Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: June 18, 2023
By: Laura Deni
CLICK HERE FOR COMMENT SECTION

LAS VEGAS HAS BECOME A SPORTING TOWN AND SPORTS HAVE LONG PLAYED ON BROADWAY

Long before Las Vegas became a sports town with franchises, arenas, and oh, that STANLEY CUP WIN - productions with either a sports theme or mention were a staple of Broadway.

ATHENA by Gracie Gardner
Mary Wallace and Athena are brave, and seventeen, and fencers, and training for the Junior Olympics. They practice together, they compete against each other, they spend their lives together. They wish they were friends.

Gardner was winner of the 2017 Relentless Award.

In October 2021 Grace Gummer directed Athena at the Yard theatre in London.

AUGUST WILSON'S FENCES
This sensational drama tells the story of Troy Maxson, a former star of the Negro baseball leagues who now works as a garbage man in 1957 Pittsburgh. During his prime, Troy was excluded from the major leagues, and now his bitterness takes its toll on his relationships with his wife and his son, the latter of whom wants his own chance to play ball.

The play won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1987 Tony Award for Best Play. Fences was first developed at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's 1983 National Playwrights Conference and premiered at the Yale Repertory Theatre in 1985.

BACK BACK BACK by Itamar Moses
Before headlines blazed, before the Mitchell Report and ESPN lit up millions of television screens with the scandals, before congressional jaws dropped, comes the story of three very different teammates (Davidson, Martinez, and Mosley) making their way in the world of professional baseball – a world too competitive to rely solely on raw talent. This play looks behind the headlines - in baseball's steroid era - as these teammates face each other and do battle – for their careers, their legacies, and the future of America's favorite pastime.

Winner of the 2008 Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.

Back, Back, Back was first presented by the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, CA, in 2008. It was directed by Davis McCallum. The play was subsequently presented Off Broadway by Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City in 2008. It was directed by Daniel Aukin.

BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM THE MUSICAL

2015 West End production poster

with music by Howard Goodall, lyrics by Charles Hart, and a book by Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges. Based on the 2002 film of the same name, the musical made its West End and world premiere at the Phoenix Theatre in May 2015.
The show's premiere production began previews at the Phoenix Theatre in London, on May 15, 2015, with its official opening night coming on June 24, initially booking until July 11. 2015. Prior to opening the booking period was extended to October 24, 2015. The show also included four female footballers who would perform alongside the cast to help bring the game to the stage.

On May 7, 2019 it was announced that the production would have its North American premiere in Toronto, with a limited run at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts' Bluma Appel Theatre between December 7 and 24.

The production won the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical.

Bouncing Back by Gail Young
Bouncing Back follows a group of women returners to the game of Netball, the trials and tribulations of their training sessions, group bonding, getting sponsorship, tough coaching and the stress of organizing “me time.” Will the team get fitter? Will they ever win a game? Will the coach ever find true love? And why do they all worship someone called Tracey?

Charles Ives Take Me Home by Jessica Dickey
Basketball and music collide in this smart, endearing story about a daughter yearning to connect with a distant father. Laura visits her divorced dad John on weekends, desperately trying to breach the gap between their passions. Only long-dead modernist composer Charles Ives can convince John to see the connections between violin and basketball and help this family reunite.

COLOSSAL by Andrew Hinderaker
A star football player – a pro prospect, one of the most graceful runners in the world, and a man in love with a teammate – struggles to move forward in the wake of a catastrophic spinal cord injury. With full-contact choreography, this play about love, ability and extraordinary feats of strength tackles definitions of masculinity and the male body as vehicles for language, violence and silent expression through dance, football and disability.

Performed in four fifteen-minute quarters with a half-time show, featuring a dance company, a drum corps, and a fully-padded cast, Colossal is bill as "an epic event that simultaneously celebrates and attacks our nation's most popular form of theatre: football."

Colossal premiered at the Olney Theater in Olney, MD in September 2014 under the direction of Will Davis.

DAMN YANKEES is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.
The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League Baseball. It is based on Wallop's 1954 novel The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant. The Tony Award winning musical ran for 1,019 performances in its original Broadway production. Adler and Ross's success with it and The Pajama Game seemed to point to a bright future for them, but Ross suddenly died of chronic bronchiectasis at age 29, several months after Damn Yankees opened. The 1955 Broadway mounting was followed by: 1957 West End - 1958 film - 1967 U.S. television - 1994 Broadway revival featuring Jerry Lewis - 1997 West End revival - 2008 Encores! Summer Stars - 2017 Off-Broadway.

DEUCE by Terrence McNally.
Two former successful tennis partners, now retired, reunite to be honored at a women's quarterfinals match at the US Open. As the two women watch the match, they reminisce about athletes including Althea Gibson and Babe Didrikson Zaharias and complain about the lack of form and scanty dress of the players, while commentators Kelly Short and Ryan Becker share patter and a starstruck middle-aged fan offers soliloquies about his idols.

Angela Lansbury and Marian Seldes starred in the 2007 Broadway production at the Music Box Theatre.

DIAMONDS is a musical revue about baseball. Book by Bud Abbott, Ralph G. Allen, Roy Blount Jr., Richard Camp, Jerry L. Crawford, Lou Costello, Lee Eisenberg, Sean Kelly, Jim Wann, John Lahr, Arthur Masella, Harry Stein, John Weidman and Alan Zweibel; music by Gerard Alessandrini, Craig Carnelia, Cy Coleman, Larry Grossman, John Kander, Doug Katsaros, Alan Menken, Jonathan Sheffer, Lynn Udall, Albert VonTilzer and Mr. Wann; lyrics by Alessandrini, Howard Ashman, Mr. Carnelia, Betty Comden, Fred Ebb, Ellen Fitzhugh, Adolph Green, Karl Kennett, Jack Norworth, Mr. Wann and David Zippel.Directed by Harold Prince.
An all-star team takes to the field in a presentation of 35 segments about baseball. Featuring songs and scenes by an impressive assortment of theatre luminaries, Diamonds is called "a spirited musical revue celebrating American's national pastime!"

Comic songs and ballads are interspersed with fast-paced sketches to create a montage of all that is baseball. History. Diamonds opened off-Broadway at Circle Fowntown, New York City.

GLORY by Tracey Power
Inspired by the true story of Canada's own Preston Rivulettes, Glory is a hockey play that swings! In 1933, four friends set out to prove to Canada that hockey isn't just a sport for men. But with the Great Depression weighing heavily on the nation and political tensions rising in Europe, can they overcome the odds, and people’s expectations, to forge their own path to glory?

Glory is billed as "a thrilling hockey story that proves a woman’s place is on home ice."

Glory premiered at Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops, British Columbia on February 22, 2018. On April 3, the production transferred to Alberta Theatre Projects. Directed by James MacDonald and choreographed by Tracey Power, the production featured Katie Ryerson, Morgan Yamada, Kate Dion-Richard, Gili Roskis and Kevin Corey.

Winner of three 2018 Betty Mitchell Awards (Calgary), including Outstanding New Play.

GOLDEN BOY music by Charles Strouse. Lyrics by Lee Adams. Based on the Play Golden Boy by Clifford Odets and William Gibson.
Producer Hillard Elkins planned the project specifically for Sammy Davis Jr. and lured Odets out of semi-retirement to write the book.

