Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: July 31, 2016
By: Laura Deni
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ROSIE THE RIVETER - AND RANGER BETTY SOSKIN - MAKING HISTORY - AGAIN

Get your costume together.

The date is Saturday, August 13, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and you don't want to let your country down. It's the Rosie Rally and Home Front Festival.

Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, along with Rosie the Riveter Trust, the City of Richmond, the Richmond, California Convention and Visitors Bureau and community partners need at least 5,000 people to be at the Craneway Pavilion in order to regain the Guinness World Record for the most people dressed as Rosie the Riveter in one place.

After the record is broken, the party will continue with the Home Front Festival in Marina Bay Park with music, food and fun for the whole family.

Rosie The Riveter Trust explains that the area is "an unusual urban national park, the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park is located on the waterfront in Richmond, CA. It is the flagship national park for telling stories of the home front efforts across the United States. Park sites you can visit include the Oil House Visitor Center, the Rosie the Riveter Memorial, the historic Ford Assembly plant, Maritime Childcare Center, and more."

By the way, the term "Rosie the Riveter" was first used in 1942 in a song of the same name written by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb. The song was recorded by numerous artists, including the popular big band leader Kay Kyser, and it became a national hit.

Many remember that it was Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin who lit up the stage at the National Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington, D.C., where she was invited to introduce President Obama on December 3, 2015. Ranger Soskin, who turns 95 in 2016, is the oldest living park ranger and has inspired visitors to the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park and fans across the U.S. for years, sharing memories from her years as a young African-American woman working the Richmond shipyards during WWII.

On the night of Monday, June 27, 2016 her life changed. She became a victim of a violent home invasion.

A man broke into her condo near midnight, punched Soskin in the face several times and dragged her out of her bedroom. Soskin was able to break free and crawl into her bathroom and lock the door.

The intruder made off with Soskin’s cell phone, tablet and laptop computer - as well as a commemorative coin given to her by President Obama during the White House tree-lighting ceremony.

According to the Washington Post Obama immediately announced he would replace the coin stolen in the robbery.

At the time of the attack a documentary film was being compiled containing historical information regarding Soskin and the impact of the Rosies. The project can't be completed until funds are raised to replace some of the items stolen. The Trusts asks for help. This is an important piece of American history. The documentary needs to be not only completed, but done so in an accurate, professional and polished presentation.

As one might suspect, Ranger Soskin did what many thirty years younger wouldn't have been able to accomplish: she returned to work this month!

On July 13, 2016 a former Rosie and the America's oldest National Park Service ranger put on her wide-brimmed ranger hat and green jacket, returned to work and met with reporters.

“This is where support is, this is where friendship is, and this is where a meaningful life occurs. This is the place I wanted to be,” she said.

Soskin admitted that although the serious facial bruises have healed, she’s still struggling with the trauma of the attack. Once somebody becomes a victim of crime - they change.

“I was never afraid of people before - I used to ask drug dealers on my block to register voters!” Soskin told reporters. “I used to feel invincible. That’s changed now.”

However, Ranger Soskin - as was the hallmark of all Rosie the Riveters - keeps on. Soskin doesn't see retirement in her future.

“I’m planning on going straight from the park to the cemetery,” she quipped.

Richmond police Lt. Felix Tan told the press that, unfortunately, no suspect has been identified.

“This is a repulsive, heinous crime,” he said. “We’re taught in society to respect our elders, not to victimize them. We’re working very hard to find this person.”

In March 2015, in honor of Women's History Month, the U.S. Department of the Interior interviewed Ranger Soskin about her service for the park service and her life.

She explained why her tours are fully booked two months in advance: "My tours are necessarily a way to share my oral history with the public. I tell the story of the African-American workers."

"That was always a white women’s story,” she emphasized. It wasn't until 1944 that a few black women began to be trained as welders. As for Soskin, she not only didn't rivet, she never even saw a ship under construction. Her office was a windowless room in which she worked as a file clerk in a segregated union - Boilermakers Auxiliary 36.

“I was changing addresses on three-by-five cards to save democracy,” she laughed.

Soskin may engage in a rueful recall, but keeping personnel records up to date is crucial. File clerk work is not something that can be done by a dummy.

Ranger Betty Soskin. Photo: WWII Home Front National Historical Park

An interesting and important part of history. Most people don't realize that the Rosie's of the war effort were segregated. Also, the perception of the intellect required for each job. To file and update information requires somebody who knows the alphabet and can accurately perform data entry. To hold a piece of equipment and engage in one step assembly production work is tedious and boring, requires the ability to be trained; but doesn't require the ability to read and write.

