Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: June 11, 2023
By: Laura Deni
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ART IMITATES LIFE IN OPERATION MINCEMEAT - FIRST LET'S GET US A DEAD BODY

Operation Mincemeat was a successful British deception operation of the Second World War to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily. Two members of British intelligence obtained the body of Glyndwr Michael, a tramp who died from eating rat poison, dressed him as an officer of the Royal Marines, a Major Martin, and placed personal items on him - a photograph of Major Martin’s fiancée, a receipt for an engagement ring, a theatre ticket stub and other evidence - identifying him as the fictitious Captain (Acting Major) William Martin. Correspondence between two British generals that suggested that the Allies planned to invade Greece and Sardinia, with Sicily as merely the target of a feint, was also placed on the body.

Part of the wider Operation Barclay, Mincemeat was based on the 1939 Trout memo, written by Rear Admiral John Godfrey, the Director of the Naval Intelligence Division, and his personal assistant, Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming. With the approval of the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and the military commander in the Mediterranean, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the plan began by transporting the body to the southern coast of Spain by the British submarine HMS Seraph and early on April 30, 1943 releasing it close to shore, where it was picked up the following morning by a Spanish fisherman.

Truth is stranger than fiction.

Think about it. You're in middle of a world war. Some of the most brilliant minds in the world are sitting around trying to figure out the next move. Somebody says - I know, lets get a dead body, dress up the guy as a Marine, place some papers on him and leave him where the Germans will find out about him.

What?

Prime Minister Winston Churchill thinks it sounds like a great idea.

Makes you think Churchill was drinking too much brandy and those cigars quite possibly might have contained something besides tobacco.

Churchill relays the idea to General Eisenhower who jumps on board.

An interesting fact is that this screw ball idea was conjured up, in part, by Ian Fleming. Yeah, that Ian Fleming.

Most astounding, the plan worked.

When the body was found the nominally neutral Spanish government shared copies of the documents on the body with the Abwehr, the German military intelligence organization, before returning the originals to the British. Forensic examination showed they had been read and Ultra decrypts of German messages showed that the Germans fell for the ruse. German reinforcements were shifted to Greece and Sardinia before and during the invasion of Sicily; Sicily received none.

The full effect of Operation Mincemeat is not known, but credit is given that Sicily was liberated more quickly than anticipated and losses were lower than predicted. The events were depicted in Operation Heartbreak, a 1950 novel by the former cabinet minister Duff Cooper, before one of the intelligence officers who planned and carried out Mincemeat, Ewen Montagu, wrote a history in 1953. Montagu's work formed the basis for the 1956 British film The Man Who Never Was. A second British film based on the events was released in 2022 under the title Operation Mincemeat.

Now comes a new musical and a cast album - Operation Mincemeat a musical comedy with book, music and lyrics by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts (known as the musical comedy troup SplitLip). The plot is based on the Operation Mincemeat British deception operation.

An early version of the show was first performed in 2019. Since then it has been staged in several London theatres: New Diorama Theatre (2019), Southwark Playhouse (2020, 2021, 2022) and Riverside Studios (2022). The musical transferred to the Fortune Theatre in London's West End, beginning previews on March 29, 2023 and running originally until August 19, 2023, then extended to September 23, 2023 based on ticket demand.

The show has received critical acclaim and has been compared to the Broadway musical Hamilton. It was nominated for several awards and listed in the Observer's Top 10 shows of the year.

Over a dozen characters are played by the five cast members, often gender-swapped.

Directed by Robert Hastie, the cast includes: David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Jak Malone, Zoë Roberts, with understudies Geri Allen, Christian Andrews, Seán Carey & Holly Sumpton.

The mise en scene: Choreographer Jenny Arnold. Set & Costume Designer Ben Stones. Lighting Designer Mark Henderson.

Other creatives include: Sound Designer Mike Walker. Orchestration & Vocal Arrangement Steve Sidwell. Musical Director & Piano Joe Bunker. Deputy MD & Keyboard Ben Cox. Bass Guitar & Bass Synth Rachel Espeute. Drums & Percussion Lewis Jenkins.

Sony has released a full Original London Cast recording, with the album available now on CD, vinyl, streaming and digital.

Recorded at Masterchord and The Library. Mixed at The Library. Recording engineer: Ronan Phelan. Recording and mix engineer Niall John Acott. Recording assistants Chris Vello and George Rose. Album Coordinator and artist liaison Celia Dugea.

