Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: December 5, 2021
By: Laura Deni
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GENDER EQUALITY TAKES CENTER STAGE IN HINDLE WAKES

Jeremy Beck and Emma Gerr in a scene from the Mint Theater Company’s revival of Hindle Wakes. Photo credit: Todd Cerveris

Mint Theater Company’s revival of Hindle Wakes which can be seen through December 26, 2021 shines a well deserved spotlight on this carefully crafted play by Stanley Houghton. By the way, Wakes is British slang for a three day week-end. First mounted in London in 1912, the play concerns casual sex and its ramifications about the parties involved and their families. Social mores, class structure and the role of women are cleverly and pointedly crafted into the dialogue which resonates with the here-and-now as much as it did more than a century ago.

While there have been two movie versions, this stage mounting hasn't been seen in the U.S. in over a century, Mint Theater Company’s revival is excellent.

Expertly directed by Gus Kaikkonen the cast included – Sandra Shipley (Mrs. Hawthorn), Ken Marks (Christopher Hawthorn), Rebecca Noelle Brinkley (Fanny Hawthorn), Jill Tanner (Mrs. Jeffcote), Jonathan Hogan (Nathaniel Jeffcote), Jeremy Beck (Alan Jeffcote), Brian Reddy (Sir Timothy Farrar), Emma Geer (Beatrice Farrar), Sara Carolynn Kennedy (Ada).

It’s “Wakes Week” in Hindle; the mill is closed and the workers are idle. Fanny Hawthorn is relaxing at the seashore with a girlfriend when she runs into Alan Jeffcote, the mill owner’s son who is engaged to Beatrice. Alan takes Fanny to an hotel in Wales for a few days of sex, but the fun stops when their parents - and Beatrice - find out.

When the play opens a lightening storm is taking place, passing over with no rain, perhaps an omen to the fireworks which will erupt and whether or not the ramifications will be permanent.

Bathed in dramatic, subject centered lighting, Fanny's parents (Ken Marks and Sandra Shipley) are discussing the upcoming visit of their daughter who is apparently closed mouth. Her parents have reason to suspect that she has been lying to them. As her father says: she has "always been a bit of a mystery to her mother and me"

As if to make the dialogue the focal point, costumes by Sam Fleming are primarily sepia toned.

Upon Fanny's arrived they demand to know where she has been. It appears Fanny's alibi - being with Mary - doesn't hold up, since, unbeknown to Fanny, Mary recently drowned after a boat capsized. Eventually, she discloses that her secret lover, the man she has been away with, is Alan Jeffcote (Jeremy Beck), the son of her father's best friend and wealthy mill owner Max Jenkins (Jonathan Hogan) and a man - who is engaged to another woman, Beatrice (Emma Geer), whose father is a local politician and rival mill owner.

This is an era in which you just don't spend a week-end with a man unless there is a legal ring on your finger.

It is also an era of the self made man. An era where young children worked, but if you were industrious and determined you could rise above poverty to become rich and powerful. Women stayed home and tended to the family while successful men enjoyed recalling their impoverished childhood and flaunting that money is power.

Such is the case of Max Hawthorn. He is the richest mill owner in town. He and his wife live in a 14 bedroom house, with only three of them ever being used. They have fine furniture, exceptional linens and and household help. Max knows that money is power and that an ostentatious show of wealth makes a power statement. He fears that his son, who is always asking for money, isn't as nose-to-the-grindstone as he is, but reluctantly agrees, at his wife's urging, to take Alan into partnership on his wedding day. Alan and Beatrice have been engaged for almost a year.

Fathers of the couple have been looking forward to the union, since it can signal another type of union, the merging of two powerful businesses into a giant conglomerate.

Meanwhile, Fanny’s parents are dumb struck and horrified when their daughter confesses to her tryst. Not only is her reputation permanently ruined, but as is the social norm, her family will be socially embarrassed and brought into ridicule.

Brian Reddy and Jonathan Hogan. Photo credit: Todd Cerveris

The only thing that can save the situation is for Alan's engagement to Beatrice to be broken off and for Alan and Fanny to marry. Fanny's father visits his long term friend to confess that his daughter is having an affair and he's worried. The mystery man should marry his daughter and Max agrees, even offering to giver the romeo a good job should that marriage occur, but he needs to know his name. When informed that the mystery lover is his own son, Alan - tempers erupt.

