Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: January 2, 2022
By: Laura Deni
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UNDERSTUDIES, SWINGS, STANDBYS STEP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

Hugh Jackman

Just when Broadway got up and running along came the latest Covid variant, Omicron, to take over star billing.

Call in the relief players.

Being cast as an understudy, standby or especially a swing is considered the hardest job on Broadway. The pay isn't even that great. Furthermore, few people ever remember your name. Sure, there have been a few isolated examples of where the understudy has stepped in for the leading lady and become a star. Sutton Foster, for example, understudied the lead in Thoroughly Modern Millie and used the performance opportunity to skyrocket into stardom.

Last week Foster came down with a positive COVID-19 test and her understudy took over.

Hugh Jackman who stars in The Music Man as professor Harold Hill praised the substitute co-star's performance in a video that went viral. He complimented swing Kathy Voytko, who went on with less than a day’s notice and little to nothing rehearsal for the lead role of Marian Paroo in The Music Man at The Wintergarden Theatre. Voytko was filling in forFoster “They’ve watched from the corner of a room while we rehearse,” Jackman said to the audience after their closing bows. “They just get to watch and write notes. And then, five hours before a performance, they’re told, you’re on.”

Then Jackman came down with the variant and isn't slated to return to the production until January 6, 2022.

In a video on his own Instagram, Jackman shared, "I just wanted you to hear it from me that I tested positive this morning for COVID. My symptoms are like a cold, either a scratchy throat and a bit of a runny nose… I'm just going to do everything I can to get better ASAP, and as soon as I'm cleared, I'll be back on stage and heading to River City…Please stay safe, be healthy, be kind."

The Music Man has canceled performances through January 1, 2022, and intends to resume January 2 with a different actor as Harold Hill until Jackman returns.

Every major production will have understudies, standbys and swings.

The general consumer tends to use understudy as a blanket term, but there are specific definitions for understudy, standby and swings:

An understudy covers the star role and also appears usually a smaller or ensemble role within the main cast of a production.

Standby is an actor who literally stands by off stage in case a star - leading performer - needs to miss a or leave a show mid performance. A standby knows the lines and movements for one lead character.

A swing is a demanding position. A performer who is prepared to play multiple parts in the show (as many as 12) , sometimes with only a moment's notice.

For the purposes of this article the terms are used interchangeably.

For instance, Jennifer Blood is the swing for Broadway’s Girl From The North Country, which means she understudies three principal roles and also covers the two female ensemble parts.

These talented performers have helped to keep some Broadway shows open - in a period where customers don't know if their show will take place until the curtain rises. If the curtain does lift, the names in the playbill may not be the ones on stage.

Last Sunday, December 26, eight of the 12 roles in the musical Come From Away at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre were performed by understudies, swings, and a national tour performer.

On Facebook, David Hein, co-creator of the show wrote chortled: “Bit of a miracle show today: 8 standby’s!!!!!!!!! – including friends from the tour and those who have left Broadway but are returning to support this community and make it all happen. Please read these names because they are ALL rockstars. (& props to the costume, stage/general/company management, producers, health & safety & sound/light teams too – all incredible).”

Those who exemplified "the show must go on" attitude were: Pearl Sun, Tony LePage, Monette McKay, Marika Aubrey, Julie Reiber, Holly Ann Butler, Johnellison and Happy McPartlin who joined the still standing, healthy cast members De’Lon Grant, Paul Whitty, Caesar Samayoa and James Seol in keeping the show open.

In a spot check of other productions:

Tatiana Lofton will be on as Ronnette in Little Shop of Horrors December 29th through Sunday, January 2, 2022. Other step up to the plate Little Shop occurrances: Steven Cuevas picked up the baton and made his conducting debut onLittle Shop December 29. Evan Alexander Smith was Seymour December 21-26 with Josh Daniel in the role December 29-January 2, 2022. On December 19 he took to the stage as Orin. Jana Djenne Jackson appeared as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors on December 30.

Kayla Devion appeared as Tina in Tina: The Broadway Musical on December 27.

On the same date Chiara Trentalange was Kate in North Country; Taila Robinson as Alana in Dear Evan Hansen and was Zoe Murphy on December 17.

Blake Russel performed as Phillip in Slave Play December 22 and Ashley Loren played Satine in Moulin Rouge December 22.

