Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: April 30, 2023
By: Laura Deni
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SHUCKED IS A CORNY LAUGH GETTER

Cast members John Behlmann, Alex Newell, Caroline Innerbichler and Andrew Durand. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman

I've never been one for corn-pone jokes and hillbilly music. I don't like stupid.

There is an exception to every rule and Shucked is it.

Thankfully, Shucked takes low brow, county-fried humor to an elevated level. It's a laugh filled, fun fest.

The only redeeming social value is that laughter is good for you.

If you enjoyed the television series Hee Haw and millions of people did, then this show is right up your alley. If you never watched Hee Haw this show will still make you laugh, laugh, and laugh some more.

Shucked actually has a Hee Haw background. A decade ago book writer Horn was approached by the Opry Entertainment Group with a proposition to pen the script for a musical based on Hee Haw. which aired from from 1969 to 1991 and mixed country music with cringe inducing skits, frequently set in a cornfield. Horn asked Clark and McAnally to join the project.

Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical opened in Dallas, Texas at the Dallas Theater Center in association with Opry Entertainment and Fox Musicals in September 2015. Set in present-day Kornfield Kounty, the production told the story of Misty Mae, who goes to the big city of Tampa, Florida to be a TV weather girl. It wasn't a big hit, nor even a small one.

The show was put on the back burner and then overhauled to become Shucked.

The most significant and serious change is the removal of frequent and serious racial and female prejudice comments. There are a few Jewish and gay laugh getters. Nor is Shucked an all white cast.

For the very few who caught the show in Dallas they'll recognize the evangelistic We Love Jesus (But We Drink a Little), the second act opening number sung by the ensemble, which sets the stage for the small-town girl going to Tampa, Florida. There is also Houston born Kevin Cahoon, who is the only holdover from the Moonshine cast, where he played an idiot savant named Junior Junior. In Shucked, Cahoon’s character has become the town philosopher named Peanut. At first you'll surmise that he's a rube, but then his spouts range from goofball to universal truths mouthed as endless one liners - “Like the lazy dentist said: brace yourself;” or “I chopped down that Christmas tree and you asked if I was going to put it up myself,” Peanut recalls. “And I said 'No, I’d probably put it up in the living room.'” The character is based on Horn’s husband’s uncle who was a peanut farmer. Cahoon’s character is the jack of all trades guy. He runs the radio station, serves as the town clerk and moonlights as the parson who marries and buries people.

As one character in the production explains: "There’s a cornfield of difference between simple and stupid. That’s a simple mistake stupid people make."

Officially the musical is touted as: "the brand-new farm-to-fable Broadway musical from the Tony Award-winning director of Hairspray and the Tony Award-winning writer of Tootsie."

The main creatives hicks are: Music by: Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally; Book by: Robert Horn; Lyrics by: Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally.

The creatives took a chance on Broadway. Not one rainmaker star is in the production. It was possible to buy preview tickets for as low as $29.00.

Mr. Alex Newell, with that incredible voice, takes on the role of Lulu and all but stops the stop with Independently Owned. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

A plot is somewhat - sort of - maybe - presented by two storytellers with the simplistic names of Storyteller 1 (Ashley B. Kelley) and Storyteller 2 (Tony nominated Grey Henson) who are today's version of Hee Haw comics. Their hayseed thoughts are pure and basically true, as they attempt to bond with the audience.

They sing out the first two numbers: Corn Story and Maizy Travelin' Song.

It seems that the residents are cut off from the outside world and that's how they like it. They're protected by corn as high an an elephant's eye - as Rodgers and Hammerstein put it in Oklahoma. Those corn stalks and the vegetable on them supplies the town with all of their needs. There is no reason to ever leave nor allow others to enter. Sort of like a corn fed Brigadoon.

Things get upended when the corn dies. For no reason. The nerve of that vegetable. Just up and dies and nobody can figure out why. Panic ensues. Maizy (Caroline Innerbichler), a young, innocent creature who sees everything as the glass have full if not overflowing, assigns herself the job of venturing into the great unknown to find help for her rotting town. This foray for a good cause does not have the seal of approval from her fiancé, Beau (Andrew Durand).

She manages to travel to Tampa, Florida and through the music Shucked tells the story of the characters she discovers. If nothing else, country music is storyteller music.

Throughout the show sexual innuendos abound.

She tracks down a scuzzy 'Corn Doctor' named Gordy (John Behlmann), a purported foot specialist. Maizy brings him back to Cob County. People view him through suspicious eyes - including Maizy’s cousin Lulu (Alex Newell) and Beau.

Cast of Shucked. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman

This is a home grown show for lovers of country music and will convert those who always thought they didn't like the genre. Sure there are banjos twanging but it become infectious, not annoying. Give credit to three time Grammy Award winners Clark who saw Oklahoma at an early age, and McAnally whose first Broadway experience was seeing The Book of Mormon. He told his husband that he intended to write a musical. Before that happened the couple penned songs for Lee Ann Womack, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Sam Hunt, Keither Urban, Darius Rucker, Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves, to name just a few.

From the sounds of what they wrote for this production one can immediately assume that they had a ball writing the songs.

Their Maybe Love song is poignant and sweet.

Sung by Lulu, Independently Owned stops the show. That's the ditty which contains the line: "Don’t need a man for flatteries/I got a corn cob and some batteries."

Musical Supervisor: Jason Howland; Musical Coordinator: John Miller; Conducted by Jason Howland; Associate Conductor: Kevin Ramessar; Assistant Conductor: Daniel Edmonds; Keyboard: Jason Howland; Guitar: Kevin Ramessar and Marc Copely; Fiddle/Mandolin/Keyboard: Antoine Silverman; Drums: Lexi Bodick; Drums/Percussion: Chris Jago; Electronic Music Design: Billy Jay Stein, Hiro Iida and Strange Cranium, Inc.; MainBrain/Ableton Programmer: Chris Petti and Strange Cranium, Inc.; Music Preparation: JoAnn Kane Music, Russell Bartmus and Megan Sperger; Music Assistant: Erin Reifler and Nicholas Cheng.

