Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: January 28, 2024
By: Laura Deni
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FASCINATING PEACE AND WAR PRODUCTION OF A NURSE IN WORLD WAR I

Peace and War is a factual drama based on a WW1 nurse diary. Inspired by author Barbara Frost reading her mother-in-law’s diaries of her times in Germany in the early 1900’s and as a nurse in France during World War 1.

Peace and War explores the extraordinary life of a young woman, Evelyn, who lived through a fascinating time of change in the lives of women during both peace and wartime. At the start of the First World War went to France to nurse injured soldiers at the Front. Her German father, who she adored, ran off when she was young, leaving her, her mother and her siblings with huge financial insecurity. Produced and directed by Cherry Cookson, the production stars Sandra Voe as Evelyn. Young Evelyn played by Beth Eyre. Mark Straker is cast as David. Mother by Elizabeth Rider. Father by Gerard McDermott. Sister Bradshaw by Rachel Atkins. Beatrice by Suzy Gill. Tom by Richard Reed. Olive by Alana Ross. Richard Rosen by Michael Watson-Gray. American Lady by Belinda Low and Fred by Sean Matthews. Other parts were played by members of the cast.

All of the performers are superb. Excellent sound balancing. Crisp enunciation by the actors. Marvelous pacing.

For almost the first hour the play traces Evelyn's childhood. She adored her father: He wore "bright buckles in which the child can see her face." That was the last time they saw him except for an occasional visit. He sent postcards to her sister Beatrice, the child he barely knew. Brother Tom received money.

The story begins in Germany in the early 1900’s where Evelyn spent many years teaching in Hamburg with her mother. She had a fascinating time traveling on the continent and working abroad as a governess and was back in Hamburg when war was declared. She and her mother endured a long and perilous journey back to England, when English nationals were repatriated.

Then she realizes their lives were about to change.

It's not until 50 minutes into the l hour - 28 minute play that nursing is addressed.

Cleaning is the first priority and Evelyn is astounded she spends her time as a scrub women. Patients are to be kept as clean and comfortable as possible.

She nursed for some time at the front in France, where the working conditions were harrowing and the soldiers’ injuries agonizing to witness.

The winters are brutal with patients wearing their heavy military uniforms in bed in an attempt to keep warm. The thermometers are frozen. Neither milk nor eggs are eatable. No washing until he thaw arrives. There aren't enough pain killers and there is no hot water; unable to sterilize equipment.

The nurses lived in tents. At Christmas time the nurses decorated their tents with handmade paper chains. The nurses were told that they would each receive extra bacon at Christmas breakfast.

Patient George fretted that his amputated hand meant he could no longer write to his mother and wonders if he'd be better off dead.

19-year-old Billy laments that he is drifting away.

Evelyn lights a cigarette for a soldier who is thrashing, in pain, and hallucinating.

The nurse reflects that they gave the soldiers the best last hours they could, and reflects on the mothers who would soon receive a telegram saying their son had died in the hospita.

When Evelyn's nursing contract ended she returned to England where she nursed and was based in a convent run by Catholics, which was for her a foreign religion and lifestyle. After recalling how she had decorated her tent in France she disclosed that she now lived in a very small, all white room with a small, hard bed - a large crucifix on the wall. She complained that the nuns' cooking left much to be desired. She was eager to leave the convent each morning and head to work in the hospital.

Then, quite out of the blue, the war was over.

The production holds your attention, especially the later part recalling nursing experiences. Today's front line nursing may have improved, but war is the same.

Studio production was by Daryl Chapman and Editing and Post production by Malcolm Thorp.

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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

THE ONLY PAINTING EVER CREATED BY ALL FOUR BEATLES

The Beatles, Images of a Woman, 1966. Photo by Robert Whitaker. Acrylic and watercolor on paper. 21½ x 31 in (54.6 x 78.8 cm), the image. 39¼ x 39¾ (99.7 x 101 cm), framed. Offered in The Exceptional Sale on 1 February 2024 at Christie’s in New York Photo: Christie's.

their 1966 painting, Images of a Woman, will be up for sale at Christie's New York auction house February 1, 2024 in their Exceptional Sale.

