Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: February 21, 2021
By: Laura Deni
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COMIC BOOK GENIUS JACK KIRBY BECOMES A FASCINATING AUDIO BROADCAST KING KIRBY

Jack Kirby in the 1980s. Photo by Marc Hempel

In the Great Depression, Jack Kirby draws himself out of the tenement slums of Manhattan and into the world of comics. Kirby created, or co-created, such enduring characters as Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men, the Hulk, the New Gods, and hundreds of others stretching back to the earliest days of the medium.

King Kirby written by husband and wife team, Fred Van Lente and Crystal Skillman is a four-episode mini-series audio drama based on their play of the same name, telling the story of Jack Kirby. Featuring original music composed by award-winning Bobby Cronin, the podcast is presented on the Broadway Podcast Network. King Kirby stars Steven Rattazzi as Jack Kirby, Amy Lee Pearsall as his wife Roz, Joseph Mathers as his business partner Joe Simon, Timothy McCown Reynolds as Martin Goodman, and Nat Cassidy as Stan Lee.

The first of the four episodes is titled The Spark.

A Southey's auction of Kirby's work - comic books and related items - is taking place. The auctioneer admits that she isn't a comic book fan and won't even allow them in her home, as a deceased Kirby listens in and comments; "Nothing is worse than hearing what you're worth after your gone."

Kirby, who died in 1994 at the age of 76 from heart failure, recalls growing up and how he started in the business.

King Kirby is an engrossing and fascinating audio presentation.

At a youth Kirby would not only pick fights in his neighborhood but travel to different New York burrows to see the fighting styles of different ethnic groups.

Kirby's head is full of ideas which perplexes his father, who worked 12 hours a day 7 days a week in a rag sweat shop.

Unions began organizing and the tough, violent Longshoreman's union was behind the unions wanting to organize creatives. A strike left openings making it possible for Kirby to be hired. His first job was to draw Popeye opening a spinach can. To do that he'd need to draw the same picture at 10, 11, 12 degrees and so forth.

Kirby's salary was slowly improving and his goal was to increase his output so he could increase his income. What he needed was a spark - a spark of ingenuity.

Kids bought comics books and executives who didn't care for the comics themselves were determined to "get the money from the kids." How to get the attention of those youngsters with dimes amounted to putting red and yellow on the first page. That improved the industry but didn't personally benefit Kirby.

Kirby was determined to find the spark that would ignite his success. He looked for heroes, such as Superman, but they all had been taken.

Europe was in World War II and radio news broadcasts announced that Paris had fallen. Hitler was gaining strength.

Suddenly, Kirby found his spark. Look not to heroes, but to villains.

This first broadcast is certain to inspire the listener to tune in to the remaining three segments. A fascinating story, well told by accomplished actors. Even if you don't like comic books, the story of Jack Kirby will hold your attention and entertain.

Be aware that the production begins with a commercial about an on line psychological help service. Ten minutes into the program there is suddenly a commercial for a well known insurance company. At the end the performance the credits' recitation is marred by either two people reciting the same script on top of each other - or a terrible feedback. In the middle of a word the recording cuts off.

Strong language, not appropriate for children.

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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

HOCKNEY-VAN GOGH THE JOY OF NATURE This exhibition which opened February 21, 2021 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas pairs the work of two visionary artists, separated in time and space but united by a shared fascination with nature: David Hockney and Vincent van Gogh.

This exhibit examines the common ground between British artist Hockney (born in 1937) and dutch artist Van Gogh (1853-1890). Both professed their profound love of nature through brilliant color and the capacity to see the world through fresh eyes. TheJoy of Nature reveals Van Gogh's unmistakable influence on Hockney in a selection of carefully selected landscapes paintings and drawings.

Through a bold use of color and experimentation with perspective, each artist crafts a painterly world that is utterly individual and true to themselves, yet offers immense universal appeal. The Joy of Nature brings together 50 of Hokney's vibrant works - ranging from an intimate sketchbook studies to monumental paintings, as well - as his experimental videos and iPad drawings - with 10 carefully chosen painting and drawing by Van Gogh.

Hockey-Van Gogh- The Joy of Nature premiered at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Houston presentation marks the first time the two renowned artists have been paired in an American museum exhibition.

On display through June 20, 2021.

