Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: July 14, 2024
By: Laura Deni
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CONVERSATION NOT VIOLENCE

Former President Donald Trump survived a serious assignation attempt on Saturday, July 13, 2024 while speaking at a political rally at the Butler Farm Show Ground in Butler, PA. A bullet hit the upper portion of his right ear. He was rushed off the stage and transported to a hospital where he was treated.

Two rally attendees were also gunshot victims. A male, attending the rally with several of his family members, was instantly killed. As would be expected, family members seated next to him became hysterical. Attendees helped carry out the victim and assistance was given to his relatives.

A female woman was transported to a hospital. At the time of this posting she is in critical condition. CORRECTION. The critically injured were two men. Fortunately, their conditions have been upgraded.

The Secret Service killed the shooter.

REHABILITATION THROUGH THE ARTS

The US spends over $80 billion a year on incarceration.

There are 1.8m people incarcerated in the US. Over 95% will eventually be released.

Nationwide over 60% of people return to prison within three years of release.

Changing that is the Rehabilitation Through Arts (RTA) program, in operation since 1996 at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, one of the world's most infamous maximum security prisons. RTA uses theater, dance and music, among other art-related workshops to help reduce recidivism, which is the tendency to relapse into criminal behavior after being released from prison. According to the program, in almost three decades it has been successful in breaking the cycle of incarceration: less than 3% of RTA alumni return to prison.

Getting a lot of Oscar buzz is a documentary Sing Sing based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through Arts (RTA) program. Co written by Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley who also produce along with Monique Walton. Kwedar and his longtime cowriter Clint Bentley did hands on research. They shadowed RTA’s leadership, taught workshops, and got to know some of the program’s alumni.

The 105 minute feature centers on the real-life friendship of RTA alumni John "Divine G" Whitfield (portrayed by Colman Domingo) and Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin, who plays himself.

Imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, Divine G who had wanted to become a ballet dancer as a child but was bullied, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men. When a wary outsider joins the group, the men decide to stage their first original comedy, in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.

Also featuring: Sean San José as Mike Mike, Paul Raci as Brent Buell, David "Dap" Giraudy, Patrick "Preme" Griffin, Jon-Adrian Velazquez as Blaze, Sean "Dino" Johnson. The majority of the cast are formerly incarcerated men who went through the actual Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at Sing Sing.

It's a journey of growth and humility.

Based on: The Sing Sing Follies by John H. Richardson and Breakin' The Mummy's Code Brent Buell,Sing Sing premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2023. It opened in limited release on July 12 and an American wide release on August 2, 2024.

Filmed on location at Sing Sing, cinematography by Pat Scola, edited by Parker Laramie with music by Bryce Dessner.

RTA has been called "a life changing program."

"Politics doesn’t work. Religion is too eclectic. But art, art just might be the parachute that saves us all," Coleman Domingo said on June 26 at the Brooklyn premiere of Sing Sing. Void of grandiose histrionics , Sing Sing has been called "sensitive," "raw" and "emotional."

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Thank you for your interest.

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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

THE EIGHTY-FIRST EDITION OF THE WHITNEY BIENNIAL

Creation by Maja Ruznic born in 1983 in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Lives in Placitas, NM. Photo: Whitney Museum

the longest-running survey of contemporary art in the United States—features seventy-one artists and collectives grappling with many of today’s most pressing issues. This Biennial is like being inside a "dissonant chorus," as participating artist Ligia Lewis described it, a provocative yet intimate experience of distinct and disparate voices that collectively probe the cracks and fissures of the unfolding moment.

The exhibition’s subtitle, Even Better Than the Real Thing, acknowledges that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is complicating our understanding of what is real, and rhetoric around gender and authenticity is being used politically and legally to perpetuate transphobia and restrict bodily autonomy. These developments are part of a long history of deeming people of marginalized race, gender, and ability as subhuman—less than real. In making this exhibition, we committed to amplifying the voices of artists who are confronting these legacies, and to providing a space where difficult ideas can be engaged and considered.

This Biennial is a gathering of artists who explore the permeability of the relationships between mind and body, the fluidity of identity, and the growing precariousness of the natural and constructed worlds around us. Whether through subversive humor, expressive abstraction, or non-Western forms of cosmological thinking, to name but a few of their methods, these artists demonstrate that there are pathways to be found, strategies of coping and healing to be discovered, and ways to come together even in a fractured time.

The 2024 Whitney Biennial is organized by Chrissie Iles, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Curator and Meg Onli, Curator at Large, with Min Sun Jeon and Beatriz Cifuentes. The performance program is organized by Iles and Onli, with guest curator Taja Cheek. The film program is organized by Iles and Onli, with guest curators Korakrit Arunanondchai, asinnajaq, Greg de Cuir Jr, and Zackary Drucker.