It's The Beatles’ only known painting, signed by all four stars and is expected to sell for between $400,000-600,000.

In 1966 sequestered in the Presidential Suite of the Tokyo's Hilton Hotel, from June 29 to July 3rd the band created a world of their own, thanks to the high-quality art supplies they were gifted. Equipped with fine Japanese art paper, watercolors, oil paints and brushes, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr created what would become the only known painting made and signed by each of them. The finished work, Images of a Woman - a name acquired in the late-1980s after a Japanese journalist thought he could see female genitals in Paul’s upper right quadrant.

According to Christies: in a description from a photograph by the Beatles' photographer Robert Whitaker, four chairs are arranged around a table, on which the bandmembers have laid out a 30x40-inch rectangular sheet of paper. The chairs correspond with the four corners, and a lamp is placed in the centre, both to weigh down the paper and light it. Working under the illuminated bulb, each man has begun to create from his corner and gradually work towards the middle.

‘They’d stop [painting], go and do a concert, then it was “Let’s go back to the picture!”’ recalls their photographer Robert Whitaker, adding that the work was completed over two nights. ‘I never saw them calmer or more contented than at this time.’ According to the photographer, The Beatles never discussed what they were painting — ‘it evolved naturally.’

Beatles' members have always had an affection for art.

Lennon went to art school for three years and famously published two books of idiosyncratic writing with clever caricatures."‘Paul was always a highly accomplished and inventive artist, easily capable of gaining an Art A-Level at the end of his two-year school course — he failed it only because he’d gone off on The Beatles’ first tour" Lewisohn told Christie's. The historian adds that George and Ringo also drew "often and with plenty of talent. George treasured a schoolbook which showed that when he should have been paying attention to teachers, he was filling page after page with elaborate sketches of guitars," posted Christie's.

In Images of a Woman Lennon and McCartney favored black acrylic paint while Harrison and Starr relied heavily on watercolor, and they united the quadrants with a punchy vermilion background to heighten the overall graphic effect. When the work was completed The Beatles removed the table lamp and signed an area of the remaining large white circle adjacent to their art.

So, how did Christie's acquire the painting?

The musicians gave the painting to Tetsusaburo Shimoyama, chairman of the official Beatles fan club in Tokyo. It was eventually sold by his wife in 1989, who opened a Beatles memorabilia store following Shimoyama’s death, and made its way to record shop owner Takao Nishino. He owned the work for more than two decades and stored it under his bed before putting it up for auction in 2012.

The auction will bring together decorative arts, historical treasures and items from pop and sports culture with a varied assortment of lots that also include long jumper Bob Beamon’s 1968 Olympic gold medal, a pair of tabourets belonging to Empress Josephine de Beauharnais and a Louis XIV Gobelins tapestry formerly owned by William K. Vanderbilt.

Christie’s will also auction off a gold crocheted vest worn by Janis Joplin and a Gretsch guitar used by Elvis Presley during his Las Vegas residency.

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SWEET CHARITY

THE FILM AND TV CHARITY OF BRITAIN offers "free expert legal advice for anyone working behind the scenes in film, TV and cinema.

"Whether you’re a researcher or a writer, in casting or production, editing or sales, distribution or exhibition, we’re ready to help. One of our friendly team members will be able to guide you.

You can feel confident that all our services are free and confidential.

"It can also be accessed for either professional or personal needs covering any of the following areas: family law, employment law, housing, wills and probate, civil litigation, consumer law, company law, criminal law, motoring, medical negligence, personal injury, education, healthcare/eldercare, debt and finance.

In addition to the Live Chat and Support Line, the organization has teamed up with Mayer Brown’s James Whitaker to launch a series of bitesize videos on key legal issues.

The videos are made up of a series of eight videos on their Youtube Channel

The full line-up of content:
Copyright – overview
Dealing with copyright – key issues
Dealing with copyright – assignment and licensing
The importance of contracts
Chain of title – what is it and why is it important?
Commonly encountered agreements

SPREADING THE WORD

ALAN CUMMING & ARI SHAPIRO IN OCH & OY! both men are known for transporting audiences to other worlds through their stories. Now, they’re joining forces in song. Their show, Och & Oy! A Considered Cabaret will play the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, MN on Sunday, February 4. It’s a collection of songs and stories compiled from their seemingly very disparate lives and personalities, but in the course of the show we find out that we aren’t so different after all.

