Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: June 11, 2017
By: Laura Deni
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TONY AWARDS HONOR THE BEST OF BROADWAY

The 2017 Tony Awards take place tonight, Sunday, June 11, 2017. Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners. Broadway To Vegas will post the results shortly after they are announced. See Tony Award Nominations And Winners

A wonderful way to remember this year's Tony Awards is through a creative CD titled 2017 Tony Award Season released on Broadway Records.

Musical from the 2016-2017 season, including the 2017 Tony nominated musicals, were invited to contribute a song to this new compilation album.

Not every musical of the season has been included. There are no selections from either Hello Dolly! or War Paint.

The over whelming majority of the selections are high energy, up-beat or in a couple of cases - dramatic. A few are well known such as Memory, With One Look and Shaking the Blues Away.

The high energy, harmony intensive Deep Beneath the City/Not There Yet from In Transit gets the CD moving. Times Are Hard For Dreamers from Amelia follows.

The songs are not necessarily performed by the individuals currenlyt on Broadway. For instance Memory from Cats on this CD is sung by the phenomenal Elaine Page.

The technical quality is superb.

“We are thrilled to be unveiling this special new compilation album in a season containing more new musicals than any other season in over 35 years. We believe this album will be the start of an annual series that will be cherished by the fans as a way to discover all of the incredible new musicals and revivals that Broadway has to offer each season,” said Van Dean, President of Broadway Records.

“It is so exciting to be able to bring together the music that celebrates an incredible season on Broadway,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President The Broadway League and Heather Hitchens, President the American Theatre Wing. “And to be able to share that celebration with theatre fans around the world is really something special.”

The cover art features a specially commissioned Tony nominees illustration by Justin Squigs Robertson. The packaging includes an essay by noted musical theatre historian Jennifer Ashley Tepper as well as details about each show.

1. Deep Beneath the City/Not There Yet (From in Transit) Music & lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James -Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan & Sara Wordsworth. Performed by David Abeles, Moya Angela, Seven "HeaveN" Cantor, Justin Guarini, Telly Leung, Erin Mackey, Gerianne Perez, Margo Seibert, Chesney Snow, James Snyder, Mariand Torres, Nicholas Ward, Adam Bashian, Laurel Harris, Arbender Robinson & Aurelia Williams.

2. Times Are Hard for Dreamers (From Amélie) Music by Daniel Messe. Lyrics by Nathan Tysen & Daniel Messe. Performed by Phillips Soo.

3. The Baseball Game (From Falsettos) Music and lyrics by William Finn. Performed Stephanie J. Block, Christian Borle, Andrew Rannelli, Anthony Rosenthal, Tracie Thomas, Brandon Uranowitz & Betsy Wolfe.

4. With One Look (From Sunset Boulevard) Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lyrics by Christopher Hampton & Don Black. Performed by Glenn Close.

5. In a World Like This (From a Bronx Tale) Music by Alan Menkin. Lyrics by Glenn Slater. Performed by Bobby Conte Thornton, Ariana DeRose & Ensemble.

6. Sincerely, Me (From Dear Evan Hansen) Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. Performed by Mike Faist, Ben Platt & Will Roland.

7. Shaking the Blues Away (From Holiday Inn) Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Performed by Megan Lawrence and Company.

8. It Must Be Believed to Be Seen (From Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) Music by Marc Shaiman. Lyrics by Scott Witman. Performed by Christian Borle & Company.

9. Letters (From Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812) Music & lrics by Dave Malloy. Performed by Josh Groban, Denee Benton, Lucas Steele & Company.

10. The Last Night of the World (From Miss Saigon) Music by Claude-Michel Schonberg. Lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Alain Boublil adapted by original French lyrics by Alain Boublil. Performed by EvaNoblezarla & Alistair Brammer.

11. Me and the Sky (From Come from Away) Music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff & David Hein. Performed by Jenn Coletta and Female Company.

12. Nobody (From Bandstand) Music by Richard Oberaker. Lyrics by Rob Taylor and Richard Oberacker. Performed by Corey Cott, Geoff Packard, Alex Bender, Benjamin J. Ellis, Laura Osnes, Beth Leavel, Joe Carroll, James Nathan Hopkins & Company.

