Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: December 15, 2019
By: Laura Deni
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BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL DELIVERS VOCAL PLEASURE WHEN HE PLAYS WITH MUSIC

Brian Stokes Mitchell's voice is an instrument to behold and cherish. He delivers. He delights. He has a new recording Brian Stokes Mitchell Plays With Music released on Broadway Records. A perfect Christmas stocking stuffer.

The recording opens with a light and bouncy There's No Business Like Show business from Annie Get Your Gun followed by a full bodied, dramatic and impressive Gesticulate from Kismet. The powerful, yet sensitive By Myself incorporating both an unusual and effective piano and an orchestral arrangement allows Stokes Mitchell's voice to soar. I Won't Send Roses from Mack and Mable begins with a delicate and mourning piano backing Stokes Mitchell's musical admission that Max Sennet (the show's subject along with Mable Norman) is insensitive and self absorbed.

If Ever I Would Leave you from Camelot is a heart felt promise. Getting Married Today from Company with rapid vocal articulation interspersed with comedic vocal twists - indicating somebody did too much pre-wedding celebrating. The dramatic The Man I Love from Strike Up The Band is a heart tugger. Hello, Young Lovers is tender complete with a dramatic vocal ending followed by a delicate piano statement.

The frivolous A Wizard Every Day with music by Nikko Benson and lyrics by Elizabeth Suggs is a talk-song about a kid who comes to the door wearing a dragon costume who declares himself a wizard. Charmingly magical. The anthem Flag Song which was cut from Assassins is march along inspirational. The CD ends with a gentle What a Wonderful World.

If you love incredible singing coupled with fantastic arrangements and musicians who know what to do with their instruments then this recording is for you.

Arrangements by Tedd Firth, Stokes Mitchell, David Chase, and Matt Cattingub with orchestrations by Firth, Stokes Mitchell, Ryan Shirar, and Catingub.

Musicians:

Piano: Tedd Forth - Bass: Gary Haase - Drums: Mark McLean and Clint Degannon - Guitars and mandolin: John Benthal - Percussion: Bashiri Johnson - Fife, Piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, base clarinet, saxes: Bob Magnunson - trumpets: Vinnie Cutro - strings - first violin: Antoine Silverman and Brian hernandez-Luch - Second violins: Entcho Todorov, Reiko Kawabata - violins: Will curry, Molly Goldman - cellos: Mairi Dorman-Phaneurm Adele Stein. String contractor Michael J. Moritz, Jr. Vocalist, additional keyboards, melodica - Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Recorded at The Samural Hotel, NY (trio); Oktaven Audio, NY (strings); Left Ear Music Studio. NJ (woodwinds); Benthal _Music Lab, CT (Guitars/Mandolin); The Lab- Brooklin, NY (percussion); Secret Road Sound, CT (additional drums); My Cave NYC and Sunswept studios, LA (vocals).

Recording engineers: Tom Lazarus, David Stoller, isaiah Abolin, Ron Learm Jaclyn Sanchez, John Benthal, Joe Quesada. Mixed by Isaiah Abolin at DiMenna Cnter for Classical Music. Mastered by Oscar Zambrano at Zampol Productions. Protools editing Brian Stokes Mitchell.

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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

PIETER BRUEGEL'S THE WEDDING DANCE (1566)

The Wedding Dance by Pieter Bruegel.

The Conservation Department of the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), in collaboration with the European Art Department, has organized a focus exhibition to celebrate one of the museum’s most iconic paintings, Pieter Bruegel’s The Wedding Dance (1566), on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the artist’s death.

The painting was considered a sensational discovery when it was acquired by the museum in 1930. It was a source of inspiration for Diego Rivera when he was in Detroit executing his Detroit Industry murals and today is one of the two major Bruegel paintings in an American collection. In 2013, the painting also played a prominent role in saving the museum’s collections during the city of Detroit’s rise from bankruptcy.