Alan arrives home drunk. His father criticizes him for not "paying for his pleasures" rather than taking up with a town girl which could result in problems. Alan confesses that he was with Fanny.

Max reiterates how he started working at the age of 8 determined to acquire great wealth to prove to everyone else and himself that he was not just successful but - powerful. To have a son who discretes him is beyond comprehension.

The next morning Max summons up the courage to tell his wife (Jill Tanner) that Alan isn't going to marry Beatrice, but instead marry Fanny. Her reaction is strong, declaring that Fanny is "a girl without character" and "not fit to marry our Alan," but is positive that Alan's transgressions didn't come from "my side of the family," declaring "of course she is beneath him."

She is also positive that Fanny has planned the whole thing to garner a wealthy marriage.

Some of the funniest lines in the play come in this scene and the next.

When Beatrice arrives unexpectedly it falls to Mrs. Jeffcote to explain that the wedding if off.

Then Beatrice's father Sir Timothy Farrar (Brian Reddy) arrives and mentions that Beatrice hasn't seen Alan for 10 days. When informed that Alan and Fanny were having an affair, Beatrice's father suggests that Beatrice not be told. Beatrice is not only told but has the most powerful and socially important lines in the play, which resonate as much today as when they were written.

In a surprise and dramatic ending, Beatrice shows she has backbone, spunk, intelligence and determination.

CREATIVES:

Sets: Charles Morgan
Costumes: Sam Fleming
Lights: Christian DeAngelis
Sound & Original Music: Jane Shaw
Props: Joshua Yocom
Hair & Wigs: Gerard Kelly
Dialects & Dramaturgy: Amy Stoller
Casting: Stephanie Klapper, CSA
Production Stage Manager: Jeff Meyers
Assistant Stage Manager: Elizabeth Ann Goodman/Marjorie Ann Wood
Illustration: Stefano Imbert
Graphics: hey jude design, inc.
Advertising: The Pekoe Group
Press: David Gersten & Associates

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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

HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR LASSE HALLSTROM

Primordial Chaos by Hilma af Kent.

has wrapped up filming the biographical drama Hilma in Vilnius, Lithuania. A stellar cast traveled to the capital city to film the story about the Swedish artist and activistt, Hilma af Kint one of the first abstract art creators in western countries. A considerable body of her work predates the first purely abstract compositions by Kandinsky and Mondrian. She belonged to a group called "The Five", comprising a circle of women inspired by Theosophy, who shared a belief in the importance of trying to contact the so-called "High Masters"—often by way of séances. Her paintings, which sometimes resemble diagrams, were a visual representation of complex spiritual ideas.

Vilnius was specifically chosen for its Old Town appeal, being able to easily be tranformed into 19-20th century Stockholm, the professional Lithuanian production teams, and Film Tax Incentive, which provides up to 30% of funding to film productions.

The drama revolves around Klint’s non-traditional art and spirituality, which made her a standout Swedish artist and one of the first abstract art creators in the western countries. Klint was also one of the first feminist pioneers and have made her artistic breakthrough in a male-dominated field. Her most notable body of work is “Paintings for the Temple” cycle containing 193 paintings in different series and groups.

Hilma Af Klint's later period abstract art (1906-1920) delved into symbolism with a combination of geometry, figuration, scientific research and religious practices. Her studies of organic growth, including shells and flowers, helped her portray life through a spiritual lens.

Her individual or signature style was also marked with impressions from the late 19th and early 20th century scientific discoveries as also influenced by contemporary spiritual movements such as theosophy and anthrosophy. The idea to transcend the physical world and the constraints of representational art is visible in her abstract paintings.

Her symbolic visual language has an ordered progression that reflects her understanding of grids, circles, spirals and petal-like forms--sometimes diagrammatic, sometimes biomorphic. Her paintings also explored dichotomy of the world.

Spiral forms appear often in her art, as they do in the automatic drawings by De Fem. While every such geometric form, in this case, Spiral suggests growth, progress and evolution, color choices also are metaphorical in nature.