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SWEET CHARITY

MUSICARES PRESENTS MUSIC ON A MISSION a virtual fundraiser to honor the resilience of the music community which has been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will take place on Friday, March 12, 2021, two nights before the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards telecast and will feature new performances from HAIM, H.E.R., Jhené Aiko, and John Legend as well as legendary performances from the MusiCares' vaults featuring Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty, and Usher.

The event will also have special appearances by Carole King, Jesse & Joy, Jonas Brothers, Ledisi, Lionel Richie, Macklemore, Mick Fleetwood, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Shakira and a special pre-show DJ set performed by DJ D-Nice. Tickets are available to the public for $25 and are on sale now on MusiCares.org. All proceeds will be distributed to music people in need.

Since the start of the pandemic, MusiCares has distributed more than $22 million to help more than 25,000 music people across the industry, including songwriters, musicians, engineers, producers, bus drivers, crew, guitar techs, label employees, makeup artists and more. In addition to COVID-19 relief, MusiCares provides a support system of health and human services across a spectrum of needs including physical and mental health, addiction recovery, preventative clinics, unforeseen personal emergencies and disaster relief. According to recent survey data collected by MusiCares, 62 percent of music people surveyed feel moderately high to very high levels of financial stress daily and 26 percent of respondents report moderate to severe levels of depression.

Music on a Mission will take the place of the 2021 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute ceremony.

SPREADING THE WORD

THE ROYAL NATIONAL THEATRE in London will no longer have Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex as their Patron. In a Friday, February 19, 2021 announcement the Palace stated that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will not be returning as working members of the British royal family.

Buckingham palace stated that among other things the their patronages will revert back to the Queen Elizabeth II. Those include: the Royal Marines, RAF Honington, Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving, The Queen's Commonwealth Trust, The Rugby Football Union, The Rugby Football League, The Royal National Theatre and The Association of Commonwealth Universities.

The returned royal patronages will be redistributed among working members of the royal family.

Parents of Archie who turns two in May, Meghan and Harry recently announced their are expecting their second child.

THE BEAUTY OF WHAT REMAINS: RABBI STEVE LEDER IN CONVERSATION WITH AMANDA KLOOTS presented by 92Y in New York City takes place Tuesday, February 23, 7:30 pm, EST.

Join acclaimed author and senior rabbi of LA’s Wilshire Boulevard Temple Steve Leder for a conversation with The Talk’s Amanda Kloots about his bestselling new book, The Beauty of What Remains - an inspiring meditation on mortality, love, and resilience, based on one of his most popular sermons. Having presided over a thousand funerals at one of the world’s largest synagogues, Rabbi Leder’s heartfelt wit and deep well of knowledge offers profound perspective, levity, and hope during a time of extraordinary loss. Kloots has become a voice of courage and inspiration in the last year after speaking out on social media when her husband, the Tony-winning actor Nick Cordero, passed away from complications of Covid-19. Hear them discuss how the pandemic has allowed them to see beauty in the world amid loss, the complexity of grief, what Jewish wisdom can teach us all about mortality, and much more.

HARMONY DELUXE: JOSH GROBAN IN CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL PAULSON presented by 92Y in New York City, takes place Thursday, February 25, 7 pm, EST.

Multiplatinum global superstar Josh Groban joins a conversation upon the release of the new deluxe edition of his lockdown-recorded 2020 album Harmony. Groban talks with The New York Times’ Michael Paulson about his experience recording the album during the pandemic, finding new resonance in songs he had known and loved for years – from the Sinatra standard “The World We Knew” to Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” – and the originals he wrote “for therapy” and recorded in his bedroom. The deluxe edition of Harmony expands on the original with six newly recorded tracks. Groban talks about the themes of hope and human connection that run through the album, his virtual concert “tour" and what it’s been like to perform his live streams without a live audience, and more. He and Paulson also talk about Groban’s work in film and television, the Broadway debut that earned him a Tony nomination, and how he sees music and the arts in a post-pandemic world.

GET HAPPY: A CABARET SALUTING JUDY GARLAND created by and starring Jenna Pastuszek, filmed in a studio with musicians . he classics ad forgotten gems will make you tap your toes. Presented by East Lynne Theatre Company in Cape May, New Jersey. February 25-28, 2021.

BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE in New Hope, PA brings its popular story-telling series, “Word of Mouth,” to Stellar starting with a live streamed broadcast on February 28 at 7pm EST.