The Swings in Moulin Rouge are: Joe Beauregard, Mia Deweese, Cameron Mitchell Jackson, Tilly Evans-Krueger, Tasia Jungbauer, Kara Menendez, Dylan Paul, Brandon Stonestreet, and Travis Ward-Osborne. Kevin Curtin is the understudy for Baby Doll and and Karli Dinardo is Dance Captain and Swing.

Trent Saunder took to the stage as Larry in Hadestown and had previously played Orpheus through December 18. The show did cancel performances, reopening on December 29 at the Walter Kerr Theatre.

Karla Garcia and Kamille Upshaw are swings in Lin-Manuel Miranda's award-winning Hamilton. However, with Covid running rampant Hamilton, which did drop several Broadway performances, has canceled national tour performances at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles through January 23, 2022 with shows resuming on January 26.

In Australia, Sydney performances of Hamilton, which were stopped December 22 due to a Covid outbreak, are scheduled to resume on January 5, 2022. In addition to Hamilton, productions of Come From Away; Jagged Little Pill; A Chorus Line; Frozen the Musical and Opera Australia have all experienced major outbreaks and Sydney festival show Qween Lear, a musical adaptation of King Lear that was intended to open at the Hordern Pavilion on January 7, has cancelled the entire run due to a Covid outbreak among the cast.

The State Theatre Company of South Australia is presenting its Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Sydney Opera House from January 13 and is co-presenting the musical Girl from the North Country at the Theatre Royal from January 5, 2022.

“We have understudies for every role in Girl From the North Country and we are bringing in understudies for Virginia Woolf. This is an extra cost of around $60,000 to $100,000 for theatre companies,” the company’s artistic director, Mitchell Butel told the press.

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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

DOPPELGANGER IN DECENTRALAND is the Toledo Mmuseum of Art's first metaverse project related to a current exhibition.

Doppelgänger in Decentraland, an immersive new facet of artist Stan Douglas’ acclaimed film on the metaverse platform Decentraland.org. Doppelgänger (2019), which is on view at the Toledo Museum of Art through May 15, 2022, has evolved into a digital dimension in the metaverse, enabling audiences to unlock a novel experience of the artist’s visionary work.

Avatars in Decentraland are able to teleport into Doppelgänger and the spaces where critical parts of the film’s narrative unfold. Just as Doppelgänger is inspired by science fiction, the metaverse allows audiences to think beyond physical limitations and imagine new possibilities. Doppelgänger in Decentraland was produced in partnership with the artist, creative development studio Parameta and metaverse building firm Polygonal Mind.

“We at the Toledo Museum of Art believe it is important to engage emerging experiential opportunities in the digital realm, responding to the shifting currents of contemporary art, culture and technology,” said Adam M. Levine, TMA’s Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey director and CEO. “With multiple points of entry and diverse approaches to storytelling, Stan Douglas’s work ideally lent itself to expand the definitions of materiality and experimentation with this bold new frontier for art making and participation.”

Doppelgänger follows an astronaut named Alice who embarks on a solitary outer space mission. When Alice’s ship unexpectedly turns around, she presumes she has returned to Earth, but instead she arrives at another realm, the exact reverse of her true home. In one version, Alice is welcomed and provided support upon her return, while in the other Alice is received as a potential hostile threat.

A non-profit owned collectively by its users, Decentraland is a virtual world using the Ethereum blockchain, where visitors can attend events such as concerts or art exhibitions as avatars, interact and purchase digital real estate as NFTs (non-fungible tokens).

Anyone with a computer and internet can experience Decentraland as a guest. For the full Doppelgänger in Decentraland experience, users will need a digital wallet.

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SENSATIONAL ZACHARY JAMES RINGS IN 2022 WITH A MEMORABLE PERFORMANCE

Zachary James

I had my New Year's Day all planned out and it didn't include Zachary James. Then along came information that "due to the steep rise in COVID-19 cases and the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, Opera Saratoga and Proctors Collaborative have made the difficult decision to cancel their live concert at UPH on New Years Eve.

"In lieu of the live concert, Zachary James and (pianist) Laurie Rogers will video recorded the program at UPH, and A New Years Celebration With Zachary James will be been made available as a free video broadcast on New Year's Day. Access to the free video ise available through January 8th."

