Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: February 7, 2021
By: Laura Deni
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FALLING STARS BY PETER POLYCARPOU IS AN UPLIFTING, PERFECT PRODUCTION

Peter Polycarpou and Sally Ann Triplett in Falling Stars. Production Photo

Falling Stars conceived and written by stage and screen star Peter Polycarpou who performs with Sally Ann Triplett is an elegant musical presentation, which is a soothing balm for this Covid-19 era.

Polycarpou is an Olivier Award nominee, the first actor to play the role of John in the musical Miss Saigon in London. He was an original cast member of the musical Les Misérables, and has played The Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera.

Sally Ann Triplett (who has been volunteering in 6-hour shifts at a vaccination center in London) has appeared as Rizzo in Grease; as Ruby Keller in Jolson The Musical; Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes; Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls; Roxie Hart in Chicago and on Broadway as Sue Snell in Carrie- The Musical.

The Falling Stars song cycle is an homage to the composers, collaborators, and publishers of the 1920s, who created some of the greatest music of all time. In the show Polycarpou comments, that Falling Stars is a collection of songs written just after another pandemic - the influenza pandemic of 1918, which killed between 30-50 million people worldwide - that's one in three - followed by World War I.

And why did the 1920s roar like they did? Because the music of The Charleston, The Tango and The Foxtrot were an escape from the awful social nightmare of the modern world. These songs are a reminder of a time when song writing was both a craft and a blessed escape.

Just what we need right now. Falling Stars is gloriously perfect. Falling Stars would be perfect as a PBS Great Performances presentation. PBS tends to engage in re-running shows and Falling Stars would never get old. This production also skews to the over 35-years demographics of the Great Performances viewer.

The title Falling Stars is taken from Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator.

Beautifully set in an antique store where Polycarpou discovers a dusty, old, somewhat tattered songbook. He bargains down the price by singing a song, which becomes the basis of this show which is part a fascinating tutorial with juicy tidbits about the composers (Charlie Chaplin couldn't read sheet music but penned hit songs Smile; Eternity and This Is My Song) and their associates as well as songs and snippets of music associated with the golden age of songwriting,

The tasteful costumes add without distracting. The sparse but important scenery is interesting, moody, almost sepia, by set designer Jean Grey, sumptuously lit in what deserves to be award winning lighting design by Andrew Exeter.

The high quality two camera shoot was expertly directed by Michael Strassen and associate director Paul Nicholas.

Polycarpou and Triplett have voices which bring depth and warmth to songs and song snippets both well known and obscure by Chaplin, Irving Berlin, Buddy De-Silva, Ray Henderson, Vincent Youmans, Carl Schraubstader, Arthur Freed, and Meredith Willson.

Real talent shines without a proliferation of special effects to camouflage mediocrity. Two exceptional singers backed by a piano whose keys are tickled to perfection by Mark Dickman.

Simply exquisite sound design by James Critcher. This is a production which you can repeatedly watch without getting bored. Enjoy by yourself, with a loved one or in a (masked covered) crowded room. This production will touch, captivate, entertain and make you glad you spent an hour with this show. By the way, the hour just flies by.

This is a flawless production produced by Thomas Hopkins of Ginger Quiff Media.

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ART AND ABOUT

WAYNE THIEBAUD 100: PAINTINGS, PRINTS AND DRAWINGS

Candied Apples by Wayne Thiebaud. His nostalgic conception of candied apples references the artist's fondly remembered youth. Thiebaud attempts to capture a quickly vanishing America whose simple symbols of hope evoke the persistent possibility of the American Dream.

opened February 6, 2021, at Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio.

In celebration of Thiebaud’s 100th birthday in 2020, the exhibition brings together works from the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California, as well as works from the Thiebaud family, many of which have never been publicly on view.

Known primarily for his colorful and captivating depictions of cakes and desserts, Thiebaud has also explored still lifes, figural studies, landscapes and urban environments. Wayne Thiebaud 100 is curated by Scott A. Shields, associate director and chief curator at the Crocker Art Museum, which has collected the artist’s work since early in his career.

“Wayne Thiebaud’s works are a visual feast and highly accessible, which means they will appeal to audiences of all ages,” said Diane C. Wright, TMA’s interim director of curatorial affairs. “Yet when you look closely at Thiebaud’s paintings, prints and drawings, you see that they are so much more than realistic depictions of food and everyday scenes. They are layered with his personal interpretations and feelings about the human influences on objects and places that might otherwise be ordinary, but in his hands become something more.”

