Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: December 17, 2023
By: Laura Deni
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FRUITCAKE THE OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL AND OTHER FRUITCAKE SONGS

I don't know how I could have missed it but what has come to be known as Fruitcake the Musical officially called That Time of Year a York Theatre Company Production, created and lyrics by the ASCAP award-winning team of Laurence Holzman and Felicia Mendleman hit the off-Broadway stage in 2006.

"A musical revue of 25 all-original (equally offensive) Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years songs that captures the warmth and humor of this unique, interfaith holiday season. The show offers a wide variety of material running the musical gamut, from show tunes to rock, blues and jazz. The songs, with lyrics by the ASCAP award-winning team of Laurence Holzman & Felicia Needleman, and music by seven different composers, range from funny, upbeat group numbers, highlighting the joys and anxieties of the holiday season, to beautiful, touching ballads about the meaning behind both holidays."

This is the production with The Fruitcake Song performed in the middle of Act Two by Erin Maguire, Kerri Jill Garbis, Bridget Beirne, Mark Wherry. The tune also closes the production with the entire cast.

There is an original cast recording on Jay Records. The number is also on YouTube,

Other ditties commemorating the long maligned holiday treat is Fruit cake often a performance piece by a capella groups.

Music K-8 magazine offers teachers detailed instruction on your to teach their students Everlasting Fruitcake which has "a down home country feel to it . . . The melody is fairly simple and repetitive, so once your students learn a verse and chorus, they'll know how the whole tune goes. The chorus has an optional second part at the pick-up to measure 22. This part goes up to a D. The spoken lines should be as comical as your young actors can make them. One good idea might be to have a fruitcake tin passed around as the students sing each verse. Have each student reluctantly take the tin from the previous owner."

Fruitcake by Philip Hagemann & Penny Leka is from Alfred Music Publishing. "This fun novelty piece has been a favorite of choirs around the world for 50 years! To celebrate its anniversary, it is now available in five newly engraved voicings, a whimsical recorded accompaniment, and easy-to-teach "choral-ography," available on the With a Song! DVD. Throughout this wacky piece, the ingredients for fruitcake are added one by one, creating a musical recipe to reward your singers with that infamous holiday treat!"

Names of songs about fruitcake and the performer is no less than 10 long pages. For a food that is hated, it gets a lot of copy.

A few of the artists who have captured 'fruitcake' in a lyric are Jimmy Buffet, Eraserheads, The Wiggles, Idina Menzel, the cast of Glee, and Olaf's Frozen Adventure [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

The website Serious Eats reports that over 2 million fruitcakes are still sold each year.

What to do with them? How about paticipating in theannual Fruitcake Toss?

National Fruitcake Toss Day acknowledges our responsibilities to fruitcakes everywhere, to save them from humiliation in a trash can or the discomfort of being eaten. Instead, we throw them, slingshot them, and catapult them into the blue sky and into fruitcake toss glory.

Fruitcakes are in the top 10 of the most re-gifted item. So that fruitcake you received this year might have been someone else’s present last year. But don’t worry. All those alcohol preservatives give them quite a long shelf life, at least long enough to make it to National Fruitcake Toss Day.

Fun facts about National Fruitcake Toss Day!

Fruitcakes improve with age, like fine wines. In fact, they have to sit for at least a month to ripen. Fruitcake can age 25 years and still be eaten, as long as it contains the proper preservatives and is stored in an airtight container, according to the Christian Science Monitor. However, in a 1983 New York Times column titled "Fruitcake Is Forever," Russell Baker claimed to be in possession of a fruitcake that a long-dead relative had baked in 1794 as a Christmas gift for President George Washington. Washington allegedly sent it back with a note explaining that it was "unseemly for Presidents to accept gifts weighing more than 80 pounds, even though they were only eight inches in diameter." Still, the most bizarre element of the story was yet to come: Baker and his relatives were still gathering each year to saw off a tiny morsel of the fruitcake that they would then divide and consume.

A small fruitcake accompanied Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin into space on Apollo 11. The fruitcake is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., because, according to the museum’s website, "As it was not consumed during the mission it was returned to earth…"

Manitou Springs, Colorado has held a Great Fruitcake Toss since 1996, excepting a few years when they didn't.

President Grover Cleveland had a fruitcake at his wedding in 1886. That same fruitcake still sits on display at his birthplace in Caldwell, New Jersey, fully intact. Prince Charles and Diana served a wedding cake made of fruitcake. So did Prince Willian and Kate. Reason? When you're going to serve over a thousand people you have to have a "cake" that doesn't spoil or fall down and holds up well when decorated.

