Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: May 30, 2021
By: Laura Deni
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MAGGIE TURNER PUTS THE FROSTING ON CAKE - SENSITIVE, PRAGMATIC, THOUGHT PROVOKING

Cake, an audio drama written, directed and produced by Simon James Collier, Evcol Entertainment, starring Maggie Turner.

Veteran actress Maggie Turner does an impressive job in this one woman show in which Turner is constantly speaking.

73-year-old retired Betty, who loves to cook, was absolutely overjoyed when she recently became one of four employed as a taste-tester at The Marigold Meadow Organic and Gluten Free Bakery, after answering an advertisement in the Hillingdon Recorder. However, a couple of weeks ago she received a letter that will change everything. She's needs to tell Tom, her husband of 50 years, but doesn't want to upset him. She saw him through his mid-life crisis of bungee jumping. Their two children are grown and have their own families. It was easier for her to accept that their son is in a homosexual relationship. She loves her husband and doesn't want him hurt.

Betty admits she is having a day where she is at "sixes and sevens" and did what so many do - she poured out her heart to her best friend and confident - her dog Jessie.

Two weeks ago Betty and Jessie had made a pact to "embrace each and every day and live life to the fullest."

They are in Betty's kitchen where Betty is baking and decorating a dozen cupcakes (fairy cakes) for the birthday party of her friend's child. Betty almost bought store packaged cakes but then she read the ingredients. The list of pharmaceutical sounding additives was off-putting.

The former legal secretary was elated - and surprised - when her application as a taste tester was approved. The knowledge that she wasn't too old to be hired was exhilarating and gave her a new found purpose to greet each day. Most of the specialty products passed the taste test, although the meringue on that lemon pie was a disaster.

Betty knows a lot about baking and explains why different cake types are descriptions of her various acquaintances - but her thoughts keep returning to her husband.

As Maggie talks non stop to dog Jessie, she worries about her husband's reaction. Upon hearing the news many would become depressed, hysterical, desperate, anxious. Not Betty, the low keyed pragmatist.

A beautifully written and exquisitely performed piece of theatre - though because of the subject matter, is probably more suited to the over 40-year-old crowd.

Available on Wireless Theatre.
Music & Soundscape Design: Zachary Elliott-Hatton
Co-Producer: Adam Dechanel
Graphic Design: Clockwork Digital Studios
Engineer: Callum Mirames
Recorded at Umbrella Sound, London

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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

MIRROR, MIRROR: THE PRINTS OF ALISON SAAR opens June 5 at Chazen Museum of Art on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

A retrospective of the vital and articulate prints of prominent American artist Alison Saar (born 1956) underscores her persistent dialogue with some of the most urgent issues of our time, including race, gender and spirituality. Mirror, Mirror: The Prints of Alison Saar, from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation features nearly 40 works from the artist’s robust body of printmaking over the last 35 years, as well as 5 sculptures, drawn from a renowned private collection.

The exhibition will be on view at the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison, Wisconsin, June 5 through Aug. 8, 2021. The Chazen recently acquired nine prints by Saar, which are represented in the Chazen collection. In all, the Chazen holds 15 prints and one sculpture by the artist.

"Alison Saar’s decades-long explorations of the African American experience as filtered through her personal symbolism connect to today’s essential conversations around racial reckoning and cultural belonging," said Amy Gilman, director of the Chazen. "The museum believes this visionary work is crucial viewing for all of our diverse communities and audiences."

The exhibition’s imagery focuses predominantly on solitary women in various poses reminiscent of historical African deities and ancient Greek statuary. In many of Saar’s works, she charts the tragic history of slavery in America, but her figures telegraph defiance and strength. Other recurring motifs are jazz, gender roles and desire. Among the exhibition’s highlights are the prints Sweeping Beauty (1997), Washtub Blues (2000), Cotton Eater (2014) and Black Bottom Stomp (2017) and the sculptures Mirror, Mirror (Mulata Seeking Inner Negress) (2006) and White Guise (2018).

Mirror, Mirror: The Prints of Alison Saar, from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation was organized by the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

LIFE WAS A FEAST IN POMPEII Transport yourself to ancient Rome with Last Supper in Pompeii: From the Table to the Grave, now on view at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco through August 29, 2021.