Hosted by renowned storyteller, Michaela Murphy, Bucks County Playhouse’s Director of Education and NPR’s Ophira Eisenberg, "Word of Mouth" features entertaining, true-life stories presented by a diverse rotating cast.

Entitled, “Word of Mouth: Fast Forward,” the first program features three storytellers:

Jackie Hoffman best known for her work on Broadway as well as for her Emmy-nominated role of “Mamacita” from FX’s Feud: Betty and Joan.
Eric Rutherford a model, content creator and outspoken advocate for living your best life at any age.
Eric Woodall, who was a resident director for the Broadway, Touring and Las Vegas productions of Mamma Mia!.

FIVE POINTS JAZZ FEST IN DENVER slated for May 2021, has been cancelled due to safety concerns about the free, outdoor, multi-stage event.

“The most recent in-person Five Points Jazz Festival hosted more than 100,000, and we already know that type of in-person event can’t take place,” said Tariana Navas-Nieves, director of cultural affairs at Denver Arts & Venues (the festival’s producer), said in a press statement.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

THE INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF THEATRICAL STAGE EMPLOYEES (IATSE) which represents roughly 800 artistic and technical workers at the New York Metropolitan Opera, this week has publicly warned that “unless the Met’s management returns to the bargaining table and treats workers fairly, there will be no opera in 2021.”

In December, Peter Gelb, The Met’s general manager, announced that he was “locking out” stage technicians and shop crew members such as carpenters and electricians who build sets at The Met and who are represented by IATSE Local 1, cutting off their wages and stopping the production of sets at Met facilities for the 2021 opera season.

The Met’s new season is scheduled to begin in September. Gelb has demanded that IATSE members take a 30 percent take-it-or-leave-it pay cut that would remain in effect long after the pandemic ends.

“Very few people were working at The Met in this period, barely affecting the bottom line,” said IATSE International President Matt Loeb. “Gelb is cruelly and cynically using the COVID-19 crisis as leverage to stab his workers in the back, cutting off their wages and healthcare payments during the pandemic and putting the future of the opera company in jeopardy.”

IATSE members who work as stagehands, ticket sellers, costumers, lighting designers and technicians, set designers and make-up artists, along with other dedicated Met employees, understand the strain COVID-19 is placing on the performing arts. They are willing to make accommodations during these difficult times. But they are unwilling to accept Gelb’s overreach.

The union is launching a lobbying effort in Washington, Albany and New York to ask lawmakers to exclude The Metropolitan Opera or any other employer in the performing arts from stimulus or arts funds if they have locked out their workers.

“Monies for the arts should not be used to beat up on artists and to fund $1,500-per-hour, union-busting consultants,” said IATSE Local 1 President James Claffey Jr. “This would be a misappropriation of funds.”

“We also know that lovers of opera and patrons of the arts have many choices as to where to spend their money,” Claffey Jr. added. “At this time we’re asking them to withhold contributions to The Met until management returns to the bargaining table and our members are returned to work.”

The union also is briefing government officials of The Met’s rumored plans to outsource set-design work to shops in Russia and other countries and of the inappropriateness of using funds designated to support the arts community here at home.

“It’s time to return to negotiations and settle this matter,” Loeb said. “The Met cannot operate without our people. If the curtain doesn’t go up, it would be a real opera tragedy.” This is not the first time Gelb has tried to make up for a history of overspending, mismanagement and his own lavish lifestyle by placing unreasonable demands on his workforce. He threatened to lock out Met workers in 2014, according to a union release.

While he claims not to be taking compensation currently, his pay will likely be made up later through deferred compensation or bonuses. Gelb was paid over $2.1 million in combined pay and benefits for running the nonprofit, according to The Metropolitan Opera’s 2020 filing. He is sitting out the pandemic in a luxury midtown apartment provided by the opera company, continued the release.

Six local unions of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) represent The Metropolitan Opera’s artistic and technical workers: Local 1 represents skilled craftspeople who are experts in carpentry, lighting, sound, props, and set and building construction. Local 764 includes costume shop employees who create the costumes, and dressers who assist the performers with their costumes. Local 751 is comprised of the workers who most frequently interact with the public – box-office employees such as treasurers and ticket sellers. Local 798 includes the artists responsible for hair and makeup. Local 794 represents technicians involved in The Met’s live broadcasts. USA 829 represents scenic artists as well as the designers of sets, lighting, costumes and sound.

