Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: March 1, 2020
By: Laura Deni
CLICK HERE FOR COMMENT SECTION

CORONAVIRUS WON'T KILL BROADWAY

A situation with more angst than answers.

Even with printed reports declaring that the coronvirus could be the worst thing to hit Broadway since Moose Murders, Carrie, Dracula, and Lestat There is hope. It's called common sense.

Broadway survived the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which infected 8,000 people worldwide and killed 774 people in 2002. Annually, Broadway survives the flu season. Broadway survived 9/11. Broadway survives despite people using cell phones and unwrapping candy.

Nothing perpetuates itself like fear. There is even a segment of the population which likes to create havoc. Even worse, too many operate with the attitude of "If I get sick, then I want you to be sick, too." People go to work with the flu. Too many folk don't cover their mouths when they cough. And, the non washing of hands is an epidemic.

The scare tactics associated with information and misinformation about this new virus are approaching crying fire in a crowded theatre. Counter productive and dangerous.

According to History Today the Black Death killed 50 million people in the 14th century, or 60 per cent of Europe's entire population. The disastrous mortal disease known as the Black Death spread across Europe in the years 1346-53. An estimated 300 million people died from smallpox in the 20th century alone. This virulent disease, which kills a third of those it infects, is known to have co-existed with human beings for thousands of years.

The CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010.

Thus far, there has been 1 reported corona virus death in the United States.

A WHO spokesperson admitted the outbreak of the coronavirus - which originated in Wuhan, China - was 'getting bigger' and could well reach 'all countries'. As of last Friday virus has infected more than 83,577 globally. Nearly 3,000 people have died from the virus. That slightly over a 3.5 percent chance of dropping off into the netherworld.

The problem is that preventative and coping suggestions are contradictory.

There either is or isn't a shortage of facial masks. In any event, experts say the masks provide a false sense of security, because they are not air tight.

The Surgeon General has even told people to stop buying masks.

Like the flu virus, the corona virus either thrives in the sun or it doesn't and will die off by itself come warmer weather - usually associated with the month of April. Then again, only half of the globe is in winter and the other half is in summer. Those in the sun sector are also experiencing the corona virus.

This cid 19 coribavurys - as it is formally dubbed - is a new strain. As to whether warmer weather will be a virus killer, Trudie Lang of the University of Oxford said: We absolutely don’t know that. I keep asking virologist colleagues this and nobody knows. So when you hear people say the weather will warm up and it will just disappear, it’s a very unhelpful generalization,” she declared.

Experts predict inconveniences with schools closing and people working from home. The results have been a run on grocery stores, with reports that some people are even purchasing a year's supply of food. The bottom line to that is a certain percentage of those products will get rancidl or go stale.

Israeli scientists announced they are only weeeks away from developing a vaccine which will destroy the coronavirus

Officials expect the drug to be available within 90 days after it has been tested. Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis called it an 'exciting breakthrough'.

That's great for next year, but doesn't help now.

And, ignorance is the petre dish for fear.

Scientists from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology day say they've identified 31 commonly-available drugs that could be a first-line treatment for the deadly coronavirus. Hwever, the CDC and WHO assert that the drugs do NOT work against viruses and help fuel superbugs.

Schools are canceling trips aboard for exchange students, which makes sense. Switzerland has banned events with more than 1,000 people. Disneyland Tokyo closed as Japan battles a coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 200 people. The Disneyland and DisneySea theme parks in Tokyo shut down February 29 and will remain shut until at least March 16, their operator has said, in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus. That is prudent.

CBS has temporarily shut down production of The Great Race. Facebook had dropped its F8 Developer Conference, citing coronavirus outbreak fears. This was social network’s annual flagship developer conference, which was slated for May 5 and 6 in San Jose, Calif.

However, unless you are in a specific area and ordered by officials to do so, it doesn't make sense to stop shopping, going to movies, sporting events, concerts - or Broadway shows,

The life blood for Las Vegas is tourism. Some events have been cancelled including Googing changing its corporate mind about holding a sales and marketing convention in Sin City. A major Far East Summit set for March 14 in Vegas has also been spiked.

