Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: February 6, 2022
By: Laura Deni
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LAST VEGAS AS THE MARRIAGE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD IS CELEBRATING WEDLOCK

Elvis Presley and Priscilla cut their wedding cake.

Hey, big speners! You romantic devils - how about a $5-million wedding package at the Waldorf Astoria in Las Vegas. The four-day, three-night luxury blow out is an ultra-lavish wedding weekend. The experience includes private use of the hotel, celebrity wedding planner and chefs, and private flights.

If that idea blows your budget there are other options.

In Sin City you can get hitched in a helicopter while flying over Las Vegas. Or, just stay in your car for a drive through coupling. Another option, have an Elvis impersonator make it legal.

Approximately 18,000 people are employed in the Las Vegas wedding industry to make your day special as well as to add to the Las Vegas economy.

In Nevada there is no waiting period or blood work, You can get married minutes after picking up your marriage license.

The county issued 7765 of those legal papers in 2017, 7277 licenses in 2018, and 6,498 in 2019. In 2020 COVID became a mean one, resulting in only 1,550 licenses issued. With many COVID restrictions lifting, 2022 is expected to see the $2 billion wedding industry come back.

Since a marriage license bureau opened in l909, this month the county expects to issue the 5 millionth wedding license.

That auspicious event promises to celebrated with giveaways, events and a scavenger hunt for tourists and locals.

On July 19, 1966, Mia Farrow married singer Frank Sinatra at the Las Vegas home of Jack Entratter. Farrow was 21 years old, Sinatra 50.

Weddings are always special, but this month has some extra special numerical days so would-be husbands will have less of a chance of forgetting when they got married.

2/2/2022, 2/20/22, and 2/22/22 will delight couples who consider getting hitched on a palindrome date lucky. A palindrome reads the same backward as it does forward.

Never one to ignore a party, Las Vegas has officially declared February Wedding Month with special events planned:

There will be a pop-up marriage office at the Harry Red International Airport on February 10.

The famed Las Vegas sign will be lit with red, white and pink bulbs on February 17.

Boasting itself as the Wedding Capital of the World, a record number of wedding is expected on 2/22/22. County officials have stated that this day could beat the previous record set on July 7, 2007 (7/7/07).

Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme who married December 29, 1957 at the El Rancho Hotel remained wed until her death in 2013.

For the past 40 years there as a standard $25 fee for a marriage license, which went to fund domestic violence programs throughout Nevada and sexual violence programs in Clark County (Las Vegas).

The fund, the Account for Aid for Victims of Domestic Violence, was formed from a 1981 bill that added a surcharge to marriage licenses. In May, 2021 bill SB 177 was introduced increased that knot tying fee. The increase iex expcted to raise slightly more than $5,000,000 and permit all other Nevada counties to provide additional sexual violence programs.

Celebrities have long favored the bright lights of Vegas for their headline marriages.

Las Vegas is a betting town. Some of these unions are good bets, while others are a long shot.

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were wed on January 29, 1958, at the El Rancho in Las Vegas.

Elvis impersonator such as Brendan Paul conduct special "Elvs" wedding in which he instructs the couple to say: I promise to always love you tender and never leave you at the Heartbreak Hotel."

That, of course, is followed by an Elvis song.

If Elvis songs aren't your thing consider pianist and songwriter Jim Brickman who has teamed up with superstar and four-time Grammy Award winner Olivia Newton-John for a soul-stirring remake of the 1997 Brickman classic, Valentine, marking 25 years since the song crested the charts. The ballad has certainly stood the test of time. Over these 25 years, the song has been used in hundreds of thousands of wedding ceremonies.

Speaking of Elvis, the original one, Elvis Presley, married his Priscilla in Las Vegas at the Aladdin hotel.

Frank Sinatra wed Mia Farrow in Vegas. The marriage didn't last, but she has recently called him the "love of my life."

Celebrity broom jumpers which have stood it for the long haul are Kelly Rippa and Mark Consuelos who made it legal in Las Vegas in a 1996 ceremony at the Chapel of the Bells costing less than $200, including air fares - Tommy Vig and Mia Kim will soon celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary while Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme who married December 29, 1957 at the El Rancho Hotel remained wed until her death in 2013.

Also until death do you part were Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward who were wed on January 29, 1958, at the El Rancho hotel in Las Vegas in the suite of - and paid for by - the casino's owner at the time, Beldon Katleman. The two actors first met in the early 1950s while working in New York City on a Broadway production of Picnic.

Romantic crooner Robert Goulet wed Vera Novak in Las Vegas on a Sunday at the Little Church of the West. Wayne Newton was best man, actor Glenn Ford gave the bride away, and Lola Falana sang If Ever I Should Leave You. Afterwards, a flower garland decorated horse and buggy carriage drove them to their reception at the Dunes hotel where Goulet was the headliner. They stayed happily married until his death in 2007.

Mia Kim and Tommy Vig were married in an elaborate wedding at Temple Beth Shalom in Las Vegas. He the vibraphonist and she of the famed Kim Sisters will celebrate their 55th Wedding Anniversary on March 21, 2022. Vig and Kim met at the now imploded Stardust Hotel where both were performing.

