Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: August 28, 2022
By: Laura Deni
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LISA LOOMER'S ROE IS MESMERIZING, EMOTIONAL, TIMELY AND FAIR

"Part outdoor rally, part call to action," the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles "unleashes a hyper-staged reading of the explosive play that's earned rave reviews across the country. Acclaimed writer Lisa Loomer who was a nominee for the Pulitzer Prize, and awarded the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award for Roe, cuts through the headlines to reveal the real-life woman who became "Jane Roe;" the female attorney who argued her case before the Supreme Court; the challenging years following that fateful 1973 decision, and the call to action in response to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that gave women control of their bodies and the right to choose a safe, legal abortion.

Expert direction by Vanessa Stallings, who helmed the noted production at The Goodman in Chicago. She directs this casually dressed book reading, on a spare stage, which forcefully comes to life, thanks to the well written script and powerful delivery.

Excellent lighting, sound and music.

The recent overturning of Roe v. Wade is the first time in American history where a fundamental right has been conferred and then taken away.

Directed so that powerful opinions can overlap, adding even more depth, the scenes include a bar with actors sitting on simple chairs by a functional table which also doubles as the US Supreme Court as well as a law office which specializes in adoption - the lawyer is a gay man who would date women to appear straight, who would later be murdered by his male lover - a fact kept secret by his father.

Featuring Christina Hall as attorney Sarah Weddington - Kate Middleton as the late Norma McCorvey ("Roe") who was 22 years old, destitute and pregnant for the third time - Xochitl Romero as Connie - Liv Shechter as Emily. With Susan Lynskey, Aleisha Force, Sufe Bradshaw, Pamela Dunlap, Kenya Alexander, Rob Nagle, Ed Martin, John Achorn, and Karina Richardson.

The cast portrays every major character in the original decision. Most of the players are long deceased, with many statements beginning with "according to my obituary."

Told in a southern Texas twang, and with 1959 lower Texas economic and social expressions, vulgarity is peppered throughout the performance and well as witticism such as "well butter my butt and call me a biscuit".

There are blood chilling but accurate descriptions of how illegal and self abortions were performed. Of how women were viewed as the pregnancy being their own fault - "maybe you should have thought about the consequences before you got pregnant."

These women are not society darlings. They are booze drinking, red neck, women with awkward, limited social graces, some with reform school backgrounds. They drink throughout pregnancy, as fetal alcohol syndrome wasn't yet known. Their long term ambition is to start a household cleaning service.

Most laws have the poor and disadvantaged in the bullseye. They are the first to be hurt.

The intelligent, successful, powerful, or rich can go on"vacation" to any area where abortion is legal.

This group of under served and ignored women decided that abortion should be legal.

Kate Middleton and John Achorn in Roe. Photo by: Jenny Graham

In dramatic and vibrant presentations of history, short sections of books are read which tend to expose the author's viewpoint, rather than history presented objectively.

The hearing before SCOTUS saw seven justices present as two had recently retired and not a one of them had ever been pregnant.

Harry Blackman, the justice who delivered the opinion, admitted that his wife and daughter had influenced his decision.

Justice Blackman received hate mail for the rest of his life and in 1989 a bullet would come through a window barely missing him.

A plethora of press, actors and influences, including Holly Hunter and Gloria Allred, who wanted to make movies and tape interviews, came forward.

The head of the Free Methodist Church and an Operation Rescue VIP delivered threatening (you'll go to hell) and convincing sermons take center stage. Even aborted fetuses are placed in bottles and are on display at revival meetings and fairs. Anything to pressure a pregnant women to deliver full term.

Religious fanatics call Roe v. Wade an abortion Holocaust.

Religious zealots took up the mantle as their God given obligation.

The efforts to harm abortion clinics and the medical personnel who run them and the tactics thrust upon the pregnant women are abominable, but justified in the name of God.

Professor Sarah Wettington, who took Roe v. Wade to SCOTUS as her first contested case was, 26 years later, still hounded by the press. She explains that prior to Roe v. Wade woman had no right to control her own body, the state had the right.

When "Roe" comes forward and converts to born again Christianity, the arguments twist into holier than thou.

In 2022 when Roe v. Wade was overturned - the rights of women returned to the state.

The live stream is sponsored by The Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy at the UCLA School of Law. The center is an innovative new division engaging with community organizations, scholars, lawmakers, practitioners and advocates on reproductive health, law and policy.

