Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: August 27, 2023
By: Laura Deni
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SHARED BY PAUL KENNY. A WIFE AND MISTRESS MEET OVER A GRAVE

A scene no man wants is his wife having a conversation with his mistress. When that conversation takes place over his grave the event becomes more than the deceased could have expected.

Written by Paul Kenny. Chloe Fine directs. A sellar cast starring Rula Lenska, who last year appeared on stage opposite Hayley Mills in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at The Theatre Royal. In this production appearing opposite Lenska is Jenny Runace who directed the Wireless Theatre Company's audio adaptation of Frozen after its successful stage run, featuring the original cast. Vicky Holmes and Maggie Robson round out the excellent ensemble.

When Patricia visits the grave of her recently deceased husband, Richard, the last thing she expects to find is another grieving woman - her husband’s mistress. Patricia is suddenly forced to face up to the double blows of bereavement and betrayal.

Author Kenny develops the story from the perspective of widow Patricia who is of the age and era when all women needed to be married and that you were who you married.

The woman at Richard's grave seems to know a great deal about Richard including that Richard, and only Richard, called his wife "Patty."

The woman with intimate knowledge of Richard and his family is named Vanessa.

Patricia's knowledge of Vanessa is zero. She learns that Vanessa and Richard had been together for five years.

Patricia says they need to talk but "not in front of my husband."

The ladies walk to a nearby restaurant.

"I lost him too, Patricia," insists Vanessa.

A distraught Patricia indicates they were together for 32 years and is outraged asking where Vanessa was when Richard, who died from cancer, was screaming out in pain, couldn't use the toilet, begging with doctors to end his pain.

"I was grieving, too," insists Vanessa.

Patricia wails that she may have shared him in life, but in death he was all hers. She would refuse to share him. They had bought burial plots together, a double.

At home Patricia searches her late husband's computer. Their daughter, Rebecca, warns her mother to be careful, that e-mails are private and she might find something she doesn't like.

Patricia is upset that she can no longer smell him. She used to be able to smell him, but she she gave away all of his clothes and now she can't smell him any more.

Tearfully she returns to the thrift shop where she donated his clothes. She sobs that she needs something back. She needs to smell him.

A suit is returned. Found in a pocket lining is a business card holder with the inscription. To Richard, All my love Vanessa.

Patricia decides she doesn't want the suit back. "I don't need to smell him. I need to understand."

Patricia calls Vanessa and makes arrangements to see her at Vanessa's home. The two women spar, yell, bare their hearts and souls. Each woman gave to Richard what the other woman lacked.

Vanessa - who loved him so much and took whatever he offered. Patricia - who relied on her marriage vows to keep them together. She was adamant that in death she didn't have to share him.

Unplanned, born late in life and adored, Rebecca tries to help her mother who realizes that her daughter knew of her father's affair. Patricia is angry that Rebecca didn't tell her.

"It wasn't my responsibility to tell you."

"So you covered for him, protected him."

"No. he never put pressure on me. . . When we found out the diagnosis and prognosis there didn't seen to be a point in hurting you any more."

Returning to Richards' grave Patricia carps about her life. A cell phone interrupts. Rebecca had fallen off her mountain bike and is in the ER waiting for xrays.

At home Patricia helps her daughter nurse a bandaged sprained arm. "Trust isn't enough, people grow and change," Rebecca tells her mother.

Her mother counters: "What about vows? For better, for worse." Patricia accuses Rebecca of not being a feminist. She had sided with her father.

"Being a feminist doesn't mean siding with someone just because she is woman," answers Rebecca.

"You robbed me of my day in court. Of being able to confront him. Now all I can do is talk to the ground he is under," answers Patricia.

Rebecca begs her mother to forgive him and keep loving him - or at least her version of shared memories.

In a second meeting with Vanessa, the mistress attempts to make Patricia feel better by minimizing and glossing over her relationship with Richard.

Patricia is desperate to find meaning in her marriage. They both loved their daughter. It was a lasting marriage because that was expected. What had sustained her was clinging to her marriage vows.

Shared, a play about love, appearance, marriage vows, sex, beliefs, looking at oneself, reflection and change.