Artists:

Siku Allooloo (she/her)? - Holland Andrews (they/them) - Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio (he/him) - Dora Budor - Seba Calfuqueo (she/her/they/them) - Debit (she/her) - Demian DinéYazhi' (they/them) - Torkwase Dyson (she/her) - JJJJJerome Ellis (any/all) - Jes Fan (he/him/they/them) - Nikita Gale - ektor garcia - Pippa Garner (she/her) - Harmony Hammond (she/her) - Christopher Harris (he/him) - Sharon Hayes (she/her) - Miranda Haymon - Sarah Hennies (she/her) - Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst (she/her; he/him) - Ho Tzu Nyen (he/him) - Yasmine Anlan Huang - Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich (she/her)? - Suzanne Jackson (she/her) - Isaac Julien - Lotus L. Kang (she/her) - Aron Kantor (he/him/they/them) - Mary Kelly (she/her) - Kite (she/her) - Gbenga Komolafe and Tee Park (they/them/he/him/she/her; she/her) - Jenni Laiti (she/her) - Carolyn Lazard (they/them) - Dionne Lee - Ligia Lewis (she/her) - Shuang Li (she/her) - Simon Liu (he/him) - Mary Lovelace O'Neal (she/her) - Cannupa Hanska Luger (he/him) - Nyala Moon (she/her) - K.R.M. Mooney (he/him) - Dala Nasser - Diane Severin Nguyen (she/her) - Niillasaš-Jovnna Máreha Juhani Sunná Máret–Sunna Nousuniemi (they/them) - Karyn Olivier (she/her) - B. Ingrid Olson - Eamon Ore-Giron (he/him) - Edward Owens (he/him) - Sydney Frances Pascal (she/her) - People Who Stutter Create Jia Bin, Delicia Daniels, JJJJJerome Ellis, Conor Foran, Kristel Kubart - Julia Phillips (she/her) - Mavis Pusey (she/her) (deceased) - Raqs Media Collective Jeebesh Bachi, Monica Narula, Shuddhabrata Sengupta - Riar Rizaldi (he/him) - Maja Ruznic (she/her) - Ser Serpas (she/her) - Rose B. Simpson (she/her) - Penelope Spheeris (she/her) - P. Staff (they/them) - Lada Suomenrinne (they/them) - Alex Tatarsky (they/them) - Alisi Telengut (she/her) - Clarissa Tossin (she/her) - Tourmaline (she/her) - Chanelle Tyson (they/them) - Zulaa Urchuud (she/her) - Charisse Pearlina Weston (she/her) - Kiyan Williams (they/them) - Carmen Winant (she/her) - Takako Yamaguchi (she/her) - Constantina Zavitsanos (any/all) Through August 11, 2024 at the Whitney in New York City.

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SWEET CHARITY

GRACE AKI'S SOLO PLAY TO FREE A MOCKINGBIRD will have a one-night-only benefit performance at New York City’s SOHO Playhouse on July 22nd, 2024 as a benefit to raise funds for Mockingbird’s upcoming International Edinburgh Fringe Festival run in August.

To Free a Mockingbird will have its international debut this summer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest performance arts festival. The production will play a full run at The Royal Scots Club Edinburgh from August 5 to August 24.

Aki will make her acting and playwriting international debut at the Fringe. To Free a Mockingbird won the Audience Choice award at ATL Fringe in 2021 and was voted a Theater Best Bets by Arts ATL.

"To Free a Mockingbird is a play combining storytelling and stand-up. The story of a family’s journey from Japan through the American South. A solo work with family secrets and lessons on how our stories get told. A vulnerable and daring piece, filled with effortless humor and honesty. This is her story and maybe yours as well. After all, generational trauma is…funny. She’s here to rebuild and tear down the past, brick by brick."

SPREADING THE WORD

NYMPH ERRANT Concert Cast Recording (1990) presented by Barry J. Mishon Associates Limited and The Greater London Fund for the Blind which was set up in 1921 to support and give a voice to blind and partially sighted people across London. The GLFB is a fund-raising charity.

The only concert cast recording of Cole Porter's overlooked treasure, Nymph Errant, has been released on all major streaming services.

Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter. Book by Romney Brent. Based on James Laver's acclaimed and commercially successful 1932 novel, Nymph Errant is a witty (and a bit racy) musical that follows the adventures of a young lady embarking on a series of romantic escapades. Despite its initial controversy, the work remains a brilliant showcase of Porter’s unmatched talent.

Starring (in alphabetical order): Kaye Ballard - Emile Belcourt - *Lorna Dallas - Fiona Fullerton - Patricia Hodge - Larry Kert - Lisa Kirk - *Audrey Leybourn - Andrea McArdle - Maureen McGovern- Virginia McKenna - Liliane Montevecchi - Patrice Munsel - Marie Santell - Alexis Smith - Derek Waring - Elisabeth Welch and the Stephen Hill Singers - *appeared in the concert but not on the recording.