The painting depicts 125 wedding guests. As was customary in the Renaissance period, the brides wore black and men wore codpieces. Voyeurism is depicted throughout the entire art work; dancing was disapproved of by the authorities and the church, and the painting can be seen as both a critique and comic depiction of a stereotypical oversexed, overindulgent, peasant class of the times.

Each guest's positioning in the painting has its own meaning. In the foreground there is a dancer wearing the colors of that time period and there are many peasants in that area. In the middle there is the bride dancing with an older man, her father. On the right of the work, there is a musician playing on a pijpzak, who is watching the dance from the side. Judging by the writing utensils hanging on his belt, he is a writer or possibly a middle-class painter. Behind him is a hanging tablecloth decorated with a crown and beneath it is the bride's table. Before her table, money collectors can be seen digging trenches while the wedding guests sit down and eat.

Using the lens of art conservation, the exhibition will trace the life of the painting from its creation to the present, emphasizing its status as a material object, from its very free underdrawing and its thin paint application to the conservation treatments and restorations to which it has been subjected over time. The exhibition’s narrative is driven primarily by current art conservation research spearheaded by the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Conservation Department, including investigations of the unique materials, such as imported Baltic oak and South American cochineal, used to make the painting.

This interdisciplinary approach will allow for a holistic, 360-degree look at the one painting from the most elemental level to the wider historical context that informed the making of the picture, its later reception, and its journey from Brussels to Detroit. Multisensory installations will facilitate an immersive experience, allowing the visitor to appreciate the numerous details and stories represented in the painting. The focus on the painting’s materials will demonstrate to the visitor that artworks are not static, but instead subject to natural aging, human intervention, as well as changing shifts in attitude and taste.

Bruegel’s The Wedding Dance Revealed is organized by the Detroit Institute. Opened yesterday, December 14, 2019 and continues through Sunday, August 30, 2020 at the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit, Michigan.

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SWEET CHARITY

DECORATING THE TREE

Duchess Camilla and children are greeted by reindeer Dancer and Blitzen. Photo: Clarence House

Last Thursday - looking festive in red - Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall invited children supported by Helen And Douglas Organization and the Roald Dahl Fund to decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House.

The annual event is in support of the Helen And Douglas organization which cares for terminally ill children and their families in Oxfordshire and surrounding counties through medical, emotional and practical support. The children’s charity Roald Dahl House Children’s Hospice Fund supports a network of more than 70 Roald Dahl Specialist Nurses, who provide expert help and support to children suffering from chronic and underfunded conditions.

Special guests reindeer Dancer and Blitzen greeted guests in the Clarence House garden. The children then proceeded inside to help decorate the tree followed by lunch.

The wife of Prince Charles helps a child decorate the tree. Photo: Clarence House

"I want to thank all of you - the parents, the nurses, the carers and most of all these wonderful children. I know sometimes it is probably not easy, but to see [the children] all here today looking so happy is a real treat for me.”
- HRH The Duchess of Cornwall

This year marks the tenth time that families and hospice staff associated with the charity have been invited to decorate the Clarence House tree.

Duchess Kate at Elves’ Enchanted Forest. Photo: Peterley Manor Farm/Kensington Palace.

New this year to the Christmas tree decorating scene is Duchess Kate who last week took over from Queen Elizabeth as patron of Family Action.

Her Majesty The Queen has passed the patronage to The Duchess having held the role for over 65 years. Her Majesty took the patronage over from Queen Mary in 1953.

Family Action was founded in 1869 to help families in difficulty by giving them practical help and support.

To mark her new patronage the wife of Prince William visited a Christmas tree farm in Buckinghamshire to join families and and children who are supported by Family Action.

In the Elves’ Enchanted Forest, Kate joined children taking part in Christmas activities, including making decorations and eco-friendly reindeer food.

