Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: December 9, 2018
By: Laura Deni
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2 AM AT THE SANDS RECORDING IGNORES THE SINGER. HIS NAME IS ANDREW SAMONSKY

The name Frank Sinatra and Las Vegas are synonymous. Fame of the Sinatra sort spawns tribute bands and artists. Broadway Records has released a tribute album of sorts titled 2 AM At The Sands.

The is a recording with fabulous music, brilliant arrangements performed by expert musicians. There is also a mystery singer who can hold his own when singing Sinatra tunes.

Most of the songs on the recording are associated with The Chairman of the Board, while some are not.

There are several technical issues regarding a recording which is purported to be that of a live performance from a show at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, California.

What is just over the top annoying is that the singer - the star of the show - a person who has a well earned reputation as a Broadway performer is - as the Vegas mob during the Sinatra era might have said - put in cement.

He's buried.

Again the worst part of this entire presentation is the deliberate ignoring of the band's boy singer. As a guy who started out as a band's boy singer - Sinatra wouldn't have approved.

You can play a guessing game as to who is doing the singing. If you use a magnifying glass you can discover, in a font size which is approximately a 4-5 and included among copious copy, the name - Andrew Samonsky - most of the time listed only as Andrew.

The only time Samonsky's name is in a type size which can be easily read is on the next to last page of the booklet where Andrew Samonsky is listed as the star.

Andrew Samonsky performing as Frank Sinatra. Photo: 2 AM At The Sands.

Who is Andrew Samonsky?

The talented singer is currently appearing in the national tour of Come From Away. He has also appeared as Benny in the world premier production of Benny & Joon at the Old Globe Theater. He has been seen on Broadway as Neville Landless in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Kenneth Ormisten in Scandalous, and Lt. Cable in the Tony award winning revival of South Pacific, where he was also seen in the Live From Lincoln Center PBS broadcast. He played Robert Kincaid in the national tour of The Bridges of Madison County. He originated the role of Captain Phoebus in the American premiere of The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Paper Mill Playhouse and La Jolla Playhouse.

He knows how to sing. What he needs help with is holding his own in the promotion game.

The problem with the cover is a lack of accurate identification. That means that if somebody types into a search engine Andrew Samonsky the chances of the record album appearing are lessened. If a potential buyer types in Sinatra at the Sands, the gloriously wonderful live album Sinatra At The Sands jumps up.

Issued in July 1966 as a double-album on The Chairman’s own Reprise label, Sinatra At The Sands was seamlessly assembled from a week’s worth of shows recorded during a seven-night stint in the Congo Room which lasted from January 26 to February 1, 1966. Accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra, and conducted and arranged by Quincy Jones, that magnificent recording, produced by the wonderful Sonny Burke, was newly released in March 2018. That's the record which is notable for introducing a brand new song, Johnny Mandel’s The Shadow Of Your Smile.

That's the competition. It's a must have album for anyone who wants to know what Vegas was all about - who loves Sinatra, Count Basie, Quincy Jones - or simple good music flawlessly performed.

If you type into a search engine Recorded at the Sands 2 AM At The Sands will be on the page but it's hidden among Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. Buyers can get frustrated.

2 AM At The Sands is suppose to be a recording which "recreates an imagined evening of Frank’s legendary concerts." It has a lot going for it, but you can't buy it if you can't find it.

The cover not only does nothing to encourage sales, it might even be misleading in that there is nothing to indicate on the front or back of the CD plastic cover - that this isn't a Frank Sinatra recording.

The failure to list Andrew Samonsky's name on the cover lends to confusion. There was a time when Sinatra and the Sands were said in the same breath. There is a possibility that somebody might purchase 2 AM At The Sands thinking they were buying a Sinatra album.

In this CD other stars jump up on stage and perform with Sinatra.

There were times when maybe Frank showed up and maybe he didn't. A lot of it depended upon what planet was in retrograde or some other like reasoning. Frank might interrupt the shows of others, but nobody would dare surprise Frank by jumping on stage. Photo: File.

In reality, none dropped by to casually interrupt Sinatra's show. They wouldn't have dared. Nobody interrupted Sinatra.

Sinatra's show was rehearsed to the second. He was a perfectionist. He started the show right on time - not one minute late and promptly left the stage when his time was up. Casino managers wanted customer out into the casino to lose money.

Sinatra brought with him high rollers who tipped well - a survival source for Las Vegas showroom and casino workers.

Las Vegas was one of the few places in the United States where a musician could make a living. They were the only ones working the showroom or casino who earned a salary, which had to be reported to the IRS. Every other person was paid $1 an hour. Those employees counted on tips, which generally weren't reported to the IRS. Even orchestra string players became strolling musicians. Every hotel had a gourmet restaurant and the musicians would serenade diners - for tips - between and after their main room performances.

The few middle of the night Sinatra Rat Pack Shows, originally known as Summit at the Sands were also well planned and featured Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.

Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr and Dean Martin. Promo photo for the Rat Pack shows at the Sands. Joey Bishop was also on the bill.

During that Sinatra era hotels had two shows - a dinner show at 8 pm which meant customers started eating at seven and there was no food service permitted after the show began - with the exception that dishes could be cleared off and beverages served during the performance of the opening act.

Some performers, such as Debbie Reynolds, would incorporate that the customers had just eaten into her act. Seeing a desert plate that hadn't yet been removed, Reynolds would lean over the stage and ask the person what they had eaten and if they liked it. Once, I even saw her ask for a bite.

The second show was a midnight cocktail show. Patrons were seated around eleven and the show started at midnight.

Back then Vegas had large, extremely popular lounges. Lounge headliners included Vic Damone, Don Rickles, Shecky Greene, The Kim Sisters, Tommy Vig, Ray Anthony, the Mary Kaye Trio, Louis Prima and Keely Smith and Cy Coleman who wrote The Best Is Yet to Come with Carolyn Leigh which became a Sinatra favorite. Coleman always had fond memoires of Las Vegas. See Broadway To Vegas column of December 12, 1999.

It wasn't until corporations took over that lounges as we knew them closed and big name lounge stars moved to headline their own shows in the big rooms.

Lounge show times generally didn't start until 10 pm with performance times working around main room times and extended all night. A person could see a dinner show, a lounge act, midnight main room show and another lounge show - or more - all in the same evening.