“Black women were not freed or emancipated in the workforce,” she stressed. “Unions were not racially integrated and wouldn’t be for a decade. They created auxiliaries that all blacks were dumped into. We paid dues, but didn’t have power or votes.”

Soskin captivates tourists regaling these and other stories at the park, working five-hour days, five days a week.

“I’m privileged to add an authentic voice to American history at a time when those voices need to be heard. So much is pre-digested and fed out into a cliché-ridden world.”

The Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park began in 2000 as a memorial to the women who served during the war. At that time Soskin was employed as a field representative by a California assemblyman. In that capacity she attended planning meetings staged by the National Park Service who wanted to develop an urban park paying tribute to the home front workers of WWII.

Soskin realized she was in a unique position to share the untold stories, based on the history she represented. In 2003, at the age of 85, she left her state job to serve as a park consultant. In 2007, she became a park ranger.

Ranger Betty Soskin also explained why she's seldom seen in public without her ranger uniform. "Because when I’m on the streets or on an escalator or elevator, I am making every little girl of color aware of a career choice she may not have known she had," she explained. "That’s important."

The upcoming Rosie Rally and Home Front Festival offers a multitude of events for the entire family including the Sunday August 7, Bouquets, Big Hats & Bow Ties, reception to open the Accessories, Accessories, Accessories! exhibit at the Richmond Museum of History. Everyone is invited to dress to impress and wear his or her best accessories. Enjoy fresh flower arrangements from local florists and stroll through the museum’s Historical Monument and Rose Garden. Group photograph on the museum steps takes place at 2:00 PM to mark the occasion.

Wednesday August 10, has Music on the Main, featuring Andre Thierry and Buttah & the Buttahluv Band. Since 2001, Music on the Main has brought thousands of people downtown to enjoy a night on the town filled with music, food, and family fun. The following evening Thursday August 11, with a reprise on August 25, is the Annual Home Front Film Festival. The Canterville Ghost (August 11) and Bride By Mistake (August 25). Come enjoy these WWII era comedies at the SS Red Oak Victory Ship. Admission is free but a donations ares appreciated.

On Friday August 12, the Point Richmond Music Free Summer Concert Series takes place. August concerts feature Patron Latin Rhythms (Latin) with supporting band Kenya B Trio (jazzy blues, funk). Point Richmond Music is a nonprofit public benefit organization that provides free outdoor summer concerts as a way to build community through the unifying language of music.










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ART AND ABOUT

POLITICAL DUMPSTER DIVING With portfolios in hand, the National Museum of American History's political history curators Lisa Kathleen Graddy and Jon Grinspan have trekked through thousands of delegates and attendees at the 2016 Republican Convention, and did so again at the Democratic National Convention. They were in search of the most symbolic and telling political memorabilia for the national collections.

Sending curators to the national party conventions is a long-established Museum tradition and is part of an enduring effort to capture the spirit of the American political system. In addition to signs, buttons, hats and campaign novelties that the team collected directly from delegates, Graddy and Grinspan also sought materials used by convention hosts and the media that convey today’s communicative relationship between candidates and the public, as well as materials from protesters. Selected objects may be on view in the upcoming exhibition American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith opening in 2017.

The National Museum of American History if located in Washington, DC.

ED RUSCHA AND THE GREAT AMERICAN WEST

Ed Ruscha, Standard Station, 1966. Color screenprint. Published by Audrey Sabol, Villanova, PA. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Museum purchase, Mrs. Paul L. Wattis Fund, 2000.131.5.1 © Ed Ruscha

includes 99 works that reveal the artist’s engagement with the American West and its starring role in our national mythology. This exclusive exhibition has been organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and celebrates the career of one of the world’s most influential and critically acclaimed artists.

In 1956, at the age of 18, Ed Ruscha left his home in Oklahoma and drove a 1950 Ford sedan to Los Angeles, where he hoped to attend art school. His trip roughly followed the fabled Route 66 through the Southwest, which featured many of the sights - auto repair shops, billboards, and long stretches of roadway punctuated by telephone poles - that would provide him with artistic subjects for decades to come.

Nine sections reveal Ruscha’s fascination with the evolving landscape and iconic character of the Great American West in symbolic, evocative, and ironic renditions. These include works that depict gasoline stations, long an important element of Ruscha’s work, as well as others that comment on Los Angeles and the film industry, such as his famous Technicolor images of the Hollywood sign. The exhibition also includes works in which a word or phrase is the sole subject, often depicted in a variety of forms that simulate poured liquids, cut ribbons, or spray paint.

