Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: January 8, 2023
By: Laura Deni
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CES 2023 IN VEGAS SHOWCASES INNOVATION AND FLOPS

CES 2023 which closes today in Las Vegas carried the theme - human security, with a focus on innovations that can help solve the world’s biggest challenges, such as access to healthcare, clean air, clean water and food.

There was also a section dedicated to flops.

As for innovations:

A dozen Ukrainian startups proudly showed off innovations at CES, determined to help their nation triumph economically as well as on the battlefield. The contingent was welcomed, while Russian firms were barred, due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war.

A fund supporting entrepreneurs in their home country offered the Ukrainians a chance to travel to Las Vegas to attend CES to showcase their ideas.

"I think it takes a lot of courage for our Ukrainian friends to be here," said Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Technology Association, which runs CES. "They have proven how they are protecting themselves against Russia; but they're also very entrepreneurial."

The Ukrainian contingent included Nanit, a small robot and device company that teaches electronics and computer coding skills sorely needed for tech jobs.

Several of the Ukrainian startups at CES were focused on saving the planet as well as the country.

Releaf Paper boasted being the first producer of bags, drink trays, fruit boxes and other paper goods made from fallen leaves. Samples on display were indistinguishable from paper products made from trees, and were said to decompose quickly on the ground.

"There is No Planet B. Over 7.3 million hectares of forest are cut down annually for paper production," states Releaf Paper. "That’s 20 football fields a minute. By doing this, we are erasing our #1 oxygen source! We believe that trees should stay in the forest, humans should breathe the oxygen, and paper should be made from the fallen leaves. So, we created Releaf – the world’s first paper sustainably made from leaves.

"We save seventeen trees from felling for every ton of paper we create using fallen leaves."

Releaf intends to build its first production facility in Europe this year, said chief executive Alexander Sobolenko.

Start up Rekava founded by Nazar Trokhymchuk also makes paper using leaves they collect from city streets and parks.

Rekava also takes used coffee grounds from cafes and turns them into cups complete with lids as well packaging, all of which is easily biodegradable. After the war started, Rekava started making scented candles, in used coffee-ground containers. Fragrances are dedicated to Ukrainian cities.

Consumer Technology Association research director Steve Koenig reminded CES-goers that as much as major innovations like smartphones first seen at the expo soared to success after the last big economic downturn more than a decade ago, the sector could once again help fuel a global recovery.

"This time, I think the powerful new waves of technological change that will really remedy inflation and restore global GDP growth will come from the enterprise side," said Steve Koenig, Vice President of Research at the Consumer Technology Association, the trade group that organises CES each year.

Robotics are going to make workplaces more efficient, on-the-job virtual reality, and automated vehicles such as tractors that boost productivity will make this happen, according to Koenig.

Items presented included:

A home defibrillator by French start-up Lifeaz to ViraWarn, a pocket-size breath analyzer from Opteey Technologies that detects COVID-19, RSV and influenza in under 60 seconds. ViraWarn, which is awaiting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has a model. You only need to change the biosensor cartridge after about two weeks, and the company is aiming to price the device at $99, with cartridges costing “a couple dollars each”.

Printed to order gummies. Nourished x Neutrogena Skin360 SkinStacks showcased the first on-demand, 3D-printed, personalized skin health supplements. Most people know that vitamins A, C, D and E along with biotin are some of the best vitamins for skin health. Much like skin creams which are labeled for women by age groups, this company is basically doing the same for skin vitamins. The buyer first uses Neutrogena’s tech tool to assess their skin via a selfie, and then answers a few questions about skin routine, goals, lifestyle, and environment. Then, the AI mixes a specialized formulation with seven different ingredients from various vitamins and other nutrients to deliver customized gummies that helps your skin from the inside out. Available as of January 3, $50 for a one-month supply.

One start-up, OVR Technology, presented a headset that allows users to smell in the metaverse, which could have applications beyond gaming, for example in health and wellness.

Our sense of smell is unique from our other senses. It's the only sense with a direct connection to the limbic system in our brains which is the area responsible for memory and emotion. The Limbic System also has major influence on cognition, behavior and motivation, states thecompany.

Smell can alter the ability to taste as many who suffered with Covid discovered. The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which specializes in Parkinson's research, is asking everyone over the age of 65 to participate in an at home smell test. Contact the organization, which will then send you a test.

A budding startup out of France called Neoplants showed us a palm-sized baby houseplant bioengineered to capture and contain the most dangerous indoor air pollutants in our homes. They’re tagged it the Neo P1. Those pollutants can include formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, and xylene, VOCs that household cleaning products contain, and paint.

Have you checked your urine lately? U-Scan is a a palm-sized connected urine tracker. The hands-free at-home urine lab fits under your toilet's lid to track metabolic and reproductive health.

