Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: January 24, 2021
By: Laura Deni
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RYAN SHAW PUTS HIS OWN STAMP ON A TRIBUTE TO MARVIN GAYE

Ryan Shaw is a Christmas baby from Georgia, part of the soul-revival movement in music who has been nominated for a Grammy three times, in the category of Best Traditional R&B Performance.

He shared the stage with such artists as Van Halen, Bonnie Raitt, John Legend, B.B. King and Jill Scott. He starred as Judas in the Lyric opera of Chicago's Olivier Award-winning London production of Jesus Christ Superstar, made his Broadway debut in Motown the Music and on London's West End he was the Soul of Michael Jackson in Thriller Live.

Recently Broadway Records has released Ryan Shaw Imagining Marvin - as in Gaye.

Shaw doesn't need to channel anyone to entertain, He can stand on his own notes. However, in this pleasant listen, Shaw showcases Marvin Gaye's hits, along wide Ryan's original songs and features multi Grammy Award winning writers and special guests.

Two of the songs on the 11-track recording are from Gaye - Sexual Healing and Save the Children/Mercy Mercy Me in which the lead in gives the impression it was recorded in front of a live audience, only apparently it wasn't.

The link to Gaye - the imagining part - can be found in the arrangements which are in the style of the late superstar, augmented by Ryan's own fingerprints.

Love in Pain, one of strongest numbers, is also one of the songs in which the talented Ryan had a hand in composing. Ryan's talent as a composer should not be ignored. I'd like to hear more of his compositions.

Sin, also partially penned by Ryan, begins in a slower vein, but the overpowering sound of the music detracts from tender lyrics.

Ryan's lyrics to Choosin' are powerful and inspiring, but again, the musical sound overpowers. The same can be said for Strong Men Can, which begins softly delivering an important message but also hammers it. You want to say - musically - we'd pay more attention if you'd stop lecturing with note sounds which are too loud. Tenderness and vulnerability can be powerful.

I would like to have heard more of a variety in the arrangements and sound levels. In some of the numbers the music too strongly dominates, meaning there is no variation between strong and soft. It's 'send it to the back row' without any variation. Music needs to accompany the lyrics, not overpower.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine is wonderfully, musically well-balanced, solid, toe tappin', hand clappin' Gaye while the closer The Shadow of Your Smile by Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster is different from the hit refrain which comes to mind, (no trumpet solo by Jack Sheldon or anybody else). The new take is enjoyable and lets it be known that Shaw can sing soft and tender.

Vocals: Ryan Shaw.
Music direction, organ and piano Sherdrick Mitchell
Drums - Charles Haynes and Nathaniel Townsley, Keither McCray
Bass - Devaughan Denegall and Dave Johns.
Guitar - Sherrod Barnes.
Percussion - Daniel Sadoenick.
Violin, Viola - Drew Jurecka.
Cello - Lydia Monchimsky.
Background vocals - Avionce Hoyles, Josette Newsom, Larodus Shaw, Vajos Soriano.
Arrangements - Shedrick Mitchell and Ryan Shaw; Bobby Lewis and Drew Jurecka.
Featured guests: Shohana Bean; Pedal Steel Guitar - Robert Randolph; Vocals - Rob Thomas; Guitar - Derek Trucks.
Recording engineers: Elliot Scheiner, recorded at Atomic Sount in Brooklyn, NY. Chris Stoller at Samurai Hotel Recording Studio in Astoria, NY. Chris Parks Kaleidoscope Sound in Union City, NJ. Irving Gadoury and Chris Ku, Manhattan Beach Recording NY, NY.
Assistant Recording engineer Dakota Bowman, Atomic Sound.
Mixing Engineer: Charles Haynes, assisted by Feri Bong, Control Room Mixing Studio, Dartmouth, MA.
Bob Power at Chez Bob, NY, NY.
Mastering Engineer Emily Lazar at The Lodge, NYC assisted by Chris Allgood.

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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

WHY KEEP THAT? explores the decision-making and archival process of collections staff and how everyday objects provide insight and context to historical moments.