Ruscha continues to work steadily at the age of 78, and this exhibition includes prints made as recently as 2015. He maintains a studio in the California desert and makes regular road trips through the spare and evocative landscapes that first inspired him as a young man. Ruscha has now worked in California for more than 50 years, and this exhibition celebrates his long commitment to exploring the American west as both romantic concept and modern

On exhibit through October 9, 2016 at the deYoung in San Francisco, CA.

SWEET CHARITY

BIG APPLE CIRCUS TO FOCUS ON COMMUNITY PROGRAMS IN 2016-2017 The organization announced that while it has not raised sufficient funds to produce a show under its Big Top next season, the recent donations it has received will enable the organization to restructure and continue to provide community service programs, including Clown Care, which brings laughter and joy to aid the healing process of patients in 16 leading pediatric hospitals, while its sister program, Vaudeville Visits, engages seniors in residential care facilities.

REAL LIFE PRIVATE MANNING EVENT RESULTS IN AUTHOR'S RESPONSE

Pvt. Chelsea Manning is a transgender US soldier who is currently imprisoned under the Espionage Act. Dubbed The Private Manning story, Pvt. Manning Goes to Washington is being brought to the stage by The Representatives for performances at the upcoming International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Private Manning Goes to Washington is a new play imagining a secret meeting between US President Barack Obama and whistle-blower Chelsea Manning, told through the eyes of hacktivist Aaron Swartz.

While Broadway To Vegas has never been a fan of productions based on imagined conversations when the parties involved never met, much less entered into a private conversation with each other, the issue in question is an important one.

The political world is currently being rocked by disclosures that the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks has posted a plethora of hacked Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails - making the Pvt. Manning issue even more relevant.

According to the official release "the play explores the parallel contributions of these two activists (Manning/Swartz) while exposing the agonizing and sometimes deadly human consequences of the Obama Administration’s unprecedented crackdown on whistle-blowers, hackers, and the media. The Representatives is a New York-based theatre company known for producing hyper-intimate, socially relevant theatrical experiences."

In response to recent reports regarding the attempted suicide of imprisoned whistle-blower Chelsea Manning, playwright Stan Richardson of the forthcoming production Private Manning Goes to Washington has issued the following statement: “We are very concerned about Chelsea’s physical and emotional well-being in a prison environment where just last year she faced 'indefinite solitary confinement' for possessing expired toothpaste. We hope that our production will be part of a larger conversation on the way our country treats individuals who risk their lives to expose corruption within systems we're meant to trust."

Manning is serving a 35-year sentence for one of the largest leaks of government secrets in U.S. history. Now she could face additional punishment for attempting suicide, according to a statement issued by the American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday, July 28, 2016.

The ACLU said in a statement that Chelsea Manning, 28, received a document from Army officials Thursday saying she’s being investigated for "administrative offenses," including "conduct which threatens," related to her July 5 suicide attempt at Fort Leavenworth military prison. How she attempted suicide was not disclosed, but the official release states that she was unconscious when guards arrived at her cell, and thus would have been unable to "resist".

The ACLU said if Manning is convicted of the offenses, she could face punishment including indefinite solitary confinement, reclassification into maximum security, and an additional nine years in medium custody. They may negate any chances of parole.

“It is deeply troubling that Chelsea is now being subjected to an investigation and possible punishment for her attempt to take her life,” ACLU staff attorney Chase Strangio said in the statement. "Now, while Chelsea is suffering the darkest depression she has experienced since her arrest, the government is taking actions to punish her for that pain. It is unconscionable and we hope that the investigation is immediately ended and that she is given the health care that she needs to recover."

Manning, arrested as Bradley Manning, was convicted by court-martial in July 2013 and sentenced in August 2013 to 35 years imprisonment, with the possibility of parole in the eighth year, and to be dishonorably discharged from the Army.

Assigned in 2009 to an Army unit in Iraq as an intelligence analyst, Manning had access to classified databases. In early 2010, she leaked classified information to WikiLeaks and confided this to Adrian Lamo, an online acquaintance. Lamo informed Army Counterintelligence, and Manning was arrested in May that same year. The material included videos of the July 12, 2007 Baghdad airstrike, and the 2009 Granai airstrike in Afghanistan; 251,287 U.S. diplomatic cables; and 482,832 Army reports that came to be known as the Iraq War Logs and Afghan War Diary. Much of the material was published by WikiLeaks or its media partners between April and November 2010.