I decided that if they were going to go to all that trouble I'd rearrange my schedule to watch the concert. As far as I was concerned, this had better be good, because I'm going to a lot of trouble to view it.

Laurence Edelson Artistic and Concert director of Opera Saratoga welcomes the audience.

The voice of Zachary James? Awesome, gorgeous, full bodied - wide-ranging - emotional - tremendous - splendid.

A New Years Celebration With Zachary James is a lovely way to bring in 2022.

On Broadway Bass Baritone Zachary James created the role of Lurch in The Addams Family, and has also been seen in South Pacific and Coram Boy, while his Off-Broadway credits include The Most Happy Fella; Irma La Douce; Sweeney Todd and The Pirates of Penzance. On the opera stage, Zachary has performed across the globe, including at the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, Teatro Real, Opera Philadelphia, LA Opera, Opera Queensland, Arizona Opera, Virginia Opera, Nashville Opera, Anchorage Opera, Central City Opera, and more. Zachary has recorded multiple solo albums including his most recent Christmas release, Wonder and Joy.

Zachary is joined by pianist Laurie Rogers, who recently celebrated her tenth anniversary as Opera Saratoga’s Head of Music Staff and Director of the company’s Young Artist Program. Laurie has served as Associate Conductor with LA Opera and has prepared productions for San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, Minnesota Opera, American Lyric Theater, Wolf Trap Opera, Utah Opera, Arizona Opera, and Washington National Opera, among many others. In addition to her role at Opera Saratoga, she currently serves as the Music Director for Opera at The Peabody Institute, and conducts and concertizes nationally.

This concert has Zachary James and his gorgeous voice performing well know and memorable Broadway songs. He stands on a red and white flower decorated stage next to the Baldwin piano played to perfection by Laurie Rogers.

Verifying that if you really do have talent - in this case - a great voice - you don't need extraneous trappings.

Opening with Pure Imagination he then welcomes the at home audience to this New Year's Eve party. The next selection is the appropriate What Are You Doing New Years?

My Favorite Things is fast tempo. He plays respects to the late Stephen Sondheim with selections from West Side Story.

Changing from all black into a white tux jacket with black lapels he explodes with Sixteen Tons a song made famous by the late Tennessee Ernie Ford, which showcases James' powerful lower register.

Who Can I Turn To? shifts the emotional climate followed by an upbeat Just In Time.

The Boulevard of Broken Dreams is a higher register offering enticing visions of tangos and romantic torment.

Embraceable You is another change of tempo and mood. You'll wish you were dancing with Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly or your favorite love.

He appeared in South Pacific for over a year on Broadway and delivers two songs from that Rodgers and Hammerstein musical - Some Enchanted Evening and the anguished This Nearly Was Mine.

Now appearing in a fancy black jacket, his tender renditions of If I Loved You /If Ever I Would Leave You continues the romantic theme.

You'll Never Walk Alone is his powerfully emotional tribute to the unusual times we have all been experiencing.

A sensitive rendition of No-one Is Alone follows, seguing back into You'll Never Walk Alone.

The Impossible Dream is the initial closing of the standing ovation deserving performance.

Again saluting Stephen Sondheim with a musical glimpse into a Sondheim retrospective that he announced will be presented this summer followed by an encore selection of Over The Rainbow.

Effective lighting; great arrangements, well thought out costumes changes and musical selections which are nothing short of total perfection.

Would love to have this performance turned into an album. For somebody who had "other things to do" last New Years Day, I could repeatedly enjoy this concert.

This is a performance that you may well want to view more than once. It's just that entertaining. There is no limit to how many times you can enjoy the performance, which is available free of charge through January 8, 2022. Easy access just go to Opera Saratoga org's website.

SPREADING THE WORD

DETOUR THEATRE COMPANY will present Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka January 7–9, 2022 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Detour Company Theatre provides theater training and performance experiences for adults with developmental, intellectual and physical disabilities, providing them authentic opportunities to develop artistry, demonstrate courage and collaboration, experience joy and participate in the sharing of musical theater with the entire community.

In this Roald Dahl classic, the delicious adventures of Charlie Bucket are set to songs from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder and all-new songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. After nabbing their own golden tickets, Charlie and friends must navigate their way through a saccharine sweet story and find the real reason they were all brought together. The performance is fun for young and old, those who remember this classic tale, and those who are coming down the chocolate river for the first time.