This exhibition, with its treasure trove of objects impeccably preserved by Mount Vesuvius’ fiery eruption, tells the story of how a love of food and wine influenced every aspect of Roman life and art. Among the magnificent sculptures, mosaics, and frescoes, you’ll find household furnishings, tableware made of precious metals, and even a perfect loaf of carbonized bread.

1920/2020: FREUD & PANDEMIC on display through September 12, 2021 at th Freud Museum in London.

One hundred years ago, Sigmund Freud lived through a global pandemic, not dissimilar to the global crisis we find ourselves in today.

The Freud Museum's topical new exhibition explores Sigmund Freud's experience of the Spanish Flu, losing his daughter, and the effect this had on his writings and perception of the world. We will assess its similarities to the COVID-19 pandemic that has deeply affected the world in 2020 and the lessons we can learn from Freud.

The exhibition investigates the pandemic's impact on mental health and the response by psychoanalysts working in the field and those on the frontline today. It also features paintings of 'lockdown dreams' by Julia Lockheart, from a research project conducted by DreamsID at Swansea University.

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SWEET CHARITY

PRINCE WILLIAM AND DUCHESS KATE attended a special benefit screening of Cruella The Palace of Holyroodhouse to selute National Health Service workers. Prior to the showing Wills and Kate interviewed the stars Emma Stone and Emma Thompson.

Stone revealed what it was like filming all over the city, saying, “It was so much fun, we were all over London...They transformed Carnaby Street into '70s London, which was amazing.” She also got the opportunity to film in front of some royal buildings, adding, “And then, we were in front of Buckingham Palace at one point. I was riding a motorcycle around the mall.” Prince William jokingly responded, “We should have had you stopped Emma, it's very dangerous.”

Meanwhile, Thompson discussed the extravagant costumes in the film, telling the royal couple, “Wait 'till you see the clothes, it's unbelievable.” She also joked that she could relate to the period costumes of the ‘70s, saying, “I kept looking at all the frocks and thinking, 'I think that's mine. I'm sure I've worn that.' You won't remember because you're all too young.”

The movie was filmed in Britain.

MUSIC HEALS AND MUSIC FOR THE SOUL Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, MOME and the musician's union AFM Local 802, have launched two programs that provide paid gigs for NYC musicians while supporting COVID-response efforts.

Music Heals, in partnership with NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, features live, in-person one-hour performances to thank the staff and those being treated at vaccine sites

Music for the Soul, in partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals, features musicians performing virtually and in person for staff and patients at public hospitals.

After a successful run last May-July of last year, "Music for the Soul" returned May 26 through June 2022. with livestreamed performances on NYC Health + Hospital's Facebook page weekdays from 12-1pm ET. The free program is also expanding, starting in July, 2021 there will also be 2+ hour live, in-person performances at several hospitals, through December 2021.

GIBSON LIVE: A CELEBRATION OF ARTISTS TO BENEFIT GIBSON GIVES Fans across the globe that are unable to visit Nashville can experience the Gibson Garage global grand opening - on Wednesday, June 9 - via the global virtual concert “Gibson Live: A Celebration of Artists to Benefit Gibson Gives” airing worldwide at 6:30p CT/7:30 ET via Gibson TV: Here.

The concert features performances from Warren Haynes, Margo Price, Kip Moore, James Bay, Sergio Vallin of Maná, Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger of Halestorm, Marcus King, Orianthi, Samantha Fish, Morgan Wade, Sadler Vaden, Tak Matsumoto, Celisse, Emily Wolfe, Jared James Nichols with Joe Bonamassa, and more.

“Gibson Live …,” will benefit Gibson Gives--the 501c3 charitable arm of Gibson--which supports musicians worldwide and is committed to making the world a better place by creating and supporting other non-profit organizations in their efforts to advance musicians, as well as youth-focused education and wellness initiatives. 100% of the “Gibson Live…,” donations will go to two powerful organizations making positive changes: MusiCares--a safety net of critical health and welfare services to the music community--and Save the Music--helping kids, schools, and communities discover their full potential through the power of making music.