It has also been announced that Comming's solo show, Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age will play Studio 54 in New York City on March 11, 2024. will come to Broadway for one night only.

RANDY RAINBOW the beloved musical satirist, is embarking on an extended leg of his Randy Rainbow for President Tour, adding new dates to his “campaign trail”, including a stop at the Flynn in Burlington, Vermont on Friday, February 9th.

Randy Rainbow is a four-time Emmy and Grammy-nominated American comedian, producer, actor, singer, writer, satirist, host, and New York Times best-selling author known for his popular web series, The Randy Rainbow Show. His debut memoir, Playing with Myself received rave reviews.

RADIO GALAXY a new play by Michele Aldin Kushner, will be performed at invitation-only readings on Friday, February 2 at the New York Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in New York City. Radio Galaxy is directed by David Esbjornson and produced by Margot Astrachan and Richard Winkler.

Tino, 17-year-old science prodigy, from a hard-working, blue-collar family, dreams, eats, and sleeps astronomy. Unexpectedly, his biological father, Raju, an astrophysicist, enters his life. Tino has the chance to help Raju's sick daughter and - for the first time in his life - have his dreams of studying the cosmos realized - if only his dad would let him.

Radio Galaxy readings will feature Tony Danza, Oscar Williams, Ritisha Chakraborty, Ami Sheth, and Alok Tewari.

"Radio Galaxy explores family in a most thoughtful but also heart stopping way," said producers Margot Astrachan and Richard Winkler. "The play lets us laugh and cry and brings up insightful and thought-provoking questions such as: What does it mean to be a father? What determines fatherhood? And can we overcome our prejudices? Our hope is that the play will be the catalyst for insightful conversations about love and the family unit."

BLUE NOTE RECORDS 85th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION starring The Blue Note Quintet takes place Thursday, February 8, 2024 in Campbell Hall of the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The most revered label in jazz recording celebrates 85 years of unforgettable music with a tour by a distinguished quintet. Pianist Gerald Clayton, former music director of the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour, has organized a new ensemble to express the heart and soul of jazz, Blue Note style. Fresh off an outstanding release featuring Santa Barbara favorite Charles Lloyd, Clayton has assembled a group of young lions - Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, Kendrick Scott and Matt Brewer - who refresh the bop idiom with contemporary harmonies and irresistible rhythms.

Presented in association with UCSB Department of Music.

JENNIFER LOPEZ to produce Bob the Builder film set in Puerto Rico.

In The Heights star Anthony Ramos will voice the title character.

The new film will follow Roberto (aka Bob) as he travels to Puerto Rico for a major construction job. The film’s official longline, states: audiences will see Bob as he "takes on issues affecting the island and digs deeper into what it means to build. Bob’s journey will celebrate the vibrant and colorful textures of the Caribbean Latin nations and their people"

MY LIFE WITH THE WAVE inspired by the poem by Mexican Poet Laureate Octavio Paz and uses movement, sound, digital technology, and physical interaction to create a fully immersive sensory experience takes place January 31 - February 1, 2024 at the Leeds Playhouse, Playhouse Square Quarry Hill, Leeds, England.

A story of friendship, taking audiences on a journey beneath the waves. Created for people aged 11 and above with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities and staged in Interplay Theatre’s unique illuminated dome. In addition to the show, Interplay and Leeds Playhouse will be collaborating on the highly regarded Beautiful Octopus Club Festival, a week of interactive experiences, a club night, and creative sessions for people with learning disabilities. The festival also includes a Sensory Theatre Symposium about the experiences of people with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities, their parents and carers, sharing how sensory experiences, theatre and the arts impact their lives.

SOPRANO RENEE FLEMING in recital February 1, 2024 at the grand Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA.