The seven-camera live stream was directed by award-winning filmmaker, director and editor Jeff Richter of Beautiful Pictures Inc. and produced by Barbara Jacobs of Barbara Jacobs Events & Consulting. The director of photography is Chuck Ozeas. Equipment was donated by Kemp Curly and Transition Productions. The camera crew also donated their services, time and equipment to support this event.

The creatives include: Production Stage Manager Satarupa Thyme - Assistant Stage Manager Chloe Willey - Lighting Design Alison Brummer - Sound Design (for The Goodman Theatre) Mikhail Fiksel - Dramaturg Tom Bryant - Technical Director Scott Tuomey.

First commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

You can view the Roe video, taped before a live performance, free on demand viewing:
Monday, September 12 to Sunday, September 18
Monday, October 3 to Sunday, October 9
Monday, November 28 to Sunday, December 4

Powerful, worth watching and worth discussing.

NOTE: In the streaming performance reviewed, the actor appearing as Norma was Aleisha Force, not Kate Middleton. According the the show's publicist, a last minute emergency forced Middleton not to make the performance and Force did a remarkable job of stepping into the role.

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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

CO-CREATING ARTS FOR BRAIN HEALTH

Photo: GBHI

a global perspective takes place Tuesday, September 6, 2022.

To mark world Alzheimer's Month, The Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) and Art 4 Dementia are hosting an event that showcases the diverse creative activities of Atlantic Fellows of Equuity in Brain Health that have been co-produced with and for people living with dementia that generate powerful messages of hope, engagement, inclusion and connection. The webinar will also feature a panel discussion with experts in arts and brain health, social prescribing, and transdisciplinary approaches for people living with dementia.

The webinar will feature five 10-minute presentations from Atlantic Fellows, followed by a panel discussion of experts in arts and brain health, social prescribing, and transdisciplinary approaches for people living with dementia.

Introductions by Veronica Franklin Gould, President, Arts 4 Dementia, and Brian Lawlor, GBHI Deputy Executive Director- Event Chair.

Atlantic Fellow Presentations by:

Kunle Adewale, Artist—Arts interventions for dementia in Africa
Nicky Taylor, Theatre and Dementia Specialist—Co-creating stories of hope with people living with dementia (Leeds, United Kingdom)
Ieva Petkute, Arts Researcher and Manager—Arts and cultural interventions for people with dementia in Lithuania
Carlos Chechetti, Researcher, Social Entrepreneur, and Teacher—Reviving memories program in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Maritza Pintado, Neurologist—Experience of ageing and dementia in rural Peru

Panel Discussion Participants:
Ian Robertson, Co-Director GBHI
Lenny Shallcross, Executive Director, World Dementia Council
Glenna Baston, Instructor of Dance, Duke University, North Carolina
Maud Hendricks, Artistic Director, Outlandish Theatre
Bogdan Chiva Giurca, Development Lead, Global Social Prescribing Alliance

Topica covered include: Art, Photography, Dance, Theater, Music, Journalism & Storytelling, Outreach & Education.

The Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) is dedicated to protecting the world’s aging populations from threats to brain health. The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Trinity College Dublin (Trinity) have formed a strong partnership based on these shared values and vision.

ULTRA UNREAL enter an exhibition of fantastical worlds featuring work from six artists and collectives whose world-building practice connects to nightlife ecosystems across the globe.

Ultra Unreal is an exhibition of fantastical worlds simulating more-than-human futures, evolving belief systems and fluid frameworks of being. Featuring six artists and collectives whose world-building practices are connected to nightlife ecosystems across the globe, it explores how constructing other worlds can give birth to new mythologies, raising questions about what we believe in and how our beliefs emerge.

The Ultra Unreal exhibition presents the works of six artists and collectives whose practices are connected to nightlife ecosystems across the globe. Club Ate (Sydney), Korakrit Arunanondchai and Alex Gvojic (Bangkok & New York), Lawrence Lek (London), Lu Yang (Shanghai), and Saeborg (Tokyo) build worlds that blend myth and reality, simulating more-than-human futures, evolving belief systems and fluid frameworks of being.

Drawing inspiration from Ning Ken’s concept of the ultra-unreal, the exhibition reflects on the relevance of mythmaking today and its role in navigating complex realities and creating new worlds. It examines how mythologies can be used to reveal hidden histories and reorientate visions of the future, raising questions about what we believe in and how our beliefs emerge.