ONE NIGHT ONLY BENEFIT READING OF CHARLES DICKENS' A CHRISTMAS CAROL will be helmed by playwright and director Theresa Rebeck. Proceeds from the December 19, 2019 event at the Cherry Lane Theater in New York City will benefit Primary Stages' various teen programs, including Free Student Matinees, Teenwrights, and TixTeen.

The cast will be made up of Paola Sanchez Abreu, Mark Bedard, Kimberly Chatterjee, Michael Cristofer, Tyne Daly, Kate Hamill, Thom Sesma, and Sharon Washington.

IN THE COURTS

PLEADING GUILTY IN VIRGINIA FEDERAL COURT FOR ILLEGAL ONLINE STREAMING were Las Vegans Darryl Julius Polo, 36, and Luis Angel Villarino, 40.

A federal grand jury had previously returned an indictment charging eight individuals with conspiring to violate federal criminal copyright law by running two of the largest unauthorized streaming services in the United States, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars by television program and motion picture copyright owners.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made that announcement on Tuesday, August 27, 2019.

According to the indictment, Kristopher Lee Dallmann, 36; Darryl Julius Polo, aka djppimp, 36; allegedly ran an entity called Jetflicks, an online subscription-based service headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, that permitted users to stream and, at times, download copyrighted television programs without the permission of the relevant copyright owners.

The defendants reproduced tens of thousands of copyrighted television episodes without authorization, and distributed the infringing programs to tens of thousands of paid subscribers located throughout the U.S. At one point, Jetflicks claimed to have more than 183,200 different television episodes. One of the defendants, Polo, left Jetflicks and created a competing site based in Las Vegas called iStreamItAll (ISIA) that at one point claimed to have 115,849 different television episodes and 10,511 individual movies. Like Jetflicks, ISIA offered content for a regular subscription fee to viewers around the United States, and ISIA publicly asserted that it had more content than Netflix, Hulu, Vudu and Amazon Prime. The two services were not only available to subscribers over the internet but specifically designed to work on many different types of devices, platforms and software including numerous varieties of computer operating systems, smartphones, tablets, smart televisions, video game consoles, digital media players, set-top boxes and web browsers, according to the release.

Last week Polo pleaded guilty to one count each of money laundering, conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, criminal copyright infringement by distributing a copyrighted work being prepared for commercial distribution, copyright infringement by reproduction or distribution, and copyright infringement by public performance, the release said.

Both Polo and Villarino admitted that they and their “co-conspirators” with Jetflicks reproduced thousands of copyrighted TV episodes for thousands of paid subscribers in the U.S. They also used automated software programs to find and download the illegal content.

The FBI’s Washington field office investigated both cases, the release said. Polo will be sentenced on March 13, 2020 and Villarino will be sentenced March 20, 2020.

BILL COSBY lost his appeal in his sex assault case which ended with a prison term. The unanimous Superior Court ruling on December 10, 2019 upholds Cosby’s 2018 conviction on three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and molesting Temple University staffer Andrea Constand.

SALLY FIELD the Oscar winning actress can add police handcuffs to her array of "awards." The activist is the latest to be arrested for protesting climate change as part of Jane Fonda's Fire Drill Friday's weekly climate change protest. During a rainstorm on Friday, December 13, 2019 Field was arrested on the Capitol steps. US Capitol Police say 26 adults were arrested.

On the group's Twitter account Field posted her speech:
"I am a mother, I am a grandmother. The time is now. We cannot sit back in our comfort zones, on our couches, and wonder, 'What can we do?'"

SPREADING THE WORD

EDWIN WONG founder of the second annual Risk Theatre Modern Tragedy Competition and author of The Risk Theatre Model of Tragedy: Gambling, Drama, and the Unexpected (Friesen Press 2019) recently won three international contests: the National Indie Excellence Awards, the CIPA EVVY Awards, and, just a few weeks ago, the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards. He's stoked that his tome is now available in libraries from New York to Bristol, UK and Moscow, Russia.