Jon Bon Jovi wed Dorothea Hurley in 1989 at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. The chapel has used it as a claim to fame ever since.

Michael Jordan married Juanita Vanoy at 2:30 am on a Saturday in 1989 in a single ring ceremony at A Little White Wedding Chapel. That union lasted until 2006. That venue is noted for its Drive Through Tunel of Vows.

Andre Agassi and Steffi Graff were married in their Las Vegas home in May 2000. Their union is still going strong. Mary Tyler Moors and Grant Tinker made it legal in Sin City in 1962. They stayed that way until 1981.

The beloved Betty White married the love of her life Alan Ludden in Vegas. Kirk Douglas wed Ann Buydens in Las Vegas. Those marriages lasted until death took a spouse.

Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille (Captain & Tennille) were married in Virginia City, Nevada on February 14, 1974. Love kept them together until 2014, when they divorced after nearly 40 years of marriage. They remained friends and it was Toni who cared for him during his final illness.

Lily Allen wed her Stranger Things actor David Harbour September 9, 2020. The couple an intimate ceremony attended only by her two daughters, Marnie and Ethel, featuring a performance from an Elvis impersonator. Afterwards, they celebrated by going to In-N-Out burger for their wedding breakfast.

A few of the Las Vegas marriages which didn't last as long as champagne bubbles:

Britney Spears' Las Vegas 2004 wedding to Jason Alexander was annulled after 55 hours. In 1975, Cher married Greg Allman in a ceremony at a Vegas wedding chapel. They called it quits nine days later, with the singer blaming her new husband's addiction problems. Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman went for a night out on the town, got married in Sin City in 1998, and filed for an annulment only nine days later.

Angelina Jolie wore jeans and Billy Bob Thornton a trucker's cap when they married in Las Vegas in 2000. Three years later they made it to splitsville. Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford flew to Las Vegas for a spur of the moment quickie wedding at The Church of the West in December 1991. The couple exchanged rings made out of tin foil, then went to Denny's for pancakes. The marriage didn't last.

Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, tied the not in November 1987. The couple were married for ten years and had three daughters together before their split in 1998.

Zsa Zsa Gabor who was wed 9 times, picked Las Vegas for one of her nuptial locations. She wed George Sanders in Sin City on April 2, 1949. An interesting note: In the 1970s Sanders married Zsa Zsa's older sister Magda. However, that union lasted only 32 days. In 1972 Sanders committed suicide. Zsa Zsa called him "the major love of my life."

Rita Hayworth married Dick Haymes at The Sands hotel. Joan Crawford and Alfred Steele, then chairman of the board of Pepsi Cola, tied the knot at the Flamingo Hotel. In October 1972 George Hamilton and Alana Collins were hitched in Vegas. David Cassidy and Kay Lenz jumped the broom in April 1977. Dudley Moore and makeup artist Brogan Lane were wed in February 1988. Mike Tyson wed his 3rd wife Lakiha Spicer in the Entertainment Capital of the World. On December 31, 1976, comedian Redd Foxx wed his 4th wife, Kaho Cho at The Little Church of the West. The marriage lasted two years.

Millennials, GenX and Boomers purchase the overwhelming majority of wedding cakes which have trended away from the white frosting, rose covered, tiered cake with a plastic bride and groom on top. Currently popular are "whimsy" cakes including pancake cakes, bitesize cupcakes and the use of bold bright colors with rich hues, alternate textiles and metallic colors.

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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

BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ART

Maria Schalcken, Self-Portrait of the Artist in Her Studio (detail), about 1680. Oil on panel. Gift of Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, in support of the Center for Netherlandish Art. Photo: MFA

has opened galleries for Dutch and Flemish art, where you can revisit the Old Masters and explore new stories.

You likely know Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Dyck, but have you heard of Michaelina Wautier or Maria Schalcken?

Wautier, who until only recently was omitted from art history, painted the delightful Five Senses paintings that take pride of place in their Upper Rotunda - making their public debut after 370 years. This self-portrait by Schalcken was previously misattributed to her brother. Recently acquired by the MFA, it is one of only two known paintings by the artist.

The new seven immersive galleries boast nearly 100 world-class paintings ranging from Rembrandt to Van Dyck. Original, relevant interpretation highlights the roles of women and the emerging globalization of art and culture in the 17th century.

THE PALMER MUSEUM AT PENN STATE has launched its 50th anniversary, to be celebrated throughout 2022 with special programs and exhibitions. To inaugurate its golden anniversary as a prominent university art museum is a major exhibition of outstanding American art, An American Place: Selections from the James and Barbara Palmer Collection, opened last week as the centerpiece of the museum’s jubilee.

This sweeping exhibition, on view through April 24, 2022, highlights a century of American art from the post-Civil War decades through the Civil Rights era, including a broad range of mid-20th-century voices, many of them once marginalized and now revered.