A slice of Wills and Kate's fruitcake sold at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills for a whopping $7500. Several years prior, the same auction house sold a slice of the Charles-and-Di wedding cake for approximately $6000. The dried fruit-filled slice was 27 years old at the time of purchase.

Taking umbridge with the negative aspects of the fruitcake is Collin Street Bakery in Coesicana, Texas which "has been baking the world’s best fruitcake since 1896."

How do they do it?

The company explains: "A good starting point for our fun fruitcake facts is the origin of fruitcake. Although it’s possible fruitcake is even older than what records indicate, the earliest reference to fruitcake is found in ancient Roman archives. It’s documented that Romans created a confectionery concoction of pine nuts, barley mash, raisins, honeyed wine, and dried pomegranate. Then, they baked this doughy substance into a cake-like shape.

"We don’t know about you, but this ancient fruitcake recipe doesn’t sound too tasty to us. Thankfully, our recipe is nothing like the one used by the Romans. Instead, we use hand-picked pineapple, ripe cherries, golden raisins, and crunchy pecans in all-natural, honey-sweetened batter. We think it’s far better than the Roman recipe."

And in Texas Monthly’s 2007 article "Bob McNutt’s Sticky Truths About Fruitcake," the third-generation president of the Collin Street Bakery, compares the difference between bad fruitcake and delicious fruitcake to the difference between chuck and prime rib. "…There’s not a standard of identity for fruitcake," he said. "I mean, you can take anything—a pound cake with a couple pieces of fruit thrown in – and call it a fruitcake. It’s like steak: You can get a prime cut that just melts in your mouth or you can end up with shoe leather. There’s such a range."

There is even serious competition about who bakes the best fruitcake.

In 2012, NPR ran a story about how the small town of Claxton, Georgia—home of two bakeries (Claxton Bakery and the Georgia Fruitcake Company) that each year yield more than 4 million pounds of fruitcake—calls itself the Fruitcake Capital of the World, despite the same claim made by Collin Street Bakery and Bob McNutt. The disputed claim hasn’t stopped Claxton from declaring itself the "Fruitcake Capital of the World" on the town's water tower.

Washington Times profiled the Holy Cross Abbey monks stating that they sell approximately 10,000 fruitcakes per year. The monks have spent many decades honing a recipe that was originally based on Betty Crocker directives. In addition to cake batter, the monks mix in raisins, pineapple, nuts, cherries, and pieces of lemon and orange, as well as nutmeg, vanilla, cumin and other spices.

Others claim that what makes a good fruitcake is the booze.

In addition to the monks’ cakes being the most delectable, they were also the most booze-soaked, according to Sietsema. "It’s hard to believe that men of God are busily undermining the sobriety of the populace (including children) by pouring the hard stuff over Christmas cakes," he wrote. Nonetheless, the Abbey of Gethsemani cakes contained both burgundy wine and Kentucky bourbon. And to the Holy Cross fruitcakes the monks "add a generous measure of fine sherry wine."

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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

THE ARABIC MUSIC INSTITUTE AND MUSEUM

Students examine a "music wheel" which explains how music is created. Photo: Arabic Music Institute

by Emaar Entertainment is "a pioneering establishment, located in Dubai, dedicated to teaching everything about Arabic music."

The facility offers "a range of facilities including classrooms, one-on-one training rooms, recording studios, majlis, café, library, and an immersive music museum that offers an enriching journey through the realms of Arabic music."

The Arabic Music Institute welcomes everyone with a passion for learning Arabic music. They even offer "an informative yearly program dedicated to teaching kids between 6 – 9 years old everything about Arabic music. This programme is fun, interactive, engaging and taught in a harmonious fusion of theoretical and practical instructions led by skilled mentors. Slots are limited and are on a first come first served basis. Students will undergo a musical ability test to evaluate the student’s abilities in various aspects of music including rhythm repeat, voice repeat and singing.

"Our institute has an immersive music museum where guests of all ages get the chance to explore and learn about the history of Arabic music."

The immersive music museum, which also uses math and physics to explain music, contains instruments, rare books, manuscripts and music from singers, authors and composers. Instruments are grouped in their categories such as woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings, contain information on how they work and what they sound like.

UNSEEN: PERMANENT COLLECTION WORKS AT THE ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM The more than 60 works in Unseen: Permanent Collection Works have never been displayed since they entered the collection.

Some represent riffs on or experiments with well-known Warhol images. Others are previously unshown examples of larger series depicting images that were of importance to Warhol.