Joe Wellington, a young black man from Harlem, is trying to rise up out of the ghetto to fame in the brutal world of boxing. But he makes one mistake: falling in love with his manager's girl Lorna, a seen-it-all white woman whom he loves not wisely but all too well.

The Broadway production, directed by Arthur Penn and choreographed by Donald McKayle, opened on October 20, 1964 at the Majestic Theatre, where it ran for 568 performances and twenty-five previews. In addition to Davis, the cast included Billy Daniels as Eddie Satin, Kenneth Tobey as Tom Moody, Jaimie Rogers as Lopez and Paula Wayne as Lorna Moon, with Johnny Brown, Lola Falana, Louis Gossett, Al Kirk, Baayork Lee, and Theresa Merritt in supporting roles.

An original cast recording was released by Capitol Records. Davis reprised his role for the 1968 West End production at the London Palladium, the first book musical ever to play in the theatre.

in 2012 Golden Boy returned to the Belasco Theater 75 years after it debuted there. The Lincoln Center Production directed by Bartlett Sher starred Tony Shalhoub as Joe’s music-loving father, Danny Burstein as his trainer, Yvonne Strahovski as the self-declared "tramp from Newark" for whom he falls, and, in Jonathan Hadary as the intellectual Jewish neighbor, Mr. Carp and Seth Numrich as Joe.

GOLF: THE MUSICAL music/lyrics/book by Michael Roberts Concept by Eric Krebs.
The fun, frustrations and humor of the grand old game are celebrated in this fast-paced, tune-filled Off-Broadway hit. Billed as "Hilarious skits, witty songs and even a putting competition make Golf an uproarious hit with players and non-players alike."

Golf has played to international acclaim since its seven month Off-Broadway premiere in 2003, returned in 2010 for a Midtown Theatre production and then opened in New York City at the John Houseman Theatre in 2019.

IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER' by Tarell Alvin McCraney.
A track and field themed play. A poor, talented track star living in the projects tries to outrun all the economic, social and other challenges arrayed against her. Christiana Clark starred in a 2011 Guthrie production.

KING JAMES is currently being staged by The Manhattan Theatre Club. The New York premiere of King James has performances at MTC at New York City Center – Stage I.

Written by Rajiv Joseph and directed by Kenny Leon, the cast features Glenn Davis (Shawn), Chris Perfetti (Matt), and Khloe Janel (DJ).

"King" LeBron James was just the hero that Cleveland needed. One of the greatest NBA players to ever hit the court, his influence on the whole city loomed large for the dozen years of his reign. Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph’s wonderfully funny and remarkably moving new play chronicles the unexpected friendship between two men whose intertwined fortunes are tied to those of their idol.

The creative team for King James includes Todd Rosenthal (scenic design), Samantha C. Jones (costume design), Lee Fiskness (lighting design), Michael Bodeen & Rob Milburn (sound design), Gigi Buffington (vocal coach), David Caparelliotis (casting), Richard Hodge (production stage manager), and Jenn Elyse Jacobs (stage manager).

King James premiered in March, 2022 at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, under the direction of Kenny Leon.

A number of reviewers have commented on the balance between two aspects of the play: its deep dive into basketball, and its portrayal of communication between sports fans.

KING LIZ by Fernanda Coppel
Sports agent Liz Rico has money and an elite client roster but a woman in a man's industry has to fight to stay on top. She's worked twice as hard to get where she is and wants to take over the agency that she's helped build. Enter Freddie Luna, a high school basketball superstar with a troubled past.. If Liz can keep this talented yet volatile young star in line, she just might end up making not only his career, but her own as well. But at what price?

In July 2015 this new play was part of New York City's Second Stage's Uptown summer season and stared Karen Pittman as the powerful sports agent.

LOMBARDI by Eric Simonson, based on the book When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Maraniss.
The play follows Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi through a week in the 1965 NFL season as he attempts to lead his team to the championship. (The Packers won the NFL championship that year, which would be the last season before the introduction of the Super Bowl.) A "Look Magazine" reporter, Michael McCormick, wants to "find out what makes Lombardi win". However, players on the team refuse to be interviewed, wary of giving up information. He goes instead to Lombardi's wife, Marie, for answers. Meanwhile, in a flashback, Lombardi frets over his lack of promotion and contemplates quitting football. His wife reveals that the family had an emotional move to Green Bay, Wisconsin when Lombardi joined the Packers.

The production had a pre-Broadway tryout at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, playing from July 22 to July 28, 2010. The production featured Dan Lauria and Judith Light as Vince and Marie Lombardi, respectively.

Lombardi officially premiered on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre on October 21, 2010, after previews beginning on September 23. The 2010 Broadway premiere was attended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Packers president Mark Murphy and New York Giants president John Mara (son of Wellington Mara, who was Giants co-owner when Lombardi was the Giants' offensive coordinator), as well as Susan Lombardi – daughter of Vince and Marie – and a number of Lombardi's former players. The real-life Dave Robinson spoke of getting chills and feeling as if he were back in Green Bay when Lauria as Lombardi turned and looked at him in the audience, while the real-life Jim Taylor was also present and guard Jerry Kramer was seen in tears at the end. Goodell and Long hosted a special performance the month after the premiere to benefit the NFL's Player Care foundation, providing support to retired players in need. Lauria also played Lombardi in NFL Network promotional material for the 2010-11 NFL Playoffs, including Super Bowl XLV.

The regional premiere of Lombardi began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.

LYSISTRATA JONES by Douglas Carter Beane & Lewis Flinn
The Athens University basketball team hasn’t won a game in thirty years. But when spunky transfer student Lysistrata Jones dares the squad’s fed-up girlfriends to stop “giving it up” to their boyfriends until they win a game, the team's legendary losing streak could finally come to an end.

The book is by 5 time Tony nominated Douglas Carter Beane and the score is by Lewis Flinn. After a critically acclaimed off-Broadway run with Transport Group Theatre Company, the show opened on Broadway in December 2011.

MAGIC/BIRD by Eric Simonson.
A play about basketball stars Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, their rise from college basketball to the NBA and super stardom, and eventually the Olympic Dream Team, their team and personal rivalries and ultimately their long-running friendship. Preview performances of Magic/Bird (stylized sometimes as Magic-Bird and Magic Bird) began on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on March 21, 2012 with an official opening on April 11, 2012.

Kevin Daniels starred as Magic Johnson and Tug Coker as Larry Bird. The production had the support of the National Basketball Association and the participation of Bird and Johnson. The cast featured, in multiple roles, Deirdre O'Connell (Georgia Bird/Shelly/Patricia Moore), Peter Scolari (Red Auerbach/Jerry Buss/Pat Riley), Rob Ray Manning, Jr. (Michael Cooper/Henry Alvarado/Frank) and Francois Battiste (Jon Lennox/Ron Baxter/Willy).

MEET JOHN DOE music/book by Andrew Gerle. Lyrics/Book: Eddie Sugarman.
Based on Frank Capra's film. A reporter writes a fictitious column about a "John Doe" who cliams to despair of America's neglect of the little peopleand plans to kill himse. The newspaper then hires a ballplayer turned hobo to pose as John Doe. A jazz driven musical with a song about baseball titled Bigger Than Baseball.

