Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: January 30, 2022
By: Laura Deni
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MY FAIR LADY ON TOUR BUT NOT WITHOUT A GLITCH OR TWO

Shereen Ahmed as Eliza Dootlittle heads the national tour. Photo: Joan Marcus

Barlett Sher's shimmery production of My Fair Lady, which is adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion, has a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The Lincoln Center Production (LCT), which premiered in spring 2018, played 548 performances at the Vivian Beaumont and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival was thoroughly enjoyed by Broadway To Vegas.

The Tony award winning revival by Lincoln Center is on the road, staged in Las Vegas at The Smith Center January 25-30, 2022 in Reynolds Hall.

Broadway To Vegas decided to attend a performance to check up on a few things; is the road tour as good as the Broadway version; and what about the audience's attitude in this still Covid infected atmosphere?

The Smith Center requires government issued ID and proof of Covid vaccinations. Some of the nicest, professional and well groomed security guards that I have ever encountered check both before you are permitted to enter.

The 2,050-seat Reynolds theater, complete with stunning balconies, a dramatic stage and a full orchestra pit, is a perfect location for this massive production which demands extensive and gorgeous costumes and statement making scenery.

The Smith Center does not have an official dress code. "Patrons are encouraged to dress as they would for a special occasion," which leaves itself open to wide interpretation. For this audience that meant sloppy to casual.

What was noticeable among the audience was a spark of enthusiasm - rather than a jaded - another night out, ho-hum attitude. However, one lady stared at her attractive heels and said; "I haven't wore these in over two years."

Two women commented that their husbands had given them My Fair Lady tickets as Christmas presents. They were elated!

Tours are not without their problems and Covid has added a layer of misfortune. "We regret to announce that due to unforeseen technical difficulties, the January 22 evening performance of My Fair Lady could not happen" was the announcement patrons heard three days before the Las Vegas stop at the Segersteom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA.

"I hope we're not going to find out the show has been cancelled," said a worried looking woman biting a fingernail.

Not cancelled, but not exactly without a hitch.

Billed as returning to the cast of this staging, which opened in December 2019 at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., are Shereen Ahmed (who was the Eliza understudy on Broadway) as Eliza Doolittle opposite Laird Mackintosh as Professor Henry Higgins.

Shreen is an interesting and accomplished individual. Many stars have educational background in subjects other than performing arts. Shereen studied human rights at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic and holds Bachelor's of Science in Sociology & Anthropology with concentration in Criminal Justice from Towson University. She admits that she is addicted to coffee. The role of Eliza calls for an actress who not only has an incredible voice but subtle and sensitive comedy timing.

In 2013 Mackintosh made his Broadway debut as George Banks in Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York City. He began his career as a dancer in the National Ballet of Canada. While the role of Higgins doesn't offer the opportunity for him to show off his prancing moves, his vocal skills and acting ability would enable him to bring Higgins to life.

Assuming, of course, that these two would be the stars, which they weren't.

While there wasn't an insert in the program booklet or any cast change announcement from the stage, there were two big boards reclining on easels listing the changes for the performance - virtually everyone was being replaced by their understudy.

Anytime you see that the understudies are replacing the entire cast it generally means that the performance will have the quality of a large community playhouse performance. After all, if the performers had been over the top great, they would have been cast in the lead. Right? Maybe not.

Reynolds Hall boasts "one of the most cutting-edge, acoustically advanced and versatile performing arts campuses in the world," making it an aural delight to hear such classic songs as I Could Have Danced All Night, The Rain in Spain, Wouldn’t It Be Loverly and On the Street Where You Live.

The orchestra began the overature. Eliza entered followed by numerous other cast members. They began talking. The audience couldn't hear a word. Obviously the cast on stage could hear each other and, unaware the audience couldn't, proceeded as if nothing was the matter. Three minutes into the show the performance was stopped with an announcement that there was a sound glitch which needed to be fixed. The audience applauded as the stagehands pushed off the scenery.

Thirteen minutes later, the show began - again.

This time the sound was perfect. The audience applauded.

Called "the most beloved musical of all time," pompous phonetics professor Henry Higgins is so sure of his abilities that he takes it upon himself to transform a Cockney working-class girl into someone who can pass for a cultured member of high society. His subject turns out to be the lovely Eliza Doolittle. Higgins is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” But who is really being transformed?

When director Barlett Sher decided to make Eliza more opinionated and strong willed, many took umbrage. In the original ending everyone knows that when Higgins orders Eliza to get him his slippers "where the devil are my slippers? - he is really saying he loves her. In the Sher version when Higgins asks Eliza "where the devil are my slippers?" it smacks of chauvinism and she storms off.

Sher has defiantly maintained that Shaw had despised the honey coated ending, hated romantic comedies, and that he was giving the play turned musical the ending that Shaw had always envisioned - a social critique.

Usually, patrons have mixed feelings about the ending transformation, although most agree that it's a fantabulous show and leave humming one of the tunes.

For audience members (and that would be most of them) who didn't stop to read the boards announcing the cast changes, they wouldn't have known the difference. This is one talented group of understudies who are: Nicole Ferguson, Sarah Quinn Taylor, George Psomas, John T. Wolfe, Patrick Kerr, William Michaels, Colin Anderson, Mark Banik, Patrick Kerr, Juliame Godfrey, Samantha Sturm, Mary Callanan, and JoAnna Reinehart.