Fifteen years ago, the annual tech show CES welcomed one automaker. This year, it hosted more than 300 exhibitors from the auto industry.

Perhaps giving criminals an edge in getting away are cars which change colors.

BMW touted their i Vision Dee – a full-color version with E Ink technology which can display up to 32 colors.

Another German automaker, Volkswagen, showcased the ID.7, an electric sedan fitted with "smart camouflage" that creates light effects through 40 layers of paint. When connected to a sound system, there are 22 areas of the concept vehicle that can light up individually to visualize the rhythm. Apparently that can help if you want to host a rave on your driveway.

Roku announced its own line of smart high-definition TV sets and will sell them through both retail stores and its website. The Roku Select and the Roku Plus Series are scheduled for a spring release, with 11 total models and prices between $119 and $999.

Belgium's intoPIX, the leading expert in zero-latency mezzanine video compression, unveiled a new concept for Wireless Displays with its unique TicoXS FIP compression algorithm that combines the JPEG XS Codec with a Flawless Image Profile – FIP - and a dedicated error concealment feature. Benefits include:

Microsecond latency with perfect image quality in any situation on any content.
Robust compression with error control and recovery of any corrupted content, which makes it also ideal for unpredictable transmission such as WiFi-6 or 60Ghz.
Cost-efficiency and sustainability to carry 4K and 8K over a gigabit network.

And then there are the failures.

About 80 percent of new products launched every year fail, often because founders failed to assess whether people were really willing to spend money on what they were selling. "I think it's great to consider failures because failures are valuable learning experiences," said Brad Holliday of ID8 Innovation, which advises big companies launching startup projects. "If you can speed your process of understanding when something is not going to be successful, you can save yourself money in the long run," he added.

A display of failures, which had originally been presented by CES, caught me off guard.

26 electrodes stimulates skin and muscles. Photo by: Laura Deni

Linda Evans was the spokesperson. Photo by: Laura Deni

Considered the number one failure of all time is Rejuvenique, which was promoted "for improved skin elasticity, reduction of crows feet, wrinkles, and beautiful skin tone." The product was introduced in 1999 and cost about $129. Endorsed and promoted by Linda Evans, it sold in high end stores like Saks and Neiman Marcus. I couldn't get to the store fast enough to buy one. I still have it and have used it faithfully for almost 24 years.

So why is it the Number One Failure?

It scares people.

The internet is full of scathing comments with people saying they wore the mask outside to scare the mailman, children or animals. Bad idea.

For those of us who actually use the product - and I may be the only one - I think it's great.

The hard orange mask (which does look like it belongs in a sci-fi movie) contains 26 electrodes. First, have a clean face, then place a pea size amount of conducing gel over the electrodes. This is vital. The gel must cover the entire gold plated contact point - otherwise it won't work - since the gel acts as a conductor. Then DO NOT go outside to terrorize the neighborhood. Lie down with the mask positioned over your face. Turn on the machine. You can control the electric shocks which are called "a light energy pulsation to key areas of your face." Did I just scare people? It's not bad and stronger does not mean better results. The "pulsation" strength is for your own comfort which you control that through the control knobs, powered by a 9-volt battery. You cannot use the machine if you are a child, use a pacemaker, have facial implants, have a history of epilepsy or other seizure disorders, are pregnant or have facial skin cancer.

The instruction booklet has a special section for men with beards.

Each session takes 15 minutes. Afterwards my face is pinkish red and there are dimple marks where each contact point was located. Those dimple marks disappear in about 30 minutes.

Like any fitness program, results take time - a few weeks. It's recommended to use the machine at least four times a week, no more than twice a day.

During a treatment I can actually feel my skin and muscles underneath being lifted upwards. At the minimum, I think encouraging blood flow to the face and head isn't a bad idea. On the downside, you MUST use the contact gel. Finding that isn't easy. It used to be that a medical supply house wouldn't sell it to a non medical person. Scalpers on the internet will sell a two ounce bottle for up to $60. That's when I bought my second unit.

Apparently, years ago, somebody received Rejuvenique as a Christmas present and was offended that the giver thought the person could use some skin assistance. The unopened, never used, brand new Rejuvenque became part of their year-end garage sale. Price $10.00. I walked by and snapped it up. Reason? Inside was an unopened bottle of conducting gel. Now, I've learned to make my own. Mix aloa vera gel with salt.

While I like the contraption, I am embarrassed to realize that I own - not one - but two - of the product which is considered the all time CES new product flop.

CIRCUS TOWN WITH A TOUCH OF RAUNCHY

If you want to run away and join a kinky circus, where new acts are created and rehearsed, take a trip to a little town once known as Nipton.