13. Journey to the Past (From Anastasia) Music by Stephen Flaherty. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Performed by Christy Altomare.

14. Memory (From Cats) Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lyrics by Trevor Nunn. Performed by Elaine Page.

15. Seeing You (From Groundhog Day) Music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. Performed by Andy Karl, Barrett Does and Company.

Mastered by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtle Time Mastering. Package design by Robbie Rozelle. Illusions by Justin "Squigs" Roberstson.

A portion of the proceeds from the album will go to the American Theatre Wing and Broadway League’s arts educations initiatives.










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ART AND ABOUT

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT AT 150: UNPACKING THE ARCHIVE

Liberty Magazine Cover 1926. Color pencil on paper. The Museum of Modern Art.

Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most prolific and renowned architects of the 20th century, a radical designer and intellectual who embraced new technologies and materials, pioneered do-it-yourself construction systems as well as avant-garde experimentation, and advanced original theories with regards to nature, urban planning, and social politics.

Marking the 150th anniversary of the American architect’s birth on June 8, 1867, MoMA presents Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive, a major exhibition that critically engages his multifaceted practice.

The exhibition comprises approximately 450 works made from the 1890s through the 1950s, including architectural drawings, models, building fragments, films, television broadcasts, print media, furniture, tableware, textiles, paintings, photographs, and scrapbooks, along with a number of works that have rarely or never been publicly exhibited.

Structured as an anthology rather than a comprehensive, monographic presentation of Wright’s work, the exhibition is divided into 12 sections, each of which investigates a key object or cluster of objects from the Frank Lloyd Wright Archive, interpreting and contextualizing it, and juxtaposing it with other works from the Archive, from MoMA, or from outside collections.

The exhibition seeks to open up Wright’s work to critical inquiry and debate, and to introduce experts and general audiences alike to new angles and interpretations of this extraordinary architect.

Organized by Barry Bergdoll, Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University; with Jennifer Gray, Project Research Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art.

June 12–October 1, 2017 at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

AI WEIWEI'S CIRCLE OF ANIMALS/ZODIAC HEADS was inspired by the fabled fountain-clock of the Yuanming Yuan, an 18th-century imperial retreat just outside Beijing. In 1860, the Yuanming Yuan was ransacked by French and British troops and the heads were pillaged.

Seven out of the 12 animal heads in the work are based on the original fountain examples that have been discovered – rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, horse, monkey and boar. The remaining five are the artist’s reimagining of the currently missing artifacts – dragon, snake, goat, rooster and dog. The dual title of the work addresses the artist’s desire that the collection of sculptures be relatable on many different levels and to people who may not know the original history.

The 12 bronze Zodiac Heads stand on bronze columns. Each animal head measures approximately 4 feet high and 3 feet wide. The head and base together measure approximately 10 feet high and weigh nearly 1,200 pounds each. This group of works, including a smaller copy in gold, has been exhibited worldwide since the official launch of the Zodiac Heads in 2011, making it one of the most-viewed sculpture projects in the history of contemporary art.

Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads was created by Ai Weiwei and is on loan courtesy of a private collection with Special thanks to Larry Warsh.

On display through June 1, 2018 at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida, USA The Ringling is a center for art and history, situated on 66 magnificent acres on the shores of Sarasota Bay. It is built on the remarkable legacy of circus entrepreneur, collector of art and financier John Ringling and his wife Mable. The Ringling is the State Art Museum of Florida. Affiliated with Florida State University, it is one of the largest university art centers in the nation.

A DECADE OF GIFTS AND ACQUISITIONS

Part of the Decade of Gifts and Acquisitions exhibit. Photo: Yale Center for British Art

a suite of exhibitions will feature works given to, or purchased by, the Yale Center for British Art in recent years.

These exhibitions will honor the Center’s fortieth anniversary, incorporating selections from the last of Paul Mellon’s gifts to the institution, which include the life-interest works with which his wife Rachel Lambert Mellon lived until her death in 2014.