Goodspeed staged Meet John Doe in November 2006 with the official premiere taking place at Ford's Theatre in Washington DC in 2007.

Moreno by Pravin Wilkins
August, 2016. The NFL is being shaken by Colin Kaepernick's monumental decision. While other players join him in taking a knee, star running back Luis Moreno is all about his game – and his paycheck. When a destructive new reality hits close to home, Luis is forced to ask whether politics have a place on the field, and if he is willing to risk his career to take a stand for his own community.

MR. RICKEY CALLS A MEETING is a play written by Edward Schmidt in 1989.
The play takes us to a spring day in 1947. Branch Rickey, the powerful general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, summons heavyweight champion Joe Louis, Paul Robeson, tap dance star Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and Jackie Robinson to a meeting to discuss a strategy for dropping a baseball bombshell: promoting a black to the major leagues. If you want freedom of opportunity, do you play by the white's rules or do you demand that he play by yours?

The play had its debut at the Ironbound Theater in Newark, New Jersey. The play debuted on the West Coast, in 1992, at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California.

It was last revived at the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois, with J. Nicole Brooks as director, as part of the 2011–12 season. The revival was nominated for three 2012 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff Award) for Play Production (Large), Direction, and Ensemble.

ROCKY music by Stephen Flaherty. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Book by Thomas Meehan and Sylvester Stallone. Based on the 1976 film of the same name written by Stallone.
The show held its world premiere in Hamburg in 2012 and opened on Broadway in 2014 atthe Winter Garden Theatre.

The show's set, which for Broadway cost $4.3 million, is set around a mostly bare stage which represents the Gym that Rocky trains in. Director Alex Timbers and scenic designer Christopher Barreca devised a regulation-size boxing ring for the 15-minute, climactic bout between Rocky Balboa (Andy Karl) and Terence Archie transferred from the Hamburg production, to reprise his role as Apollo Creed.

Lisa Brescia played Adrian. Songs included: In the Ring and My Nose Ain’t Broken along with favorites including Eye of the Tiger and Gonna Fly Now.

TAKE ME OUT is a play by American playwright Richard Greenberg. After a staging at the Donmar Warehouse in London, it premiered Off-Broadway on September 5, 2002 at the Joseph Papp Public Theater.
Set in a baseball locker room the play concerns homophobia, racism, and class in sport.

Take Me Out revolves around a mixed-race baseball star named Darren Lemming, who comes out as gay and is confronted off the field by deep-rooted masculinity in sports.

The show premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in London on June 20, 2002. The production was directed by Joe Mantello It made its Broadway debut on February 27, 2003 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, where it ran for 355 performances and won the 2003 Tony Award for Best Play. A Broadway revival opened at the Hayes Theater on April 4, 2022. On June 12, 2022, the Broadway revival won Best Revival of a Play at the 75th Tony Awards.

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME by Andrew Lloyd Webber & Ben Elton
Set in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton's musical The Beautiful Game "follows ordinary people in extraordinary situations." Under the watchful eye of team coach Father O’Donnell, John and Del both show enough promise to pursue careers as professional footballers. They’re just two regular teenagers who dream of nothing more than girls and football. When they find love with their girlfriends Mary and Christine, they become swept up in the events that engulf their community and, as time passes, each must decide whether or not to follow his heart.

The plot, which is centered on a local football (soccer) team, focuses on the attempt to overcome the violence that has engulfed their community. The Catholic team has one atheist player, Del (who comes from a Protestant family) and the coach is a priest. The musical chronicles some of the key players during the emerging political and religious violence. Some of the players become IRA volunteers, and another is knee-capped. The musical also chronicles the emotional change in the protagonist from political ambivalence to becoming an IRA volunteer. The most successful song from the score was Our Kind of Love, which had originally been performed by Kiri Te Kanawa as The Heart Is Slow to Learn. It was cut from the re-worked version of the show in 2008, and used as the title song to Lloyd Webber's sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies. The world premiere of The Beautiful Game opened on September 26, 2000 at the Cambridge Theatre in London.

Shonagh Daly performed Let Us Love in Peace as the closing song at the memorial service for families of the September 11 attacks in October 2001.

A selection of songs from the musical were performed for President-elect George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair at a reception in Washington on January 18, 2001

THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz
As a lifelong fan, Macedonio Guerra has followed wrestling only to become a "jobber," one who is paid to lose to bigger-name stars in the ring. Macedonio meets Vigneshwar Paduar, a young Indian man from Brooklyn, who he wants to team up with. The wrestling execs go for it, but pitch them as "terrorists" in the ring. Unspoken racism, politics and courage are all woven into this play that leaves it all on the mat.

Ansa Akyea starred in a 2010 staging at Mixed Blood Theatre.

THE GREAT LEAP by Lauren Yee
A basketball-themed show about U.S. and Chinese teams competing in Beijing. Playwright Lauren Yee was inspired by the experiences of her father, a Chinese-American who played on a U.S. squad that traveled to China for some friendly games in 1981, after the formerly closed-off country started accepting Western visitors again. When an American college basketball team travels to Beijing for a "friendship" game in the post-Cultural Revolution 1980s, both countries try to tease out the politics behind this newly popular sport. Cultures clash as the Chinese coach tries to pick up moves from the Americans and Chinese-American player Manford spies on his opponents.

Players dribble, do free throws, layups and pick-and-rolls, but politics and dance dominate the action in the Guthrie production. Yee developed the plat at the Minneapolis' Playwrights' Center.

THE ROYALE by Marco Ramirez
Based on Jack Johnson, the first black champion. Jay "The Sport" Jackson dreams of being the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. But it’s 1905, and in the racially segregated world of boxing, his chances are as good as knocked out. When a crooked boxing promoter hatches a plan for “the fight of the century,” “The Sport” just might land a place in the ring with the reigning white heavyweight champion.

One of the productions was mounted at the Yellow Tree Theatre.

THE TALL GIRLS by Meg Miroshnik
Inspired by the flourishing and the decline of high school girls' basketball teams in the 1930s rural Midwest, The Tall Girls asks: who can afford the luxury of play? And what is the cost of childhood? Featuring a strong ensemble of female characters, The Tall Girls examines issues of class and gender against the backdrop of the historic 1930s Dust Bowl.

In 2015 the play was produced by Washington Ensemble Theatre and directed by Kelly Kitchens. Some of the other productions were in Chicago and The University of Georgia.

THE WOLVES by Sarah DeLappe. A Pulizer Prize finalist.
Left quad. Right quad. Lunge. A girls indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. A portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals.

It premiered Off-Broadway at The Duke at 42nd Street in September 2016 and centers on the experiences of high school girls through their weekly Saturday morning pre-game soccer warmups.

The play had a workshop at Playwrights Horizons Theater School in 2015 in association with Clubbed Thumb, where the play had been developed.

The play was originally produced Off-Broadway at The Duke on 42nd Street by The Playwrights Realm in association with New York Stage & Film and Vassar's Powerhouse Theatre season.