The NFL Draft in April is still a go.

While mom and pop stores can feel an immediate economic hit, Broadway banks on presales. If you have purchased a Broadway ticket and are a no-show you don't get a refund. If producers cancel a show, you do get a refund. With "The Show Must Go On' philosophy the odds of both the star and understudy being sick are slim. Annually Broadway performers line up to receive their flu shot. The same will take place should a corona virus stick be available.

Broadway grosses for week ending February 23, 2020 totaled $29,195,909.75 about the sane as a year ago - February 24, 2019 - $29,863,192,11.

What surfaces is that there are entirely too many people who have the intellectual capcity of a warthog and don't reason well.

Such as . . . It's okay to drink beer - specifically Corona beer, one of the top-selling beers worldwide.

Constellation Brands (STZ), which brews several variations of the popular lager, even had to release a statement stressing that its customers "understand there is no link between the virus and our business."

Maybe.

Two surveys released lasts week show that the Corona's brand is suffering from negative buzz thanks to the virus. 5W Public Relations said that 38% of Americans wouldn't buy Corona "under any circumstances" because of the outbreak, and another 14% said they wouldn't order a Corona in public. The survey encompasses polling from 737 beer drinkers in the United States.

In another survey conducted by YouGov, the firm found consumers' intent to purchase Corona fell to its lowest level in two years. The survey also showed that Corona's buzz score, a metric that that measures favorability, has dropped significantly since the beginning of the year.

As for The Great White Way - sure Broadway theatre seats are close together, harbor enough germs to stock a lab and the person next to you may cough and pick their nose. Keep your hands away from your face, mouth, eyes and use a tissue if you are going to cough or sneeze.

Citizens are erring not on the side of caution, but being sucked into panic. Instead of wringing your hands, go to a Broadway and clap for the performers.

Oh, and - wash your hands.

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

ART AFTER STONEWALL, 1969­1989 Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, and organized by the Columbus Museum of Art (CMA), Art after Stonewall, 1969-1989 is a long-awaited and groundbreaking survey that features more than 200 works of art and related visual materials exploring the impact of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) liberation movement on the art world.

The exhibition is the first national museum show of its kind to survey the impact of LGBTQ liberation on the visual arts and is the largest touring art exhibition in North America commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Monumental in scope and ambition, Art after Stonewall will be on view in Columbus from March 6-May 31, 2020, having debuted in 2019 in New York City before traveling to The Patricia & Philip Frost Art Museum in Miami.

The Stonewall Uprising followed a police raid on The Stonewall Inn, a mafia-run bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, in the early morning of June 28, 1969. The ensuing six days of protests and clashes with law enforcement served as a catalyst for LGBTQ liberation movements worldwide. These protests, in historian Martin Duberman’s words, “are now generally taken to mark the birth of the modern gay and lesbian political movement… As such, ‘Stonewall’ has become an empowering symbol of global proportions.” Much has been written on the legacy of the LGBTQ movement in American society and culture, yet 50 years after Stonewall, many of the key artists in that story remain little known and undervalued. Bringing together works by a remarkably diverse group of artists and activists who lived and worked at the intersections of avant-garde art worlds, radical political movements and profound social change, Art after Stonewall is a testament to their spirit of fearlessness, joy and boundless creativity.

Art after Stonewall, 1969-1989 focuses on both the work of openly LGBTQ artists — including David Hockney, Harmony Hammond, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Tseng Kwong-Chi, Robert Gober, Louise Fishman, Robert Mapplethorpe, Greer Lankton, David Wojnarowicz, Lyle Ashton Harris, Catherine Opie, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Martin Wong, Vaginal Davis and Scott Burton — as well as the practices of straight-identified artists seeking engagement with queer subcultures, such as Alice Neel, Vito Acconci, Lynda Benglis, Judy Chicago, Barkley L. Hendricks, Gordon Matta-Clark and Louise Bourgeois. The exhibition highlights a wide array of conceptual, performance, film and video art, as well as photography, painting, sculpture and music, along with historical documents and images taken from magazines and newspapers.