Manning was held at the Marine Corps Brig, Quantico in Virginia, from July 2010 to April 2011 under Prevention of Injury status - which entailed de facto solitary confinement and other restrictions that caused domestic and international concern - before being transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where she could interact with other detainees, according to Wikipedia.

Reporters Without Borders condemned the length of the sentence, saying that it demonstrated how vulnerable whistle-blowers are.

Manning has appealed the criminal case, contending that her sentence was “grossly unfair” and that her conduct as that of a naive, troubled soldier who just wanted to reveal the toll of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The appeal contends Manning’s disclosures harmed no one, but prosecutors have said the leaked material damaged U.S. security and identified informants who helped U.S. forces.

In December 2010, before his federal indictment for data theft, internet activist Aaron Swartz requested information from the American government regarding the treatment of Manning, Richardson uses this fact as his springboard for Pvt. Manning Goes To Washington.

“In both Aaron and Chelsea we see a strong belief in the power of knowledge and the necessity of sharing information for the good of society. Our play draws attention not only to these two people, who I fear have largely been forgotten by the general public, but to the very concept of “freedom of information” in the twenty-first century”, said dramaturgy Jordan Schildcrout.

Manning has a history of suicide attempts.

While in Kuwait, Manning was placed on suicide watch after her behavior caused concern. She was moved from Kuwait to the Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, on July 29, 2010, and classified as a maximum custody detainee with Prevention of Injury (POI) status. POI status is one stop short of suicide watch, entailing checks by guards every five minutes. Her lawyer, David Coombs, a former military attorney, said Manning was only permitted to sleep after 8 pm and required to awaken before 5 am. She had no access to sheets, no pillow except one built into her mattress, and a blanket designed not to be shredded. The contention as that this was pretrial punishment.

On January 18, 2011, after Manning had an altercation with the guards, the commander of Quantico classified her as a suicide risk. Manning said the guards had begun issuing conflicting commands, such as "turn left, don't turn left," and upbraiding her for responding to commands with "yes" instead of "aye."

Shortly afterwards, she was placed on suicide watch, had her clothing and eyeglasses removed, and was required to remain in her cell 24 hours a day. The suicide watch was lifted on January 21 after a complaint from her lawyer, and the brig commander who ordered it was replaced.

On March 2 she was told that her request for removal of POI status - which entailed among other things sleeping wearing only boxer shorts - had been denied. Her lawyer said Manning joked to the guards that, if she wanted to harm herself, she could do so with her underwear or her flip-flops. The comment resulted in Manning being ordered to strip naked in her cell that night and sleep without clothing. On the following morning only, Manning stood naked for inspection. Following her lawyer's protest and media attention, Manning was issued a sleeping garment on or before March 11.

The detention conditions prompted national and international concern. Juan E. Mendez, United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, told The Guardian that the U.S. government's treatment of Manning was "cruel, inhuman and degrading."

In January 2011 Amnesty International asked the British government to intervene because of Manning's status as a British citizen by descent, although Manning's lawyer said Manning did not regard herself as a British citizen. A British citizen by descent is a person born outside the United Kingdom who has acquired British citizenship because a parent was born or naturalized in the United Kingdom.

The Manning controversy claimed a casualty in March 2011 when State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley criticized Manning's treatment and was forced to resign two days later. In early April, 295 academics (most of them American legal scholars) signed a letter arguing that the treatment was a violation of the U.S. Constitution. On April 20 the Pentagon transferred Manning to the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility, a new medium-security facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where she was placed in an 80-square-foot cell with a window and a normal mattress, able to mix with other pretrial detainees and keep personal objects in her cell.

The play, which has support from Civil Disobedience Productions, will make its world premiere at the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The production features Representatives co-founder Matt Steiner and company member E. James Ford, with design by Paul Hudson,

Performances of Private Manning Goes to Washington run from August 15-27 the Space in Edinburgh, Scotland.

SPREADING THE WORD

ART GARFUNKEL the famed songwriter and performer stopped by to see a performance of 2 By Tennessee William now playing, Fridays through Sundays through September 4th at St. Luke's Theatre in New York City.

Garfunkel has a connection to the first offering 27 Wagons Full of Cotton. It stars Kathryn Luce Garfunkel. - his wife.