Gifts from other significant donors, such as Joseph McCrindle and Brian Sewell, will also be featured, as will donations of important modern and contemporary prints. Other exhibitions will be thematic, focusing on the natural world, childhood and education, and the art of the book. Highlights include a group of works by the painter John Golding from the artist’s estate, tracing his development as an abstract painter; works by Richard Hamilton and Anish Kapoor; and a selection from a recent gift of nearly four hundred prints by the iconic 1960s photographer Lewis Morley.

A Decade of Gifts and Acquisitions will be curated by Elisabeth Fairman, Chief Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts; Matthew Hargraves, Chief Curator of Art Collections and Head of Collections Information and Access; and Lars Kokkonen, Assistant Curator of Paintings and Sculpture; under the direction of Scott Wilcox, Deputy Director for Collections.

On exhibit through Sunday, August 13, 2017 at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Connecticut.

SWEET CHARITY

ANGELA LANSBURY will head an all-star cast in the staged reading of Enid Bagnold’s British drama The Chalk Garden, a benefit for The Acting Company, to be held for one night only, Monday, June 19, at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, New York City.

After many younger years as a London society hostess, Mrs. Saint Maugham (Lansbury) fills her days tending her garden at her country estate. When she seeks a governess for her granddaughter, Laurel (whose habit of setting small fires is getting a bit out of hand) the child connects instantly with Miss Madrigal, an enigmatic woman who has come without any references. Who, exactly, is this Madrigal? With a talent for gardening and avoiding questions, she fascinates the equally inscrutable Laurel, who can never resist a mystery...especially if it might involve murder.

Written by Enid Bagnold and directed by Frank Dunlop, designing lights is Greg MacPherson, and Tim Boyce is designing sound.

The performance will be followed by dinner for donor-level ticket holders with the cast at the historic Union Club.

KISS currently on stage at Odyssey Theatre in West Los Angeles will donate all proceeds from the performance on Wednesday, June 14, to the Santa Ana-based TIYYA Foundation.

Kiss is called "a provocative new work by Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderón that attempts to break open cultural barriers in the wake of the ongoing Syrian conflict. The play challenges us to confront the limits of our own understanding, and exposes the suffocating effect of living under an oppressive, omnipresent regime."

Kiss is directed by Bart DeLorenzo and stars Natali Anna, Kristin Couture, Max Lloyd-Jones, Kevin Matthew Reyes, Nagham Wehbe and Cynthia Yelle.

The benefit performance will be followed by a reception and post-performance discussion with DeLorenzo and the actors.

The mission of the TIYYA Foundation is to provide community support and educational opportunities for refugees, immigrants and displaced American families and to foster the development of self-sufficiency so that participants can overcome obstacles and actively participate in society.

SPREADING THE WORD

THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY BARD ASSOCIATION'S ANNUAL DINNER AND MOCK TRIAL a highlight of the Washington, DC season takes place Monday, June 19, 2017 at Sidney Harman Hall in Washington, DC.

Attendees will hear an appellate argument before a panel of judges, presided over by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and based on a scenario from STC's upcoming production of Macbeth.

A VIP Wine Reception is followed by dinner and then the argument. There will be a post-show VIP Reception immediately following the conclusion of the decision.

Trial Participants

Bench
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States, presiding
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Supreme Court of the United States
Judge David S. Tatel, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Sri Srinivasan, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Patricia A. Millett, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

Court Marshal
Marshal Pamela Talkin, Supreme Court of the United States

Advocates
Deanne E. Maynard, Morrison & Foerster LLP
Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP

Obviously, participants are subject to change without prior notice.

THE 36TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION of James Joyce's lavish prose takes place Friday, June 16, at Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space, New York City.

This year's Bloomsday features readings from the offensive, subversive, obscene, political, sexual and heretical elements of Ulysses, including a Whirlwind Tour of all 18 chapters of Ulysses hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon.

Performances by: Malachy McCourt, Kirsten Vangsness, Valorie Curry, Sam Underwood, Emily Skeggs, Amanda Quaid, Harris Yulin, Edoardo Ballerini, Jennifer Ikeda, Ellen Adair, Peter Halpin, Rebecca Donner, Clodagh Bowyer, Terry Donnelly, Michael Simon Hall, Khris Lewin, Dion Graham, Jon McCormick, Robin Miles, Neil Hickey, Eilin O'Dea, Joe Dettmore, Ciaran O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore with James Rushin, music director and musician Patrick Marran - all directed by Lisa Flanagan.