Eventually Patricia reasons that Richard needed both his wife and mistress. Patricia forgives Richard and realizes that even while he was living, "He was already gone and I didn't even know it."

Presented by the Wireless Theatre Company, Recorded at Princess Studios in London. Edited By: Ann Scantlebury.

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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

SHAHZIA SIKANDER: RECKONING

Shahzia Sikander, Reckoning (2020). Photo: Times Square Arts

September 1–30, 2023 - nightly, 11:57pm – Midnight in Times Square, New York City.

Every midnight in September, a cyclical struggle unfolds across the screens of Times Square. Imagined as a fictional Indo-Persian-Turkish miniature painting sprung to life, Shahzia Sikander’s Reckoning depicts a dramatic choreography of warrior-like figures, floating and entangled amidst an unraveling landscape. As in much of her work, Sikander draws upon themes of creation, conflict, and the socio-political tensions that exist between humanity and nature, gender and power structures, and migrant and citizen.

An intricate animation made from multiple layered drawings, Reckoning was created in 2020 and featured as a digital component of Sikander’s recent public art project Havah … to breathe, air, life commissioned by Madison Square Park Conservancy and on view in Madison Square Park and the nearby Courthouse of the Appellate Division, First Department of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. The multi-site project was commissioned by Madison Square Park Conservancy and Public Art of the University of Houston System, where it will be restaged in the fall of 2023.

September’s Midnight Moment is presented in partnership with Sean Kelly Gallery and The Armory Show as a part of Armory Off-Site, the fair’s outdoor art program of large-scale works.

On Thursday, September 28, join us for a free, open-air musical performance to accompany Sikander’s Midnight Moment, featuring Pulitzer Prize winning composer Du Yun, vocalist Zeb Bangash, and interdisciplinary artist eddy kwon.

The animation for Reckoning is by Patrick O’Rourke and an original score was created by Du Yun, both long-time collaborators of Sikander.

Shahzia Sikander is a MacArthur prize-winning Pakistani-American visual artist working across a variety of mediums, including painting, animation, sculpture, mosaic and installation. She is widely celebrated for pioneering a contemporary interest in Central and South-Asian manuscript painting traditions and launching the form known today as neo-miniature. Sikander’s work since the mid-1990s has been pivotal in showcasing art of the South-Asian diaspora as a contemporary American tradition. Focusing on colonial and imperial archives, trade, empire and migration, Sikander’s practice takes a feminist perspective to expand narrow definitions around gender, sexuality, racial narratives and colonial histories.

Sikander received her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, has exhibited internationally and her work is in the collections of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Sharjah Art Foundation, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. She serves on the boards of Art21, RISD and IFA/NYU.

MORRISON HOTEL GALLERY has announced the appointment of Adam Block as its new Chief Executive Officer. Block, a recognized luminary in the world of music and multimedia, brings a wealth of experience and innovation to the gallery. Scott Pascucci, former CEO of Concord, will also be joining Morrison Hotel Gallery as Executive Chairman.

During his 25-year tenure at Sony Music Entertainment, Block's imprint was indelible. As the President of Legacy Recordings, he ushered the catalog label into the digital age, formulating revolutionary marketing tactics and sealing significant acquisition deals. Among his accomplishments are the release of interactive music videos such as Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" as well as the launch of several artist-specific iOS apps and experiences. He was also instrumental in the launch of PopMarket, an early Direct-to-Customer initiative and Certified, the first catalog-label led social media initiative dedicated to the celebration of hip hop. Under his guidance, Legacy amplified the legacies of icons such as Miles Davis, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, A Tribe Called Quest, and countless others.

He also was responsible for driving the acquisitions of catalogs including AC/DC, Paul Simon, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Uncle Tupelo, and others. He also signed and recorded heritage artists, leading to multiple Grammy nominations and awards and rejuvenated visibility and success including Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Bob Weir, Earth Wind & Fire, Cassandra Wilson, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and Keyon Harrold, among others.

Scott Pascucci is a Gramy Award-winning music, media and entertainment executive and film producer with over 30 years' experience serving over a decade as CEO of Corncord Records.