TONI STONE by Lydia R. Diamond. Based on the book Curveball, The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone by Martha Ackmann.
Toni Stone is an encyclopedia of baseball stats. She’s got a great arm. And she doesn’t understand why she can't play with the boys. About the first woman to go pro in the Negro League and featuring a bullpen of players crossing age, race and gender, Toni Stone is a vibrant new play about staying in the game, playing hard, playing smart and playing your own way.

The Roundabout Theatre Company production of Lydia R. Diamond’s Toni Stone officially opened Off-Broadway June 20, 2019. The play was directed by Tony Award winner Pam MacKinnon. Toni Stone played at Arena Stage in 2021.

VROOOMMM! by Janet Allard, conceived and developed with Michael Bigelow Dixon.
In this breezy "NASComedy" the fast lane is stalled to a screeching halt by the arrival of a woman driver on the NASCAR scene, and egos get bruised as Holly "Legs" Nelson starts stealing the show, driving so fast some think she's cheating. Her rival, Hotshot, wants to sabotage her success, which results in a fast-paced story of NASCAR drivers and their kooky fans, all in pursuit of high-octane glory.

Vrooommm! premiered at Carleton College in Northfield, MN in 2005 under the direction of Liz Engelman. In 2009 was staged in Seattle.

E-Book

Soft back Book

Broadway To Vegas is supported through advertising and donations. Priority consideration is given to interview suggestions, news, press releases, etc from paid supporters. However, no paid supporters control, alter, edit, or in any way manipulate the content of this site. Your donation is appreciated. We accept PAYPAL.

Thank you for your interest.

E-Book

Soft back Book

This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

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

ART AND ABOUT

2023 MARKS THE 300th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN

St. Paul's Cathedral. Image: Winkipedia

On June 27, 2023 The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will attend a Service at St Paul's Cathedral, St. Paul's Churchyard, London, to celebrate the Three-hundreth Anniversary of Sir Christopher Wren's death.

The acclaimed English architect, anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist is noted for designing in the English Baroque style, he was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including what is regarded as his masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710.

To commemorate his remarkable life, St. Paul's stages the exhibition Sir Christopher Wren: The Quest for Knowledge which explores and reflects on the early life and career of Wren. The exhibition charts his lesser-known achievements in mathematics, astronomy and physiology, as well as the design and building of his greatest monument, St Paul’s Cathedral.

With a wealth of material from St. Paul's archives, discover these rich stories alongside drawings, photographs and treasures from their collection including remarkable historical objects personal to Wren himself. The St Paul’s Collection of Wren Office drawings is unrivaled as a record of the design and construction of a single great building by one architect in the early modern era.

This exhibition can be found in the Crypt's North aisle.

Christopher Wren appeared on the reverse of the first British £50 banknote (Series D) issued in modern times. The notes were printed between 1981 and 1994, and were in circulation until 1996.

Greenwich Hospital, designed largely by Wren, is a designated World Heritage Site. In 1997, UNESCO inscribed Wren's Greenwich Hospital on the World Heritage list, citing the complex's "outstanding architectural and artistic achievements".

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON closed since 2020, the refurbished National Portrait Gallery will reopen on June 22 with a reworked presentation of its collection and a new entrance, forecourt, and learning centre. The gallery is home to the largest collection of portraits in the world with over 215,000 works.

E-Book

Soft back Book

SWEET CHARITY

NINE IN CONCERT starring Tony Award winner Santino Fontana who stars as Guido, the role created by Raul Julia, as well as a 25-piece orchestra performing the original orchestrations, interspersed with backstage stories and theatre lore about the original Broadway production. Transport Group Artistic Director Jack Cummings III directs the evening, which is written by Transport Group Artistic Producer Hannah Oren with musical direction by Joey Chancey who conducts the orchestra.

Joining Fontana are Klea Blackhurst, Lilli Cooper, Christine Ebersole, Jessica Fontana, Julia Murney, Alexandra Silber, Emily Skinner, Elizabeth Stanley, Jessica Vosk, and Vanessa Williams.

The cast also includes Benjamin Pajak who plays Young Guido, joined by Ethan Joseph, Matthew Lamb, and Jayden Theophile as the Young Boys.

The evening features a vocal ensemble, a key part of Nine composer/lyricist Maury Yeston’s singular score, including Julia Adams, Erin Anderson, Gina Naomi Baez, Victoria Baroni, Elizabeth Brady, Brianna Brice, Katie Cox, McKenzie Custin, Madison Garcia, Sarah Killough, Gaby Mank, Alison McCartan, Emily Nies, Aubrie-Mei Rubel, Maureen Taylor, Stephanie Toups, Sophia Tzougros, and Katrina Wischusen. Nine features a book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, and was adapted from the Italian by Mario Fratti. Tommy Tune directed the Tony-winning Best Musical, which opened at Broadway’s 46th Street Theatre in 1982 and ran for 748 performances.

Maury Yeston and original Broadway cast member Karen Akers, who was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Luisa Contini, will take part in a Q&A immediately following the concert.

Monday, June 26, as the next installment of the Anne L. Bernstein Concert Series in Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York City.

Proceeds from the evening support the Joanna and Steven Sanders New Works Program, Transport Group’s developmental arm that sees projects through from commission to full production.

BALLET HISPANICO'S LEGACY GALA which recently took place at New York City Center and The Plaza Hotel raised more than $1.4 million in support of the organization’s artistic, educational, and community outreach programs in New York City, across the United States and around the world. This includes the underwriting of inspiring Company performances, transformative School of Dance scholarships, and enduring Community Arts Partnerships programs that engage audiences, students, and communities in New York City, across the United States, and around the world.

Ballet Hispánico celebrated the life of its founder Tina Ramirez and her visionary leadership, passionate activism, and innovative artistry, and honored The Miranda Family with the Nuestra Inspiración Award, presented by Sergio Trujillo.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Seeking any information regarding attempts to sabotage the Broadway To Vegas website.

It is a criminal offense to interfere with another's website.

Broadway To Vegas is a solely owned website. Nobody has been given permission to access, distort or destroy any Broadway To Vegas column.

Examples:
In 1999 Broadway To Vegas ran a favorable review and commentary regarding the dramatic musical Parade. See Broadway To Vegas column of December 28, 1998. Week after week, month after month, year after year, that column could easily be called up on Google and other search engines. This Spring that column suddenly, without warning, disappeared. It is impossible to find it on Google and thus other search engines who traffic off of Google. "Parade" concerns an event involving a Jewish man.

Normally, Broadway To Vegas columns appear on Google search engines anywhere from minutes to a few hours after launch and then remain on the Google search engine.

For past two weeks, Broadway To Vegas columns go up as usual on Google are easily located for approximately 40 hours and then suddenly disappear, not to be found, no matter how they are searched.

In those columns the subject matter concerned: 1) favorable reporting on a world renowned artist who happens to be black, (2) positive reporting on an event involving nationally known individuals participating in a major Juneteenth celebration in Las Vegas. Juneteenth concerns celebrating black people no longer enslaved, and (3) positive reporting on The Lost Story of Emmett Till.

Columns favorably regarding Jewish people and/or Blacks suddenly disappear. That begs the question if deleting those Broadway To Vegas columns is part of somebody committing a hate crime.

