Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: January 26, 2025
By: Laura Deni
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CELEBRATING ROBERT BURNS ON STAGE, IN MUSICALS AND WITH HAGGIS

Robert Burns

Robert burns - the National Poet of Scotland.

Not that the honor is anything to scoff, but Burns is so much more.

Much like the Elvis impersonators in America, the long deceased Burns is kept alive by theatrical impersonators. Christopher Tait is considered one of the world’s leading Robert Burns performer, ringing the 18th century poet to an art form of live on stage. With over 25 years of experience he's got burns down pat. Tait stars in "Robert Burns Live - the play." He takes Join Robert Burns on a passionate journey through his life and loves, presenting performances of his most famous works, including; Tam O’ Shanter, To a Mouse and Holy Willie’s Prayer.

Other solo productions include: The Robert Burns Story a solo show performed by John Cairney, where he tells the story of Burns using his own words. The show includes songs like "Holy Willie's Prayer" and "Tam o' Shanter".

The Spirit of Robbie Burns is a play written by Robert Murray Author, which was first performed in Scotland in 2015.

Musical celebrating Robert Burns is a musical staged in the castle where Burns stayed, with songs played on a 19th century grand piano.

Thomas Keith wrote an article called "Robert Burns's Life on the Stage, 1842-2019" that discusses the history of Burns's portrayals on stage.

Alan Cumming

Most recently Burn a solo dance-theater show starring Tony winner Alan Cumming, explored Burns's life and struggles.

"Here am I.

You have doubtless heard my story, heard it with all its exaggerations. But I shall just beg a leisure moment of you until I tell my own story my own way."

A co-production between the National Theatre of Scotland, New York City’s The Joyce Theater and Edinburgh International Festival, Burn was billed as "a new creation from the legendary Scottish actor and author Alan Cumming and the Olivier award-winning and internationally renowned choreographer Steven Hoggett, featuring Robert Burns’ own words and the music of Anna Meredith."

This brand-new piece of dance-theatre challenges the 'biscuit tin' image of Scotland’s National Bard and goes beyond the poetry to focus on the man himself - his poverty, his personal tragedy, his struggles with mental health and his spectacular success.

"And still my motto is: I dare!"

Presented by National Theatre of Scotland, The Joyce Theater and Edinburgh International Festival.

Robert Burns face imposed upon a building to celebrate Robert Burns Day.

According to Scholar Commons which is an Institutional Repository to preserve, collect and disseminate the research and scholarly works, Robert Burns, has been portrayed on stage in plays and musicals numerous times. His life and work have also inspired songs and paintings.

They cite:

Plays

A play about Robert Burns - focuses focuses on Burns's time in Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland. The play explores Burns's relationship with Mary Campbell, his encounter with the minister, and his conflict with the kirk session.

Clarinda a musical play about the love affair between Burns and Nancy McLehose. It premiered in Edinburgh in 2008 and toured Scotland.

Red Red Rose A musical about Burns's life that won third place in a Danish competition in 1996.

Songs

Auld Lang Syne: One of Burns's most famous works, this song is sung around the world on Hogmanay.

Our Own Robbie Burns: A song written by Alfred B. Street and Henry Tucker in 1856.

Sings the Songs of Robert Burns: An album by Eddi Reader that features Burns's songs.

Other tributes

Tam o' Shanter - A festival in Ayr that honors Burns's friend Douglas Graham and the poem Tam o' Shanter

Burns Night - A celebration of Burns's life and work that takes place on or around his birthday, January 25

"Robert Burns's Life on the Stage, 1842-2019" by Thomas Keith - This article traces the changing history of how the Scottish poet Robert Burns has been portrayed on stage, both in Scotland and elsewhere.

Critics have referring to Burns' lyrics as "often resemble miniature plays.

King Charles' photo in honor of Robert Burns Day. Handout Buckingham Palace.

