Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: September 19, 2021
By: Laura Deni
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BROADWAY IS BACK! GO SEE A SHOW

Covid-19 killed 60,000 Broadway jobs from an industry which contributes $14.7 billion to New York City's economy — outside of ticket sales — and supports 96,900 local jobs. 31 Broadway shows were shuttered by the pandemic.

Last week Broadway staged a remarkable recovery with the re-opening of Broadway blockbusters The Lion King, Hamilton, Chicago, Wicked and Lackawanna Blues began previews. Hadestown and Waitress had rung up their curtains earlier.

Moulin Rouge and Aladdin will open this and next week.

Despite currently starring in a new Showtime series American Rust Jeff Daniels has agreed to return to Broadway and reprise his star turn as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird October 5, 2021 - February 20, 2022.

Jeff Daniels in To Kill a Mockinbird. Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes

Daniels' own Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan reopens with Under Ceege by Jeffry Chastang, slated for January 2022.

The biggies are coming back to help shore up the situation while some select newbies hope to grab attention.

Six, which follows the six wives of Henry VIII as they compete on a reality type television show, was shut down by COVID after its final night of previews, before it officially was set to open the next night. With book, music, and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the musical premiered at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe.

The show had been a hit in London and was a smash in American previews - considered the new musical expected to reach super-hit status. With its original cast and crew in place the musical finally opened on September 17 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

Moulin Rouge and Aladdin will open this and next week.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference Tuesday. “It’s (Broadway) in our heart and soul. It’s also so much of what people do to make a living in this town. And that makes us great. So, this is a big night for New York City’s comeback.”

During the last full Broadway season before the outbreak, from 2018 to 2019, 14.8 million people attended a show - that’s more people than the combined attendance for the Mets, Yankees, Rangers, Islanders, Knicks, Liberty, Giants, Jets, Devils and Nets, according to the Broadway League. The industry grossed $1.83 billion that season.

New York City ballet is set to reopen on September 21 with performances of George Balanchine's Serenade and Symphony in C, and Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain Pas de Deux.

Fire Shut Up in My Bones opens at the NY Met on September 27. Baritone Will Liverman stars in the opera, written by Terence Blanchard. The opera will be the first ever by a Black composer to be performed at the Met.

The opening will air live in Time Square and Harlem.

Across the pond, the West End which also has itself in the ICU welcomed Blithe Spirit, s arring Jennifer Saunders, returning to the West End on September 16. The comedy moved to the Harold Pinter Theatre after a run was cut short due to the pandemic.

Matilda the Musical also reopened in London on September 16. The Olivier-winning musical resumed performances at the Cambridge Theatre.

Jason Robert Brown's The Last 5 Years began in London's West End of September 17. The musical stars Oli Higginson and Molly Lynch.

However, despite a major return to the stage, Covid is still very much with the theater community. Tony winner Roger Bart missed the September 13 opening of the new musical Back to the Future after testing positive for the coronavirus.

THE SCHOOL RUN IS A BARBED, COMICAL LOOK AT - PARENTS

The first assumption Broadway To Vegas will make about The School Run is that the authors are parents or retired teachers. They have turned daily school events into a spot on take down.

Cleverly written by Zalie Burrow, Corinna Myron and Saskia Wills with direction by Corinna Myron.

Starring: Rachel Atkins, Zalie Burrow, Bea Holland, Gary King, David McCaffrey, David Timson, Gary King, and Saskia Willis.

The School Run is an audio sketch comedy show set in the more-money-than-sense upper-middle class world of a snooty pre-preparatory school. All of the usual suspects are there; tiger moms, tutors, spoiled children and toffs (rich or upper-class persons.)

As is pointed out: "Aren't children irritating, but not as irritating as parents or Americans - or, God forbid, American parents."

As the play opens, parents are in a brainstorming bake sale meeting discussing their recent money making event. Comments range from a zealous health conscious mom talking about indulging the devil once a year (sugar), another parent carping that her child's Rice Krispies bar fell apart. There was even a suggestion that at next year's bake sale the members buy from a bakery (because who has time to bake) and then tell prospective buyers that the goodies were homemade.