The fact that these works have never been shown reflects the enormity of the museum’s collection and the complexity of Warhol’s legacy. Changing tastes of successive museum administrations means that certain objects have been either favored or overlooked. The explicit sexual content of some of the works has also contributed to them not being publicly displayed. But, most importantly, the unseen nature of these works reflects the fact that there is always something new to learn about Andy Warhol and his work.

Unseen: Permanent Collection Works is curated by Patrick Moore, director, The Andy Warhol Museum with the support of Matt Gray, director of archives; Signe Watson, researcher; and The Andy Warhol Museum’s Collections and Exhibition Department.

On display through Monday, March 4, 2024 at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.

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SWEET CHARITY

FARM AID

Willie Nelson personally signs all of the Farm Aid checks. Photo: Farm Aid

has granted more than $1.3 million this year including $955,500 in annual grants to 97 farm and food organizations.

Grant proposals were prioritized to advance Farm Aid's 2023 priority issue areas: facilitating farmer-led solutions to climate change—which was the focus of the annual Farm Aid festival, supporting family farmers experiencing crisis and farm stress, advancing racial equity in agriculture, and stopping the growth of industrial and corporate power in agriculture.

In 2023, Farm Aid invested funds to:

EMERGENCY GRANTS
$35,500 supported individual farmers who struggled to make ends meet in 2023. Our $500 Emergency Grants are given with the assistance of our Hotline team members, who answer calls on 1-800-FARM-AID, connecting farmers to appropriate resources and recommending emergency grants when support is urgently needed.

LEADERSHIP GRANTS
$23,015 supported the development of farmers’ leadership skills and the elevation of their voices in decision-making circles in which their expertise and experience are essential, through our Leadership Grants.

DISASTER GRANTS
$120,000 funded responses to record historic floods in the Northeast and California and assisting farmers recovering from hurricanes that hit the Southeast during late 2022, through our Disaster Grants.

STRATEGIC GRANTS
$194,500 in strategic grants were distributed, including supporting Native American producers, farm advocates and rural communities organizing against factory farms. land, water and community.

SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS
$17,500 in scholarship funds supported university students majoring in agriculture and related fields.

GROWING THE GOOD FOOD MOVEMENT
Creating and implementing innovative programs that build local and regional food systems and connect farmers directly to consumers.

A HARD DAY'S SILENT NIGHT Open Fist Theatre Company’s annual holiday charity concert spectacular. A rockin’ choir and a swinging live band spread peace and joy, telling the Christmas story through effervescent Gospel arrangements of Beatles songs. Proceeds benefit Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), giving underserved kids an equal chance to succeed through a comprehensive array of after-school academic, arts, athletics and wellness programs.

Gospel Arrangements by Jason Paige. Music Direction by Barb Catlin. Choreography by Eboni Nichols. Conceived by Mark Wilson.

Three performances only: Thursday, December 21 at 8 p.m. and Friday, December 22 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA.

SPREADING THE WORD

THE FONTAINEBLEAU IN LAS VEGAS

Bringing the past into the present was Paul Anka who used to hang out with the Rat Pack at the original property in Miami in the Fifties. making him a natural to be the first performer on stage at the BleauLive Theater. He also rolled the dice for the first time at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas’ brand-new casino. Photo: X

seventeen years in the making finally opened last Wednesday, December 13, 2023, with a black tie star studded celebration.

The 3,644-room $3.7 Billion Jeff Soffer property celebrated its grand opening with Chinese dragon dancers and enough star power to light the city.

Adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center, the vertically integrated, 67-story resort has 550,000 square feet of meeting and convention space of its own, including the pillarless 105,000-square-foot Royal Ballroom. Groups will also find 150,000 square feet of gaming space, more than 30 food-and-beverage outlets, pools, and a spa.

Bringing the past into the present was Paul Anka who used to hang out with the Rat Pack at the original property in Miami in the Fifties. making him a natural to be the first performer on stage at the BleauLive Theater. He also rolled the dice for the first time at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas’ brand-new casino.

Stars shinning included: Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner both in sexy/sophisticated black while Ivanka Trump's gown boasted a silver skirt and black top. Cher glowed in a black structured skirt with a silver metallic top and jacket. Eva Longoria showed off her legs in a golden minidress with a brown belt; Tom Brady in a three piece suit with his parents Tom Brady, Sr and Galynn Patricia; Sylvester Stallone in a double breasted tux with his wife Jennifer Flavin in black with an interesting arm drape and lace bodice embellishment. Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul in a bronze suit with a black shirt and Bryan Cranston in a dignified suit, talent manager Shep Gordon, and entrepreneur David Grutman in all black.