King Charles has long been a devotee of Burns. His Majesty is noted for his ability to read Burns' poems with a meaningful and empowering yet sensitive delivery.

in honor of this year's Burns Night a stunning photo of Charles looking elegant in a kilt made from The King Charles III tartan, tie, and brown sporran was released on Saturday, January 25. Charles posed for the photo in the library at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland this past fall. The impressive photo was taken by Millie Pilkington, who has photographed the Royal Family on multiple occasions over the years.

Then there is Burns Night and that haggis.

A phenomenal event - Robert Burns Day. While other rhymers have fans, followers, perhaps a seminar or a convention, no other poet has a day in their honor. Not just a localized celebration, but a world wide, structured event.

According to Visit Scotland: The first Burns supper was held in July 1801 when nine of Burns’ close friends got together to mark the fifth anniversary of their friend’s death. Taking place at Burns Cottage in Alloway, the night included a tasty meal (haggis, of course!), performances of Burns’ work and a speech in honor of the great Bard (now known as the Immortal Memory). The night was such a resounding success they decided to hold it again (this time in honor of Rabbie’s birthday), beginning the tradition we still enjoy to this day.

Everyone enjoys a hearty Burns Night meal For starters perhaps a Scotch broth or cullen skink? Or, deep fried haggis bonbons. This will be followed of course by a main course of haggis, neeps and tatties. Then for dessert you could try cranachan or clootie dumplings.

Each Burns supper is individual, but the running order normally goes something like this:

To start – everyone gathers, the host says a few words, everyone sits and the Selkirk Grace is said.
The meal – the starter is served, the haggis is piped in, the host performs the famous Burns Night haggis poem Address to a Haggis, everyone toasts the haggis and the main meal is served, followed by dessert.
After the meal – the first Burns recital is performed after Burns Night food, the Immortal Memory (the main tribute speech to Burns) is given, the second Burns recital is performed, then there’s a Toast to the Lassies, followed by a Reply to the Toast to the Lassies, before the final Burns recital is performed.
To end the night – the host gives a vote of thanks, everyone stands and sings Auld Lang Syne, crossing their arms and joining hands at the line ‘And there's a hand, my trusty fere!’.

As for his private life that has as many opinions as their art people who enjoy spouting off about the poet.

What appears to be certain is that he did enjoy the ladies.

Son to tenant farmer William and his wife, Agnes, Burns was born in the south Ayrshire village of Alloway, where he lived in a thatched cottage just around the corner from where the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum is now situated. At seven years old, the family moved to Mount Oliphant Farm, where Burns was expected to pull his weight. It was while working at harvest time here that the seed of Burns’ passion for the other sex was first sown. His muse? Helen Kilpatrick, daughter of miller Allan Kilpatrick, who was assigned as 15-year-old Burns’ field partner. Fittingly, Burns’ first love inspired his first poem, Handsome Nell (1774), according to Discover Britain.

His marriage to wife Jean Armour, with whom he had three children, was a troubled one at best, and blighted by the poet's wandering eye. In total, Burns fathered at least 12 (known) children with four different women three of which were his servants.

Burns had his first illegitimate child with his family’s servant, Elizabeth Paton, who was employed during the winter 1783-4. Paton bore him a daughter, "dear-bought Bess", thought to be the subject of A Poet’s Welcome to his Love Begotten Daughter (1784). So, what happened to Paton and her daughter? The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum’s learning manager Chris Waddell is quoted as saying: "Elizabeth eventually married a farm servant and took a payment of £20 from the profits of the Kilmarnock Edition in 1786." Meanwhile, the child was looked after by Burns’ mother for a time.

As his first child was being born, Burns was courting another woman, Jean Armour, a muse that would be more constant in Burns’ life than any other. They supposedly met at a dance in April 1784 and before 1785 was out Armour had fallen pregnant with twins. This time Burns did intend to marry his lover, but when the contract was presented to Armour’s father, James, he tore it up in outrage. Burns was not deemed marriage material, and he went on to prove it by shortly afterwards almost emigrating to the West Indies with another woman, his "Highland Mary". The subject of his 1786 poems Highland Mary, Highland Lassie, O’ and Will ye go to the Indies my Mary?, the facts about Mary Campbell and Burns’ liaison are, as Waddell describes it, “quite sketchy."