If Sinatra was in a good mood he sometimes hopped on over to somebody's lounge and interrupted their act. When that happened the audience witnessed mayhem and magic.

The CD booklet explains that the production was a combination of "historical, factual and fictional accounts of a show."

This is Sinatra we're talking about. Why would anybody think they need to use fiction to present Frank Sinatra? The Chairman of the Board was one of the most fascinating individuals who ever played Vegas. Any use of fiction has to be a demotion to his reputation.

The booklet stressed the importance of video in the stage show. "A one act musical . . . that relies on images and videos that help carry the audience back in time."

The booklet also refers to the live performance as a "new multimedia storytelling format."

It seems almost unbelievable that Sinatra footage would have been approved for use in this show.

Actual Sinatra video would have been the glue that kept this show together and can't be captured in an audio recording. No video can be captured in a CD.

This isn't so much a live recording of a stage show as it is the music from the stage show. When Samonsky does speak it is extremely difficult to either hear or understand what is being said.

For people who saw the stage show, this CD would be a marvelous souvenir.

Mr. Bonjangles is expertly performed by Samonsky, although not sounding as Sinatra ever performed the number. The booklet states that this isn't an impersonation performance - wisely pointing out that nobody can impersonate Sinatra. No truer phrase has ever been written.

Samonsky offers a sensitive rendition of One For My Baby. Afterwards the listener might think that possibly there was a split second of mild audience reaction captured on the recording.

Of course, Luck Be a Lady is swinging.

Samonsky does resemble Tom Jones in a vibrant version of Help Yourself, in this imagined show which never happened - never happened. Jones was never part of The Rat Pack or as Sinatra preferred to call his cronies - The Summit.

Sinatra and Jones did enjoy a cordial relationship drinking at the same hotel bar, with Frank offering Jones valuable singing advice cautioning the singer to stop belting every note or he'd eventually damage his voice.

Sinatra was a remarkable musician with an incredible ear. If he spoke musicians listened. If you paid attention to him you learned more than anything gleaned in any master class. When he was in a good mood, Sinatra was both the Master and Class.

His contract contained a clause specifying that the piano be tuned every time it was moved. His performance at the Sands was backed by a 17-piece orcheatra, which he called The Band.

No singer has ever respected - or given a writer, orchestrator or musician more credit that Sinatra. On the vast majority of songs Sinatra performed he would mention a name - the arranger, composer - a musician with a solo. This album doesn't. A serious flaw, if what you are doing is attempting to recreate a Sinatra show.

Track #8 April In Paris is an instrumental version with a more upbeat, jazz slant than the romantic, soulful one which first hit the airways. It also has little to do with Sinatra's stage performances and more to do with Don Rickles interrupting him on The Tonight Show.

Stage shows incorporating April in Paris were features of stage shows by Count Basie, Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald.

Nor is there any patter on this recording, although Sinatra never sparred with his conductor. The only time he ever got sassy with a conductor was in introducing his own son who spent many years conducting for his father. "His mother asked me to give him a job."

Sinatra's banter was with himself in off handed, lengthy, well rehearsed monologues which were hilarious. Or, or with his cronies such as Dean Martin who is impersonated on this CD singing That's Amore in a faster tempo that Martin used on stage, although he may have used that tempo on his television series.

Most of the 13 tracks lack a smooth flow between, with many containing too much dead air between numbers. The musical selections are beautifully executed and well balanced.

If you're going to do a show from 1966 then the music has to have existed prior to that time.

The theme from New York, New York which is Tract 12 wasn't released until June 21, 1977. Sinatra first performed the song on stage in 1978 at concerts in New York's Radio City Music Hall. His version was released on his 1980 triple album Trilogy: Past, Present and Future, which was highly acclaimed and brought the singer back in the public eye. New York, New York became one of Sinatra's signature songs.

The booklet for 2 AM At The Sands does acknowledge that the song hadn't yet been penned during this imagined show for a show which never took place.

Andrew Samonsky has a wonderful voice. He does a splendid job of performing songs which went to the top of the charts during the Sinatra heyday. At that time Vegas was the place to be for elegance and great music.

The musicians conducted by Kevin Surace include: Saxes - Brian Scanlon lead; Glen Berger alto; Dick Mitchell tenor; Eric Marienthal tenor; John Mitchell baritone. Trumpets - Dave Richards lead; Jamie Hovorka, Jeff Bunnell, Carl Saunders; Trombones - Alan Kaplan lead; Nick Lane, Nick Daley and Ken Kugler bass. Rhythm: Geoff Stradling piano. Grant Geissman guitar. Paul Morin bass and Bernie Dressel drums.

They deliver great arrangements by Quincey Jones which are hard-swinging, turbo-charged with walking basslines and kinetic grooves.

Kevin Surace computer guru and Inc. Magazine cover boy leads a double life - he has a band.

Orchestra leader Kevin Surace has an inventive and unique background. According to Big Speak: "Kevin Surace is the most disruptive innovator you don’t know about - yet. His work has influenced as many industries as Steve Jobs without all the accompanying fame, celebrity status, and bio pics. Before the iPhone and Siri were a twinkle in Jobs’ eye, Surace developed the first cellular smartphone (AirCommunicator) and the first digital assistant (Mary). All the data devices that we know and love today are thanks to the technology and patents Surace helped pioneer."

He was Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year, CNBC’s top Innovator of the Decade, World Economic Forum’s Tech Pioneer, Chair of Silicon Valley Forum, Planet Forward’s Innovator of the Year nominee, featured for 5 years on TechTV’s Silicon Spin, and inducted into the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Innovation Hall of Fame.

His band Big, Bold, and Brassy, featuring international jazz star Nicole Henry, "can be found wowing audiences at corporate events."

Therefore, Broadway To Vegas assumes that all multmedia for the stage show was perfect and that Surace had a ball putting it together.

Headliners regularly recorded Las Vegas Live at albums - the Sands, Caesars Palace, the Sahara, the Hilton which was then the International. Vegas also had three major recording studios. Hits were cut in Sin City.

Samonsky would be sensational on a studio album of Samonsky sings Vegas, meaning songs made famous by stars who were Vegas mainstays and recorded their hits from the Vegas stages or local Vegas recording studios - Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Steve & Eydie, Perry Como, Paul Anka, Vic Damone. Even Telly Savalas - who sang remarkably well - recorded an album Live at the Sahara Hotel.