Shereen Ahmed and cast of the touring production of My Fair Lady. Photo: Joan Marcus

The ensemble features Rajeer Alford, Colin Anderson, Polly Baird, Mark Banik, Michael Biren, Mary Callanan, Elena Camp, Christopher Faison, Nicole Ferguson, Kaitlyn Frank, Juliane Godfrey, Colleen Grate, Patrick Kerr, Brandon Leffler, Nathalie Marrable, William Michals, Aisha Mitchell, Rommel Pierre O’Choa, George Psomas, Keven Quillon, JoAnna Rhinehart, Samantha Sturm, Sarah Quinn Taylor, Gerard M. Williams, Michael Williams, Richard Riaz Yoder, and Minami Yusui.

The audience rewarded them with well deserved applause.

This production also features choreography by Christopher Gattelli, statement making sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes ranging from rag picker to opulent by Catherine Zuber, expressive lighting by Donald Holder, once it got fixed, excellent sound by Marc Salzberg, music supervision by Ted Sperling, original musical arrangements by Robert Russell Bennett and Phil Lang, dance arrangements by Trude Rittmann, tour orchestrations by Josh Clayton, and music direction by John Bell. Casting is by The Telsey Office.

The tour travels with the My Fair Lady Orchestra composed of music director/conductor John Bell - Associate music director/keyboards Luke Flood - Violin/Concertmaster Dimitriy Melkumov - Percussion Mary O'Kain - with additional arrangements by Ted Sperling. Music Coordinators Talitha Fehr, David Lai and music copying by Josh Clayton.

At each location they pick up the best in local musicians. For the Las Vegas stop they were: Cello: Lindsey Springer - Bass: Chris David - Flute/Piccolo: Christina Castellanos - Oboe/English horn: Steve Caplan - Clarinet: Eric Tewalt - Bassoon: Brian Marsh - French horn: Beth Lano - trumpets: Tom Wright and Wes Marshal - Trombone: James Nelson - Harp: Kim Glennie - Keys Sub: Angela Chan - Local Contractor: Philip Fortenberry.

This marvelous production of My Fair Lady is on tour with the next stops in Cincinnati, Ohio, February 8 -20 followed by staging in Rochester, NY February 22 - 27 at the Auditorium Theatre.

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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

CARTOONS TO BE FEATURED ON NEW BELGIAN PASSPORTS The government issued travel documents will feature images of iconic cartoons the Smufs and Tintin, a young, red-haired adventurer who traveled the world looking to stamp out trouble.

Beginning February 7, Belgium will redesign the country's passports to include images of Tintin created by cartoonist Hergé and other famous cartoon characters.

In 2017 a rare drawing of Tintin work fetched over a half million dollars at an auction in Paris gaveled down by the Artcurial Auction House. The Chinese ink and watercolor artwork by Belgian cartoonist Hergé was first published in 1939 and had never before been up for sale.

Tintin's famous moon rocket and the Moulinsart mansion of his friend Captain Haddock will also be featured in the new passports, as well as the Smurfs and cowboy Lucky Luke.

The addition of the cartoon characters is intended to make the passports more difficult to counterfeit, Foreign Affairs Minister Sophie Wilmès said in a statement.

ART NOW: DANIELLE DEAN On February 5, 2022 Tate Britain will unveil a new exhibition by artist Danielle Dean. Dean’s work spans video, painting, installation, social practice and performance, and questions how individuals are shaped by commercial narratives around them, particularly in advertising. Titled Amazon this new work consists of a multi-channel video installation in which Dean summons fictive landscapes to explore the changing nature of human labor, examining practices of production, data extraction and commercial advertising. This is the latest in Tate Britain’s ongoing Art Now series of free exhibitions showcasing emerging talent and highlighting the latest developments in British art.

Danielle Dean explores the effects of media and cultural production on the mind and body. Her work is imaginative, often blurring fact and fiction, using the aesthetics and language of traditional advertising to highlight and interrogate global capitalism and systems of racial discrimination. Dean considers our relationship to products and means of production by examining technology, architecture, marketing and media as tools of subjection and oppression, which at the same time have the potential for subversion.

For Amazon, Dean was inspired by research into the Ford Motor archives in Detroit. During her time there, she discovered the car manufacturer’s experimental city in Brazil, Fordlândia, built with the aim to control rubber production. The city was abandoned in 1934 after the workers rebelled against the poor working conditions and the disregard of local indigenous knowledge. Dean’s piece reflects on the events that led to Fordlândia’s collapse by re-enacting this history with workers from the contemporary labor-crowdsourcing marketplace Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). AMT digitally distributes tasks to a global remote workforce, some of whom generate data which is then used to train artificial intelligence algorithms. Amazon traces the continuities and discontinuities between trends in the current gig economy at AMT and Ford’s industrial assembly line in Fordlândia.

For the exhibition at Tate Britain, Dean collaborated with AMT workers around the world over the past two years, directing them to film themselves in their own homes. The resulting multi-channel video work shines a light on the isolation of these roles, investigating the changing nature of labor and racial politics of global capital. This video will be screened among an installation of sculptures and a fictional landscape watercolor by Dean, inspired by Fordlândia and advertising materials from the Ford archives.

Danielle Dean was born to a Nigerian father and an English mother in Alabama and brought up in London. She studied Fine Art at Central St Martins in London and received her MFA from California Institute of the Arts. She is an alumna of the Whitney Independent Study Program and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Recent solo exhibitions include True Red Ruin at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Bazar at 47 Canal in New York, Landed at Cubitt gallery in London and Focus: Danielle Dean at the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Since the 1990s, Art Now has recognised talent at its outset and provided a launching platform for artists who have gone on to become established figures on the international art scene. The series has recently showcased the work of SERAFINE1369, Cooking Sections, Sophia Al-Maria, France-Lise McGurn, Joanna Piotrowska, Jesse Darling, Lisa Brice and Marguerite Humeau.