A native of Minnesota, Kathryn Luce Garfunkel is an accomplished soprano whose concert performances include cabaret acts at Birdland, Guild Hall, and Steve McGraw's Triad. She has toured the world with her husband Art, performing with him as a co-vocalist at the White House, and as a back-up vocalist at Carnegie Hall, Buckingham Palace, and the London Palladium. She is the recipient of the 2009 White Lily Peace Award in Japan from Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International.

Kim and Art have been married since 1988 and have two children, James, born December 15, 1990, and Beau Daniel, born October 5, 2005, via a surrogate mother.

CAESARS PALACE in Las Vegas celebrates its 50th anniversary August 5 and 6 with Tony Bennett and Wayne Newton in starring roles. The entertainment event will be hosted by Howie Mandel.

THE GREEMSBORO ARTS ALLIANCE AND RESIDENCY (GAAR) in Greensboro, Vermont, under the Artistic Direction of Sabra Jones, has announced that British actor and Emmy Award winner Brian Cox will direct the premiere of Joshua Sobel’s Sinners in the English language premiere August 7 & 14.

Cox is presently playing Winston Churchill in the BBC film Churchill.

The performances will star Nicole Ansari-Cox and Arash Moktar.

Set in the Middle East, Sinners os called "a smart and meaningful love duet between a woman about to be stoned to death and the man she loves."

Choreography by Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam, an Iranian modern dancer trained and based in Paris. He is the founder and artistic director of Paris’ Nakissa Art Company.

THE INTERNATIONAL BEER FESTIVAL WITH MUSIC (Biermeile) celebrates the official national drink of Germany with a three day folk festival taking place August 5-7 in Berlin, Germany.

Along a section of Karl-Marx-Allee in the Friedrichshain district between underground stations Strausberger Platz and Frankfurter Tor, about 340 breweries from 87 countries serve approximately 2,400 different kinds of beer.

The festival ground is divided into areas according to the geographical origins of the beers. Among them are several German states such as Bavaria, Saxony, Westphalia and Thuringia but also places much further away like Vietnam and Japan. On various stages along the street, live bands perform traditional German music, contributing to the atmosphere of a typical German folk festival.

KAUAI'S RED CLAY JAZZ FESTIVAL takes place August 3-6, 2016 and features U.S. mainland, Oahu and Kauai jazz performers playing island-wide at different venues and culminate with an ocean-front main concert on August 6th at the Courtyard Kauai at Coconut Beach.

The legendary percussionist, Pete Escevedo and his septet, from California, will headline Saturday’s concert, along with Adagio, a quartet from Oahu and Jazz Kanikapila from Kauai.

Tent seating will be available, along with bring-your-own beach chair seating. Adding to this string of extraordinary jazz entertainment will be six food booths dishing out a variety of choices created by some of the island’s top chefs.

ARISE MUSIC FESTIVAL takes place August 5-7, 2016 at the Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, CO.

ARISE Music Festival is a musically diverse, festival-wonderland experience. Featuring 5 stages of live music, yoga, workshops, theme camps, art gallery & installations, children’s village, speakers, films and camping on 100 beautiful mountain valley acres.

ARISE plants one tree for every ticket sold.

THE WABENO ART AND MUSIC FEST is an outdoor celebration of fine art, wonderful music, and great food in historic downtown Wabeno, Wisconsin. Taking place Saturday, August 6, 2016, it is one day packed with musical acts on three stages, visual artists showing their work and culinary creations for everyone to enjoy.

Music performances will be held at the Wabeno Band Shell and the East Pavilion. On the green in front of the Logging Museum there will be an open-air art competition, as well as a food & drink concession, and a children’s stage.

NATIONAL ICE CREAM SANDWICH DAY IS August 2.






METEOR SHOWER a world premiere by Steve Martin.

Directed by Gordon Edelstein.

Get ready for the unexpected when Norm and his wife Corky invite another couple to their Ojai backyard to watch a meteor shower in the night sky. As the stars come out and the conversation gets rolling, cocktails flow, tempers flare, and sparks fly - literally. Steve Martin’s surprising new comedy takes an offbeat and absurdist look at the comic anxiety lurking just beneath the surface of modern marriage.

Meteor Shower features Emmy nominee Jenna Fischer as Corky, Greg Germann as Norm, Alexandra Henrikson as Laura, and Josh Stamberg as Gerald.