Vampire Diaries star Paul Wesley donned a traditional tux while his girlfriend Natalie Kuckenburg oozed glam in a leopard inspired black dress. Vanderpump Rules stars James Kennedy and Ally Lewber were both in black. On her feet were selected silver shoes and she carried a silver purse. Leny Kravitz was in a black blazer, a ring on each finger of his left hand. Dita Von Teese in a sensational long silver dress with gold accents. Pierce Brosnon's son Paris attended dressed casually in all black with clean tennis shoes.

Ian Somerhalder was resplendent in a blue tux with black lapels. His wife Nikki Reed rocked in a strapless red dress. Ant-Man and the Wasp star Kathryn Newton selected a silver metallic halter dress with white boots. Brazilian mega star Anitta looked elegant in a figure shaping, long, brown dress accessorized with golden jewelry. Model Stella Maxwell was wrapped in criss-cross black straps and lace. Tyga in all black with silver colored jewelry; Tommy Hilfiger and wife Dee Ocleppo had a good time. He selected a classic black velvet tux while his wife was eye popping in multi-colored metallic dress with a black blazer. Alice Cooper in black with a white shirt and Sheryl Goddad in black with a white feathered wrap. "Foodgod" Jonathan Cheban in black. Also in all black was blogger Perez Hilton.

Those are just some of the people who attended.

The entertainment was blue ribbon. Jessica Biel dazzling in white while watching as her husband Justin Timberlake, clad in white tux and black bow tie, performed a medley of his hit songs, including Sexy Back and Mirrors in the resort's theatre and was later seen inside David Grutman's LIV Nightclub, which also celebrated its grand opening. Keith Urban entertained in a black velvet blazer with matching pants and a black shirt. Kicking it all off with an unannounced performance was Paul Anka who delivered an updated version of My Way with lyrics that were a tribute to Soffer’s perseverance in fulfilling his own dream. Fontainebleau Las Vegas was originally conceived 15 years ago, and Soffer re-acquired the property in 2021. More sentimentality followed throughout the night. It was Soffer’s 55th birthday, and Timberlake led the crowd in Happy Birthday.

Post Malone is the main attraction for the exclusive New Year’s Eve experience.

LOOKINGGLASS ALICE which aired on PBS on December 15, 2023 is the best of theatrical creativity. Memorable. Enchanting and mesmerizing. Perfect as an annual holiday showing. Stunning performances. Lookingglass calls it: "a gravity-defying spectacle filled with breathtaking theatricality," which is an understatement.

Adapted and Directed by Lookkingglass Ensemble Member David Catlin. From the Works of Lewis Carroll. Produced in Association with The Actors Gymnasium.

Featuring Adeoye as Cheshire Cat - Kareen Bandealy as Red Queen - Molly Hernandez as Alice - Michel Rodriguez Cintra as White Rabbit - Samuel Taylord as Dodgson/ White Knight and Lindsey Noel Whiting as Alice.

The creatives are: Daniel Ostling scenic designer = Christine A. Binder lighting designer - Ray Nardelli sound designer - Mara Blumenfeld costume designer - Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman composers - Amanda Herrmann properties designer - Sylvia Hernandez-Distasic circus and movement Choreographer - Lee Brasuell rigging designer.

THE FORD'S THEATRE in Washington, DC has provided some fun facts about their productions of A Christmas Carol.

180 years since Charles Dickens wrote and published A Christmas Carol (1843)
44 years that A Christmas Carol has been presented by Ford’s Theatre Society (1979-today)
23 actors who have played Tiny Tim since our current Michael Baron-directed production debuted in 2009

173 kids in the young company since our current Michael Baron-directed production debuted in 2009

14 years that the company has given back to the community through the annual charity drive, which reached over $1 million in total donations through this year’s drive for Hope and a Home already!

STARS FROM BROADWAY AND DOWNTON ABBEY performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in their annual Christmas concerts this past December 14 through 16th at the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City.

Broadway singer Michael Maliakel who stars on Broadway in the title role of Disney's Aladdin amd actor Lesley Nicol who played Mrs. Beryl Patmore the motherly head cook on Downton Abbey were the featured guest artists. Maliakel, Nicol and the choir also will perform for the weekly Music & the Spoken Word broadcast, today, December 17.