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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

CANOVA: SKETCHING IN CLAY EXHIBITION

Antonio Canova Adam and Eve Mourning the Dead Abel, c. 1818–1822 terracotta overall: 22 x 30 x 18 cm (8 11/16 x 11 13/16 x 7 1/16 in.) Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova, Possagno. Photographed by Luigi Spina

How does a sculptor turn an initial idea into a finished work of marble? For Antonio Canova (1757–1822), the most famous artist of Europe’s revolutionary period, the answer was with clay.

Celebrated for sensual marble sculptures that represented a new approach to classical idealism, Antonio Canova (1757–1822) was the preeminent European artist of his time.

At the center of his sculpting process, yet largely unknown, are extraordinary modern clay models that retain the touch of the artist’s hand, giving a revelatory glimpse into Canova’s imaginative and technical process.

Canova: Sketching in Clay is the first exhibition in over 50 years to focus on these terracottas (clay sketches that have been fired). Presenting a deeper understanding of the artist, particularly his phenomenal skills as a modeler, this exhibition features a large group of terracottas from the Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova in Possagno, his hometown in northern Italy, as well as exquisite examples from other collections in Europe. Also included are several plasters and marbles that are directly related to his terracottas.

The exhibition in Washington is organized in three thematic sections—myths and legends, faith and monuments, and portraits.

Highlights include models that date to Canova’s artistic origins in Venice and his first commissions in Rome, notably his Religion and other studies for the papal monuments to Clement XIII and Clement XIV; models for Cupid and Psyche, one of his most alluring sculptures, and for his masterpiece The Three Graces; and his spectacular marble of Napoleon’s mother, Letizia Ramolino, surrounded by three models that were preparatory for it.

Canova also explored grief and remorse in several works, from the Penitent Magdalen models in marble to Adam and Eve Mourning the Dead Abel—three heart-wrenching models made near the end of his own life.

By displaying Canova’s preparatory models alongside some of his finest marbles, the exhibition invites us to contemplate how an artist renowned for the polished perfection of these sculptures could have developed them from a style of modeling that was so expressive, so rough and immediate.

These clay sketches show us the artist’s hand, from his signature gestures to his fingerprints. Canova: Sketching in Clay explores Canova’s process—detailing how he designed in clay and how he moved from sketch to finished statue.

After developing his ideas in clay—a step that is demonstrated in a video made for the exhibition—Canova made increasingly larger models that were cast in plaster. Assistants used the pointing system to copy plaster into marble, which Canova then finished.

The exhibition is on view in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, from June 11 through October 9, 2023, and at the Art Institute of Chicago from November 19, 2023, through March 18, 2024.

CAPTURING THE MOMENT A JOURNEY THROUGH PAINTING AND PHOTOGRAPHY will explore the dynamic relationship between contemporary painting and photography. This group exhibition will unfold as an open-ended conversation between some of the greatest painters and photographers of recent generations, looking at how the brush and the lens have been used to capture moments in time, and how these two mediums have inspired and influenced each other.

The exhibition will be a rare opportunity to see extraordinary works from the YAGEO Foundation Collection, including paintings by Francis Bacon, Gerhard Richter and Peter Doig and photographs by Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky and Hiroshi Sugimoto, shown in dialogue with many recent additions to Tate’s collection, including works by Lorna Simpson, John Currin, Laura Owens, Michael Armitage and Louise Lawler.

Capturing the Moment will begin with some of the most renowned expressive painters of the post-war period. Visitors will discover how the inventive and painterly realism of artists like Lucian Freud and Alice Neel developed alongside the emergence of documentary photography and ground-breaking photographers like Dorothea Lange. Francis Bacon’s Study for a Pope VI 1961 shows the role that photographic source material played for many artists, while Cecily Brown’s Trouble in Paradise 1999 and George Condo Mental States 2000 reveal the legacy of expressive figurative painting in a world of increasingly prevalent photographic images.

The exhibition will also show how the influence runs in the opposite direction, with a series of strikingly painterly photographs. These range from the dramatic large-scale tableaux of Jeff Wall’s A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai) 1993 and Andreas Gursky’s May Day IV 2000, to Pushpamala N’s playful take on grand history painting and Hiroshi Sugimoto’s atmospheric near-abstract seascapes. Photographs by Thomas Struth and Louise Lawler, capturing famous paintings on display and in storage, reveal another way in which the two mediums have found a home within each other.

The largest section of the exhibition will explore how painting and photography have converged, with a selection of major contemporary works which show how both art forms attempt to capture fleeting points in time or moments in history. Gerhard Richter’s photo-realist paintings such as Two Candles 1982 and Aunt Marianne 1965 encapsulate one approach to this, alongside later works by Luc Tuymans and Wilhelm Sasnal. Pop artists like Richard?Hamilton, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Pauline Boty offer another approach, incorporating and collaging photographic images in their paintings, as can also be seen in Lorna Simpson’s Then & Now 2016 and Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s Predecessors 2013.