“Art after Stonewall demonstrates how art is action,” said Jonathan Weinberg, guest curator. “Many of the works in the exhibition inspired resistance to injustice and even helped to change government policies that impact gender discrimination and health care."

Art after Stonewall, 1969-1989 is organized by the Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio. The exhibition is curated by artist and art historian Jonathan Weinberg, curator of the Maurice Sendak Foundation; Tyler Cann, CMA’s head of exhibitions and Pizzuti curator of contemporary art; Drew Sawyer, the Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian curator of photography at the Brooklyn Museum (formerly associate curator of photography at CMA) and Daniel Marcus, Roy Lichtenstein curatorial fellow at CMA.

E-Book

Soft back Book

SWEET CHARITY

GUILD HALL 35th ACADEMY OF THE ARTS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS DINNERtakes place Tuesday, March 3 at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

This year’s honorees are Dorothea Rockburne for Visual Arts presented by Richard Armstrong, Salman Rushdie for Literary Arts presented by Taryn Simon, Barry Sonnenfeld for Performing Arts presented by Kelly Ripa, and Ted Hartley will receive the Special Award for Leadership and Philanthropy, presented by Alec Baldwin. The evening will be hosted by Academy of the Arts President Eric Fischl, and emceed by Vogue theater critic Adam Green.

PRINCE WILLIAM AND DUCHESS KATE attended a special performance of Dear Evan Hansen at the Noël Coward Theatre last Tuesday. An official tweet said that the performance was held "in aid of The Royal Foundation," adding "Mental health is a key priority for The Royal Foundation, which has developed initiatives such as [Shout] and [Heads Together]."

Kate looked stunning in a black Eponine tweed dress with embellished buttons. On her feet were glittering silver Jimmy Choos stilettos and she carried a matching shiny silver clutch.

On her ears were a pair of diamond chandelier earrings on loan from her grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth.

The couple watched the show and met members of the cast before William made a short statement at the end of the performance.

The musical, which won six Tony Awards after opening on Broadway in 2016, is about an anxiety-ridden boy struggling to connect in a hyperconnected world.

It has been credited with helping parents and their children discuss some of the mental health difficulties facing so many young people.

Inside the foyer of the Noel Coward Theatre the royal couple chatted about the mental health theme to the play's author, Steven Levenson, and composers Justin Paul and Benj Pasek.

In a program note, the Duke of Cambridge i said: "Catherine and I are delighted to join you this evening for a special charity performance of Dear Evan Hansen at the Noel Coward Theatre.

"One of the issues that we care passionately about is mental health and we are pleased that Dear Evan Hansen is helping to start important conversations between parents and teenagers about this important subject.

"Through initiatives including Heads Together and Heads Up, the Royal Foundation is helping tackle the stigma and change the conversation around mental health.

"We are particularly proud that Shout , a mental health support service launched by the Royal Foundation, is one of four not-for-profit partners of Dear Evan Hansen providing mental health resources to audiences of the show. "As we look to the future, we will continue to deliver ambitious change and genuine, sustainable solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face - including the environment and ensuring young people get the best possible start in life."

JON BON JOVI and "just call me Harry," son of Prince Charles, husband to Meghan Markle, and father to Archie arrived at the Beatles old Abbey Road Studios in London last Friday to record a song on behalf of the Invictus Games.

SPREADING THE WORD

KISS IT AND MAKE IT WELL? Puppetry of the Penis creator and performer David “Friendly” Friend hurt his testicle during an Adelaide Fringe Festival show while performing his “favorite genital origami installation called The Bulldog”, when during the audience participation skit, he sat on the lap of a woman who had a corkscrew in her pocket because she had just attended a returned from a winery tour.

As first reported by The City, Friend said his testicle 'turned a deep shade of purple' and was advised to rest it Friend will be replaced by Adelaide, Australian comedian Michael Dwyer in upcoming shows.