Some of the attendees are women who have recently received Botox who now have trouble speaking. For listeners who have ever been around a person who has received Botox injections round the mouth area, this particular segment is laugh out loud hilarious. There is the expected sex between moms and tutors, educators and administrators and a teacher who suggests to a parent of a marginal student that if he replaces her Chivas Regal supply she will be able to write the boy a letter of recommendation.

Two chance meetings of moms who attempt to schedule a play date for their children and on the next encounter a get together among themselves. The arrogant, oh my gosh, gasp, this is overwhelming attitude is almost too accurate. After multiple compliments of each other's looks "Lovely and thin" it seems one or another of the children has ballet followed by Mandarin, with violin on Thursday. When they meet again they first only discuss their handbags: "Is it Hermes?" "Longines. Crocodile with leather backing" - but getting together has it obstacles. After all, "Thursday is out because that's colonic irrigation day."

There is head caretaker Jerry who at first defends the kids breaking rules until he goes ballistic after catching one running across his lawn. A stay at home dad who is ridiculed behind his back. Women who have discovered that being a parent is hard work and much of it not any fun is told: "if you have discovered that being a parents is a bore then why not buy yourself a nanny? Or - "It must be wonderful to be rich enough to own your own slave." That person being an illegal immigrant - "they're all the rage" especially among politicians who have summer homes. There is a hyper mother who knows that failure is not an option and that her son has to get into Harvard.

There is a mom who chronically complains, leaving lengthy phone messages: She didn't think it appropriate that her daughter's teacher had told the class Elizabeth I was called The Virgin Queen "Because nobody would touch her with a barge pole" and that Henry VIII was called "a player." Also, the soap in the bathroom was causing the children's hands to chap and she offers to donate lotion she buys, which is imported from Paris.

Insecurity disorders abound and so do the laughs.

The pianist was Gareth Moorecraft and excellent live sound effects were by Foley artists Jane Deane and Luisa Guerriera.

Recorded and edited by Tshari King.

Produced by Wireless Theatre Company.

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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

GLOBAL ASIAS: CONTEMPORARY ASIAN AND ASIAN AMERICAN ART from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation. This major exhibition features the cosmopolitan, exuberant and subtly subversive work of 15 artists of Asian heritage who are adept at crossing borders – not only physical ones but also those in media, styles, genre and materials. Global Asias is the first large-scale exhibition to highlight the impressive scope and diversity of the Jordan Schnitzer Foundation’s collection of contemporary Asian and Asian American art. Global Asias invites viewers to think about Asia not in singular but plural terms – encouraging audiences to understand Asia as a site of meaning across the globe. The artists in Global Asias were born in Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Argentina and the United States. Guest curated by Dr. Chang Tan, assistant professor of art history and Asian studies at Penn State, the exhibition provides an opportunity to move away from considering Asia as a geographical location and instead invites us to think broadly about how “Asia” has long served as an imaginative construct.

The artists represented in the exhibition are Kwang Young Chun, Jacob Hashimoto, Manabu Ikeda, Jun Kaneko, Dinh Q. Lź, Hung Liu, Mariko Mori, Hiroki Morinoue, Takashi Murakami, Roger Shimomura, Do Ho Suh, Akio Takamori, Barbara Takenaga, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Patti Warashina. All draw on a rich array of motifs, media, genres, techniques and cultural motivations to reflect and embody diverse “Asias” in a modern global context.

The exhibition will premiere at the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State through December 12, 2021, before embarking on a national tour.

After its debut at the Palmer Museum of Art, the exhibition travels to the Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, Tennessee, Jan. 28 through April 24, 2022; The Heckscher Museum of Art, Huntington, New York, June 4 through Sept. 18, 2022; Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, Montana, Oct. 13, 2022 through Jan. 15, 2023; and USC Pacific Asia Art Museum, Pasadena, California, March 10 through June 25, 2023.