Columns are launched on a week-end; almost immediately appear on Google and, again, remain easily called up on that search engine for about 40 hours (until Monday afternoon or evening) thus suspicion arises that somebody has to go into an office to contact a colleague/friend/co-conspirator at Google. Google has the ability to deliberately hide columns. Google can't remove content from a person's website, but they can hide content so that nobody can find it. That is suppose to take place based upon proof of a wrongful act - such as a judge granting a removal order based upon copyright infringement or the webpage encouraging illegal activity.

Google's website indicates that this is manually done. A person goes into the site, reads it and determines if the page has violated any Google rules and can, at their discretion, block the page.

Broadway To Vegas has been on the web since 1998 and, until now, there has never been a problem with Google.

Broadway To Vegas is NOT implying that Google is involved in a hate crime or that Google has instructed any of their employees to help in sabotaging any website. Respectfully, we point out that Google has thousands of employees, some of whom are part time and also involved in the public relations business. PR firms, especially those based in NYC, represent entertainment websites, individuals and causes and an isolated few have made it known that they will commit illegal acts to boost their own clients, harming other sites, and will continue to do so until legally stopped.

It is a felony to attempt to enter, hijack, block, destroy, any website or contents thereof owned by anyone other than yourself. Preventing a website column to be seen is a crime unless there is a substantial reason, generally backed up by court order. You can't have a search engine block a web page simply because you don't like it. That's restraint of trade and censorship.

Also, hijacking (stealing) a column, posting it on a website that deliberately misleads the reader to think they have clicked into Broadway To Vegas when it is a different website with no Broadway To Vegas affiliation is a crime.,br>
In searching Google for Parade on Broadway To Vegas, a website comes up that misleads the reader into thinking it is Broadway To Vegas. When clicking on the link the ENTIRE column is seen, not just the "Parade" review and there is no link to Broadway To Vegas. It is a "fake" website which has stolen a Broadway To Vegas column which can only be located on this strange site; headlined with an incorrect spelling of Broadway To Vegas. In the real Broadway To Vegas the "T" is capitalized and I have never called myself "theatre chick".

Who Is reports that theatre_chick.tripod.com ownership is hidden and was first indexed by Google more than 10 years ago.

When looking up theatre_chick.tripod.com Google brings up a website headlined Broadway to Vegas - The Theatre Chick's Life, deliberating misleading people.

Going into that "chick" website, there are four purported links:
PARADE: This Is Not Over Yet
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN - Over The Wall
LARRY'S PARTY
BRENT CARVER - An Unofficial Fan Site
None of the links work.

Information is sought regarding any attempt to interfere with Broadway To Vegas from anyone, anywhere in any capacity. Confidentiality will be provided to the extent to which the law permits.

The Google press office was provided a copy of this in case they wished to comment. As of launch time they hadn't replied.

SPREADING THE WORD

THOUGHTS FROM A TONY WATCHER totally enjoyed the telecast. Ariana DeBose was the perfect host. Poised, relaxed, clever, talented. The emphasis on dance and music was splendid. Posting names and categories on a marquee was elegant and having the presenters introduce themselves was total class. I would have enjoyed seeing Joel Grey and John Kander receive their awards on camera. Hopefully, in future years, many of this year's new approaches will be copied.

L.A. THEATRE WORKS presents the world premiere of Exodus: The Shanghai Jews, an original, commissioned audio docudrama by Kate McAll. Each of four performances will be recorded live in front of an audience for future radio broadcast, digital download and online streaming June 23 through June 25 at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater.

Directed by LATW senior producer Anna Lyse Erikson, the cast includes Edita Brychta, Shannon Cochran, Anna Mathias, Alan Shearman, André Sogliuzzo, and Joanne Whalley.

In Exodus: The Shanghai Jews, audiences will hear eight Jewish refugees recount their true stories of escaping Nazi persecution to settle in the last place they could ever have imagined — Shanghai, China.

"Forty years ago, Steven Hochstadt tracked down and taped interviews with over 100 elderly Jews who had something in common: they had all evaded the Nazi death camps by escaping to the one country in the world whose doors were wide open to them," says McAll. "That safe haven was not the United States, which had such strict rules for entry that most refugees had no hope of passing the test. Nor was it the United Kingdom. The Brits only wanted to help refugees who were unlikely to threaten British jobs, or who could fill specific shortages. No, the place that opened its arms freely was China."

Unlike his fellow-diplomats, Feng-Shan Ho, the Chinese Consul-General in Vienna, issued visas to everyone who requested one, even to those wishing to travel elsewhere but needing a visa to leave Nazi Germany. As a result, about 20,000 Jews settled in Shanghai between 1938 and 1941. There, they established synagogues and businesses, living side-by-side with their new Chinese neighbors under harsh conditions during the Japanese occupation.

"These eight personal narratives give us a glimpse into a fascinating, little-known piece of history," says Erikson. "Each story is a tale of tragedy and triumph."

L.A. Theatre Works offers widely accessible and affordable plays to millions of theater lovers, teachers and students each year. The company’s syndicated audio theater series broadcasts weekly on public radio stations across the U.S. and can be downloaded as a podcast via iTunes, NPR One, or wherever you get your podcasts; and can be streamed on demand at latw.org. The L.A. Theatre Works catalog of over 600 recorded plays is the largest archive of its kind in the world, featuring classics by William Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw, Henrik Ibsen and Lillian Hellman, as well as new works by Lynn Nottage, Charlayne Woodard and Jeanne Sakata, to name a few.

CABARET CONVERSATIONS at 92NY in New York City take place Monday, June 26, 2023.

Award-winning cabaret performer and member of the 92NY School of Music Faculty Michael Kirk Lane talks with Steve Ross, a fixture of the cabaret community in Manhattan for over forty years. He was born "forty-five minutes from Broadway" in New Rochelle, NY, and was raised in Washington, DC with an opera-loving father and a mother who played on the piano the songs of Gershwin, Porter and Irving Berlin. His first major job in New York was as a successful singer/pianist at the now famous piano bar Ted Hook’s Backstage. In 1981 he re-opened the legendary Oak Room at Manhattan’s famed Hotel Algonquin where he held forth, off and on, for more than fifteen years. He has appeared on Broadway in Noel Coward’s Present Laughter and off-Broadway in his tribute to Fred Astaire entitled I Won’t Dance.

Internationally, he has performed in London, Paris, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Melbourne and Sydney as well as cabarets and theatres across America and on the high seas. He’s hosted programs on the BBC and American public radio and was on the lecture/performance roster at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for eight years. His last show at the sadly departed Oak Room at the Hotel Algonquin in New York City, Puttin’ on the Ritz – the Songs of Fred Astaire, prompted Stephen Holden of theNew York Times to describe Steve as "the personification of the bygone dream world that his music summons." He continues to tour and has presented, in the last few years, many well-attended shows at Birdland Jazz Club in Manhattan. He enjoys coaching and teaching the International Songbook.

Kirk Lane curates a series of conversations about the art form of cabaret in New York City. Welcoming performers, directors, and journalists, these conversations delve into the history and current state of this unique performance style. Each conversation also includes a Q&A session for the participants.