Located about an hour southwest of Las Vegas, Nipton is an unincorporated community in the Ivanpah Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Founded in 1905, it's current population is "about 15 – 20."

Why would the famed Spiegelworld want to buy such a place and turn it into a three ring training camp.

Why not?

Prior to Spiegelworld taking over, the place has a storied history.

Nipton began an a mining camp, established on February 9, 1905, at the crossroads of two wagon trails. In addition to being a cattle-loading station for several local ranches, the town and depot also supplied numerous mines in the area, becoming a social center for the sparse population of the region.

On April 10, 1940, President Roosevelt approves transferring title of Nipton to Harry Trehearne under the Homestead Act. It stays in the family’s hands until 1956 when it passes to six owners. In 1985 Gerald "Jerry" Freeman and Roxanne Lang purchased Nipton for about $200,000. They restored the cafe and five-room hotel and planted a grove of eucalyptus trees. When Freeman's health deteriorated in 2016, they put the town up for sale.

In September 2017, Nipton was purchased by American Green Inc., for US$5 million with plans to turn the town into a cannabis tourism destination. The CEO of the company hoped to make this into the first "Pot Town, USA". American Green Inc. sold the town in March 2018 after failing to attract the capital investment necessary to continue the project. The town was sold to Delta International Oil & Gas for a total of $7.7 million in debt assumption and Delta preferred stock, along with a provision that it continue with the project to transform the 80-acre (32 ha) town on the edge of the Mojave Desert into a cannabis-themed resort. The town was listed for sale again in November 2020 for $2.75 million.

In January 2023, Nipton was purchased by Spiegelworld, an American theater company, for $2.5 million. Spiegelworld has stated that Nipton will become their new base of operations and will become a place "where Spiegelworld artists and performers will retreat to dream, create and undertake unfettered artistic experimentation."

The Wall Street Journal first broke the story.

They plan to renovate and reopen the five-room adobe hotel, which was built in the Mexican Territorial style in 1910. They aldo plan to re-open the general store and the Whistle Stop Cafe. The town also has a trading post, a RV park, five eco-cabins, and ten sites with teepees on them. There is also a historic schoolhouse and art exhibits connected to the Burning Man event, which takes place about 600 miles north of Nipton.

A long term could have financial rewarding possibility as a tourist attraction.

However, Spiegelworld officials told the Wall Street Journal that they "don't want to build a resort. This is a very high-end circus. At the same time it's filled with character and personality."

Spiegelworld began creating immersive live entertainment experiences in New York City in 2006. At the core of this seductive world was a unique venue; a century-old Belgian spiegeltent beautifully crafted from teak, stained glass, mirrors and luxurious velvet.

The organization creates award-winning, genre-defying live entertainment experiences, from smash-hit resident productions to engaging, interactive parties featuring the world’s most talented artists. The productions are billed as "rowdy" and "raunchy."

More than "just shows," the company proudly states that ”we invent worlds: immersive, intricately detailed and infinitely discoverable alternate realities, full of twists and bends, art and cocktails, characters and curiosities.

"This story-driven, escapist energy flows through everything we do, electrifying our celebrated Las Vegas endeavors - Absinthe at Caesars Palace, OPIUM and Superfrico at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Atomic Saloon Show at The Venetian Resort - and experimental projects."

To transform Nipton into a circus mecca, the new owners have removed about 250 tons of debris to create a "global headquarters" for the circus.

For years the area has been used as a dumping ground.

Handling the renovation are two Spiegelworld prop building, Alex and Frank Strebal, who happen to live nearby, although their Elite Creations, LLC is based in Las Vegas.

Presumably all town transformation ideas are on the table. One is to create a "permanent Burning Man," referring to the annual music and art festival held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, which is about 600 miles north of Nipton. Other ideas include creating a skydiving park and making accommodations in Nipton's underground mining bunkers.

Remaining in place, without the contention we've been having in the United States Congress, is the longtime unofficial "mayor" of the town, Jim Eslinger. "They're awesome people and what I hear is they have some really good shows," Eslinger told The WSJ.

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ART AND ABOUT

COLONY/ DOR GUEZ features photographs, installations, and a three-channel video which the artist has mined from archival photographs of Jerusalem that circulated in diplomatic albums or as souvenirs of the Holy Lands. His work reveals the role photography played in telling the history and amplifying the symbolism of this place.

In his photography-centered multimedia practice, the artist Dor Guez considers the roles of art, architecture, music, and monuments in shaping the identity of a place. His work is a form of storytelling that focuses on unwritten histories. Colony / Dor Guez features photographs, installations, and the US premiere of a video that the artist created based on historical photographs in the archives of the American Colony.