Curated by Anna Davis, the Ultra Unreal exhibition takes place in the MCA Galleries and beyond. Spread across physical and virtual spaces, it includes installations, performances, augmented reality (AR), film screenings and artist–led events. Until October 2, 2022 at The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.

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SWEET CHARITY

THE 2022 WILDLIFE RANGER CHALLENGE half marathon takes place on Saturday, September 17, 2022

Over 100 ranger teams across Africa are gearing up for the 2022 Wildlife Ranger Challenge. The Challenge, organized by Tusk, provides a platform for rangers to raise money to help thousands of their colleagues, culminating in a half marathon on Saturday, September 17th. The funds will enable wildlife rangers to protect iconic African wildlife such as elephants, pangolins, rhinos, and lions.

Following the success of previous years’ campaigns, which to date have raised a total of more than $12M, the 2022 Wildlife Ranger Challenge will have a bigger impact than ever before, with this year’s Challenge seeking to correct misconceptions of the role of rangers and support the development of the entire ranger profession.

The race will be accompanied by a series of mental and physical challenges, with the public around the world encouraged to participate alongside the rangers. New this year will be a mini challenge for ranger teams with canine units, in which dogs and handlers will demonstrate their tracking skills.

"Today, wildlife rangers face mounting pressures. Resources are incredibly stretched, with many working on the front line of Africa’s protected areas lacking the essential tools to carry out their work safely,” said British adventurer and Wildlife Ranger Challenge supporter Bear Grylls. “With poaching rates on the rise, the demands on rangers will only become greater. Taking part in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge is a fantastic way to show you’re for wildlife rangers and ensures these conservation heroes receive the recognition and vital funds they so critically need."

In addition to Grylls, Alexander Dreymon, star of Netflix’s The Last Kingdom, is supporting the effort as he has since its inception in 2020. Supporters of the Wildlife Ranger Challenge in previous years have included Tusk’s Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Cambridge Prince William, Olympic marathon gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge, Behati Prinsloo Levine and acclaimed National Geographic Wildlife Photographers, including Paul Niklen and Ami Vitale.

The 2022 Wildlife Ranger Challenge will spotlight the ever-diversifying role of rangers to demonstrate their wider roles as conservationists, teachers, community support workers and leaders, contributing not just to their immediate communities but to global UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Three Main Components of the Wildlife Ranger Challenge:
Virtual Race: A competition with teams of rangers from across Africa running in a 21km half-marathon on September 17th. The public is encouraged to run or walk 5,10 or 21K in solidarity by signing-up at WildlifeRangerChallenge.org

Mental and Physical Challenges: Rangers testing their physical and mental ability with a push-up and sit-up challenge, the canine challenge, and a wildlife knowledge ranger quiz. Challenges run from August 30th through race day on September 17th.

Ranger Fund: The Scheinberg Relief Fund has generously committed $1M in matched funds in support of the rangers. A global public fundraising and awareness campaign for the Wildlife Ranger Challenge seeks to raise a total of $3M for the Ranger Fund to support thousands of rangers in the field.

Funds raised will help support the men and women on the front line of Africa’s protected areas, enabling them to provide for their families and protect communities and wildlife in some of the continent’s most vulnerable areas. The 2022 Wildlife Ranger Challenge partners include: Tusk.org - NaturalState.org - www.scheinbergfund.org - internationalrangers.org - thingreenline.org.au or thingreenline.org.uk and URSA.org .

PILTON PARTY 2022 after a three-year break, Glastonbury Festival’s annual ‘thank you’ fundraising gig for villagers, workers and local people – known as the Pilton Party – returns to Worthy Farm in Somerset, England on Friday, September 2, 2022. The show will be headlined by Mercury Prize winners Elbow, who played one of the standout Pyramid Stage sets of Glastonbury 2022. They’re joined on the bill by Leicester band Easy Life, who also gave a sparkling Pyramid performance at this year’s Festival.

Glastonbury Festival is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemporary music, the festival hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, and other arts.

SPREADING THE WORD

PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN ADOPT MIA

Mia nursing her pups. Photo: BFP

a 7 year-old Beagle, one of 4,000 Beagles that were rescued from abusive conditions at an Envigo breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia. The royal couple passed inspection after visiting on July 25 and finalized the adoption as Mia's forever humans this month.

Mia had arrived last month at the Beagle Freedom Project in Los Angeles with eight of her newborn puppies after the rescue operation earlier this summer. The USDA cited the dog-breeding facility in Virginia for mistreating animals.