Why Keep That?, the latest special exhibition at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, follows the journey of a collection item from the moment it is donated to the Museum, to the decision-making and archival process of our collections staff. To help illustrate, archival staff track the processing and digitization of a collection of 16 objects and share behind-the-scenes information about obtaining the artifacts, processing the items and storing and protecting them. Largely featuring ephemera – objects usually meant to be thrown away, like ticket stubs, advertisements and written scraps – there is a wry sense of irony in objects meant to be short-lived that have lasted 100 years and are now preserved in a museum.

These objects provide a wealth of historical information. Some were only used for their intended purpose and forgotten; others kept as souvenirs. But what they all have in common is the ability to tell the stories of the individuals who acquired them. The objects provide insight into those serving in wartime and context for a historical period shaped by a world in conflict, interpreting a catastrophic global event through human interaction.

“Why Keep That? showcases the Museum and Memorial’s archival collection, that started in 1920, with thoughtful selections of objects that give visitors a good idea of its scope,” said Jonathan Casey, director of archives at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. “I think visitors will come away with an understanding of what an archives collection is and how it is managed and used.”

Highlights of the exhibition include a Barometer of Feelings – a chart which provides a weekly timeline of the war through one woman’s emotional reactions – as well as dance cards, receipts, tickets, coupons and posters, sometimes accompanied by a letter that provides personal context and value to the item.

Why Keep That? is on view in the Ellis Gallery on the Research Center Level of the Museum and Memorial located in Kansas City. Admission to Ellis Gallery is free. Regular hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Museum and Memorial is also open on Mondays.

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SWEET CHARITY

THREE HOTELS a benefit reading starring Tony nominated Bobby Cannavale and Oscar winner Marisa Tomei. Written by Jon Robin Baitz, a two-tine Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Directed by Moisés Kaufman. Produced by Tectonic Theater Project. Benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Premieres Tuesday, January 26 at 8PM ET Available through Saturday, January 30, 2021.

"Written by one of America’s most lauded playwrights, Three Hotels is a deeply human story that unfolds through monologues set in hotel rooms in Morocco, the Virgin Islands and Mexico, as a married couple reflect on their lives as players in the game of international business. The play is a tour de force of humor, tragedy and penetrating insight."

The stream of Three Hotels is free and donations will be accepted for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS at broadwaycares.org/threehotels. Every dollar donated will help those across the country affected by HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and other critical illnesses receive healthy meals, lifesaving medication, emergency financial assistance, housing, counseling and more.

Tectonic Theater Project is a developmental theater company founded by Moisés Kaufman and based in New York City. For nearly 30 years the company has been dedicated to creating new and innovative works for the stage that rigorously explore theatrical language and form while fostering vibrant dialogues with audiences and radical empathy in the global community.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theater community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and other critical illnesses across the United States. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the major supporter of the social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative and the Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway Cares also awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., providing lifesaving medication, healthy meals, counseling and emergency assistance.

SPREADING THE WORD

IRISH REP'S FIRST EVER DIGITAL THEATRE HOME WINTER FESTIVAL featuring all nine of their previously-streamed Performances on Screen running in repertory from January 26 to February 21, 2021.

Their acclaimed Performances on Screen include works by Brian Friel, James Joyce, Conor McPherson, Eugene O’Neill, and more.

The festival also includes special events, including all-new exclusive live digital events and behind-the-scenes videos to be released throughout the festival.

LOOKING BACK AT THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA is next up in LCT's Spotlight Series which will look back at the LCT’s 2005 award winning musical. Featuring original stars Victoria Clark, Matthew Morrison and Kelli O’Hara, the event will be introduced by the production’s director Bartlett Sher and moderated by Ira Weitzman, LCT’s Associate Producer of Musicals.

Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 7pm EST.

A free Zoom event.

LITTLE WARS AND FALLING STARS two new works from the UK, will stream on Broadway On Demand, the theatre-focused streaming platform, beginning February 1, 2021.

Directed by Hannah Chissick, Juliet Stevenson leads an all-star female cast in this streamed production of Steven Carl McCasland’s dinner party drama, Little Wars. Joining Stevenson are Linda Bassett, Debbie Chazen, Natasha Karp, Catherine Russell, Sarah Solemani and Olivier-recipient Sophie Thompson.