The taped version of last year’s Tabernacle Choir Christmas show, "Season of Light" — featuring singer Lea Salonga and actor Sir David Suchet along with the choir, orchestra and the Bells at Temple Square — aired on PBS last Tuesday, December 12,2023.

FELLICITY HUFFMAN the Emmy and Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee, makes her UK stage debut in the revival of Hir, an explosive comedy by is Taylor Mac, a MacArthur "genius" grant winner, the first (and to date only) American to receive the International Ibsen Award, a Pulitzer Prize Finalist, a Tony nominee for Best Play, and the recipient of the Kennedy Prize, the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, and a a Guggenheim. Hir will play at Park Theatre in Februsry 15 to March 16, 2024.

She will portray the radical matriarch Paige in Hir, a disarmingly funny and strikingly original comedy. 15 February to the 16 March 2024. In a revival by critically acclaimed director Steven Kunis, Hir grapples with a family in flux, as they attempt to build a brave new world out of pieces of the old.

Isaac, the prodigal son (Steffan Cennydd) has returned home from the brutality of war, only to discover his family home transformed by domestic revolution. The patriarchy has fallen, and his mother Paige (Felicity Huffman) has been liberated from an oppressive marriage to Arnold (Simon Startin). Enlisting Isaac’s newly out transgender sibling Max (Thalía Dudek) as her ally, Paige is on a crusade to tear apart the old regimes – but in Taylor Mac’s funny and strikingly original comedy, annihilating the past doesn’t always free you from it.

"Hir" – pronounced "here", the preferred gender pronoun of the play’s protagonist Max– reminds us of theatre’s potential: to be a brilliant conduit that makes ideas alive and accessible.

Set and Costume Design is by Ceci Calf. Lighting designer Ryan Joseph Stafford Fight and Intimacy direction is by Claire Llewellyn of RC-Annie Ltd and casting by Becky Parris.

THE TWO-TIME EMMY AWARD WINNING L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION directed by Emmy award-winning producer/director Kenneth Shapiro, returns to The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to celebrate its 64th anniversary with a free, live, in-person holiday spectacular. The annual event will feature 23 music ensembles, choirs and dance companies from the many neighborhoods and cultures of L.A. County. Those who can’t make it to The Music Center on December 24 will be able to watch the event live on PBS SoCal, livestream online at pbssocal.org, or catch a PBS SoCal encore broadcast later in the evening. KCET will also rebroadcast on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day. Entrance to the in-person event is free, and seating is available on a first-come, first-seated basis.

YOSHIKI: UNDER THE SKY gathers an extraordinary collection of international artists for an emotional journey through the pain of losing loved ones and uniting globally through the healing power of music. Shot in Germany, Beijing, Tokyo, and LA, the film features interviews and performances from The Chainsmokers (USA), St. Vincent (USA), Scorpions (Germany), Sarah Brightman (UK), Nicole Scherzinger (USA), HYDE (Japan), SUGIZO (Japan), SixTONES (Japan), Jane Zhang (China), and Lindsey Stirling (USA), as it crosses international borders and celebrates an array of diverse voices coming together at a time of universal upheaval.

The film is produced by Emmy Award winner Sid Ganis, Emmy Award winner Mark Ritchie, along with consulting producer Stephen Kijak and directed by YOSHIKI – composer, drummer, pianist, and leader of rock bands X JAPAN and THE LAST ROCKSTARS.

American distribution by Magnolia Pictures Home Entertainment.

In September 2023 Yoshiki became the first Japanese artist in almost 100 years to be honored with a handprint and footprint ceremony at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood since the tradition began in 1927. Among Yoshiki's long list of accolades in music, fashion, and film, he has composed a concerto for the Emperor of Japan; was the first Japanese man on the cover of Vogue Japan; was chosen to be the first living person to have a Hello Kitty doll named after him, called "Yoshikitty."

THE BRIDGE THEATRE in London has decorated their foyer with a Christmas tree decorated with paper chains made from old theatre posters.

Currently delighting audience through the end of the year is Guys and Dolls.

ILLUSIONIST DAVID BLAINE returns to Las Vegas with his new Impossible show, which is directed by David Korins, who was creative director of the Broadway musical Hamilton. The Impossible magic will present awe-inspiring close-up magic and new adrenaline-pumping illusions. The place for the magic is Wynn Las Vegas December 29-21, 2023 with the next section of three gigs beginning on Valentine's Day 2024.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

THE LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION has announced the 2024 Sebastian Yatra Scholarship. The four-year scholarship providing up to $200,000 in financial aid towards a bachelor's degree at Berklee College of Music and 43 additional scholarships are available to music students with financial limitations.