It was a remarkable time period - one which gave us some of the best songs ever to chart and an era which will never again be repeated.

What Andrew Samonsky is, is a first rate enjoyable Andrew Samonsky who can superbly sing songs associated with Frank Sinatra. However, he shouldn't be demoted to a nameless semi-impersonator of Sinatra singing. Samonsky deserves better.

The booklet contains numerous photographs from apparently the stage show. If you are really out for picky - when doing a promo shoot, see to it that the people in the front row are dressed appropriately. The Sinatra era at the Sands was a time when women wore floor length gowns - preferably with heavy beading. Women wore furs and men were in tuxedos. Jewelry and cocktails were everywhere. No man would have been let into a showroom without a tie.

Stage promo shots.

Frank Sinatra who never drank anything except tea with lemon before a show, performing on stage at the Sands with a drink in hand. On December 12, 2018 Sinatra, who died in 1998, would have celebrated his 103rd birthday. File photo.

Sinatra was a saloon singer. The later the hour the more he leaned in that direction. For a fake show which pretends to have taken place at 2 a.m. there aren't enough songs projecting deep, sad introspection or defiance - the I'll-show-that-broad attitude or the melancholy - a condition which let Sinatra to attempt suicide.

2 AM At The Sands has a terribly awkward ending with a fast paced instrumental - of all things - What The World Needs Now Is Love, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was first released on April 15, 1965 by Jackie deShannon. Quincy Jones recorded it in 1969 but that waxing featured Merrilee Rush not Frank Sinatra.

If this was Sinatra actually doing a show he wouldn't have ended it abruptly with an instrumental version of What The World Needs Now Is Love. His attitude after a middle of the night show would have been - what the world needs now is another drink.

Andrew Samonsky is a talent who deserves a long, successful career, but needs better guidance. You'd never know it by looking at the front or back of the CD plastic cover that Andrew Samonsky is the person singing on this album. That lack of information is a shame.

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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

ANSEL ADAMS IN OUR TIME

Ansel Adams In Our time exhibition. Photo: MFA Boston

See how the landscape photography of this master artist converses with the work of his 19th-century predecessors and the artists of today to reflect themes of the American West.

Ansel Adams in Our Time” traces the iconic visual legacy of Ansel Adams (1902–1984), presenting some of his most celebrated prints, from a symphonic view of snow-dusted peaks in The Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (1942) to an aerial shot of a knotted roadway in Freeway Interchange, Los Angeles (1967). The exhibition looks both backward and forward in time: his black-and-white photographs are displayed alongside prints by several of the 19th-century government survey photographers who greatly influenced Adams, as well as work by contemporary artists whose modern-day concerns centered on the environment, land rights, and the use and misuse of natural resources point directly to Adams’ legacy.

While crafting his own modernist vision, Adams was inspired by precursors in government survey and expedition photography such as Carleton Watkins (1829–1916), Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904), Timothy O’Sullivan (1840-1882) and Frank Jay Haynes (1853–1921), who worked with large bulky cameras and glass-plate negatives and set off into the wilderness carrying their equipment on mules. In some cases, Adams replicated their exact views of the Yosemite Valley, Canyon de Chelly, and Yellowstone, producing images that would become emblematic of the country’s national parks. In Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park (about 1937), the granite crags of the Yosemite Valley are wreathed in clouds after a sudden storm. Executed with unrivaled sensitivity and rigorous exactitude, the artist’s photographs popularized the notion that the American West was a pristine, and largely uninhabited, wilderness.

“Ansel Adams in Our Time” also brings Adams forward in time, juxtaposing his work with that of contemporary artists such as Mark Klett (born 1962), Trevor Paglen (born 1974), Catherine Opie (born 1961), Abelardo Morell (born 1948), Victoria Sambunaris (born 1964), and Binh Danh (born 1977). The more than 20 present-day photographers in the exhibition have not only been drawn to some of the same locations, but also engaged with many of the themes central to Adams’ legacy: desert and wilderness spaces, Native Americans and the Southwest, and broader issues affecting the environment: logging, mining, drought and fire, booms and busts, development, and urban sprawl.

Opens December 13 at the Boston Museum of Fine Art.

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THE ROYALS MAKE STUNNING FASHION STATEMENTS

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Queen Elizabeth are simply stunning. Behind them are Princes Charles and William and an equally fashionable Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. Photo PA/Kensington Palace.

Queen Elizabeth has always been a fashion leader spending decades on best dressed lists.

An ageless wonder at 92, she tied with her daughter-in-law Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall in stealing the show at the annual white tie diplomatic reception held last week at Buckingham Palace.

The hemlines of the gowns worn by Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Queen Elizabeth. Photo PA/Kensington Palace.

Also, making a spectacular fashion statement was Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge who wore a stunning custom off-white gown embellished with silver crystals. There was a flattering cowl neck and capped sleeves by Jenny Packham.

She wore the Lover’s Knot tiara which was made in 1914 and given to her husband's late mother Princess Diana by the Queen as a wedding gift in 1981. The extremely thin mother of three finished the look with a pair of her favorite pearl drop earrings.

Fashionable Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. Photo PA/Kensington Palace.

Looking drop dead gorgeous - Queen Elizabeth dazzled in an Angela Kelly dress and wore the Queen Mary Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara – one of her favorites and one she wears often. The gown which featured a delicate gold embossed, tiered overlay skirt was both slimming and youthful. She also wore white gloves, gold shoes and carried a gold handbag.

An elegant Camilla opted for an oyster white Bruce Oldfield coat dress embellished with pearls and a Boucheron tiara, pearl choker and pearl earrings.

The royal female fashion leaders greeted some of the 1,000 guests, including ambassadors and high commissioners posted to the UK.

Not to be ignored, Princes Charles and William looked handsome and dapper in their white tie duds.

Following the gala Prince Charles left for America representing his mother at the funeral of President George H.W. Bush. He had to immediately return home in order to fulfill his commitment to visit The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, in Wales where he serves as Patron.

SPREADING THE WORD

KATE, THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE

The Nutcracker. Photo: Royal Opera House.

took her three-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte to watch a rehearsal of the Royal Ballet's production of The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House, in London, last week ahead of its opening night December 3, 2018.

With music by Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky and choreography by Peter Wright after Lev Ivanov. Barry Wordsworth conducts.