ODYSSEY THEATRE ENSEMBLE'S THRESHOLDS OF INVENTION SERIES of first looks at pieces-in-progress by prominent L.A. visionaries presents White Out, written and performed by Dave Trudell and directed by Chuma Gault.

On a sweltering summer day during the height of the pandemic, Dave Trudell steps outside his apartment and melts into a protest in progress. As he marches through the streets of Los Angeles in support of Black Lives, complex and illuminating memories flood his consciousness. Black Lives Matter, and he’s white, queer and awakening to the defining role race has had in his life, and how it intersects with his queerness.

Series curator: Tony Abatemarco. One performance Sunday, February 4, 2024 at Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles, CA.

EMMY WINNER MAURICIO MARTINEZ will bring his show, 5’11 Live in NYC to 54 Below in New York City on Sunday, February 4th with pianist and musical director Brian J. Nash and a live band.

5’11 Live in NYC is written by Mauricio Martínez and Robbie Rozelle, with musical direction and arrangements by Brian J. Nash and directed by Rozelle. Mauricio’s debut release, Live in NYC was recorded live at 54 Below in 2023 and available February 2024.

QUEEN CAMILLA TO STAR IN DOCUMENTARY ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Queen Camilla meeting with women at a domestic violence center. Photo: the Royal Family

Queen Camilla will star in an upcoming documentary on domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse. The news was revealed when she visited Refuge Gaia Centre in South London, a specialist Violence Against Women and Girls service and community hub, which helps survivors.

Over the past week, The Queen was been followed around by a camera crew as she visited three support spaces and centres for survivors of domestic abuse.

The Refuge Center assists more than 1,500 adults and 2,000 children each year, providing care for survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence, trafficking, modern slavery, sexual exploitation, Female Genital Mutilation, forced marriage and honor-based violence.

During the visit, Her Majesty met privately with survivors of domestic abuse, who shared their personal stories and their experience of being supported by Refuge.

The Queen also visited a children's playroom and heard from specialist staff about how children who have experienced domestic abuse, and other forms of gender-based violence, including Child Sexual Exploitation, are supported by the centre.

She was accompanied by the Chair of Refuge's Board of Trustees, Hetti Barkworth-Nanton CBE, and interim CEO Ellen Miller.

Refuge is the largest provider of special support for women and children experience domestic abuse and gender-based violence in the country.

While The Queen acknowledges that domestic violence is "gritty" subject that some have shied away from in the past, she has vowed that her work will continue even though she has become queen.

Love Monday is producing the upcoming film which has already begun production.

Camilla has been a passionate campaigner on the issue for many years, working with organizations to break the taboo around the issue and support survivors.

She even created hygiene bags which are distributed at UK Sexual Assault Referral Centres to victims following forensics examination, containing items such as soap and shampoo which offer comfort and familiarity at what can be a very sensitive and dehumanizing time.

During her visit Queen Camilla referred to a visit she made to the Safe Lives organization eight years ago, which inspired her to take on the cause. "I think like a lot of people in this country, and all over the world, I certainly didn't know very much about this abuse.

"I'd literally scratched the surface. It's only when I sat down and listened to these really heartbreaking stories that I realized how terrible it was and how deep it was.

"I do remember saying at the time that I'd like to do anything I could to help and I'm not sure I've done a lot, but I've been trying to get out there and talk about it and make it a normal subject that people can talk about and stop it being a taboo subject; which it's been for years.

"I particularly salute all the survivors who are able to get out there; to talk to me, talk to everybody and tell other people about what they've been through, because they are going to save lives by getting others to come forward.

"It's wonderful to see everybody here today, to see a whole team working together, it's obviously producing good results and will save lives. Thank you all very much for all you do in this field, because you are doing a brilliant job," she told those attending the Refuge's event.

More than one in four women in England and Wales experiences domestic abuse at some point in their lifetime, and on average two women are killed by a current or former partner a week.

WRITE ON!

Entente Littéraire Prize for writers of young adult literature is now open for entries.