Federal investigators last year found dozens of animal-welfare violations at the Virginia facility run by Envigo, an Indianapolis-based company that breeds and sells roughly 25% of all beagles used for testing purposes in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture raised concerns that dogs in the facility were suffering en masse from “discomfort, lethargy or stress” because of stifling temperatures; that food dispensers were riddled with insects; and that hundreds of puppies had died of “unknown causes” in a seven-month period.

Shannon Keith, president and founder of Beagle Freedom Project, told the press that Meghan had been a longtime supporter of the nonprofit. She had specifically wanted an older dog as puppies are easier to place.

"The minute they walked in, though, Mia ran to them, tail wagging,” said Keith, who is also an animal rights lawyer. "It’s as if she knew, ‘Oh, these are my people.’ And they were just immediately loving on her. I was like, ‘Oh, this is completely meant to be.’ Because Mia hadn’t done that with anybody else she had met before."

The Beagle Freedom Project posted about Mia’s adoption on its website.

PRINCE ANDREW THE MUSICAL a new one-hour production will be part of Ireland's Channel 4's upcoming Truth and Dare season of programming.

The show will feature a cast of comics in a satirical send-up of the life and times of Prince Andrew, all set to a musical score.

Written by and starring Kieran Hodgson as the Prince himself, with original music co-written by Freddie Tapner, the story spotlights key events, relationships, and controversies of Andrew’s life, including a reimagining of the former-HRH’s bombshell interview with Emily Maitlis in which "the man behind the headlines faces the music."

The announcement came as the Irish channel gears up to celebrate 40 years of "pushing boundaries in every genre," a press release states.

It said that Channel 4 was created "to give voice to the unheard, say the unsayable and show the unseen."

HOUSTON THEATERS AND PERFORMING ARTS ORGANIZATIONS last week joined forces to launch the first annual Houston Theater Week. During this week long promotion, performing arts enthusiasts and novices could take advantage of exclusive deals on a diverse array of performing arts events throughout the Greater Houston area.

Productions participating included: Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Tenor - Edward Albee’s Seascape - A Christman Carol - What-A-Christmas! - Cambodian Rock Band - Cowboy Bob - The Odyssey - Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily - Torera and The Servant of Two Masters.

BOY GEORGE & CULTURE CLUB AND THE ENGLISH BEAT perform Thursday, September 1, 2022 at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia.

BURNING MAN FESTIVAL takes place August 28 - September5, 2022, in Nevada's Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis created in the Black Rock Desert, just north of Reno, Nevada.

Over 80,000 are expected to attend the festivities "dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. In this crucible of creativity, all are welcome."

The organization stresses that - despite its name - "Burning Man is not a festival! It’s a city wherein almost everything that happens is created entirely by its citizens, who are active participants in the experience."

THE LORD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS Shia LaBeouf has converted to Catholicism after studying for his role of the late mystic St. Padre Pio, whom LaBeouf portrays in the upcoming movie Padre Pio. LaBeouf revealed his conversion in an interview with Word on Fire Catholic Ministries' Bishop Robert Barron.

The actor first became involved with the church while living with a monastery of Franciscan Capuchin friars in order to better understand St. Padre Pio.

He continued, "I know now that God was using my ego to draw me to Him. Drawing me away from worldly desires. It was all happening simultaneously. But there would have been no impetus for me to get in my car, drive up [to the monastery] if I didn't think, 'Oh, I'm gonna save my career.'"

While researching and performing the role, however, LaBeouf said he felt "tricked" by God, he told Bishop Barron.

"And when I got here, a switch happened. It was like Three-Card Monte. It was like someone tricked me into it, it felt like," the actor recalled. "Not in a bad way. In a way that I couldn't see it. I was so close to it that I couldn't see it. I see it differently now that time has passed."

LaBeouf detailed talking through his feelings and learning about the Christian understanding of sin and forgiveness as key to pulling him out of a dark time in his life.

Last year, LaBeouf made headlines when he was charged with two misdemeanors - petty theft and battery - after he stole a man’s hat in a fight that turned physical. Just a couple of months later, his ex-girlfriend and pop star FKA Twigs sued him over his alleged abusive behavior. Another ex-girlfriend was listed in the lawsuit. She also claimed LaBeouf was abusive toward her.

"It was seeing other people who have sinned beyond anything I could ever conceptualize also being found in Christ that made me feel like, 'Oh, that gives me hope,'" LaBeouf told the bishop. "I started hearing experiences of other depraved people who had found their way in this, and it made me feel like I had permission."