Conception, Music Direction, Vocal and Dance Arrangements by Donald Pippin. New Orchestrations by Jim Tyler and Michael Gibson. Recording Music Supervision by Ian Macpherson. Executive Record Producer Dwight Frye. Produced for Records by Robert Sher. Orchestra conducted by Donald Pippin and David Firman. Vocal Direction: Stephen Hill. Directed by Christopher Renshaw. Concert Devised and Produced by Barry J. Minshon. Orchestra Manager Robert C. Porter. Music Preparation Dennis Walton.

Recorded live in concert at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London May 21, 1989. Post-production at Twickenham Music Studios at Twickenham Film Studios: Chief Recording Engineer Keith Grant. Assistant Engineer Toby Allington, and Master Sound Astoria, Astoria, New York, Chief Engineer Ben Rizzi. Assistant Engineers Roby Sayers and David Merrill.

A Theatreland Productions/Topaz Entertainment, Inc. Presentation.

GUILD HALL IN THE HAMPTONS has reopened its renovated theater with a July 12th benefit concert An Evening With Billy Porter starring the Grammy, Emmy, and three-time Tony Award-winning actor and vocalist.

The renovated venue boasts broader and more comfortable seating, improved sightlines, and the state-of-the-art technology and acoustic upgrades. The space has also been renamed the Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan Theater.

RICHARD II BY UNBOUND THEATRE The storytellers of Unbound Theatre return to Waddesdon with a right royal performance as part of the 2024 Buckinghamshire Shakespeare Festival.

"Not all the water in the rough rude sea
Can wash the balm from an anointed king."

It’s 1398. England is in disarray as King Richard II struggles to unify the warring factions of the royal household. A botched attempt at keeping the peace soon leads to years of open rebellion, as Henry Bolingbroke dares to challenge the divine right to rule…

"One of Shakespeare’s most incendiary plays, Richard II is brought vividly to life in this brand-new production from Unbound. Designed to introduce Shakespeare’s work to brand new audiences – as well as hardened fans of the Bard – this show really is for everyone. Think Shakespeare is all about shouty men in tights? Think again…"

Sunday, July 21 on the grounds of Waddesdon in Buckinghamshire, England.

LAURA AND LINDA BENANTI: MOTHERS KNOW BEST experience Tony Award winner Laura Benanti as she joins forces with her mother, Linda, in a touchingly humorous show about mother-daughter relationships. Music direction by Billy Stritch.

Laura jumped right from the lead in her high school musical Hello, Dolly! to Maria in the 1998 Broadway revival of The Sound of Music. She has since starred in 11 Broadway shows and has been nominated for 5 Tony Awards, winning one Tony Award for her role as Louise in Gypsy (2008).

Her mother, Linda Benanti, was part of the national tour of The Odyssey with Yul Brynner and performed off-Broadway and regionally as The Girl in The Fantasticks, Guinevere in Camelot, Marion in The Music Man, Anne in A Little Night Music, Nanette in No, No, Nanette, Sarah in Guys and Dolls, and many others. Linda has a vocal studio in Kinnelon, New Jersey where she teaches everyone from local students to Broadway stars.

July 21, 23 & 24, 2024 at 54 Below in New York City.

RHAPSODY FOR THIS LAND: THE AMERICAN ODYSSEY IN MUSIC presented by St. Ann’s Warehouse, WNYC, and Brooklyn Bridge Park is a free, outdoor concert celebrating the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s exuberant American anthem Rhapsody in Blue. Situated beneath the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, the concert features classical pianist and host of NPR’s AMPLIFY Lara Downes, performing the New York City premiere of her take on Gershwin’s innovative 1924 work in a radical new arrangement by the Puerto Rican composer Edmar Colón.

Considering American music through a century of immigration and transformation, Rhapsody for This Land celebrates our country’s long history of hope, protest, and change.

WNYC will broadcast the concert live as part of its own Centennial celebration. Listen live on 93.9 FM, AM 820, and www.wnyc.org. Headcount, a non-partisan organization that channels the power of music to promote participation in democracy, will register voters at the concert.

The event takes place July 27, 2024.

IN THE COURTS

ALEC BALDWIN burst into tears when Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charges against the actor in connection with the fatal shooting on the Rust set.

The dismissal was "with prejudice" meaning the charges cannot be refiled.

The judge dropped the involuntary manslaughter charge after the actor's defense attorneys Luke Nikas argued the prosecutors had buried evidence that would have helped shed light onto how live ammunition was brought on to the set of the Western movie Rust in 2021. "The late discovery of this evidence during trial has impeded the effective use of evidence in such a way that it has impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings,” said Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, explaining, in part, her decision to dismiss the case with prejudice. Baldwin's lawyers claim a man named Troy Teske, a friend of Thell Reed, the father of convicted Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed — who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for loading a live round into Baldwin's gun — turned over ammunition to authorities that he thought was connected to the case.