MHG is the world's leading brand in fine art music photography representing over 125 of the world's finest music photographers and their archives. Its vast catalog of photography encompasses jazz, blues, and rock imagery spanning several generations. MHG featuresg over 100,000 images searchable by photographer, music artist, band or concert.

Co-founded by Henry Diltz, Peter Blachley, and Richard Horowitz (and later joined by Timothy White), the gallery shines a spotlight on the intricate tapestry of music history through the lens of some of the industry's most celebrated photographers.

Morrison Hotel Gallery offers a curated experience with artwork which spans from iconic shots of rock legends, portrayals of jazz maestros, and images of hip hop trailblazers to evocative portraits that capture Hollywood royalty as well as sports figures.

THE CROSSTOWN ARTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS has announced that Stacy Wright has been appointed the new Executive Director of Crosstown Arts. She has been with the organization for the past ten years serving as Director of Events, Assistant Director, and Interim Executive Director.

Crosstown Arts was founded in May 2010. Today the contemporary arts center has continued to deliver on its mission to help cultivate the creative community in Memphis through six core components: Performance and Music Venues (Green Room and Crosstown Theater), Galleries, Artist Residency, Shared Art (member-based access to equipment, instruments, and art-making spaces), Artist Support Services (business, finance, and healthcare), and a space for creative conversation — Art Bar.

Crosstown Arts is also responsible for planning and implementing all public, "Better Together" events and programming at Crosstown Concourse, such as Delight (holiday lighting), Mid-Autumn Festival (Vietnamese Harvest Festival), Splashdown, Puppypalooza, dozens of free music pop-up concerts, and more.

Hundreds of musicians, visual artists, writers, composers, choreographers, dancers, and other artists have created, performed, or exhibited their work, as well as received professional support, while thousands of Memphians have participated in and enjoyed arts and cultural events taking place in an inspiring space that was formerly abandoned and blighted for 20 years.

MICHA WINKLER THOMAS has been appointed Harvard Art Museums’ new deputy director and will oversee several of the museums’ administrative divisions. For more than 20 years, Winkler Thomas has managed a diverse range of high-profile projects, teams, and technology. Winkler Thomas is currently the deputy director for strategy and chief operating officer at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., where she has worked since 2019.

She begins her new role at Harvard on September 18, 2023.

OFFENSIVE MURALS CAN BE COVERED

One of the "Underground Railroad" murals by Samuel Kerson

despite the The Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 which protects artists by preventing the modification, and in some cases, destruction of their visual artworks according to an August 18, 2023 ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New York.

The federal appeals court held that "merely ensconcing a work of art behind a barrier neither modifies nor destroys the work, as contemplated by [the Visual Artists Rights Act]."

According to United States Circuit Chief Judge Debra Livingston’s 39-page opinion, the case presented “weighty concerns” over an artist’s moral right to maintain their work’s integrity and a private entity’s right to control the art in its collection.

The dispute involves Samuel Kerson, a white man who used to live in Vermont but now lives in Quebec, Canada and runs a giant puppet company, Dragon Dance Theater, with his wife Katah Katah.

He was commissioned in 1993 to paint two two 8-by-24-foot murals on two sheet rock walls inside a building on the South Royalton campus of the Vermony Law School that commemorated Vermont’s role in the Underground Railroad. The works are entitled "Vermont, The Underground Railroad" and 'Vermont and the Fugitive Slave"

The murals comprised eight scenes spanning the history of slavery in the United States, from the capture of Africans through the abolitionist movement.

Vermont Law School began receiving complaints about the murals in 2001. According to the 2nd Circuit opinion, “viewers perceived the murals as depicting enslaved African people ‘in a cartoonish, almost animalistic style.’” Viewers also voiced concerns over the choice to depict “white colonizers as green, which disassociates the white bodies from the actual atrocities that occurred."

Calls to remove the murals escalated during summer 2020—after the murder of George Floyd and other Black Americans by police, according to the opinion. Vermont Law School President Thomas McHenry received a petition to remove the murals that was signed by more than 100 students, alumni, faculty and staff.