Capturing the Moment is realised in collaboration with the YAGEO Foundation, Taiwan. The YAGEO Foundation was founded by Taiwanese collector, entrepreneur and philanthropist Pierre Chen in 1999. The exhibition is curated by Gregor Muir, Director of Collection, International Art, Tate; and Beatriz García-Velasco, Assistant Curator, International Art, Tate Modern.

June 14, 2023 - January 28, 2023 at Tate Modern in London.

RENOWNED SCULPTURE LITTLETON ALSTON

Littleton Alston standing next to his 7' ft tall bronze sculpture of Willa Cather. Photo: Alton website.

a professor of sculpture at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska made history last Wednesday when his 7' high bronze statue of Willa Cather was unveiled in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Alston is the first African-American to have his work displayed in Statuary Hall.

"Thank you for showing this American hero’s impact on this nation and on our literary canon with such dignity and honor," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said to Alston who creations are nothing short of awesome. "Our nation's heroes are memorialized here in marble and bronze. Today, Willa Cather, the Nebraskan novelist and national icon, joins them. She becomes the first Pulitzer Prize winner and 12th woman represented in the National Statuary Hall collection."

Cather, whose works include My Ántonia and O Pioneers, was born in Virginia just south of D.C., moved to Red Cloud, Nebraska as a young person and created first a career for herself as a journalist and poet, and then a career as a best-selling novelist. She graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1895. She won the Pulitzer Prize for the novel One of Ours.

The ceremony included a performance of Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag by the Omaha Conservatory of Music String Quartet and readings from Cather’s novel My Antonia, along with short speeches by Gov. Jim Pillen, Rep. Adrian Smith and Sen. Deb Fischer, all of whom lauded Cather’s writings as representative of Nebraska.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told the crowd that Cather's prose continually because it gave a voice to pioneers who took accepted hardship as a chance for a better life.

"Nebraskans are lucky to call Willa Cather one of their own," McCarthy said. "But ultimately, her work belongs here because it is American to the core. Her authenticity, emotion, artistry spoke of Americans' fundamental values. Ultimately, it reminds us that this is a land of opportunity."

Each state is entitled to two statues at the U.S. Capitoll. Nebraska’s other statue, of Ponca Chief Standing Bear, was unveiled in 2019.

"Willa Cather epitomizes Nebraska values we hold so dearly, a focus on family, a love of learning, the power of our experiences to shape us, and optimism for the future,” stated former Governor and current U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts declared. “When I was Governor, I had the privilege of signing legislation to change Nebraska’s statues and honor two tremendous Nebraskans: Chief Standing Bear and Willa Cather. Today, as U.S. Senator, I am humbled to see that process come to fruition as we welcome the arrival of Willa Cather’s statue."

The statue change Ricketts, a Republican who served as the 40th Governor of Nebraska, reference was his removal of Arbor Day founder and slavery supporter Julius Sterling Morton.

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SWEET CHARITY

2023 FATHER'S DAY CLASSIC CAR SHOW this annual fundraiser for the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska will include American Made cars highlighting nearly 90 years of engineering and innovation.

As always, the cars will be parked inside the Museum next to their collection of aircraft and aerospace artifacts.

You can help recognize the best of the best with ther People’s Choice Award, Kid’s Choice Award, as well as Car Class Champions ALL, voted on by the guests.

June 17-18, 2023.

DEVIL'S BALL IS JUNE 16, 2023 Join us on the Auditorium Theatre’s National Historic Landmark stage for a night of devilishly good fun at the Auxiliary Board’s annual Devil’s Ball. Sip on signature cocktails, jam to timeless music, and dance on the stage that has held some of music’s greatest artists. Discover the theatre’s history and beauty during a behind-the-scenes tour, capture memories in the photo booth, and peruse silent auction items and wine raffle selections.

All proceeds benefit the preservation and restoration of our National Historic Landmark Theatre.

Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Ill.

BROADCAST FIVES in aid of Film and TV Charity the much-loved industry five-a-side football and netball tournament, all in aid of the Film and TV Charity will return after a six-year hiatus, the one-day tournament has been opened up to everyone working in film, TV and cinema, with the proceeds raised going to the Film and TV Charity, who provide emotional and practical support for people working in those industries.

The event is to take place at the Shepherds Bush Powerleague in London on Saturday, June 17, 2023, with male, female and mixed gender teams of between five and seven invited to compete. With a minimum of six games being played by each team, all matches will have an FA qualified referee, with the chance to win a Broadcast Fives trophy for men’s, women’s and mixed teams, and even the tournament golden boot. Players will also enjoy barbecue and post-match drinks.