The creatives are: Music Supervision, Orchestration and arrangements by Jason Howland. Scenic designer is Scott Pask. Costume designer is Tilly Grimes. Lighting designed by Japhy Weideman. Sound designer is John Shivers. Hair and wig design by Mia Neal. Casting by C12 Casting Stephen Kopel, CSA. Associate Director: Derek Kolluri; Associate Choreographer: Robin Masella and Jennie Ford Associate Scenic Design: Orit Jacoby Carroll; Associate Costume Design: Caity Mulkearns; Associate Lighting Design: Ken Wills; Associate Sound Design: Kevin Kennedy; Associate Hair and Wig Design: Sun Ju Kim; Assistant Scenic Design: Stephen Carmody, Mike Kaukl and Richard Ouellette; Assistant Lighting Design: Amina Alexander; Moving Light Programmer: Jeremy Goldenberg. Production Manager: Juniper Street Productions; Production Stage Manager: Michael J. Passaro; Stage Manager: Michelle Bosch; Assistant Stage Mgr: Matthew Henao.

The cast: John Behlmann as Gordy. Kevin Cahoon as Peanut. Andrew Durand as Beau. Grey Henson as Storyteller 2. Caroline Innerbichler as Maizy. Ashley D. Kelley as Storyteller 1. Alex Newell with that incredible voice as Lulu.

With Jimmy Brewer, Audrey Cardwell, Dwayne Clark, Rheaume Crenshaw, Jatgee Macapugay, Scott Stangland, Yasmeen Sulieman, Quinn Vanantwep, Miki Abraham, Ken Clark Traci Elaine Lee and Alan Wiggins.

A truly fun experience at the The Nederlander Theatre, New York City.

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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

FREUD'S ANTIQUITY: OBJECT, IDEA, DESIRE A major new exhibition, with an accompanying digital archive, exploring the crucial role that Freud’s collection of antiquities played in his development of the concepts and methods of psychoanalysis.

Freud’s study at 20 Maresfield Gardens contains a vast array of figurines, books and artwork that either originate from, or are inspired by, the ancient world. He was a compulsive collector of antiquities, which according to the poet H.D. were intimately bound up with his development of the concepts and methods of psychoanalysis; they helped to 'stabilize the evanescent thought' that was continually at risk of dissipation.

However, in the institutionalization of Freudian theory this rich and vital source of inspiration was neglected; we tend to be presented with a version of Freud the theorist as distinct from Freud the collector.

‘Freud’s Antiquity: Object, Idea, Desire’ seeks to examine this crucial link by bringing Freud’s collection into dialogue with his theories, in the hope that they will be mutually Illuminating. Co-curated with Professor Miriam Leonard (UCL), Professor Daniel Orrells (Kings College London) and Professor Richard Armstrong (University of Houston), the exhibition highlights six separate aspects of Freudian theory alongside representative objects from the collection, spanning his entire psychoanalytic career from the early paper ‘The Aetiology of Hysteria’ (1896) to his final completed work Moses and Monotheism (1939). The exhibit examines how the link between object and theory is conditioned by 'libidinal cathexis'- it was Freud’s libidinal investment in his objects that allowed them to animate his thinking.

The exhibition includes a comprehensive digital multimedia resource, containing video recordings, podcasts, new rotating photographs of rarely seen objects from the collection, and a list of suggested reading.

Freud’s Antiquity: Object, Idea, Desire is organised by the Freud Museum London in association with University College London, King’s College London and University of Houston.

On display until July 16, 2023 at the Fraud Museum in London.

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SWEET CHARITY

PROPSTORE currently presents an exclusive online auction of over 100 original costumes, props, and more from the production of the television series The Goldbergs.

A portion of proceeds will benefit Every Day Action, a nonprofit organization working to reallocate the food waste on film sets directly to those living on the streets of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and the San Fernando Valley.

According to their website," Every Day Action was created and founded by Hillary Cohen and Samantha Luu, two Directors Guild of America Assistant Directors hoping to change the way Hollywood sees food waste. Both women, having worked over 10 years on sets, have continually asked why the leftover gourmet food from catering is thrown out and not donated. They both were always met with the same standard excuse- it is too complicated and dangerous, it is best if we just throw it out.

"Sam and Hillary have decided that with so many people living on the streets in Southern California, that Hollywood needs to make a change. In an industry that is pushing the envelope on going green; proud of the plastics and paper one might save; Sam and Hillary are asking: but what about the people?!

"While handing out food to someone in need is NOT illegal, Sam and Hillary have laid the groundwork for those to donate who are still skeptical. They formed their 501c3 with liability insurance and offer a contract any studio or production can sign; fully releasing the production of any legal ownership or responsibility of the food excess. They simply ask for you to please stop throwing your "trash" away on set.

"In addition to their food reallocation program, Sam and Hillary also want to help those in the entertainment business who need daily employment options. Production Assistant and Background Artists are part of the blueprint of a set, and are a crucial role in every production; yet most can barely afford to live in the town in which they work. Every Day Action is proud to employ PAs and BG who are in between jobs to pick up and drive the food to those who need; paying them for their day's work and a gas stipend."

IN ASSOCIATION WITH SONY PICTURES TELEVISION Propstore hosted The Young and the Restless 50th Anniversary Online Auction that featured over 65 original costumes, props, and more from the production ofThe Young and the Restless.

A portion of the proceeds was donated by Sony Pictures Television to the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of The Young and the Restless’ co-creator, William J. Bell, to benefit care, support, and research programs.