The creative team is comprised of Michael Yeargan (Scenic Design), Jess Goldstein (Costume Design), Donald Holder (Lighting Design), John Gromada (Original Music and Sound Design), Caparelliotis Casting (Casting), Kathy Snyder (Production Stage Manager), and Annette Elena Nixon (Stage Manager).

A co-production with Long Wharf Theatre where Gordon Edelstein serves as Artistic Director opened last night and runs through September 18, 2016 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center of The Old Globe in San Diego, CA. As part of Long Wharf Theatre’s 2016–2017 Season, their performances are scheduled for September 21 – October 16, 2016

THE GOLD book by Andrea Lepcio and Phil Yosowitz, music and lyrics by Phil Yosowitz, music supervision by Steven Jamail.

Inspired by Yosowitz's love of athletics and his childhood memories of living with family members who were Holocaust survivors who had recently immigrated to the United States.

Directed by Spiro Veloudos is now in his 18th season as Producing Artistic Director of the Lyric Stage.

A new musical about one man's fight for love, family and country.

Joseph Cohen is a Jewish-German boxer who finds his 1936 Olympic ambitions crushed as the Nazis rise to power. He soon learns that his toughest fight lies outside the ring as he is separated from the woman he loves and their young son. Set against the backdrop of the Holocaust and the creation of Israel, The Gold is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the journey of self-discovery that each of us takes as we search for purpose in our lives.

Starring Josh Davis as Joseph. Also featured in the cast are Steven Grant Douglas, Emily Kron, Kevin B. Mcglynn, Karis Danish, Stephanie Ticas, Graydon Yosowitz, Jenn Malenke and Adam Maggio. Rounding out the company are Howard Pinhasik, Victoria Castle, David Rosenberg, Ryan Speakerman, Kalli Siringis, Mick Bleyer, Angela Scafani, Coleman Hemsworth and Mckay Kjar.

The design team includes sets and props by Adam Crinson, lighting by Joe Beumer and costumes by Izzy Fields. Lauren Stern is the Production Stage Manger and Amy Castro is the Assistant Stage Manager.

. Official Selection of the 2016 New York Musical Festival plays August 1-6, 2016 at the The Pearl Theatre, New York City.

BEAUTIFUL - THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Broadway hit with a book by Tony and Academy Award-nominee Douglas McGrath.

Directed by Marc Bruni.

Choreography by Josh Prince.

Long before she was Carole King, chart-topping music legend, she was Carol Klein, Brooklyn girl with passion and chutzpah. She fought her way into the record business as a teenager and, by the time she reached her twenties, had the husband of her dreams and a flourishing career writing hits for the biggest acts in rock ‘n’ roll. But it wasn’t until her personal life began to crack that she finally managed to find her true voice. Beautiful tells the inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she made more than beautiful music, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation. Beautiful features a stunning array of beloved songs written by Gerry Goffin/Carole King and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil, including I Feel The Earth Move, One Fine Day, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, You’ve Got A Friend and the title song.

The creative team also includes Derek McLane (Set Design), Alejo Vietti (Costume Design), Peter Kaczorowski (Lighting Design), Brian Ronan (Sound Design), Charles G. LaPointe (Wig and Hair Design), Steve Sidwell (Orchestrations and Music Arrangements), Jason Howland (Music Supervision) and John Miller (Music Coordination).

Premieres at the San Diego Civic Theatre August 2-7 in San Diego, CA.

NEWTON'S CRADLE a musical journey into a young man’s unique world of autism with music, lyrics and book by the mother-and-son team of Kim and Heath Saunders.

Directed by Tony Award winner Victoria Clark.

Newton’s Cradle explores what happens when the rules one lives by no longer apply. When Evan Newton brings his girlfriend to the family’s Alaska cabin to propose, her response sets him on an adventure to connect his past to the present. Evan’s journey takes theatergoers into his world of autism. Events aren’t sequential, labels get in the way and well-defined family relationships are anything but constant.

The show challenges expectations about connection. "It integrates a fast-moving story with a hypnotic electronic score to create a melodic picture of a very special brain," according to a press release.

Starring in the show are Heath Saunders (also Newton Cradle’s co-author), David DeWitt, Rose Hemingway, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Latin Grammy-nominated singer/actress Rachel Kara Perez and Trent Saunders.

In addition to director Clark, the production team includes Producer Robb Nannus, Associate Director and Choreographer Sara Brians, Tara Rubin Casting, Scenic Designer Luke Cantarella, Costume Designer Maria Hooper, Lighting Designer Zach Blane, Sound Designer Quentin Chiappetta, Stage Manager Melanie T. Morgan and Musical Director Jesse Kissel.