Co-produced by Symphony Space and Irish Arts Center, NYC.

HOWARD SHALWITZ co-founder and director of of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC will - after nearly 40 years at its helm - step down following the 2017-2018 season. A national search for his successor will begin this summer.

Under Shalwitz's leadership, Woolly has produced more than 200 plays in Washington, including 78 world and U.S. premieres, commissioned 14 new works, and earned 45 Helen Hayes Awards, becoming a leader in the creation and production of new plays. In 2014 Shalwitz received the Margo Jones Award in recognition of his lifetime commitment to new American plays.

ALAN ALDA is on the road promoting his latest book If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? The bestselling author appears Monday, June 12, at the Library Foundation of Los Angeles for a conversation with Lisa Wolpe at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, CA. Wednesday's stop is at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco where he will read excerpts from the new book and sign copies.

THEATER RESOURCES UNLIMITED (TRU) and The Playroom Theatre present the TRU June Panel Survival Strategies for Non-Profits, and the Current Funding Environment on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 at The Playroom Theater in New York City.

Panelists include Lawrence E. McCullough, Ph.D., Arts & Media Specialist, Skye Consulting; Stacey McMath, director of Program Services at the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA); and Heather Woodfield, Executive Director of One Percent for Culture, a city-wide cultural advocacy organization, and a practicing artist specializing in interactive performance.

Attendees are invited to "come prepared with your best 30 second summary of who you are, and what you need."

NATIONAL GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE DAY is today, Sunday, June 11. Tomorrow is National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. Tuesday is Cupcake Lover’s Day. Thursday is National Lobster Day and Friday is National Fudge Day.






KEVIN LEONG has been selected as the new music director of Masterworks Chorale in Cambridge, MA and will lead the group in the upcoming 78th season. Leong is currently Music Director of the 120 voice Concord Chorus and previously served as Artistic Director and Conductor of the 180 voice Harvard Radcliffe Chorus and Associate Conductor of the Harvard Radcliffe Choruses at Harvard University. He succeeds Steven Karidoyanes who led Masterworks for 10 years, ending in the 76th season.

The program for Masterworks Chorale’s 78th season’s 3-concert series at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre will be announced later this summer. In addition, Masterworks Chorale will continue its outreach initiative, Awareness Through Music, in this next season. This program promotes the importance of local charities by matching them to Chorale performances, using Chorale resources to promote both together. It also includes specially designed interaction between the organizations. Next season’s community partner is Horizons for Homeless Children

ARTS BRIDGE based in Atlanta, GA has named Jennifer Dobbs Hill to the position of Executive Director. Dobbs Hill joins ArtsBridge Foundation at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre as Development Director, Pam Hubby, retires.

Most recently, Jennifer Dobbs Hill was the Executive Director of the Alonzo F. and Norris B. Herndon Foundation in Atlanta, GA since 2015. Prior to that Dobbs Hill was the Director of Development for the Center for Ethics at Emory University where she raised funds for an inaugural international summit.

ArtsBridge Foundation is dedicated to providing quality arts education and community programs that engage, motivate, inspire, and elevate the next generation of artists and arts supporters. ArtsBridge provides arts education opportunities to students in grades K-12 through programs at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre including Field Trips, Master Classes, a Family Series, and the annual Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards – The Shuler Hensley Awards. Since inception in 2007, ArtsBridge has served more than 300,000 students and educators from 57 Georgia counties, plus students from Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and South Carolina.



RICHARD II by William Shakespeare.

Directed by Erica Schmidt.

“For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings.”

Starring Robert Sean Leonard in the title role of one of the greatest of Shakespeare’s towering cycle of history plays.

Convinced of his divine right to rule, King Richard acts recklessly and provides the canny Henry Bolingbroke an opening to seize the crown. Filled with magnificent verse and Shakespeare’s characteristic wisdom and insight, Richard II is a deeply moving and insightful portrait of how the forces of history collide and combust to shape a nation’s political landscape.

Richard II plays June 11 – July 15 at The Old Globe in San Diego, CA.

THE TRAVELING LADY by Horton Foote.