The Crocker Museum has hosted a Thiebaud exhibition every decade, beginning with the artist’s first solo show in 1951. Drawing on the Crocker’s extensive Thiebaud holdings, Wayne Thiebaud 100 showcases the full range of his work in painting, prints and drawings. The Toledo Museum of Art holds two popular food works by Thiebaud in its collection: the painting “Roast Beef Dinner (Trucker’s Supper)” (1963) and the print “Candied Apples” (1964).

Pies, Pies, Pies, one of Thiebaud’s most iconic works, is emblematic of the style he is most known for; a familiar dessert laid out tantalizingly on a diner counter. It showcases his fascination with the man-made; each slice of pie has been meticulously processed and manipulated to tempt us to enjoy it. But Thiebaud also explored still lifes of single objects, like his Watermelon with Knife, which differ greatly from more traditional, multi-object still lifes. In his depictions of human figures, like Betty Jean Thiebaud and Book, Thiebaud stays closer to the realism of his subject yet still layers his interpretation of time and personal history onto the figure. His city scenes, which he conceives through an assembly of sketches that he combines into fully realized paintings and prints, showcase intimate details that imply human presence and impact, rendering what could be a scene of isolation into something deeper.

With his use of bright colors and patterns, and his depiction of quintessential post-war consumer culture, Thiebaud is often categorized as a Pop artist. However, his interest in a sumptuous painterly technique - rather than mechanical reproduction and serialization - sets him apart from traditional Pop artists like Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.

Born in Mesa, Arizona, in 1920, Thiebaud moved with his family to Southern California as a young child. His early experience as a professional artist included drawing for Walt Disney Studios and the U.S. Army as a cartoonist. He subsequently received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from California State University, Sacramento, and went on to teach art for more than 30 years at the University of California, Davis. Thiebaud’s work is included in major museums and institutions throughout the U.S. and has been the subject of numerous exhibitions. In 1994, President Clinton presented him with the National Medal of Arts award, the highest honor awarded to artists and patrons of the arts by the United States government.

Running through May 2, 2021.

GOYA'S GRAPHIC IMAGINATION Regarded as one of the most remarkable artists from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Francisco Goya (1746–1828) is renowned for his prolific activity as a draftsman and printmaker, producing about nine hundred drawings and three hundred prints during his long career. Through his drawings and prints, he expressed his political liberalism, criticism of superstition, and distaste for intellectual oppression in unique and compelling ways.

This exhibition explores Goya's graphic imagination and how his drawings and prints allowed him to share his complex ideas and respond to the turbulent social and political changes occurring in the world around him. The broadly chronological presentation will follow Goya's evolution and different phases as a graphic artist as well as his approaches to his subjects.

Around one hundred works on display will come mainly from The Met collection - one of the most outstanding collections of Goya's drawings and prints outside Spain - with other works coming from New York, Boston, and Madrid’s Museo Nacional del Prado and the Biblioteca Nacional.

On view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City.

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SWEET CHARITY

COMEDY GIVES BACK the nonprofit safety net for the comedy community, is giving out 400 grants in the month of February from the Comedy Gives Back COVID-19 BIPOC Stand Up Comedian Emergency Relief Fund.

Off the heels of Comedy Gives Back’s first comedy show in Clubhouse App with over a thousand audience members, Comedy Gives Back will be hosting several additional events to raise awareness of the grants as well as additional funds. Events include: Celebrity hosted comedy nights, partner hosted events, Clubhouse comedy shows as well as “How to apply” rooms. In addition, Comedy Gives Back will host two virtual gatherings in the month of February which will be thematically programmed to address the needs of the BIPOC comedy community. The #standup4BIPOC campaign is supported across social media by over 100 comedians who participated in Comedy Gives Back Laugh Aid and the holiday song and music video Christmas Magic.

Grants are first come, first served. Applications will be processed in the order they are received, and funds are limited.

Founded by Zoe Friedman, Amber J. Lawson and Jodi Lieberman and modeled on the excellent work done by charitable organizations like MusiCares and The Actor’s Fund, Comedy Gives Back, creates a safety net for the comedy community in times of need. The Comedy Gives Back board is made up of an array of comedy industry leaders including Dave Becky (3 Arts), Judi Brown-Marmel (Levity), Budd Friedman (Improv), Daniel Kellison (JASH), Joanna Scott (UTA), Maria Lapides (Lapides Mgmt), Richard Lewis (comic), Harold Owens (Musicares), Dave Rath (Imagine Artists), Melanie Truhett (Truhett Mgmt), Geof Wills (Live Nation) and new board members Kellyn Parker (ABC Studios) and Marcie Cleary (Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC).

"Comedy Gives Back supports stand-up comedians in times of need. Whether its financial relief grants or help accessing mental health and substance abuse resources, Comedy Gives Back will be there to help. Every day, comedians work without a safety net. On stage, that’s comedy. Off stage, that’s tragedy. Comedy Gives Back is changing that!!!"