THE FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN THEATRE CRITICS ASSOCIATION has voted to support funding a trial project to create the ATCA Helbing Mentorship to encourage young journalists who identify as LGTBTQ+ and have an interest in writing about the theater.

The money comes from the Foundation’s Helbing Fund for Gay and Lesbian Interests in the Theater, which was initiated more than 25 years ago with money raised by friends of Terry Helbing, a writer and editor of gay plays who died in 1994.

ATCA Chair Martha Wade Steketee will appoint a diverse committee that will oversee and implement the program and seek applicants from across the country. The Foundation has provided initial funding to launch the program on a trial basis and will assess its development before allocating further funding. The goal is to seek applicants over the next year and launch the program for the fall semester of 2022.

I HAVE NEIGHBORS WHO STEAL which should come as no surprise since my neighborhood has deteriorated to a semi-run down state of affairs and some of my neighbors have frequently been less than desirable. This past week, during late evening hours, the electricity went off for approximately one hour. During that short time frame some neighbors couldn't hot foot it over to my house fast enough to steal an upscale, solar, two spotlight, motion detection light fixture. They sticky fingered both the solar panel and the light fixture.

Alerted when they approached the fixture, their voices carried right through the windows, but I wasn't able to make it outside fast enough to catch them red-handed - only to glimpse the rapid exit.

Bad neighbors.

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E-Book

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

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

FINAL OVATION

DICK DUANE died in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Thursday, January 28, 2021 from colon cancer. He was 91.

He began his career as a MGM contract player, became a singing recording star earning multiple gold records, appearing in nightclubs with several appearances on the Ed Sullivan TV Show, He was instrumental in packaging the film Midnight Cowboy, and the novel is dedicated to him.

He produced the off Broadway play Stop, You're Killing Me by James Leo Herlihy (author of Midnight Cowboy) at the 73rd Street Theater in 1969. As a board member of Lorillard & Co. and through his company Duane Enterprises, Dick created major advertising campaigns for Kent brand cigarettes as well as Newport and True Blue brands. In 1973 Dick, with his partner Robert Thixton, formed Pinder Lane Productions which quickly grew into a successful award winning music and film production company in New York City, producing commercials and record albums for such artists as Dionne Warwick, Chet Baker and Eddie Daniels plus TV and Movie film scores.

In 1985 the company expanded and became the celebrity talent booking agency for BBDO New York and subsequently BBDO Worldwide.

He is survived by his husband of 50 years Robert Thixton, who has continued to operate both companies; brother-in-law William F. Thixton (Cathy), sisters-in-law Christina Ann Knight and Mary Elizabeth Thixton.

ROBERT C. JONES an Academy Award winning film editor behind 1960s and '70s classics Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Love Story died February 1, 2021 following a long illness. He was 84.

He took home an Oscar for best original screenplay for Coming Home.

Throughout his career, Jones collaborated with acclaimed directors such as Hal Ashby, Arthur Hiller and Warren Beatty. Early on in his career, the Los Angeles native scored Academy Award noms for his work on comedy film series It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and the Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier-starring Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Jones also cut films such as 1973’s The Last Detail, 1975’s romantic comedy Shampoo and 1976’s musical drama Bound for Glory, which scored him his third Oscar editing nomination.

Aside from editing, he also penned several scripts. In 1978, he earned a best original screenplay Oscar for Coming Home, an award he shared with co-writers Waldo Salt and Nancy Dowd.

Born on March 30, 1936, his father, Harmon Jones, was also an Oscar-nominated film editor, honored for his work on Elia Kazan’s black-and-white pic Gentleman’s Agreement.

Jones retired from the industry in 2001 and spent the next 15 years as an admired professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. In 2014, he was presented with a lifetime achievement award from the American Cinema Editors.

He is survived by his wife Sylvia, daughters and Hayley Sussman, Leslie Jones, who is also an Oscar-nominated film editor, sister Polly and grandchildren Sophia, Henry, Sammy and Phoebe.

MARIANNE BRISH EVETT former theater critic for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Northern Ohio Live Magazine as well as being a working journalist for Vogue Magazine, died February 4, 2021 from heart failure at Cambridge, Massachusetts' Mount Auburn Hospital. She was 88.