Wong has also been lecturing. "The English Department at Okanagan College invited me to give a series of lectures in October. The keynote presentation “Why Do We Enjoy Tragedies?” answers the question of why, despite the strife and sorrow, tragedy grips our emotions. The Classical Association of the Midwest and South, (has) invited me to speak in March 2020 at their AGM. I’ll talk about my favorite tragedy, the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes. Though seldom read today, back in fifth century Athens it was a fan favorite. The play is chock-full of gambling references (Ares playing dice with soldiers’ lives), chance (drawing lots to determine who fights), and low-probability, high-consequence action. The play is a perfect paradigm of my new theory of tragedy called risk theatre. I’ll also be speaking at the University of Victoria next year," he told Broadway To Vegas.

As for the Risk Theatre Modern Tragedy Competition the top award is $11,100. (in Canadian dollars). "There are four runner-up prizes of $525. The winner receives $9000, a travel stipend of up to $1020 to come to Victoria, Canada to workshop the play. The competition pays for the workshop and a staged reading at Langham Court Theatre. The competition closes on June 1, 2020. Last year we had 182 entries from playwrights in 11 countries," Wong explained.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE PLUS Q&A WITH MARY OWEN Donna Reed’s daughter, Mary Owen, an expert on the film, will introduce the movie, putting it into historical perspective, and will answer questions live on stage following this screening. Sunday, December 22, 2019 at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS attended the Marrakesh International Film Festival last weekend where she was acknowledged for her outstanding contribution to cinema over her 20 year career. She became the first actor to receive this recognition at Jamaa El Fna square in front of 30,000 people.

Chopra Jonas also sat for a 60 minute Master Class / Q+A, where she spoke about her career, women in entertainment, breaking barriers, and why “satisfaction” means it’s time for a change.

Earlier in the week, she was awarded UNICEF’s Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award. Chopra Jonas has been a Global Goodwill Ambassador with the organization for over a decade.

LILLY SINGH is the 31-year-old East Indian-Canadian who fearlessly took over Carson Daly's NBC time slot. Last Wednesday she staged her answer to the Victoria Secret Fashion Shows by presenting a Victorius Truth Fashion Show showcasing what women actually wear to bed. Low bows to whomever put together the selection of and placement order of the "real women" models and the way they showed runway exuberance. Exceptionally perfect. Lilly has a rare ability to make serious social statements within the context of entertainment without coming across as nagging or turning something important into an unrelatable farce.

Guest on Wednesday's show was the man recently crowded People's Sexiest Man Alive 2019! - John Legend. Lilly suggested that he should be cloned. Put me down for a copy.

NEW PLAYS FROM ITALY VOL.3 event takes place Wednesday, December 18th at The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center Graduate Center CUNY in New York City.

A rare full-length reading of Event Horizon with playwright Elisa Casseri. The play, directed by Marco Calvani, in a translation by Adriana Rossetto, received in 2016 the prestigious Premio Riccione Italian Theater Award. Followed by a conversation with playwright Elisa Casseri, and Graziano Graziani (Theater Critic, Journalist and member of the jury at the Premio Riccione per il Teatro) and Valeria Orani; moderated by Frank Hentschker.

The evening will also celebrate Martin E.Segal Theatre Publication’s new anthology New Plays Fro, Italy Vol.3., featuring plays: from the second edition of the Italian and American Playwrights Project (2017/2019): Event Horizon by Elisa Casseri, My Hero by Giuliana Musso (translated by Patricia Gaborik), A Notebook for Winter by Armando Pirozzi (translated by Adriana Rossetto), The Great Walk by Fabrizio Sinisi (translated by Thomas Haskell Simpson).

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

HARVEY WEINSTEIN AND HIS ACCUSERS and the board of his bankrupt film studio have reached a tentative $25 million settlement agreement with dozens of his alleged sexual misconduct victims, which is pending court approval. The 30 women would be paid by insurance companies representing the Weinstein Company.