The law school responded to the concerns that the murals were offensive by first covering them with a cloth. In 2020, the school said it would paint over them. But when Kerson objected, school officials said they would be covered instead with acoustic tiles. The school gave Kerson the option of removing the murals, which he said he could not without damaging them.

According to the 2nd Circuit opinion, a lower court denied Kerson’s claim that his rights under the Visual Artists Rights Act were violated. The court granted summary judgment to Vermont Law School, which then installed the panels.

"Authors of qualifying works of visual art may invoke VARA to prevent the modification and destruction of their art, albeit with some exceptions. But hiding the murals behind a barrier neither modifies nor destroys them and, therefore, does not violate VARA," the 2nd Circuit said, in affirming the lower court.

The federal appeals court also noted that the Visual Artists Rights Act does not allow artists to demand that their works remain forever on display.

“This case presents weighty concerns that pin an artist’s moral right to maintain the integrity of an artwork against a private entity’s control over the art in its possession,” the circuit court panel wrote. Kerson argued that the artwork is protected by the federal Visual Artists Rights Act, which was enacted "to protect artists against modifications and destruction that are prejudicial to their honor or reputation," his lawyer, Steven Hyman of McLaughlin and Stern had said. He contended the covering of the artwork for the purpose of preventing people from viewing it is a modification and that Kerson "must suffer the indignity and humiliation of having a panel put over his art."

But the school’s lawyer, Justin Barnard, argued that covering the artwork with a wood frame — that doesn’t touch the painting and is fixed to the wall — is not a modification.

The circuit court, in agreeing with the lower court judge, added that nothing in its decision "precludes the parties from identifying a way to extricate the murals" so as to preserve them as objects of art "in a manner agreeable to all."

As noted in the Friday decision, critiques of the murals have noted that they portray Black people in an "almost animalistic style" that is "eerily similar to 'Sambos' or other racist … caricatures."

Hyman said in a statement that he was "disappointed" in the court’s interpretation of VARA and is considering options to move forward, adding that the "very purpose of VARA was to preserve, protect art and to prevent changes to the art that would prejudice the honor and integrity of the artist" and that covering the murals "is contrary to what Congress clearly intended in enacting the statute."

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SPREADING THE WORD

LAST CALL a new report, commissioned by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland, researched and authored by Dublin City University Associate Professor Emeritus and Economist Anthony Foley, revealed that almost 2,000 pubs have closed in Ireland since 2005, with rural areas disproportionately affected.

The report stated that 1,937 pubs closed their doors in that time, accounting for a 22.5 per cent decline in the number of pubs, or around 114 a year.

Small or family-run businesses accounted for the majority of the closures.

The report shows that the rate of decline has accelerated since the Covid-19 outbreak, with more than 450 pubs calling last orders since the start of the pandemic.

The Irish Pub: Supporting our Communities report reported that since 2005, every county had experienced a decrease in the number of pubs. Limerick (32 per cent) saw the biggest decrease in pubs, followed by Roscommon (30.3 per cent), Cork (29.9 per cent) and Laois (29.9 per cent). Eight other counties also showed closures of more than 25 per cent.

Foley’s analysis found that the hospitality sector is particularly vulnerable to labor and food cost increases. The labor cost relative to turnover is between 28.9% and 33.3%. Food and beverages inputs account for between 30% and 36.9%. Thus profit margin projections for hospitality businesses have dropped significantly with Restaurant profit projections down from 7.3% to 3.5%.

He also cited the importance of pubs to Ireland's tourism sector by providing an extensive network of facilities and services.

"The Irish pub is a significant component of the tourism infrastructure and the tourism experience which is based on hospitality and service provision," he added. "There are now 1,937 less locations for visitors to find and benefit from services such as food and entertainment."

One solution option presented would be for the government to reduce Ireland's high excise duties on alcohol. In Europe, Ireland has the highest excise on wine, the second highest on beer and the third highest on spirits.