ARTISTS OF HAWAI'I offers a visually dynamic exploration of the most urgent global issues of our time. The exhibition features 18 leading contemporary artists of Hawai‘i, whose compelling and essential works confront some of today’s most crucial and timely themes such as Indigenous rights, the environment and a range of social concerns. It also serves as a model for how museums can partner with local creatives to enact meaningful community solutions from the roots up. Artists of Hawai?i Now builds upon the museum’s longstanding tradition of showcasing the work of Hawai?i-based artists, directly supporting and investing in the local arts ecosystem and amplifying the creativity and innovation that Hawai?i offers the global community.

The exhibition presents 13 new site-specific installations employing a wide variety of technologies, media and techniques. The 18 emerging and established artists included in the exhibition are NaÆ?aÆlehu Anthony, Gwen Arkin, Andy Behrle, Gaye Chan, Jennifer Goya, Lynda Hess, Christopher Kahunahana, Kapulani Landgraf, Daniel Kauwila Mahi, Lanakila Mangauil, John Mantanona, Manu Mei-Singh, Nicole Naone, Cara Oba, Kyle Oba, Aura Reyes, Juvana Soliven and Noe Tanigawa.

Co-curators: Taylour Chang, Curator, Film and Performance at Honolulu Museum of Art; and Marlene Siu, Exhibitions Manager at Honolulu Museum of Art.

On display through January 22, 2022 at the Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, Hawai‘i.

A PROMINENT COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY by some of the most acclaimed fashion photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries is being gifted to the Columbus Museum of Art. The 23 works represent a range of iconic fashion images by Diane Arbus, Louis Faurer, Horst P. Horst, Frank Horvat, George Hoyningen-Huene, George Hurrell, Cathleen Naundorf, Irving Penn, Mark Shaw, Maurice Tabard and Joyce Tenneson. The collection is being donated to CMA by philanthropist Sally Ross Soter of Palm Beach, Florida, who along with her parents, Richard and Elizabeth Ross, has provided transformative and visionary support of the museum’s photography program for more than 50 years.

“This extraordinary private collection of fashion photographs by some of the most innovative practitioners in the field adds an entirely new dimension to CMA’s photography holdings and will allow the museum to enrich the narratives of history and popular culture throughout our galleries and programs,” said Nannette Maciejunes, CMA executive director and CEO. “Photography is the quintessential 20th-century medium, integrally linked to Modernism. It is through the commitment of generations of the Ross family that the museum’s acclaimed Modernist paintings and works on paper are now complemented by an exceptional photography program.”

Among the celebrated and captivating photographs in the collection are Horst P. Horst’s Mainbocher Corset (1939) and Iman, Valentino (1982); Givenchy Hat (circa 1958) by Frank Horvat; Mae West In Her Bedroom, Santa Monica, CA (1965) by Diane Arbus; and Vionnet Dress with Fan (1974) by Irving Penn.

In honor of Mrs. Soter’s 80th birthday, her daughter, Sarah Kay, and her family are magnifying the impact of the gift by funding a multiyear celebration beginning in spring 2022 to showcase CMA’s photography program. The series of exhibitions, public programs and initiatives will include an exhibition of Diane Arbus: A Box of Ten Photographs, the museum debut of the work of pioneering 1960s and 70s photographer Kali.

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SWEET CHARITY

A GRAND NIGHT FOR GOODSPEED GALA a Celebration of Rodgers & Hammerstein – marking the thrilling return of live musicals to the Opera House stage. To celebrate the occasion, Goodspeed will hold its twentieth annual Gala on the first night of this rousing revue. The buoyant new production will run September 24 through November 28, 2021 at The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn. Official Press Opening will be October 6, 2021.

The cast will feature Jasmine Forsberg, Mauricio Martķnez, Jesse Nager, Mamie Parris, and Diane Phelan. The standbys will be Kathryn Boswell and Kevin Schuering.

Many of the most uplifting and romantic songs in musical theatre history have one thing in common: the incomparable writing team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. A Grand Night For Singing celebrates over 30 hit songs from all their musical treasures like Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, Carousel, The King and I, Cinderella and more. You’ll be tapping your toes and humming along in a joyful evening filled with fresh takes on the music you love. It’s “Something Wonderful” for everyone including your “Honey Bun” or your “Wonderful Guy” and the perfect welcome home to Goodspeed!