Bringing together six exceptional women, Little Wars unites literary lionesses Gertrude Stein (Bassett), her girlfriend Alice B. Toklas (Russell), Dorothy Parker (Chazen), Lillian Hellman (Stevenson) and Agatha Christie (Thompson) with anti-fascist freedom fighter Muriel Gardiner (Solemani), in the most-fantastical, what-if dinner party imaginable. Tensions are high and secrecy hangs in the air, and with libations flowing and the threat of World War II looming, the guests are close to the boiling point.

Little Wars begins streaming on February 1st and is available through February 14th, 2021.

Falling Stars, a celebration of the golden era, is conceived and written by Peter Polycarpou, who is joined by Sally Ann Triplett in this new musical.

Falling Stars, set in an English antique shop, begins with the discovery of a lost songbook filled with the beautiful refrains of a bygone era. This entrancing production includes the earliest songs and forgotten melodies of composers who went on to become the most famous songwriters of the century. Capturing the spirit of the age, Polycarpou and Triplett serenade audiences with the music of Charlie Chaplin, Irving Berlin, Buddy De-Silva, Ray Henderson, Vincent Youmans, Carl Schraubstader, Arthur Freed and Meredith Willson.

Peter Polycarpou makes the connection between this bygone era and the present day. Polycarpou reflects that Falling Stars “is a collection of songs written just after another pandemic—the influenza pandemic of 1918, which killed at least 30 million people worldwide. And why did the 1920’s 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.” The score includes classics such as “Smile,” “What’ll I Do” and the catchy “Yes, We Have No Bananas.”

Falling Stars is directed by Michael Strassen and begins begins streaming on February 1st and is available through February 14th, 2021.

BOLLYWOOD KITCHEN by Sri Rao inspired by his cookbook of the same name, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Written and Performed by Sri Rao. Directed by Arpita Mukherjee.

In this interactive production, Rao invites us to prepare a homemade Indian meal along with him, drawing on the recipes that were staples at his family’s table. As we join him in cooking these delicious dishes in our very own kitchens, Rao interweaves the story of his parents immigrating to America, the joy and nourishment that Bollywood musicals brought to his whole family, and the culinary traditions they shared. Mouthwatering flavors come together with the colorful exuberance of Bollywood films to create a festive and fun virtual experience about rediscovering the comforts of home.

World Premiere produced in association with Hypokrit Theatre Company with shows through Saturday, March 6. Performances Friday at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. PT ad Saturday 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. PT.

Running Time: 75 minutes with no intermission.

PLYMOUTH POINT presented by UK-based entertainment innovators Swamp Motel bringing their uniquely chilling and captivating brand of theater to the US.

A young woman has gone missing, and the residents of Plymouth Point are concerned. The neighborhood’s Residents Watch has invited you to an emergency Zoom meeting for a briefing before you join the search. Piece together the mysterious story behind her disappearance by hunting online for clues to her whereabouts before it’s too late... but be careful not to get caught in the web of conspiracies, cults and corporate deceit that lies ahead.

Plymouth Point is an online-based theatrical adventure, designed as an at-home experience for a team of 2-6 people who are not physically together. Each participant joins on their own computer, with one person sharing their screen with the team. Initial instructions are given in the ticket confirmation email, the Residents Watch meeting begins at the appointed time and then it’s up to your team of sleuths to collectively find the answers. Everything takes place online: players will have to scour social media for clues, crack codes to break into secure websites, and discover secret passwords to solve the mystery, all in 60-75 minutes.

Plymouth Point is performed Wednesday-Sunday at 7:30 pm ET and 9:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm PT, as well as 8:55 pm PT / 11:55 pm ET.

Plymouth Point is devised and directed by Clem Garritty and Ollie Jones and is the first in a three-part trilogy of thrilling online experiences.

Founded by multi-award-winning theater and experience makers Ollie Jones and Clem Garrity, Swamp Motel creates immersive entertainment that blurs the boundaries between theater, film and gaming. By giving audiences a pivotal role within story-worlds, their online experiences combine the artistry of immersive theater with the thrill of an escape room, made for the internet.