An American Place presents 59 paintings, works on paper and sculptures drawn from the bequest of lead philanthropist Barbara Palmer, who passed away in 2019. Assembled over more than 30 years, she and her husband, James, established a nationally renowned collection of American art that includes Ashcan portraits, scenes of everyday life, modernist explorations and an extensive representation of artists, demonstrating both the discerning inclusivity of their vision and the diverse breadth of the history of American art. The title of the exhibition is borrowed from Alfred Stieglitz’s An American Place, one of several galleries the pioneering photographer established in the first half of the 20th century to support a core group of modernist American artists for nearly two decades.

The exhibition is organized into four thematic sections: Breaking Ties, Embracing Modernity, America as Place and Diverse Voices. The show includes works by the artists Thomas Anshutz, Milton Avery, Romare Bearden, Thomas Hart Benton, Charles Burchfield, Paul Cadmus, Mary Cassatt, Frederic Edwin Church, Charles Demuth, Arthur Dove, Robert Gwathmey, Marsden Hartley, Childe Hassam, Martin Johnson Heade, Robert Henri, Winslow Homer, Jacob Lawrence, Seymour Lipton, George Luks, John Marin, Alfred Maurer, Georgia O’Keeffe, Theodore Robinson, Charles Sheeler, John Sloan, Joseph Stella and George Tooker.

A SITE OF STRUGGLE: AMERICAN ART AGAINST ANTI-BLACK VIOLENCE has opened at The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University in Chicago.

Conceived in 2016, new exhibition explores a century of American artwork created to protest, process, mourn and memorialize anti-Black violence.

“How can art history help inform our understanding of the deep roots of racial violence?” asks curator Janet Dees. A new exhibition at The Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University seeks to address this and related questions as it considers the long history of American artistic engagement with anti-Black violence. From the anti-lynching campaigns of the 1890s to the founding of Black Lives Matter in 2013 and up to today, A Site of Struggle: American Art against Anti-Black Violence evokes the unbroken history of violence against African Americans in the United States and highlights African Americans as active shapers of visual discourse. Organized by The Block, the exhibition includes approximately 65 works of art and ephemera on loan from private and public collections across the country. With an emphasis on how art has been used to protest, process, mourn and memorialize anti-Black violence, A Site of Struggle stakes a claim on the power of the visual to make change.

“From realism to abstraction, from direct to more subtle approaches, American artists have developed a century of tools and creative strategies to stand against enduring images of African American suffering and death,” said exhibition curator Dees. “Contemporary artists taking on this subject are doing so within a long and rich history of American art and visual culture that has sought to contend with the realities of anti-Black violence.” “The Block Museum of Art is committed to developing bold, meaningful and challenging projects that ask audiences to reconsider accepted narratives and search for new modes of understanding and active reflection,” said Lisa Corrin, The Block Museum Ellen Philips Katz director. “In its breadth of scholarly and community collaborations and support of the museum’s ongoing social justice initiatives, A Site of Struggle is one of the most important exhibitions the institution has ever undertaken.” The exhibition is divided into three sections that are organized thematically around different artistic approaches, visual strategies and lines of inquiry across time periods.

The artists whose works are included in A Site of Struggle are Laylah Ali (American, b.1968), George Wesley Bellows (American, 1882-1925), George Biddle (American 1885-1973), Elizabeth Catlett (American, 1915-2012), Darryl Cowherd (American, b. 1940), Bob Crawford (American, 1938-2015), Ernest Crichlow (American, 1914-2005), David Antonio Cruz (American, b. 1974), Emory Douglas (American, b. 1943), Melvin Edwards (American, b. 1937), Theaster Gates (American, b. 1973), Ken Gonzales-Day (American, b. 1964), Wilmer Jennings (American, 1910-1990), Norman Lewis, (American, 1909-1979), Christian Marclay (American, b. 1955), Kerry James Marshall (American, b. 1955), Isamu Noguchi (American, 1904-1988), Mendi + Keith Obadike (American, b. 1973), Howardena Pindell (American b. 1943), Carl and Karen Pope (American, b. 1961), Walter Quirt (American, 1902-1968), Paul Rucker (American, b. 1968), Lorna Simpson (American, b. 1960), Dox Thrash (American, 1893-1965), Molly Jae Vaughan (British, b. 1977), Lynd Ward (American, 1905–1985), Pat Ward Williams (American, b. 1948), Carrie Mae Weems (American, b. 1953), Ida B. Wells (American, 1862-1931), Walter White (American, 1893-1955) and Hale Woodruff (American, 1900-1980). A Site of Struggle is curated by Janet Dees, the Steve and Lisa Munster Tananbaum curator of modern and contemporary art at The Block, with the assistance of Alisa Swindell, former curatorial associate at the museum, who was recently appointed associate curator of photography at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College.

WHAT MAKES ME ME a new exhibition from Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, shows how making art helps individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) gain confidence in themselves, exercise empowerment in making aesthetic decisions and communicate who they are to you.

The exhibition in the Center Space gallery at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts runs through May 2, 2022.