The talented and dedicated community of artists at Detour Company Theatre live with a variety of disabilities, and they refuse to be silenced by their diagnoses.

“We want to shine onstage in Arizona,” said Willy Wonka actor LJ LaVancil. “You can’t limit our disabilities, what we want to achieve, what we want to do. We want to educate and inspire, and we are entertainers.”

Detour creates a vital space for honing creativity, building community and shaping social progress. Detour is committed to elevating the voices of their artists by making theater and drama truly accessible for a community that is severely underrepresented in visual and performing arts.

“Accessibility is about eliminating the obstacles that systemically prevent marginalized people from participating and purposefully creating a space for them to thrive,” said Detour’s artistic director, LaRiche Lamar. “It requires that we pinpoint our preconceived ideas of what is normal and open our minds to what is beautifully true. We are diverse. We are unique. We are worthy of the space to be ourselves.”

Detour Company Theatre stages its productions in June and January of each year at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, where Detour is a resident company. Natalie Marsh, director of Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, said that making the arts accessible for all is a core component of the organization and that it’s partnerships like this, with Detour Company Theatre, that allow the arts to be welcoming for everyone who wants to thrive in their own spotlight.

Admission is free for all productions, but donations are accepted.

RED BULL THEATER has announced that it video captured the closing performance of its acclaimed Off-Broadway production of The Alchemist for on-demand streaming.

The World Premiere adaptation of Ben Jonson’s classic comedy, by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by Jesse Berger, the team that created the hit comedy The Government Inspector, played its final performance on Sunday December 19, 2021.

"Over the past twenty months, in the midst of a global shutdown, we shared our work online in meaningful ways with more than 200,000 people from areas near and far. We plan to continue to provide these online-only experiences that help to serve our mission to revitalize the classics for these new audiences. But let’s be honest, we simply can’t wait to share what we do best with them, too. Something that doesn’t involve Zoom boxes. Something that seeks to capture at least a little of the thrill of live, in-person theater. And we think this stream will do just that,” added managing director Jim Bredeson.

Featured in the cast are Nathan Christopher ; Stephen DeRosa; Carson Elrod; Manoel Felciano; Teresa Avia Lim; Jacob Ming-Trent; Louis Mustillo; Reg Rogers; Jennifer Sánchez; and Allen Tedder.

The creative team includes Alexis Distler (scenic design), Tilly Grimes (costumes), Cha See (lighting), Greg Pliska (sound), and Tommy Kurzman (wigs and makeup).

Ben Jonson’s Jacobean jack-in-the-box of a play is a side-splitting, screwball farce of magical proportions. London. 1610. It’s plague time again. When a wealthy gentleman flees to the country, his trusted servant opens his house to a pair of con artists and sets up a den of criminal capitalism. Claiming alchemical powers, the quick-witted trio fleece an onslaught of greedy sheep with their virtuosic ability to improvise amidst increasingly frantic comings and goings. It’s comic gold with dupes, double-dupes, duels, disguises, and a lucky flea named “Lewis.”

FORCE MAJEURE Tim Price's stage adaptation of Ruben Östlund’s award-winning film.

Directed by Artistic Director Michael Longhurst.

Michael Longhurst describes Force Majeure as a ' brilliant and excruciating comedy about the holiday from hell' which follows a family unit tested to breaking point with hilarious and tragic consequences. The cast includes Nathalie Armin, Bo Bragason, Holly Cattle, Raffaelo Degruttola, Florence Hunt, Henry Hunt, Siena Kelly, Rory Kinnear, Lyndsey Marshal, Kwami Odoom, Sule Rimi, Oliver Savell and Arthur Wilson.

Force Majeure features design by Jon Bausor, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound design by Donato Wharton, movement direction by Sasha Milavic Davies and casting by Anna Cooper CDG.

Force Majeure runs at the Donmar in London until February 5, 2022.

THE PROM the Broadway musical that inspired the hit Netflix adaptation. Music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, based on an original concept by Jack Viertel.

Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw.

The Prom is a musical comedy about a small-town Indiana prom, big Broadway stars on a mission to change the world and the love they discover that unites them all.