LaBeouf plays the titular character in Padre Pio, a film directed by Abel Ferrara delving into the life of the Franciscan Capuchin mystic.

Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione in southern Italy in 1887. He became famous for showing stigmata, or crucifixion wounds like those on the body of Jesus Christ. He died in 1968 at the age of 81, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1999 and then canonized in 2002. Ferrara previously made a short documentary on the religious figure.

Despite intense scrutiny from skeptics and members of the medical community, no conclusive explanation has been given for Pio's stigmata, which allegedly appeared and healed throughout his life.

LaBeouf told Barron that the traditional form of the Catholic mass - celebrated in Latin - was key in both his conversion and his performance as an actor playing Pio. "While we were practicing Latin Mass, I was having genuine emotional experiences."

Barron, of the Dioceses of Winona-Rochester, 62, is the most widely-followed online Catholic cleric in the country, aside Pope Francis himself.

VIVA JAMAICA is the first Rockabilly 5-day vacation event ever to be held at a clothing optional, all-inclusive luxury resort on the beaches of Jamaica. The event is August 31st- September 6th at Hedonism II in Montego Bay.

"Viva Jamaica is a new concept for vacation revelers who want to relax oceanside and poolside without clothing restrictions, celebrate Rockabilly music, dance the night away at the DJ Record Hops and Burlesque shows, and enjoy top notch resort entertainment featuring sexy theme nights, cocktail lounges, piano bars with singers, musicians, and dancers performing unique, engaging routines in extravagant costumes."

The daytime pool parties in the clothing optional and all nude pools will feature adult themed fun and contests. During and after dinner, the Hedonism II resort has their own entertainment. Every night at 10pm, when Viva takes over the stage and dance floor for record hops until 2am. DJs Lady Luck Lexy (UK), Lady Busty Brown (CA/USA), Tom Ingram (CA), and Strops Hop (UK), who runs the biggest Rockabilly Party in London, "Bop-A-Lena’s" will DJ the record hops.

Live bands performing are Jackson Sloan from the UK, and Tammi Savoy of Chicago.

Sunday night, Viva’s Burlesque organizer, Audrey Deluxe is putting together a Jamaican-inspired burlesque show with Jamaican performers.

There is also an Adult "Romping Shop" playroom - whatever that means.

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DEAR EVAN HANSEN features a book by Tony Award winner Steven Levenson, a score by Grammy, Tony, Olivier and Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Directed by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif.

Winner of six Tony Awards including Best Musical and the 2018 Grammy Award, Dear Evan Hansen is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it - and the need to fit in.

Starring Stephen Christopher Anthony as Evan Hansen with the North American touring company which includes: Coleen Sexton as Heidi Hansen and Lili Thomas as Cynthia Murphy. Pablo Laucerica and Micaela Lamas are Jared Kleinman and Alana Beck. John Hemphill, Nikhil Saboo and Alaina Anderson has John and Nikhil in the roles as Larry Murphy and Connor Murphy, and Alaina as Zoe Murphy.

The cast also includes Jeffrey Cornelius (as the Evan alternate) and understudies Valeria Ceballos, Ian Coursey, Reese Sebastian Diaz, Gillian Jackson Han, Isabel Santiago, Daniel Robert Sulivan, Kelsey Venter and Pierce Wheeler.

August 30–September 25 at the Eisenhower Theater in the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC.

SILENCE commissioned to mark a major anniversary, Silence is adapted from Kavita Puri’s Partition Voices: Untold British Stories and is written by Sonali Bhattacharyya, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Ishy Din and Alexandra Wood.

Directed by Tara Theatre's artistic director Abdul Shayek.

“It was a great tragedy. We were friends one day and enemies the next. I will take these things to my grave.”

The 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan saw millions uprooted and resulted in unspeakable violence. It would shape modern Britain forever. Witnesses to this brutal moment in history live among us, yet the stories of that time remain shrouded in silence.

75 years later, Silence is a new play focused on communal storytelling - presenting a shared history inspired by the remarkable personal testimonies of people who lived through the last days of the British Raj.

The cast features Renu Brindle, Sujaya Dasgupta, Nimmi Harasgama, Bhasker Patel, Jay Saighal, Rehan Sheikh and Martin Turner.