"We’re talking about a prosecution that didn’t preserve those bullets, that didn’t collect them at all. That didn’t turn them over," Nikas charged.

"This is critical evidence in the case that was never disclosed to us…We were entitled to it," Nikas emphasized. "This case should be dismissed, Your Honor."

Later Sommer heard testimony from witnesses including Seth Kenney, the Rust props firearms supplier as well as Corporal Alexandria Hancock of the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office. Hancock duty station is the office where Teske allegedly dropped off the ammunition.

During one heated exchange, Baldwin attorney Alex Spiro asked Hancock if she was "hiding" any more evidence. "I don't think I've hidden anything," Hancock snapped bck.

However, Hancock admitted that the ammunition Teske handed over was filed separately from the other Rust evidence. She also said prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey was involved in talks to file them separately. In a highly unusual move, Morrissey called herself to testify under oath, and explained why she didn’t think the ammunition handed over was considered Rust evidence.

Judge Sommer issued her ruling shortly after Morrissey left the witness stand.

ANNUAL FAIR FOOD FIGHT

Grilled Purple Sticky Rice Photo: Minnesota State Fair

The annual fod fight over which state fair can come up with most bizarre - breaded and deep fried - concoction and call it food has begun.

First up, the Minnesota State Fair, which doesn't begin until August 22, running until Labor Day, September 2 will feature 33 new food items, which include some off the charts creations.

This isn't some amateur play around. Some of the chefs who designed dishes for the fair are James Beard Award winners and semifinalists.

Pregnant women might enjoy a potato chip-flavored ice cream sandwich pared with Dill Pickle Tots.

The Patata Frita Focacciawich created by the Minnesota Dairy Lab, melds potato chip-flavored ice cream sandwiched by focaccia bread and topped with honey butter, more kettle chips and herbs.

Dill Pickle Tots is vegan with tater tots tossed in dill seasoning with a hint of vinegar flavor –"like a dill pickle potato chip," according to the Minnesota State Fair.

A spot check of the other foods include: Grilled Purple Sticky Rice, Deep-Fried Ranch Dressing, Chile Mango Whip and, to wash it all down, Cotton Candy Iced Tea.

Cotton Candy Iced Tea Photo: Minnesota State Fair

Cotton Candy Iced Tea is a concoction of "brewed butterfly pea flower tea sweetened with natural flavor and cane sugar. Garnished with a swirl of editable glitter and a rock candy swizzle stick to stir for a color changing effect."

In 2022 Bridgeman's Ice Cream debuted their new Gray Duck Sundae at the Minnesota State Fair with their black licorice ice cream being one of their most unique flavors. They even ship their make it yourself kit to all fifty states.

Deep Fried Ranch Dressing. Photo: Minnesota State Fair

This year they present Lady's Slipper Marble Sundae. Bridgeman's strawberry ice cream, lemon marshmallow cream and ladyfinger cookies layered in a cup.

Deep-Fried Ranch Dressing is described by the Minnesota State Fair as "ranch dressing filling made with ranch seasoning, buttermilk and cream cheese in a panko shell, deep-fried and dusted with ranch powder," this vegetarian treat comes with "a side of hot honey sauce crafted with Cry Baby Craig's hot sauce."

One wag posted "The deep fried ranch dressing was developed by a heart surgeon for future business."

Believe it or not, expert chefs worked on this creation for over a year.

The Grilled Purple Sticky Rice pop consists of purple sticky rice that is put on a stick and grilled on an open flame until crunchy, the Minnesota State Fair said.

The rice is then topped with either shredded Hmong beef jerky or a vegetarian option of pickled mushrooms.

It is a creation of James Beard Award semifinalist Yia Vang, who was inspired by his mom's cooking.

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DAME SHIRLEY BASSEY 87, admits she was nervous and forgot to curtsy when she received her latest accolade from King Charles at Windsor Castle.

Dame Shirley, who received her Damehood in 1999, was made a Companion of Honour in the New Year Honours list for her services to music. This was the first time the singer whose sang in three James Bond films, had met Charles as King.

Dame Shirley selected a sparkly black and white Isabell Kristensen dress which the monarch noticed. "I asked how he was, and he said he was fine and said: "You look wonderful", she told the press.

"He wished me all the best and then I grabbed him - I know I shouldn't have done that. But I grabbed both his hands and said: 'I wish you well'".

Witnessing the ceremony was Dame Shirley's daughter Sharon, her grandson Sebastian and his daughter Sofie.

MARED PUGH-EVANS named as King Charles' new official harpist. She becomes his 7th official harpist since he re-established the role in 2000 as Prince of Wales to foster Welsh talent on the harp, the national instrument of Wales.

Her first performance in her royal appointed position took place July 11 when King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Cartiff, Wales, for the 25th anniversary of the Welsh Parliament known as the Senedd.