Puppetrey of the Penis See Broadway To Vegas column of August 19, 2001 has appeared in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Europe, Canada, South Africa, Argentina and the United States including a permanent gig at the Las Vegas Erotic Heritage Museum.

The co-creators have recruited teams across Australia, the UK and America, allowing performance demands to be met. Due to the overwhelming success of the show the business was expanded to cater for private parties around Australia.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD the mega hit Broadway production at the Shubert Theatre currently starring Ed Harris as Atticus Finch, Nina Grollman as Scout, Nick Robinson as Jem, Taylor Trensch as Dill, Neal Huff as Bob Ewell, Eliza Scanlen as Mayella, and Kyle Scatliffe as Tom Robinson performing a major public service when they took the show to Madison Square Garden. A special 90-by-40 foot stage set had been constructed for the performance before 18,000 schoolchildren.

Lead producer Scott Rudin is credited with this charitable idea.

For many, this was their first time seeing a Broadway show and for some of the impoverished it may well be the only time they ever have such an opportunity. Staged during Black History Month the one time matinee show on February 26, 2020. was responsible for a host of school projects and discussions about defending a black man in 1934 Alabama falsely accused of raping a white woman.

Reportedly this was the first time that the famous sports and entertainment arena had been transformed into a playhouse, which utilized 105 stagehands and technicians and 18,000 free boxes of popcorn. Madison Square Garden chief executive James L. Dolan provided the arena and its in-house operations free of charge.

BLUE MAN GROUP NEW YORK the original home of the international entertainment phenomenon, announces the appointment of Tim Robinson as the new Resident General Manager of the Astor Place Theatre. Robinson joins Blue Man Group with more than 25 years of professional entertainment management around the country, including the Paul Taylor Dance Company in New York, Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas and the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago.

THE OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL (OSF) will officially launch its 85th year and Nataki Garrett’s first full season as artistic director on March 6. Preview performances of five plays began on February 28, and the 2020 season will continue through November 1, with six more plays opening in the spring and summer.

OSF officially kicks off its 2020 season Friday, March 6, with the matinee opening of Bring Down the House, Part I, the first of a two-part adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy which is ddirector, Rosa Joshi in the Thomas Theatre, followed that evening by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Joseph Haj in the Angus Bowmer Theatre.

Opening Saturday, March 7, are Bring Down the House, Part II in the Thomas Theatre and the world premiere of Karen Zacarías’s The Copper Children directed by Shariffa Ali, an American Revolutions commission, in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. On Sunday, March 8, Peter and the Starcatcher directed by Lavina Jadhwani opens in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. All five productions will run for the entire season.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is located in Ashland, Oregon.

ATO BLANKSON-WOOD AND JAMES CUSATI MOYER stars of Jeremy O'Harris' Slave Play in conversation with Richard Ridge in his Conversations on Broadway series. The filmed conversation Q&A series takes place Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at the Robin Williams Center in New York City.

HOPE HUNT AND LAZARUS AND THE BIRDS OF PARADISE Presented by 92Y Harkness Dance Center in association with Irish Arts Center takes place March 6-7 at 92Y in NYC.

Fearless Belfast choreographer Oona Doherty mixes physical and sociological theatricality, the urban dance alphabet, neoclassical ballet memories and the contemporary with an aspiration to the sacred in a riveting solo that barely holds violence at bay.

In this incarnation of the intuitive, Doherty emerges from the trunk of a 1999 Volvo and dances to house music in the street. She then leads the audience through the passageways of 92Y into Buttenwieser Hall, where she performs the acclaimed work that has made waves in festivals across Europe.

A DJ set with Ross Carter follows the performance.

PLACIDO DOMINGO is the famed opera star who resigned as general manage of the Los Angeles Opera last October due to sexual accusation. As first reported by the NY Times the American Guild of Musical Artists, which represents opera performers, released findings of an ongoing investigation. which concluded "a clear pattern of sexual misconduct and abuse of power by Domingo spanning at least two decades.”