CHITA RIVERA: THE RHYTHM OF MY LIFE Come celebrate the one and only Chita Rivera. The incomparable Tony Award winner will recreate signature moments from her legendary career from West Side Story; Sweet Charity and Bye Bye Birdie to Chicago; Kiss of the Spider Woman; The Visit, and more.

In addition to a tribute to her dear friends John Kander & Fred Ebb, the timeless music of Leonard Bernstein, Charles Strouse & Lee Adams, Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim will also be featured, accompanied by her long-time trio and special guests.

Her performance will be a can’t-miss opportunity to say "you were there" as Olney Theatre Center adds her appearance to their storied history, which places her in the company of Helen Hayes, Carol Channing, Olivia de Havilland, and Tallulah Bankhead.

Sunday, September 3, at The Root Family Stage at Omi's Pavilion, Olney Theatre Center in Olney, Maryland.

AN AFTERWARDS: A CELEBRATION OF SEAMUS HEANEY presented by the Abbey Theatre and Poetry Ireland, with the support of Dublin UNESCO City of Literature.

An evening of poetry and song marking 10 years since the death of one of Ireland’s most-loved poetic voices, An Afterwards brings together a range of poets and musicians to celebrate this consummate craftsman of words. Featuring readings of some of Heaney’s most iconic works and new works by poets Vona Groarke and Mícheál McCann; as well as music by Hellas Ensemble, Neil Martin, Soak and Louise Mulcahy for an atmospheric evening.

Sunday September 3, 2023 on the Abbey stage in Dublin, Ireland.

INTELLIGENCE by Jake Heggie, Gene Scheer, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Presented by Houston Grand Opera and Urban Bush Women on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City, as part of the Works & Process Fall 2023 Season.

Ahead of the opera's October 20 world premiere in Houston, co-conceiver, director, and choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar discusses the creative process behind Intelligence.

A Houston Grand Opera commission, Intelligence takes place during the Civil War in Richmond, Virginia, where Mary Jane Bowser, born into slavery, has been sent to infiltrate the Confederate White House by Elizabeth Van Lew, matriarch of a prominent Confederate family. Learn the little-known true story of these women, whose secret pro-Union spy ring helped win the war. Seven dancers from Urban Bush Women perform highlights.

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TOMMY SOULATI SHEPHERD an alum of Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (PCPA) will be honored at Allan Hancock College's inaugural Hancock Honors event on September 9, 2023 in the Fine Arts Complex's outdoor plaza and 350-seat recital hall.

Tommy is one of the few double alums in PCPA history, completing the technical theater and acting programs in 1993 and 1995. Over a decade ago, he co-founded the hip-hop collective Alphabet Rockers who have performed at The Smithsonian African American Museum of History Arts & Culture and The Kennedy Center. After Grammy nominations in 2018 and 2020, the Rockers won the Grammy for Best Children's Album in 2023.

In addition to Tommy, two others will be honored. They are: Former Superintendent/President Dr. Ann Foxworthy Lewellen and the late philanthropist Patty Boyd. "Each honoree was selected for their dedication to creating lasting and positive impacts at Hancock and in their communities."

The evening will feature digital interactive art installations, live art production and music by the San Francisco-based Jazz Mafia.

Proceeds from the celebration will benefit the Hancock Promise, which provides local high school graduates with a year of free tuition at Hancock.

Located in Santa Maria, CA, Hancock College recognizes Tommy for his artistic achievement and his leadership in empowering youth toward a more equitable future.

LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION has awarded the Nicky Jam Scholarship to Dominican pianist Leomar Cordero.

Also known as the Prodigy Scholarship, and sponsored annually by a Latin music icon, it was created nine years ago to support music education and Latin music genres. It holds a maximum value of $200,000 and allows Cordero to pursue a bachelor's degree at Berklee College of Music in Boston, starting this fall. Previous sponsors include: Sofia Carson (2022), Juanes (2021), Julio Iglesias (2020), Emilio and Gloria Estefan (2019), Carlos Vives (2018), Miguel Bosé (2017), Juan Luis Guerra (2016) and Enrique Iglesias (2015).