Established in Jerusalem in 1881, the American Colony was a Christian community formed by a group of American and then Swedish expats who maintained their philanthropic commune through Ottoman, British, Jordanian, and Israeli rule.

In the early twentieth century, the American Colony produced and sold hundreds of photographic views as souvenirs of the region. Guez mines these holdings, selecting photographs that contain latent histories of the multiple communities who draw connections between their identity and this geography. He mirrors, juxtaposes, enlarges, and filters these pictures to reveal how they accrue meanings over time and offer shifting views of the region’s past and present.

Curated by Mitra M. Abbaspour, Haskell Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Open through February 12, 2023 at the Princeton Museum in Princeton, New Jersey.

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SWEET CHARITY

RUSSELL CROWE has donated €5,000 to The Rick O'Shea Book Club, one of Ireland's largest book clubs, following the group's financial appeal.

SPREADING THE WORD

DELTA SKYMILES customers will get access to Paramount+ premium programming this spring, according to NAB Smartbrief. The deal, which marks Paramount's first domestic airline partnership, also gives SkyMiles fliers access to broadband service.

SEONG-JIN CHO perform Brahms’ mighty First Piano Concerto, a masterpiece known for its exquisite grandeur and immense scale. Sparks fly throughout the work as soloist and orchestra challenge each other with their own exuberant statements on an epic theme. January 12–14 at the Concert Hall, Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

JIMMY FALLON has made his Broadway debut, appearing in one performance of Almost Famous, which closes today, Sunday, January 8, 2023. Fallon had made his movie debut in the movie version of the show.

RODEO HOUSTON has announced their line-up. Longtime and returning favorites, including Brooks & Dunn and Kenny Chesney. Taking their first spin on the rotating stage inside NRG Stadium, including Machine Gun Kelly and Walker Hayes. Ashley McBryde, who opened last year for George Strait is one of just two women on the lineup alongside Christian pop singer Lauren Daigle.

There are six non-country acts, including New Kids on the Block and La Fiera de Ojinaga. On board are stalwarts Brad Paisley and Luke Bryan. Bun B's collaborative showcase also returns for a second year.

The annual event runs Febtuary 28-March 19 at NRG Stadium in Houston.

DID YOU KNOW THAT on January 12, 1898 French author Emile Zola published J'ccuse, a letter accusing the French government of a cover-up in the Alfred Dreyfus case. On January 13, 1934 Author Horatio Alger was born in Revere, Massachusetts. He wrote over 100 books forb boys, many featuring "Rags to richeS" themes of poor boys triymphing over obstacles. He died in 1899. On January 14, 1892 film pioneer Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York. His output included nearly 1,000 movies of all lengths, including the classic Laurel and Hardy comedies.

PAY DISCREPANCY BETWEEN BROADWAY AND THE WEST END

Jason Leigh Winter, currently performing in London's West End in Moulin Rouge unintentionally found himself in the middle of a firestorm where he posted on his twitter account a general pay complaint.

His exact quote which he posted at 9:34 am on January 2, 2023:

"Is it that theatre is SO badly paid in London? how are we genuinely supposed to live where the price of EVERYTHING is increasing so much but not our rate of pay to match it? I shouldn't have to live in a shit hole or a flat share at 34 years old."

A Kimberly Nicholas replied to his tweet:
"I've never understood why London theatre pay especially in the west end wasn't similar to pay rates on Broadway."

To which Winter replied: "It's not even close! Like laughably less."

His initial tweet was picked up by London newspapers and with commentary implying that Winter was complaining about his current Moulin contract, which he wasn't.

Winter posted: Wasn't expected to start a mini revolution, but so interesting most people think we earn a fortune in the arts, when realistically most people I know in west end contracts are juggling other jobs just to stay afloat!!"

Later he posted: "Seems my tweet to start a convo was news worthy! I hate they keep mentioning Moulin, as it wasn't an attack on my current job. It's an industry wide covo. But also a convo I think needs to be had. Other industries strike, raise awareness, etc, we keep quite for fear of not working."

A Sam Toland replied: "Also lets not forget that most other professions don't immediately lost 12.5% (plus VAT so realistically more like 15%) of heir earnings to agent commission every week. I know on paper it's possible to function in this industry without an agent, but those that manage it are rare."

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

ROBBIE WiLLIAMS plans to build his own Dubai UAE hotel where he will perform.

The singer songwriter found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 2990 to 1995 and even more fame after launching a solo career in 1996. He's had 14 Number 1 albums.

In making the announcement about his own hotel he stated: "I don't think I will be going back to Vegas. But I am currently building my own hotel so I can do my gig in my own hotel."

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND HANG IN THERE . . .