She earned a Bachelor's degree at Randolph Macon College, a Master’s degree in English at Cornell University, and a Ph.D in English Literature at Harvard University where she met David who came to a dinner party at her home. He was the first to arrive and the last to leave. They were married 8 months later.

In addition to being a journalist, she worked as an English professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

She chaired the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA's) Executive Committee in the early 1990s and then served as President of Foundation ATCA, She was a long time reader for the Francesca Primus Prize for Emerging Woman Playwrights.

She is survived by her children, Charles and wife Page Elmore of Acton, Benjamin and wife Kelli Edwards of Arlington, and Sophia and husband Brian Cali of Arlington; grandchildren, Nora and husband Jeremie, Alice, Toby, Spencer, Dashiell, Abby, Maria, and Jessalyn; sisters, Margaret Wagner and Marcia and husband David Shenk and their children and grandchildren. She was married to the love of her life, David Hal Evett, for over 50 years, He died in 2011.

JOHNNY PACHECO a Dominican-born musician who helped make a global sensation in the 1960s and 1970s of salsa music, died February 15, 2021 at a hospital in Teaneck, N.J. He was 85.

Pacheco, who was dubbed the “godfather of salsa,” was a Juilliard-trained musician and bandleader, but his greatest contributions may have been as an impresario. In 1964, he and a business partner, Jerry Masucci, launched Fania Records, which soon became the label of choice for leading musicians and singers of Latin American heritage, including Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria, Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colón, Hector Lavoe and Rubén Blades.

Pacheco earned 10 gold records and was a 9-time Grammy nominee and was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Latin Recording Academy in 2005.

In 1998, Pacheco was inducted to [International Latin Music Hall of Fame] (ILMHF) during the first Induction and Award of the ILMHF. The ILMHF awarded him The Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2002. In 2004, Pacheco was awarded the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, ASCAP Silver Pen Award.

His marriages to Carmen Pacheco and Mona Rothman ended in divorce. Survivors include his third wife, the former Maria Elena Sarabia, of Fort Lee; two daughters from his first marriage; two sons from his second marriage; and six grandchildren.

Gabriel Abaroa, Jr. President/CEO of The Latin Recording Academy issued the following statement: "Johnny Pacheco was a creative composer, arranger, bandleader and producer, in addition to being a gifted musician and a charming performer.

"An original member of the acclaimed Fania All-Stars, and co-founder of Fania Records in the '60s, Pacheco is widely considered as one of the "fathers of salsa." During his decades-long career, he worked with some of the most prominent salsa artists, including Celia Cruz, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Rubén Blades, Cheo Feliciano and Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez.

"He received the 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award from The Latin Recording Academy, and his extensive body of work has been nominated for both Latin Grammy and Grammy Awards on several occasions.

"Johnny Pacheco will be greatly missed, but his music and legacy will live forever and continue to inspire music creators around the world. Our hearts go out to his wife, Cuqui, and their family during this difficult time."

CARMAN a GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame Member, died in a Las Vegas hospital on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 after fighting a series of complications resulting from surgery to repair a hiatal hernia. He was 65.

Carman had previously been diagnosed with myeloma cancer, which after six years in remission had returned in January 2020.

Carman Dominic Licciardello, known to fans worldwide as “Carman,” holds the world record for having the largest audience to see a single Christian artist. He set the record for the largest concert at Texas Stadium with more than 71,000 fans and led more than 80,000 fans in worship in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Among his many awards, Carman received the House of Hope of Humanitarian Award for his positive influence in the lives of American youth in 2006, other noted recipients of this award include Ronald & Nancy Reagan and Billy Graham. The Gospel Music Association honored Carman with induction into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2018. Billboard named Carman “Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year” in 1992 and 1995, and in 1993, his album, Addicted to Jesus, earned the distinction of Contemporary Christian Album of the Year. Carman was Grammy-nominated multiple times as the Best Pop Contemporary Gospel Artist. His recording, “A Long Time Ago in a Land Called Bethlehem” was nominated for “Album of the Year” by the Recording Academy in 1986.

In 1985, the release of his first #1 song, "The Champion," solidified his place in music history and defined his soul-winning career as" one of endurance, grit, dedication, and pure talent."

Carman was planning to embark on a 60-city tour later this month.

Next Column: February 28, 2021
Copyright: February 21, 2021 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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