Deadline to Apply: April 10, 2024. The application includes two audition videos, two letters of recommendation, two essays, and an acceptance letter from an accredited university. Materials can be submitted in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

The Foundation's scholarship provides up to $200,000 in financial aid for music students in need. Created nine years ago, it has been co-sponsored by iconic Latin music creators including: Nicky Jam (2023), 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).

Additionally, Gibson Gives – Gibson's philanthropic arm – will sponsor three Tuition Assistance Scholarships of up to $10,000 each, for students pursuing a music education with electric or acoustic guitar as their principal instrument.

Applications for all 44 scholarships available in 2024 are now open and available to music students between the ages of 17 and 25. The additional 43 scholarships available in addition to the Sebastián Yatra Scholarship are as follows:

Three (3) Gifted Tuition Scholarships of up to $100,000 each will be awarded to students to cover tuition costs towards a four-year bachelor's degree in music starting in fall 2023 at the university of their choice.
Three (3) Gibson Gives Tuition Assistance Scholarships of up to $10,000 each will be awarded to students pursuing a music education with electric or acoustic guitar as their principal instrument. This is a one-time award that will cover tuition costs over one year (fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters) and includes a Gibson guitar.
Thirty Seven (37) Tuition Assistance Scholarships of up to $10,000 each will be awarded to students pursuing a degree in music. This is a one-time award that will cover tuition costs over one year (fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters).

To date, the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation has awarded 383 scholarships, investing $7.6 million over the last nine years.

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BARBRA STREISAND has been named the 59th recipient of SAG-AFTRA's highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievements and humanitarian accomplishments.

The award is given annually to an actor who fosters the "finest ideals of the acting profession."

EGOT-winning actor and director will be presented with the honor February 24, 2024, at the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will stream live on Netflix at 8 PM ET from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles.

AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement, "Barbra Streisand is an icon and unparalleled talent, a force of nature who has seamlessly woven her brilliance through the fabric of our industry. From her earliest days captivating audiences on Broadway to her unforgettable roles in cinematic classics like Funny Girl; The Way We Were, and A Star Is Born, Barbra's ability to inhabit her characters with authenticity is nothing short of extraordinary.

"Her enduring career is a testament to her genuine performances, connecting with audiences on a profound level. She is a colossal icon with a relentless work ethic, evolving with each stage of her remarkable journey. We celebrate Barbra Streisand not just for her achievements but for the enduring legacy she has carved."

Streisand has recorded 52 gold, 31 platinum, and 13 multi-platinum albums, achieving No. 1 albums in each of the six consecutive decades. She is the only artist ever to receive Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Directors Guild of America, Golden Globe, National Medal of Arts, and Peabody awards, as well as France's Legion d’Honneur, the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and is the first female film director to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2015, President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

INDHU RUBASINGHAM the artistic director of London's Kiln Theatre since 2012, has been named the next director and joint chief executive of London's National Theatre. She will succeed Rufus Norris, who will depart those positions in spring 2025 when his second term ends.

Rubasingham, who will join the National in spring 2024 as director designate, will work alongside Executive Director Kate Varah, who also becomes joint chief executive in a co-leadership model.

BROADWAY MUSICIANS TARGETED FOR VIOLENCE PER NY POST

Several musicians performing in Broadway show orchestras are victims of unprovoked violence, some sustaining career ending injuries, while the perpetrators are charged and then released without bail.

Those are the assertions the NY Post detailed in a well researched, lengthly report published December 16, 2023 with the byline of Matthew Sedacca with additional credit given to Tina Moore and Johnny Oleksinski.

Frequently the musicians are attacked when they leave the stage door entrance.

Just two examples: One violin player age 66, was seriously injured when she was assaulted as she left the theater with a friend. Her wrist was broken in several places and may end her career.

Another musician, a male drummer, received a concussion which resulted in vision and walking problems. He has yet been able to return to work. Concussions are also known to acerbates later in life issues.

The excellent article pointed out that, in the cases where the perpetrator was caught, they were charged but released without bail - even if they have a long rap sheet.



GUYS AND DOLLS A Musical Fable of Broadway. Based on a Story and Characters of Damon Runyon. Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Music by Frank Loesser.

Directed by Bill English.

Music Direction by Dave Dobrusky.

Choreography by Nicole Helfer.

It’s Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City and nightclub performer Miss Adelaide must find a way to convince Nathan Detroit, her gambling fiancé of fourteen years, to finally bet on love. Meanwhile, high roller Sky Masterson might have made a miscalculation when he put down money he could charm straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown.