OUT AND ABOUT FESTIVAL Brandi Carlile the Headlines Out & About Festival which takes place June 24-25, 2023 at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia.

Don't miss the two-day, three-stage festival of music, nature, and pride. Brandi is joined by Yola, Lucius, Rufus Wainwright, Celisse, Brandy Clark, Jake Wesley Rogers, and more. Join the celebration with a weekend filled with music, fun activities, special events, and unforgettable surprises.

EXPLORIA STADIUM a 25,500 seat soccer-specific stadium in Orlando City, Florida hosts The Beautiful Game, a celebrity soccer match featuring legends of the global game including Brazilian soccer icons Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos. The match will take place on Friday, June 23, and is set to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The match celebrates the diversity, connection and passion that centers around the global love for soccer.

Ronaldinho, a two-time FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or winner, is known for his mesmerizing footwork, incredible ball control and signature ‘joga bonito’ style. The former FC Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain icon has a legion of fans worldwide and is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

Roberto Carlos, a former Real Madrid star and World Cup winner, is known for his trademark runs down the left flank and powerful left foot. He has featured for some of the world's most prominent clubs, including Inter Milan, Fenerbahçe and Corinthians.

In addition to the action-packed match, the event will also feature pre-game and halftime entertainment.

PERELMAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL SEASON Mike Bloomberg, Chair of the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) board of directors, Executive Director Khady Kamara and Artistic Director Bill Rauch last Wednesday announced the inaugural programs at the new performing arts center at the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. The inaugural year will feature commissions, world premieres, co-productions, and collaborative work across theater, dance, music, opera, film and more. The vision for PAC NYC began when then Mayor Mike Bloomberg and his team worked to ensure the plan for rebuilding the World Trade Center site included a performing arts center.

Bloomberg said, "The opening of Perelman Performing Arts Center is going to add light and hope to the World Trade Center site in a manner that respects its role as a place for reflection. PAC NYC’s impact will extend far beyond downtown, as we know the impact of the power of the arts – bringing energy and excitement to bolster neighborhoods, spur investment and build a stronger city. I congratulate Khady Kamara, Bill Rauch, and their entire team for developing such a meaningful, multifaceted artistic program to welcome everyone in this city and beyond. There will be something for everyone at PAC NYC."

Khady Kamara said, "We believe the arts can inspire and unite us, and we are honored to fulfill this important role as the cultural cornerstone of the World Trade Center site. We will celebrate the diversity and humanity of all five boroughs of New York through ambitious and accessible programming, including free lobby performances on our Clare and Vartan Gregorian Stage, and in everything we do."

"We have invited some of the most compelling talents in theater, opera, music, and dance to work with us and with each other, to create and present new works that bring PAC NYC to life, here in the world capital of performing arts,” said Bill Rauch. “Our program, which celebrates and brings together an array of artistic disciplines, will anchor a robust and diverse inaugural season that will inspire, entertain, and engage all audiences."

The inaugural year programming will feature commissions, world premieres, partnerships, festivals and co-productions. The artistic programs will range from World Premieres of Laurence Fishburne’s one-man tour-de-force play Like They Do in The Movies, to a fabulous reimagining of CATS set in the competitions of New York City’s Ballroom culture, to new multi-disciplinary work Watch Night from the acclaimed artistic team of Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones, poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph, composer Tamar-kali, and dramaturg Lauren Whitehead. PAC NYC has also partnered with Creative Artist Agency (CAA) to present conversations with renowned celebrities such as Kerry Washington and will host the 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition, the most prestigious competition of its kind.

IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCES with the recent announcement of Lucille Lortel Theatre’s purchase and renovation of a new theater space in Chelsea and its appointment of two new Co-Artistic Directors of New Work, Lucille Lortel Theatre announced the launch of: Immigrant Experiences, a new musical theatre development program focused on the works of immigrant playwrights and composers in partnership with The New School’s College of Performing Arts. Created in collaboration with the New School by Michael Heitzman, Lucille Lortel Theatre’s Artistic Director of New Musical Development, this program showcases Lucille Lortel Theatre’s commitment to the development of new musical theater, the fostering of new artists, and creating a larger, more diverse community of theatre makers and audiences.

Current graduate students of the College of Performing Arts were invited to submit a statement of intent to develop a musical theatre composition based on the immigrant experience. The selected emerging artists were then tasked with creating musical theatre songs based on their personal experience or subjects close to them. For many of the artists, this was their first-time writing story-telling songs in the genre of musical theatre. The songs are diverse, bold, and heartfelt, a shining example of the melting pot of cultural influences that reflect America and its complex story.

The 15-week program was led by Jaime Lozano, a known multi-hyphenate musical theater composer, storyteller, and director and the classes are hosted at The New School. Known Broadway award-nominated and award-winning guest teachers such as Helen Park, Nathan Tysen, and others helped mentor and advise participants in the development process. The participants span the globe with representation from China, Mexico, Philippines, Spain, the United States of America.

The 7 composers and playwrights included: Giancarlo Abrahan, Xiaokang Deng, Chicahua Zipactonal Martínez,?Manel Paret, Cassie Shao, Carrie Shao, and Anamaria Willars Vargas.

The program culminated with a concert presentation of the story-telling songs on May 15 at The Lucille Lortel Theatre at 7pm. These works were performed by a cast of Broadway performers and a three-piece band. With this methodology, participants collaborated with performers, a music director, and a director, bringing the songs to life on the stage for the first time. Adrian Alexander Alea directed, Ben Moss was Music Director/Pianist, along with Yahir Montes (Guitar/Bass) and Joel E Mateo (Drums/Percussion). Performing in the presentation were Broadway artists: Kathryn Allison, Robi Hager, Kendyl Ito, Jeigh Madjus, Marina Pires, Imani Russell, and Alex Vinh.

THE DUCHESS OF KENT TAUGHT MUSIC AND NOBODY KNEW born in 1933 the fashionable Katharine, as she is know to the family, wore the Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara and a dress designed by John Cavanagh when she wed Prince Edward the Duke of Kent in 1961.

For over a decade the Duchess, who loves music, and plays the piano, organ, and violin, quietly worked as a music teacher at Wansbeck Primary School in Hull, England.

"I was just known as Mrs Kent," she has been quoted as saying. "Only the head knew who I was. The parents didn’t know and the pupils didn’t know. No one ever noticed. There was no publicity about it at all—it just seemed to work."

She soon recognized there were many children and young people of considerable talent who needed more financial support to fulfill their musical potential. In 2004 she founded a charity, Future Talent, which aims to give every child an equal opportunity to excel in music. Future Talent seeks to do for musically talented children what teaching care and motivation did for Billy Elliot in dance.

Through tailor-made partnerships with primary schools, Future Talent is bringing music into the lives of all children, spotting talent, equipping talented children with instruments and tuition and, in exceptional cases, providing master tuition to enable them to make music their future.

Whether children want to sing, play the violin or the electric guitar, Future Talent is giving them the chance to fulfill their potential through developing their musical talent.

The Duchess of Kent is an ambassador for Aldeburgh Productions in Suffolk and was for 35 years, the President of the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester). She was also a Trustee of the National Foundation for Youth Music (London).