The new UK-France literary prize was launched in September 2023 by Queen Camilla and French president Emmanuel Macron’s wife Madame Brigitte Macron during the King and Queen’s State visit to France, the Entente Littéraire Prize as part of the 120th anniversary celebrations for the Entente Cordiale, the 1904 agreement between the UK and French governments that improved bilateral relations.

Two prizes of €8,000 (£6,844) ($8705.5) will be awarded. One for a piece of YA writing submitted in French and translated into English, and for a piece of English writing translated into French. Each €8,000 prize will be split equally between the creators of the book. This means the writer and translator, and where applicable, the illustrator, will be rewarded equally.

Prize submissions formally opened following a press conference held at the French Residence in Kensington, London, and the British Embassy in Paris on January 23, 2024. The prize is for published works only.

Author Joanne Harris, who is bilingual, will lead the British-French jury, told the press: "As a dual national of France and of the UK, I’m thrilled and honored to play a role in the launch of this exciting new prize, which represents so much that is dear to me; the country that taught me to love reading, and the country that taught me how to be a writer."

She added: "Both our countries have a rich and varied literary heritage as well as a close shared history and it’s wonderful to see them in partnership for this welcome celebration of young adult fiction. It’s also wonderful to be part of a prize that celebrates translators as well as creators, and I’m looking forward, both to reading the entries, and to working with my colleagues from both sides of the Channel."

She will be joined on the judging panel by YA writers Marie-Aude Murail, and Timothée de Fombelle from France and Patrice Lawrence and Joseph Coelho from the UK.

The deadline for entries is Monday, April 8, 2024. The judges will compile a shortlist to be announced in winter 2024, which will feature up to three works translated from French into English, and up to three works translated from English into French. The winners will be announced shortly afterwards at a special event in Paris.

The prize is organized by the Royal Society of Literature and the Institut Français du Royaume-Uni in London, in collaboration with the French Ministry of Culture, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the British Embassy in Paris and the French Embassy in London.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

THE AMERICAN THEATRE WING has announced that the Obie Awards which celebrate the best of Off- and Off-Off-Broadway, in lieu of the annual awards ceremony, will instead bestow winners with grants ranging from $1,000-5,000.

"We are truly excited about this next iteration of The Obies because it genuinely reflects the ethos of the Awards as well as the Off & Off Off Broadway movements – which is to continuously evolve and meet the moment," says Heather Hitchens. president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing.

The 67th Obie Awards recognizes the outstanding contributions made throughout the 2022-2023 Off- and Off- Off-Broadway theatre season in New York City - shows that opened between September 1, 2022 through August 31, 2023.

The Obie Judges Committee includes: Obie-winning and Tony Award-nominated costume designer Dede Ayite; acclaimed scenic designer Wilson Chin; writer and Grammy Award winner Ty Defoe; Broadway’s first Black intimacy coordinator & Obie Award winner Ann C. James; Obie Award-winning playwright Haruna Lee; actor, writer and performance artist Florencia Lozano; and Obie Award-winning performance artist Carmelita Tropicana; and is co-chaired by Obie-winning director David Mendizábal and veteran theater critic Melissa Rose Bernardo. The judges thoroughly evaluated over 300 productions, engaged in thoughtful discussions, and, through their votes, selected the recipients.

The official 67th Obie Awards were announced on Saturday, January 27, 2024.

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PIERCE BROSNAN has been announced among the 2024 recipients of the annual US-Ireland Alliance's Oscar Wilde Awards.

On March 7 Brosnan will be honored at the event, which take place in Santa Monica, CA at Bad Robot, the production company of award founders JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath.

The annual Oscar Wilde Awards are viewed as the non-traditional Oscars-week event - with its casual ambiance.

Pierce Brosnan, the only Irishman to ever play James Bond on the big screen.

Brosnan was the fifth Bond, starring as the coolly debonair 007 in box-office blockbusters Goldeneye; Tomorrow Never Dies; The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day.

Brosnan, a father-of-five, is a committed environmentalist and philanthropist, something he pursues with wife Keely Shaye Smith, but he also continues to act and produce.