Art Now: Danielle Dean is curated by Nathan Ladd, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art, Tate and is supported by the Art Now Supporters’ Circle.

75 YEARS OF BOWIE The Starman virtually comes to earth as Morrison Hotel Gallery presents 75 Years of Bowie: Sound & Vision. Online exhibition features the late Mick Rock’s rare and renowned images.

The exhibition has gone live the Morriso Gallery.com and select works from it are on view at Morrison Hotel Gallery's New York City location.

This online exhibition explores the enduring, collaborative masterworks of two prolific artists spanning more than thirty years. From Rock's renowned imagery of a bombastic Bowie to rarely-seen moments of unmasked intimacy, Sound & Vision offers a captivating and comprehensive look into the proliferation of a beloved icon and the fundamental role photography plays in capturing the staying power of thin air.

Rock is often considered “The Man Who Shot the 1970s,” and the iconic lensmen had privileged access to Bowie. Rock met Bowie in 1972 and became his official photographer for a time, shooting some of the most defining images of Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust finery. Rock also produced and directed the music videos for Bowie’s Space Oddity; Jean Genie and John, I’m Only Dancing. Rock passed away on November 18, 2021, and this retrospective will unveil rare pictures and feature renowned works from the legendary British photographer’s archive.

MHG is considered the world's leading brand in fine art music photography representing over 125 of the world's finest music photographers and their archives. Their vast catalog of photography encompasses jazz, blues, and rock imagery spanning several generations through to today's contemporary music artists and now includes iconic photographs in the world of celebrity and sports as well. MHG has a robust online presence, featuring over 100,000 images searchable by photographer, music artist, band or concert.

ARTS AND HEALTH PROJECT to explore well-being through creative and reflective process. In partnership with the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), several Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health are developing a series of workshops and events focused on arts and well-being for personal and professional growth as part of the Erasmus+ project "Multiform Pedagogy in Arts, Health and Wellbeing Education" (ARTHEWE). Erasmus+ is a European Union program that aims to support innovation in education and training through international collaboration and experience exchange.

This partnership is based on the shared principle that creativity, arts and well-being are closely connected. Therefore, arts-based or arts-informed approaches can meaningfully contribute to how teaching is delivered and how learning is perceived while also supporting the well-being of the community.

As explained by Ieva Petkute, MA; Arts Researcher, Arts Manager, "As advocates, we focus on supporting the brain health of our communities, yet we often overlook the need to support our own health and well-being. To stay productive, engaged, and successful, we need to support our capacities to balance our professional and personal lives." The ARTHEWE project is exploring how to use creativity to support relationship and well-being development, including emotional awareness, body awareness, and self-care. At GBHI, the project offers a space for fellows to contribute, experiment, and collaborate as part of the learning experience of the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program. For instance, the life story work led by Karin Diamond is focused on supporting connections through imaginative sharing of our life stories. A well-being skills program which Anne Browning and Ieva Petkute have shaped is looking into well-being skills development through creative and reflective processes. Miriam Galvin is also sharing her expertise in rethinking research methods through the lens of creative practice.

They expect that integrating well-being skills into the learning experience will provide space for fellows to develop stronger bonds with each other while also opening a space to explore the personal emotional impact of our work, gain awareness of theirr own emotional responses, and to develop skills to help navigate those responses, especially under stress.

In the lifespan of this project (September 2020–August 2023), they are l researching how incorporating the arts can enrich teaching. Through experimentation they are exploring multiple ways of learning, for instance, by focusing on embodied knowledge "we can potentially create a more accessible and meaningful learning experience."

The project is being implemented by a consortium of European partners. Alongside GBHI and Trinity College Dublin there is also King’s College London (UK), Royal College of Music (Sweden), Turku University of Applied Sciences (Finland), and University of West Attica (Greece).

This program is led by Ieva Petkute, Atlantic Fellow; Brian Lawlor, GBHI Deputy Executive Director; and Eoin Cotter, Learning Experience Program Lead. Meaningful contributions are being provided by other fellows, including Anne Browning, Karin Diamond and Miriam Galvin.

PICASSO AND THE ALLURE OF THE SOUTH is on view exclusively at The Dalí Museum in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, through May 22, 2022.

This new exhibition is first to fully examine impact of southern European sites on Picasso’s towering achievements.

The Dalí Museum offers a celebration of Pablo Picasso’s flourishing creativity in the south of France and northern Spain. Organized by The Dalí Museum in collaboration with the Musée national Picasso-Paris, Picasso and the Allure of the South offers a fascinating new avenue for understanding Picasso’s artistic spirit through the lens of this unique geographical zone. Some of Pablo Picasso's most creative periods took place during summer sojourns in the mountain and coastal communities of the Spanish and French border, including Céret, Sorgues, Vallauris, Horta de Ebro and Cadaqués. The exhibition presents paintings, drawings and collages – approximately half of which have never been seen in the U.S. – from the Musée national Picasso-Paris, as well as the Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection, New York.

The Dalí Museum is the only venue worldwide to present this exhibition, which is curated by Dr. William Jeffett, The Dalí Museum’s curator of special exhibitions.

THE TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART (TMA) in Toldeo, Ohio has announced the appointment of five new members to its board of trustees. Joining the board are Shankh Mitra, chief executive officer and chief investment officer at Welltower; Dr. Gregory Postel, president of the University of Toledo; Dr. Dione Dorsey Somerville, president of Owens Community College; Margaret “Margy” Trumbull, philanthropist and community leader; and Joaquin Cintrón Vega, Lucas Metropolitan Housing president and chief executive officer. Each new member is serving a five-year term which began on January 1, 2022, with the opportunity for a second term of the same length. TMA board members oversee the Museum’s strategy and financial health, contributing their time and expertise to the entire board as well as several committees.