SPREADING THE WORD

INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE opens its 36th season with a virtual presentation of Art, a heady, hilarious look at the bonds of friendship viewed through the prism of modern art. Yasmina Reza’s multiple award-winning play, translated from the French by playwright/screenwriter Christopher Hampton, begins streaming on Thursday, February 18 and will remain available on demand every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday through March 7.

How much would you pay for a painting that was a white canvas? Would it be “art”? What would your friends think of it — and of you, for buying it?

When Serge (Brent Schindele,) purchases an all-white painting for €200,000, his longtime friendship with Marc (Michael Uribes and Yvan (Brian Stanton) is put to the test. As the arguments quickly go from theoretical to personal to confrontational and friendship hangs in the balance, the question becomes: how much is a painting worth?

In addition to winning two Molière Awards (France's most prestigious drama prize) and Broadway’s Tony Award for best new play, Art also enjoyed a six-year run in London, where it received a Laurence Olivier award for comedy. Reza was surprised by the category for this award, noting, “I thought I had written a tragedy.”

The creative team behind ICT’s streaming version of Art includes costume designer Kim DeShazo, projections and sound designer Dave Mickey, wig designer Anthony Gagliardi, prop master Patty Briles; video editor Mike Bradecich; casting director Michael Donovan; and stage manager Donna Parsons.

LILEANA BLAIN-CRUZ IN CONVERSATION: ON DIRECTING part of the LCT Spotlight Series takes place Thursday, February 11 at 7PM EST.

Ms. Blain-Cruz, a Resident Director at Lincoln Center Theater, will be joined by fellow directors: Garrett Allen, Sarah Benson and Lila Neugebauer, who will discuss their work and their hopes for the future of the theater in a post-pandemic world.

A free Zoom event.

MAKING DO: THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON EXHIBITING ART part of MetSpeaks takes place Wednesday, February 10, 6-7pm EST.

Join a panel of leading professionals from South and Central America for a discussion about the art world in the time of COVID-19. The range of topics includes museum closures, travel restrictions, and the value of culture during a crisis. The title "Making Do" is inspired by Michel de Certeau's text The Practice of Everyday Life (1980) and here refers to the drive to persevere through nonideal circumstances. Please note: This event is offered in Spanish with English subtitles. It is prerecorded.

Watch on YouTube or Facebook. Note: No login required.

CAFE AMERICA by Tony award winner George Faison, followed by a conversation with the choreographer himself and the trio of three dancers, Jose Costas, Pedro Ruiz, and Eduardo Vilaro.

Café America is a bittersweet envisioning of the "American Dream." Three immigrants make their way to a new life dawned in brilliant-colored suits with a sense of determination evoked by Faison's expansive, jazzy choreography.

Choreography by George Faison; Music by Ruben Blades and Julio Iglesias; Set Design by Pepon Osorio; Costume Design by Bernard Johnson; Lighting Design by Tim Hunter; Dancers: Jose Costas, Pedro Ruiz, Eduardo Vilaro, and Amir Levy.

Part of Ballet Hispánico's B Unidos Facebook Watch Party Series celebrating their 50th anniversary.

February 10, 2021 at 7:30pm EST, followed by conversation with Tony Award-winning choreographer George Faison - available atballethispanico.org, and on YouTube and Facebook.

AIDA by Verdi. Performed by the Russian State opera.

Verdi’s Aida brings ancient Egypt on stage with evolving love story at the backdrop of war. Aida is a gripping love story that will keep you on the edge of your seats until the very end. The brand-new production guarantees to dazzle you with sumptuous sets and splendid new costumes. Aida is an unforgettable, inspiring experience.

Aria such as ‘Se quel Guerrier io fossi!’ sung by Radames in the first act is one of the most famous arias of the operatic world. The most powerful melody comes in the second part of the Opera in the form of Triumphal March to highlight victory and triumph.

February 9-10 ay Dubai Opera in Dubai, UAE.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM by William Shakespeare. Starting Friday, February 12, 2021, just in time for Valentine’s Day weekend, the illustrious actors in The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program will expertly perform William Shakespeare’s magical comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream in an online production directed by Sam White.

The production will be available to view through The Old Globe’s website and YouTube channel.

YOUNG PEOPLE ARE COVID-19 SPREADERS according to research conducted by the Imperial College in London COVID-19 Response Team, the Department of Mathematics and the University of Oxford.

An estimated two in three COVID-19 cases were transmitted by adults aged 20-49 according to the new report.

by the Imperial College London They concluded that people between ages 20-49 were responsible for 72% of Covid-19 transmissions in America between February and October 2020.