Directed by Austin Pendleton.

Billed as "the unforgettable tale of an intrepid woman who journeys to a small town in 1950’s Texas to reunite with her husband upon his release from prison. A poignant story of loss and redemption, The Traveling Lady looks into the heart and soul of America."

Featuring Larry Bull, Angelina Fiordellisi, Jean Lichty, George Morfogen, Ron Piretti, PJ Sosko, Jill Tanner, and Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic winner Karen Ziemba.

The production’s design team includes Harry Feiner (Scenic & Lighting Design), Theresa Squire (Costume Design), Ryan Rumery (Sound Design & Original Compositions), Paul Huntley (Wig Design), Amy Stoller (Dialect Design & Dramaturg).

In previews with an opening night set for June 22, 2017 at Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City.

PIPELINE by Dominique Morisseau.

Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz.

A mother’s hopes for her son clash with an educational system rigged against him in.

Nya, an inner-city public high school teacher is committed to her students, but desperate to give her only son Omari opportunities they’ll never have. When a controversial incident at his upstate private school threatens to get him expelled, Nya must confront his rage and her own choices as a parent. But will she be able to reach him before a world beyond her control pulls him away?

Explained as: "With profound compassion and lyricism, Pipeline brings an urgent conversation powerfully to the fore. Don’t miss this deeply moving story of a mother’s fight to give her son a future - without turning her back on the community that made him who he is."

Featuring (in alphabetical order): Tasha Lawrence, Morocco Omari, Karen Pittman, Namir Smallwood, Jaime Lincoln Smith, Heather Velazquez.

Previews begin June 15 in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, New York City.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

Directed by Gordon Greenberg.

Musical director is Colin Welford.

Choreography by Jon Rua.

The musical stars Christopher Sieber (King Herod), Mykal Kilgore (Annas), Bryce Ryness (Jesus of Nazareth), Constantine Maroulis (Judas Iscariot), Ciara Renee (Mary Magdalene), and Ben Davis (Pontius Pilate) and Nicholas Ward (Caiaphas).

They are joined by an electric ensemble including AnnEliza Canning-Skinner, Susie Carroll, Andrew Chappelle, Kayla Davion, Zach Erhardt, Atiauna Grant, Phillip Johnson-Richardson, Sean Harrison Jones, Jose Luis Lopez, Douglas Lyons, Gabriella Mancuso, Brianna Mercado, Fergie Philippe, Shelby Ringdahl, Akilah Sailers, Maria Cristina Slye, Daryl Tofa and Voltaire Wade-Green.

Scenic design for The Muny’s production is by Paul Tate dePoo III, costume design by Tristan Raines, lighting design by Nathan W. Scheuer, sound design by John Shivers and David Patridge, video design by Greg Emetaz, wig design by Leah J. Loukas and production stage manager Cody Renard Richard.

Performances will be presented June 12-18 at The Muny in St. Louis, MO.

ANIMAL FARM adapted for the stage by Peter Hall from the novel by George Orwell. Music by Richard Peaslee. Lyrics by Adrian Mitchell.

Directed by Ellen Geer.

Musical Direction by Marshall McDaniel.

Pianist Daniel Sugimoto heads up a band of cows, sheep, dogs, hens and farmers on instruments ranging from sax, clarinet, oboe, violin, melodica, guitar and banjole to drums and percussion.

Orwell’s brilliant political satire about the corrupting influence of power charts the fall of idealism and the rise of tyranny after the animals of Manor Farm rise up against their oppressive human owner in a struggle for rights and equality. Led by Snowball, an idealistic pig (Christopher Yarrow), they take over the farm from Mr. Jones (Steve Fisher). Their plan goes well at first; all the animals are equal and content. But eventually, several of the other pigs, led by Napoleon (Mark Lewis) and Squealer (Melora Marshall), yield to the lure of power and decide that some animals are more equal than others.

The Theatricum cast also includes Clayton Cook as Moses, Thad Geer as Old Major, Katherine Griffith as Clover, Holly Hawk as Minimus, Rodrick Jean-Charles as Benjamin, Max Lawrence as Boxer, Lea Madda as Mollie and Jackie Nicole as Muriel.