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SWEET CHARITY

A BENEFIT READING OF THE WONDER OF WOMEN (THE TRAGEDY OF SOPHONISBA) by John Marston. Directed by Nathan Winkelstein.

Featuring Ro Boddie, Robert Cuccioli, Cara Ricketts, Derek Smith, and Sarin Monae West.

Sensational melodrama, overt eroticism, and splashes of wry wit color John Marston’s grimly dark Jacobean tragedy–inspired by events from Roman history. A dauntless princess is tested in a crucible of moral absolutes, ruthless ambition, and utter depravity. After her wedding night is interrupted by the onset of war, Sophonisba emerges from a series of conspiracies with heroic virtue as the “just shame of men” and multi-faceted “wonder of women.”

The Wonder of Women will premiere live on Monday January 31st at 7:30 PM EST. A recording of that livestream will be available until 7:00 PM EST on Friday, February 3rd – then it disappears.

All of Red Bull Theater’s current online offerings are free, but advance reservations are recommended. On Thursday, February 3rd at 7:30 PM EST, there will be a free online Bull Session: An interactive discussion of the play and its themes with director Nathan Winkelstein, scholar Tanya Pollard, and members of the company.

Scholar Tanya Pollard explains: “Written and staged between severe plague outbreaks, The Wonder of Women joins a cluster of contemporary tragedies in abandoning England for remote worlds. Like King Lear (1606), Timon of Athens (1606), Antony and Cleopatra (1606), and Pericles (1607), it takes place in a distant pagan past; like some of these plays, as well as Othello (1604), it also conjures the foreign spaces of the Mediterranean basin and North Africa. These plays offer, in the words of Coriolanus (1608), the possibility of “a world elsewhere” – an alternative to the claustrophobic urban spaces of plague-ridden London. For better and for worse, these other worlds prove unruly, racially mixed, and unbound by conventional gender norms. Among their marvels – especially in The Tragedy of Sophonisba – is a new model of heroism embodied by women . . . For all itsdark tragic turns, The Wonder of Women sounds a note of triumph in its portrait of a woman whose glory cannot be dimmed.”

SPREADING THE WORD

PRINCE WILLIAM will make his first official visit to the UAE on February 10, 2022, with his trip coming as the UAE marks its 50th year and coinciding with UK National Day being held at Expo 2020 Dubai.

“The bond between the UK and the UAE is deep and strong and Prince William’s visit will highlight and build upon these links as he has the opportunity to engage with young Emiratis, leaders from government and committed conservationists,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.

The National Day at Expo on February 10 will see the UK showcase the extraordinary talent from across the country. The Expo site will become an extension of the UK, with new and diverse music, theatre, arts, poetry, comedy, film, and food. The prince will join these celebrations, which will also feature the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay, launched by the Queen from Buckingham Palace in October 2021, as it parades through the Expo site to visit Commonwealth National Pavillions.

Music will be central with a UK music festival featuring a diverse line-up encapsulating a multitude of genres, including acoustic, rock, indie, grime, RnB, soul and afro beats.

The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra will challenge traditional perceptions with a selection of modern scores and intriguing collaborations within the Al Wasl Dome, while other highlights include a DJ Jamz Supernova set and an array of world-class Scottish folk musicians from the Association of Exiled Scots. The UK Pavilion will host a national soundtrack, juxtaposing classic tracks from world renowned British artists with the very best of new and emerging talent.

Beatfreeks will showcase two spoken word artists. The winners of Debate Mate’s eXpo Factor competition take part to debate the global challenges in Dubai and emerging artists will perform as part of the celebrations through the ‘Take the Stage’ competition run by Lowden Guitars, whose customers include UK icons Ed Sheeran and Eric Clapton.

The UK National Day experience will be complemented by a taste of British food and drink, with innovative Michelin Star chef Vineet Bhatia co-curating a UK produce focused menu from the UK Pavilion’s 1851 Restaurant. UK food scientist, entrepreneur and founder of Little Venice Cake Company, Mich Turner MBE will also create a bespoke UK National Day cake taking centre stage in an ‘Extraordinary Showcase’ at the UK Pavilion.

Kensington Palace said William, who has increasingly carried out important royal foreign visits – such as to Israel in 2018 – would use his trip to showcase his environmental award "The Earthshot Prize" and highlight the United for Wildlife campaign which seeks to counter the illegal trade in wildlife.

EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE composed by Dan Gillespie Sells, lead singer-songwriter of UK rock band The Feeling, with book and lyrics by Tom MacRae. From an idea by Jonathan Butterall.

Directed by Jonathan Butterell.

North American Premiere of the hit West End Musical. Winner of three WhatsOnStage Awards including Best New Musical and nominated for five Olivier Awards, "this funny, fabulous musical sensation has thrilled audiences and critics alike since opening in 2017. Fresh and contemporary with an extraordinary mother and son relationship at its center, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie celebrates acceptance, belonging, the power of unconditional love of a mother for her child and how good life is when everybody is the best they can be."

Jamie New is sixteen and lives in public housing in Sheffield, England. Jamie doesn’t quite fit in, he’s terrified about the future and he’s going to be a sensation. Inspired by a true story, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is an award-winning hit musical for today. Supported by his loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies, and steps out of the darkness and into the spotlight.