The artists of What Makes Me Me are members at Scottsdale Training and Rehabilitation Services (STARS) and The Opportunity Tree, and the exhibition is curated by Laura Hales, curator of learning and innovation at Scottsdale Arts.

"By showcasing the artistic expressions of 35 adults with I/DD, this exhibition aims to increase understanding, empathy and appreciation for this often-overlooked population,” Hales said. “The artists enjoyed the process of creating the work, evidenced by the joyful expression inherent in each of the pieces. As they created self-portraits, they learned and shared things about themselves and we can see their individuality through this collection of paintings, ceramics and poetry.”

Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation worked with teaching artists from a variety of mediums to guide the exhibition artists through a series of art-making and poetry-writing workshops, creating original self-portraits that express their uniqueness and creativity. Teaching artists included Tiesha Harrison, Ellen Murray Meissinger, Therosia Reynolds, and Danielle Wood.

What Makes Me Me is being held in conjunction with Beverly McIver: Full Circle, an exhibition running February 12 – September 4 at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). What Makes Me Me aims to shine a light on a population that is often overlooked by society. McIver is a caregiver to her older sister, Renee, who has I/DD. Their story is lovingly documented in the film Raising Renee, which can be streamed on Amazon Prime.

An opening reception for the exhibition will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on February 22 at the gallery. Light refreshments will be served. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is located in Scottsdale, AZ.

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SCARE UP ROMANCE ON VALENTINE'S DAY IN A HAUNTED HOUSE

I know it's the thought that counts, and if you're receiving jewelry with real stones don't sigh and say - "Oh, not again. How boring."

However, candy, perfume, flowers and fake rose petals on the bed can be so . . . traditional. How about taking your true love to a haunted Valentine Day house to see if you can scare up the romance?

Nothing gets the juices flowing quite like fearing that you're about to get hit with a meat cleaver.

All across America there is a new trend - haunted Valentine Day's Houses. While Nevada is one of the few states which isn't on the list, there should be a spooky place near you.

It's the same spooky scares you'll find on Halloween but with a decidedly Valentine Day approach.

Most are open during Valentine's Day week-end.

States generally have three to four houses while Alabama and Tennessee each boast six.

You can go to a Zombie Prom in West Virginia or to a Love Bites event in Virginia or Utah while 50 Shades of Fear is offered in Texas. My Bloody Valentine and Valentine's Twisted Escape Room are some of the haunted offerings in Tennessee. My Deceased Valentine is one of the houses in South Carolina, Sweetheart's Slaughter beckons lovers in Oklahoma. Valentinr Haunt is in New York City.

In San Francisco you can purchase vampire repellent rosary necklaces to ward off vampires in their Valentine Haunt. The All Saint's Lunatic Asylum can be found in California on February 11-12.

Scare up some love.

SPREADING THE WORD

HEARTBEAT OPERA'S FIDELIO a Black activist is wrongfully incarcerated. His wife, Leah, disguises herself to infiltrate the system and free him. But when injustice reigns, one woman's grit may not be enough to save her love.

This daring adaptation places Beethoven's masterpiece in the time of Black Lives Matter, featuring the voices of more than 100 incarcerated singers and 70 volunteers from six prison choirs: Oakdale Community Choir, KUJI Men's Chorus, UBUNTU Men's Chorus, HOPE Thru Harmony Women's Choir, East Hill Singers, and Voices of Hope.

Ticket buyers for the February 10 performance are invited to stay for a post-show discussion on prison reform and the abolition movement with social justice advocates Donna Hylton and Charity Chandler-Cole.

Music by Ludwig van Beethoven. Original libretto by Joseph Sonnleithner and Georg Friedrich Treitschke. Adapted and directed by Ethan Heard. Music arranged and directed by Daniel Schlosberg. New English dialogue by Marcus Scott and Ethan Heard.

Featuring: Derrell Acon as Roc - Victoria Lawal as Marcy - Curtis Bannister as Stan - Kelly Griffin as Leah/Lee and Corey McKern as Pizarro.

Performances Thursday, February 10, - Saturday, February 12, and Sunday, February 13 at The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium in New York City.

THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME has released their list of nominees for 2022 induction.

The nominees are:
Beck
Pat Benatar
Kate Bush
DEVO
Duran Duran
Eminem
Eurythmics
Judas Priest
Fela Kuti
MC5
New York Dolls
Dolly Parton
Rage Against The Machine
Lionel Richie
Carly Simon
A Tribe Called Quest
Dionne Warwick

To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Seven out of 17 of the Nominees are on the ballot for the first time, including Beck, Eminem, Duran Duran, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, and A Tribe Called Quest. This is Eminem’s first year of eligibility.

Nominee ballots are sent to an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians, and members of the music industry. Factors such as an artist’s musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career and the body of work, innovation, and superiority in style and technique are taken into consideration. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame offers fans the opportunity to participate in the Induction selection process with the 2022 Induction Fan Vote sponsored by Ohio. Find It Here. Today through April 29, fans can vote every day at vote.rockhall.com, or at the museum in Cleveland. The top five artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to select the 2022 Inductees.

HENRY V directed by Donmar Associate Director Max Webster.