THE LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION in partnership with Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, donated musical instruments valued at $20,000 to Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, Texas. The donation coincided with the virtual Latin Grammy In The Schools™ educational program, featuring a conversation and performance by Latin Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Chiquis.

Since the beginning of the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation's partnership with Ford Fund in 2014, more than 20,000 students have benefited from donations of almost $500,000 worth of musical instruments to schools in U.S. cities such as Aransas Pass, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and New York; as well as internationally in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mexico City, Mexico; Arecibo, Humacao, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Latin Grammy In The Schools is an educational program that informs and connects music students with professionals in the Latin music industry and supports educational music departments that have financial limitations. The Foundation invites artists, professional musicians and sound engineers to visit middle and high schools, universities or music education institutions to share their personal stories and experiences with students that highlight the effort it takes to overcome career obstacles. The goal is for students to learn to optimize the educational opportunities presented to them, giving them an advantage and strong academic preparation to be able to compete in the music industry.

Previous artists who have participated in the program include: Ángela Aguilar, David Bisbal, Marilina Bertoldi, Miguel Bosé, Calle 13, Pedro Capó, Chino & Nacho, Luis Coronel, Silvestre Dangond, Joss Favela, Fonseca, Luis Fonsi, Becky G, Karol G, Kany García, Gente de Zona, Leslie Grace, Carlos Jean, Jesse & Joy, Natalia Lafourcade, Poncho Lizárraga, Claudia Montero, Ednita Nazario, Christian Nodal, Ángel "Cucco" Peña, Prince Royce, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Olga Tañón, Thalia, Christian Serratos, Diego Torres, Carlos Vives, Wisin, and Sebastián Yatra.

THE FLEET SCIENCE CENTER in San Diego stages the Mystery at the Museum with a virtual gala experience. The event begins on Sunday, May 30, at 5 p.m., unveiling an online silent auction of unique wines and extraordinary experiences. The silent auction will remain open until Saturday, June 5, at 5 p.m. Registration and access to both the silent and live auctions are free and open to the public.

During the week, the characters and clues to the Mystery at the Museum will be revealed. The mystery consists of a bottle of wine (a 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild valued at $3,000) missing from its display box in the auction area right before the gala. Six gala committee members were there preparing for the event, and the goal is to figure out which one took the prize. On June 5, interviews with each of the suspects and all of the clues will be available. The big question is: Can you guess who did it before the culprit is revealed?

Guests will then join the live portion of this virtual gala experience on Saturday, June 5, at 6 p.m. Guests can access the live stream with a unique code emailed ahead of the event. The program will include a live auction of fantastic one-of-a-kind experiences, a paddle raise benefitting the Fleet Science Center and the unveiling of the Mystery at the Museum. Top prizes for the live auction include a lunch cruise with cocktails on the San Diego Bay; a 12-person Iron Chef dinner party with Chef Yapo; and, as the main prize, a five-night stay at Casa Bellamar in Playa Tortuga near San Jose del Cabo. Casa Bellamar is a private 5-Star villa featuring an 8,000 squared-feet main house with four separate guest casitas for a total of eight bedrooms and nine and a half bathrooms for up to 16 people.

Individual ticket holders and detective teams will enjoy an elegant charcuterie box and wine curated by Gary Parker, Founder of WineSellar & Brasserie, delivered to their San Diego door. Guests can gather in small groups or go solo for this unique evening featuring exclusive items, a live auction and a chance to guess “whodunit.”

Mysterious and meaningful, every donation will be matched one-to-one by the Reuben H. Fleet Foundation, up to $200,000.

The virtual fundraiser will directly support the Fleet Science Center’s initiatives, educational programs and virtual experiences to connect everyone to the power of science.

The Fleet Science Center connects people of all ages to the possibilities and power of science to create a better future. At the science center, you can explore and investigate more than 100 interactive exhibits that pique your curiosity and become immersed in an IMAX film adventure that shows the wonders of the planet--and beyond--in the Eugene Heikoff and Marilyn Jacobs Heikoff Giant Dome Theater. For young science enthusiasts, the Fleet hosts school field trips, science workshops and educational camps. For adults, we offer community events, such as Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar and Suds & Science. Teachers are encouraged to join our Teacher Partner Program and take advantage of our professional development opportunities.