Directed by Rob Ruggiero with choreography by Broadway’s Lainie Sakakura and designed by Scenic designer Brian Prather, Costume designer Alejo Vietti: Lighting designer Alan C. Edwards with Sound design by Goodspeed’s Jay Hilton.

Conceived by Walter Bobbie the tune-filled treat features musical arrangements by Fred Wells and orchestrations by Michael Gibson and Jonathan Tunick. Music Direction will be by Resident Music Director Adam Souza.

2021 SAN DIEGO OLD GLOBE GALA takes place Saturday, September 25, 2021. Globe Gala at The Old Globe's Copley Plaza. Featuring a Performance by Tony Award–Nominated Broadway Star Joshua Henry.

Globe Board members Jennifer Greenfield and Sheryl White serve as Co-Chairs, and Darlene Marcos Shiley is the Honorary Gala Chair. The black-tie event will begin with cocktails by Snake Oil Cocktail Company and hors d’oeuvres on the Globe’s Copley Plaza followed by a musical performance by Tony Award–nominated Broadway star Joshua Henry. After the performance, guests will enjoy dinner catered by Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine and followed by dancing to the music of The Cowling Band.

The Old Globe believes that theatre matters, and its commitment is to make it matter to more people. Attendance at the 2021 Globe Gala will support a vibrant, nationally renowned theatre dedicated to serving the public good through thrilling productions of great classics, provocative new works, and exciting musicals.

The Old Globe’s arts engagement programs are redefining how a professional not-for-profit theatre transforms lives across the community it serves. These remarkable programs serve 40,000 children, families, and individuals, ranging from students in Title I schools to homeless communities, from military service members and veterans to incarcerated populations.

The 2021 Gala Committee includes Board members Terry Atkinson, Eleanor Y. Charlton, Susan Hoehn, Sandra Redman, and Margarita Wilkinson.

NAOMI CAMPBELL has been named as a global ambassador for the Queen's Commonwealth Trust (QCT) as it prepares to mark Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee next year. The charity - which was established in 2018 - supports young people who are bringing about sustainable change in their communities. It recently launched the QCT Platinum Jubilee Fund for Young Leaders, aimed at helping 18- to 35-year-old entrepreneurs across the Commonwealth. Prior to their departure as working royals, Harry and Meghan were heavily involved with the international development charity.

The announcement was made on the eve of London Fashion Week, at a special event hosted by Hotel Café Royal, where Campbell was joined by Christopher Kelly, CEO of the international development charity, and QCT-funded young entrepreneur, Bukola “Bukky” Bolarinwa a sickle cell disease and blood donation advocate.

Campbell called her new role as a QCT Platinum Jubilee Global Ambassador a privilege and ¯ in a speech Thursday said: "Regardless of where you are from or where you are now, there are young leaders within your community doing amazing work. Sometimes they are not seen and some of them may not even see themselves as leaders yet, but they all deserve our support, and access to education and resources."

The 51-year-old super model added."I have been doing the work with empowering young people for over 25 years. This is something very close to my heart and I will continue to do everything I can to uplift the next generation, so they can create a better future for their communities."

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SPREADING THE WORD

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS has canceled its Las Vegas convention which was due to take place October 9-13. COVID19 was again given as the reason.

LACKAWANNA BLUES written, performed, and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, with original music by Bill Sims Jr. performed on stage by blues guitarist Junior Mack.

''Ruben Santiago-Hudson's brilliant solo play celebrating the strong, big-hearted woman who raised him: Miss Rachel. In a 1950s boarding house outside Buffalo, Nanny, as she was affectionately called, opened her doors to anyone and everyone in need of kindness, hope, compassion, and care. Giving a tour-de-force performance accompanied by live music written by acclaimed composer Bill Sims Jr. and performed by Blues Hall of Fame Guitarist Junior Mack, Santiago-Hudson embodies more than 20 vibrant characters, creating a richly textured reminiscence that’s inspiring, uplifting and right at home on Broadway."