The settlement would end a class action suit filed in December 2017, in which 10 plaintiffs alleged that Weinstein had sexually assaulted them.

MICHAEL NEUBECKER president and chief operating officer of MGM Grand Detroit since August 2016, has returned to the Las Vegas property taking over as President-COO of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas following the departure of Trevor Scherrer.

Prior to becoming president and chief operating officer at MGM’s Detroit property, Detroit native Neubecker was at MGM Grand Las Vegas from January 2008 to July 2016.



THE BLUES HALL OF FAME has announced its Class of 2020 with14 Inductees for their 41st class.

This year’s inductees in the Blues Hall of Fame’s five categories — Performers, Non-Performing Individuals, Classics of Blues Literature, Classics of Blues Recording (Song), and Classics of Blues Recording (Album) —" also vividly demonstrate how the blues intersects with a broad variety of American music styles: soul, funk, country, R&B, and rock ’n’ roll. "

They are:

Piano-man Eddie Boyd
Soulful singer/songwriter/producer Syl Johnson.

Harmonica player/singer Billy Branch.

Bertha “Chippie” Hill.

Veteran R&B singer Bettye LaVette who performed at President Obama’s 2009 inauguration celebration.

Victoria Spivey's unparalleled 50-year career began with her breakout tune, “Black Snake Blues,” and included her roles as songwriter, manager, bandleader and label owner.

Guitarist Syl Johnson, brother of Blues Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson.

George “Harmonica” Smith, who played with legends like Muddy Waters, Big Mama Thornton and Big Joe Turner.

Revolutionary producer Ralph Peer, 2020’s honoree in the Individual (Business, Media & Academic) category.

Entering the Blues Hall of Fame as a Classic of Blues Literature is Earl Hooker, Blues Master, the insightful biography of the blues guitar giant (and 2013 Hall of Fame inductee) written by French writer/producer/translator, and American roots music authority, Sebastian Danchin.

The 1991 release from blues master Howlin’ Wolf The Chess Box will be recognized as Classic of Blues Recording: Album. Five songs will be recognized as Classic of Blues Recording: Singles, including Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s original recording of That’s All Right (Mama);; Bertha “Chippie” Hill’s 1926 hit version of Trouble in Mind; Future Blues, by early Delta bluesman Willie Brown; as well as a pair of 1950s classics, 3 O’Clock Blues, the breakout for B.B. King, and Ruth Brown’s Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean.

The Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held in conjunction with Blues Music Awards Week, will occur on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at the Halloran Centre at the Orpheum in Memphis. A cocktail reception honoring the BHOF inductees and Blue Music Awards nominees will begin followed by the formal inductions in the Halloran Theater.

Coinciding with the Induction Ceremony, the Blues Hall of Fame Museum will showcase a number of special items representing each of the Hall’s new inductees. These artifacts will be on display for public viewing beginning the week of the BHOF inductions and will remain enshrined in the museum throughout the next 12 months. The Blues Hall of Fame Museum, built through the ardent support and generosity of blues fans, embodies all four elements of the Blues Foundation’s mission: preserving blues heritage, celebrating blues recording and performance, expanding awareness of the blues genre, and ensuring the future of the music.

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GREATER CLEMENTS a new play by Samuel D. Hunter.

Directed by Davis McCallum.

Featuring Edmund Donovan, Andrew Garman, Nina Hellman, Judith Ivey, Kate MacCluggage, Ken Narasaki and Haley Sakamoto.

Greater Clements takes place in the fictional town of Greater Clements, Idaho, a mining community where properties are being purchased by wealthy out-of-state people, forcing out lifelong residents - largely blue-collar workers - who are becoming disenfranchised and disenchanted. The story is told through Maggie, who is on the verge of shutting down her family’s Mine Tour and Museum business. Her troubled adult son, has moved back home, recovering but unmoored. As the play opens, Maggie awaits a visit from an old friend. He brings a tempting offer to start a new life with him beyond this desolate town’s limits. "Through the author’s humor, keen observation and deep sensitivity to these lonely characters, we see just how hard it might be to leave the past behind."