As one of the Proto-Feminist Artists, her style represents the sublime in the art.

The director Lasse Hallström, best known for globally renowned movies such as The Cider House Rules; Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, brought a star-studded cast with him to Vilnius: Lily Cole, Rebecca Calder, Maeve Dermody, and others.

The film was shot October through November, and shooting in Vilnius took eight out of the total ten weeks of production. The most notable urban locations were chosen for recreating 19-20th century Stockholm: Vilnius Town Hall, an 18th century building in the Old Town with historical, political, and symbolic significance, Pilies Street, one of the oldest streets in Vilnius, combining Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architectural styles, and Pond Park in the most bohemian district of the city, Užupis.

The project team was composed of 150 professionals, of whom 100 were Lithuanians. The production tasks were coordinated by Lithuanian film production company Paprika Filmai.

THE TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART (TMA) has announced that Ian Charles Stewart has been contracted to advise on the development of digital strategies around emerging Web 3.0 technologies. In this role, Stewart will consult on TMA’s efforts to engage existing blockchain technologies communities – including through non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse – which will advance the Museum’s vision of becoming the model art museum for its commitment to quality and its culture of belonging.

Stewart is a photographer and longstanding arts philanthropist, who served as trustee of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London for 15 years.

(NEVER) AS I WAS features new work by The Studio Museum in Harlem’s 2020–21 artists in residence, Widline Cadet, Texas Isaiah, Genesis Jerez, and Jacolby Satterwhite, marking the third year of collaboration between The Studio Museum and MoMA's PS1.

With communication deeply mediated by the digital during the pandemic, the artists propose dynamic ways of experiencing time, space, and locality set into this current moment of complex transformation. "The outcomes are tender and lyrical explorations of family histories, memoir, spirituality, and memory."

Founded in 1971, MoMA PS1 is the first nonprofit arts center in the US devoted solely to contemporary art.

The Studio Museum in Harlem is an American art museum devoted to the work of artists of African descent.

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SWEET CHARITY

HARRY NILSSON'S THE POINT in which the round-headed Oblio has to wear a pointed hat to conceal his “pointless” condition from his pointy-headed peers on Harry Nilsson’s charming 1970 album, The Point. A live rendition starring Kiefo Nilsson (Harry’s son) and a 14-piece band, and narrated by celebrated actor/musician John C. Reilly, will be the centerpiece of a Holiday Family Faire, presented by Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum at its spectacular outdoor venue in Topanga, CA on Saturday, December 11. (Rain date: December 18.)

Additional performances will include aerialist acts by cirque performer Lexi Pearl, curator of Theatricum’s annual Momentum Place. Carolers and singing madrigals will roam the grounds, and Theatricum company members will tell winter holiday stories from a variety of traditions including Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available for family photo ops. An artisan marketplace will offer holiday gifts and crafts, and festive food and drink will be available for purchase.

All proceeds go to support Theatricum Botanicum’s extensive artistic and educational programming.

Proof of vaccination for ages 12 and up required for admission; masks required for all ages throughout the event.

EBENEZER 2021: AN IMMERSIVE INTERNET SPECTACULAR (an adaption of an adaption), of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. by The Speakeasy Society which translates the free roaming exploration of the original Ebenezer to a virtual format.

Audiences are encouraged to have fun while exploring this classic holiday story and familiar characters in a new way: Play charades with Scrooge’s nephew Fred, have a beer with Bob Cratchit, stare into the abyss with the Ghost of Christmas Future, or follow Ebenezer's journey as he confronts his own mortality and greed. Can he alter these shadows of what may be, or will he wear the chains he forged in life for all eternity?

Suitable for audiences 14 and up.

In the spirit of A Christmas Carol, - The Speakeasy Society is donating all profits from this event to Mutual Aid LA, mutualaidla.org, an organization providing grocery, supply deliveries, and community support services in Los Angeles.

December 9 and 10, 8pm PT / 11pm EST / 0300 London / 1200 Japan
And December 12, 6pm PT / 9pm EST / 0100 London / 1000 Japan

SPREADING THE WORD

KATE, THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE will host a special, community carol service at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. The festive event, supported by the Royal Foundation, will celebrate the work that individuals and organizations have done throughout the pandemic to support their communities.