"In The Prom Emma becomes an instant outcast - and a national headline - when her high school cancels the prom rather than let her attend with her girlfriend. Sensing a chance to correct an injustice -and maybe get some good publicity along the way - a group of fading celebrities takes up the cause, and invades Emma's small Indiana town. But their bumbling attempts at social activism make the situation far worse than they - or Emma - could have ever imagined. Cultures clash and the town erupts in chaos. The community's reputation, Emma's future and the actors' careers, all hang in the balance, until a true hero emerges to save the day. Uproarious and ultimately uplifting, this new musical proves that standing up for yourself - and inspiring others to accept their differences - can make you the star you were always meant to be."

Featuring Courtney Balan, Patrick Wetzel, Bud Weber, Emily Borromeo, Kaden Kearney and Kalyn West.

Performances January 4 –16, 2022 at the Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW (CES) has bowed to the effects of Covid, closing one day early on January 7. The important CES convention now takes place January 5-7 in Las Vegas.

Numerous companies including Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Google, Twitter, AT&T previously announced they were dropping out of in-person attendance. T-Mobile, a major sponsor, said it would not be there in person and that CEO Mike Sievert would not deliver a keynote as scheduled.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

SONY PICTURES has purchased a majority stake in Cardiff, Wales based Bad Wolf, the largest UK production company outside London, and will co-produce Doctor Who with the BBC from 2023.

The investment by Sony Pictures is understood to be between £50m and £60m.

Bad Wolf is a British television production company founded by Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter in 2015, with its headquarters in Cardiff, Wales. The company is responsible for the television series The Night Of, Beddgelert, A Discovery of Witches, and His Dark Materials.

Bad Wolf has created approximately 2,500 jobs and spent £121m on local suppliers between 2015 and 2020. Bad Wolf America was formally set up as a separate Los Angeles-based sister-company in 2019 and is run by Gardner.

The deal also includes the Wolf Studios Wales soundstage facility in Cardiff and Bad Wolf’s 30% stake in Bad Wolf America. The sales agreement was overseen by GCA Altium.

The monikur Bad Wolf refers to an entity in the first series of Doctor Who that was made in Wales.

"We have [another] company called Left Bank Pictures who make The Crown, which is Britain's biggest drama company. And we built that together with the founders of the company over about eight years or so, said Wayne Garvie, Sony Pictures' president of international production.

Tom Ware, director of production and performance at the University of South Wales (USW) told the press: "It has also contributed massively to the development of talent across a wide range of areas - obviously production, but also animation, visual effects and lots of other areas of the screen industries that were here before they came, but Bad Wolf's presence has kick-started their development."

To overcome the frequent shortage of crews, Bad Wolf has developed its own training and worked with education providers to recruit new staff. Ware said more than 100 USW graduates had gone on to work at the production company.

ALL OF THE HOOPLA OVER DR. FAUCI'S RETIREMENT PACKAGE of a reported $350,000 a year isn't as outrageous as it appears. For instance, according to Salary.com. "The average Surgeon salary in the United States is $407,202 as of November 29, 2021, but the range typically falls between $344,364 and $483,282. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession." Fauci has worked for the government for 55 years.

Federal employees who worked as long as Fauci can earn “80 percent of [their] high-3 average salary, plus credit for [their] sick leave” when they retire,Forbes reported, citing the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Considering all of the guff and mud slinging Fauci has to contend with, it seems the retirement figure is appropriate.

Fauci, 81, has indicated that he has no current plans to retire.

SELFRIDGES

Jeremy Piven as Harry Selfridge in Mr. Selfridge.

has been sold for $5 billion to a Thai-Austrian alliance.

Founded in 1908 by US retail magnate Harry Gordon Selfridge, the company is best known for its flagship department store on London's Oxford Street. Selfridges, known for its bright yellow cardboard bags, is home to luxury brands; it even inspired a TV series about the American founder Harry Selfridge, who decided to build the "biggest and finest" department store in the world in 1908.

The British period television drama series Mr Selfridge - which aired in America on PBS, began its first season in 2013, starring Jeremy Piven as Harry Gordon Selfridge.

PBS also purchased a second series that aired in 2014 as part of its Masterpiece Classic. The second series is set in 1914 and portrays the consequence of World War I to the store and staff. On February 21, 2014, it was announced that Mr. Selfridge had been renewed for a third series, to air in 2015. On March 13, 2015, ITV announced Mr Selfridge had been commissioned for a new 10-part fourth and final series.