Based in London she works with the Music for Life program at Wigmore Hall and Live Music Now in London. She is also co-founder of Music in Hospices, which was recently long listed for the Deutsche Bank Creative Entrepreneurship Awards 2024, as first reported by harp column.

Previous royal harpists include Catrin Finch, Jemima Phillipd, Claire Jones, Hannah Stone, Anne Denholm and Alis Huws.

CURTAIN DOWN

THE BROADWAY REVIVAL OF THE WHO'S TOMMY will stage its final performance on July 21. The show opened March 28. At the time of its closure, it will have played 20 previews and 132 regular performances at the Nederlander Theatre.

THE MIRAGE RESORT IN LAS VEGAS closes on July 17, 2024 making way for a new Hard Rock Hotel. The Mirage opened in 1989 and at that time had what I always thought was the best oriental restaurant in Las Vegas. Extremely expensive, but well worth it. This is also the venue that housed the Cirque production show The Beatles LOVE one of my all time favorite production shows, which I enjoyed three times. Ending an 18-year spectacular and successful run, The Beatles LOVE took its final bow at The Mirage in Las Vegas on July 7th.

This is also the resort whose the publicity department spent several years calling into their office my next door neighbor, a reliable, hard worker, who had a low level job at the Mirage, and - according to him - pumped him for information about me. According to him, under threat of losing his job, he was questioned, told to snoop and spy. I never appreciated that. According to the former neighbor he never said one negative word, the hotel twisted all comments. If I had complained it would have fallen on deaf ears; saying - he told me that he was told - doesn't cut it. He needed to have been the one complaining and he never did.

The is also the place that had Siegfried & Roy's secret garden. There was also a volcano which erupted every hour.

The Mirage will be missed.



LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD by MacArthur Award winner Samuel D. Hunter - who wrote it with star Laurie Metcalf in mind.

Directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello.

Starring featured Steppenwolf ensemble member Laurie Metcalf, a two time Tony award winner, who has returned to her Steppenwolf base in Chicago after an absence of 14 years.

Also featured are John Drea, Micah Stock, and Meighan Gerachis.

The understudies are: Chad Bay, Mara Casey, Mary Beth Fisher, and Evan Mulrooney.

The creatives: Scenic Design Scott Pask - Costume Design Jessica Pabst - Lighting Design Heather Gilbert - Sound Design Mikhail Fiksel - Dramaturg John Baker - Voice and Text Coach Gigi Buffington - Creative Producer Patrick Zakem - Producing Director Tom Pearl - Casting JC Clementz - Production Stage Manager Laura D. Glenn - Assistant Stage Manager Jaclynn Joslin.

In the outer limits of rural Idaho, the last two estranged members of the Fernsby family tree, a reclusive aunt and her gay nephew, reunite to sort the mess left behind after a troubled father's passing. They now face an uncomfortable and universal question: how do we deal with other people? And is connection more trouble than it’s worth? As their relationship begins anew, the two reluctant Fernsbys—separated by age and experience—start to understand the joys and perils of letting someone else into your own story, even if only for a moment.

Little Bear Ridge Road is performed in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater through August 4, 2024.

THE PEOPLE VS LENNY BRUCE dramatic adaptation by Susan Charlotte from the 1964 Obscenity Case.

Directed By Antony Marsellis.

“We aimed for Bruce. We picked him out of all the performers. ... I know he was not obscene... yet in a way I feel he had to be convicted.” - Herbert S. Ruhe, License Inspector NYC

The People vs. Lenny Bruce is the third segment of "All The Court's A Stage," a series of plays that are based on seven of Martin Garbus‘ cases. With a dramatic adaptation by Susan Charlotte from the 1964 obscenity case, and directed by Antony Marsellis, it will make its Los Angeles premiere at Garry Marshall Theatre July 21st and 22nd. This marks producing company Cause Célèbre’s L.A. premiere as well.

Martin Garbus, who has been called one of the world’s finest trial lawyers, has represented: Lenny Bruce, Philip Roth, Samuel Beckett, Igor Stravinsky, John Cheever, Daniel Ellsberg, Al Pacino, and Susan Sontag, to name a few! He also smuggled letters from Andrei Sakharov to Jimmy Carter.

In April 1964, Lenny Bruce appeared twice at the Cafe Au Go Go in Greenwich Village, with undercover police detectives in the audience. He was arrested along with club owners Howard and Elly Solomon, who were arrested for allowing an obscene performance. On both occasions, Bruce was arrested after leaving the stage. A three-judge panel presided over his widely publicized six-month trial, prosecuted by Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Richard Kuh, with Ephraim London and Martin Garbus as the defense attorneys. Bruce and Howard Solomon were found guilty of obscenity on November 4, 1964.