The creatives are: Dane Laffrey Sets - Kaye Voyce Costumes - Yi Zhao Lighting - Fitz Patton Original music and sound and Roxana Khan Stage Manager.

Now through January 19. 2020 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, New York City.

CURTAINS THE MUSICAL by John Kander and Fred Ebb.

Directed by Paul Foster.

Starring Jason Manford. Starring alongside Jason Manford are Adam Rhys-Charles as Daryl Grady, Alan Burkitt as Bobby, Andy Coxon as Aaron Fox, Carley Stenson as Georgia Hendriks, Emma Caffrey as Bambi, Leah West as Niki Harris, Mark Sangster as Sidney, Martin Callaghan as Oscar Shapiro, Minal Patel as Johnny Harmon, Rebecca Lock as Carmen, and Samuel Holmes as Christopher Belling.

The ensemble members are: Ben Mundy, Charlie Johnson, Gleanne Purcell-Brown, J R Ballantyne, Kate Ivory Jordan, Kathryn Barnes, Pamela Blair, Robin Kent, Samuel John-Humphreys, and Thomas Lee-Kid.

It's murder putting on a new musical - literally! Jessica Cranshaw, star of the new Broadway-bound musical Robbin Hood, has been murdered on stage on opening night! The entire cast and crew are suspects. Time to call in the local detective, Frank Cioffi, who just happens to be a huge musical theatre fan. With a nose for crime and an ear for music, Frank has his work cut out trying to find the killer whilst giving the show a lifeline.

This hilarious whodunnit is packed full of catchy songs, unforgettable characters and plot twists galore! From creators of Cabaret and Chicago, this Tony award-winning backstage murder mystery musical will have audiences laughing and guessing right to the final curtain.

The creatives are: Concept and original book by Peter Stone, set design by David Woodhead, choreography by Alistair David, costume design by Gabriella Slade, musical supervision by Sarah Travis, sound design by Tom Marshall, and lighting design by Tim Mitchell.

Performances through January 11, 2020 at Wyndhams Theatre in London.

HERSHEY FELDER: BEETHOVEN written and performed by Hershey Felder, featuring some of the composer’s greatest works, from the Moonlight Sonata and Pathetique Sonata to selections from the 5th and 9th Symphonies.

Hershey Felder: Beethoven is an intense, illuminating, and unforgettable journey through time that immerses audiences in the astounding life of the Maestro.

At Seattle Rep in Seattle, Washington.

VOLDEMORT AND THE TEENAGE HOGWARTS MUSICAL PARODY written by Zach Reino, Fiona Landers and Richie Root.

Directed by Zach Reino.

The cast is a combination of US and UK actors.

Returning after a smash-hit Autumn run, the little known, hilarious tale of Tom Riddle before he became He Who Must Not Be Named. This Potter-inspired musical comedy is a tongue-in-cheek jaunt through the Dark Lord's awkward schooldays.

Packed with magic, hormones (and more than a few murders!), Voldemort and the Teenage Hogwarts Musical Parody tells the little-known tale of how Tom was once in a rock band with a giant squid, how he learned to kiss from a snake, and that he once had a Hufflepuff girlfriend. "his magical musical parody is sure to add some extra sparkle to your Christmas."

Performances through January 11, 2020 at King's Head Theatre in London.

9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL book is by Patricia Resnick – the film's original screenwriter – with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton.

Directed by Jeff Calhoun.

David Hasselhoff has joined the cast playing Franklin Hart Jr until February 8, 2020. David joins Caroline Sheen as Violet Newstead, Chelsea Halfpenny as Judy Bernly, Natalie McQueen as Doralee Rhodes and Bonnie Langford as Roz Keith.