In response to the national lockdown in March 2020, Swamp Motel pivoted to translating real-world experiences into online, user-driven entertainment, launching Plymouth Point in the UK in May 2020 to critical acclaim and glowing reviews.

DUBAI, UAE has halted live entertainment in hotels and restaurants after more than 200 Covid-19 rules violations were found at over 20 establishments.

The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing has suspended bands, DJ, dancers, and all live entertainment.

Bands, dancers and DJs had been performing in bars and clubs for socially-distanced crowds.

No projected date for the resumption of entertainment was given as a surge in Covid-19 cases has been reported.

AARON SORKIN AND KRISTIN CHENOWETH he, the Academy Award and four-time Emmy Award winner and she, the Tony and Emmy Award winner, have collaborated to present a master class for the newly created Master’s Program in Screen Acting degree from Oklahoma City University (OCU) and London’s Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA). The two-year program, taught in Los Angeles in year one and in London in year two, will feature master classes led by industry professionals, including Sorkin and Chenoweth, OCU’s most famous alumna. The program, which will prepare graduates to work professionally in film, television and other recorded media. Applications have begun for the program beginning August 2021.

Students will spend their first year at our School of Theatre-Los Angeles location with courses delivered by OCU faculty and guest industry practitioners. We are located in Culver City, surrounded by some of the biggest production studios on the west coast, such as Amazon Studios, Anonymous Content, Jesse James Films, The Culver Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, TriStar Pictures, Apple+ Studios, HBO Studios, and Wonder Street, to name a few.

During this year students will be introduced to a systematic and holistic approach to preparing roles for the screen. Alongside this foundational study of acting technique, students will engage in multiple digital media projects of their own generating, a range of workshops and events with industry professionals, and a research project on an aspect of screen history or Film/TV theory. The year culminates in screening final film projects and a pitching session to industry professionals.

The second year is delivered by OCU and ALRA faculty and staff in London. The primary focus of the second year is the acquisition and application of a range of specific technical skills in voice, movement, stage combat, and improvisation. Students will work on “historically distanced” content, requiring a degree of physical, vocal, and cultural transformation and an extended ‘Mike Leigh style’ improvised short film. Students will continue to work on practical projects in partnership with other MA/MFA students at a range of London film schools and studios. The year culminates in the development, production, and presentation of a thesis production project.

OCU has also partnered with Jesse|James Films, the production company headed by Jesse Murphy and James Sears Bryant. Under the pact, the University works with the production entity to provide first-hand experiences for the students with industry professionals.

Additional guest speakers include Krystal Joy Brown, who, before the shutdown, played Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton on Broadway; Emma Ago, Director of Development at MadRiver Pictures; Austin Leshay, Talent Agent at Hyperion; Mark Morikawa, Manager at MGMT Entertainment; Dia Frampton, Recording Artist and Actress; Siena Oberman, Producer at Artemis Pictures; Aaron Brown, Manager at Avalon Management; Nora May, Manager at 3 Arts Entertainment; McCrae Dunlap, Manager of Development at FanFare; Sean Woods, Manager at Fourward; and Erin Dicker, Producer at BrooklynWorks Films.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

FTC BRINGS FIRST-EVER CASES UNDER THE BOTS ACT Ticket brokers will face partially suspended judgment of more than $31 million in civil penalties.

The Federal Trade Commission is taking legal action against three ticket brokers based in New York who allegedly used automated software to illegally buy up tens of thousands of tickets for popular concerts and sporting events, then subsequently made millions of dollars reselling the tickets to fans at higher prices.

The three ticket brokers will be subject to a judgment of more than $31 million in civil penalties for violating the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, under a proposed settlement reached with the FTC. Due to their inability to pay, the judgment will be partially suspended, requiring them to pay $3.7 million.

This is the first case brought under the BOTS Act, which was enacted in 2016 and gives the FTC authority to take law enforcement action against individuals and companies that use bots or other means to circumvent limits on online ticket purchases.