Performed by The Royal Ballet featured artists include: Gary Avis as Herr Drosselmeyer; Anna Rose O'Sullivan as Clara; Marcelino Sambé as Hans-Peter/The Nutcracker; Marianela Nuñez as The Sugar Plum Fairy; Vadim Muntagirov as The Prince; David Yudes as Drosselmeyer’s assistant. Susan Nye and Caroline Jennings are the Maiden aunts; Barbara Rhodes plays the Housekepper; Christopher Saunders is Dr. Stahlbaum; Elizabeth McGorian is Mrs. Stahlbaum; Amos Childs is Fritz Stahlbaum; Luca Acri is Clara's partner; Hannah Grennell portrays the Grandmother while Alastair Marriott is the Grandfather. Kristen McNally is the Dancing Mistress; Bennet Gartside is the Captain. Benjamin Ella is the Harlequin;Columbine is played by Elizabeth Harrod; Paul Kay is the Soldier; Meaghan Grace Hinkis is Vivandière. St Nicholas is played by Joonhyuk Jun. and the Mouse King is Nicol Edmonds.

Performances through January 15, 2019.

BBC ANNOUNCED MEGHAN THE MUSICAL! a 15-minute radio musical based on Meghan's life story titled The Sixth In Line To Be King And I will air on New Year's Day.

Called a "Rodgers and Hammerstein-inspired program" the musical will look at Meghan's life and her future. Meghan will soon give birth to her first child.

Cast as the Duchess of Sussex is British improv comedian Pippa Evans, with comedy writer and performer Richie Webb and actor Dave Lamb also in the cast.

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom based on the book by Mitch Albom.

Part of the Script in Hand Series, curated and directed by Anne Keefe, Westport Playhouse Associate Artist.

Tuesdays with Morrie is the autobiographical story of Mitch Albom, an accomplished journalist driven solely by his career, and Morrie Schwartz, his former college professor. Sixteen years after graduation, Mitch happens to catch Morrie's appearance on a television news program and learns that his old professor is battling Lou Gehrig's Disease. Mitch is reunited with Morrie, and what starts as a simple visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage and a last class in the meaning of life.

Charles Socarides as Mitch and Harris Yulin as Morrie.

December 17, 2018 at the Westport Playhouse in Westport, CT.

ALAN CUMMING: LEGAL IMMIGRANT delivers a collection of musings on his 10 years as a U.S. citizen, growing older, and what it feels like to be an immigrant in today’s America.

Monday, December 10, at the Virginia G. Piper Theater in Scottsdale, Arizona.

INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED MEZZO-SOPRANO SUZANNE GUZMAN AND ACTOR BRIAN WHITE have been set to co-host the 59th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration, the largest multicultural holiday celebration in the county.

The performance takes place on Monday, December 24, at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles.

Both admission and parking are free (first come, first seated).

PRINCE EDWARD The Earl of Wessex who is Patron, The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, attended a performance of Macbeth at The Garrick Theatre, in London last Thursday.

The production is a brand new gender fluid adaptation of Shakespeare’s sinister tale of greed, betrayal and revenge by NYT Alumna Moira Buffini.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9 is National Pastry Day and Weary Willie Day December 10 is Dewey Decimal System Day. December 11 is National Noodle Ring Day. December 12 is National Ambrosia Day, National Ding-a-Ling Day, Gingerbread House Day and Poinsettia Day December 13 is National Cocoa Day, National Violin Day, and Pick A Pathologist Pal Day. December 14 is National Alabama Day and National Bouillabaisse Day. December 15 National Wear Your Pearls Day, National Cupcake/ Lemon Cupcake Day, and Cat Herders Day.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

LES MOONVES the disgraced and ousted former CBS CEO "destroyed evidence" and "misled investigators" in a sexual misconduct probe The New York Times reported last week, citing a 59-page preliminary report drafted for the CBS board and leaked to the paper.

The preliminary report, according to the newspaper, said Moonves "engaged in multiple acts of serious nonconsensual sexual misconduct in and outside of the workplace, both before and after he came to CBS in 1995.”

The document drafted by lawyers hired by CBS reportedly states the network has justification to deny Moonves his $120 million severance package.

According to the The New York Times lawyers described Moonves as "evasive and untruthful at times," claiming that he "deliberately lied about and minimized the extent of his sexual misconduct" during the four times they spoke with him - including, for example, Moonves "handed over his son's iPad instead of his own," in an apparent bid to conceal damaging text messages, The New York Times reported.

Investigators said they spoke to 11 of 17 women that had accused Moonves of misconduct and their allegations were deemed credible.

Reportedly, Moonves has threatened to sue CBS for leaking the document.

E-Book

Soft back Book

E-Book

Soft back Book

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.






NASSIM by celebrated Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour.

Directed by Omar Elerian.

Exploration into imaginative storytelling that also challenges traditional theatrical forms. No rehearsals. A different guest actor at every performance. A sealed envelope. And some surprises. In his latest work, Nassim explores the power of language to unite us in these uncertain times.

NASSIM marks the triumphant return of the iconic off-Broadway company Barrow Street Theatricals, formerly Barrow Street Theatre, which temporarily moves uptown to New York City Center, Stage II just for this production.

Performances for Barrow Street Theatrical’s NASSIM begin at New York City Center, Stage II officially opening Wednesday, December 12, 2018.

ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914 a musical written and directed by Peter Rothstein.

Out of the violence a silence, then a song. A German soldier steps into No Man's Land singing "Stille Nacht." Thus begins an extraordinary night of camaraderie, music, peace. A remarkable true story, told in the words and songs of the men who lived it, All Is Calm is brought to life by a cast of 10 actor/singers and blends iconic WWI patriotic tunes, trench songs, medieval ballads and Christmas carols from England, Wales, France, Belgium and Germany with texts written by more than 30 World War I figures.

Featuring Sasha Andreev, David Darrow, Benjamin Dutcher, Ben Johnson, Mike McGowan, Tom McNichols, Riley McNutt, Rodolfo Nieto, James Ramlet, and Evan Tyler Wilson.

Vocal arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach and music direction by Lichte.

The costume design is by Trevor Bowen; lighting design by Marcus Dilliard; and sound design by Nicholas Tranby.