Costume design is by Beth Glasner; lighting design is by Zach Moore; and props/set design is by Ernest McDaniel. The production stage manager is Kim Cameron.

Originally produced by Britain’s National Theatre, Animal Farm opens at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum on June 17, part of the company’s Rising Up Summer 2017 Repertory Season. Performances through October 1, running in repertory with The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Other Desert Cities and Trouble in Mind. Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum is located in Topanga, CA.

GLORIA by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

Directed by Michael Longhurst.

Featuring Kae Alexander, Sian Clifford, Bayo Gbadamosi, Ellie Kendrick, Colin Morgan, and Bo Poraj.
"Aren’t you turning thirty any day now? I will die before I turn thirty in a cubicle."

Hampstead Theatre presents the UK premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Gloria, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2016. A razor-sharp comic drama which focuses on ambition, office warfare and hierarchies, where the only thing that matters is moving up the ladder and selling out to the highest bidder.

New York. A city that runs on ambition – and coffee.

In the offices of a notorious Manhattan magazine, a group of ruthless editorial assistants vie for their bosses’ jobs and a book deal before they’re thirty. But trapped between Starbucks runs, jaded gossip and endless cubicle walls, best-selling memoir fodder is thin on the ground - that is until inspiration arrives with a bang.

Designed by Lizzie Clachan. Lighting by Oliver Fenwick. Sound and Composition by Ben and Max Ringham.

June 15 - July 22, 2017 at the Hamstead Theatre in London.

POSTSCRIPT by Noelle Brown and Michéle Forbes.

Directed by Conor Hanrattty.

Actor and playwright Noelle Brown was born in a mother and baby home in Cork in the 1960s and adopted at eight weeks old. Based on her life account, the story begins 35 years later when Noelle embarks on a journey to uncover her true identity and how both church and state made every step so difficult.

June 14-24, 2017 on the Peacock Stage of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC with a score by Rodgers & Hammerstein,

Directed by three-time Tony winner Jack O'Brien.

The cast includes: Maria Rainer: Charlotte Maltby - Captain Georg von Trapp: Nicholas Rodriguez - The Mother Abbess: Melody Betts - Max Detweiler: Merwin Foard - Elsa Schraeder: Teri Hansen - Rolf: Austin Colby - Liesl: Paige Silvester - The von Trapp children: Elliot Weaver (Friedrich), Stephanie Di Fiore (Louisa), James Bernard (Kurt), Dakota Riley Quackenbush (Brigitta), Taylor Coleman (Marta) and Anika Lore Hatch (Gretl).

The score includes My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Climb Ev'ry Mountain, Edelweiss, and the title song.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017 - Sunday, July 16, 2017 in the Opera House at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

DHALGREN SUNRISE written by Samuel R. Delany.

Adapted and directed by Mitchel K. Ahern.

A multimedia performance art production, that combines scripted text with elements of improvisation and audience interaction.

FPTC's co-artistic director Ahern has adapted this unsolvable riddle for the stage, along with associate producer Vanessa LeFevre. Ahern is also the director, a participating actor, and musician, performing on his self-invented instrument, the harrow, created from a farm implement of the same name.

To understand Ahern's investment in the production, he explained how the cast, crew, and musicians are preparing: “We're exploring how to thrive in a time of dystopia, where the normal rules of reality have turned fluid. Through structured improvisation, dancers, musicians, readers, interactive video, and articulated staging engage with the novel's themes of identity, violence, fear, and sexuality.”

"Dhalgren Sunrise is comprised of a Prelude and six short acts: Orchid, Moons, Fire, Sex, Scorpions, and Sunrise. Each act, approximately 10 minutes in length, features a brief selection from the 800-page novel -- 300-500 words for each excerpt -- accompanied and interpreted by movement artists, interactive video, articulated stage effects, and improvisational music played on invented instruments.

"Each act is independent, incorporating the dissociative techniques that give the novel such power. Wheeled set pieces slowly move, constantly shifting their relationships to one another, while lighting and video effects simulate the menacing glow of distant fire, as it interacts with the movement artists. The abstract cityscape, constructed in layers, reflects the all-encompassing world of the novel.