MARVEL ACTOR JEREMY RENNER

Jeremy Renner posted this picture on his Instragram account thanking the medical staff. He celebrated his birthday in the hospital. Photo: Jerry Renner Instagram.

suffered a serious accident while he was plowing snow at his home in Reno, Nevada.

He was airlifted to a hospital on Sunday, January 1 and upon arrival was listed in critical but stable condition.

Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said at a Tuesday news conference that Renner’s snowcat, an engine-powered machine used to clear snow, started to roll away while Renner was not in the driver’s seat. He was injured as he tried to get back into the machine, Balaam said. Renner’s family members were with him when he was injured.

Authorities received a 911 call about the accident on New Year’s morning. The highway was closed due to severe winter weather. Because of the difficult weather, a helicopter was used to transport Renner to the hospital.

He immediately underwent two surgeries for blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries and remains hospitalized, but in good spirits.

On Saturday, January 7, 2023, he celebrated his 52nd birthday.

He posted a photo on his Instagram account in which he was in his hospital bed on oxygen surrounded by his medical team.

Renner is probably best known for playing Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

He has also starred in films such as The Hurt Locker - for which he received a best actor Oscar nomination - American Hustle and Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

Renner was also nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in The Town.

He is currently starring in Paramount+ series The Mayor Of Kingstown and recently saw his fictional own-branded hot sauce make a cameo appearance in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.



NOT ABOUT ME Written & Directed by Eduardo Machado.

The cast features Mateo d’Amato, Michael Domitrovich, Crystal Field, Ellis Charles Hoffmeister, Charles Manning, Drew Valins, and Heather Velazquez.

Not About Me is a memory play that takes audiences on a haunting journey through the mind of a playwright during Covid-19 lockdowns. Long buried memories of friends lost to a mysterious 'gay' disease come crashing into the present, and he is compelled to examine his artistic and political life in the theater. This play is a bittersweet reflection on how tragedy can unearth pain and laughter and bring back to life the treasures buried in the past.

"During the first summer of the lock down one of my best and dearest friends died of Covid. For the next three years all I could think about was all my friends that died of AIDS when I was in my twenties. Covid-19 brought the end of a certain way of life, as did AIDS in the 1980s. What had been a time of freedom and joy, a time when anything could happen, came crashing to a close, as our own sexuality became our illness. Queer people of a certain age know what this is like. Now, in 2022, the whole world has gotten a taste. We must speak out so the world can change to something better once again," said Machado.

The creative team includes Mark Marcante (scenic design), Sean Ryan (production design), Alex Bartenieff (lighting design), Kelsey Charter (costume design), Bird Rogers (projection design), Emily Irvine (puppet designer/maker), and David Margolin Lawson (sound design). Not About Me will feature original music by Michael Domitrovich.

Limited Off-Broadway engagement begins January 13th at the Theater for the New City through through Sunday February 5th only.

TWELVE O'CLOCK TALES WITH AVA GARDNER written by Alessandra Assaf and Michael Lorre.

Directed by Michael A. Shepperd.

Starring Alessandra Assaf as Ava Gardner.

Movie star. Femme fatale. Homewrecker. Civil Rights activist. The Whitefire Theatre plays host to a new solo play that reveals the contradictions and complexities of the passionate and deeply flawed woman behind silver screen icon Ava Gardner. Hollywood, California. 1974. On the set of the blockbuster disaster film, Earthquake, Oscar nominated screen siren Ava Gardner is focusing on her first big budget starring role in over a decade. Tucked away in her dressing room bungalow, the "queen of the scandal sheets" does battle with her past. But only a fool would bet against Ava.

"Ava was a star in the ‘40s and ‘50s, but she had the sensibility and morés of today’s millennial," says Assaf. "She enjoyed her sexuality and had agency over herself in a way that women were not permitted to at the time. She fought against racism and believed in the right to choose."

Famous for her tumultuous life that included marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra as well as numerous love affairs, the Academy Award-nominated actress was raised the daughter of poor tobacco sharecroppers in Grabtown, North Carolina. She never forgot her rural roots, always calling herself a "country girl." Although raised in a small Southern town, she was a life-long advocate for Civil Rights. As a child, she ignored Jim Crow laws to sit with Black children in the segregated section of movie theaters. She supported 1948 presidential hopeful Henry Wallace, who opposed school segregation and would not speak in front of crowds unless they were desegregated. She counted Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge among her close friends, and her longtime assistant, Mearene "Reenie" Jordan, became her closest personal confidante. In 1968 Gardner became a member of the NAACP.

Twelve O’Clock Tales with Ava Gardner runs every Sunday at 2 p.m. from January 15 through March 5 at The Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks, CA.

THE MANNY by Sam McArdle.

Directed by Mel Fullbrook.

