JONES & PHYLLIS DILLER
Serving those special clothing needs
nationwide
two of America's best loved cabaret stars will blend their considerable and diverse talents when
they pair up at the Stardust Hotel, Las Vegas April 11-15. Jones, the son of motion picture and
concert legend Alan Jones, has recorded more than 50 top-selling albums. His Top 20 singles
include Lollipops And Roses, Wives and Lovers, Call Me Irresponsible and Dear
Heart. Diller's distinctive cackle, uncontrollable hair and self-deprecating humor have made
her one of the world's most recognizable comediennes. A trained concert pianist, Diller has been
in 22 motion pictures and starred in Hello Dolly. She's also written four successful books
and recorded five hit comedy albums.
ROGER WHITTAKER Pantages
Playhouse, Winnipeg, Canada on April 12.
B.B.KING Palace Theater, Myrtle
Beach, S.C. April 10.
MICHAEL FEINSTEIN April 11-13
at his own Feinstein's At The Regency in NYC. On April 14 it's off to the Westbury Music Fair
with Rosemary Clooney and Big Kahuna and the Copa Cat Pack. Like a yo-yo Michael returns to
his Feinstein's club on April 15 and then reappears at Westbury on April 16 again with Clooney
and the Big Kahuna and the Copa Cat Pack.
THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
were feted by Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and The Orleans Hotel on their hit You've
Lost That Lovin' Feeling being the most played song in the last century.
PAUL RODRIQUEZ
Paul Rodriquez's mother has never seen him perform
his comedy act.
on a national
tour recently appeared in Stockton, California which is in the middle of
the area from Bakersfield
to Bremerton, Washington where Paul and his family worked picking crops.
"Anything that grows in Modesto has been picked by somebody named Rodriquez. I remember
being on my knees a lot - whether it was from picking almonds or pistachios
I don't recall."
Up
off his knees and into the spotlight Rodriquez blends his upbringing into his comedy routines.
Paul's mother has never seen her son perform.
"She has never been to one of my shows. She
understands acting and singing, but she doesn't understand being paid to stand up and talk."
As
for Paul's five brothers and sisters, the comedian says his sibs think he's overpaid and that they
are funnier. Paul returns to Las Vegas where he'll appear at the Monte Carlo
Hotel April 29-May 4.
THIS AND THAT
NINA REPETA who plays Bessie
Potter on Dawson's Creek has been named the Festival Queen of the North Carolina
Azalea Festival. The busy young lady is also filming the movie Angel Doll directed by
Tony Leung.
THE ATLANTA TENNIS CHALLENGE
Low Cost Printing Nationwide
formerly known as the AT&T Challenge, is the largest clay-court tennis
tournament in North America. April 9-April 16 at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Among the players are
last year's winner, Australian player Stefan Koubek, as well as Las Vegas resident, four-time
Atlanta champ Andre Agassi. General admission tickets $8-$38.
Mention BROADWAY TO VEGAS for Special Consideration
Call (800) 942-9027
Next Column: April 16, 2000
Copyright: April 9, 2000. All Rights Reserved. Reviews, Interviews, Commentary,
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