He can currently be seen in Phillip Noyce’s hitman thriller, Fast Charlie, which is based on Victor Gischler’s novel, Gun Monkeys, and recently finished production on two films - Four Letters of Love based on the Niall Williams bestselling novel of the same name, and The Last Rifleman inspired by a true story of a World War II veteran living in a care home in Northern Ireland.

“The success of Irish actors in the film industry in recent years has highlighted the remarkable talent in Ireland,” US-Ireland Alliance founder Trina Vargo said. “We’re thrilled to be honoring one of the most talented Irish legends, who paved the way.”

Oscar-winning special effects supervisor Richard Baneham will also receive an Oscar Wilde Award. Dublin-born Baneham, a two-time Oscar winning VFX Supervisor, who received his Oscars for his work on the original Avatar in 2010 and for Avatar: The Way of Water

BARYSHNIKOV ARTS has announced its 2024 Spring Residency Artists. Baryshnikov Arts residencies provide space and support to artists for creative investigation in all performing arts disciplines: dance, music, theater, multimedia, performance art, or any combination thereof. Each year, Baryshnikov Arts hosts over 20 artists in residence at its Center in NYC, with support that can include use of Baryshnikov Arts’ studios and theaters, work-in-progress showings, artist honoraria, and technical and administrative services. Baryshnikov Arts residencies provide pressure-free conditions to artists, who are encouraged to focus on a specific project without the expectation of delivering a finished product.

This year, Baryshnikov Arts welcomes the following artists to its NYC Center for the 2024 Spring Residencies: J. Mae Barizo, Kevin Carillo, Imani Gaudin & Jakob Vitale, John Glover, Dorchel Haqq, Keerati Jinakunwiphat, Tomislav Nevistic, Solange Rodrigues, James Whiteside, and the little OPERA theatre of ny. Additionally, in collaboration with its residency partners, the following join the roster of 2024 Spring residency artists: Baye & Asa, Kyle Marshall, and Celia Rowlson-Hall as a part of the Baryshnikov Arts Fellowship at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park; Netta Yershalmy in partnership with the Bogliasco Foundation; and Chanel DaSilva and James Gregg in partnership with the Princess Grace Foundation.

HANG IN THERE . . .

SARAH, THE DUCHESS OF YORK who has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer six months after completing treatment for breast cancer.

MAVIS AND JAY LENO who has filed for conservatorship over his wife, Mavis, who suffers from Altzheimer's. One of Hollywood's happiest married couples, they have been wed for over 44 years. Any women with Mavis' health issues should be lucky enough to be married to a man who loves her even half as much as Jay loves Mavis. She is in good hands.



JONAH by Rachel Bonds.

Directed by Danya Taymor.

"Ana is on scholarship at a boarding school far from home, deeply and distinctly alone until she crosses paths with day student Jonah. This heart-racing coming-of-age story from Rachel Bonds will keep you guessing until its final twisting moments."

The cast includes: Gabby Beans, Hagan Oliveras, Samuel H. Levine, and John Zdrojeski.

The creative team: Wilson Chin (Sets), Kaye Voyce (Costumes), Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting), Kate Marvin (Sound), Tommy Kurzman (Hair and Wig), Gigi Buffington (Voice and Text Coach), Morgan Auld (Illusions), Tilly Evans-Krueger (Movement), and Ann James (Intimacy). Presented by Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, President/CEO, in memoriam; Scott Ellis, Interim Artistic Director).

Jonah opens officially on Thursday, February 1, 2024, at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre in New York City with a limited engagement through Sunday, March 10, 2024.

2 ACROSS by Jerry Mayer.

Directed by Dan Rogers.

Taking place on a San Francisco BART train (Bay Area Rapid Transit), the story revolves around two strangers, a man and a woman, who find themselves sitting together on a morning commute. As the journey progresses, they engage in a clever and humorous battle of wits through a crossword puzzle.

The woman, an uptight and analytical psychiatrist, is fully engrossed in solving the crossword puzzle, while the man, a free-spirited and witty advertising executive, is more interested in engaging in playful banter. The crossword puzzle serves as a catalyst for their conversations, providing a backdrop for their evolving relationship.