An Official Selection of the 2016 New York Musical Festival's Next Link Project with performances August 3-7, 2016 at The Duke in New York City.

The New York Musical Festival nurtures the creation, production, and public presentation of stylistically, thematically, and culturally diverse new musicals to ensure the future vitality of musical theater.

WHO'S WHERE

BARBRA STREISAND kicks off a rare tour August 2 in Los Angeles at the Staples Center. On Thursday she'll sing at the SAP Center at San Jose, CA. She'll perform in Las Vegas for the first time in four years on August 6 at the T-Mobile Arena.

IL DIVO star at the Auditorio in Marbella, Spain on Wednesday, August 3.

ALABAMA SHAKES perform Saturday, August 6, in Taos, N.M., at Kit Carson Park. Next Sunday, August 7, they are in Phoenix, Ariz. for a romp at the Comerica Theatre.

THE BAND PERRY entertaining Sunday, August 7, at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA.

JEFF BECK AND BUDDY GUY both Grammy award winners and members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame perform August 5 at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, MO.

GARY LITTLE storytelling comedian will be telling tales of paranoia, hill walking, prison pen pals and being known as the guy with the dogs. August 4-14 and 16-28 at The Stand Comedy Club as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

FINAL OVATION

MARNI NIXON famous for being invisible, earning the nickname "Ghostess with the Mostest," as the singing voice behind the stars of West Side Story, The King and I and My Fair Lady. She was the singing voice of Audrey Hepburn, Deborah Kerr, Natalie Wood, Jeanne Crain and Marilyn Monroe, died on Sunday, July 24, 2016 in New York City from breast cancer. She was 86.

See the Broadway To Vegas interview with her See Broadway To Vegas column of November 2, 2008

Before and after her film dubbing career, Nixon was an acclaimed concert singer, a specialist in contemporary music who appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic; a recitalist at Carnegie, Alice Tully and Town Halls in New York; and a featured singer on one of Leonard Bernstein’s televised young people’s concerts. and starred in Las Vegas.

The non-disclosure/confidentially contracts she waa required to sign were onerous and severely enforced. Others got the credit for her work while she was paid a small pittance.

Deborah Kerr was nominated for an Academy Award in 1956 for her role as Anna in The King and,; the film’s soundtrack album sold hundreds of thousands of copies. For singing Anna’s part on that album, . Nixon received a total of $420.

Nixon also toured with Liberace and Victor Borge and in her own cabaret shows. On stage, in 1984, she originated the role of Edna Off-Broadway in Taking My Turn, composed by Gary William Friedman, receiving a nomination for a Drama Desk Award. She also originated the role of Sadie McKibben in Opal (1992), and she had a 1997 film role as Aunt Alice in I Think I Do. Under her own name, beginning in the 1980s, Nixon recorded songs by Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Arnold Schönberg, Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, and Anton Webern. She was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Classical Performance, Vocal Soloist, one for her Schönberg album and one for her Copland album.

Nixon played Eliza Doolittle in a 1964 revival of My Fair Lady at City Center in New York. She also appeared o Broadway in the Sigmund Romberg musical The Girl in Pink Tights in 1954 and, as Aunt Kate in the musical drama James Joyce’s The Dead’ (2000), she replaced Heidi Schiller in the 2001 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies

She played Eunice Miller in 70, Girls, 70 in a 2002 production in Los Angeles. In 2003, she was again on Broadway as a replacement in role of Guido's mother in the revival of Nine. Her autobiography, I Could Have Sung All Night, was published in 2006. She performed in the 2008 North American Tour of Cameron Mackintosh's UK revival of My Fair Lady in the role of Mrs. Higgins.

Her first marriage, to Ernest Gold, a film composer who won an Oscar for the 1960 film “Exodus,” ended in divorce, as did her second, to Dr. Lajos Frederick Fenster. Her third husband, musician Albert Block, died in 2015. Survivors include her daughters from her first marriage, Martha Carr and Melani Gold Friedman; her sisters Donyl Mern Aleman, Adair McEathron Jenkins and Ariel Lea Witbeck; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A son from her first marriage, Andrew Gold, a popular songwriter whose hit Thank You for Being a Friend became the theme of the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls, died in 2011 at 59.

JAMES M. NEDERLANDER, SR. died Monday, July 25, 2016 in Southhampton, New York. . He was 94.