The cast is completed by Victoria Anderson, Alexander Bartles, Simon Campbell, Alexander Day, Rhiane Drummond, Demmileigh Foster, Molly-May Gardiner, Llandyll Gove, Ben Irish, Jenny Legg, Natasha Mould, Sean Needham, Jon Reynolds, James Royden-Lyley, Giles Surridge, Antoine Thomas-Sturge, Sasha Wareham and Emily Woodford.

. The musical tells the story of three workmates pushed to the boiling point by their sexist and egotistical boss. Concocting a plan to kidnap and turn the tables on their despicable supervisor, the women fight to reform their office.

Choreography by Lisa Stevens, design by Tom Rogers, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design by Poti Martin, video design by Nina Dunn, original arrangements by Stephen Oremus and Alex Lacamoire, original Broadway orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin, musical supervision, reductions and extra arrangements by Mark Crossland, musical direction by Andrew Hilton and casting by Victoria Roe and Anne Vosser.

Performances at The Savoy Theatre in London.

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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.

WHO'S WHERE

ELTON JOHN opens a two nighter Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. On Saturday he'll be playing his hits at the ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

BRYAN ADAMS wraps up this leg of his tour this evening with a show at the Mediolanum Forum Assago, Assago, Italy.

VINCE GILL continues his gig at the Ryman in Nashville with shows Monday, December 16 through Thursday, December 19, 2019.

SHANIA TWAIN a five-time Grammy winner continues her residency at the Zappos Theater in Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Her "Let's Go (show) combines Shania's unmistakable pop and country sounds of her classic hits and new songs with all the lights, glitz, glamour, and action of Las Vegas."

ARIANA GRANDE returns to Las Vegas with a show tonight, December 15, 2019 at the MGM Grand Hotel. On Tuesday her tour stops at the Chase Center Experience in San Francisco for a two nighter. On Saturday she stars at The Forum in Inglewood, CA.

FINAL OVATION

TRENT CARLINI a long time Elvis impersonator died at Centennial Hills Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 8, 2019 following a stroke suffered on November 23, 2019.. He was 57.

Carlini, a respected Elvis Presley tribute artist since the 1990s performed at several Las Vegas resorts.

He began his Ls Vegas stage career in 1990 in Legends In Concert at Imperial Palace. Over the years he also performed at Shimmer Cabaret at Las Vegas Hilton (later LVH), the since-imploded Boardwalk and Riviera, the Sahara, Steve Wyrick Theater (now Saxe Theater) at Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, and Hooters , where his stage show “The King” closed in January 2017. In 2007, while headlining Sahara, Carlini won the ABC contest show The Next Best Thing, where, according to the website of the Imperial Palace -he competed against every type of impersonator look-alike, including over 100 Elvis acts. The viewing audience was 5 million, and Carlini’s winning prize was $100,000.

Carlini is survived by daughters Thalia, Isabella and Sophia Trentacarlini from his first marriage to Claudia Noriega-Bernstein; and his son, Gabriel, from his second marriage; his father, Lorenzo T. Carlini; his sisters, Laura and Lori Trentacarlini (Sergio DeCarolis); his brother, Michael Trentacarlini; and his niece, Ilaria DeCarolis.

MARION McCLINTON who staged for Broadway two of August Wilson's plays and Regina Taylor's Drowning Crow, died from renal failure in Saint Paul, Minnesota on November 28, 2019. He was 65 years old.

McClinton was an American theatre director, playwright, and actor. He was nominated for the Tony Award for King Hedley II. He won the 2000 Vivian Robinson Audelco Black Theatre Awards, Director/Dramatic Production and the 1999–2000 Obie Awards, Direction, for Jitney, and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award.

McClinton's early theater career was at Penumbra Theatre Company in Saint Paul, Minnesota where he was born. He played the part of narrator in August Wilson's first stage piece, Black Bart and the Sacred Hills in 1981, and remained active at Penumbra through the early 1990s.