The cast: Abigail Esfira Campbell as Sarah Brown - Jessica Coker as Big Jule - David Toshiro Crane as Sky Masterson - Joel Roster as Nathan Detroit - Melissa Wolf Klain as Adelaide - Chachi Delgado as Benny Southstreet - Kay Loren as Nicely-Nicely Johnson - Miles Meckling as Harry the Horse - Alex Hsu at Lt. Brannigan - Malia Abayon as Agatha - Alison Ewing as General Cartwright - Brigitte Losey and Jurä Davis chorus.

The understudies: Jill Slyter, Jose Gallentes, Nicole Helfer, Tiiu Eva Rebane, Brenna Silva, and Leslie Waggoner.

The Musicians: Will Berg reed 2 - Nick Di Scala reed 1 - Dave Dobrusky keyboard, conductor - Kirk Duplantis drums - Audrey Jackson reed 1 - Jason Park trumpet - Derek James trombone - Hal Richards reed 2 - Justin J. Smith trumpet - Ben Visini drums.

The creatives are: Heather Kenyon scenic designer - Kathleen Qiu costume designer - York Kennedy lighting designer - James Ard sound designer - Angela Knutson properties designer - Laundra Tyme wig designer - Maya Herbsman intimacy director - Dave Maier fight director - Kimberly Mohne Hill dialect coach - Marie-Claire Erdynast dramaturg, assistant director - Kieran Beccia, Casting Collective casting director - Jasmine Santiago assistant costume designer - Daren A.C. Carollo stage manager - Jo Davita Ortiz assistant stage manager - Anthony Aranda production assistant - Caitlyn Slavich wardrobe assistant.

On stage at the San Francisco Playhouse through January 13, 2024.

BEETLEJUICE music & lyrice by Eddie Perfect. Book at Scott Brown and Anthony King. Based on the Geffen Company picture, with a story by Michael McDowell & Larry Wilson.

Directed by Alex Timbers.

Music Director/Conductor is Andy Grobengieser.

LydiaDeetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.

Featuring Justin Collette as Beetlejuice - Isabella Esler as Lydia - Megan McGinnis as Barbara - Will Burton as Adam - Jesse Sharp as Charles - Sarah Litzsinger as Delia - with Jackera Davis, Veronica Fiaoni, Abe Goldfarb, Kris Roberts, Brian Vaughn, Michael Biren, Ryan Breslin, Haley Fish, Haley Hannah, Matthew Michael Janisse, Kenway Hon Wai K. Kua - Mateo Melendez - Drew Minard - Lee N Price - Nevada Riley - Lexie Dorsett Sharp - Corben Williams.

The creative are: Kris Kukul musical supervision, Orchestrations, & incidental music. Connor Gallagher choreography. David Korins scenic design. William Ivey-Long costume design. Kenneth Poser lighting design. Peter Hylenski sound design. Peter Nigrini projection design. Michael Curry puppet design. Jeremy Chernick special effects design. Michael Weber illusions - Charles G. Lapointe hair & wig design. Joe Dulude II make-up design. Lorenzo Pisoni physical movement coordinator.

December 19-December 24, 2023 at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, FL.

APPROPRIATE by Obie Award-winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins who is makes his Broadway debut with a new production of his 2014 play.

Directed by Lila Neugebauer.

The estranged member of the Lafayette clan return to their crumbling old plantation home in Arkansas to grieve the loss of their father and settle his accounts - battling over their recently deceased father's inheritance.. Starring: Graham Campbell, Lincoln Cohen, Michael Esper, Elle Fanning, Natalie Gold, Alyssa Emily Marvin, Sarah Paulson, Everett Sobers, Corey Stoll.

Officially opens on December 18, 2023 at the Hayes Theatre in New York City.

PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC Joshua Harmon's Drama Desk Award-winning play.

Directed by David Cromer.

Benhamaous, a French Jewish family living in Paris in 2016 host their distant American cousin Molly. Together they deal with rising antisemitism, argue about their Jewish (and French) identity, and question how safe they are in Paris.

Starring: Betsy Aidem, Francis Benhamou, Ari Brand, Anthony Edwards, Ethan Haberfield, Richard Masur, Nael Nacer, Daniel Oreskes, Molly Ranson, Nancy Robinette, Aria Shahghasemi.