SPREADING THE WORD

THE TONY AWARDS will take place September 26 in a four hour celebration at a Broadway theater.

Honoring the best and brightest from the corona virus-ravenged season, the 74th annual ceremony, directed by Glenn Weiss, will air in two parts across Paramount+ and CBS app.

“After this devastating past year and a half for our industry, our city and for the entire world, we are excited to finally be able to celebrate the return of Broadway,” Charlotte St. Martin, the president of the Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, the American Theatre Wing president, said in a joint statement.

Tony nominees were announced in October.

Jagged Little Pill, the hit musical broaching sexuality, drug addiction, race and consent, earned 15 nominations. The jukebox musical Moulin Rouge! captured 14 nominations, and the controversial Slave Play scored 12, as did Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, while The Inheritance earned 11 nominations and A Soldier’s Play received seven.

“There is nothing that compares to the magic of live theater — and we are thrilled to be able to share its celebratory return and the incredible talent and artistry of the abbreviated 2019-2020 season,” St. Martin and Hitchens said in their statement.

The Tony ceremony had been slated for June 7 of last year. But, the Covid crisis dropped the curtain on Broadway March 12, 2020.

Winners for a majority of the categories—the nominees for which were announced in October last year and voted upon this March—will be revealed in a 7 PM ET presentation streaming on Paramount+.

A live concert event, titled Broadway’s Back!, will follow, beginning at 9 PM ET on CBS, as well as on the Paramount+ streamer and the CBS app. In addition to performances from Broadway favorites and the three current Best Musical contenders (Jagged Little Pill, Moulin Rouge!, and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical), the primetime concert will feature the presentation of the night’s final three categories: Best Play, Best Revival of a Play, and Best Musical, according to the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, which hold the event.

HADESTOWN the eight-time Tony award winning musical about the underworld, has set its Broadway reopening date fo September 2,making it the first show to welcome audiences on Broadway since the pandemic.

Tickets will go on sale June 11 for the production will resume playing the Walter Kerr Theatre

CELEBRATION THEATRE L.A.'s biggest LGBTQ theater had fired artistic director Michael A. Shepperd after the company's investigation found allegations of sexual misconduct to be credible.

LADIES OF THE PLAYHOUSE is a concert devoted to the musical highway that once raced from Bucks Country to Broadway and back again. In her inimitable ‘talking cabaret’ style, Tony nominated Melissa Errico will celebrate all the great Broadway writers who made their second – or sometimes their first – homes in this beautiful area, singing songs from her own Broadway career associated especially with Oscar Hammerstein, Moss Hart, and S.J. Perelman. There will be songs from Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, Perelman’s One Touch of Venus, and Moss Hart’s My Fair Lady - with a special extension into the beautiful mentor and protégé relation of Hammerstein and her beloved Stephen Sondheim, who wrote his very first show as a teenager in Bucks County.

June 3-4, 2021 at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA.

WHAT IF IF ONLY a new play by Caryl Churchill.

Realized by Les Waters and Jared Mezzocchi.

The remote live performances of the US Premiere of this new play by NAATCO will stream Monday June 7th through Saturday June 12th nightly at 7:00 pm EST.

Featuring Paul Juhn, Mia Katigbak, Kylie Kuioka, Jon Norman Schneider, and Bernard White.

Mia Katigbak, co-founder and actor-manager of NAATCO, stated the play is a gift from Obie Award winning Les Waters who was Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville from 2012–2018. Waters who brought the play to her after asking Caryl Churchill to allow NAATCO to present it with an all-Asian American cast.

This play asks us what do we do when our loved one/partner dies? What could we have done that’s different? What if What if What if.

Alyssa K. Howard will be production stage manager; Jonathan Castanien will be assistant stage manager.

AMERICAN STRINGS: FROM FOLK TO FILM a brand new virtual concert featuring Steven Reineke and the fantastic strings section of The New York Pops.

American Strings: From Folk to Film is a new program of folk songs, fiddle tunes, novelty pieces, and film scores featuring selections from American composers like Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Scott Joplin, John Williams, Henry Mancini, and more. This performance was recorded live at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in May 2021.