Fort Point Theater Channel (FPTC) celebrates its tenth anniversary with the premiere of this multimedia staged adaptation of the sci-fi novel June 16-24, 2017 at Chelsea Theatre Works in Chelsea, MA.

WHO'S WHERE

PASADENA POPS CONCERT SERIES BROADWAY, THE GOLDEN AGE has a star studded roster with Michael Feinstein, Principle Pops Conductor leading a tribute to singer-actor Liza Minnelli who is scheduled to be in attendance. The concert will celebrate the music of Broadway composers Rodgers & Hammerstein, Kander & Ebb, Cy Coleman, Frank Loesser, and Jule Styne; with songs from Cabaret, West Side Story, Oklahoma!, Grease and other shows. Among the featured soloists will be Minnelli’s Cabaret film co-star, Joel Grey. Other soloists include Alex Getlin and Storm Large. June 17 at the Los Angeles County Arboretum.

ARIANA GRANDE is on stage Tuesday, June 13, at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain. Thursday's stop is at the Pala Lottomatica in Rome, Italy. On Saturday she's in the spotlight at the Rala Alpitour in Torino, Italy.

NEIL DIAMOND opens a split two night gig Thursday, June 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The second show is on Saturday, June 17.

THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA marking what would have been his 95th birthday, celebrates the life and work of the great Elmer Bernstein. Sunday, June 18, 2017 at Royal Albert Hall in London.

IDINA MENZEL the voice of Let It Go performs Broadway hits and pop favorites Thursday, June 15, at Royal Albert Hall in London.

BRUNO MARS in the spotlight on Monday, June 12 at the Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy. Wednesday's gig is at the Arena in Geneva, Switzerland. On Thursday he can be enjoyed at the Mediolanum Forum in Assago, Italy.

BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL brings his great voice to Feinstein's 54 Below in New York City for performances June 13, 15-17, 20-21 and 23-24.

DIANE SCHURR opens a two night stand Friday, June 16 at The Smith Center in Las Vegas.

COLDPLAY on stage Wednesday, June 14, in Leipzig, Germany at the Red Bull Arena. On Friday they perform their hits at the HDI Arena in Hannover, Germany. Next Sunday, their tour stops in Warsaw, Poland at the PGE Narodowy.

TIM McGRAW AND FAITH HILL on Thursday, June 15, bring their tour to Grand Rapids, MI for a performance at the Van Andel Arena. Friday's gig is at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. On Saturday they can be enjoyed at the iWireless Center in Moline, IL.

ED SHEERAN on Monday, June 12, stars in Guadalajara, Mexico at the Arena VFG. On Wednesday he can be enjoyed at the Auditorio Citibanamex in Monterrey, Mexico.

FINAL OVATION

ROGER SMITH actor, business manager and husband of Ann-Margret died Sunday, June 4, 2017 at Sherman Oaks Hospital in Los Angeles.. For decades he had suffered from myasthenia gravis. In December 2014 Ann-Margret told the New York Post that her husband suffered from Parkinson's Disease. He was 84.

From 1958 to 1963, he co-starred with Efrem Zimbalist Jr. on the ABC series 77 Sunset Strip. He married Ann-Margret in Las Vegas in 1967 and quit acting to manage her career. The couple has recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 8, 2017.

"I have this great dream that when Ann-Margret gets out of movies, she and I will co-star in a Broadway play," he told New York magazine in 1976. That never happened.

In 1956 he married glamorous Australian actress, Victoria Shaw, with whom he had three children Tracey Smith, Jordan Smith, and Dallas Smith. They divorced in 1965. He and Ann-Margret had no children. She survives him as do his children.

PETER SALLIS OBE British stage, film and television actor who provided the voice of the cheese-obsessed Wallace in the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit clay animation comedy films, died Friday, June 2, 2017, at the Denville Hall nursing home in Northwood, London. He was 96.

Sallis also played mild-mannered Norman "Cleggy" Clegg on the British sitcom Last of the Summer Wine from 1973 until 2010. He was the only actor on the series to appear in all 295 episodes.

He trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. In September 1946, he made his professional stage debut in London in a walk-on part in Sheridan's The Scheming Lieutenant. Sallis then spent three years in rep before appearing in his first speaking role on the London stage in 1949. Other roles followed in the 1950s and 1960s including Orson Welles' 1955 production of Moby Dick - Rehearsed. Later, he was in the first West End production of Cabaret in 1968 opposite Judi Dench.

Sallis appeared in the Hal Prince-produced musical She Loves Me in 1963, which led to him making his Broadway debut the following year. Prince was producer of a musical based on the work of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes called Baker Street. Sallis was asked by Prince to take the role of Dr. Watson to Fritz Weaver's Sherlock Holmes. The show ran for six months on Broadway.

Just before Baker Street ended he was offered the role of Wally in John Osborne's Inadmissible Evidence, which had been played by Arthur Lowe in London with Nicol Williamson reprising the lead role. The production was troubled with Williamson hitting producer David Merrick with a bottle and walking out before being persuaded to continue. The show was a minor success and ran for six months in New York, opening at the Belasco Theater before transferring to the Shubert Theater. Sallis reprised his role in the 1968 film adaptation.

He retired from acting in 2010.

Sallis was awarded the OBE in the 2007 Birthday Honors for services to Drama.

Sallis married the actress Elaine Usher at St. John's Wood Church in London on 9 February 1957. The relationship was turbulent, with Usher leaving him sixteen times, before they divorced in 1965 on grounds of desertion and adultery. They were reconciled but she eventually left him for good in 1983.

They had one son, Crispian Sallis who went on to become an Oscar-nominated film set designer.

MARILYN HALL Emmy winning producer and wife of Monty Hall died June 5, 2017 in California. She was 90.

Hall won an Emmy for executive producing the 1985 TV movie Do You Remember Love, a movie about the effects of Alzheimer's disease that starred Joanne Woodward and Richard Kiley. She was an associate producer of the 1982 Emmy-winning television movie A Woman Called Golda, starring Ingrid Bergman and Leonard Nimoy. She was the executive producer of the four-part miniseries “The Ginger Tree.”

She is survived by her husband; daughter Joanna Gleason, an actress; son Richard Hall, a writer-director; daughter Sharon Hall, president of Endemol Shine Studios, and five grandchildren.

GLENNE HEADLY Emmy nominated alum of Steppenwolf in Chicago who gained fame on the stage, big screen and television, died June 8, 2017. She was 62.

Headly was a member of Steppenwolf’s ensemble from 1979 to 2005.

On August 2, 1982, Headly married fellow Steppenwolf ensemble member John Malkovich. Soon after, she was cast to replace Ellen Barkin in Extremities with Susan Sarandon off Broadway. She then was cast in The Philanthropist, at the Manhattan Theatre Club y, and won a Theatre World Award for best newcomer. Also in New York, she appeared in Balm in Gilead with her fellow Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble members and Arms and the Man on Broadway with Kevin Kline and Raul Julia.

In 1999 she starred at th Almeida Theate in London opposite Miranda Richardson in Aunt Dan and Lemon.

In 2000, Headly starred as Ellen in Detachments at the Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles, written and directed by Colleen Dodson-Baker. [19] In 2001, she starred as Angela Kennedy Lipsky in the premiere of My Brilliant Divorce at the Druid Theatre in Galway, Ireland. In 2003, Headly starred opposite David Hyde Pierce in The Guys as part of a revolving cast at the Actors' Gang in Los Angeles. In 2012, Headly played Eva White in the Geffen Playhouse's production of The Jacksonian. In 2016, playing at the Geffen Playhouse, Headly starred in Sarah Ruhl's Stage Kiss.

Headly was known from her performances in the movies Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Steve Martin and Michael Caine, Mr. Holland’s Opus with Richard Dreyfuss and Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy.

She played the daughter of Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in the 2001 live telecast of the play “On Golden Pond.

Her marriage to John Malkovich ended in divorce in 1988. Headly is survived by husband Byron McCulloch, a musician and metal worker whom she married in 1993, and their son Stirling.

FRED SPECTOR long time violinist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra died June 4, 2017. He was 92.

Spector had been a member of the orchestra’s violin section from 1956 to until his retirement in 2003. Spector also was assistant conductor of the Highland Park Music Theatre.

Next Column: June 18, 2017
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Laura Deni

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