Burns and Armour were finally married in August 1788 after Armour gave birth to their second set of twins in March. The new family soon moved to Ellisland near Dumfries where Burns had taken a job as an Excise Collector. They had nine children together, though only three survived into adulthood.

Burns died at the age of 37.

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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

JULIA CHILD: A RECIPE FOR LIFE explores the key ingredients in Julia’s personal journey, which became part of America’s culinary revolution, through a series of immersive experiences.

This interactive traveling exhibition explores pivotal moments in Julia Child's life beyond her fame as a television personality and cookbook author. Julia Child: A Recipe for Life invites visitors to immerse themselves in the essential ingredients of Julia's personal journey - from her early days in Paris to her groundbreaking cookbook and TV show. Discover the passion and perseverance that made Julia a culinary icon and be inspired by her legacy - one that continues to influence and inspire generations of food enthusiasts and trailblazers.

Highlights:
Interactive The French Chef studio kitchen
La Couronne restaurant immersive experience
Larger-than-life Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook
"Dear Julia" interactive

Julia Child: A Recipe for Life is a traveling exhibition produced and toured internationally by Flying Fish, in collaboration with the Napa Valley Museum, under rights granted by The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts and The Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University, and generously sponsored by Oceania Cruises.

February 1 to May 18, 2025 at the Cincinnati Museum Center, Ohio.

FARM TO TABLE: ART, FOOD, AND IDENTITY IN THE AGE OF IMPRESSONISM

Photo from Frist Museum

explores the intersections of art, gastronomy, and national identity in late 19th-century France.

On display at the Frist Museum.

Beginning with the 1870 Prussian siege of Paris and the resultant food crisis and continuing through the 1890s, Farm to Table showcases the work of artists such as Rosa Bonheur, Gustave Courbet, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, and Camille Pissarro, who captured the nation’s unique relationship with food, from production to preparation and consumption.

Featuring approximately 50 paintings and sculptures, the exhibition’s portrayals of farmers in fields and gardens, bustling urban markets, and chefs and diners in the age of grand banquets and a burgeoning café scene underscores connections between urban and rural life while capturing changing notions of gender, labor, and class.

This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Tennessee Harvest: 1870s.

Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism is organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Chrysler Museum of Art.

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SWEET CHARITY

COMEDY GIVES BACK STAR-STUDDED BENEFIT takes place at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on January 31st, 2025.

Ringing in the new year with laughter, Long Time No See presents an enormous line-up of comedy legends getting together for one night, January 31st, 2025, to benefit Comedy Gives Back, the safety net of the comedy community. Laugh and do good at this very special fundraiser at The Fonda Theatre, featuring Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, Bob Odenkirk, the cast of Mr. Show with Jon Hamm, Brian Posehn, Doug Benson, Laura Kightlinger, Mary Lynn Rajskub, host Mark Cohen, and more surprise guests.

SPREADING THE WORD

BOOP! THE MUSICAL WITH JERRY MITCHELL presented by Works & Process at the Guggenheim on Monday, February 10, 2025 at the Peter B. Lewis Theater, in New York City.

Please welcome to the stage, live for the first time ever . . . Betty Boop! That sassy-sweet champion of empowerment, that spit-curled icon of joy, that songstress of strength comes alive in BOOP!, a new Broadway-bound, musical-comedy extravaganza that’s fun for the whole family. For almost a century, Betty Boop, created by animation pioneer Max Fleischer, has won hearts and inspired fans around the world with her trademark looks, voice, and style. Now, in BOOP! The Musical, Betty's dream of an ordinary day off from the super-celebrity in her black-and-white world leads to an extraordinary adventure of color, music, and finding love in New York City — one that reminds her and the world, "You are capable of amazing things."