As the train ride continues, the characters gradually reveal glimpses of their personal lives, sharing their frustrations, dreams, and disappointments. Through their interactions, they challenge and support each other, slowly breaking down their emotional barriers and forming a connection that transcends the confines of their train compartment.

February 1 - February 11, 2024 at Dakota Stage Playhouse in Bismarck, ND.

FURLOUGH'S PARADISE by A.K. Payne.

Directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden.

Winner of the 20th annual Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, Furlough’s Paradise is a poignant new play examining the dynamics that shape our lives and lead us to where we make our homes. Cousins Sade and Mina, raised like sisters but now leading very different lives, return to their childhood town for the funeral of their mother and aunt. While Sade is on a three-day furlough from prison and Mina experiences a brief reprieve from her career and life on the West Coast, the two try to make sense of grief, home, love, and kinship. But traumas and resentments from the past, both real and surreal, threaten to pull them apart, all as time ticks towards the correctional officer's arrival.

Featuring Asha Basha Duniani, Kai Heath, Cymiah Alexander, and Makallen Kelley.

The creatives are: Shilla Benning costume design - Milton Cordero projection design - Julie B. Johnson movement integration - Chris Lane sound design - Laura Morse emotional wellness consultant - Chika Shimizu scenic design - Ashley Thomas dramaturg - Thoma Weaver LX Design Crew - Samantha Honeycutt stage management production assistant - Amanda Perez stage manager.

January 31- March 3, 2024 on The Alliance Theatre's Hertz Stage in Atlanta, Georgia which is a modern, 200-seat Black Box theatre.

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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.

FINAL OVATION

NORMAN JEWISON world famous film and television director and producer died January 20, 224 at his home in Los Angeles, CA. He was 97.

In a career spanning more thna 50 years Jewison received a BAFTA Award and was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

He also was the recipient of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences' Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1999.

In 1988, Jewison founded the Canadian Film Centre. In 2003, Jewison received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement for his multiple contributions to the film industry in Canada.

Jewison addressed social and political issues throughout his filmmaking career, often making controversial or complicated subjects accessible to mainstream audiences.

Jewison directed numerous feature films and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director three times in three separate decades for In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), and Moonstruck (1987). Other highlights of his directing career include 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Rollerball (1975), F.I.S.T. (1978), And Justice for All (1979), Best Friends (1982), A Soldier's Story (1984), Agnes of God (1985), Other People's Money (1991), Only You (1994), The Hurricane (1999), and The Statement (2003).

Norman Jewison and Margaret Ann Dixon married on July 11, 1953. She died on November 26, 2004, the day following her 74th birthday, in Orangeville, Ontario, from undisclosed causes. They had three children and five grandchildren. In 2010, Jewison married Lynne St. David, whom he had begun dating in 2008. She survives him as do his children and their families.

HARRY CONNICK SR former district attorney of New Orleans and father to musician Harry Connick Jr., died in his home on Thursday, January 25, 2024. He was 97.

Born in Mobile, Alabama, in 1926, Connick joined the Navy in 1945, serving in the South Pacific during World War II.

Connick ran for District Attorney of Orleans Parish in 1969, losing to Jim Garrison. He ran again four years later and dethroned the incumbent prosecutor. He won re-election four times, building biracial support as the city's political power base moved to African Americans.

Connick remained undefeated, but in retirement he was plagued by assertions his office withheld evidence that favored defendants. The issue came to the forefront with a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a lawsuit filed by John Thompson, who was exonerated after 14 years on Louisiana's death row for a killing he didn't commit.

A lifelong music fan, Connick took up singing in the early 1990s and became a regular performer at nightclubs in New Orleans and across the state, in addition to many successful guest appearances with his son.

It was Connick Sr. who encouraged his son to get into the music businessy by arranging for his underage son to sit in with New Orleans Dixieland legends such as pianist Eubie Blake and drummer Buddy Rich. For years, the elder Connick performed at weekly gigs in French Quarter nightclubs singing songs associated with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Louis Prima.

He is survived by his wife Londa and two children, daughter Suzanna and son Harry as their families.

Next Column: February 4, 2024
Copyright: January 28, 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

For the snail mail address, please E-mail your request.