Cordero is a 19-year-old musician from La Romana and was selected by the Foundation's Scholarship Committee from a highly competitive group of hundreds of applicants worldwide. Since its establishment, the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation has committed an extraordinary sum of more than $9.3 million in scholarships, grants, musical instruments, and educational programs throughout the United States and Ibero-America.

The Foundation also awarded an additional 43 scholarships to music students worldwide and announced the creation of its Scholarship Alumni Network.

The Foundation also announced the recipients of its annual Gifted Tuition Scholarships and Tuition Assistance Scholarships, that award 43 talented students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to pursue an education at some of the most prestigious music institutions in the world.

Gifted Tuition Scholarship Recipients:
The following three students will each receive the Gifted Tuition Scholarship, with a maximum value of $100,000, which will support the tuition costs of four years of study at the university, college or music institution of their choice are:
Gabriel Américo, guitarist from Brazil
Camilo Astiazarán, guitarist from Uruguay
Olivia Soler Espinosa, tres cubano from Cuba

Tuition Assistance Scholarship Recipients:
In addition, the following 40 students will each receive the Tuition Assistance Scholarship, a one-time scholarship with a maximum value of $10,000 toward the tuition costs for the university or college of their choice:

Sofía Almeida - Juan Diego Alván Madueño - Cobe Isai Banda Salcido - Gabriel Braga - Sebastián Castillo - Pedro Henrique Cheik Costantin - Lorenzo Curik - Abner Felipe Dos Santos Martins - Juan Pablo Faundez - Marien Femerling García - Rodrigo García Vargas - Yandy García-Palacio - Francisco Garrido - Luis González - Andres Guerra - Sebastián Guerrero - María Insuasti - Julieta Iricibar - Pau Jorba Bonastre - Marina Marchi Silveira - Simon Martínez Laia Martínez Gelabert - John Maruri - María Medina Almaguer - Pedro Mujica - Rafael Ernesto Nocedo - Daniel Olivero - Estevan Olmos - Andrés Felipe Palacios Rodas - Andy Popescu - Murilo Reis Teixeira - Kalebe Requena - Oscar Rojas - Juan Sebastián Sánchez - Arthur Scarpini - Kristalis Sotomayor Matos - Cristian Tamblay - Gustavo Tenes de Oliveira - Guillermo Wan - Tianxiang Ni,



INK by James Graham.

Directed by Jason Loewith.

London, 1969. A brash young Australian named Rupert Murdoch approaches journalist Larry Lamb with a staggeringly ambitious proposition: to turn the struggling paper The Sun into the best-selling tabloid in the UK…within a year. An unexpected partnership is born as Lamb and Murdoch assemble a team of scrappy underdog journalists and begin to transform The Sun into a populist juggernaut. Once they discover the formula to success, the consequences are thrilling and terrifying. This Tony Award-winning Broadway and West End hit depicts the birth of our hyper-partisan news culture in a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction drama that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Cast includes: Cody Nickell, Kate Eastwood Norris, Ryan Rillette.

Co-produced by Olney Theatre with and performed August 30 - September 24 2023 at the Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Marland.

THE CREEPS written and performed by Catherine Waller.

Immerse yourself into the world of The Creeps where five dark, creepy, and shockingly funny characters confront the shadowy depths of the human psyche, delving into macabre themes of fear, desire, and the unknown.

The show tells the story of a bizarre group of malformed misfits living and surviving in a derelict building lorded over by a mysterious, oppressive doctor.

The Creeps enjoyed award-winning runs at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Hollywood Fringe Festival, and United Solo Festival.

The creatives are: production managed by David Callahan, features lighting design by Scott Monnin, Kayleigh Laymon production stage manager general managerment by Martin Platt/Perry Street Theatricals, publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR, marketing by Andrew Patino/Ursa Creatives.

September 1 - November 5, 2023 at Playhouse 46 at St. Luke's in New York City.

CABARET book by Joe Masteroff, based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.

Directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes.

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome to Cabaret! It’s 1931 Berlin, and inside the Kit Kat Klub, British nightclub singer Sally Bowles keeps the delirious party raging. But no amount of booze, music, and dancing can slow the ominous march of a changing Germany. Featuring an iconic score from Kander and Ebb—including Maybe This Time; Mein Herr; Don’t Tell Mama and, of course, the title song—this Tony Award–winning musical is reimagined in a visionary new staging by Globe favorite Josh Rhodes.