The service will also “bring together inspirational individuals from across the UK who have gone above and beyond to care for and protect those in need.” Carols will be sung by the abbey choir as well as readings and musical performances from other guests.

Kensington Palace said the service would blend “traditional elements with a modern and inclusive feel to encompass people of all faiths and none.” It’ll be broadcast by ITV later in December.

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH will serve as the keynote speaker for Prairie View A&M University's 26th Fall Commencement Convocation ceremony on Saturday, December 11 for nearly 600 undergraduate and graduate students.

Known for her keen ability to combine theater arts and journalism, Smith's unique interpretation of words through performanceť has garnered critical acclaim from The American Theatre Wing;s Tony Awards, Time Magazine, The New York Times, and the Critics's Choice Awards. Her most recent original work, Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, is a one-woman show that looks at the vulnerability of youth, the criminal justice system, and contemporary activism.

Smith holds an appointment in the Department of Arts and Public Policy at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she is the founding director of the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue. She holds degrees from Beaver College (now Arcadia University) (BA) and the American Conservatory Theater (MFA).

DAVID SEDARIS regular National Public Radio contributor and best-selling author of "Calypso," "Naked," "Me Talk Pretty One Day," "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim," takes the stage for one night only December 6, 2021 in Muriel Kauffman Theatre at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, MO. This appearance follows the release of his newest books, "The Best of Me" and "A Carnival of Snackery."

NSO POPS A Holiday Pops with Ingrid Michaelson takes place December 10 & 11, 2021 at the Concert Hall, Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

COOKING UP a staged reading presented as part of the Japan Society's current Performing Arts Season, Fall 2021- Spring 2022, Japan Society presents a staged reading of Cooking Up by Japanese playwright Shoko Matsumura, led by Brooklyn-based director Jordana De La Cruz, taking place Monday, December 6 at 7:30 PM at Japan Society in New York City. Cooking Up marks the 16th installment of the Society’s annual Play Reading Series: Contemporary Japanese Plays in English Translation, introducing topical plays from emerging playwrights from Japan to artists and audiences in the U.S.

The real and the surreal come together at a small French restaurant in Japan in Cooking Up, one of the 2018 finalists for Japan’s most prestigious award for contemporary plays, the Kishida Kunio Drama Award. The play takes an unusual turn when the head chef’s wife asks her husband’s mistress to join their household, taking the place of their beloved house cat, who has gone missing. Jordana De La Cruz, Co-Director of the OBIE Award-winning performance venue JACK in Brooklyn, directs this absurd sojourn into the private lives of the restaurant’s employees. Playwright Shoko Matsumura joins in a post-performance Q&A with the audience and director. Cooking Up (Japanese title: Koshiraeru) was translated by Amanda Waddell, Program Officer, and Japan Society’s Performing Arts Department.

MOME AND THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS have partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health to offer mental health resources for creative workers, including a list of resources for performing arts professionals and a webinar on “Promoting Mental Health for Creative Workers” featuring a discussion on mental health resources for NYC creatives. A recording of the program is available on YouTube.

ANNIE LIVE! which aired last Thursday on NBC was a delightful entertainment experience. The worst you can say about the production was that the skullcap worn by Harry Connick, Jr. was the worst ever. Distracting and laughable. That wasn't his fault.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

THE MARINE TOYS FOR TOTS FOUNDATION a 501©(3) organization whose mission is to send a message of hope to less fortunate children at Christmastime and during times of crisis or natural disaster, is excited to announce that it has started accepting donations in the following cryptocurrencies:

Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Amp (AMP), Basic Attention Token (BAT), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), ChainLink (LINK), Dai (DAI), Dogecoin (DOGE), The Graph (GRT), Gemini Dollar (GUSD), Litecoin (LTC), Storj (STORJ), UMA (UMA), Zcash (ZEC), 0x (ZRX) and 1inch (1INCH) and more.

"By accepting cryptocurrencies, Toys for Tots is offering supporters with cryptocurrency portfolios the ability to support the organization in a tax efficient way. The IRS classifies cryptocurrency donations as property, meaning they are not subject to capital gains tax and are tax deductible on the donor's tax returns."