He directed most of August Wilson's plays, both on Broadway and regionally, and was been termed "One of the leading Wilson directors".

On December 1, 2019 Brian Stokes Mitchell posted on his Twitter account: "A great director, a great man!! He talked me down from the only pre-show anxiety attack I’ve ever had in my life. RIP, Marion- and thanks for being a part of my life!

RICHARD EASTON Tony award winner died December 2, 2019. He was 86.

Easton whose enjoyed a six-decade career on Broadwayn first performed professionally at 17 with a repertory company in Ottawa, Canada before making his West End debut in 1954's Both Ends Meet. He debuted on Broadway three years later in a consecutive string of classics: Measure for Measure, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Duchess of Malfi. He followed the trio with The Country Wife, earning a Theatre World Award for his breakout performance as Mr. Harcourt.

Several Broadway productions followed into the '70s, including Phoenix Repertory Company presentations of The Show Off and Pantagleize and Hamlet, The Cocktail Party, The Misanthrope, and Cock-a-Doodle Dandy.

After a nearly 30-year hiatus,. Easton returned to Broadway in 2001 with Tom Stoppard's The Invention of Love. His leading performance earned him a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award. He'd go on to appear in Stoppard's three-part The Coast of Utopia in 2006.

On October 18, 2006, while performing Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia on stage during the show's second preview at the Lincoln Center Theater's Vivian Beaumont Theater, Easton suffered a heart attack and collapsed. His heart stopped beating, but after co-stas Martha Plimpton and Ethan Hawke realized that Easton's fall was serious called out to the audience asking if a doctor was present. Aa stagehand stepped up to perform CPR. An ambulance was called and Easton was revived with defibrillation. He underwent a procedure to correct a heart arrhythmia, prompting the Lincoln Center Theater production to delay its opening night, until Easton returned about three weeks later to rejoin the cast. Following The Coast of Utopia, he appeared on Broadway in the short-lived Elling in 2010 and Macbeth. He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2008.

WILLIAM LUCE the playwright whose work included The Belle of Amherst and Barrymore, died December 9, 2019. He was 88.

Luce made his Broadway playwriting debut in 1976 with the solo show Belle of Amherst, based on the life of Emily Dickinson. The play earned Julie Harris a Tony Award for her performance as the 19th century American poet. Two decades later, Christopher Plummer earned a Tony for his work as theatre star John Barrymore in Luce’s Barrymore.

Before playwriting, he worked as a musician -majoring in piano at college and writing songs for stars like Doris Day. As a singer, he traveled with the Norman Luboff Choir and recorded with the Roger Wagner and Robert Shaw choruses. In addition, he appeared on The Hollywood Palace, where he met frequent collaborator Charles Nelson Reilly.

His work for television included The Last Days of Patton, starring George C. Scott and Eva Marie Saint, and The Woman He Loved, starring Harris, Olivia de Havilland, and Jane Seymour.

He is survived by godson Grant Mezies and predeceased by his partner of 50 years, designer Ray Lewis.

DANNY AIELLO Broadway and Oscar nominated film actor died Thursday night, December 12, 2019 at a medical facility in New Jersey He was 86.

Aiello's Broadway theatre credits include Gemini, The Floating Light Bulb, Hurlyburly, and The House of Blue Leaves. He also was in the 1976 Broadway play Wheelbarrow Closers, directed by Paul Sorvino.

In July 2011, Aiello appeared Off Broadway in the two-act drama The Shoemaker, written by Susan Charlotte and directed by Antony Marsellis. The play is a stage version of his 2006 movie A Broken Sole, which began life in 2001 as a one-act play.

His film credits include Do the Right Thing; Moonstruck; Hudson Hawk and Jacob’s Ladder.

The actor is survived by his wife Sandy Cohen, whom he married in 1955, and three children. His son, Danny Aiello III, died of cancer in 2010.

Next Column: December 22, 2019
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