Starring Sam McArdle.

A one-man black comedy about an Irish male nanny who works for rich single mums in West London.

In it, Manny is enjoying a Peter Pan-esque lifestyle of well-paid cash in hand work & settling for meaningless dates with women who harmonise happy birthday with their eyes closed, just to disguise himself from the fact that he's letting life go by without following any real purpose, or allowing himself to really feel anything substantial or lasting.

Throughout the story, he meets Molly, an actress disillusioned with life, as she sells beetroot brownies in Borough market, as opposed to playing Cleopatra on Broadway, & becomes an unlikely role model for Michael, a 7 year old spoilt, seemingly irredeemable product of a loveless marriage.

All three characters face a potential future of unrequited dreams, and all three will have their lives changed by the events that occur.

Sound Designer Charlie Smith. Artwork & Poster Design Rebecca Need Menear, Jesper Tielbeke & Jonny Murphy. Rehearsal Photography James Corrigan.

January 10-14, 2023 at King's Head Theatre in London.

OFFAL ENDINGS written by John H. Klemeyer.

Directed by Beth Kelley.

Featuring Georgia Buchanan, Ali Hoffmann, Lydia Kelly, Jon McCormick, and Celia Schaefer.

The Suicide Hotline has been privatized so you can get assistance, whatever your choice, for a fee.

Ripped from headlines, Offal Endings imagines a near future where the commercialization of medicine has vastly expanded, organ replacement is advertised during baseball games, and even the suicide hotline has become a toothy, for-profit venture. Absurdly ensnared in this web of "health care," life-weary Joshua and Mary must find a way to envision a brighter future while evading the fine print of a contract to which they have signed away their lives. In this dystopia-meets-Mel-Brooks comedy, Joshua looks at the menu to only find liver…his. And, after Mary and he fight back, the corporation is not about to roll over. Are they destined for the butcher block, or can this young man and woman survive the surgeon’s blade?

The creatives include: Casting Director: Jamibeth Margolis, CSA; Lighting, Set and Sound Designer: Abott Finkel; Production Stage Manager: Lisa R. Stafford.

Offal Endings contains topics of depression and suicide which some people may find disturbing. Recommended for ages 17+. Performances January 12-29, 2023 Theatre Row in New York City.

AND THEN THE RODEO BURNED DOWN written by Chloe Rice and Natasha Roland.

Starring Chloe Rice and Natasha Roland.

It certainly ain’t their first rodeo when this pair of clowns are trapped in a time-loop.

It’s the best place in the world so why would anyone burn it down? Can these two cowboys figure it out before time is up? In this thrilling hour of clowning, physical theatre & comedy it's a race against time to capture the culprit, put out the metaphorical fires & save the show.

Originally performed for a single week at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, And Then the Rodeo Burned Down was extended after picking up Rave Reviews & a coveted Edinburgh Fringe First Award which resulted in a sold-out run.

"This thrilling, joyful & heart-wrenching show comes direct from NYC to make its London debut for a limited run following critical acclaim from its premiere."

Scored, like any modern-day Western, by Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash & Miley Cyrus, And Then the Rodeo Burned Down is a physical comedy & clowning spectacular that will leave you questioning the true events of this rodeo, just like the characters trapped inside of it.

The creatives are: Lighting Design by Angelo Sagnelli. Produced by theSpaceUK in association with Nicholas Abrams & Richard Williamson.

Performances January 17 through February 11, 2023 at the King's Head Theatre in London.

HOME FRONT by Tony-winning playwright Warren Leight.

Directed by Victory co-artistic director Maria Gobetti.

This country will break your heart.

VJ Night, 1945. On a night like this, anything can happen - the world is never going to be the way it was. Austin Highsmith Garces and C.J. Lindsey star as a white woman and an African American soldier who fall in love the night World War II ends - a time of euphoria for Americans after years of devastating conflict. But can that sense of good will and new beginnings wipe away the racial mistrust and discrimination in a country still deeply mired in the Jim Crow Era?

LGBTQIA+ activist Jonathan Slavin takes on the role of the couple’s upstairs neighbor, a gay army veteran modeled after Leight’s uncle.

The creative team includes set designer Evan Bartoletti, sound designer Noah Andrade, costume designer Carin Jacobs, dramaturg Gail Bryson, graphic designer Jennifer Logan and photographer Tim Sullens. The stage manager is Cody Hathcock. Maria Gobetti, Tom Ormeny and Evan Bartoletti produce for The Victory Theatre Center.

The Victory Theatre Center presents the West Coast premiere through February 12, 2023 at The Victory Theatre Centre in Burbank, CA.