FARM THAT INSPIRED JAMES BOND NOVELS can be yours. A New York country estate, Black Hole Hollow Farm, where former British intelligence-officer-turned-author, Ian Fleming, wrote parts of his James Bond thrillers, “Diamonds Are Forever” (1956) and “Goldfinger” (1959) is for sale.

Also up for sale - Jon Bon Jovi is selling his New Jersey oceanfront mansion on 15 acres. The 18,000-square-foot home on the Navesink River includes six bedrooms, limestone flooring and a circular staircase. The property also includes a carriage house with three additional bedrooms, his “Shoe Inn Pub” and a recording studio. Built in 1999, it is about one hour to New York City. The asking price is $20 million.

Bing Crosby’s former vacation ranch near Elko, Nevada is for sale. Bing spent so much time at the ranch for fishing and hunting and became such a fixture around town that they made him honorary mayor in 1948. It is priced at $7.28 million.

The L.A. home where singer and film-star Judy Garland, her movie-director husband, Vincente Minnelli, and daughter, Liza, lived in the 1940s is for sale at $6.129 million. After Garland, Sammy Davis Jr. bought the five bedroom, 4,999-square-foot home which also includes a fruit orchard, pool and city views.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

MARDI GRAS resulted in $1billion boost to the New Orleans economy. in 2020 the 440 Rex parade riders toted over 1 million strings of beads, about 70,000 doubloons, 50,000 stuffed plush throws and beer koozies, 20,000 footballs and 75,000 plastic cups.

In the wake of summer New Orleans street flooding in 2018, 93,000 pounds of Mardi Gras beads and assorted throws were fished from drains in a five-block stretch of St. Charles Avenue, according to Nola.

Stephen Sauer, the director of Arc of Greater New Orleans, a nonprofit organization that employs people with intellectual disabilities to sort donated beads for reuse told the paper: “Three years ago, we took in about 20 tons,” Sauer said. “Two years ago 60 tons. The past year’s intake was 186.5 tons.”

CONSTRUCTION OF THE RAIDERS' STADIUM in Las Vegas is back on schedule. Seems the original bolts in the dome's cable net system became over stressed under pressure and cracked, resulting in all bolts being replaced out of a sense of caution. As one worker said: "$7 million later in bolts and we're back on schedule." The dome was to have been completed last May. Crew members heap substantial praise on Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group and Arup, the London based firm involved in the construction, which the in awe workers declare to be: "the best in the world. Everything they do is perfect."

Arup employs 13,841 with 90 offices in 35 countries. The Raiders, Allegiant $2 billion Stadium will feature 65,000 seats, a movable field, a retractable north façade wall and a translucent cable-truss supported roof. Officials say the stadium will open July 31, in time to host its first event August 16, 2020.

E-Book

Soft back Book

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR composed by Gaetano Donizetti. Librettist Salvadore Cammarano.

Conductor Carlo Montanaro.

Director Shawna Lucey.

Come for the wedding. Star for the funeral.

Despite ominous premonitions, young Lucia stokes the fire of a forbidden love with her brother’s greatest enemy. But with her one-wealthy family balanced on the brink of bankruptcy, she is forced to do her familial duty and marry the head of a rival family. Convinced by her ambitious brother that her true love has been unfaithful, she signs the marriage contract. When her former flame finds out, he flips out. And that’s when the wedding cake hits the fan.

With tragedy rivaling Romeo and Juliet, and violence reminiscent of Psycho, a day that began with a wedding march now ends with a funeral procession. And a little club soda will NOT get this out.

Featuring Sarah Coburn, Evan LeRoy Johnson, Troy Cook, Adam Lau, Kelly Birch, Joseph Leppek, Kevin Thomas Smith.

The creatives are: Scenic & Costume Designer Philip Witcomb for Indiana University. Lighting Designer Michael Clark. Wig & Makeup Designer David Zimmerman. Chorus Master Piotr Wisniewski.

Sung in Italian, with English subtitles.

March 7, 11, 13, and 15, 2020 at Lyric Opera of Kansas City in Kansas City, MO.