The Duchess of Kent has visited the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Patron of Queensland Conservatorium, Brisbane, Australia, the Yehudi Menuin School (UK), and the Ulster Conservatoire of Music.

CELEBRATING A BALL OF GAS that would be the Summer Soltice, which takes place Wednesday, June 21, 2023. That's when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. We've all had days like that.

E-Book

Soft back Book

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

BEYONCE BLAMED FOR INFLATION The Swedish government is blaming Beyonce performing two sold out concerts in Stockholm for a spike in local hotel prices and subsequently driving up inflation in the country. The economists at Danske Bank have pointed a finer at the superstar. identified Beyoncé’s decision to kick off her highly anticipated world tour in Stockholm as the catalyst behind the unexpected surge in prices, media reports said.

Financial Times reported that Michael Grahn, the chief economist at Danske Bank in Sweden, estimated that Beyoncé’s concerts were responsible for a staggering 0.2 percentage points increase in inflation. According to published reports "Grahn also expressed his astonishment at the substantial impact of a single event, highlighting that such a phenomenon had never been witnessed before."

Andreas Wallstrom, the head of forecasting at Swedbank, told the press that he's worried that Bruce Springsteen’s three-night performance in Gothenburg at the end of June will have a similar effect on prices and inflation.

THE MARK TAPER FORUM in Los Angeles, undergoing a crisis with both audience attendance and donations down about 20 percent, have announced an "unavoidable" move - the cancellation of all of the remaining performances for this season as well as all of the 2023-24 season - a production list which was never announced. Additional there will be a 10 percent staff layoff or not filling of open positions.

The current production A Transparent Musical closes on June 25, 2023 and then the venue goes dark.

Productions at the Ahmanson Theatre will continue on schedule while shows at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City will be reduced.



QUEEN MARGARET'S VERSIONOF SHAKESPEARE'S WAR OF THE ROSES by William Shakespeare.

Compiled, Edited and Directed by Ellen Geer.

Theatricum highlights bloody toll of political infighting with ‘Queen Margaret’s Version of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses’ This new edit of Shakespeare’s best-known history plays — Henry VI Parts I, II and III and Richard III — compiled by artistic director Ellen Geer. follows 30 years of bitter infighting between the rival Lancaster and Plantagenet dynasties as they battle for power and the crown of England. Geer puts the focus on the women in court as they watch the bloody wars (battle scenes courtesy of fight choreographer Cavin (CR) Mohrhardt) take the lives of their fathers, husbands and sons.

Those women include Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI (played by Melora Marshall); Dame Eleanor, wife of the Duke of Gloucester, and Lady Elizabeth Grey, Queen Elizabeth after her marriage to Edward IV (both portrayed by Willow Geer); the Duchess of York, mother of both Edward IV and Richard III (Earnestine Phillips); and Lady Anne, daughter-in-law of Henry VI, widow of the young Prince Edward, and, finally, wife of Richard III (Claire Simba).

Playing the men in the production are Emoria Weidner as King Henry VI; Franc Ross as the Duke of Gloucester, protector of the realm; Max Lawrence as Richard, Duke of York (father of Edward IV and Richard III); Benjamin McFadden as both the Duke of Suffolk and Richard III; Tim Halligan as the Duke of Somerset; Jon Sprik as the Duke of Buckingham; and Christopher Wallinger as Cardinal Beaufort. The large cast also features Charlie Burg; Sara Carpenter; Ben Church; Rhett Curry; Julius Geer-Polin; Dylan Greer; Colin Guthrie; Emerson Haller; Anthony Hernandez; Christopher Wei Fu Hernandez; Michael Kendrick; Andrew Klein; Tariq Mieres; Will Mueller; Nations; Quinlynn Scheppner; Sky Wahl; Aralyn Wilson; and Elliott Gray Wilson.

The creative team for Queen Margaret’s Version of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses includes lighting designer Zach Moore, sound designer Charles Glaudini; costume designer Shon LeBlanc and prop master Ian Geatz. The production stage manager is Kim Cameron.

Queen Margaret’s Version of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses will run in repertory every weekend with Shakespeare’s Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, each of which open earlier in the season. Unlike most theaters in the L.A. area that stage continuous runs of a single play, Theatricum will perform all four plays in repertory, making it possible to see them all in one single summer weekend.

Other events taking place at Theatricum during this 50th anniversary season include comedy improv with Theatricum’s resident troupe, Off the Grid, at the end of each month (June 30, July 27, Aug. 31, Sept. 28); a 50th Anniversary Gala (Aug. 5); the annual Under the Oaks salon series on Fridays in September (Sept. 8 through Sept. 29); an Americana Harvest Festival that includes a special performance of The Woody Guthrie Story (Oct. 8); and the company’s annual Holiday Family Faire (Dec. 9).

Queen Margaret’s Version of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses opens on Saturday, June 24 and continues to run in repertory through October 1; a prologue (pre-show) discussion will take place on Saturday, August 12, 2023.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley, CA. The amphitheater is terraced into the hillside, so audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance.

RICHARD III by William Shakespeare.

Directed by New York Classical’s Stephen Burdman.

New York Classical Theatre’s all-female, gender-fluid, and disability-forward production stars Delaney Feener – a performer with a limb difference – as Richard, Kristen Calgaro as Queen Elizabeth/Richmond, Connie Castanzo as Lady Anne/Prince Edward/Rivers/Tyrell, Briana Gibson Reeves as King Edward/Catesby/Archbishop, Lucy Lavely as Hastings/Ratcliffe, and Pamela Sabaugh as Duchess of York/Lord Stanley.

Richard III features production design by Sabrinna Fabi, voice and speech coaching by Nora Leonhardt, fight direction by Sean Michael Chin, production stage management by Madison Lane, assistant stage management by Miriam Hyfler, production supervision by Yetti Steinman, wardrobe supervision by Zola Gray, and casting by Stephanie Klapper.

Founded in 2000, NYCT is a full Equity Off-Broadway theatre company that annually performs for free in city parks. To date, almost 300,000 New Yorkers have attended NYCT’s productions.

In Central Park, New York City through July 17, 2023.

PRIMARY TRUST by Eboni Booth.

Directed by Knud Adams.

The cast includes Eric Berryman, William Jackson Harper, April Mathis, Jay O. Sanders and Luke Wygodny.

Meet Kenneth (Harper), a 38-year-old bookstore worker who spends his evenings sipping mai tais at the local tiki bar. When he’s suddenly laid off, Kenneth finally begins to face a world he's long avoided – with transformative and even comical results. Primary Trust is about new beginnings, old friends, and seeing the world for the first time.

The creative team includes: Marsha Ginsberg (Sets), Qween Jean (Costumes), Isabella Byrd (Lighting) and Mikaal Sulaiman (Sound).

Primary Trust at Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, President/CEO, in memoriam; Scott Ellis, Interim Artistic Director) This is the world premiere of Primary Trust at Roundabout Theatre has performance through Saturday, July 2,2023.

DEMOCRACY SUCKS by Monica Bauer.

Directed by John FitzGibbon.