For two years, Peter Rothstein, creator of All Is Calm, developed the musicals researching and absorbing soldiers letters, historical war documents, autobiographies, WWI poetry, gravestone inscriptions, and radio broadcasts of the period. "I wanted to tell the story in their own words," says," said Rothstein. "For decades, the truce was considered a romantic fable, fiction, and I wanted to give legitimate voice to this remarkable moment that had somehow been denied its rightful place in history. I cannot express how gratifying it has been to share the story of these heroic men, in their own words, across the country and around the globe."

Since All Is Calm had its world premiere in a live broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio in 2007, the show has enjoyed global success with broadcasts on five continents through American Public Media and the European Broadcasting Union. All Is Calm has toured the United States for ten seasons, reaching more than 50 cities playing prestigious venues such as The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Cal Performances (Berkeley, CA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York).

Performances through December 30,2018 at the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture in New York City.

FABULATION: OR THE RE-EDUCATION OF UNDINE by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and Residency 1 playwright Lynn Nottage.

Directed by Obie Award-winner Lileana Blain-Cruz.

This satirical tale follows successful African-American publicist Undine, as she stumbles down the social ladder after her husband steals her hard-earned fortune. Broke and now pregnant, Undine is forced to return to her childhood home in the Brooklyn projects, where she must face the challenges of the life she left behind. Fabulation reveals how difficult it is to outrun where we come from.

The cast includes MaYaa Boateng, Cherise Boothe, Marcus Callender, J. Bernard Calloway, Dashiell Eaves, Ian Lassiter, Nikiya Mathis, and Heather Alicia Simms.

The creative team includes Adam Rigg (Scenic Designer), Montana Levi Blanco (Costume Designer), Yi Zhao (Lighting Designer), and Palmer Hefferan (Sound Designer). The Production Stage Manager is Terri K. Kohler and Casting is by Caparelliotis Casting.

The production runs through January 6, 2019 with a December 10 opening night in The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York City.

WHO'S WHERE

NSO POPS: A HOLIDAY {OPS! UNDER THE MISTLETOE WITH ASHLEY BROWN warm your spirit with fresh takes on comforting classics in this singalong tradition with the NSO and The Washington Chorus, a perfect holiday treat for the entire family! Join us in the festively decorated Concert Hall for this year’s program that welcomes musical theater darling Ashley Brown - originator of the title role in Mary Poppins on Broadway - in her NSO debut. A two nighter December 14-15, 2018 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

ELTON JOHN: FAREWELL YELLOW BRICK ROAD is on stage Wednesday, December 12, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Friday's stop opens a two night gig at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

SHAWN MENDES performs Monday December 10, 2018 at the Capital One Arena (formerly Verizon Center), Washington, DC. Wednesday's stops is at the Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL. On Friday the tour stops at the State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA. Saturday's gig is at the Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL. Next Sunday, December 16, the performance is at the BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL.

TONYA PINKINS AND BRAD SIMMONS their First Concert in Five Years a show they premiered at The Eugene O'Neill Cabaret Concert in August takes place . December 16 at Greenroom42 in New York City.

II DIVO on stage Tuesday December 11, 2018 at the Bellco Theatre, Denver, CO. Friday's stop is at the City National Civic, San Jose, CA. On Saturday their tour stops at the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood. Next Sunday, December 16, they can be enjoyed at the Comerica Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona.

BBC NATIONAL ORCHESTRA OF WALES will hold five concerts in four Chinese cities from December 15 to 21. The China tour is supported by the British Council in China, Wales Arts International and the Arts Council of Wales. says China is becoming a growing market for symphony music. Principal Guest Conductor Zhang Xian and Director Michael Garvey will perform December 15-16 at the National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing. On December 18 they perform at Changsha Concert Hall, Changsha - December 19 at the Qintai Concert Hall, Wuhan. The December 21th performance is at the Shenzhen Concert Hall, Shenzhen (Joint performance with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra).



SUSAN STROMAN DIRECTING AWARD will be presented to Whitney White it was announced by the Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern.

The presentation will take place on Sunday, December 16 at The Vineyard in New York City.

The Vineyard established the Susan Stroman Directing Award and residency in 2013, giving it biennially to a talented early or mid-career director to develop new work while in residence. Named after Tony Award-winning director Susan Stroman, the award provides recipients with space, time, and support to develop projects and strike new collaborations, while creating opportunities for them to become part of the life of the company in an ongoing way. Previous recipients include Liesl Tommy (Eclipsed, The Vineyard’s Kid Victory) and Lee Sunday Evans (Dance Nation; Intractable Woman.

Whitney White is a director and musician based in Brooklyn, New York. This past July, White directed a Developmental Lab Production of This Land Was Madeby Tori Sampson at The Vineyard, and she is currently represented Off-Broadway with What to Send Up When It Goes Down by Aleshea Harris.

THE GRAMMY AWARDS AWARDED KENDRICK LEMARN AND DRAKE the most nominations for the 2019 Grammy Awards, with 8 and 7 nods, respectively. The two will go head-to-head for album of the year, record of the year and song of the year. Sony Music Masterworks receives 7 nominations for the 2019 Grammy Awards in multiple genres including Classical, Musical Theater, Compilation Soundtrack, Vocal Jazz and more.

The nominations were announced Friday morning. The 61st Grammy Awards will take place February 10 in Los Angeles. A few of the categories of particular interest to Broadway To Vegas readers:

BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM
THE BAND'S VISIT Etai Benson, Adam Kantor, Katrina Lenk & Ari'el Stachel, principal soloists; Dean Sharenow & David Yazbek, producers; David Yazbek, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
CAROUSEL Renee Fleming, Alexander Gemignani, Joshua Henry, Lindsay Mendez & Jessie Mueller, principal soloists; Steven Epstein, producer (Richard Rodgers, composer; Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist) (2018 Broadway Cast)
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR LIVE IN CONCERT Sara Bareilles, Alice Cooper, Ben Daniels, Brandon Victor Dixon, Erik Grönwall, Jin Ha, John Legend, Norm Lewis & Jason Tam, principal soloists; Harvey Mason, Jr., producer (Andrew Lloyd-Webber, composer; Tim Rice, lyricist) (Original Television Cast)
MY FAIR LADY Lauren Ambrose, Norbert Leo Butz & Harry Hadden-Paton, principal soloists; Andre Bishop, Van Dean, Hattie K. Jutagir, David Lai, Adam Siegel & Ted Sperling, producers (Frederick Loewe, composer; Alan Jay Lerner, lyricist) (2018 Broadway Cast)
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND Phillip Boykin, Merle Dandridge, Quentin Earl Darrington, Hailey Kilgore, Kenita R. Miller, Alex Newell, Isaac Powell & Lea Salonga, principal soloists; Lynn Ahrens, Hunter Arnold, Ken Davenport, Stephen Flaherty & Elliot Scheiner, producers (Stephen Flaherty, composer; Lynn Ahrens, lyricist) (New Broadway Cast).

BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
ALL THE STARS - Kendrick Duckworth, Solána Rowe, Alexander William Shuckburgh, Mark Anthony Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar & SZA), Track from: Black Panther
MYSTERY OF LOVE - Sufjan Stevens, songwriter (Sufjan Stevens), Track from: Call Me By Your Name.
REMEMBER ME - Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Miguel Featuring Natalia Lafourcade), Track from: Coco.
SHALLOW - Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper), Track from: A Star Is Born.
THIS IS ME - Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, songwriters (Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble), Track from: The Greatest Showman.

RECORD OF THE YEAR
I LIKE IT Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin - Invincible, JWhiteDidIt, Craig Kallman & Tainy, producers; Leslie Brathwaite & Evan LaRay, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
THE JOKE Brandi Carlile - Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Tom Elmhirst & Eddie Spear, engineers/mixers; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer.
THIS IS AMERICA Childish Gambino - Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, producers; Derek "MixedByAli" Ali & Riley Mackin, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer.
GOD'S PLAN Drake - Boi-1Da, Cardo & Young Exclusive, producers; Noel Cadastre, Noel "Gadget" Campbell & Noah Shebib, engineers/mixers; Chris Athens, mastering engineer.
SHALLOW Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper - Lady Gaga & Benjamin Rice, producers; Tom Elmhirst, engineer/mixer; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer.
ALL THE STARS Kendrick Lamar & SZA - Al Shux & Sounwave, producers; Sam Ricci & Matt Schaeffer, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer.
ROCKSTAR Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage - Louis Bell & Tank God, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer.
THE MIDDLE Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey. - Grey, Monsters & Strangerz & Zedd, producers; Grey, Tom Morris, Ryan Shanahan & Zedd, engineers/mixers; Mike Marsh, mastering engineer.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
INVASION OF PRIVACY Cardi B - Leslie Brathwaite & Evan LaRay, engineers/mixers; Belcalis Almanzar & Jorden Thorpe, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer.
BY THE WAY, I FORGIVE YOU Brandi Carlile - Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Dave Cobb & Eddie Spear, engineers/mixers; Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer.
SCORPION Drake - Noel Cadastre, Noel "Gadget" Campbell & Noah Shebib, engineers/mixers; Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters; Chris Athens, mastering engineer.
H.E.R. H.E.R. - Darhyl "Hey DJ" Camper Jr, H.E.R. & Jeff Robinson, producers; Miki Tsutsumi, engineer/mixer; Darhyl Camper Jr & H.E.R., songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer.
BEERBONGS & BENTLEYS Post Malone - Louis Bell & Post Malone, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Louis Bell & Austin Post, songwriters; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer.
DIRTY COMPUTER Janelle Monáe - Chuck Lightning & Janelle Monáe Robinson & Nate "Rocket" Wonder, producers; Mick Guzauski, Janelle Monáe Robinson & Nate "Rocket" Wonder, engineers/mixers; Nathaniel Irvin III, Charles Joseph II, Taylor Parks & Janelle Monáe Robinson, songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer.
GOLDEN HOUR Kacey Musgraves - Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, producers; Craig Alvin & Shawn Everett, engineers/mixers; Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, songwriters; Greg Calbi & Steve Fallone, mastering engineers.
BLACK PANTHER: THE ALBUM, MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY (Various Artists) Kendrick Lamar, featured artist; Kendrick Duckworth & Sounwave, producers; Matt Schaeffer, engineer/mixer; Kendrick Duckworth & Mark Spears, songwriters; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer.

SONG OF THE YEAR
ALL THE STARS Kendrick Duckworth, Solána Rowe, Al Shuckburgh, Mark Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar & SZA)
BOO'D UP Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters (Ella Mai)
GOD'S PLAN Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Drake)
IN MY BLOOD Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes & Geoffrey Warburton, songwriters (Shawn Mendes).
THE JOKE Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile).
THE MIDDLE Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Marcus Lomax, Kyle Trewartha, Michael Trewartha & Anton Zaslavski, songwriters (Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey).
SHALLOW Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper).
THIS IS AMERICA Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino).

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
COLORS Beck
HAVANA (LIVE) Camila Cabello
GOD IS A WOMAN Ariana Grande
JOANNE (WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOIN'?) Lady Gaga
BETTER NOW Post Malone

BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
FALL IN LINE Christina Aguilera Featuring Demi Lovato
DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART Backstreet Boys
'S WONDERFUL Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
SHALLOW Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
GIRLS LIKE YOU Maroon 5 Featuring Cardi B
SAY SOMETHING Justin Timberlake Featuring Chris Stapleton.
THE MIDDLE Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey.

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
LOVE IS HERE TO STAY Tony Bennett & Diana Krall.
MY WAY Willie Nelson.
NAT "KING" COLE & ME Gregory Porter.
STANDARDS (DELUXE) Seal
THE MUSIC...THE MEM'RIES...THE MAGIC! Barbra Streisand.

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
CAMILA Camila Cabello
MEANING OF LIFE Kelly Clarkson
SWEETENER Ariana Grande
SHAWN MENDES Shawn Mendes
BEAUTIFUL TRAUMA P!nk
REPUTATION Taylor Swift

BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM
MY MOOD IS YOU Freddy Cole
THE QUESTIONS Kurt Elling
THE SUBJECT TONIGHT IS LOVE Kate McGarry With Keith Ganz & Gary Versace
IF YOU REALLY WANT Raul Midón With The Metropole Orkest Conducted By Vince Mendoza
THE WINDOW Cécile McLorin Salvant.

AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC
KICK ROCKS Sean Ardoin.
SAINT JAMES INFIRMARY BLUES Jon Batiste.
THE JOKE Brandi Carlile.
ALL ON MY MIND Anderson East.
LAST MAN STANDING Willie Nelson

BEST AMERICAN ALBUM
BY THE WAY, I FORGIVE YOU Brandi Carlile
THINGS HAVE CHANGED Bettye LaVette.
THE TREE OF FORGIVENESS John Prine.
THE LONELY, THE LONESOME & THE GONE Lee Ann Womack.
ONE DROP OF TRUTH The Wood Brothers.

BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM
SOMETHING SMELLS FUNKY 'ROUND HERE Elvin Bishop's Big Fun Trio.
BENTON COUNTY RELIC Cedric Burnside.
THE BLUES IS ALIVE AND WELL Buddy Guy.
NO MERCY IN THIS LAND Ben Harper And Charlie Musselwhite.
DON'T YOU FEEL MY LEG (THE NAUGHTY BAWDY BLUES OF BLUE LU BARKER) Maria Muldaur.

BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling)
ACCESSORY TO WAR (NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON & AVIS LANG) Courtney B. Vance.
CALYPSO David Sedaris.
CREATIVE QUEST Questlove.
FAITH - A JOURNEY FOR ALL Jimmy Carter.
THE LAST BLACK UNICORN Tiffany Haddish

BEST COMEDY ALBUM
ANNIHILATION Patton Oswalt
EQUANIMITY & THE BIRD REVELATION Dave Chappelle
NOBLE APE Jim Gaffigan
STANDUP FOR DRUMMERS Fred Armisen
TAMBORINE Chris Rock

BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
ALL THE STARS Kendrick Duckworth, Solána Rowe, Alexander William Shuckburgh, Mark Anthony Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar & SZA) Track from: Black Panther
MYSTERY OF LOVE Sufjan Stevens, songwriter (Sufjan Stevens) Track from: Call Me By Your Name.
REMEMBER ME Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Miguel Featuring Natalia Lafourcade) Track from: Coco.
SHALLOW Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper) Track from: A Star Is Born.
THIS IS ME Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, songwriters (Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble) Track from: The Greatest Showman.

BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS
IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR Matt Rollings & Kristin Wilkinson, arrangers (Willie Nelson)
JOLENE Dan Pugach & Nicole Zuraitis, arrangers (Dan Pugach)
MONA LISA Vince Mendoza, arranger (Gregory Porter)
NIÑA Gonzalo Grau, arranger (Magos Herrera & Brooklyn Rider)
SPIDERMAN THEME Randy Waldman, arranger (Randy Waldman Featuring Take 6 & Chris Potter)

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL
ALL THE THINGS THAT I DID AND ALL THE THINGS THAT I DIDN'T DO Ryan Freeland & Kenneth Pattengale, engineers; Kim Rosen, mastering engineer (The Milk Carton Kids).
COLORS Julian Burg, Serban Ghenea, David "Elevator" Greenbaum, John Hanes, Beck Hansen, Greg Kurstin, Florian Lagatta, Cole M.G.N., Alex Pasco, Jesse Shatkin, Darrell Thorp & Cassidy Turbin, engineers; Chris Bellman, Tom Coyne, Emily Lazar & Randy Merrill, mastering engineers (Beck).
EARTHTONES Robbie Lackritz, engineer; Philip Shaw Bova, mastering engineer (Bahamas)
HEAD OVER HEELS Nathaniel Alford, Jason Evigan, Chris Galland, Tom Gardner, Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel, Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Tony Hoffer, Derek Keota, Ian Kirkpatrick, David Macklovitch, Amber Mark, Manny Marroquin, Vaughn Oliver, Chris "TEK" O'Ryan, Morgan Taylor Reid & Gian Stone, engineers; Chris Gehringer & Michelle Mancini, mastering engineers (Chromeo)
VOICENOTES Manny Marroquin & Charlie Puth, engineers; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer (Charlie Puth).

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL
BOI-1DA
LARRY KLEIN
LINDA PERRY
KANYE WEST
PHARRELL WILLIAMS

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM - CLASSICAL
BATES: THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS Mark Donahue & Dirk Sobotka, engineers; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Michael Christie, Garrett Sorenson, Wei Wu, Sasha Cooke, Edwards Parks, Jessica E. Jones & Santa Fe Opera Orchestra).
BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 3; STRAUSS: HORN CONCERTO NO. 1 Mark Donahue, engineer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra).
JOHN WILLIAMS AT THE MOVIES Keith O. Johnson & Sean Royce Martin, engineers; Keith O. Johnson, mastering engineer (Jerry Junkin & Dallas Winds).
LIQUID MELANCHOLY - CLARINET MUSIC OF JAMES M. STEPHENSON Bill Maylone & Mary Mazurek, engineers; Bill Maylone, mastering engineer (John Bruce Yeh).
SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONIES NOS. 4 & 11 Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer (Andris Nelsons & Boston Symphony Orchestra) VISIONS AND VARIATIONS Tom Caulfield, engineer; Jesse Lewis, mastering engineer (A Far Cry)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL
BLANTON ALSPAUGH
DAVID FROST
ELIZABETH OSTROW
JUDITH SHERMAN
DIRK SOBOTKA

BEST OPERA RECORDING
ADAMS: DOCTOR ATOMIC John Adams, conductor; Aubrey Allicock, Julia Bullock, Gerald Finley & Brindley Sherratt; Friedemann Engelbrecht, producer (BBC Symphony Orchestra; BBC Singers)
BATES: THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS Michael Christie, conductor; Sasha Cooke, Jessica E. Jones, Edwards Parks, Garrett Sorenson & Wei Wu; Elizabeth Ostrow, producer (The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra)
LULLY: ALCESTE Christophe Rousset, conductor; Edwin Crossley-Mercer, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro & Judith Van Wanroij; Maximilien Ciup, producer (Les Talens Lyriques; Choeur De Chambre De Namur)
STRAUSS, R.: DER ROSENKAVALIER Sebastian Weigle, conductor; Renée Fleming, El?na Garan?a, Günther Groissböck & Erin Morley; David Frost, producer (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
VERDI: RIGOLETTO Constantine Orbelian, conductor; Francesco Demuro, Dmitri Hvorostovsky & Nadine Sierra; Vilius Keras & Aleksandra Keriene, producers (Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra; Men Of The Kaunas State Choir)

BEST CLASSICAL COMDENDIUM
FUCHS: PIANO CONCERTO 'SPIRITUALIST'; POEMS OF LIFE; GLACIER; RUSH JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Tim Handley, producer.
GOLD The King's Singers; Nigel Short, producer.
THE JOHN ADAMS EDITION Simon Rattle, conductor; Christoph Franke, producer.
JOHN WILLIAMS AT THE MOVIES Jerry Junkin, conductor; Donald J. McKinney, producer.
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: PIANO CONCERTO; OBOE CONCERTO; SERENADE TO MUSIC; FLOS CAMPI Peter Oundjian, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer.