To enter, teams must be made up of members who work in film, TV and cinema, from those working at broadcasters and film studios to those in distribution and post-production, as well as suppliers, service providers and manufacturers.

The Broadcast Fives will be managed and delivered by the Film and TV Charity. All funds raised will help to support people working behind the scenes in the film, TV and cinema industry with their financial, social and mental worries – from its free and confidential 24/7 Film and TV Support Line, to its Bullying Advice Service and Financial Support.

The Film & TV Charity is working behind the scenes of the UK film, TV, and cinema industry, from research to writing, through casting and production, to editing, sales, distribution, and exhibition, supporting the lives of everyone involved.

Founded in the early days of cinema in 1924, the charity is approaching its centenary year. Today, it is pleased to be able to offer a wide range of financial, practical, and emotional support to people who have talent, spark and dedication and yet find obstacles in their way.

The Film & TV Charity’s support services are free, completely confidential, and totally independent. Its online resources, events and directories also offer individuals opportunities to be part of a community while protecting their own mental health and wellbeing.

BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE'S 6TH ANNUAL GOLF OUTING to benefit Bucks County Playhouse’s Educational Programs takes place Tuesday, June 20, 2023.

Taking place at the Cobblestone Creek Country Cub in Lawrenceville, NJ.

SPREADING THE WORD

NATIONAL ICE CREAM FEST one of the largest ice cream parties in America takes place on June 17, 2023 at National Harbor, MD.

A day of ice cream, games, music and fun. Get ready for the coolest event of the year as the National Ice Cream Festival arrives on June 17, 2023!

This annual celebration brings together ice cream enthusiasts from all over the country to experience some of the best frozen treats on the East Coast. Whether you're a child or an adult, there's something for everyone at this festival. With vendors competing in various categories for the title of best ice cream, you'll have the chance to taste and judge the delicious creations.

Get adventurous with new flavors or stack up scoops of your favorites–it’s up to you! This festival boasts local and national ice cream brands, so there will be plenty of options to choose from! Want something savory? You'll be covered. They'll be food vendors available with an abundance of options to quench your cravings.

Get ready for some sweet sounds!

The National Ice Cream Fest is bringing in top-notch live music performers to keep you grooving while you indulge in your favorite frozen treats.

Get ready for a day of non-stop entertainment at the National Ice Cream Fest! From live performances and DJs to roaming entertainers and games like axe throwing, topped off with a nostalgic performance by the Legwarmers.

I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU CHASTEN BUTTIGIEG IN CONVERSATION WITH HARVEY FIERSTEIN & RICHIE JACKSON The husband of Pete Buttigieg, current United States Secretary of Transportation and former Democratic Presidential candidate, details the moving, hopeful, and refreshingly candid story about growing up gay in a small, Midwestern town. Chasten Buttigieg will be interviewed on stage by Tony Award-Winner and New York Times best-selling author, Harvey Fierstein, and author, columnist, and award-winning Broadway, television and film producer, Richie Jackson. An audience Q&A will follow the on-stage interview. Friday, June 16, 2023 at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT.

CLASSIC AMERICAN TALES (CAT) presents Tales at the Former House. This new company has taken on what had been presented by East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC) for 33 years under the name "Tales of the Victorians." As usual, with "Tales," attendees are treated to tea and tantalizing treats, while listening to stories by American authors like O. Henry, Zora Neale Hurston, and Mark Twain read, now by CAT performers. Children are always welcome, and ages 12 and under are free.

The summer schedule has performances through August 10, all on the front porch of The Dormer House, in historic Cape May, NJ.

On June 15 is Gayle Stahlhuth reading the exciting section about the Oklahoma Land Rush on April 22,1889 as written by Edna Ferber in Cimarron published in 1929. Stahlhuth was ELTC's producing artistic director for 23 years and is the founder of CAT. She'll perform something different on August 10.

On June 29, Michele LaRue presents How the Other Half, two vibrant tales that gleefully remind us that people haven't changed in 100 years. "Transients in Arcadia" (1907) was written by O. Henry and "The Apple Tree" (1903) by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. Along with performing at ELTC, NJ Rep, and other theaters, for over 25 years, LaRue has performed throughout the country in her own one-person shows. Her late husband, Warren Kliewer, founded ELTC in 1980. She will be performing something different on August 3.

Suzanne Dawson is performing works from the 1920's and 30's on July 13. She's performed in NYC, for regional theaters and in national tours, and appeared many times for ELTC including starring in Dorothy Parker: A Certain Woman last summer. Author, artist, and historian John Bailey will read his own story about Cape May's first lifeguard on July 20.