Featuring Kit Harington, Jude Akuwudike, Seumas Begg, Claire-Louise Cordwell, Kate Duchêne, Olivier Huband, Melissa Johns, David Judge, Danny Kirrane, Anoushka Lucas, Adam Maxey, Steven Meo, Marienella Phillips, Joanna Songi and Millicent Wong with Gethin Alderman, Diany Bandza and Thomas Dennis.

Henry V is a thrilling study of nationalism, war and the psychology of power.

Design by Fly Davis, lighting design by Lee Curran, sound design by Carolyn Downing, video design by Andrzej Goulding, movement direction by Benoit Swan Pouffer, music by Andrew T Mackay, casting by Anna Cooper CDG, costume supervision by Lisa Aitken, fight direction by Kate Waters, dialect coaching by Fabien Enjalric, military consultation by Tom Leigh with Resident Assisant Director Dadiow Lin.

Henry V runs at the Donmar in London from February 12 - April 9, 2022.

MARRY ME A LITTLE Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Conceived and Developed by Craig Lucas and Norman René. Directed by Kari Hayter.

International City Theatre pays tribute to the late, great Stephen Sondheim, kicking off its 37th season with Marry Me A Little. A must-see for Sondheim aficionados, this bittersweet musical two-hander, which weaves 17 of Sondheim’s lesser-known songs into a tale of love and loneliness, was first conceived and developed by Craig Lucas and Norman René. Two formidable women, Ovation and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award-nominated director Kari Hayter and award-winning music director and pianist Diane King Vann ), helm the ICT production.

In Marry Me A Little, two lonely strangers, played by Katy Tang and Nick Tubbs, pass the time fantasizing in their separate apartments. Their shared story is told entirely through songs written early in Sondheim’s career or cut from his groundbreaking Broadway musicals. This smart, funny, sophisticated and moving evening is a fascinating look at the Sondheim songs that “got away.”

The ICT creative team includes set designer JR Norman Luker, lighting designer Donna Ruzika, costume designer Kim DeShazo, sound designer Dave Mickey and prop designer Patty Briles. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA and Richie Ferris, CSA. The production stage manager is John Freeland, Jr.

Marry Me A Little opens February 11 at ICT’s home in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, where performances will continue through February 27. Two low-priced previews take place on February 9 and February 10.

PORTIA COUGHLAN by Marina Carr.

This new production is directed by y Abbey Theatre Associate Director, Caroline Byrne.

Today is Portia Coughlan’s 30th birthday, but she doesn’t have the heart to celebrate. It’s also the anniversary of the death of her twin brother, Gabriel, who drowned 15 years ago. Is it her fate to join him in the Belmont river, or can she escape the past and find her place in this world?

Starring Olivier Award winner, Denise Gough in the title role.

Also featuring:
Fintan Goolan: Jamie Beamish - Blaize Scully: Barbara Brennan - Sly Scully: Liam Carney - Marianne Scully: Derbhle Crotty - Stacia Doyle: Imogen Doel -Maggie May Doorley: Anna Healy - Senchil Doorley: Gary Murphy - Damus Halion: Fionn Ó Loingsigh - Raphael Coughlan: Marty Rea.

The creatives are: Set Design: Chiara Stephenson - Composer and Sound Design: Mel Mercier - Lighting Design: Paul Keogan - Costume Design: Catherine Fay - Movement Director: Megan Kennedy - Video Design: Jack Phelan - Voice Director: Andrea Ainsworth - Fight Director: Ciaran O’Grady.

February 11- March 12, 2922 on the Abbey stage in Dublin, Ireland.

THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW by D.H. Lawrence, first produced by the Mint in 2003.

The Daughter-in-Law remains one of the Mint’s most popular and successful productions. The original six-week run was extended to four months and received two Drama Desk nominations including Outstanding Revival.

The Daughter-in-Law was neither produced nor published in Lawrence’s lifetime. It first appeared in print in 1965 when a complete edition of Lawrence’s plays was published for the first time. Three years later The Royal Court presented the world premiere of The Daughter-in-Law. Other British productions since have provided fresh occasions to celebrate Lawrence’s achievement as a playwright, but in the US, only Mint Theater Company has staged The Daughter-in-Law. Lawrence’s challenging idiomatic text and difficult Nottinghamshire dialect may have intimidated other producers.

Written in 1913 and set against the background of the impending national coal strike of 1912, The Daughter-in-Law tells the story of Luther Gascoyne, a young miner, and his newly wed wife Minnie, a former governess. The tensions and misunderstandings they suffer due to their different backgrounds and expectations are exacerbated by the powerful influence of Luther’s mother and brought to open conflict when it is discovered that Luther, before his marriage, made another woman pregnant. As the labor unrest comes to a boil, so does the simmering conflict between Luther and Minnie.

Martin Platt will direct a company that includes Amy Blackman, Ciarán Bowling, Seth Andrew Bridges, Tom Coiner, Katie Fanning, Polly McKie, Sandra Shipley and Tina Stafford. The creative team includes: Bill Clarke (sets), Holly Poe Durbin (costumes), Jeff Nellis (lighting), and Amy Stoller (dialects), along with Lindsay Jones, who will be designing sound and Stephanie Klapper who will serve as casting director.