Featuring Layton Williams, Roy Haylock (AKA Bianca Del Rio),Melissa Jacques, Shobna Gulati, Gillian Ford, George Sampson, Hiba Elchikhe, Marlon G. Day, Leon Craig, David O’Reilly, James Gillan, Richard Appiah-Sarpong, Zion Battles, Kazmin Borrer, Ryan Hughes, Jodie Knight, Talia Palamathanan, Harriet Payne, Adam Taylor, Simeon Beckett, Emma Robotham-Hunt, Rachel Seirian, andCameron Johnson.

Design by Anna Fleischle. Choreography by Kate Prince. Lighting design by Lucy Carter. Sound design by Paul Groothuis. Casting by Will Burton. Musical Supervisor Theo Jamieson. Musical Director Richard Weeden. Video Design Luke Hall.

Performances through February 20, 2022 at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.

TROUBLE IN MIND by Alice Childress.

Directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg.

New York, 1955. A leading Black actress and a multiracial cast rehearse a challenging new Broadway play set in the South. Backstage rivalries and showbiz egos cause excitement of their own, but artistic differences between the cast and the White director soon bubble to the surface, revealing the truths that American drama covers over and the ways in which even well-meaning people can harm others under the guise of helping.

The cast includes Tom Bloom as Henry, Kevin Isola as Al Manners, Ramona Keller as Wiletta Mayer, Bibi Mama as Millie Davis, Jake Millgard as Eddie Fenton, Victor Morris as Sheldon Forrester, Mike Sears as Bill O’Wray, Michael Zachary Tunstill as John Nevins, and Maggie Walters as Judy Sears.

Understudies include Henian Boone, Brett Cassidy, Joel Castellaw, Desiree Clarke, Savannah Faye, Komi M. Gbeblewou, Becca Lustgarten, Jeffrey Rashad, Jude Tibeau, and Nathan Van Atta.

In addition to director Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, the creative team includes scenic design by Lawrence E. Moten III, costume design by Nicole Jescinth Smith, lighting design by Sherrice Mojgani, sound design by Luqman Brown, casting by Kelly Gillespie, CSA and Joseph Gery, local casting by Kim Heil, CSA and Lamar Perry, and production stage management by Chandra R.M. Anthenill.

The six-week limited engagement begins performances on February 5 and runs to March 13, 2022 with the opening on Thursday, February 10 playing on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre,in San Diego, CA.

GRAND HORIZONS by Bess Wohl.

Directed by Jennifer Ward-Lealand Te Atamira.

Annie Whittle and Roy Billing return to the stage as Nancy and Bill in the New Zealand premiere of Bess Wohl’s Tony-nominated uproarious comedy.

Also featured are: Kevin Keys, Todd Emerson, Esaú Mora, Beatriz Romilly, Andrea Kelland, .Tracy Grant Lord, Sean Lynch, and Siobhan Ridgley.

Nancy and Bill are 50 years into the picture-perfect marriage. Now, as they settle into the beige walls of their new ‘lifestyle village’, Nancy announces she wants out. And if her husband Bill is shocked, he doesn’t show it.

For their two grown-up sons, it’s a devastating betrayal. Their long-held beliefs about love, family and security are shaken, sending them back to foot-stomping, tantrum-throwing toddler hood.

Grand Horizons is a heart-warming and cathartic unraveling of a family unit, which is trying to pursue happiness and fulfillment, when each member is at a different stage of life.

February 5-March 5, 2022 at Auckland Theatre Company in Balmoral, Auckland, New Zealand.

A.D. 16 Book by Bekah Brunstetter. Music, Lyrics and Story by Cinco Paul.

Directed by Stephen Brackett.

Choreographer Katie Spelman.

Music Director Christopher Youstra.

Winner of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award What if your first crush really was perfect? From the comic genius of Cinco Paul and Bekah Brunstetter comes the delightfully witty, sublimely inspiring story of teenaged Mary Magdalene, who falls in love with the carpenter’s son next door - who happens to be a kid named Jesus. In her quest to impress him, Mary has to fend off a trio of 1st-Century Mean Girls and a bunch of Beastie Boys-inspired wiseguys from the Sanhedrin. She learns that getting Jesus to love you back is both easier – and harder – than she ever imagined. With a lush R&B score and a riotous cast of characters, A.D. 16 achieves the rare feat of being both funny and sincere. A thrilling and fun musical for people of all faiths, or no faith at all. Starring Phoenix Best as Mary and Ben Fankhauser as Jesus.

Orchestrations/Music Supervisor Doug Besterman - Scenic Designer Walt Spangler - Costume Designer Emilio Sosa - Lighting Designer Colin K. Bills - Sound Designer Matt Rowe - Wig Designer Anne Nesmith - Production Stage Manager Karen Currie.

February 4- March 6 2022 at the Olney Theatre in Olney, MD.

On Saturday February 19, 2022 a Behind the Scenes event titled Women and the Gospels will take place which is free with an RSVP. Behind the Scenes brings together a powerhouse panel of Biblical scholars to discuss the intersection of gender, culture, and faith through the portrayal of women in the Hebrew and Christian Bible.

Speakers: Reverend Diane Dixon-Proctor (Sharp Street United Methodist Church), Dr. Annalisa Buttici (Georgetown University), and Cantor Stephanie Weishaar (Kol Nefesh).

AIR SUPPLE whose vast supply of hits include: Making Love Out of Nothing at All; Goodbye; Lost in Love; It’s Never Too Late; The One That You Love; Sweet Dreams and All Out of Love, take to the stage at the State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick on Friday, February 4, 2022.