JANE AUSTEN FESTIVAL SUMMER BALL will take place in Bath, England's historic Guildhall on June 17th 2023.

This year, the theme is "Strawberries & Cream."

"June is the month in which Jane Austen depicted all her beloved Emma characters picking strawberries; Summer Ball guests will be welcomed by none other than our own Mr Knightley, and the theme will be continued throughout the choice of dances and supper. If you wish to add a strawberry-themed item to your finest Regency outfit, time to get sewing!"

Dancing will be called by Liz Bartlett of the Jane Austen Dancers, accompanied by music from Beau’s Band. There will be a mid evening break for a two course supper.

A dance workshop will be held in the afternoon before the Ball. A chance to learn and practice your Regency dancing moves ready for the Strawberries & Cream Summer Ball in the evening.

CECE WINANS: BELIEVE FOR IT IN CONCERT takes place June 20, Concert Hall, Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The legendary gospel singer and 15-time Grammy winner CeCe Winans joins the NSO Pops to perform chart-topping favorites and uplifting new music. As the best-selling and most-awarded female gospel and R&B artist of all time, CeCe has cemented her status as one of the most accomplished and celebrated women in music history.

FOR WANT OF A HORSE a staged reading presented by the Echo Theater on Thursday, June 15, at the Atwater Village Theatre in Los Angeles.

Penned by Olivia Dufault the production is a darkly comedic take on animals and the humans who love them.

Calvin, a struggling zoophile, has long desired a marefriend. Now, with the blessing of his wife, he’s set to purchase the horse of his dreams.

The cast includes Samantha Dammeyer, Nicole DuPort, David Phillip Fishman, Chris Jerabek and Tim Wright. Abigail Deser directs.

THE DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER President, Royal Academy of Music, will attend a Musical Theatre Company performance of Jane Eyre at the Royal Academy of Music, in London on June 15, 2023.

IN CELEBRATION OF JUNETEENTH now a federal holiday - an in person and virtual celebration of Juneteenth and commemorating the issuance of the emancipation proclamation for enslaved African descendants in Texas on June 19th, 1865 - the African American Affairs Committee of the ABA Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice and the Nevada Equal Rights Commission are co-hosting this hybrid event.

Juneteenth: Reflections on Freedom, Racial, and Economic Justice for African Descendants takes place Friday, June 16, 2023 at Whitney Library Concert Hall in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This joint program commemorating Juneteenth will highlight the significance of abolition and emancipation to the state of racial and economic justice and equality for African descendants - historically, contemporarily, and globally. Internationally renowned civil rights scholar, Fordham University School of Law Archibald R. Murray Professor of Law Tanya Katerí Hernández, author of Racial Innocence: Unmasking Latino Anti-Black Bias and the Struggle for Equality, will deliver the keynote address followed by opening remarks from notable leaders from the Nevada community and the American Bar Association.

uality Moderated by Kara Jenkins – Administrator, Nevada Equal Rights Commission.

Nevada Remarks by: Jason M. Frierson – U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada, U.S. Department of Justice - Joe Lombardo Governor, State of Nevada and a representative from the Las Vegas Raiders.

ABA Remarks:
Deborah Enix-Ross – President, American Bar Association; Senior Advisor, International Dispute Resolution Group, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Wendy Greene – Professor of Law, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law; Co-Chair, African American Affairs Committee, ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice
Mary L. Smith – President-Elect, American Bar Association; Vice Chair, VENG Group; Chair, Caroline and Ora Smith Foundation
Juan R. Thomas – Chair, ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Of Counsel, Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A.

The Section would like to extended its gratitude to CRSJ's African American Affairs Committee Co-Chairs Wendy Greene and Representative Pamelya Herndon for their support in developing this program.

WISHFUL THINKING love to see the best talk show host that ever was - that would be Jimminy Glick - whose stomach was on the pulse of America - (Primetime Glick 2001–2003), interview George Santos.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE TONY AWARD WINNERS

THE APOLLO in Harlem, NY has named Michelle Ebanks who helped transform Essence magazine into an iconic multi-platform media brand as the new . new CEO and president of the Apollo Theater after the recently announced departure of Jonelle Procope, who is stepping down after 20 years.

Ebanks, 61, is a former Conde Naste business manager and Time Inc. executive who led the publishing conglomerate’s acquisition of Essence in 2001. The Ohio native also presided over People en Español magazine and the Essence Festival of Culture. This year, the historic venue intends to open The Apollo’s Victoria Theater, which will include two new spaces, as well as marking the first-ever expansion and renovation in its nearly 90-year history.