Performances will begin February 8th at New York City Center Stage II This limited Off-Broadway engagement will continue through March 20th only. Opening Night is set for Tuesday February 22nd.

GABRIELLE LEE brings her A Tin Pan Alley Celebration of Black History Month to Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York City on Friday, February 11. Featuring band Leader Vince Giordano conducting Peter Yarin (Piano and Music Director) Vince Giordano (Bass) Damon DueWhite (Drums) Colin Hancock (Trumpet/Cornet).

Special gusts include Phillip Attmore and Jennie Harney-Fleming.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL the annual Las Vegas music and art festival has sold majority interest to Rolling Stone. Parent company Penske Media announced the acquisition of the festival which was founded in 2013 by former Zeppos CEO Tony Hsieh, who died in 2020.

Penske Media has vast holdings including; Deadline, Variety, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, WWD, SHE Media, SXSW, Robb Report, Sportico, BGR, ARTnews, Art in America, Fairchild Media, Spy.com, among many others.

Life Is Beautiful attracts top acts including; Billie Eilish, Kanye West, The Weekend, Chance the Rapper, Green Day, Foo Fights and others.

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CELEBRATING FROM ENGLAND TO LITHUANIA

Everybody loves a good party.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at her coronation.

You're in for a treat if your plans call for trips to London or Vilinus, the capital of Lithuania. Those countries have a lot ot celebrate

Today, February 6, 2022 is ascension day in Britain. That's the day Queen Elizabeth's father died and she ascended to the throne.

In her first Accession Day announcement, Queen Elizabeth II made it clear that Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will be made Queen Consort when her son Charles, the Prince of Wales assumes the throne. Underrated, Camilla is a hard working, thoughtful, courteous member of the Royal Family. Her marriage to the Queen's eldest son was one of pure love and has stood the test of time and travail. The Commonwealth will be lucky to have her.

In the historic message released as she reached her 70th anniversary on the throne she, in part, stated:

"And when the fullness of my time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me, and it is my sincere wish that. when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service."

Prince Charles and Camilla on their 2019 wedding anniversary

This is considered a major intervention from the monarch, as she is the only person who can define royal titles.

A spokesman for the couple responded saying they were "touched and honored by Her Majesty's words."

Her 70-year Platinum Jubilee will be a year long celebration throughout the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world as communities come together to celebrate the beloved Elizabeth's historic reign.

On February 6, 2022 Her Majesty The Queen will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.

To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary, culminating in a four day UK bank holiday weekend June 2-5. The holiday will provide an opportunity for communities and people throughout the United Kingdom to come together to celebrate the historic milestone.

In addition, initiatives including The Queen’s Green Canopy and the Platinum Pudding cooking competition will create a lasting reminder of The Queen’s Jubilee, while Queen Elizabeth's private estates will also join in with special Jubilee themed events offering more opportunities for members of the public to celebrate the historic milestone.

In Great Britain pudding can be any dessert, either sweet or savory, but usually means a streamed pudding, served warm with a decadent custard, frosting or toffee sauce for drizzling.

The Platinum Pudding competition is a nationwide baking competition which aims to find a brand new pudding dedicated to The Queen. The Big Jubilee Lunch and Fortnum & Mason are inviting applications from UK residents aged 8 and over to create the perfect Platinum Pudding recipe.

Five finalists will prepare their pudding for an expert judging panel including Dame Mary Berry of The Great British Bake-Off fame, Monica Galetti and Buckingham Palace Head Chef Mark Flanagan. The winning recipe will be made available to the public and the pudding will be enjoyed at Big Jubilee Lunches during the Jubilee weekend, and by generations to come.

Other special events include:
The Queen’s Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour): Over 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will come together in the traditional Parade to mark The Queen's official birthday, usually held on the second Saturday in June.

Platinum Jubilee Beacons: The United Kingdom’s long tradition of celebrating Royal Jubilees, Weddings and Coronations with the lighting of beacons will be continued to mark the Platinum Jubilee. Over 1,500 beacons will be lit throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories.

For the first time, beacons will also be lit in each of the capital cities of the Commonwealth countries with The Principal beacon will be lit in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

On Friday, June 3 A Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral. The next day the great-grandmother to 12, accompanied by members of the Royal Family, will attend the Derby at Epsom Downs.

Platinum Party at the Palace: The BBC will stage and broadcast a special live concert from Buckingham Palace that will bring together some of the world’s biggest entertainment stars to celebrate the most significant and joyous moments from The Queen’s seven decade reign.

Sunday, June 5, is the date for The Big Jubilee Lunch: Every year since the idea began in 2009 The Big Lunch has encouraged communities to celebrate their connections and get to know each other a little bit better, coming together in a spirit of fun and friendship.

A Big Jubilee Lunch can be big or small - street party or picnic, tea and cake or a garden barbeque. Over 1400 people have registered to host Big Jubilee Lunches so far.