Starring Lincoln Clauss as Emcee and Joanna A. Jones as Sally Bowles, the cast also includes, in alphabetical order, Alan Chandler as Clifford Bradshaw, Abby Church as Fräulein Kost and Fritzie, Christian Douglass as Max, Alex Gibson as Ernst Ludwig, Yoni Haller as Herman, Brandon Halvorsen as Victor, Leeds Hill as Hans, Karma Jenkins as Texas, Celeste Lanuza as Frenchie, Kelly Lester as Fräulein Schneider, Trina Mills as Helga, Natalia Nieves-Melchor as Lulu, Bruce Sabath as Herr Schultz, Michael Seltzer as Bobby, and Amy Smith as Rosie.

Understudies for Cabaret include Christine Hewitt and John Rosen, and swings include Emily Bordley and John Viso.

In addition to Josh Rhodes, the creative team includes scenic design by Tijana Bjelajac, costume design by Alejo Vietti, lighting design by Cory Pattak and Paul Vaillancourt, sound design by Haley Parcher, hair, wig, and makeup design by Michelle Hart, music direction by Robert Meffe, additional arrangements by Angela Steiner, fight direction and intimacy staging by Rachel Flesher, cultural competency consultant DeWanda Smith Soeder, associate director Lee Wilkins, associate choreographer Natalia Nieves-Melchor, casting by Tara Rubin Casting/Felicia Rudolph, CSA, and production stage management by Anjee Nero.

Performances run September 1 to October 8, 2023, with the opening on Wednesday, September 6 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park.

GHOST MONEY by Jason Tseng.

Directed by Jeff Liu.

An Equity Staged Reading.

The Tsengs, a Chinese-American family, wrestle with their family narrative as their matriarch, Zong-Ci, teeters on the brink of death. By re-telling the story of her life in rural China during the seismic events surrounding the Chinese Civil War, her children struggle to reconcile the truth from ...

Time & Place: Washington D.C., 2018 / China, 1940s.

Presented by Pan Asian Repertory Theatre on Saturday September 9, 2023 at 520 8th Ave, 3rd Fl. Bruce Mitchell Room, NYC.

Wine & Snacks served. Suggested donation of $20,

RELAPSE: A NEW MUSICAL by J. Giachetti and Louis Josephson.

Directed and choreographed by Tony nominee Joey McKneely.

Consumed by the personification of the voices in their heads, Relapse: A New Musical, follows the journeys of Adam, Bryan, Melinda, and Kendra as they navigate the adversities of mental health on their path to recovery.

Guided by Dr. Carlis and Nurse Margot, this group of patients, welcome Adam and bid farewell to long-time patient Bryan. The musical delves into the emotional, psychological, and social conflicts that arise in such a group therapy-type setting and the character's transformations as they seek help, confront their demons, and embark on a path to recovery. The future is calling them, but in order to move forward they have first to let go of the past.

This play touches upon themes of addiction, isolation, and mental health. The play is a fictionalized account of true events.

The cast will feature Ashley Alexandra as Margo, Randall Scott Carpenter as Bryan, Mia Cherise Hall as Melinda, Troy Valjean Rucker as Dr. Carlisle, Jacob Ryan Smith as Adam, and Becca Suskauer as Kendra.

The ensemble includes Vinny Celerio, Audrey Hedequist, Nicole Lamb, Zummy Mohammed, Danny Rabinowitz, and Isabel Rodriguez.

The creatives include: Jordon Cunningham serves as music director, alongside assistant music director Lucy O'Brien. The band is comprised of Matt SanGiovanni on guitar, Magda Kress on bass, and Chris McWilliams on drums, led by conductor Cunningham on piano. Scenic and costume design by Sheryl Liu, lighting design by Brian Nason, and sound design by Kyle Jensen. Freyani Patrice is the dance assistant. Sharon Fallon serves as general manager, Curtis Howard is production manager, Brenna Comeau is production stage manager, and Rebecca Batson is associate stage manager.