“These ticket brokers used bots and other technical tricks to scoop up thousands of tickets to popular events as soon as they went on sale,” said Andrew M. Smith, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Not only does this deprive loyal fans of the chance to see their favorite performers and shows, it is against the law.”

The FTC alleges that the defendants—Cartisim Corp. and Simon Ebrani; Just In Time Tickets, Inc. and Evan Kohanian; and Concert Specials, Inc. and Steven Ebrani— purchased more than 150,000 tickets for popular events. In doing so, they violated the BOTS Act in a number of ways, allegedly using automated ticket-buying software to search for and reserve tickets automatically, software to conceal their IP addresses, and hundreds of fictitious Ticketmaster accounts and credit cards to get around posted event ticket limits. The defendants allegedly took in millions of dollars in revenues from the resale of the tickets they purchased using these unlawful means.

Under the terms of the proposed orders, judgments will be entered against the defendants for civil penalties as follows:

$16 million against Concert Specials, Inc. and Steven Ebrani, which is partially suspended due to an inability to pay. They will pay $1,565,527.41.
$11.2 million against Just In Time Tickets, Inc. and Evan Kohanian, which is partially suspended due to an inability to pay. They will pay $1,642,658.96.
$4.4 million against Cartisim Corp. and Simon Ebrani, which is partially suspended due to an inability to pay. They will pay $499,147.12.

Altogether, the defendants will pay over $3.7 million in civil penalties, which will be deposited into the U.S. Treasury. Under the terms of the proposed orders, if the defendants are found to have misrepresented their financial condition, the full amounts of the penalties would be immediately due. The proposed orders also prohibit the defendants from further violations of the BOTS Act, including using methods to evade ticket limits, using false identities to purchase tickets, or using any bots to facilitate ticket purchases.

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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.






THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION'S CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS presented its third annual Eleanor Roosevelt Prize for Global Human Rights Advancement to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Billie Jean King and Nasrin Sotoudeh.

ABA President Patricia Lee Refo opened the virtual ceremony, which was presented by the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, with remarks honoring the awardees. “Eleanor Roosevelt, of course, was not a lawyer herself,” Refo said. “Yet her work was central to shaping the foundation of modern international human rights law. Her leadership brought together brilliant minds representing divergent perspectives, opinions, cultures and personalities. Our 2020 Roosevelt honorees are similarly brilliant and have made extraordinary contributions in their respective fields, all to humanity’s betterment.”

The award was established in 2018 with the blessing of the Roosevelt family to celebrate persons and organizations with an enduring, positive impact in advancing the principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Eleanor Roosevelt championed.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was honored for his work in advancing the human right to health in the United States and around the globe, beginning with the HIV/AIDS pandemic, through the Ebola crisis and, today, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tennis great King was celebrated for her accomplishments in advancing women’s empowerment in pursuit of true equality for all human beings.

Sotoudeh, an Iranian human rights lawyer who was recently sentenced to more than 38 years’ imprisonment and 148 lashes because of her work defending women’s rights and protesting Iran’s forced veiling laws, was recognized for her stalwart courage and effectiveness in pursuit of a just rule of law in Iran.

VINEYARD THEATRE NAMES TYLER THOMAS recipient of the 2021 Susan Stroman Directing Award.

Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announced that Lessons in Survival director Tyler Thomas receive the award at this year’s Open House taking place virtually on Sunday, January 31 at 5:00 pm EST. The hour-long program will feature the celebration of awards given to new resident artists, conversations with Vineyard veterans from favorite shows and sneak previews of upcoming works of alternative theatre in the 2020-2021 Season.

The Vineyard in New York City established the Susan Stroman Directing Award and residency in 2013, giving it biennially to a talented early or mid-career director to develop new work while in residence. Named after Tony Award-winning director Susan Stroman, the award provides recipients with space, time, and support to develop projects and strike new collaborations, while creating opportunities for them to become part of the life of the company in an ongoing way. Previous recipients include Whitney White, Liesl Tommy and Lee Sunday Evans.