ROCK HALL OF FAME PARTNERS WITH THE MOTOWN MUSEUM to host a virtual interview with 1989 Inductee and founder of The Temptations, Otis Williams. The band, along with their longtime manager Shelly Berger, will discuss their iconic careers and celebrate their 60th anniversary with the release of their new album Temptations 60.

This special event will be hosted by Rock Hall Vice President of Education and Visitor Engagement, Jason Hanley.

“The Temptations set the bar for Motown groups,” said Hanley. “What better way to honor and celebrate the group’s 60th anniversary and new album release than by joining forces with the Motown Museum for this interview with Otis Williams. It is such a pleasure to talk to Otis, Shelly, and the group about their rich history, classic songs, and the legacy of the Temptations that continues today.”

The Temptations, often referred to as American music royalty, are world-renowned superstars of entertainment, revered for their phenomenal catalog of music and prolific career. Their music transcends generations, and their story is a road map through American history. What began in Detroit, when a remarkable combination of soulful voices united, was the genesis of an epic journey that introduced multiple superstars to the world and produced some of the greatest music of our era.

Fans can tune in to the Rock Hall’s YouTube Channel or Motown Museum’s YouTube Channel at 7p.m. ET on Friday, February 4th. Following the broadcast, the interview will remain available on-demand for fans to view at their convenience.

The interview will premiere on SiriusXM Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Radio, channel 310, and on the SXM app on February 15th at 4p.m. ET. This event is a part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Sounds of Black History Month lineup.

SIX TIME GRAMMY WINNER CHRISTIAN McBRIDE presents The Movement Revisited, an epic suite honoring Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King Jr., and President Barack Obama.

Their words will be will be dramatically voiced by Keith David, Tamara Tunie, Vondie-Curtis Hall, Dion Graham, and more with electrifying music performed by the Christian McBride Big Band, vocalist Alicia Olatuja, and the Howard Gospel Choir directed by J.D. Steele.

February 4 at The Concert Hall, Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

ITHACA COLLEGE CREATES SCHOOL OF MUSIC, THEATRE AND DANCE The performing arts at Ithaca College in New York will take center stage as two of its most renowned programs formally join together on July 1, 2022, with the establishment of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

The current School of Music and the Department of Theatre Arts—which is presently located within the School of Humanities and Sciences—will comprise a Division of Music and a Division of Theatre and Dance within the new school.

The announcement was made in a joint message from Interim President La Jerne Terry Cornish and Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Melanie Stein.

“In bringing these programs together we highlight and celebrate the performing arts at Ithaca College,” says Stein. “This new school will serve current and future students by allowing for more cross-disciplinary training and exposure, better preparing them for real-world multidisciplinary artistic careers in the 21st century.”

She points to the history of the institution as being ready from its earliest days to establish connections between the performing arts.

“Ithaca College began in 1892 as the Ithaca Conservatory of Music. But it was just a short five years later that the affiliated Williams’s School of Expression and Dramatic Art brought a new mode of educating, engaging, and empowering our students,” Stein noted.

The announcement noted that all of the academic programs currently housed in the School of Music and the Department of Theatre Arts will continue to be offered in the new school. Each of the two divisions will be led by an associate dean, and the search for the inaugural dean of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance has already begun.

AN EVENING WITH ITZHAK PERLMAN takes place February 5, 2022 at the State Theatre of New Jersey in New Brunswick.

For this program, violinist Itzhak Perlman - joined by pianist Rohan De Silva - shares the story of his life and career through anecdotes, musical pieces, and personal photos from his archives.

Perlman has been honored with 16 Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Genesis Prize, a National Medal of Arts by President Clinton, a Medal of Liberty by President Reagan, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama which is the nation’s highest civilian honor.

HARRY CONNICK, JR. performs Monday, January 31 in Greenville, DC. On February 2 he can be enjoyed in Morristow, NJ. Thursday finds him in Lancaster, PA. On Friday the show is in Red Ban, NJ and on Saturday he takes to the stage in Brookville, NY.

E-Book

Soft back Book

E-Book

Soft back Book

This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

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






ALAN ALDA who, shortly before his 86th birthday, on January 29, 2022, was informed that he had been made an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow which he posted as being "a huge honor, for which I am profoundly grateful. More than an honor, I think it recognizes the crucial importance of training scientists to be communicators, which brings value to science and to our very survival Thank you. "

Fellowship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science is an honor accorded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science to distinguished persons who are members of the Association.

AAAS Fellows are a distinguished cadre of scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their achievements across disciplines, from research, teaching, and technology, to administration in academia, industry and government, to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public.

In a tradition stretching back to 1874, these individuals are elected annually by the AAAS Council. Newly elected Fellows are recognized for their extraordinary achievements at the ceremonial Fellows Forum, a time-honored event at the AAAS Annual Meeting where they are presented with a certificate and blue and gold rosette.

Eligible nominees are members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished and who have been a continuous AAAS member for at least four years leading up to the year of nomination. Fellows have included Thomas Edison, W.E.B DuBois, Maria Mitchell, Steven Chu, Ellen Ochoa and Irwin M. Jacobs.

Election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor and all Fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.

Alda, who created and hosts the podcast Clear & Vivid, was cited for his Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, Stony Brook University. In addition to Alda, others elected in the section on GENERAL INTEREST IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING include:
Andrea M. Armani University of Southern California

Bradley J. Cardinal Oregon State University

Yiu-ming Cheung Hong Kong Baptist University (China)

Erica Goldman Federation of American Scientists

Jeremy S. Hoffman Science Museum of Virginia

Kathleen Hall Jamieson University of Pennsylvania

Se Woong Jeong Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Lee Ann Kahlor The University of Texas at Austin

Tiffany Lohwater University of California, Berkeley

Kevin J. Niemi University of Wisconsin-Madison

Richard M. Preston The New Yorker

Steven L. Richardson Howard University

THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS "NEXT 50" recipients "who are lighting the way forward through art and action".have been announced.