Presented by Gotta Believe Theatre Group with performances September 2 - September 23, 2023 at Off-Broadway's Theatre Row, NYC.

THE SOUND INSIDE by Adam Rpp.

Directed by Cameron Watson.

An unexpected bond.
An unspeakable request.
An unforgettable story.
Starring Amy Brenneman as "Bella Lee Baird" and Anders Keith as "Christopher Dunn" in the Los Angeles premiere of Adam Rapp’s Tony-nominated drama.

Not everything is as it seems behind the ivy-covered walls of Yale, where an unlikely bond leads to an unthinkable favor. Writing professor Bella Baird is looking for answers, but a fateful encounter with a mysterious student could lead to life-changing consequences for both of them. Nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Play, Pulitzer Prize finalist Adam Rapp’s haunting 90-minute thriller will leave you wondering who you can trust and remind you everyone has a story — the question is how it ends.

The creative team features scenic design by Tesshi Nakagawa; costume design by Danyele E. Thomas; lighting design by Jared A. Sayeg; sound design by Jeff Gardner; casting by Ryan Bernard Tymensky, CSA of RBT Casting; and stage management by Alyssa Escalante, with David S. Franklin serving as assistant stage manager.

September 6 – October 1, 2023 at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena,CA.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

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FINAL OVATION

CHRIS PELUSO a Broadway actor best known for his roles in Mamma Mia and Wicked died suddenly on August 15, 2023. He was 40.

Playbill reported that Peluso stepped away from the spotlight in 2022 to deal with schizoaffective disorder. His cause of death wasn’t revealed.

His other Broadway roles including covering parts in Assassins; Lestat and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He was a member of multiple touring productions of Wicked, playing the part of Fiyero.

More recently, he appeared in the London productions of Death Takes a Holiday; Show Boat and Miss Saigon.

Peluso is survived by his wife and two children.

RON CAPHAS JONES two-time Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actor, died. August 19, 2023. He was 66.

Jones had a "long-standing pulmonary issue," a representative for the late actor told People.

He is best known for his role as William Hill on the NBC drama This is Us. In 2022, he was nominated for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play at the 75th Tony Awards, for his performance in Clyde's.

He began his career when he performed in a play based on the Billie Holiday song Don't Explain. His performance caught the attention of a casting director, which led to Jones being offered the lead role in the Tazewell Thompson production of the Cheryl West play Holiday Heart in 1994. Jones performed in several theatrical productions with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois; appeared as the title character of Shakespeare's Richard III with The Public Theater in New York City, as well as other Off Broadway productions. Jones has served as an understudy or standby in several Broadway productions. In 2014 Jones starred as Prometheus in Prometheus Bound directed by Travis Preston through the CalArts Center for New Performance.

Jones and British-born jazz singer Kim Lesley had a daughter, American stage and screen actress Jasmine Cephas Jones. Ron was a hands on father. In fact, Ron and Jasmine were the only father-daughter team to win an Emmy in the same year. His daughter survives him.

HERSHA PARADY who played schoolteacher Alice Garvey on ‘Little House on the Prairie died Wednesday, August 23,2023, in in the Norfolk, Virginia, home of her son, Jonathan Peverall. She was 78.

The Ohio native played schoolteacher Alice Garvey, who meets a tragic end on the NBC series.

She began her career acting in the Cleveland Playhouse and in regional theater, then came to Los Angeles, where she landed the role of Stella opposite Jon Voight in a road production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Parady and former NFL star Merlin Olsen were introduced as wife and husband Alice and Jonathan Garvey on the Michael Landon-created Little House on the Prairie during the season-four opening episode, "Castoffs," in September 1977. She appeared as Alice on 35 episodes.

She also appeared in several films.

Parady was married to producer John Peverall (1931-2009), who shared the best picture Oscar in 1979 for his work on The Deer Hunter. In addition to her son, survivors include her siblings, Patty, Kenny and Bobby.

Next Column: September 3, 2023
Copyright: August 27, 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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Laura Deni

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