TIM SHEADER has been appointed as new artistic director and joint Chief Executive alongside Executive Director Henny Finch. of the Donmar Warehose in London.

Sheader takes up the role in March 2024 taking over from Michael Longhurst. He joins the company from Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, where he has been Artistic Director since 2007. Under his tenure, the company has won seven Olivier Awards and four Evening Standard Awards, with productions transferring to the West End and North America.

RED BULL THEATER last week staged their Gala Benefit at which they honored Julie Taymor with the Matador Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Classical Theater and Axe-Houghton Foundation with the George Mayer Award for Extraordinary Service to Classical Theater.

Harry Lennix presented the Matador Award to Ms. Taymor. Foundation President Jeffrey Steinman accepted the Award for Axe-Houghton Foundation, which was presented by Tovah Feldshuh.

The evening was hosted by Patrick Page and featured performances by Reeve Carney, Tom Hewitt, Luis Quintero, Derek Smith, Sarin Monae West. Marc Vietor directed the evening’s entertainment.

In addition, special guests and presenters included Arnie Burton, Robert Cuccioli, Kelley Curran, Paige Davis, Enid Graham, Harry Lennix, Mark Linn-Baker, Teresa Avia Lim, Mark Martin, Dakin Matthews, Jacob Ming-Trent, Matthew Rauch, Cara Ricketts, Laila Robins, Jennifer Sánchez, Robert Sella, Miriam Silverman, Raphael Nash Thompson, and more, along with musicians Spiff Weigand and Kevin Bernstein.

Founded almost 60 years ago by Emerson and Ruth Axe to foster and encourage an appreciation of the English language, the Axe-Houghton Foundation supports performing arts and educational organizations that promote the spoken word. With an emphasis on having work heard by an audience, the Foundation funds New York City-based programs primarily in theater but also in arts-related education, poetry, debate and public speaking, and the oral interpretation of literature. The Foundation is proud of its support of Red Bull and is pleased to accept this tribute.

Begun in 2009, Matador Awards are given annually to recognize individuals or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary talent, service, or significant achievements in the Classical Theater. The awards are presented each year at the Running of the Red Bulls, Red Bull Theater's annual gala benefit. Previous honorees have included F. Murray Abraham, Kate Burton, André De Shields, Olympia Dukakis, Richard Easton, Michael Kahn, Jack O'Brien, Patrick Page, Lynn Redgrave, Sir Patrick Stewart, Daniel Sullivan, Charlayne Woodard, and Theatre Development Fund. The Matador Award for Extraordinary Talent for Classical Theater has been awarded to Oscar Isaac, Hamish Linklater, Ismenia Mendes, Martha Plimpton, Lily Rabe, Condola Rashad, Matthew Rauch, Olivia Reis, Juliet Rylance, Liev Schreiber, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Michael Urie. Previous recipients of the George Mayer Award for Extraordinary Service to Classical Theater include Jim Bredeson, Theatre Development Fund, American Theatre Wing, Fund for the City of New York, The Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation, The Michael Tuch Foundation, Off-Broadway Angels, Alliance of Resident Theaters/New York, Arts In the Armed Forces, The Shakespeare Society, Katherine Hood, The Angelo Patri Middle School, Howard Owens, George Wm. Mayer Jr., and Heather Randall.

STATE THEATRE NEW JERSEY last week hosted its second annual Fête at the Farm, a gala event celebrating live performance, community, and history. The State Theatre Benefit Gala was hosted at historic Suydam Farms in Somerset, NJ. The event included dinner, dancing, and an intimate performance by The Bacon Brothers.

At this year’s Fête at the Farm, the State Theatre honored the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the founders of Wash & Learn New Brunswick: Maritza Acevedo, Gisela Ciancia, and Anne-Marie Riveaux McMahon.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to improving health and health equity in the United States. In partnership with others, RWJF are working to develop a Culture of Health rooted in equity that provides every individual with a fair and just opportunity to thrive, no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they have.

Wash & Learn is a program that promotes literacy and continued education for both students and parents. Held at the Handy Street Laundromat in New Brunswick for students from Roosevelt Elementary School, the program provides free books, games, and crafts. In addition, each workshop has a guest reader that reads to the group and follows that up with an activity in art, music, history, or science that relates to the story.

All proceeds from the State Theatre New Jersey Gala help provide education and community engagement programs for children, families, and underserved residents and support the continued excellence of its world-class mainstage performances.



STUMPED written by Shomit Dutta, writer, translator and teacher of Latin and Greek who also reviews books on cricket and the classics. He has been a member of Harold Pinter’s cricket team Gaieties CC for over twenty years and was captain during Pinter’s final years.