The conviction was announced despite positive testimony and petitions of support from—among other artists, writers and educators—Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, Jules Feiffer, Allen Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, William Styron, and James Baldwin, and Manhattan journalist and television personality Dorothy Kilgallen and sociologist Herbert Gans.

Bruce was sentenced to four months in a workhouse; he was set free on bail during the appeals process and died before the appeal was decided. Solomon, the owner of the club where Lenny was arrested, later saw Bruce's conviction overturned.

Starring: Matthew Arkin, Dennis Christopher, Michael Citriniti, Martha Hackett, Greg Mullavey, Larry Pressman, Alex Purcell.

Originally presented Ii New York as part of All The Court’s A Stage series of staged readings that are based on seven of acclaimed trial lawyer Martin Garbus' law cases.

July 21 at 6pm & July 22 at 2pm and 7pm at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank, CA.

TARTUFFE: BORN AGAIN translated and adapted by Freyda Thomas.

Directed by Melora Marshall.

A hilarious satire about greed, corruption and hypocrisy. Tartuffe: Born Again, puts a contemporary spin on the original French play, recasting Molière’s Tartuffe as a deposed televangelist who takes advantage of his naïve and gullible host to rook him and his family of their money.

Moliere’s legendary comedic characters are wonderfully at home in this present day version, which is set in a religious television studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and written wholly in delightful modern verse. David DeSantos headlines in the title role, while Lynn Robert Berg stars as Orgon. Michelle Jasso plays Elmire; Jon Sprik portrays Damis; Jonathan Blandino plays Cleante; Cynthia Kania is Mrs. Pernell; and Isabel Stallings is Maryann opposite Ethan Haslam as Valere. Also in the cast are company members Blaire Battle, Ted Dane, Shoshanna Green, Rebecca Oca-Nussbaum, Sky Wahl and Timothy Willard.

Set and props are by Ian Geatz, lighting is by Hayden Kirschbaum and costumes are by Vicki Conrad. Music is compiled and arranged by Kellen McDaniel and Marshall McDaniel, with sound design by Grant Escandón. Berber Heerema is the assistant director. Beth Eslick is the wardrobe supervisor and Amayah Watson is the assistant stage manager. The production stage manager is Karen Osborne.

Tartuffe: Born Again opened on Saturday, July 13 and continues to run in repertory through October 13. A prologue (pre-show discussion) will take place on Sunday, August 11.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley.

WITCH by Jen Silverman.

Directed by Tyler Christie.

fight and intimacy direction by Kyrie Ellison.

Choreography by Amanda Whitworth.

"The arrival of Scratch, the literal devil, tempts the residents of Edmonton to confront – and perhaps indulge – their darkest wishes… in exchange for their souls. Elizabeth should be his easiest target, having been labeled a “witch” and cast out by the town, but her soul is not so readily bought. Has the devil met his match? . . . This gripping contemporary play may leave you asking just how easily your soul can be bought."

Featuring Nazlah Black (Winnifred) - Sean Gregory (Frank Thorney) - Seth Hatch (Cuddy Banks) - Ashley Meeken (Elizabeth Sawyer) - Elliott Young (Scratch).

The creative team includes scenic designer Inseung Park, costume designer Andrew Burns, lighting designer Meredith C. Brown, and sound designer Elizabeth Atkinson.

Performances through July 20 at The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, New Hampsire.

DESIGN FOR LIVING a witty and charming romantic comedy by Noël Coward.

Directed by Bart DeLorenzo.

Starring Brooke Bundy, Sheelagh Cullen, Shireen Heidari, Kyle T. Hester, Andrew Elvis Miller, Garikayi Mutambirwa, Max Pescherine.

Also in the cast, playing supporting roles, are Sheelagh Cullen, Shireen Heidari and Max Pescherine.

Banned in 1930s London for its risqué content and bawdy themes,Otto, played by Garikayi Mutambirwa, loves Gilda (Brooke Bundy). But… so does Leo (Kyle T. Hester). Gilda loves Otto… but she also loves Leo. And what’s going on between Otto and Leo? Filled with Coward’s scintillating dialogue, Design for Living is an emotional, dramatic, hilarious and scandalous love triangle. Or as the threesome’s longtime friend Ernest Friedman (Andrew Elvis Miller) calls it, “a three-sided, erotic hotch-potch.” It’s a revolving door of passion, treachery and never-ending champagne. Can love prevail against the norms of society?

The creative team includes scenic designer Frederica Nascimento; lighting designer Leigh Allen; sound designer John Zalewski; costume designer Denise Blasor; casting director Nicole Arbusto; and graphics designer Peter Simpson Cook. The assistant directors are Michael Lanham and Samantha Occhino, and the stage manager is Jennifer Palumbo. Beth Hogan produces for Odyssey Theatre Ensemble.

Performences through August 25, at the Odyssey’s venue in West Los Angeles.

SOMEONE SPECTACULAR a world premiere by Doménica Feraud.