The creative team includes Michael Carnahan (scenic design), Karen Perry (costume design), Jen Schriever (lighting design), Darron L West (sound design), Bill Sims Jr (original music). Kamra A. Jacobs is the Production Stage Manager..

Lackawanna Blues began performances Tuesday, September 14 and opens Tuesday, September 28 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in New York City.

MESTIZO is a new, groundbreaking work by pianist and composer Alon Nechushtan that explores the hidden connections between Native American melodies, our region as tribal land of the Lenni-Lenape, and the broad jubilation of rhythm, pulse and dance as global syntax. Mestizo is an expression of connectedness to land, people, traditions and language, premiering on National Native-American Day and scored for the award-winning Tesla String Quartet with the Grammy-winning percussionist Samuel Torres.

September 24, 2021 at Brooklyn Music School Theater.

MY MOTHER'S SEVERED HEAD acclaimed Actor/Producer Bruce Willis presents Charles Cissel’s "zany, mind-bending, dark comedy." The play follows Robert, a playwright stuck in the family business after the untimely decapitation of his mother. whose head talks to him from the kitchen table. As Robert and his father go at each other’s throats, his mom plots the best way to reunite with the rest of her body.

The cast includes Giancarlo Herrera, Nana Ponceleon, Katelyn Sparks, Camilo Sanchez Lobo, and Luis Alberto Garcia.

Richard Caliban directs. The creative team also includes costume designer Heather Carey, set designer Wesley Cornwell, and lighting designer Daniela Fresand.

Presented by Theatre One on Theatre Row in New York City through October 2, 2021.

MATTHEW AND GUNNAR NELSON perform their Ricky Nelson Remembered show September 24 at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Welch, MN. On September 25 the performance is at the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center in Cedarburg, WI and on September 26 they take to the stage at the Fargo Theatre in Fargo, ND.

WORLD'S TALLEST OBSERVATION WHEEL is set to open in Dubai, UAE on October 21.

Ain Dubai, at over 250 metres (820 feet) tall, eclipses anything that has come before it, heralding a new era in the world of entertainment. The 48 double-glazed uber-luxurious cabins will boast the capacity to collectively carry up to 1,750 passengers at a time. The custom built, fully air-conditioned cabins offer unrivaled 360-degree views of Dubai in premium comfort.

THE NOSEBLEED written and directed by Aya Ogawa.

"In this intimate autobiographical piece, playwright and director Aya Ogawa explores their fractured relationship with their long-deceased, enigmatic father. Through a series of turbulent, absurd and poignantly comic vignettes, Ogawa reveals the seemingly insurmountable cultural and generational gap between themself and their father, who was a typical Japanese corporate businessman, while delving into questions surrounding the playwright’s own present-day experience of parenthood. In the form of a theatrical memorial and healing ritual for the audience, this darkly humorous, tender and inventive play considers how we inherit and bequeath failure, and what it takes to forgive. "

This world premiere production features Drae Campbell, Haruna Lee, Peter Lettre, Aya Ogawa, Saori Tsukada and Kaili Turner, with Set and Costume Design by Jian Jung and Lighting Design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew. Production Stage Manager is Lenyn Hernandez Marcia. Assistant Director & Assistant Stage Manager is Julia Izumi.

Presented by Japan Society and the Chocolate Factory Theater, this world premiere will have eight performances, October 1 - 10 at Japan Society in New York City.

COMEDIAN LEWIS BLACK will be bringing his wildly popular The Rant Is Due livestream — where citizens of the world write in to tell him whatever is annoying them — to the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York on Saturday, September 25.

MOVING AROUND

DAVID GINDLER has stepped aside as board chair at Antaeus Theatre Company in Glendale, California. Executive coach and consultant Evie DiCiaccio has been newly elected to the position.

As board chair since 2010, Gindler was a major behind-the-scenes force. He spearheaded Antaeus’ move from a tiny 49-seat space in North Hollywood to the new, two-theater Kiki and David Gindler Performing Arts Center in Glendale, which the company named in honor of Gindler and his wife. Gindler continues to support Antaeus as an ongoing member of the board and its executive committee. In addition to Antaeus, Gindler also sits on the boards of the Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Beth Morrison Projects. He is a partner at the law firm of Milbank LLP, where he specializes in intellectual property litigation and licensing, with an emphasis in complex patent litigation.