Directed by Guy Unsworth.

Starring Stephen Tompkinson as Samuel Beckett and Andrew Lancel as Harold Pinter.

Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett meet in a cricket pavilion and end up as trapped as some of the characters in their plays.

"Stumped gives a wonderful insight into what the friendship between these two great men may have looked like. As well as being a beautiful tribute to their writing, the theatre of the absurd, and of course their love for the game of cricket."

Before Samuel Beckett became the playwright universally known for Waiting for Godot, he was a cricketer. He is still the only Nobel prize-winner to feature in the pages of Wisden as a first-class player. His friend and fellow Nobel prize-winner, Harold Pinter, whose best known works include The Birthday Party and Betrayal,described cricket as 'the greatest thing that God created on earth'.

Opens June 16 - July 22 at The Hamstead Theatre in London.

A STRANGE LOOP a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson, and winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The ground-breaking and critically acclaimed winner of every Best Musical award on Broadway, and the Pulitzer Prize, bursts onto the Barbican stage this summer for a one time only, limited season. >nt?>nt Hell-bent on breaking free of his own self-perception, Usher, a young, gay, Black writer who hates his day job, so writes a musical about a young, gay, Black writer who’s writing a musical about a young, gay, Black writer...a strange loop. Usher grapples with desires, identity and instincts he both loves and loathes, all brought to life on stage by a hilarious, straight-talking ensemble.

June 17 - September 9, 2023 at the Barbican in London.

KING LEAR by William Shakespeare.

Direction by Benjamin Henson & Michael Hurst.

The ageing King Lear plans to abdicate his crown. When he challenges his children to compete for his land, his favorite refuses to play the game. His family's greed and betrayal push civilization to the edge of chaos, and Lear, broken by his own vanity, will be forced to confront who he is for the very first time.

Set to mirror our modern society while staying true to Shakespeare’s script, Michael Hurst leads a star-studded cast, and the ASB Waterfront Theatre stage is transformed for the audience to also sit on stage. This ambitious production is the centrepiece of the 30 Year Anniversary of Auckland Theatre Company and one for the ages.

A large ensemble cast also includes: Fasitua Amosa, Andi Crown, Joe Dekkers-Reihana, Jessie Lawrence, Colin McColl, Shadon Meredith, Cameron Rhodes, Beatriz Romilly, Hanah Tayeb, Hester Ullyart and Jennifer Ward-Lealand.

The mise en scene: costume designer Elizabeth Whiting, set design by John Verryt, Vanda Karolczak on lighting design. Other creatives include: composer/sound designer John Gibson, and vocal coach Kirstie O’Sullivan.

The Auckland Theatre Company's first Shakespeare production in over a decade hits the stage in June 13 with performances through July 1, 2023 at the ASB Waterfront Theatre in Balmoral, Auckland.

HERE LIES LOVE with a score by Grammy, Tony, and Oscar winner David Byrne and Grammy winner Fatboy Slim, with music by both and concept and lyrics by Byrne.

Directed by Alex Timbers.

Cheography by Annie-B Parson.

Arielle Jacobs will star a Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos, joining Conrad Ricamora, Jose Llana, and Lea Salonga.

Salonga will play Aurora Aquino in a limited guest engagement July 11-August 13. Aurora is the mother of Ninoy Aquino (played in the show by Ricamora). Following her run, guest stars from the Philippines will take over the role. Both Llana and Ricamora reprise their performances from the musical's Off-Broadway run.

The disco musical tells the story of former Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos and her family's rise and fall. Marcos was married to Ferdinand Marcos, the tenth president of the Philippines whose dictatorship lasted 20 years until 1986. During his regime, Philippine senator Ninoy Aquino was the Marcos family's leading critic until being assassinated in 1983. His murder sparked the People Power Revolution, which led to the removal of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos from power.

The creatives include: music director J. Oconer Navarro, Tom Gandey and J Pardo additional music. composer/sound designer John Gibson. Sound designers M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, Tony-nominated projection designer Peter Nigrini, and cultural and community liaison Giselle “G” Töngi. Casting is by Tara Rubin, Xavier Rubiano, and Gail Quintos. General management will be by Foresight Theatrical.

The mise en scene: Tony-nominated scenic designer David Korins, Tony-winning costume designer Clint Ramos, Tony-winning lighting designer Justin Townsend.

The immersive musical is set to begin performances at the recently reconfigured Broadway Theatre June 17. Opening night is July 20, 2023.

EISENHOWER: THIS PIECE OF GROUND a new American play by Richard Hellesen.