Directed by Tatiana Pandiani.

Once a week, six recently bereaved strangers gather for group therapy. It’s a stable routine — until one day, their grief counselor is inexplicably MIA. The group’s typical session quickly goes off the rails, offering an open-ended meditation on loss, with revelations that are at once beautiful, funny, and heartbreaking. Doménica Feraud’s newest play examines the complicated emotions that accompany grief, while exploring universal and personal truths that are sure to stay with you for a lifetime.

The cast features Gamze Ceylan as Evelyn, Alison Cimmet as Nelle, Delia Cunningham as Jude, Marcus Gladney Jr. as Julian, Ana Cruz Kayne as Lily, and Damian Young as Thom.

Understudies are Nicholas Delany, Doménica Feraud and Rebecca Hirota.

Scenic design is by two-time Tony Award nominee dots; costume design is by Siena Zoë Allen; lighting design is by Drama Desk nominee Oona Curley, and sound design is by Tony Award nominee Mikaal Sulaiman. Production Stage Manager is Yetti Steinman. Assistant Stage Manager is Madison Lane. Production Manager is Libby J'Vera. Casting is by Conrad Woolfe, CSA and Leigh Ann Smith, CSA. General Management is by Cheryl Dennis Productions.

someone spectacular (sic) begins performances on July 17, 2024 at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York City.

STILL by Benjamin V. Marshall, the recipient of the 2023/24 Liberty Live Commission.

Directed by Marshall Jones III.

In this new play based on true events in 1850s New Jersey, Peter has arrived at an abolitionist office seeking help from its director, William, an African American leader in the Underground Railroad. As the two men learn more about each other’s lives, they realize their vastly different pasts will lead them to a deeply connected future.

Still features actors Ashley Nicole Baptiste, D. Malik Beckford, Brian D. Coats, Perri Gaffney, Carl Hendrick Louis, and Nafeesa Monroe.

Understudies for the production are Kean Theatre Conservatory alum Lucien Edme and current Kean Theatre Conservatory student Nijah Muhammad.

The design team includes Set Designer David Barber, Costume Designer Ali Turns, Lighting Designer Zack Gage, Projection Designer Taj Rauch, Sound Designer David Wright, Hair and Make-up Designer Rachelle Dorce, Mask Designer Marlon Campbell and Props Master Jennifer Bonilla. Casting is by Stephanie Klapper, CSA. Dale Smallwood is the Production Stage Manager.

Still runs through July 28 in the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center on the Kean University main campus in Union, N.J.

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FINAL OVATION

JOSEPH HARDY Tony award winning director died June 6, 2024.He was 95.

Hardy originally trained as a performer at the Yale School of Drama, where he won a Fulbright to study in Paris before serving in the Korean War. He worked as a television producer following his return, developing two daytime soap operas in the 1960s (Ben Jarrod on NBC and A Time for Us on ABC) in addition to serving as an executive producer on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, Ryan's Hope, James at 15/16, and General Hospital.

Onstage, however, Hardy was one of the most popular directors of the 1970s, leading a variety of plays, musicals, and special events to the Broadway boards.

Hardy's Broadway credits included Johnny No-Trump, Play It Again, Sam, Child's Play, Bob and Ray—The Two and Only, the original Broadway production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Children! Children!, the original Broadway adaptation of Gigi, The Night of the Iguana, Diversions and Delights, and Romantic Comedy.

Twice a Tony nominee, he took home the top honor for his work on the original Broadway production of Child's Play, which all but swept the 1970 Tony awards, taking home five awards. Mr. Hardy's first nomination had been for his work directing Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam.

Moving to France where he achieve reknownsucces, he returned toNew York and his first love - Off-Broadway. In 2008 head led Lynn Redgrave in Grace for MCC Theater. Two more final productions were to follow: Redgrave's solo show Nightingale for New York City Center, and The Dance of Death for Red Bull Theater.

Hardy had resided in the Actors Fund Home since 2020, and requested that no service or memorial be held in the event of his passing. He leaves behind his sister, Caroline Rackley, and the "many friends and colleagues who were enriched by his ever-strong opinions, wit, and guidance," taken from his official obit at Legacy.com.

EDDIE SPENCE master baker who made celebration cakes for almost every Royal occasion has died at his home in Bournemouth, Dorset, England. He was 91.

He crafted exquisite cakes for the Queen's Silver and Golden Jubilees in 1977 and 2002 and King Charles' first wedding to Princess Diana in 1981.

He also decorated the cake for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's Golden Wedding anniversary 50 years after he began his career as an apprentice baker whose first assignment in 1947 was to hand beat the eggs for their wedding cake.

"That was my first experience of making cakes for the Royal Family but after that I went on and ended up making cakes for the likes of Prince Andrew, Prince Charles and Princess Margaret - whose cake was my favourite," he has been quoted in the press as recalling.