DiCiaccio joined the Antaeus board five years ago, serving as chair of the development committee, as a member of the executive committee, and on a taskforce devoted to equity, diversity, inclusivity and belonging.

ROBERT FALLS 68, will step down as Chicago's Goodman Theatre artistic director after 35 years. The move becomes effective at the end of the current season in August 2022. His tenure led to a Pulitzer Rrize, 22 Tony Awards, and more than 160 L Jeff Awards. productions.

Falls’ longtime partner, Goodman executive director Roche Schulfer, will remain at the theater, at least through the transition to a new artistic director.

JAAP VAN ZWEDEN 60, will leave the New York Philharmonic at the end of the 2023-24 season. He began his tenure as the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic in September 2018. He also serves as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

MILK CRATE THEATRE COMPANY in Sidney, Australia which works with an Ensemble of artists who have experienced homelessness or social marginalization to create theatre that creates change has announced the addition of three new board members - Social impact expert Kevin Leem nationally renowned director Paige Rattry and social work leader Katina Velkou. The new members will increase the board to nine and join existing board members Digby Hughes, Richard Levine, Lauren O'Shaughnessy, Lenore Robertson, Victoria Turner and chair Michael Sirmai.

Jodie Wainwright is CEO and Margot Politis serves as Artistic Director.

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OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

ANY EXTRA MONEY LYING AROUND? a respected sales site which specializes in high end items is offering a USED Hermes (correct pronunciation AirMay) purse -25 Matte Alligator Blue Indigo Gold Hardware - leather interior - all top notch - for $69,000. That's right sixty nine thousand dollars - for a purse. The seller lives in California.

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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

GEORGE WEIN an impresario of 20th century music who helped found the Newport Jazz and Folk festivals and set the template for gatherings everywhere from Woodstock to the south of France, died Monday, September 13, 2021 “peacefully in his sleep” in his New York City apartment. He was 95.

Founded by Wein in 1954, the Newport Jazz Festival, held each summer in Newport, Rhode Island, is the United States’ premiere outdoor jazz festival. Jazz greats who have played the festival include Miles Davis (1926–1991), Duke Ellington (1899–1974), Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996), Billie Holiday (1915–1959), and Judy Garland (1922–1969), among countless others. Recordings of these live performances have gone down as some of the best jazz records of all time.

Wein, who owned the Storyville jazz club in Boston and had founded the Storyville record label, was approached by Louis and Elaine Lorillard to help organize and book a jazz festival in their hometown of Newport, Rhode Island. The resulting Newport Jazz Festival included academic panel discussions as well as live musical performances. One of the earliest modern music festivals, it influenced decades of festivals across many genres of popular music.

Wein, along with his company, Festival Productions, helped to start festivals in other cities, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He also founded the Newport Folk Festival in 1959, which helped promote the folk music revival and featured notable performances by Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, including Dylan’s infamous switch to electric guitar in 1965.

In addition to working as a promoter, Wein was a jazz pianist who recorded and toured with his band, the Newport All-Stars. He released 11 albums between 1955 and 1993, mainly in swing and Dixieland styles. He chronicled his life in the world of jazz music in his autobiography, Myself Among Others: A Life in Music.

Wein received honors from Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton for his contributions to jazz music and American culture. He was also decorated with France’s Legion d’honneur and was a lifetime honorary trustee of Carnegie Hall.

NORM MACDONALD Canadian stand-up comedian who rose to international fame as a Saturday Night Live star, died September 14, 2021 after a private, 10-year battle with cancer. He was 61.

Paste magazine named him #31 on their 50 Best Stand-up Comics of All Time.

In 1988, Macdonald married Connie Vaillancourt, with whom he had a son, Dylan, born 1993. The couple separated in April 1999.

Next Column: September 26, 2021
Copyright: September 19, 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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