A.R.T./NEW YORK announced three grant programs providing flexible, general operating support to small theatres:

1. The NYSCA-A.R.T./New York Creative Opportunity Fund provides grants of $2,000-$5,000 to theatres throughout New York State with annual budgets of under $500,000.

2. The Strengthening NYC Theatres Grant Program (formerly the Nancy Quinn Fund) gives New York City-based theatres with annual budgets under $250,000 one-year grants of $1000-$2000.

3. The New York City Small Theatres Fund, in partnership with the Howard Gilman Foundation, will provide around 10 New York City theatres with annual budgets under $250,000 with two-year general operating support grants of $5,000-$10,000 annually.

The application deadline for each of the three A.R.T./New York programs is 5:00 pm on Tuesday, December 14, 2021.

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THE 31st ANNUAL GOTHAM AWARDS are American film awards, presented annually to the makers of independent films at a ceremony in New York City, the city first nicknamed "Gotham" by native son Washington Irving. The Gotham Awards are the first of the season’s awards programs and a harbinger of Academy Awards, Golden Globes and Independent Spirit Awards hopefuls to come.

They returned to their pre-pandemic glory on November 29th. The awards were held at the prestigious Cipriani Wall Street in downtown New York City, with a full red-carpet gala and over 700 celebrities and industry VIPs in attendance. The event was webcast live on Facebook.

Attendees included tribute honorees, as well as Award nominees including Frankie Faison; Michael Greyeyes; Brittany S. Hall; Oscar Isaac; Taylour Paige; Joaquin Phoenix; Simon Rex; Lili Taylor; Tessa Thompson; Emilia Jones; Natalie Morales; Rachel Sennott; Suzanna Son; Amalia Ulman.

Additional celebrity guests, presenters and nominees in attendance included Kristen Stewart; Dakota Johnson; Dan Levy; Forest Whitaker; Thandiwe Newton, Jennifer Coolidge; Julianne Moore; Lee Jung-Jae; Helen Hunt; Maggie Gyllenhaal; Rebecca Hall; Rooney Mara; Nicolas Cage; Ruth Negga; Tessa Thompson; and Zazie Beetz, among others.

Wine Connoisseurs, Red Carpet Hounds and Awards Show Pundits toasted each other and themselves with wines provided by Robert Hall Winery which returned for its fourth consecutive year as the official wine sponsor of the Gotham Awards. The Paso Robles, CA based winery is noted as being a perennial supporter of celebrity events.

Winners include:

OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE
Olivia Colman in “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix) (TIE)
Frankie Faison in “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain” (Gravitas Ventures) – (TIE)

BEST FEATURE
“The Lost Daughter” (Netflix)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Flee” (NEON)

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
“Drive My Car” (Sideshow and Janus Films)

BINGHAM RAY BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR AWARD
Maggie Gyllenhaal for “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix)

BEST SCREENPLAY
“The Lost Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal (Netflix)

OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE
Olivia Colman in “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix) (TIE)
Frankie Faison in “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain” (Gravitas Ventures) (TIE)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Troy Kotsur in “CODA” (Apple)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Emilia Jones in “CODA” (Apple)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SERIES
Ethan Hawke in “The Good Lord Bird” (Showtime) (TIE)
Thuso Mbedu in “The Underground Railroad” (Amazon Studios) (TIE)

BREAKTHROUGH SERIES — LONG FORM
“Squid Game” (Netflix)

BREAKTHROUGH SERIES
“Reservation Dogs” (FX)

BREAKTHROUGH NONFICTION SERIES
“Philly D.A.” (Topic, Independent Lens, PBS)

JURY AWARD FOR ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
“The Harder They Fall”



THE PRODUCERS that delicious Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan musical hit being staged for the first time in Paris. Officially opening this month the production began previews on November 25 at the Théâtre de Paris for a mounting to February 27, 2022. This is the musical which broke all records by winning 12 Tony Awards. See Broadway To Vegas column of April 22, 2001

After more than 4,000 performances around the globe, now The Producers has come to the City of Light.