During his 70-year career the Detroit native built one of the largest private entertainment empires in the world. Nederlander bought his first New York house, the Palace Theater, on a handshake deal for $1.6 million, according to the New York Post.

Founded by David T. Nederlander, the Nederlander Organization began in 1912 with the purchase of a 99-year lease on the old Detroit Opera House. In 1939, the then-17-year-old Jimmy left school to join the family business - sweeping the lobby, working as an usher and a stagehand and selling tickets in the box office.

After his father died in 1967, Nederlander became head of the family business. His vision was focused on the bottom line. He is quoted as saying: “One of the best things I did was Annie. It made the most money.”

Known as Jimmy, the elder Nederlander produced or co-produced more than 100 shows including Annie, Copenhagen, The Will Rogers Follies, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, La Cage aux Folles, Nine, Noises Off, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Movin’ Out, Sweet Charity, and most recently, Gloria Estefan’s On Your Feet.

Mega hits currently mounted in Nederlander theaters include The Lion King at the Minskoff, Wicked at the Gershwin and Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers.

His empire also presented operas, ballets, concerts and artists ranging from Rudolf Nureyev to Frank Sinatra to U2.

In addition to the Palace, Nederlander’s eight other Broadway venues in New York are the Brooks Atkinson, Gershwin, Lunt-Fontanne, Marquis, Minskoff, Nederlander, Richard Rodgers and Neil Simon theaters.

Outside New York, its properties include the Auditorium and Bank of America theatres, the Broadway Playhouse, Cadillac Palace and Oriental theatres, all in Chicago; the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles; and the Adelphi, Aldwych and Dominion theatres in London.

His received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement, a United Nations Foundation Champion Award, The Actors’ Fund Medal of Honor and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Nederlander is survived by his wife, his son James L. Nederlander and daughter-in-law Margo M. Nederlander, his grandchildren James M. Nederlander II and Kathleen M. Nederlander, his stepdaughter Kristina Gustafson and her children Gunnar Gustafson and Krisanna Gustafson.

JACK DAVIS a cartoonist who was responsible for Woody Allen’s early comedy Bananas, the album art for Spike Jones’ LP Thank You, Music Lovers and the illustration for Time's April 30, 1973 cover story Israel at 25, and countless others died Wednesday, July 27, 2016 in Athens, Georgia.. He was 91.

He was one of the founding cartoonists for Mad in 1952. His cartoon characters are characterized by extremely distorted anatomy, including big heads, skinny legs, and extremely large feet.

His cartoons and illustrations encompassed advertising art, magazine covers, film posters, record album art, and numerous comic book stories.

Davis was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2003. He also received the National Cartoonists Society's Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. A finalist for inclusion in the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990, 1991 and 1992, he received the National Cartoonists Society's Advertising Award for 1980 and their Reuben Award for 2000.

In June 2002, Davis had a retrospective exhibition of his work at the Society of Illustrators in New York. He was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2005.

ZELDA FICHANDLER co-founder of Arena Stage in Washington, DC, died Saturday, July 29, 2016 at her home in Washington, DC, of congestive heart failure. She was 91.

She and her husband, Thomas C. Fichandler (August 9, 1915 – March 16, 1997), along with Edward Mangum, co-founded Arena Stage in 1950, in a tiny former art-film cinema. As audiences grew, the theatre moved to "The Old Vat Theatre" which the company created in an abandoned distillery on the Potomac riverside. The Fichandlers were able to build a new theatre complex. Zelda Fichandler served as Arena's artistic director from the theatre's inception until her retirement at the end of the 1990-91 season. During that time, Arena Stage became known as one of America's premierregional theatres. Under her leadership, the Arena won the first regional Tony award in 1976, became the first American theatre to tour the USSR (1973), as well as the first regional theatre to transfer a show to Broadway.

Fichandler directed numerous plays at Arena Stage including Death of a Salesman, Uncle Vanya, A Doll's House and Six Characters in Search of an Author. Several of her Arena Stage productions toured internationally, including Inherit the Wind and The Crucible.

From 1984 until her death, Fichandler was chair of the graduate acting program and Master Teacher of Acting and Directing at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. From 1991-94, she was artistic director of The Acting Company.

Her honors and awards include the Common Wealth Award for distinguished service in the dramatic arts (1985); the Helen Hayes Award for directing The Crucible (1988); and the National Medal of Arts in 1996. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1999, the first artistic leader outside of New York to be so honored.

Next Column: August 7, 2016
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Laura Deni

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