Cast members perform highlights from the new musical as Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell discusses bringing Fleischer Studios’ Queen of the Screen to the theater. Learn more about the new musical—with music by multiple-time Grammy-winning composer David Foster, lyrics by Tony-nominated Susan Birkenhead, and book by Tony-winning Bob Martin - prior to the Broadway premiere in April 2025.

JIMMY FALLON makes his Broadway debut in All In: Comedy About Love by Simon Rich on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre. The rotating cast features Fallon from January 28 to February 2, 2025.

Since 2014, Fallon has hosted The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which has earned two Emmy Awards and seven additional nominations. From 2009-14, he hosted Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and was previously a Saturday Night Live cast member from 1998-2004.

THINKING DRINKERS: THE BOOZE-ICAL Presented by Gag Reflex in association with Long Road Talent has performances January 29th and 31st, 2925 at Wilton's Music Hall in London.

"Following last year’s sell-out Edinburgh run, the self-styled hardest-working beefcakes in alcohol-based infotainment are back… with a brand-new musical extravaganza complete with five free drinks for every audience member!

"Sip back and marvel as the award-winning drinks experts embark on an all-singing, all-dancing musical mission to prove that the pub, indeed alcohol, are cornerstones of civilization.

"Accompanied by talented West End singers Flat and the Curves, Ben and Tom raise a glass to a heady, hilarious cocktail of historical characters in the greatest, most intoxicating, lock-in of your life."

Strictly 18+. Audience members may be asked to provide proof of ID.

AWARD-WINNING WEST END MUSICAL WICKED will welcome new casting from March 2025, including West End stars Zizi Strallen as Glinda, and Emma Kingston as Elphaba. Wicked is booking at the Apollo Victoria Theatre to January 4, 2026.

SONGBOOK SUNDAYS at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club hosted by Deborah Grace Winer featuring Just In Time For Jule Style. takes place Sunday, February 2, 2025.

Celebrating the composer as famous for Gypsy and Funny Girl as he is for writing hit Sinatra songs, the show swings Jule Styne songs from Time After Time, People and The Party’s Over, to Never Never Land, Just in Time and more. Hosted and curated by leading American Songbook expert Deborah Grace Winer, the set features jazz vocal icon La Tanya Hall, Broadway favorite Matthew Scott and JALC young artist Kate Kortum.

Music Director Jon Weber leads a band of intergenerational all-stars including Erena Terakubo on sax, Jason Clotter on bass, and Cameron MacIntosh on drums.

LONDON MUSICAL THEATRE ORCHESTRA is delighted to be providing musicians for Figaro: An Original Musical, which will receive its world premiere in London with two fully-staged concert performances on Monday, February 3 and Tuesday, February 4 2025.

Jon Robyns will play the title role of Figaro alongside Aimie Atkinson and Cayleigh Capaldi.

Figaro: An Original Musical is the hauntingly beautiful tale of Sienna, a young woman who dreams of singing but feels imprisoned by her life on her father’s farm. When a chance encounter with two young orphans thrusts her into the life of a traveling performer, she meets the handsome Figaro, who promises to make all her dreams come true – but there is always a price to fame.

Part love story, part mystery, Sienna’s journey to discover herself and live the life she always wanted is fraught with twists and turns until it culminates in a moment that will change the course of her life forever.

GOODSPEED MUSICALS held a groundbreaking ceremony on January 18, 2025 to make its 150-year-old home, The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn., more welcoming and accessible for patrons. The project features a renovated front entrance; which includes a new ADA ramp, an expanded porch, automatic-open front doors, energy-efficient lighting, and new landscaping; as well as a completely redesigned and improved parking area. It will be completed in April, in time for the start of the 2025 season.

TREVOR NOAH is set to host the Grammy Awards for the fifth consecutive year, continuing his role as emcee and producer. The event will focus on fundraising for wildfire relief efforts and honor first responders, showcasing a commitment to supporting affected communities.