In June 2020, York Walker was announced as the recipient of the inaugural Colman Domingo Award. The award will be officially presented to Mr. Walker at the event, to be followed by a Q & A between Mr. Domingo and Mr. Walker. Seeded in 2019 from the longtime collaboration between The Vineyard and Domingo, the Colman Domingo Award is bestowed annually to a multi-faceted Black male or male-identifying theatre artist to provide support and resources to create new work. Recipients are selected directly by The Vineyard and Mr. Domingo and receive a cash stipend, workshops and other developmental opportunities, access to writing and studio space, mentorship and the ongoing support of The Vineyard.

BARRINGTON STAGE COMPANY has announced the winners of the 2021 Bonnie and Terry Burman New Play Award. The award, founded in 2018, supports new, bold voices for the American theatre and is presented to unproduced full-length works that are wholly original and not adaptations or translations of existing works.

The 2021 Grand Prize winner is Daniella De Jesús for her play, Get Your Pink Hands Off Me Sucka and Give Me Back. She will receive a cash prize of $25,000, a staged reading and a possible full production of her play at Barrington Stage Company.

The Burman Award is also presenting $5,000 prizes to Miki Kim for her play, After the Fall, and Laura Winters for her play, Just the Melody. Both plays will also receive staged readings at BSC.

Additional finalists included Lyons Pride by Bleu Beckford-Burrell, Flood by Mashuq Mushtaq Deen, You’re Crazy by Steph Del Rosso, Campaign by Laura Jacqmin, 2020: a going away party play by Keyanna Khatiblou and Spare Rib by Winter Miller.

The Adjudication Panel included Ken Cerniglia, dramaturg (Hadestown); Deadria Harrington, Producing Artistic Leader of The Movement Theatre Company; Eric Keen-Louie, Producing Director of La Jolla Playhouse; Natasha Sinha, Associate Artistic Director at Playwrights Horizons and Julianne Boyd, Founder/Artistic Director, Barrington Stage Company. The Burman New Play Award Project Coordinator was Megan Nussle.

FINAL OVATION

PHIL SPECTOR the visionary record producer who revolutionized pop music in the early 1960s with the Wall of Sound, died January 16, 2021 of Covid-19 related complications while serving a prison sentence for murdering actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. He was 81.

At the time of his death, he was an inmate at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, California. He would have been eligible for parole in 2024.

Spector's honors include the 1973 Grammy Award for Album of the Year for co-producing Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh (1971), a 1989 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a 1997 induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Spector number 63 on their list of the greatest artists in history.

BOB AVIAN 2-time Tony and Olivier award winning choreographer died Thursday, January 21, 2021 at Holy Cross Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida after suffering cardiac arrest, not due to COVID-19. He was 83.

He began his career as a dancer in more than a dozen Broadway shows, including West Side Story; Funny Girl and Henry, Sweet Henry.

He was the Tony Award-winning co-choreographer of A Chorus Line.

For 20 years, Avian worked closely with director and choreographer Michael Bennett and acted as associate choreographer and assistant director on his productions including Promises, Promises; Coco; Company; Follies; Twigs; Seesaw and God’s Favorite.

In addition to his work as a director and choreographer, Avian was the lead producer on the original and national tour productions of Dreamgirls, which won six Tony Awards, and a producer of Ballroom.

Avian choreographed the London premiere of Follies and the original West End and Broadway productions of Miss Saigon. His other credits include creating the musical staging for Sunset Boulevard, for which he received his sixth Tony nomination, and choreographing the West End productions of Martin Guerre and The Witches of Eastwick.

Avian’s most recent Broadway credit was in 2006, when he returned to direct a revival of A Chorus Line.

He is survived by his husband Peter Pileski, who is a director and producer, as well as his sister, Laura Nabedian, five nieces and nephews and a great nephew and great niece.

GREGORY SIERRA known for his television roles died January 4, 2021 in Laguna Woods, California, after battling cancer. He was 83.

He began his acting career as a member of both the National Shakespeare Company and the New York Shakespeare Festival.

He gained fame as Detective Sergeant Chano Amenguale on Barney Miller and as Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor of Fred G. Sanford on Sanford and Son.

Sierra is survived by his wife, Helene.

Next Column: January 31, 2021
Copyright: January 24, 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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