The creative team is Designer Rose Revitt, Lighting Designer Ciarán Cunningham, Casting Director: Anna Cooper CDG, Sound Designer and Composer Elena Peña, and Assistant Director: Lata Nobes. The play is co-produced with Tara Theatre. Performances at the Donmar Warehouse in London September 1-17,2022.

STRINGS ATTACHED by multi-award winning Poet and playwright Carole Buggé.

Directed by Alexa Kelly.

Are there alternate realities? Are there parallel universes?

This new American play merges the world of physics into a love triangle on a train ride.

Loosely based on real events, Strings Attached features three contemporary scientists - two cosmologists and a particle physicist – on a train ride from Cambridge to London to see the play, Copenhagen, by Michael Frayn. Enroute, they discovered a theory of the Big Bang. The appearances of Isaac Newton, Marie Curie and Max Planck bring in another realm of reality, add insight into their contributions, and earthy humor. We are left with the message that life with all its strife, is still a thing of ultimate beauty.

The company of Strings Attached features Robyne Parrish, Brian Richardson, Paul Schoeffler, Bonnie Black, Jonathan Hadley and Russell Saylor.

Strings Attached features a scenic design by Jessica Parks, lighting design by Joyce Liao, costume design by Elena Vannoni, Videography by Katerina Vitaly, and sound design by Louis Lopardi. Elizabeth Grunewald is production stage manager. Casting is by Jamibeth Margolis. Joseph Longthorne is production company manager. John Lantis Production Manager. Christine Cirker is associate producer.

Pulse Theatre presents Strings Attached, the limited engagement will play a five-week limited engagement, August 29 through October 1, at Theatre Row in New York City.

RING OF FIRE: THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH conceived by William Meade. Created by Richard Malby, Jr.

Directed and choreographed by Sherry Lutken.

The Man in Black is back! From the songbook of Johnny Cash comes this unique musical. The show follows a sort of ages-of-man path from green country-boy idealism into the sloughs of a hard-living musician’s disillusionment and on up to the mountains of spiritual redemption and the healing power of home and family. This musical contains 38 of Johnny Cash’s classic hits - including Country Boy; A Thing Called Love; Five Feet High and Rising; Daddy Sang Bass; Ring of Fire; Walk the Line; I’ve Been Everywhere; and The Man in Black performed by a multi-talented cast. Ring of Fire paints a musical portrait that is a foot-stompin’, crowd-pleasin’ salute to a unique musical legend!

The cast includes Morgan Morse, Sam Sherwood, Brittany Brook, Leenya Rideout, Nygel D. Robinson, and Spiff Wiegand.

David M. Lutken, a member of the original Broadway cast, appears in this production and serves as Musical Director.

Runs through September 11th at the Ivoryton Playhouse in Ivoryton, Ct.

THE MOST SPECTACULARLY LAMENTABLE TRIAL OF MIZ MARTHA WASHINGTON the fantastical fever dream from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames.

Director Whitney White.

The recently widowed “Mother of America” lies alone in her Mount Vernon bed, ravaged by illness and attended to by the very same enslaved people who will be free the moment she dies. The form-shifting fever dream that follows takes us deep into the uncomfortable and horrific ramifications of this country’s original sin. "Dizzying and fantastical, this skewering Chicago premiere from James Ijames’s daring voice puts the American myth on trial."

Featured Ensemble Member is: Celeste M. Cooper. The cast: Sydney Charles, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Nikki Crawford, Cindy Gold, Victor Musoni, and Donovan Session.

The creatives are: Scenic Designer Clint Ramos. Costume Designer Izumi Inaba. Lighting Designer Amith Chandrashaker. Company Voice, Text & Dialect Coach Gigi Buffington. Director of Production Tom Pearl. Casting Director JC Clementz. Production Stage Manager Christine D. Freeburg. Assistant Stage Manager Kathleen Barrett.

Preview performance September 1 – 10, 2022 at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, Ill.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

FINAL OVATION

JIM MUELLER who spent from 1975 to 1995 as announcer with the Cleveland Browns, and former sports director at WKYC in Cleveland, has died. His death was announced on August 21, 2022. He was 79.

Mueller's broadcast career included stints in West Palm Beach, Louisville and Miami, as well as 33 years as an announcer for NASCAR and more than a decade calling races at the Daytona International Speedway.

The former radio analyst recovered from quintuple bypass surgery in 2011.

He was in Lodi, Ohio, for a wedding when he became ill and had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital.

He is survived by his son Kyle and daughter Paige.

Next Column: September 4, 2022
Copyright: August 28, 2022 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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