The creative team includes Takeshi Kata (scenic design), Sarah Laux (costume design), Amith Chandrashaker (lighting design), Daniel Kluger (original music & sound design), J. Jared Janas (hair and makeup design), Gigi Buffington (vocal coach), Caparelliotis Casting, Kelly Gillespie (casting), and Richard Hodge (production stage manager).

Prayer for the French Republic is made possible in part by a generous grant from The Roy Cockrum Foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to award grants to support world-class performing arts projects in not-for-profit professional theaters throughout the United States.

Prayer for the French Republic was commissioned by MTC through the Bank of America New Play Program.

Previews begin December 19, 2023 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in New York City. Officially opens on January 9, 2024.

DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES music & lyrics by Adam Guettel. Book by Craig Lucas.

Directed by Michael Greif.

The musical adaptation of the 1962 Warner Bros. comes to Broadway following a sold-out premiere at Off-Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company.

Starring Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'Arcy James.

First preview: on January 6, 2024 at Studio 54 in New York City.

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FINAL OVATION

JEFFREY FOSKETT who performed for over four decades in the touring band for the Beach Boys, as well as playing with Brian Wilson and Mike Love on individual tours. died Monday, December 11, 2023 from anaplastic thyroid cancer. He was 67.

Foskett, who said "I don’t often post on social," last took to Instagram himself on March 4 of this year, when he put up a video of himself ringing a bell at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston after spending four years in treatment there. He called it "the best four years of my life." Foskett praised doctors and nurses and wrote, "These people have given me what no one else on earth could have… LIFE…. Some of the past four years has been trying (I guess that’s why it’s called a clinical trial). It tries your body, mind and spirit but it has left me THRIVING and most importantly able to meet my grandson Domenic."

Foskett was also known for performing in the touring bands led by both Brian Wilson and Mike Love.

Foskett, who was deemed the "vice principal of the Beach Boys" by its core members, was the rare musician who found favor in all of that group’s sometimes competing camps over the decades. He was in Wilson’s solo band from 1998 through 2014, and was in Love’s Beach Boys for long periods before and after that, from 1981 through 1998, and again from 2015 until he was sidelined by stage 4 cancer in 2019.

Foskett was not just a backing vocalist in the ensemble; on the reunion tour, he sang lead vocals on songs including "Wouldn’t It Be Nice" and "Don’t Worry Baby."

Foskett also recorded a series of solo albums, starting with the heavily Beach Boys-influenced "Thru My WIndow" in 1996 and continuing through a trio of albums he put out in 2019.

Italia Guitars released a series of guitars named after Foskett in the late 2010s.

He is survived by his wife Diane, daughters and their families.

BARRY HUMPHRIES known as Dame Edna Everage, was honored at an Australian state memorial at Sydney Opera House on Friday, December 15, 2023. During the event a message from King Charles III was read. The two were friends and King Charles even called Barry hours before the beloved comedian died at the age of 89, following complications from hip surgery on April 22, 2023.

Among celebrities who sent video tributes to the Australian-born entertainer, who spent decades in London, were composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, musician Elton John and comedians Jimmy Carr, David Walliams and Rob Brydon. Media magnate Rupert Murdoch and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also paid tribute.

During the memorial The Australian Chamber Orchestra, a favorite of Humphries, performed.

The comedian’s widow, Lizzie Spender, and three of his children were expected to attend, according to The Australian.

The service was broadcast live on Australian television.

During the memorial King Charles message was read which recalled when Humphries performed as Dame Edna at the 2013 Royal Variety Performance, where then the Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall were in attendance.

During the show, Humphries as Dame Edna entered the Royal Box, blew a kiss to Prince Charles and sat down next to the couple, reaching across to give the Duchess of Cornwall a reassuring pat on the arm.

An usher then appeared and handed Dame Edna a note. After reading the note Dame Edna told the royal couple he was "so sorry" he'd have to leave because: "they’ve found me a better seat."

As Dame Edna rushed out of the box, the royal couple were wiping away laughter induced tears.

Lord Archer, who was also a close friend of Humphries, had reported: "He didn’t tell Camilla and Charles what he was about to do, otherwise they wouldn’t have burst out laughing."

Archer had added that the King would take his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, to Dame Edna's comedy shows, saying that he had seen them once backstage when the boys were around 12 and 14.

Humphries was a mainstay of royal performances, meeting Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales at various events. He appeared at a Prince’s Trust 30th birthday concert in 2006 and was made a CBE by the late Queen in 2007. The comedian was pictured chatting to Queen Camilla at The Oldie of the Year Awards in 2021.

Next Column: December 24, 2023
Copyright: December 17, 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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