JOANNA LUMLEY the famed actress and campaigner quipped to the Telegraph: "I’m glad we have a gun law here because otherwise I’d carry a gun and shoot horrible people."

In an interview with the paper Lumley, 78, talked about "the crashing bores she can’t abide, her fight to end factory farming and what she sees in the mirror."

PRINCE EDWARD THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH Patron, Northern Ballet, will attend a performance of Three Short Ballets at the Linbury Theatre in London on January 28, 2025.

BRAVO TO CARRIE UNDERWOOD who performed America the Beautiful a cappella, at Donald Trump's inauguration after a musical mishap - purportedly her recorded musical backup didn't work. With no notice she remained poised and professional and did a gold standard version of the song.

MONTANA is the only state that hasn’t banned texting while driving, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

EDINBURGH SCOTLAND INTRODUCES A TOURIST TAX charging visitors who spend the night. Visitors will be required to pay a fee equivalent to five percent of their accommodation cost per night, capped at five consecutive nights. Accommodation providers will be tasked with collecting the tax on behalf of local authorities.

Edinburgh has now become the first tourist tax city in Scotland.

Day trippers aren't penalized.

THE LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION announced the Paco de Lucía Legacy Scholarship, the first of the Legacy Scholarship series, established in partnership with the Paco de Lucía Foundation. The scholarship furthers the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation's mission of supporting and cultivating the next generation of music creators, offering educational opportunities that advance Latin music and its legacy.

The Paco de Lucía Legacy Scholarship will award $120,000 toward tuition, including wrap-around services provided by the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, for a student to attend the music institution of their choice.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to expand our reach to future Latin music creators through this scholarship, in partnership with the Paco de Lucía Foundation," said Raquel “Rocky” Egusquiza, Executive Director of the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation. "It’s an honor to pay tribute to the legacy of one of the most influential guitar players in the history of flamenco and music in general, and forge new paths in his memory."

rammy Casilda Sánchez Varela, president of the Paco de Lucía Foundation, said, "It’s important to support young musicians through international platforms as prestigious as the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, and, of course, through the artistic and personal legacy of maestros like Paco de Lucía."

The scholarship will be awarded to a music student between 17 and 25 years of age who demonstrates a passion for flamenco music, is enrolled in the music institution of their choice, and faces financial limitations in pursuing a college degree. The student can pursue a bachelor’s degree at their preferred institution and begin their musical studies in the fall of 2025.

The Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation is accepting applications for all 2025 scholarships until April 10, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. The application includes two audition videos, two letters of recommendation, two essays, and an acceptance letter from an accredited university. Materials can be submitted in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

To date, the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation has awarded 427 scholarships and invested over $10 million in scholarships, grants, educational programs and mentorships over the last decade.

SAUDI ARABIA has announced plans to invest over $600 Billion in America over the next four years. The announcement was made by Saudi Economy Minister Faisal Alibraham at the 55th annnual World Ecpnomic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

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THE FILM AND TV CHAIRTY in London has announced Industry Advocates Join Charity As Ambassadors.

The charity's first official ambassadors have been confirmed as director and filmmaker Amma Asante MBE, actor and producer, David Morrissey, screenwriter Kit de Waal, and award-winning journalist and broadcaster Marverine Cole!

With celebrated careers on both sides of the camera in film and TV, they join the program with a shared commitment to supporting behind the scenes talent. Each of them has also demonstrated a passion for the charity's mission to create an industry that’s a happy, healthy, and inclusive place to work by improving wellbeing and promoting healthier working practices and culture.

THE 13th ANNUAL JOHNNY MERCER FOUNDATION Hosted by Goodspeed Musicals, 36 writers are developing their projects - which includes 19 brand new musicals - during this exclusive retreat taking place through February 23 on the Goodspeed Campus in East Haddam, Conn.

In order to highlight this year's diversity Goodspeed provided a few of names of the talented participants:

Songwriter, composer, singer named one of Forbes "100 Most Creative Mexicans in the World" (Jimena Cabakkero)
Writer on the CBS-TV show FBI (Jared Corak).