Professor B has been teaching Political Philosophy 101 at Upper Michigan State for ten years, but now, he drinks during class and uses sock puppets of Plato and Socrates to convince his students that democracy sucks. There's an online petition to have him fired. His only hope is an outstanding rating from his students on the Course Evaluations. To get them, he reaches back into his past as a theater kid at the Stage Door Summer Camp to give his students the most exciting last class on democracy in the history of Upper Michigan State.

Starring John Fico.

June 22-25 at New Jersey Rep in Long Branch, New Jersey.

TRANSLATIONS by Brian Friel.

Abbey Theatre will welcome the Lesya Ukrainka National Theatre to the Abbey stage with their production of Brian Friel's Translations.

One of the greatest Irish plays on the themes of national identity, language, landscape and history, Translations is a story of a country where landmarks and place names are being eradicated and renamed in a new language.

Brian Friel's world-renowned play closely chimes with the lived experience of the company of artists at the Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Drama Theatre.

Performed in Ukrainian with English surtitles, in this production of Translations we witness the inspiring determination of a people to persist and ensure their culture endures in the most difficult of circumstances.

June 20-24, 2023 at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.

LAST SUMMER AT BLUEFISH COVE by Jane Chambers.

Directed by Hannah Wolf.

The Fountain Theatre will transform the parking lot surrounding the set on its outdoor stage to create an oceanfront experience for its 40th anniversary production of the groundbreaking comedy/drama, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove. Set in 1974, a group of queer women spend their summers together in a remote oceanfront town on Long Island. Their lesbian enclave is disrupted when Eva, a naïve straight woman recently separated from her husband, stumbles unaware into their circle and falls for the charming, tough-talking Lil. This heartfelt play, a landmark in lesbian history, is bursting with friendship, laughter, love and hope, bringing well-rounded, three-dimensional characters that transcend stereotypes and preconceptions to the stage. “The play ran for two years, from 1981-1983, at the Fountain Theatre 40 years ago starring Jean Smart, before Deborah Lawlor and I acquired the building and established our company,” says Fountain artistic director Stephen Sachs. “It was a benchmark achievement in L.A. theater, a turning point for L.A.’s queer community, and a milestone in the history of our building. Many women saw and remember it. Now its time for generations of young gay women born after the play was produced here to experience it for themselves.”

The all female-identifying and non-binary cast and creative team includes actors Sarah Scott Davis, Tamika Katon-Donegal, Lindsay LaVanchy, Noelle Messier, Stephanie Pardi, Ann Sonneville, Stasha Surdyke and Ellen D. Williams, as well as scenic designer Desma Murphy; lighting designer R. S. Buck, sound designer Andrea Allmond, costume designer Halei Parker, prop master Rebecca Carr and intimacy director Savanah Knechel. The production stage manager is Chloe Willey, and Gina DeLuca is assistant stage manager.

Last Summer at Bluefish Cove runs through August 27. The Fountain Theatre is located in Los Angeles.

E-Book

Soft back Book

This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

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

FINAL OVATION

CORMAC McCARTHY Pulitzer Prize-winning author died June 13, 2023 of natural at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 89.

His novels propelled him to the first ranks of American fiction. McCarthy was perhaps best known for his savage western Blood Meridian and post-apocalyptic Pulitzer winner, The Road.

He had his first best-seller with All the Pretty Horses and wrote the screenplay for Ridley Scott's The Counselor. His searing novel No Country for Old Men served as the foundation for the Coen brothers’ 2007 film that earned Oscars for best picture, supporting actor, directing and adapted screenplay.

Survivors include his sons, Cullen and John; brother Dennis; sisters Barbara Ann and Maryellen; and grandchildren Elena and Dayton.

ROBERT GOTTLIEB publishing icon who edited Robert Caro, Toni Morrison and John le Carre, among others died in a New York hospital on Wednesday, June 14, 2023 of natural causes. He was 92.

He got his start with Joseph Heller's Catch-22, paying Heller $1,500 for the rights to Catch-22.

Gottlieb also edited memoirs by Katherine Hepburn, Lauren Bacall, and Bill Clinton. Gottlieb was editor-in-chief at Simon & Schuster and, later, editor-at-large at Alfred A. Knopf. He also edited The New Yorker from 1987 to 1992, where he was known for breaking custom and letting swear words enter the magazine.

GLENDA JACKSON Tony, Oscar and Emmy award winner died June 15, 2023 in Blackheath, England. She was 87.

Jackson trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and starred in the cutting-edge drama Marat/Sade directed by Peter Brook.

In 2018, she won a Tony for best leading actress in a play for Three Tall Women, She earned two Oscars, both in the best actress category for her work in Women in Love and A Touch of Class. She also earned nominations for Sunday Bloody Sunday and Hedda.

She also had memorable roles on television, including her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth R, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards. She also earned a BAFTA award for her work in 2020’s powerful Elizabeth is Missing as a woman with Alzheimer’s trying to solve a mystery.

When Jackson was in her 50s, she embarked on a career in British politics, winning election to Parliament in 1992. She spent 23 years as a Labour Party lawmaker, serving as a minister for transport in Prime Minister Tony Blair’s first government in 1997.

Jackson is survived by her son, Dan Hodges.

DR. LONNIE HAMMERGREN highly respected surgeon who served as Nevada's Lt. Governor from 1995-99, died June 13, 2023 in Las Vegas from a subdurmal hematoma. . He was 85. Noted for his eccentric collection of f artifacts, including old casino signs, and an Apollo space capsule. The neurosurgeon/politician would open the doors to his Castillo del Sol, to the public for tours. He had filled it with various artifacts relating to Las Vegas history, Among his acquisitions were the High Roller roller coaster from the Stratosphere Hotel. His home has been featured on the Travel Channel's show Vegas VIP Homes. His collections eventually occupied two neighboring houses as well. In 2016, Hammargren and his collections were featured on an episode of the A&E series Hoarders. In the episode, it was revealed Hammargren had spent an estimated $10 million acquiring the artifacts and was $750,000 in debt. He sold some items at auction for a net gain of slightly over $4,000,

Hammargren married his wife Sandy in 1989, an event which in part was filmed for Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

On March 31, 2007, Hammargren held an "Awake Wake" for himself, in which he had a mock funeral service, a New Orleans style Jazz Funeral March back to his house, and buried himself in a sarcophagus in the Egyptian tomb in his garage. He emerged an hour later. In 2008, he began building a replica Orion spacecraft to add to the collection.

Licensed in 1971 he was the first neurosurgeon in the state of Nevada. Lonnie spent several years as a NASA flight surgeon. He also operated on boxer Duk Koo Kim in November 1982, following Kim's loss to Ray Mancini; Kim died as a result of his injuries in the fight. Following Roy Horn's near-fatal tiger attack in 2003, Hammargren spoke up to correct misinformation in the press about the procedure Horn (of Siegfried & Roy) had received. Hammargren has collected some of the skulls and brains of his former patients.

Next Column: June 25, 2023
Copyright: June 18, 2023 All Rights Reserved. Reviews, Interviews, Commentary, Photographs or Graphics from any Broadway To Vegas (TM) columns may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, utilized as leads, or used in any manner without permission, compensation and/or credit.
Link to Main Page

---

Laura Deni

For the snail mail address, please E-mail your request.