BEST CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL COMPOSITION
BATES: THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS Mason Bates, composer; Mark Campbell, librettist (Michael Christie, Garrett Sorenson, Wei Wu, Sasha Cooke, Edwards Parks, Jessica E. Jones & Santa Fe Opera Orchestra).
DU YUN: AIR GLOW Du Yun, composer (International Contemporary Ensemble).
HEGGIE: GREAT SCOTT Jake Heggie, composer; Terrence McNally, librettist (Patrick Summers, Manuel Palazzo, Mark Hancock, Michael Mayes, Rodell Rosel, Kevin Burdette, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Nathan Gunn, Frederica von Stade, Ailyn Pérez, Joyce DiDonato, Dallas Opera Chorus & Orchestra).
KERNIS: VIOLIN CONCERTO Aaron Jay Kernis, composer (James Ehnes, Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony).
MAZZOLI: VESPERS FOR VIOLIN Missy Mazzoli, composer (Olivia De Prato).

BEST MUSIC FILM
LIFE IN 12 BARS Eric Clapton. Lili Fini Zanuck, video director; John Battsek, Scooter Weintraub, Larry Yelen & Lili Fini Zanuck, video producers
WHITNEY (Whitney Houston). Kevin Macdonald, video director; Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn & Lisa Erspamer, video producers
QUINCY Quincy Jones. Alan Hicks & Rashida Jones, video directors; Paula DuPré Pesmen, video producer.
ITZHAK Itzhak Perlman. Alison Chernick, video director; Alison Chernick, video producer.
THE KING (Elvis Presley). Eugene Jarecki, video director; Christopher Frierson, Georgina Hill, David Kuhn & Christopher St. John, video producers.

FINAL OVATION

PRESIDENT GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH received an uplifting, moving and poignant sendoff last Wednesday. At the Washington funeral famed Irish tenor Ronan Tynan sang Last Full Measure of Devotion after former GOP Sen. Alan Simpson's eulogy and also performed The Lord's Prayer.

The Oak Ridge Boys began singing at Bush events three decades ago when he was vice-president under Reagan. They kept a promise they made to Bush last summer when they visited him in Houston - that they would sing at his funeral. Despite the fact that the group is on tour and had performed concerts in Washington state on Wednesday and had another performance on Thursday night, they leased a private plane to get them to Texas on time, flying all night to arrive at 4:30 a.m. Thursday. At the family funeral in Houston they quipped that Bush always thought he could sing as a baritone - but couldn't - and then performed Amazing Grace.

Likewise, country music icon Reba McEntire was in Las Vegas starring at Caesars Palace. She finished the performance then flew to Texas to sing The Lord's Prayer at the family service, bringing Bush's son the former President George W. Bush to tears.

KEN BERRY American actor, dancer and singer died December 1, 2018. He was 85.

He starred on the television series F Troop; The Andy Griffith Show; Mayberry R.F.D and Mama's Family. His career first launched in Las Vegas.

In 1956, Berry ventured to Las Vegas where he opened for and joined Abbott & Costello in their stage act, performing sketches and song and dance routines at the Sahara Hotel and Casino. While working with Abbott & Costello, he met Dee Arlen, an actress whom he credited with getting him his first big break.

Then, in 1957, Berry was asked by Ken Murray, a well-known vaudeville performer, to join his stage variety show The Ken Murray Blackouts. The Blackouts played to standing-room-only audiences, and Berry was asked to choreograph and perform the opening number for the show when it played the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Berry eventually returned to Las Vegas again in the 1970s at the invitation of Andy Griffith. Griffith, with Berry and Jerry Van Dyke, played Caesars Palace, where Berry performed song and dance numbers sandwiched by Andy and Jerry's stand-up routines.

On Broadway and in Los Angeles his numerous stage appearances included The Billy Barnes Revue, headlined as George M. Cohan in the musical George M!: From the Top with Carol Burnett, I Do! I Do! and Sugar.

Berry married Jackie Joseph, a Billy Barnes castmate, on May 29, 1960. They adopted two children together: son John Kenneth in 1964 and daughter Jennifer Kate in 1965. They divorced in 1976. His son John, who later became the co-founder of the Indie rock band Idaho, died in 2016 of brain cancer at the age of 51. Ken Berry's death was announced by his ex-wife.

PHILIP BOSCO was an American actor notable for his Tony Award-winning performance as Saunders in the 1989 production of Lend Me a Tenor, and for his starring role in the 2007 film The Savages died Monday, December 3, 2018 at his Hawthorn, New Jersey home from complications with dementia.. He was 88.

Nominated six times for a Tony, his other notable onstage performances included roles in The Crucible in 1972, A Streetcar Named Desire in 1973 Following his Tony-winning performance in the farce Lend Me a Tenor in 1990, Bosco appeared on Broadway in An Inspector Calls (1994), The Heiress (1995), Twelfth Night (1998), Copenhagen (2000), and Twelve Angry Men in 2004.

He played "Grandpa Potts" in the 2005 Broadway production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and capped his Shavian work as the aged Captain Shotover in a Broadway revival of Heartbreak House in 2006. He retired from the stage in 2009, after appearing in the City Center Encores production of Finian's Rainbow, although he loaned his voice to Douglas Carter Beane's 2010 play Mr. and Mrs. Fitch.

He was elected into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1988.

He also had an extensive television career winning a Daytime Emmy Award in 1988 for his appearance in the ABC Afterschool Special Read Between The Lines.

He is survived by his wife Nancy Ann Dunkle, whom he married on January 2, 1957. They had seven children, Jenny, Diane, Philip, Chris, John, Lisa, Celia and 15 grandchildren.

Next Column: December 16, 2018
Copyright: December 9, 2018 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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