Student Emmy winner for Best Original Composition ( Jordan Jordan Kamalu).

Co-songwriters for the 2024 stop-motion series Mickey & Minnie' Christmas Carols and the Emmy nominated Disney film Mickey Saves Christmas (Laura Schein & Ben Zeadman).

Professional Dungeon Master for Dungeons & Dragons (Kelly Lynne D'Ange;o).

Lebanese Irish-Catholic writer from Massachusetts who grew up as a pop punk rocker (AlexPetti).

Broadway To Vegas congratulates all of the 36 participants.

NEW FCC CHAIRMAN Brendan Carr has officially taken over as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. President Donald Trump has appointed Brendan Carr as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Carr, who has been with the FCC since 2012 and a commissioner since 2017, emphasized the importance of tech and media regulation, spectrum management and national security in his new role.



MYSTIC PIZZA Book written by Sandy Rustin. Based on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Motion Picture with Story and Characters by Amy Holden Jones.

Directed by Casey Hushion.

Arrangements and Orchestrations by Carmel Dean.

Music Direction by Kristin Stowell.

Choreographed by Connor Gallagher.

Based on the 1988 rom-com, Mystic Pizza tells the story of three working-class girls who navigate the complexities of life, love, and family in a small-town pizza joint. The infectious score features megahits of the 80s and 90s, from "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" to "Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now" and songs originally recorded by Cyndi Lauper, John Cougar Mellencamp, Wilson Phillips, The Bangles, and many more.

Starring Krystina Alabado, Alaina Anderson, Ben Fankhauser, Jennifer Fouche, F. Michael Hayne, Vincent Michael, Deanna Giulietti.

The Ensemble includes: Chachi Delgado, Mia Gerachis, James Hindman, Michael James, April Josephine, Adriana Negron, Louis Pardo, Alyssa M. Simmons, Jake Swain, Zephaniah Divine Wages, and Rachel Kae Wirtz.

January 29 - February 23 at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey.

BEATLEJUICE based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film.

It’s showtime! This hilarious musical?tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changeswhen she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. Withan irreverent book, an astonishing set, and a score that’s out of this Netherworld. And under its uproarioussurface (six feet under, to be exact), it’s a remarkably touching show about family, love,and making the most of every Day-O!

Featuring Justin Collette (Beetlejuice) and Tour Company of Beetlejuice. Madison Mosley (Lydia), Will Burton (Adam), and Megan McGinnis (Barbara).

Performances January 29 - February 9 at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage, Alaska.

CONVERSATIONS WITH MOTHER by Matthew Lombardo.

Directed by Noah Himmelstein.

Starring Caroline Aaron and Tony Award winner Matt Doyle. ?Understudies Antoinette LaVecchia (u/s Maria) and John Jeffrey Martin (u/s Bobby) complete the cast.

Lombardo’s semi-autobiographical comedy traces the relationship between Italian matriarch Maria Collavechio (Caroline Aaron) and her gay son (Matt Doyle) spanning the course of five decades. As they continue to test their lifelong bond, the play depicts the outrageously funny and sometimes completely infuriating dynamic between a domineering mother and her free-spirited son. The creative team includes Wilson Chin (set design), Ryan Park (costume design), Elizabeth Harper (lighting design), John Gromada (sound design), Caite Hevner (projection design), and Tom Watson (hair and wig design) and casting by Nick Peciaro, CSA.

Performances on Friday, February 7th, and will open Sunday, February 23rd, for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 11th at Theatre 555 in New York City.

DAKAR 2000 written by Pulitzer Prize finalist and two-time Obie Award winner Rajiv Joseph.

Directed by May Adrales.

Starring Abubakr Ali and Mia Barron.

In Senegal on the eve of Y2K, an idealistic Peace Corps volunteer (Ali) survives a mysterious car accident. An imposing State Department operative (Barron) arrives at his hospital where she immediately takes command of the situation and his safety. Though they couldn't be more different, they form an unlikely relationship. But when it becomes clear that they both have secrets, the volunteer is roped into a darker side of public service.

Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere of Dakar 2000 begins performances on Thursday, February 4, 2025 at New York City Center Stage I Opening night is Thursday, February 27, 2025.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING by William Shakespeare.

Directed by Jamie Lloyd.

"I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange?” Tom Hiddleston is Benedick and Hayley Atwell is Beatrice. Two of their generation’s finest actors collaborate with director Jamie Lloyd again in this savagely funny and beautifully tender battle of wits.

Starring: Tony nominated Tom Hiddleston (Benedick). Olivier nominated Hayley Atwell (Beatrice). Mara Huf (Hero). Forbes Masson (Leonato). Phillip Olagoke (Friar Francis). Mason Alexander Park (Margaret). James Phoon (Claudio). Tim Steed (Don John). Mika Onyx Johnson (Borachio). Gerald Kyd (Don Pedro). At the Drury Lane Theatre in London.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

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

FINAL OVATION

EDDY JO BERNAL former reporter and feature writer for L.A. 's Herald Express/Herald Examiner newspaper, and later a publicist, died December 22, 2024 at Burbank, CA. She was 07.

The 19-year-old high school graduate started as a messenger in 1946, but soon became mentored by the legendary City Editor, Aggie Underwood, who recognized her ability and determination, quickly becoming a valued reporter, notably writing about some of the most sensational murder trials in the 50s and 60s. The most noteworthy was that of Barbara Graham, co-defendant in the killing an elderly woman in a botched robbery, the subject of the Academy Award-winning film, I Want to Live." She was the last reporter to speak with Graham before her gas chamber execution in 1955. Eddie Jo won a national journalism award for her Graham reporting.

After 22 years in journalism, she became a publicist to the stars, including Red Skelton, Lucile Ball, Dinah Shore, Bob Hope, and more, through well-known PR firms.

JULES FEIFFER a cartoonist and author died January 17, 2025 in Richfield Springs, New York. He was 95.

Att one time he was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for editorial cartooning, and in 2004 he was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame. He wrote the animated short Munro, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1961. The Library of Congress has recognized his "remarkable legacy", from 1946 to the present, as a cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, adult and children's book author, illustrator, and art instructor.

When Feiffer was 17 (in the mid-1940s) he became assistant to cartoonist Will Eisner. There he helped Eisner write and illustrate his comic strips, including "The Spirit." In 1956, he became a staff cartoonist at The Village Voice, where he produced the weekly comic strip titled " Feiffer" until 1997. His cartoons became nationally syndicated in 1959 and then appeared regularly in publications including the Los Angeles Times", "the London Observer", "The New Yorker," "Playboy," " Esquire", and "The Nation". In 1997, he created the first op-ed page comic strip for the "New York Times", which ran monthly until 2000.

He wrote more than 35 books, plays and screenplays. His first of many collections of satirical cartoons, Sick, Sick, Sick, was published in 1958, and his first novel, Harry, the Rat With Women, in 1963. In 1965, he wrote The Great Comic Book Heroes, the first history of the comic-book superheroes of the late 1930s and early 1940s and a tribute to their creators. In 1979, Feiffer created his first graphic novel, Tantrum. By 1993, he began writing and illustrating books aimed at young readers, with several of them winning awards.

Feiffer began writing for the theater and film in 1961, with plays including "Little Murders" (1967), " Feiffer's People" (1969), and "Knock Knock" (1976). He wrote the screenplay for "Carnal Knowledge" (1971), directed by Mike Nichols, and "Popeye" (1980), directed by Robert Altman. He was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Dramatist's Guild. He lived in upstate New York with his wife JZ Holden and their three cats, Mimi, Jackson and Dezzdemona. At the time of his death, he was working on a visual memoir.

He is also survived by three children from his first marriage.

Next Column: February2, 2025
Copyright: January 26, 2025 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