This musical is based on the 1967 Mel Brooks' film and tells an unusual story of Broadway musical production. Max Bialystock, a declining Broadway producer teams up with accountant Leo Bloom. Together, they realize that they could make a lot of money by producing an unsuccessful show and decide to make the worst musical ever. To do this, they bring together the worst actors, script and costumes. They are already planning to fly to Rio after the first performance, however, this show has many surprises for them.

This Paris mounting is the protege of Alexis Michalik who won five Moličres for the 2016 play Edmond/ He directs the 16 actors who perform in French. They are: Serge Postigo, Benoit Cauden, David Eguren, Andy Coco, Regis Vallee, Roxane Le Texier, Alexander Bernot, Loai Rahman, Leo Maindron, Sebstien Paulet, Herve Lewandowski, Melissa Linton, Veronique Hatat, Eva Tesiorowski, Marianne Orlowski, and Carla Hugon.

Michalik negotiated with Stage Entertaiment Franch, who specializes in Broadway musicals performed in French, to created a new staging in French. Nicholas Angel is in charge of that adaptation. Mel Brooks personally gave permission. Although Brooks is 95-years old, it is hoped he can travel to Paris to see this adaptation.

Other Broadway musicals opening in Paris during 2021 include Lion King, which opened in November at the Mogador Theater, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which opened in September and is performed in French.

FORCE MAJEURE Tim Price's new stage adaptation of Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure.

Directed by our Donmar Artistic Director Michael Longhurst.

Featuring Rory Kinnear as Nathalie Armin with Bo Bragason, Holly Cattle, Raffaelo Degruttola, Florence Hunt, Henry Hunt, Siena Kelly, Lyndsey Marshal, Kwami Odoom, Sule Rimi, Oliver Savell and Arthur Wilson.

Force Majeure is an award-winning comedy adapted for the stage which follows a family unit tested to breaking point with hilarious and tragic consequences.

The creatives are: Jon Bausor, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound design by Donato Wharton, movement direction by Sasha Milavic Davies and casting by Anna Cooper CDG.

Force Majeure runs at London's Donmar from December 10, 2021 - February 5, 2022.

A VERY DRUNKEN CHRISTMAS CAROL The Drunken Tenor (Robert McPherson) returns to Seattle Opera with a retelling of this Charles Dickens' classic but things get turned upside down when he gets hit in the head, knocked out and wakes up in an alternate reality.

Joined by duet partners of past, present, and future, get ready for a mix of opera, holiday favorites, and more.

Robert McPherson stars as The Drunken Tenor with David McDade as the pianist - Jebbifer Bromagen as the Soprano and Sarah Mattox as the Mezzo.

Performed in English.

A Very Drunken Christmas Carol is on stage December 10 and 12 at Tagney Jones Hall in the Opera Center in Seattle, Washington.

TINSEL: A GLOBAL HOLIDAY CELEBRATION is presented by The Lucille Lortel Theatre. From December 6-31, live performances will be held showcasing effervescent live music, performance, and dance with leading artists from around the globe including Broadway stars and leading musicians and performers.

A highlight this season is the 12-show run of Everett Bradley’s Holidelic, the beloved holiday funk revue headed by famed rock percussionist Everett Bradley (E Street Band, Bon Jovi). Bradley plays the role of Papadelic, Funk’s Father Christmas, an amalgamation of George Clinton and Santa Claus, featuring holiday-themed funk songs written by Bradley and brought to life by an array of top shelf noise makers.

Additional shows feature a mix of performances that celebrate the best of the holiday season from all cultures. Performers include international drag superstar Latrice Royale, notable theater names Jelani Remy, Telly Leung, Jared Grimes, Reed Luplau, Jaime Lozano and The Familia, Ronny Dutra, Ilene Reid, and Brinda Guha, plus Cumbé Dance and a traditional Mexican pastorela from Something from Abroad.

CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE wraps a whimsical, Broadway-style musical infused with contemporary circus artistry into the ultimate holiday gift for the entire family.

As lights dim and music plays, a fantastical cast of holiday storybook characters come to life presenting an elaborate wonderland, invoking the stories behind a child’s eye as they dream on the most magical of nights. Ballerinas, nutcrackers, snowmen, penguins, reindeer, ethereal aerialists, gingerbread people, carolers, and colossal ornaments fly, balance, juggle, and stretch imaginations.