SONIC TEMPLE ART & MUSIC FESTIVAL has announced The On Our Sleeves Movement For Children’s Mental Health, powered by the behavioral health experts at Nationwide Children’s Hospital as its official charity for 2023. Sonic Temple 2023 will bring a spectacular lineup of rock heavyweights to the Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio over Memorial Day Weekend – May 25-28, 2023. By selecting The On Our Sleeves Movement as the official 2023 charity, Sonic Temple will make a donation to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation to support The On Our Sleeves Movement.

For passes sold between May 1 and May 14 Sonic Temple will donate a portion of some sales. "It’s a phenomenal way for music fans to do some good while rocking out to an amazing lineup that includes headliners Foo Fighters, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold and KISS, along with top rock artists Godsmack, Rob Zombie, Queens of the Stone Age, Deftones, Falling In Reverse, Chevelle, Puscifer, Beartooth, I Prevail, Jawbreaker, Sublime with Rome, Bullet For My Valentine, The Pretty Reckless, Pennywise, Trivium, Black Veil Brides and many more."

The On Our Sleeves Movement was created by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, one of the United States’ largest networks of pediatric behavioral health treatment providers and researchers. The mission of On Our Sleeves is to give expert-created resources to all U.S. communities so everyone can understand and promote mental health for children. That includes access to free guides, skill building tools like conversation-starters, videos, curriculum for schools and workplaces and more.

SPREADING THE WORD

JUDY ON TV!: CELEBRATING THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW presented by 92NY'S Lyrics & Lyricists. Artistic Director, Music Directed, Arranged, and Hosted by Billy Stritch.

Written and Directed by Dick Scanlan.

Choreography by Richard Stafford.

Featuring Aisha de Haas, Gabrielle Stravelli, Alysha Umphress, and Max Von Essen, Vocals.

The Judy Garland Show lasted only nine months and the star saw its cancellation as a devastating failure. Stritch and Scanlan see it much differently, noting that the show’s 26 hours of concert material capture a crucial era of her life and legacy as one of the greatest entertainers of all time.

"The Judy Garland Show is a key component of Garland’s legend," comments Scanlan. "Our understanding and appreciation of Judy Garland would have been very different if the show had never been produced. Its arc – from triumphant beginning and one-of-a-kind performances to untimely cancellation and heartbreak – encapsulates Garland’s entire story."

"There seems to be no end of ways to celebrate Judy Garland," notes Stritch, who was also Liza Minnelli's longtime collaborator. "We’re thrilled to have found a way that is totally new, focusing on her TV show. Our stellar cast will perform songs Judy is famous for such as The Man That Got Away; Come Rain or Come Shine, and Over the Rainbow, along with some she never performed outside of the show, like Paper Moon and an astonishing Cottage for Sale, along with some of the duets and medleys that were a hallmark of the show."

All Performances In Person May 6-8, 2023 at the Kaufmann Concer Hall at 92Y in New York City.

SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM is an intimate portrait of the famed songwriter through his beloved songs and words. With exclusive interviews interspersed among favorite songs, audiences get an inside look at the renowned composer's personal life and artistic process. Honoring the legacy of Stephen Sondheim, who passed away in November 2021, this Broadway concert revue features wonderful Sondheim stylists accompanied by the Kansas City Symphony.

May 6, 2023 at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre in Kansas City, MO.

ONE NIGHT STAND CONCERT READING takes place Tuesday, May 9 a NJ Rep in Long Branch, NJ.

100 Years into the Heart - The Musical - a new musical with book by Richard Vetere, music by Jeffrey Lodin, lyrics by William Squier. Directed by Evan Bergman and featuring Broadway stars Bob Cuccioli, Arianna Rosario and Eddie Korbich.

"Inspired by real life events, this romantic new musical about miracles and tragedy, faith and passion, tells one family’s story … where a long-held secret could change everything. 100 Years Into the Heart has been seen in developmental performances at Bound for Broadway IV, Collaborative Arts Project 21, Curtain Call Inc., 4th Wall Theater, Music in a Box, New England Academy of Theatre and New York Musical Theater Festival. It was showcased in the Village Theater’s Seventh Annual Festival of New Musicals. And the premiere production at The Spirit of Broadway Theatre was honored with seven Spirit Awards, including Best New Book, Best New Lyrics, Best New Score, Best New Work and Best Production of the Year."

THE REAL ABILITIES FILM FESTIVAL in patnership with the New York City Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment which has supported the expansion of the Industry Summit to include Theatre and the Performing Arts taking place May 1-2 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, NY.

Serving as a collaborative space for entertainment and performing arts industry professionals and disabled creatives, the Summit will discuss topics of accessibility, inclusion and representation in all aspects of the film and performing arts industries, and explore beyond the basics into progressive best practices. Available both in-person and virtually.

KING CHARLES AND QUEEN CAMILLA visited the host venue of this year's Eurovision 2023 Song Contest, which will take place in Liverpool after the UK was chosen to host the competition on behalf of war-torn Ukraine. It will be the first time the competition has been held in the UK for 25 years.

The royal couple was given a tour backstage in Liverpool to meet production staff before being invited to light and animate the arena, revealing the competition staging for the first time.

The couple met 25-year-old Mae Muller at the arena, where they pressed a button to officially reveal its colorful staging.

Chatting with Mae, who will be singing I Wrote A Song, Charles told her: "Good luck, we’ll be watching with great interest, egging you on."

Eurovision director Martin Green started a countdown from ten before the royal couple pressed the button and the arena exploded in a cacophony of light, color and sound.

It ended with the official Coronation logo in tribute to Their Majesties.

The royal couple then moved onto the main stage to meet the hosts of Eurovision 2023, Ukrainian host, Julia Sanina, DJ Scott Mills, presenter Rylan Clark and Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham.