The Platinum Jubilee Pageant: Artistic performers, dancers, musicians, military personnel, key workers and volunteers will unite to tell the story of The Queen’s 70 year reign in an awe-inspiring festival of creativity. The London based Pageant will combine pomp and ceremony, street arts, theatre, music, circus, costumes as well as cutting-edge visual technology, drawing on talent from every part of the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth.

Forming an important part of the Platinum Pageant, the "River of Hope" section will comprise of two hundred silk flags which will process down The Mall, appearing like a moving river. Primary and secondary school children are invited to create a picture of their hopes and aspirations for the planet over the next 70 years. A selection of these creations will be transferred on to silk flags, which will carried by secondary school pupils in the Pageant.

The artwork for the flags will be focused on climate change and incorporate the children’s messages for the future. Teachers from applying schools will be provided with step-by-step guides to creating a beautiful digital artwork with their students, of which 200 will then be selected for the flags. The selected artwork will also be shown up and down the country on screens as part of the Jubilee celebrations.

The Queen's Green Canopy. As the Platinum Jubilee year begins, over 60,000 trees have already been planted in the UK through the project in the two months since the planting season began. Green-fingered communities and cities from Cornwall to Glasgow have come together to make 2022 a truly special year to "plant a tree for the Jubilee" as a celebration of The Queen’s 70 years of service to the nation and the Commonwealth.

The Queen’s Green Canopy is generating the planting of large, celebration trees, new majestic avenues of trees, urban planting, and expansive new forests that will benefit future generations. Every planting is being recorded on a digital Queen’s Green Canopy map which will be presented to Her Majesty at the end of the Jubilee year.

The project is also working to protect 70 ancient trees and woodlands that are a valuable part of the UK’s heritage and history by launching a special training program to teach unemployed young people new skills in tree planting and management, as well as a Young Foresters Award to highlight the value of trees to school children. The Queen’s Green Canopy will continue throughout 2022 and into March 2023.

Royal Collection Trust - Three special displays marking significant occasions in Her Majesty’s reign – the Accession, the Coronation and Jubilees – will be staged at the official royal residences from July 2022.

At the Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace, portraits of The Queen taken by photographer Dorothy Wilding between 1953 and 1956 will be on display, alongside items of Her Majesty’s personal jewellery worn for the sittings.

At Windsor Castle, the Coronation Dress and Robe of Estate worn by Elizabeth for her Coronation at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953 will be on display, while at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, visitors will see outfits she wore to celebrate the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees.

The lighting of the Sandringham beacon will also take place in the Royal Parkland, accompanied by live music from the Norwich Pipe Band and the Hunstanton Band.

From May 12-15 the Platinum Jubilee Celebration will see over 500 horses and 1,000 performers create a 90-minute piece of arena theatre that will include actors and artists, musicians, international military displays, dancers and global equestrian displays.

The show takes place in the same arena used by Royal Windsor Horse Show during the day and is the fourth in a series of events at the same venue that have marked significant moments in the life of Elizabeth II. The production will take the audience on a gallop through history from Elizabeth I to the present day.

Down the road in Lithuania, Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, next year— celebrates their 700th anniversary. This year long celebration has been officially launched with pre-anniversary celebrations with the crowd-beloved Light Festival and the countdown clock.

Vilnius Light Festival 2022. Photo: Vilinus government

The city will host a number of events to get the residents and the visitors in the birthday mood throughout 2022 and 2023: the reconstruction of the first opera played in Vilnius, a movie about the city, and many music, art, and educational performances.

As the historical birthday has also been included in UNESCO’s 67 most noteworthy anniversaries of 2022-2023, the preparations for the grand date are set to take all year round and will include a number of cultural, educational, art events, and many more.

The countdown ticked off by lighting a specifically-designed clock - a symbolic installation, towering at seven meters in the city center, the Cathedral Square. The clock was launched by Remigijus Šimašius, Mayor of Vilnius, and an exclusive clock guardian - a 4.5-meter-tall light man, during the Light Festival and hot-air balloon, music and lights show. It will be reminding the guests and the residents of the city how many days are left till the grand anniversary and many of the birthday-related events in 2023.

The specially designed clock will tell people how many days are left until the celebration. Photo: Vilinus government.

"Although Vilnius will be 700 years old, both the city and its residents are the true embodiment of a youthful curiosity, ingenuity, determination, and passion," Šimašius said. "2023 will be a special year for Vilnius, therefore we invite everyone from all around the globe to come to our city, join us in celebrations, and experience the magic themselves."

The official history of Vilnius began in 1323 when Gediminas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, mentioned the city for the first time in one of his letters, dated January 25th, to foreign merchants and craftsmen. The 700th anniversary in 2023 will present opportunities to highlight the colorful history of Vilnius, strengthen the ties with the city residents and guests, and boost the global recognition of the capital.