Another special, Secrets of Selfridges, produced by the independent UK company Pioneer Productions in its "Secrets of Britain" series, was an hour-long documentary about the London store and Harry Selfridge.

The Canadian branch of the billionaire Weston family bought Selfridges for nearly £600m in 2003.

"It is a privilege to be acquiring Selfridges Group, including the flagship Oxford Street store, which has been at the center of London's most famous shopping street for over 100 years," Central Group's chief executive Tos Chirathivat said in a statement regarding the most recent sale.

Selfridges Group employs around 10,000 people and owns 25 stores worldwide, including in major cities in England, Ireland, the Netherlands and Canada.

Signa and Central will take over 18 of the 25 stores. Selfridges Group's seven Holt Renfrew department stores in Canada were not part of the deal and will remain in the ownership of the Weston family.

Selfridges' new owners said they plan to build on the existing brand to develop luxury online stores as well as improving its physical sites.

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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.






QUEEN ELIZABETH'S NEW YEAR'S HONORS LIST include actresses Joanna Lumley and Vanessa Redgrave who have been made Dames.

Absolutely Fabulous star and activist Lumley has been honored for services to drama, entertainment and charity.

Celebrated stage and screen veteran Redgrave has been recognized for services to drama.

Deliverance and Hope and Glory director John Boorman has been knighted, as has pioneering film-maker Horace Ové, the first black Briton to direct a feature film.

Also knighted are fantasy author, Games Workshop co-founder and video game entrepreneur Ian Livingstone for services to the online gaming industry; and writer, broadcaster and former Labour politician Trevor Phillips, for services to equality and human rights.

Other celebrities on the list include dancer Ashley Banjo.

Daniel Craig has been made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.

It is the same honor that the fictional spy himself received, and which author Ian Fleming wrote in the 1957 novel From Russia With Love, was usually given "on retirement from the Secret Service". Craig has "retired" as James Bond with this year's movie No Time to Die,

Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, who are responsible for selecting Craig's successor, have both become CBEs for services to film, drama, philanthropy and skills.

Bloody Sunday film director Paul Greengrass received a CBE, as did Elton John's lyricist Bernie Taupin.

Novelist and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz - whose work includes the Alex Rider spy novel series and Foyle's War - and cookbook author Claudia Roden have both received the same honor for services to literature.

Soap stars - East Enders' June Brown, aka Dot Cotton, and William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow in Coronation Street - have been appointed OBEs, both for services to drama and charity.

Another East Ender, Nitin Ganatra, has been appointed OBE for services to drama, while Corrie star Cherylee Houston who plays Izzy Armstrong has become an MBE for services to drama and people with disabilities.

OBEs have also gone to Scottish pianist Steven Osborne, crime writer Ann Cleeves and Pauline Black from ska band The Selecter.

Spice Girl Melanie Brown - aka Mel B - has become an MBE for her role as patron of domestic abuse charity Women's Aid. Diversity star Ashley Banjo became an MBE for services to dance.

Kate Garraway, the Good Morning Britain host who has documented her husband Derek Draper's long battle with Covid-19, has been appointed MBE for services to broadcasting, journalism and charity.

Other new MBEs include best-selling author Adele Parks for services to literature, and Smooth Radio/Classic FM host Margherita Taylor for services to broadcasting and diversity.

Sports presenter Jill Douglas Hogg has received the same honor for services to sport and charity. The Last Leg host Adam Hills was appointed an MBE for services to Paralympic sport and disability awareness.

FINAL OVATION

HARVEY EVANS Broadway actor, singer and dancer died Christmas Eve, December 24, 2021 at the Actors Fund Home in Inglewood, New Jersey. He was 80.

He appeared in the original Broadway productions of West Side Story; Follies; Hello, Dolly! and Gypsy. He starred opposite Angela Lansbury in Anyone Can Whistle and played Barnaby in Hello, Dolly! opposite Carol Channing, followed by Betty Grable and then Eve Arden.

Evans’ first musical as a dancer on Broadway was New Girl in Town, which starred Gwen Verdon and was choreographed by Bob Fosse.