Directed by Peter Ellenstein.

Tony Award winner John Rubinstein will star as President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Adapted from a vast array of General Eisenhower's memoirs, speeches, and letters, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground is a candid and fascinating fictional eavesdropping on President Dwight D. Eisenhower at his Gettysburg, Pennsylvania farm. It is 1962 and The New York Times Magazine has published its first list ranking the American Presidents in order of greatness. Pondering his placement on the list, Eisenhower looks back on his life - his Kansas upbringing, his decorated Army career, his victories in World War II, and his two terms as President – contemplating the qualities and adversities that make an American President great.

Developed by New Los Angeles Repertory Company, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground was first presented fall 2022 in Los Angeles by Theatre West in association with New Los Angeles Repertory Company.

The mise en scene: scenic design by Michael Deegan and Sarah Conly; costume consultation by Sarah Conly; lighting design by Esquire Jauchem. The Producing Team includes projection and sound design by Joe Huppert; Victoria Morris of Lexikat Artists and Adam Weinstock of Red Spear Productions. General Management is by LDK Productions, LLC, and Marketing and Promotions is by Table 7 Strategy, LLC.

The production will play a seven-week limited engagement, June 13 through July 30, Off-Broadway at Theatre at St. Clements in New York City.

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FINAL OVATION

BARRY NEWMAN passed away from natural causes at the New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center, on May 11, 2023. He was 92.

Newman began his career on the stage appearing in ob was in Herman Wouk's first comedy Nature's Way, in which he played a jazz musician. This role was followed by a featured part in Broadway'sWhat Makes Sammy Run; Maybe Tuesday and The Mouse Trap.

He then began a long TV and film career, starring in The Lawyer and Vanishing Point, among others. In 1974, Newman landed the lead role in Petrocelli, earning an Emmy nomination.

He is survived by his wife Angela Newman.

PAT COOPER legendary comedian who opened for Frank Sinatra, died June 6, 2023 at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was 93.

Known as the comedian of outrage he specialized in making fun of his Italian heritage. Later he branched out to insulting other stars. He spent 60 years as a Las Vegas headliner.

biological children (Michael and Louise Caputo) from his first marriage to Dolores Nola and one adopted daughter (Patti Jo Cooper) from his second marriage to singer Patti Prince. Cooper also had five grandchildren: two grandsons and three granddaughters. In 2018, he married his third wife, Emily Conner, who he met at the New York Friars Club in 2010. She was a theater producer and the daughter of Diane Decker, one of the original members of The Serendipity Singers.

He publicly feuded with his children on his radio appearances and was estranged from all members of his adopted and biological families.

He is survived by his third wife Emily Conner.

GEORGE WINSTON Grammy award winning pianist, guitarist, harmonicist, record producer, and philanthropist died in California on June 4, 2023 after a 10 year battle with cancer. He was 73.

Winston suffered from several forms of cancer, including thyroid cancer, skin cancer, and myelodysplastic syndrome, the latter of which was resolved following a bone marrow transplant in 2013.

He was best known for his solo piano recordings. He released his first album in 1972, but only came to attention with the 1980 album, Autumn, which was followed by Winter into Spring and his most successful album December released in 1982. December crossed over to mainstream success, spending more than two years on the Billboard 200 album chart and becoming a holiday classic.

In total 16 albums were released, accumulating sales of over 15 million, with the 1994 album Forest earning him a Grammy award in 1996 for Best New Age Album.

Winston provided music for the TV miniseries This Is America, Charlie Brown in 1988. He also collaborated with Meryl Streep to release The Velveteen Rabbit in 1984.

Winston played in three styles: the melodic approach he developed that he called "rural folk piano"; stride piano, primarily inspired by Thomas "Fats" Waller and Teddy Wilson; and his primary interest, New Orleans R&B piano, influenced by James Booker, Professor Longhair, and Henry Butler. While the majority of his recordings were in the folk piano style, Winston said he mostly played R&B piano. Winston's musical style has frequently been labelled new age and sometimes classical, but Winston himself objected to both these labels.

Winston dressed unassumingly for his shows, playing in stocking feet, stating that it quieted his "hard beat pounding" left foot. For years, the balding, bearded Winston would walk out on stage in a flannel shirt and jeans, and the audience would think he was a technician, coming to tune the 9-foot New York Steinways - his piano of choice.

While on tour, Winston encouraged his audiences to bring food donations to his concerts, raised funds for the nonprofit Feeding America, and donated proceeds from shows to local food banks. He also donated proceeds from his 2001 album, Remembrance, to the families of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Next Column: June 18, 2023
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Laura Deni

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