"I remember receiving a letter telling me she (Margaret) wanted it to be traditional, so that's what we did. The detail on that cake was amazing and it took a lot of hard work."

Among Eddie's most impressive cakes also ranks the beautifully detailed gold carriage he created in 1977 for the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

The exquisite cake weighed a whopping 56lb and measured 21in tall. It featured lashings of gold icing and was created in stunning detail. The carriage featured a number of golden angels as well as a staggeringly accurate red interior. The exterior of the coach also carries a number of portraits as well as a beautiful purple roof.

His last royal commission was for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's 70th wedding anniversary in 2017.

He famed icing skills earned him the honor of decorating nine cakes for major royal events during his 71 year career. He was even buried with a piping bag in his hand.

Spence was awarded an MBE for services to sugar craft in 2000. He retired in 2018.

He is survived by second wife Tracy, three children, two stepchildren and grandchildren and two devoted dogs.

Tracy Spence told the press: 'My Eddie, my/our hero . . . I always said he had royal icing in his veins and was born with a piping tube in his hand. I have placed a piping bag in his hand at the chapel of rest so he is ready to teach the angel his skills."

JOE BONSALL the Oak Ridge Boys tenor has died following complications with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He was 76.

A member of the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame, six months ago Bonsall announced that he was retiring from touring due to a decline in health. "Many of you know I have been battling a slow onset (over 4 years now) of a neuromuscular disorder," he wrote to X in January. "I am now to a point that walking is impossible so I have basically retired from the road. It has just gotten too difficult."

A press release for Bonsall said that the singer was "also the author of 11 books including his latest, a memoir entitled I See Myself, which will be released in November. Joe loved to sing. He loved to read. He loved to write. He loved to play banjo. He loved working on the farm. And he loved the Philadelphia Phillies. But Jesus and his family always came first—and we will see him again on the Promised Day." Bonsall had requested there be no funeral and that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The ALS Association or the Vanderbilt Medical Center ALS and Neuroscience Research Center. "He leaves behind his precious wife, Mary Ann, daughters Jennifer and Sabrina, granddaughter Breanne, grandson Luke, two great grandsons, Chance and Grey, and a sister, Nancy. He is preceded in death by his parents Joseph S. Bonsall Sr. and Lillie Bonsall," the statement read.

RUSTY GOLDEN son of of The Oak Ridge Boys' member baritone William Golden, died last week in his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He was 65.

Golden, 85, announced his son's death on his official X account, thanking fans for the love and support and requesting privacy at this time. "This is the hardest thing ever for a father to have to face. I love my family more than anything," Golden said in a statement. "Rusty was a great musician, a talented songwriter, and a wonderful son. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers for the days ahead. I love you, son."

The Christian songwriter and country singer also performed in a family band with his father. Before embarking on a solo career, the younger Golden toured with the Southern gospel trio The Rambos, for whom he played drums starting at age 13. In the years that followed, Rusty Golden played secular music inspired by an Elton John concert he saw in 1972 but later returned to his gospel roots. He suffered from a rocky health journey that culminated in a quadruple bypass.

Rusty Golden suffered from alcohol addiction and endured a journey towards sobriety, which he detailed lyrically in his album Sober.

"I tried for over 36 years to do everything my way," he said of his alcohol abuse in an interview with The Nashville Scene. "It wasn't so much that I was out of control. But I had a real problem. I didn't want to believe that I couldn't deal with it." "It took family members looking at me and saying, 'You need to get help,' of them later telling me they would rather not have me come around the way I was that finally convinced me to get help. You either are part of the solution or you remain an addict. Everybody out there either knows somebody, loves somebody, or has been somebody who's addicted. It's something that we should always remember whenever we're talking about addiction or dealing with it, that it is such a pervasive problem, and one where's there no easy solution to the problem."

DR. RUTH WESTHEIMER called America’s most famous sex therapist, died July 12, 2024 at her home in Manhattan. She was 96.

The superstar sex therapist known to millions as "Dr. Ruth", was petite, outspoken and brought sex out into the open. The sex therapist, who was born in Germany in 1928, survived the Holocaust before relocating to the United States in 1956. For decades she was employed in academia before coming to public prominence in 1980, with the segment “Sexually Speaking” on New York’s WYNY radio network. Westheimer’s tips were always delivered with an upbeat attitudeand respect for the subject. Her cheeky catchphrase "Get some!" became a beloved comment.

She transferred to television in 1983, hosting The Dr. Ruth Show, giving advice on orgasms, masturbation and fantasies, famously promoting the use of contraception and education about sexually transmitted diseases. Once, when asked about how to perform oral sex on a man, Westheimer memorably responded: “Make believe it’s an ice cream cone!”

She penned more than 45 books, a number of which were best-sellers.

She is survived by her two children and four grandchildren.

Next Column: July 21, 2024
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Laura Deni

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