Reportedly, The King chatted to Waddingham intently about Monty Python.

The grand final of the competition is due to take place on May 13, a week after the coronation ceremony.

IN THE COURTS

US POP STAR KATY PERRY has lost a court battle with an Australian fashion designer called Katie Perry, who had sued the singer, alleging her merchandise infringed a trademark owned by the designer.

On Friday, April 28, 2023 Australian Federal Court Justice Brigitte Markovic ruled that top of the charts pop singer Katy Perry, 38, infringed the trademark of the Sydney-based fashion designer.

The designer Katie Taylor - who sells clothes under her birth name Katie Perry - sued the US pop star, saying her merchandise infringed a trademark owned by Taylor.

Katie Taylor, who initially filed the lawsuit in 2019, had alleged that the singer ignored the trademark and sold Katy Perry clothing to Australian customers during her tours in the country and through retailers and websites.

Judge Markovic agreed that clothing sold at Katy Perry's 2014 Australian tour did in fact breach Katie Taylor’s trademark. However, Markovic rejected further claims brought by Taylor relating to another tour in 2018 and sales in certain stores and websites.

Taylor heralded the verdict as a "David and Goliath" win for small businesses, writing on her website: "Not only have I fought myself, but I fought for small businesses in this country, many of them started by women, who can find themselves up against overseas entities who have much more financial power than we do".

However, Markovic ruled that the pop star used the 'Katy Perry' name in "good faith". The hitmaker won’t have to pay any personal compensation to the designer - but her company Kitty Purry must pay damages. The amount is to be decided next month.

The judge also dismissed a bid by the songstress seeking to cancel the 'Katie Perry' trademark, adding to a long list of disputes between the American singer and the Australian designer.

The battle between the pair started 15 years ago, in 2008, when Taylor registered the 'Katie Perry' brand in Australia (trademark number 1264761) Singer Katy Perry, born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, tried to block the registration and engaged lawyers to try to stop the designer using the trademark, but later abandoned the attempt.

Summing up, Justice Brigitte Markovic wrote: "This is a tale of two women, two teenage dreams and one name".

London-born designer Katie Perry's label began in the Paddington Markets and continued with a shop in Sydney, Australia. She comes from a clothing background. Her mother worked closely with the Benetton brothers before launching her own label in the 1970s, dressing those such as Diana, Princess of Wales and Paul McCartney.

Katie Perry studied at FBI Fashion College in Glebe, Sydney. She launched her label in late 2006. She chose to have the collection made in Australia, using Australian jersey fabric.

Singer Katy Perry is set to star alongside Take That, Lionel Richie, Sir Bryn Terfel, Tom Cruise, Pussycat Dolls' frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger, Winnie the Pooh. Andrea Bocelli and others, the following evening at the post coronation Coronation Concert on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

THE SB1116 CALIFORNIA COALITION whose efforts led to the passage and signing of California’s Equitable Payroll Fund, was honored with two major awards in April: The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle named the coalition winner of the 2023 Gordon Davidson Award for distinguished contribution to the Los Angeles theatrical community, while Stage Raw bestowed its prestigious “Queen of the Angels” award upon the group.

Authored and carried by California State Senator Anthony Portantino (D–Burbank), the Equitable Payroll Fund is a grant program designed to support small nonprofit performing arts organizations and workers by providing reimbursements of payroll expenses.

The coalition is led by Open Fist Theatre Company artistic director Martha Demson; Ophelia’s Jump producing artistic director Beatrice Casagran; Casa0101 executive director Emmanuel Deleage; Center Stage Theater executive director Teri Ball; Celebration Theatre executive director Chris Maikish; actor/activist Leo Marks; actor, singer, musician and stunt performer Marc Antonio Pritchett; Rogue Machine associate artistic director Elina de Santos; and writer, producer and actor Vanessa Stewart.

“We are extremely honored to be recognized by both the LADCC and Stage Raw, but our work has just begun,” says Demson. “Although the law was passed in 2022, the program remains unfunded in the most recent budget. At a time when small nonprofit performing arts organizations continue to shutter their doors at an alarming rate, we hope our state legislators and Governor Newsom will invest in the Equitable Payroll Fund to restore California jobs and revitalize our communities and local economies.”

Leaders of the Theatre Producers of Southern California, known as TPSCA, and Actors’ Equity Association, the labor union representing American actors and stage managers in the theater, joined forces in January to sponsor a rally, dubbed “Catch Up, California,” in an attempt to secure funding for the groundbreaking bill.

Currently, California’s arts investment is less than a third of New York’s, and less than a sixth of Minnesota’s—even as nonprofit arts generate billions of economic activity in the state. A recent wave of closures of small nonprofit performing arts venues statewide has put the health of the sector in jeopardy.

SPORTING PEDIA has done some digging and come up with some interesting information about expensive sport shoes. Their interest sparked upon the announcement that the most expensive sports shoes sold at auction in history was the recent sale of a pair of Michael Jordan sneakers, fetching $2,238,000.

The team at SportingPedia was able to also find data on the shoes’ original prices back when they came out on the market, giving a unique perspective into their increase in value. The original and the auction price of each pair is included in their publication.

Here are their key takeaways:

* 9 of the 10 most expensive sports shoes ever sold at auction were manufactured by Nike

* 8 of the 10 most expensive sports shoes ever sold at auction are basketball shoes

* 6 out of those 8 are game-worn Michael Jordan sneakers. His shoes take up six spots in our ranking, despite 3 of the models initially cost just $65

* Just one pair of football boots managed to rank in the top ten. Originally priced at $225, Nemeziz.1 Precision To Blur was worn by Lionel Messi when he scored his 664th goal since joining Barcelona. The pair was sold for $173,000 at auction

* The Air Jordan 13 model used to cost $150 when it was new. However, the 'Last Dance' pair Michael Jordan wore during the 1998 NBA finals sold for a monumental $2,238,000 at auction, which places these shoes in the first spot.