E-Book

Soft back Book

This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

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

FINAL OVATION

ANITA POINTER the Grammy award winning singer died December 31, 2022 from cancer at her Beverly Hills home in California. She was 74.

Aa founding member of the vocal group the Pointer Sisters which included her sibblings Ruth, June, Bonnie, Fritz and Aaron.

The Pointer Sisters to become the first black female group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. "Fairytale" won the group its first Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group, and a Grammy Nomination for the Best Country Song of the year in 1975. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, The Pointer Sisters rose to higher levels of success with "Fire" (1978), "He's So Shy" (1980), "Slow Hand" (1981) and "I'm So Excited" (1982). In 1983, the trio's album Break Out reached multi-platinum status and won the group two more Grammy Awards. In 1986, Pointer found chart success with country superstar Earl Thomas Conley on the song "Too Many Times", which reached no. 2 on the country chart and in 1987, she released her first solo album Love for What It Is. Her album's first single "Overnight Success" reached no. 41 on the Billboard R&B chart.

She was married to David Harper from 1965-1966 a union which produced her only child. She married Richard Gonzales in 1981. They later divorced. Her sister June died in 2006 due to cancer.

She was preceded in death by her only daughter Jada Pointer who died of cancer at the age of 34. Pointer went on to raise her grandchild who survives her.

FRANK GALATI writer, director and two-time Tony Award winner on Broadway, died Monday, January 2, 2023. He was 79.

He received an Academy Award nomination (shared with Lawrence Kasdan) for a 1988 screenplay for The Accidental Tourist. Galati’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath originated at Steppenwolf in 1988 and went on to Broadway. It won Galati two Tony Awards in 1990, obe for his adaptation and another for directing.

Galati was best-known for his work at Steppenwolf Theatre and the Goodman Theater in Chicago.

Galati directed Ragtime on Broadway in 1998, his original production of Terrence McNally’s adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s novel.

His well-received final show, produced at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida, was a new musical, Knoxville, penned by his friends and longtime collaborators Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the team behind Ragtime.

Prior to his death, he served as an artistic associate at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.

He is survived by his husband Peter Amster.

BRIDGETTE WIMBERLY playwright and librettistpassed away December 1, 2022 following complications related to a series of strokes. She was 68.

Wimberly was the playwright of the Off-Broadway hit Saint Lucy's Eyes, and the opera Charlie Parker's Yardbird.

Saint Lucyu's Eyes starring Ruby Dee was developed through the Cherry Lane Alternative mentorship project, in which Wimberly worked with the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein.

Daniel Schnyder, a Swiss-born saxophonist and composer, had been commissioned by Opera Philadelphia and Gotham Chamber Opera to write an opera, and had selected the pioneering jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker as a subject. He knew Wimberly through her brother, Michael, a percussionist with whom he had performed, and asked her to write the libretto of what would become Charlie Parker’s Yardbird.

At first Wimberly had reservations. An uncle had been a jazz saxophonist and had "been somewhat obsessed with Parker. He had also begun using heroin, the drug that contributed to Parker’s death in 1955 at 34. Her uncle, 14 years younger than Parker, died at 35," according to The Times.

"My grandmother hated Charlie Parker because she thought he got my uncle hooked on heroin," Ms. Wimberly told The Times in 2015. "All my life, he was just a bad name."

Overcoming her initial hesitance the jazz infused chamber opera was lauded for its genuine approach to the relationships Parker had, in particular with the women who surrounded him.

She earned a bachelor’s degree at Columbia University in 1978 and later did graduate studies at Columbia.

Image Wimberly is survived by her mother, her brother, and her sister.

CHRISTOPHER TUCKER the preeminent makeup and prosthetics designer behind The Phantom the Opera's deformed transformation, died December 14, 2022. Born March 23, 1941, he was 81.

Originally an opera singer, Tucker began designing prosthetic noses for himself when appearing in Verdi's Rigoletto. In 1970, he worked as a makeup artist on the film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, starring John Gielgud and Charlton Heston, and was soon in demand as a visual designer for Roman era epics, including the BBC series I, Claudius, where he was required to age the characters over a period of 70 years.

He was a pioneering special makeup effects artist for screen and stage who designed the face masks for John Hurt in the film version of The Elephant Man and Michael Crawford in the West End musical The Phantom of the Opera.

He worked on Phantom of the Opera shows around the globe for 35 years.

It was because of Tucker that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences created an Oscar for best makeup in 1981 – a year after widespread criticism that his remarkable prosthetics skills had gone unrecognized with an award for The Elephant Man (1980).

Tucker transformed comedian Terry Jones for Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, received a BAFTA in 1983 for his work on the film Quest for Fire, and designed the werewolf transformation in The Company of Wolves, including extensive skin tearing sequences that were achieved through innovations in latex. Tucker received two BAFTA nominations for his work on the gothic fantasy film.