Evans also was cast by Fosse for Redhead, with Verdon, and the movie of The Pajama Game. Other highlights were starring on Broadway with Henry Fonda and Margaret Hamilton in a revival of Our Town in 1969 and being a standby for Jim Dale in Barnum in the early 1980s. He was a chimney sweep in the 1964 film Mary Poppins which starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.

His later Broadway credits include the mid-1990s revival of Sunset Boulevard; The Scarlet Pimpernel and as an understudy in Oklahoma! in 2002. He also appeared in a cameo in the film Enchanted with Amy Adams in 2007.

MYRNA TORME WILLIAMS respected and long time Las Vegas politician and sister to the famous singer Mel Torme died December 27, 2021, at her home in Henderson, Nevada. She was 92.

Her political career extended from 1985 to 2007 and included 10 years in the Nevada Assembly as well as 12 years in local Clark County (Las Vegas) government.

In 1934 she and her younger brother Mel were enrolled in Chicago's Shakespeare Grammar Schools and, in 1943, Mel was appearing in the movie Higher and Higher. and the family moved to Los Angeles. In 1947 Myrna moved to New York to pursue a career in modeling or in the arts. Six years later she met musician David Williams and, during a second date, they decided to marry. That marriage lasted over 50 years until his death, at age 80, in January 2006.

Williams, born in 1925, played the drums and served as a session musician for a number of top acts, including Frank Sinatra and Sammy David, Jr. during the Rat Pack's Las Vegas performances.

Myrna and David decided to remain permanently in Las Vegas along with their daughter Indy.

Later he played in the backup band for the late jazz singer Mel Torme.

She is survived her daughter Indy and grandson Matthew.

BETTY WHITE the beloved performed died in California on December 31, 2021, just two weeks before her 100th birthday. She was 99.

A pioneer of early television, with a career spanning nine decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment industry. She was among the first women to exert control in front of and behind the camera and the first woman to produce a sitcom - Life with Elizabeth, which contributed to her being named honorary Mayor of Hollywood in 1955. A 2018 documentary about her life called her the First Lady of Television.

White became the first woman to receive the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host for the show Just Men! in 1983. Her most notable roles include Sue Ann Nivens on the CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973–1977), Rose Nylund on the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls (1985–1992), and Elka Ostrovsky on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015). She gained renewed popularity after her appearance in the 2009 romantic comedy film The Proposal (2009) starring alongside Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, and was subsequently the subject of a successful Facebook-based campaign to host Saturday Night Live in 2010, garnering her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

White worked longer in television than anyone else in that medium, earning her a Guinness World Record in 2018. White received eight Emmy Awards in various categories, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was a 1985 Television Hall of Fame inductee.

White also starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of The Lost Valentine on January 30, 2011 (this presentation garnered the highest rating for a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation in the previous four years and according to the Nielsen Media Research TV rating service won first place in the prime time slot for that date).

In 2017, after 70 years in the industry, White was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At age 95, this made her the oldest new member at the time.

White was an animal welfare advocate, who worked with organizations including the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, The Morris Animal Foundation, African Wildlife Foundation, and Actors and Others for Animals. White was the president emerita of the Morris Animal Foundation, where she served as a trustee of the organization beginning in 1971. She was a member of the board of directors of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association since 1974. Additionally, White served the association as a Zoo Commissioner for eight years.

Married three times, she referred to her third husband, television game host Alan Ludden as the love of her life who died from stomach cancer on June 9, 1981, in Los Angeles. While they had no children together, she was a stepmother to three of his children from his first marriage to Margaret McGloin Ludden, who died of cancer in 1961.

"Betty White: 100 Years Young — A Birthday Celebration” will be distributed by Fathom Events and will be shown in 900 cinemas nationwide on what would have been her birthday - January 17, 2022. The show will look at the much-loved actress’ life behind the scenes, as well as her relationships with her friends and staff and her efforts as an animal advocate.

The guest list includes Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Leno, Carol Burnett, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, Valerie Bertinelli, James Corden, Wendie Malick and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Highlight reels from her illustrious career will be featured in the show, along with footage from her appearances on Saturday Night Live and her roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Hot in Cleveland.

White knew of and approved the event and said in a statement: “Who doesn’t love a party?!? This one is gonna be great.”

Next Column: January 9, 2022
Copyright: January 2, 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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