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2023 OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE (OCC) the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers and national publications, has announce the dates for the prestigious, annual Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring the 2022-2023 Broadway and Off-Broadway season, as well as the reconstruction of the acting categories.

The Outer Critics Circle board of directors has voted to remove gender specifications from acting categories as well as expand acting categories to separately include off-Broadway productions. In the previous configuration, actors in Broadway and off-Broadway productions had been nominated together in the same category.

The eligibility cut-off date for nominators to attend a show in the 2022-2023 season was Sunday, April 23. The OCC Awards Nominations announcement took place on Wednesday, April 26; winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 16, and the awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 25 at the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the New York Public Library for The Performing Arts.

New York, New York and Some Like It Hot were the most-nominated musicals of the season with 12 and 10 nods, respectively, and Downstate and Leopoldstadt becoming the most-recognized play with six nominations each.

This was the first season that the OCC took on non-gendered acting categories, a decision made after many years of discussions by the board.

For a complete list of nominations

THE 67TH ANNUAL DRAMA DESK AWARD NOMINEES have been announced. In keeping with the Drama Desk's mission, the nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway during the 2022-2023 New York theater season, with the Drama Desk cut-off being April 26, 2023. Only shows with 21 or more unique performances are eligible.

In determining eligibility of productions with recent Off-Broadway runs in prior seasons, the nominating committee considered only those elements that constituted new work.

Winners will be announced the week of May 29 and the Awards will be presented during a ceremony at Sardi’s on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.

The Drama Desk Awards are the only major New York City theater awards for which productions on Broadway, Off Broadway, and Off Off Broadway compete against each other in the same categories.

In accordance with a decision by the Drama Desk board of directors, this year all performance categories will be gender-free, as they were for the first 19 years of the awards’ existence. The updated gender-free categories are: Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, and Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical.

Each of these categories has twice as many nominees as the former gendered categories and voters will cast two votes for each category. These categories will also have two winners each. If there is a tie, there may be more than two winners in a category.

The Drama Desk Awards are voted on and bestowed by critics, journalists, editors, and publishers covering theater. The Drama Desk Awards honor all aspects of New York’s professional theater.

For a complete list of nominations

JERRY MITCHELL the two time Tony Award winning choreographer will be honored with the 2023 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in recognition of his dedication and contributions to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and for more than three decades of volunteer service through the arts.

Named for the late leader and chairman of the board of the American Theatre Wing, the Isabelle Stevenson Award is presented annually to a member of the theatre community who has made a "substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations." Last year's recipient was Shubert Organization Chair and CEO Robert E. Wankel.

When Mitchell arrived in New York City in the 1980s, the AIDS epidemic had already begun. To help those affected, Mitchell organized his fellow Broadway dancers from The Will Rogers Follies for a burlesque performance that raised $8,000, and Broadway Bares was born. To date, the annual fundraiser, performed annually in New York and in London, has raised more than $21 million for Broadway Cares, including $1.9 million in last year's edition alone.

Director-choreographer Mitchell received Tony Awards for Best Choreography for Kinky Boots and La Cage aux Folles. He was also Tony-nominated for Best Choreography for The Full Monty; Hairspray; Never Gonna Dance; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Legally Blonde and for Best Direction of a Musical for Kinky Boots.

Lea Michele and 2022 Tony winner Myles Frost will announce the 76th Annual Tony Award nominations May 2.

Hosted by Ariana DeBose, the American Theatre Wing’s 76th Annual Tony Awards, presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will air live June 11 from the United Palace in Washington Heights on CBS, streaming live and on demand on Paramount+.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2023 CHITA RIVERA AWARDS has been announced. In keeping with the mission of the Chita Rivera Awards, nominators considered shows and films that opened during the 2022-2023 theater season.

The 2023 Chita Rivera Awards will be presented on May 22nd at 7:30pm at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, and produced by Joe Lanteri, Founder and Executive Director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation, Inc. in conjunction with Patricia Watt. Jared Grimes will host this year's Chita Rivera Awards.

At the Awards, John Kander with receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and BroadwayHD, founded by Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane, with receive the Ambassadors For The Arts Award.

For the first time, the Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show category is gender-free. This category has twice as many nominees as the former gendered categories. There will be two winners.

For a complete list of nominations

ANTAEUS THEATRE COMPANY has selected playwrights Alex Alpharaoh and Lisa Sanaye Dring as the recipients of the company’s second annual NEXT commissions, a new play development initiative for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) playwrights. Antaeus created the commissions to amplify historically underrepresented voices and to broaden the scope of the classical theater canon.

An artist-driven theater company, Antaeus believes in the power and importance of storytellers as architects of culture and stewards of history. The purpose of NEXT is to nurture an inclusive generation of writers and support the creation of extraordinary new plays that will stand the test of time. NEXT offers financial, dramaturgical and logistical support for the development of original, full-length works.

Alex Alpharaoh is a formerly undocumented, Guatemalan born actor, dramatic writer, spoken word poet, solo performer and teaching artist from Los Angeles, CA. He is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award for solo performance as well as the recipient of a Stage Raw award for writing and performance for WET: A DACAmented Journey, a story about what it means to be an American in every sense of the word except on paper.

Lisa Sanaye Dring recently appeared in the Antaeus production of Everybody, and she directed Alex Goldberg's The Six Pianos of El Miradero for "The Zip Code Plays." Her play Hungry Ghost will be produced by Skylight Theatre this summer, followed by a production of SUMO at La Jolla Playhouse with Ma-Yi Theater Company. Lisa has recently worked on multiple projects with Meow Wolf and was a member of The Geffen Writers' Room. She was a recipient of the 2020/21 PLAY LA Stage Raw/Humanitas Prize.