Vilnius Light Festival 2022 on the ground and in the sky. Photo: Vilinus government

Among the shows, organized for the anniversary in 2023, will be a movie about Vilnius, a performance festival, the AI-driven reconstruction of the first opera performed in Vilnius in the 17th century, and other large-scale events by modern art museum MO” the National Museum of Lithuania, and other organizers. The main next year’s celebrations will be held on January 25th, the day of the anniversary, and July 25th, when Vilnius becomes an international music arena.

Pre-anniversary celebrations kicked off the year-round preparations with the crowd-favorite annual Vilnius Light Festival on January 25, 2022. It was first organized to celebrate Vilnius’ birthday in 2019 and now typically attracts over 200K of spectators each year. The Light Festival has illuminated the city streets, parks, and squares with 22 installations by artists from Lithuania, Australia, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, and France.

The launch of the countdown was accompanied by the hot air balloon show, music and lights show "700-Year Legend of Vilnius," where the balloons took advantage of fire, color, and music to tell the story of the city. The show was also held on the ground to allow the spectators to admire the visual and acoustic performance.

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FINAL OVATION

CARLETON CARPENTER film, television and stage actor, magician, songwriter, and novelist died January 31, 2022 in Warwick, New York. He was 95.

Carpenter began his performing career as a magician and an actor on Broadway, beginning with David Merrick's first production, Bright Boy, in 1944, followed by co-starring appearances in Three to Make Ready with Ray Bolger, John Murray Anderson's Almanac, and Hotel Paradiso.

Carpenter signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1950, where he made eight films in three years. He gained fame when teamed in 1950 with Debbie Reynolds in Three Little Words and Two Weeks with Love.

After 1953, Carpenter exited films for stage, television, and radio work.

Carpenter's later stage appearances included Hello, Dolly!, opposite Mary Martin (which toured Vietnam during the war and was filmed as a one-hour NBC-TV special), The Boys in the Band; Dylan; Crazy For You, and the City Center revival of Kander and Ebb's 70, Girls, 70. He was still working occasionally as a stage actor in 2015.

Carpenter composed the songs Christmas Eve, recorded by Billy Eckstine, Cabin in the Woods, and Ev'ry Other Day, which he recorded for MGM Records and sang on screen in The Whistle at Eaton Falls. He also wrote the musical Northern Boulevard, produced in New York City by actress Rosetta LeNoire.

Carpenter wrote material for Debbie Reynolds, Kaye Ballard, Marlene Dietrich, and Hermione Gingold, and also scripts for films and television. He also was the author of mystery novels.

In 2012, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Hollywood film organization Cinecon, which was presented to him in person by his once often co-star Debbie Reynolds.

He is survived by his nieces Lesley Phelps and Mrs. Michael Hall Axt, a close cousin Barbara Gallett, several other cousins and his longtime friend Alan Eichler.

ANNA NATEECE LeNOBEL fur designer to the stars died on Saturday, January 16, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was 84.

A native of Athens, Greece. When she won a 1962 fashion competition she created an entire wardrobe for the world cruise of HRH Frederika of Hanover, the Queen of Greece. Later she was fashion designer to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and fur designer for Liberace.

After a divorce from her first husband she moved to Las Vegas in 1970 with her children.

In Vegas she married fur purveyor Ray LeNobel who immediately recognized Anna’s exotic fur designs as genius, and her charisma as infectious. LeNobel created the Anna Nateece brand, opening fur studios in the Riviera, Dunes and Caesar’s Palace hotels.

Liberace first visited her studio in 1972, beginning one of the most influential alliances in show business history. For Liberace Anna created the Black Diamond Mink Cape in 1975, then surpassed it when she constructed the Shadow Fox Train Coat, the most expensive fur in history and the most elaborate of Liberace’s legendary fur collection. Her client list grew to include Dionne Warwick, Siegfried and Roy, Liza Minelli, Cyd Charisse, Naiomi Campbell, Mike Tyson and dozens of other celebrities. Elaborate Nateece designs adorned boxing promoter Don King, then his stable of fighters, creating the genre now also a tradition in hip hop. Sharon Stone wore Nateece in the 1996 film Casino, playing the character based on real Las Vegan Geri Rosenthal, for whom Anna also designed furs. Her Azure Mink Cape created for Liberace in 1978 was requested by the New York MET for exhibit at the 2019 Met Gala, to which many stars wore costumes in tribute to Nateece works for Liberace. The New York Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology calls Anna Nateece “One of the premiere furriers of the 20th century.” Her coats remain prized possessions of the glitterati around the world.

Anna was the longest serving costume designer of Liberace, and was instrumental at the Liberace Museum.

Anna is survived by her siblings Dimitrios Kalkantzakos, Eleni Tsitsinakis and John Kalkas of Las Vegas; her children Michael Nateece of Dana Point, California; Danny Nateece Natsis and Stephanie Nateece Natsis of Las Vegas; her grandchildren Brittany Nateece Soroudi and her husband Benjamin Soroudi, Skye Nateece Hosman and Apollo Nateece Natsis; and by great-grandchildren Sophia and Wylder Soroudi.

Services Friday, February 4th at Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Las Vegas.

Next Column: February 13, 2022
Copyright: February 6, 2022 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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