Only a small percentage (1.2%) of COVID-19 cases were transmitted from young children aged 0-9 years.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

LAS VEGAS TOURISM IMPROVES as it is reported that some Vegas hotels were at 50% occupancy over Super Bowl Week-end, which was greater than New Year's Eve occupancy.

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GOODSPEED after an extensive national search, Goodspeed Musicals’ Board of Trustees announced that they have selected Donna Lynn Hilton as the new Artistic Director and David B. Byrd as the new Managing Director of the two-time Tony Award-winning theatre. Ms. Hilton and Mr. Byrd will succeed Michael Gennaro, Goodspeed’s Executive Director, who retired at the end of 2020.

Hilton becomes the first woman to lead the internationally acclaimed theatre. Byrd represents new generation of theatre managers.

Ms. Hilton, who will begin immediately as Goodspeed’s first Artistic Director, said, “I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to lead the theatre that has been my creative home for so long – particularly at this moment, when all we know has been put to the test - and I am excited to welcome David B. Byrd as my partner. It is important to us both that Goodspeed prioritize providing a welcoming and safe environment for diverse voices. Despite the devastating impacts of the pandemic, I am confident that Goodspeed will emerge transformed and well positioned to build on our great legacy of developing, producing and introducing to the world exceptional musical theatre."

Mr. Byrd, who will join Goodspeed in a few weeks, shared his thoughts about becoming the institution’s first Managing Director. “I have long admired Goodspeed Musicals and its rich history of nurturing new works and creating exceptional musical theatre experiences. I feel honored to join a team of stellar artists, artisans and theatre makers during this most important time for our industry and society at large.”

Donna Lynn and her husband, Sound Designer Jay Hilton, make their home in Hadlyme with two rescue Border Collie mixes, Cookie and Macy. In her free time, Donna Lynn enjoys gardening, cooking, traveling and entertaining family, friends and colleagues from around the world.

David and his husband Jeff Stanley are proud dads of two senior rescue dogs, Maddie (Bluetick Beagle) and Queenie (German Shorthaired Pointer) and count regular hikes through the woods as a favorite pastime. When not in a theatre, David enjoys making things grow – he gratefully received his grandfather’s green thumb.

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.

FINAL OVATION

HAL HOLBROOK a Tony Award winner best known for portraying Mark Twain died January 23,, 2021. He was 95.

Holbrook's career spanned stage, television and movies. He won Tony and Emmy awards and, at 82, was nominated for an Oscar for his role as a lonely widower in Into the Wild in 2008.

He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1966 for his portrayal of Twain. He would continue to perform his signature role for over 60 years, only retiring the show in 2017 due to his failing health. Throughout his career, he also won five Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on television and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in film.

Holbrook made his film debut in Sidney Lumet's The Group (1966). He later gained international fame for his performance as Deep Throat in the 1976 film All the President's Men. He played Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 miniseries Lincoln and 1985 miniseries North and South. He has also appeared in such films as Julia (1977), The Fog (1980), Creepshow (1982), Wall Street (1987), The Firm (1993), Hercules (1997), and Men of Honor (2000).

Holbrook's role as Ron Franz in Sean Penn's Into the Wild (2007) earned him both Academy Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. In 2009, Holbrook received critical acclaim for his performance as recently retired farmer Abner Meecham in the independent film That Evening Sun. He also portrayed Francis Preston Blair in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln (2012).

In 2003, Holbrook was honored with the National Humanities Medal by President George W. Bush.

Holbrook was married three times and had three children. He married a Newfoundlander, Ruby Elaine Johnston, in 1945, and they had two children. They divorced in 1965. In 1966, he married Carol Eve Rossen. They had one child and they divorced in 1983. Holbrook married actress and singer Dixie Carter in 1984 and the couple remained married until Carter's death from endometrial cancer on April 10, 2010.

CHRISTOPHER PULMMER an Oscar winning actor whose career spanned seven decades died February 5, 2021 at his home in Connecticut. He was 91.

. Plummer made his Broadway debut in 1954, and continued to act in leading roles on stage playing Cyrano de Bergerac in Cyrano (1974), Iago in Othello, as well as playing the titular roles in Macbeth, King Lear, and Barrymore. Plummer also performed in stage productions J.B., No Man's Land, and Inherit the Wind.

He gained everlasting international fame as Capt. Von Trapp in The Sound of Music.

He received an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a British Academy Film Award; he is one of the few performers to receive the Triple Crown of Acting, and the only Canadian. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the age of 82 for Beginners (2010), becoming the oldest person to win an acting award, and he received a nomination at the age of 88 for All the Money in the World, making him the oldest person to be nominated in an acting category.

He is survived by his third wife Elaine Taylor and his daughter, actress Amanda Plummer.

Next Column: February 14, 2021
Copyright: February 7, 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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