OUR SHRINKING, SHRINKING WORLD by Richard Dresser.

Directed by Joe Cacaci.

Starring Molly Carden, Kaileela Hobby, Kevin O’Rourke and Jeff Rubino.

Dr. Lyman Hidalgo-Nyquist is a psychotherapist with a climate-induced apocalyptic complex, a loose grasp of therapeutic technique, and a looser grasp of professional ethics. When his long-suffering clients decide to see a new, young therapist who's just moved to town, Lyman's professional jealousy spikes—along with his fear of losing income.

The production team includes Jessica Parks (Scenic Design), Patricia E. Doherty (Costume Design), Jill Nagle (Lighting Design), Nick Simone (Sound Design) and Kristin Pfeifer (Production Stage Manager).

May 4-27, 2023 at the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch, NJ.

STRIKE! by Tracy Ryan.

Directed by Kirsty Patrick Ward.

Dunne’s Stores, Dublin, July 1984.

A South African grapefruit starts something that will take nearly three years to finish…

It’s a hot, hot summer and Frankie Goes to Hollywood are riding high in the charts. At Dunne’s Store, shop assistant Mary Manning refuses to ring up a grapefruit, sticking to her union instructions not to handle South African goods, in protest of the country’s apartheid policies. Mary is immediately suspended and it’s not long before she and eight other young women and one young man, all workers at Dunne’s, are out on strike. It’ll only last a few weeks…

The Dunnes Store strike was one of the most pivotal protests of the anti-apartheid movement outside of South Africa.

Strike! tells the story of the famous walkout by staff members between 1984-87.

The strike followed the actions of Mary Manning (Chloe O'Reilly), an employee who refused to sell a South African grapefruit to a store customer. She was subsequently suspended by management. The strike lasted until April 1987 when the Irish government banned the import of South African goods.

The three-year long Dunnes Stores dispute, which ran from 1984 to 1987 has become significant both in the memory of Irish trade unionism and in the history of the global civil society movement against apartheid in South Africa.

The strike began with a walk out by a handful of young, women and one man. The employees staged their industrial action from Dunnes Stores in Dublin in July 1984, after Mary Manning, a 21-year-old cashier and trade unionist refused to handle a South African grapefruit. This ultimately resulted in Ireland becoming the first country in the world to ban the importation of South African goods.

"Full of passion and humor, Strike! is the true story of the hardships and personal sacrifices, the friendships and camaraderie these extraordinary young people experienced as they stood up for what they believed in. "As their understanding of the suffering under apartheid in South Africa and the politics within their own Government deepened, they began a journey that would change their lives, and Ireland, forever."

Based on the inspirational story of the 1980s Dunnes stores anti-apartheid strike in Ireland.

Mensah Bediako as Nimrod, Aoife Boyle as Sandra, Paul Carroll as Paul/Benjamin, Charlotte Duffy as Theresa, Ciana Howlin as Sinead, Adam Isla O’Brien as Tommy, Sheila Moylette as Alma, Ciara Andrea Murphy as Cathryn, Chloe O’Reilly as Mary, Anne O’Riordan as Liz, Jessica Regan as Karen, Orla Scally as Michelle, Doireann May White as Vonnie.

The creatives are: Libby Watson Designer - Jamie Platt lighting designer - Dominic Brennan sound designer - Ira Mandela Siobhan movement director - Adam Burns production manager - Harry Adu Faulkner stage manager - Chloe Brown assistant stage manager - Caroline Hannam costume supervisor - Sofia Zaragoza assistant director - Raphaella Philcox assistant designer.

Ardent Theatre’s Strike!, at Southwark Playhouse, London until May 6.

DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES book by Craif Kucas. Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. Based on the play by JP Miller and the Warner Bros. film. Produced by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures

Directed by Michael Greif.

Choreography by Sergio Truillo and Karla Puno Garcia.

Kelli O’Hara as Kirsten and Brian d’Arcy James as Joe star in a searing new musical about a couple falling in love in 1950’s New York and struggling against themselves to rebuild a family.

The cast includes: Steven Booth as Understudy Joe Clay - Sharon Catherine Brown as Mrs. Nolan, Saleswoman - Bill English as Texan, Salesman, Understudy Joe Clay - Nicole Ferguson as Understudy Kirsten Arnesen, Mrs. Nolan, Betty - Olivia Hernandes as Betty - Byron Jennings as Arnesen - David Jennings as Jim Hungerford - Ted Kocj as Rad - Ella Dane Morgan as Lila Scarlett Unger as Understudy Lila - Kelcey Watson as Understudy Hungerford/Arnesen.

In addition to the abovementioned the creatives include: Dede Ayite Costume Design - Kai Harada Sound Design - DDavid Brian Brown hair design.
Atlantic Theater Company in New York City stages the World Premiere Musical May 5 - July 9, 2023 at the Linda Gross Theater.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK music and lyrics by John Kander & Fred Ebb, book by David Thompson and Sharon Washington, additional lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Based upon the movie of the same name.

Direction and choreography by Susan Stroman.

Starring: Colton Ryan, Anna Uzele, Clyde Alves, John Clay III, Janet Dacal, Ben Davis, Oliver Prose, Angel Sigala, Emily Skinner, and includes Wendi Bergamini, Allison Blackwell, Giovanni Bonaventura, Jim Borstelmann, Lauren Carr, Mike Cefalo, Bryan J. Cortés, Kristine Covillo, Gabriella Enriquez, Haley Fish, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Richard Gatta, Stephen Hanna, Naomi Kakuk, Akina Kitazawa, Ian Liberto, Kevin Ligon, Leo Moctezuma, Aaron Nicholas Patterson, Alex Prakken, Dayna Marie Quincy, Julian Ramos, Drew Redington, Benjamin Rivera, Vanessa Sears, Davis Wayne, Jeff Williams, and Darius Wright.