Free to stream on our New Yok Pops website and via YouTube through August 25, 2021.

BILL'S 44TH 44th by Andy Manjuck and Dorothy James as part of its Spring 2021 Production Season of puppetry commissions, performed live from June 2-5 at 7:30pm EDT with video on demand (VOD) streaming available from June 8 through June 15, 2021. In-person performances will take place at 161A Chrystie Street, New York, NY.

The streamers are hung, the punch has been spiked, and the cake is just begging to be eaten! Now all Bill has to do is wait for his guests to arrive. But waiting is hard. Bill’s 44th is an original comedic show that brings two puppeteers together to create one (very worried) protagonist. Many styles of puppetry, raucous balloons, and a cheeky piece of crudité all collide to examine the pitfalls of impatience and the wonder of loneliness. Approx. run time: 55 minutes. Rated PG.

Puppeteers: Andy Manjuck, Dorothy James, and Jon Riddleberger.

Composer: Eamon Fogarty. Stage Manager: Taryn Uhe. Lighting Designer: Jordan Wiggins. Creative Producer: Leigh Walter. Dramaturg: Helena Pennington. Consulting Director: Nick O'Leary. Technical Director: Peter Russo. Director of Photography: Ben Smith.

THE NATIONAL FINALS RODEO will return to Las Vegas December 2 – 11, 2021 at the Thomas & Mack Center. The sold out event had a total attendance of 168,289 over the 10 days of competition in 2019.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimates that the total economic impact of NFR in 2019 was more than $175 million.

MET LIVE ARTS launches Sonic Cloisters, a series of site-specific electronic music performances featuring rising and renowned artists recorded in the unique spaces of The Met Cloisters in New York. Created specifically for digital platforms, Sonic Cloisters highlights the look, feel, and sound of the Cloisters as the inspiration for new electronic music. Freed from the confines of the dance floor, these artists interact with the Cloisters' collection, architecture, and environment to explore new creative territory and compositional approaches.

Digital Performances: Lost Souls of Saturn
Thursday, June 3, 9 pm
Gallery 2, The Fuentidueña Chapel

Jlin
Thursday, July 8, 9 pm
Gallery 1, The Romanesque Hall

Dubfire
Thursday, August 5, 9 pm
Gallery 6, Pontaut Chapter House






SAN DIEGO'S THE OLD GLOBE Artistic Director Barry Edelstein has announced the appointments of Lamar Perry and Kim Montelibano Heil as Associate Producers. These new positions will be central to the Globe’s artistic producing operation. Heil returns to the Globe, where she previously worked in the Artistic Department and then served as Education Programs Manager, and she joins the recently promoted Perry, who has been at the Globe since 2018.

Perry will produce a number of upcoming projects, both digital and live, even as he continues his work in new play development and outreach to Globe-affiliated playwrights and artists around the country. Heil will also produce and support additional sets of shows at the Globe. These appointments will result in a powerful and effective new approach to the way the Globe shepherds artistic work through every phase of the production process across all platforms. Perry has begun work in this new capacity, and Heil will begin on June 1.

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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

SAMUEL E. WRIGHT the two-time Tony nominated actor singer died May 24, 2021 in his sleep at his home in Walden, New York. The cause of death was prostate cancer. He was 74 years old.

He was Broadway's original Mufasa in The Lion King, and voiced Sebastian in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. for which he provided the lead vocals to "Under the Sea".

Wright was nominated for a Tony Award in 1984 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in The Tap Dance Kid and again in 1998 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical as the original lead actor for Mufasa in The Lion King. Wright was chosen to play the Scarecrow in the 1995 Apollo Theater Revival of The Wiz alongside Whitney Houston, Keith David, and Cedric the Entertainer. Wright originated the part of "Sam" in Over Here! on Broadway (1974). In addition, on Broadway, Wright replaced Ben Vereen as the Leading Player in Pippin (1972). He originated the role of Mayor Joe Clark in Mule Bone (1991).

Wright is survived by his wife Amanda Wright, and their three children: Keely, Dee, and Sam.

Next Column: June 6, 2021
Copyright: May 30, 2021 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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