A soccer player. A poet. A chef. A comedian. A ballerina. Leadership crosses the boundaries of genre, medium, and discipline.

"As part of our 50th anniversary and with input from artists, cultural leaders, arts organizations, and community members, the Kennedy Center sought to discover leaders who are moving us toward a more inspired, inclusive, and compassionate world. Now, we’re thrilled to introduce The Kennedy Center Next 50 - 50 leaders and organizations that, through sustained excellence of artistic, educational, athletic, or multi-disciplinary work, are lighting the way forward.

"These 50 cultural leaders will take part in Kennedy Center programs, forums, residencies, and events—such as Arts Summit, the Center’s annual convening investigating the power and potential of the arts—and work with the Kennedy Center to create opportunities for discourse with civic leaders to ensure that the voices of artistic and cultural leaders are lifted and heard..

They are:

Kyle Abraham Artistic Director of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham (New York, NY / Los Angeles, CA)

Adrian Anantawan Violinist, educator, and disability advocate (Boston, MA)

Manuela Arciniegas Director of the Andrus Family Fund and Legacy Women Caribbean Roots Drum Troupe (Goshen, NY)

Chloe & Maud Arnold Tap dancers, choreographers, and producers (Los Angeles, CA)

Elizabeth Mendez Berry Vice President and Executive Editor of One World and co-founder of Critical Minded (Montclair, NJ)

Black Futures Lab Working with Black people to transform communities (Oakland, CA)

Qacung Blanchett Performing artist, culture-bearer, educator, and advocate for equity and inclusion (Juneau, AK)

Nicole Brewer Advocate / actor / director / educator, and founder of Anti-Racist Theatre (Washington, D.C.)

J'Nai Bridges American mezzo-soprano (New York, NY)

adrienne maree brown Writer, author, and podcast host (Durham, NC)

Camille A. Brown Dancer, choreographer, and Founder & Artistic Director of Camille A. Brown & Dancers (New York, NY)

Mahogany L. Browne Writer / organizer / educator and Executive Director of JustMedia (Brooklyn, NY)

Erik Bruner-Yang Chef, restaurateur, and founder of Foreign National (Washington, D.C.)

Natasha Cloud Professional basketball player (New York, NY)

Vir Das Stand-Up Comedian, Writer, and Actor. Emmy-nominated for one of his four Netflix stand-up specials (India)

Ty Defoe Writer, actor, and interdisciplinary artist (New York, NY)

DJ Underdog DJ, graphic design teacher, and community-maker (Washington, D.C.)

Sage Dolan-Sandrino Youth leader, queer and trans artist, and Founder & Creative Director of TEAM @ TheTeamMag (New York, NY)

Tony Duncan Composer, producer, 6-time World Champion Hoop Dancer, Native American Music Artist of the Year (Gilbert, AZ)

Final Bow for Yellowface Phil Chan / Georgina Pazcoguin (Co-founders), Committed to eliminating stereotypes of Asians on our stages (New York, NY)

Fly Zyah Emcee (Washington, D.C.)

Kamilah Forbes Theater and television director / producer, Executive Producer at Apollo Theater (New York, NY)

Pierce Freelon Musician / producer / educator and co-creator of Beat Making Lab (Durham, NC)

Girl Tales Podcast Rebecca Cunningham, Founder of Cordelia Studios, Executive Producer / Host (Brooklyn, NY)

The Giving Block Pat Duffy (St Petersburg, FL) / Alex Wilson (Washington, DC), Co-Founders

José Cruz González Playwright and Professor Emeritus at California State University, Los Angeles (Durham, NC)

Amanda Gorman 2021 Inaugural Poet & Activist (Los Angeles, CA)
Chinaka Hodge Poet / educator / playwright / screenwriter (Los Angeles, CA / Oakland, CA)

Maori Karmael Holmes Curator / filmmaker / writer and founder, CEO, and Artistic Director of BlackStar (Philadelphia, PA)

Roger Ideishi Director of Occupational Therapy and Professor of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Services at The George Washington University (Philadelphia, PA / Washington, DC)

Alice Sheppard, choreographer, dancer, and co-founder of Kinetic Light (Los Altos, CA / New York, NY)

Charles Limb Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Chief of the Division of Otology, Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery at UC San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)

Bettina L. Love Award-winning author and Professor at the University of Georgia (Atlanta, GA)

Cecilia Méndez-Ortiz Latin@ artist and Executive Director of the Center for Art and Community Partnerships, Massachusetts College of Art and Design (Boston, MA)

José André Montaño Jazz pianist (Washington, DC)

Beth Morrison President and Creative Producer, Beth Morrison Projects (New York, NY / Los Angeles, CA)

Gregg Mozgala Actor/dancer, Director of Inclusion at Queens Theater, and founder and Artistic Director of The Apothetae (New York, NY)

Chef Kwame Onwuachi James Beard Award-winning chef, author, and executive producer at Food & Wine (Los Angeles, CA)

Heolimeleikalani Osorio Kanaka Maoli wahine artist, activist, scholar, and storyteller (Wahiawa, HI)

Lori Pourier Founding President of First Peoples Fund (Océti ŠakówI? Territory, SD)

Megan Rapinoe Two-time World Cup Champion and co-captain of the US Women’s National Team (Seattle, WA)

Jason Reynolds #1 New York Times bestselling author and current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (Washington, DC)

Cody Renard Richard Advocate, educator, producer, and professional stage manager (New York, NY)

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated actor (Los Angeles, CA)

SchoolTalk Sarah Stetson Grime, Arts to Advocacy Program Manager at School Talk (Washington, DC)

Yara Shahidi Award-winning actress and producer (Los Angeles, CA)

Carlos Simon Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence (Washington, DC)

Jose Solís Journalist and critic (New York, NY)

esperanza spalding Multi-Grammy-winning musician (Portland, OR)

Lisa Richards Toney President and CEO of Association of Performing Arts Professionals (Washington, DC)

FINAL OVATION

BOBBE LONG "BEEGIE" ADAIR Jazz pianist, session musician and bandleader who played on over 100 records throughout her six decade career, died Sunday, January23, 2022 in Franklin, Tennessee. She was 84.