Featuring over 20 of the world’s critically acclaimed and accomplished artists and circus acts all gift-wrapped in over 300 imaginative and one-of-a-kind costume designs. Broadway singers perform original music along with new twists on seasonal favorites such as “Deck The Halls,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Jingle Bell Rock.”

Wednesday, December 8, 2021 and Thursday, December 9 at the State Theatre of New Jersey in New Brunswick, NJ.

NAKED BOYS SINGING

Naked Boys Singing

the long running off-Broadway musical, has announced it will extend its Las Vegas run at The Jewel Box Theatre through March 6, 2022. Continuing with the all-male, all-nude, musical revue are original Vegas cast members American Idol’s David Hernandez, America’s Got Talent finalist Marcus Terell, Going Down in LA-LA Land’s Matthew Ludwinski, Louis D’Aprile and Jaden Lux. Joining the cast will be Robert Ryan, best known from his, also nude, performance in Puppetry of the Penis.

"In the vein of vaudeville and high-camp musical theater, Naked Boys Singing! features five handsome “boys” with gorgeous voices, hilarious comedic timing, and no clothing. Presented by Tom D’Angora and Nick Padgett and directed by Tom and Michael D’Angora, the 60-minute show is Las Vegas’ only fully nude musical revue. No costumes, no underwear, no jocks…just Naked Boys Singing!"

Created in 1998 by Robert Schrock and a team of 12 writers, Naked Boys Singing! was initially marketed to gay men, but its fan base grew to a wide and diverse audience. It opened in New York City in 2000, where it continues its record-breaking off-Broadway run.

The Jewel Box Theatre is located inside the Erotic Heritage Museum located across from the Fashion Show Mall.

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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.

GET WELL SOON TO . . .

CARLOS SANTANA who has a residency in Las Vegas, has canceled all of his December performances so that he can undergo an unplanned heart procedure. We wish him well.

FINAL OVATION

JACQUELINE AVANT wife of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Clarence Avant was shot and killed Tuesday, November 30, 2021, in a home invasion robbery in Beverly Hills, CA. She was 81.

Avant has been a prominent Los Angeles philanthropist over the decades, notably in support of the UCLA International Student Center. Her husband, Clarence Avant, is a legendary figure in the music industry, working with or advising such stars as Jimmy Smith, Lalo Schifrin, Babyface, Bill Withers, Sixto Rodriguez, the SOS Band and Cherelle.

The shooting comes amid growing concerns over a string of follow-home robberies in affluent neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area. Last week, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore announced he was setting up a task force to deal with the home robberies, saying the department has not seen violent hold-ups “like this in decades.”

Jacqueline and Clarence's daughter, Nicole Avant, is married to Netflix executive Ted Sarandos.

EDDIE MEKKA a Tony Award nominated winning actor best known for his role as Carmine Ragusa on the television sitcom Laverne & Shirley died November 27, 2021 at his home in Newhall, Santa Clarita, CA, He was 69.

Before his television success he headed the Worcester County Light Opera. Mekka rose to fame performing in the 1975 Broadway musical, The Lieutenant, for which he won a Tony Award.

Mekka is survived by his wife, Yvonne Marie Grace and his daughter, Mia.

SIR ANTONY SHER two time Olivier-winning Shakespearean actor, died December 2, 2021 from cancer. He was 72.

He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 and toured in many roles, as well as appearing on film and TV, and working as a writer and theatre director.

In 2001, he starred in his cousin Ronald Harwood's play Mahler's Conversion, and said that the story of a composer sacrificing his faith for his career echoed his own identity struggles.

During his 2017 "Commonwealth Tour", Prince Charles referred to Sher as his favorite actor. Sher and his partner and collaborator Gregory Doran became one of the first same-sex couples to enter into a civil partnership in the UK.

The stage and screen star made his Broadway debutin 1997 at Circle in the Square Theatre with a Tony-nominated and Theatre World Award-winning performance in Stanley. In 2004 he starred inPrimo at the Cottesloe Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London and repeated the role on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre, July–August 2005.

On September 10, 2021 it was announced that Sher had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, leading his husband Doran to take compassionate leave from the Royal Shakespeare Company to care for him. Doran survives him.

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Laura Deni

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