In 1986, Tucker was responsible for designing the Phantom's deformity in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Applied nightly, the system still remains secret nearly 40 years after it was first applied to Michael Crawford. The Phantom's deformity prosthetic has been slightly altered for every performer to take on the titular role, but Tucker's vision remained intact throughout.

He also made masks for David Niven in Old Dracula (1974), Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier in The Boys from Brazil (1978), Angela Lansbury in The Company of Wolves, and Daryl Hannah in High Spirits (1988).

Also in 1986, Mr. Tucker was the subject of a television documentary. Titled Skintricks, it included interviews with numerous actors that had worn Tucker's designs, and documented the process behind The Company of Wolves. Tucker is survived by his wife and collaborator Sinikka Ikaheimo, whom he married in 2013 after more than 30 years together, and his brother, Lynton. Tucker’s first marriage, to Marian Flint in 1971, ended in divorce.

RONALD DENNIS the original Dennis in A Chorus Line has died on December 17, 2022. He was 79.

He made his Broadway debut alongside Pearl Bailey in Hello, Dolly!. On Broadway, Dennis also appeared in Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, and My One And Only. He was a frequent sight on the national tour circuit throughout the 1980s, reprising his A Chorus Line role on the road, as well as appearing in the tours of Bob Fosse's Pippin and Dancin', and as Jacob in the first national tour of La Cage Aux Follies. Later in life, Dennis wrote and starred in a one-man autobiographical show, Don't Grab The Gown Til You See the Gurney.

Dennis was an advocate for AIDS-related charities after being diagnosed with the virus in 1984. He served on the Broadway Cares Advisory Council, and was the Senior Advisor for the Black Men's HIV Medication Adherence Board at APLA/Project Rise.

He is survived by his brother George, his nieces and nephews.

SARAH SCHLESINGER an award-winning lyricist and librettist who mentored composers and lyricists through her position at the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, passed away December 14, 2022 following an illness.

Schlesinger and Reid also collaborated on five other musicals; The Last Day; Casanova Returns; Prairie Songs; A Wind in the Willows Christmas; and In This House. Outside of their collaboration, Schlesinger collaborated with David Evans, Mindi Dickstein, Mel Marvin, Jonathan Bernstein, and Bruce Adolphe. She was the lyricist and librettist for Love Comics, which premiered at the George Street Playhouse, and Swing Shift at the Manhattan Theatre Club. At the time of her death she was working on lyrics for Blueberry Pie, a musical about the National Guard in Iraq, and book and lyrics for a new musical based on Turgenev's Month In The Country.

At New York University, Ms. Schlesinger began working for the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program in 1989 with the fourth cycle of composers and lyricists. "She served as associate chair of the department from 1995 to 1997, and was named chair in 1998. “Under her leadership, the program produced a huge, international alumni network of artists who are at the forefront of every facet of musical theatre activity: as creators, teachers, scholars and business leaders," the program said in a statement.

"Her insight, razor-sharp mind and her ability to get things done and to identify and encourage faculty, students and alums was frankly staggering in its longevity and reach. Sarah was a force that could make things happen."

She served as Associate Chair of the department from 1995 to 1997, and Acting Chair in 1997. Schlesinger was named Chair in 1998, and also became the Associate Dean of Tisch's Institute of Performing Arts in 2014.

Schlesinger was awarded the Kleban Award for Best Lyricist, the Richard Rodgers Award, a Gilman-Gonzalez Falla Theatre Foundation Award, and Chicago’s Jeff Award for Best Original Musical for her musical The Ballad of Little Jo, co-written with Grammy winner Mike Reid.

She was also the recipient of the Tisch School of the Arts David Payne-Carter Award for Excellence in Teaching, the NYU Distinguished Teaching Award and the NYU Millennium Award in honor of Emerging Musical Theatre Artists for a New Century, which she received alongside collaborator Mike Reid.

She is survived by the hundreds of artists she has influenced.

PHILLIP PEARLSTEIN modern realist painter and champion of Jewish art died in Manhattan on December 17, 2022. He was 98.

An artist whose painting of nudes revived realistic painting after decades of dominance by abstraction moved to Manhattan in 1949 as a sort of chaperone to a young Andy Warhol. He became an instructor at the Pratt Institute, and taught at Brooklyn College from 1963 until his retirement in 1988. Pearlstein served on the board of the Covenant Foundation in the early 2000s, and, according to Judith Ginsberg, former executive director of the foundation, "opened the board to funding Jewish art in a bigger way and promoting the artists Debbie Friedman, Liz Lerman and Liz Swados."

Next Column: January 15, 2023
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Laura Deni

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