She can be herd on the recordings of such legendary performers as Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Clifton Davis, Henry Mancini, Delbert McClinton, Joe Williams, Chet Atkins, Lucille Ball, Steve Allen, Dinah Shore, Mandy Barnett, Ray Stevens, Boots Randolph, Hank Garland, Mama Cass Elliott, Peggy Lee, and many others during her long career.

Beegie contributed to more than 100 albums, including more than 35 Beegie Adair Trio studio albums recorded over the last 25 years with her trio mates, bassist Roger Spencer and drummer Chris Brown. The trio’s repertoire ranged from Cole Porter standards to Frank Sinatra classics to romantic World War II ballads. Her 6-CD Centennial Composers Collection of tunes by Rodgers, Gershwin, Kern, Ellington, Carmichael, and Berlin became an instant collectible classic upon its release. Her first live album, The Real Thing, spent over 12 weeks in the Top 20 on the JazzWeek charts and was named one of the Top 100 Best Jazz Albums of 2012. With over 2 million albums sold to date, the Beegie Adair Trio is widely recognized as one of the most successful jazz trios in the world.

In 2016, the Beegie Adair Trio, sold out its debut appearance at Carnegie Hall. It was the first appearance by a Nashville-based jazz trio in the hall’s history. They returned to Carnegie Hall in 2017 for a second sold-out performance and prior to the onset of the pandemic, they appeared at Carnegie Hall each October.

In 2002, Beegie was invited to become a Steinway Artist, thus becoming a member of an exclusive roster of legendary musicians. The roster of Steinway Artists comprises the greatest pianists and composers in history, including Lang Lang, Diana Krall, Harry Connick, Jr., Billy Joel, Michael Legrand, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Arthur Rubinstein.

In the late 80s, she hosted "Improvised Thoughts," a popular radio talk/music show for NPR, featuring local and international jazz artists including such greats as Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Marian McPartland, Benny Golson, and Helen Merrill. She performed on McPartland’s internationally known “Piano Jazz” show twice.

The Beegie Adair Trio performed in jazz clubs and at festivals around the world, and in 2010, the trio was the top selling jazz artist in Japan. Since 2011, Beegie delighted her fans in New York, with annual appearances at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club, with her trio and vocalist Monica Ramey and, in 2016, added Feinstein’s/54 Below with Monica Ramey to her resume.

She was honored as an international "Jazz Hero" by Jazz Journalists Association, and was inducted into the Western Kentucky University Hall of Fame.

She and her husband, Billy Adair, also started a jingle company to write music for commercials. Billy Adair, a teacher, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and backbone of the jazz program at Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music died. in 2014 at the age of 66.

KATHRYN KATES who famously appeared in Seinfeld and Orange is the New Black died Saturday, January 22, 2022 of lung cancer which she had been treated for 20 years ago, which had returned. She was 73.

In a career spanning more than three decades, Kates was credited with roles in more than 70 TV series and movies.

She began her career in Los Angeles. Kates is one of 25 actors (including fellow member John Larroquette) who are founding members of The Colony Theatre. Kates and her colleagues took up residence at The Studio Theatre in the Silver Lake District of Los Angeles. For the next 25 years she along with her colleagues there produced award-winning stage productions. During the first six years of The Colony's existence (1975 to 1981), Kates, along with Barbara Beckley, was co-general manager of The Colony and together they produced all of the company's plays. She has the distinction of being the only actress to ever play opposite John Larroquette as his mother, lover, and wife: as his mother in Enter Laughing (Cast Theatre, 1974); his wife in A Company of Wayward Saints (Colony Theatre 1978); and his lover in The Lady's Not For Burning (Colony Theatre, 1979). Kates also appeared in many other of The Colony's L.A. Drama Critics’ Circle award-winning productions such as The Grapes Of Wrath and Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles (El Rey Theatre with Ed Harris). Over the years, The Colony Theatre has evolved from a small ensemble of actors into a well-established, award-winning, nationally recognized theatre, renowned for high quality productions. It has been listed in the Encyclopædia Britannica Almanac as one of “25 Notable US Theater Companies.”

Since relocating to New York City in 2006, she has appeared in over twenty Off and Off Off Broadway productions, has toured Europe (Bucharest, Sibiu and Stockholm) with Saviana Stanescu's Waxing West, and has worked at The Public, La Mama Etc., Urban Stages, The Soho Playhouse, The Cherry Lane, and several times on Theatre Row. She was the Palestinian Aunt in the New York Theatre Workshop production of Food and Fadwa, on Theatre Row in Herman Kline's Midlife Crisis, and, more recently starred along with Greg Mullavey and Gaby Hoffmann in The Last Seder. She was a company member of Daniel Talbott's Rising Phoenix Rep.

Next Column: February 6, 2022
Copyright: January 30, 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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