The creative team for the production includes Beowulf Boritt (Scenic and Projection Design), Donna Zakowska (Costume Design), Ken Billington (Lighting Design), Kai Harada (Sound Design), Christopher Ash (Projection Design), Sabana Majeed (Hair & Wig Design), Sam Davis (Orchestrations, Music Supervision and Arrangements), Daryl Waters (Orchestrations), David Loud (Vocal Arrangements), and Alvin Hough, Jr. (Music Direction).

Performances at Broadway’s St. James Theatre.

BERNARDA'S DAUGHTERS by Diane Exavier.

Directed by Dominique Rider.

Featuring Pascale Armand, Alana Raquel Bowers, Kristin Dodson, Malika Samuel, Taji Senior and Tamara Tunie.

Amid gentrifying construction, street protests and a sweltering summer in Flatbush, the five Abellard sisters take refuge in their family home. Simmering in the losses of their father and their neighborhood, they clash over how to contend with the legacy of their Haitian parents in a city that is no longer theirs.

The official release adds: "Inspired by Federico García Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba but with a breathtaking immediacy, playwright Diane Exavier brings to life a powerful ensemble of women to create this sensual and entrancing portrait of a family at a crossroads."

The creatives are: Scenic Design by Carlos J. Soto, Costume Design by Rodrigo Muñoz, Lighting Design by Marika Kent and Sound Design by Kathy Ruvuna. The Dramaturg is Nissy Aya. Dialect Coach is Cherie Rice. Movement Coordinator is Ashley Chavonne. Casting Director is The Telsey Company/ Destiny Lilly, CSA. Production Stage Manager is Rachel Denise April. Assistant Stage Manager is Sydneii Colter. This world premiere production from The New Group and National Black Theatre begins performances May 2 in advance of an Official Opening Night on Tuesday, May 23. A limited Off-Broadway engagement is slated through June 4 at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York City.

THE GOODBYE GIRL a book by Neil Simon, music by Marvin Hamlisch, and lyrics by David Zippel. Based on the Neil Simon film of the same name.

Directed by Tony winner David Zippel.

Choreography by Gerry McIntyre.

Musical direction by Miles Plant.

Tony winner Santino Fontana and Sierra Boggess will lead the company of J2.

The cast will also feature Tony nominee Christopher Sieber as Character Actor, Debra Thais Evans as Cosby, Lena Josephine Marano as Lucy, Tara Radha Rajan as Melanie, Honor Blue Savage as Cynthia, Alyssa Isihara as Jenna and others, Emma Kantor as Rhonda and others, Jessica Ann Lawyer as Donna and others, Daniel Pahl, Tony Collins, and Dan DeLuca as the Elliot standby. DeLuca will assume the role of Elliot May 11-12.

The Goodbye Girl follows the unlikely romance between Paula (Boggess), a single mother who has been jilted one too many times, and Elliot (Fontana), the opinionated actor who shows up—unexpectedly—on her doorstep with a lease to sublet her apartment.

The production will also have set design by Joshua Warner, lighting design by Ethan Steimel, costume design by Thomas J.C. Gluodenis, properties design by Emily LaRosa, associate music direction by Griffin Strout, dramaturgy by Frederick Miller, assistant choreography by Sara Andreas, technical direction by Justin Kirkpatrick, and casting by Holly Buczek of Wojcik Casting Team. The stage management team includes Kyle Binkley and Maria Papadopoulos.

Performances are scheduled for May 7-21 at Off-Broadway's Theatre Row in New York City.

GHOSTS Written by Henrik Ibsen. A new version written and directed by Mark O’Rowe .

After several years abroad, Helena Alving’s son has returned home. He carries with him a terrifying secret.

"Ibsen’s Ghosts, one of the greatest plays ever written, is a devastating moral thriller in which ideas of love, duty and family are mercilessly put to the test. This spectacular new version, written and directed by one of Ireland’s leading playwrights, Mark O’Rowe, grabs you by the throat from the outset and refuses to let go – all the way to its electrifying climax."

Helena Alving: Cathy Belton - Regina Engstrand: Simone Collins - Pastor Manders: Declan Conlon - Jacob Engstrand: Lorcan Cranitch - Oswald Alving: Calam Lynch.

The creatives are: - Set Designer: Francis O’Connor. Costume Designer: Joan O’Clery. Lighting Designer: Sinéad McKenna. Sound Designer: Aoife Kavanagh. Publicity Image: Patricio Cassinoni.

Performances through May 13, 2023 at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.

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FINAL OVATION

MARIO FRATTI professor emeritus of Italian literature at Hunter College, an internationally acclaimed playwright and drama critic, died at his Manhattan home on April 15, 2023. He was 95.

He was the author of such works as Suicide, The Cage, The Return, The Academy, Mafia, and The Bridge, he is best known for his musical Nine (inspired by Fellini’s famous film, 8 1/2) which in its original production in 1982 won the O’Neill Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, eight Drama Desk Awards, five Tony Awards and in 2000 was a recipient of the Otto Award for Political Theater. In its 2003 revival,Nine won three Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Tony Awards.

Fratti’s nearly seventy plays have received some six hundred productions in two dozen countries and have been translated into many languages. He was born in Italy but has been living in New York City since 1963. In addition to his writing achievements, he also serves as New York drama critic for nine European newspapers. He was a long time member of the Outer Critics Circle.

His wife, pianist Laura Dubman Fratti, died in 1993 of kidney failure at the age of 69.

Laura and Mario had a daughter Valentina Fratti who is a New York-based theatre professional. She co-founded the Miranda Theatre Company, has authored a number of plays, is a commercial producer, and is on the faculty at the New School for Drama. She served as the Alice Kaplan Guest Artists Residency at Northwestern University. She is a member of the Society of Directors and Choreographers, The Lincoln Center Director’s Lab and has served on the Board of Directors of the League of Professional Theatre Women for six years.

GINNIE NEWHART wife of comedian Bob Newhart died on Sunday, April 23, 2023 following a long illness. she was 82.

Married for 60 years she inspired the classic ending of his The Bob Newhart Show.

The CBS sitcom ends with Newhart's Vermont innkeeper Dick Loudon waking up as The Bob Newhart Show's Bob Hartley next to Suzanne Pleshette, who had played his character's wife on the previous CBS sitcom. This suggested that the events of Newhart were perhaps entirely a dream.

Ginnie Quinn Newhart was the daughter of a well-known actor Bill Quinn who an impressive film and television resume, including as Mary Richards' father on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the father of "Bones" McCoy in 1989's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds among his over 200 credits.

According to Bob Newhart's publicist who issued Ginnie's obit: Ginnie and Bob were set up by fellow comedian, Buddy Hackett. According to Newhart: "Buddy said, 'I've got a girl for you'. She's going with another guy, but I don't think he's right for her, so I'm going to fix you up on a blind date. You'll meet her and you'll date and you'll get married. Then you'll have kids and you'll call one of the kids Buddy.' Which we did."

Ginnie is survived by Bob, their four children, Rob, Tim, Jennifer, and Courtney, and ten grandchildren.

HARRY BELAFONTE a Jamaican-American singer, actor and tireless activist, who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s. His breakthrough album Calypso was the first million-selling LP by a single artist, died April 25, 2023 at his home in Manhattan, NY. He was 96.

In the 1940s, he was working as a janitor's assistant when a tenant gave him, as a gratuity, two tickets to see the American Negro Theater. He fell in love with the art form and also became friends with Sidney Poitier. The financially struggling pair regularly purchased a single seat to local plays, trading places in between acts, after informing the other about the progression of the play.

At the end of the 1940s, Belafonte took classes in acting at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York City with the influential German director Erwin Piscator alongside Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis, Walter Matthau, Bea Arthur, and Poitier, while performing with the American Negro Theater. He subsequently received a Tony Award for his participation in the Broadway revue John Murray Anderson's Almanac (1954). He also starred in the 1955 Broadway revue 3 for Tonight with Gower Champion.

Belafonte started his career in music as a club singer in New York to pay for his acting classes. The first time he appeared in front of an audience, he was backed by the Charlie Parker band, which included Charlie Parker himself, Max Roach, and Miles Davis, among others. He launched his recording career as a pop singer on the Roost label in 1949, but quickly developed a keen interest in folk music, learning material through the Library of Congress' American folk songs archives. With guitarist and friend Millard Thomas, Belafonte soon made his debut at the legendary jazz club The Village Vanguard. He signed a contract with RCA Victor in 1953, recording regularly for the label until 1974. Belafonte also performed during the Rat Pack era in Las Vegas.

He was one of many entertainers recruited by Frank Sinatra to perform at the inaugural gala of President John F. Kennedy in 1961.

Throughout his career, Belafonte was an advocate for political and humanitarian causes, such as the Anti-Apartheid Movement and USA for Africa. From 1987 until his death, he was a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Belafonte acted as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues.

Belafonte won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category.

He is survived by his third wife Pamela Frank and children Shari Belafonte, David Belafonte, Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Gina Belafonte and five grandchildren.

JERRY SPRINGER a former lawyer, served as the mayor of Cincinnati in the late 1970s before creating Jerry Springer, a controversial talk show, died April 27, 2023 at his home in suburban Chicago. A family spokesperson said Springer had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few months prior to his death. He was 79.

The series premiered in 1991 and aired for 27 seasons and nearly 5,000 episodes, drawing an audience of millions.

Jerry Springer: The Opera is a British musical written by Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee, based on the talk show Jerry Springer. It contains irreverent treatment of Christian themes, extensive profanity, and surreal images, such as a troupe of tap-dancing Ku Klux Klan members.

The show was then performed in concert at the Edinburgh Festival in August 2002, selling out. Jerry Springer came to see the show and endorsed it, stating, "I wish I'd thought of it myself."

The musical ran for 609 performances in London from April 2003 to February 2005 before touring the UK in 2006. It won four Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical. The first North American performance was at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. That took place on March 17, 2007, performed in semi concert-style with costumes and a minimal set at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as a benefit for Las Vegas-based HIV/AIDS charity, Golden Rainbow. The cast featured performers for the then-current versions of The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia!, and other Las Vegas Strip theatrical shows.

The show had its official American premiere in a non-equity production in Chicago at the Bailiwick Repertory Theatre that began on May 3, 2007.

The musical has been performed by a number of American regional theatre companies and made its New York City debut on January 29-30, 2008 at Carnegie Hall. Harvey Keitel starred as Jerry.

The show won four awards at the 2004 Laurence Olivier Awards; Best New Musical, Best Sound Design, Best Actor in a Musical (David Bedella) and Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical (the Chorus). It also won Best Musical at the 2004 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards, Best Musical at the 2003 Evening Standard Awards and the 2004 WhatsOnStage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards Best New Musical and London Newcomer of the Year (Benjamin Lake). The show won four awards at the 2003 Nowt2Do.Com Awards, Best Actor in a Musical (David Bedella) Best Actress in a Musical (Alison Jiear) Best London Show and Most Entertaining Show. In 2006, the show won Best Touring Production at the TMA Awards.

It is the only show ever to win all four "Best Musical" awards.

Springer's marriage in 1973 to Micki Velton ended in divorce in 1994. The couple had one child, Katie Springer who survives her father.

Next Column: May 7, 2023
Copyright: April 30, 2023 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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