ORPHEE written by Jean Cocteau. Translated into Spoken English by John Savacool. ASL Master: Andrew Moore.

Directed by Deena Selenow.

Starring Danny Cron, Daniel Durant, Malik B. El-Amin, Amelia Hensley, Jacquelyn Landgraf, Krissy Lemon, Natasha Ofili, Lorinda Hawkins Smith.

"Orpheus, Eurydice, a trouble-making horse and Death herself converge in this very funny and irreverent reimagining of the Greek myth by surrealist poet, playwright and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. A celebrated poet with writer’s block, Orpheus sequesters himself in the countryside with his wife Eurydice, where he seeks inspiration. Deaf West Theatre views Cocteau’s whimsical, magical and highly visual French play, first performed in Paris in 1926, through a unique lens: translated from the French into Spoken English and American Sign Language, and slated for a run at the True Colors Festival in Tokyo, Japan at the end of April. Described by Cocteau as “part farce, part meditation on death,” the playwright continued to explore the same themes throughout his ensuing career, culminating with his seminal “Orphic Trilogy” of films: Le Sang d'un Poete, Orphée and Le Testament d'Orphee."

The Deaf West creative team includes scenic designer James Maloof, costume designer Lena Sands, lighting designer R.S. Buck, sound designer Howard Ho and projection designer Michael Epstein. The production stage manager is Kyle Montgomery, and Laura Hill produces for Deaf West Theatre, David J. Kurs artistic director. Ken Mikos is executive producer.

Following the production at the Odyssey, Orphée will travel to Japan, where the play will be presented with the additional layer of Japanese supertitles. The Nippon Foundation has invited Deaf West to perform at Tokyo’s Theatre Tram from April 24-26 as part of the True Colors Festival. Deaf West previously brought their production of Big River to Japan, where they performed in front of dignitaries including the Crown Princess.

A Visiting Production at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles CA.

Previews March 8, March 11, March 12. Performances March 13 - April 5, 2020.

ONE GREEN BOTTLE written by Hideki Noda. English Translation adapted by Will Sharpe.

Directed by Hideki Noda.

An absurdist gender-bending farce, One Green Bottle artfully illustrates our current selfie society's relationship with consumerism and modern technology through one night in the life of a disordered family on the road to ruin: Bo, Boo and Pickle all have plans, but someone must stay home to care for their pregnant dog, Princess. Trivial disputes and slapstick mischief quickly morph into family feuds and also, possibly, to the end of the world.

One Green Bottle stars Hideki himself with Lilo Baur and Glyn Pritchard.

Featuring music based on Japanese Noh and Kabuki traditions, performed by Genichiro Tanaka.

Set Design: Yukio Horio, Lighting Design: Christoph Wagner, Costume Design: Kodue Hibino, Composer : Denzaemon Tanaka XIII, Sound Design: Marihiko Hara, Sound: Junko Fujimoto, Traditional Dance Advisor: Kikunojo Onoe, Noh Movement Advisor: Reijiro Tsumura, Video: Shutaro Oku, Hair & Makeup: Eri Akamatsu, Back translation: Keiko Tsuneda & Peter Marsh, Assistant Director: Ragga Dahl Johansen, Production Manager: Ayumu Poe Saegusa, Stage Manager: Toshiko Takihara.

Performances through March 8, 2020 at The Ellen Stewart Theatre, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, NYC.

THE DINING ROOM by A.R. Gurney.

Directed by Tom Holehan.

Featuring Bruce Murray, Josie Kulp, Ryan Hendrickson, Priscilla Squiers, Danielle Sultini and David Victor.

"A.R. Gurney's classic play, a finalist for the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, takes place in the dining room of a typical well-to-do household. The Dining Room is a remarkable play of days long gone. Some audience members may not even remember the 'good ol' days' when families sat down around a dining room table, talking, reminiscing and getting caught up on family news and events...no phones, no television, no internet, no distractions...just conversations around one table in each household.

Comprised of a mosaic of interrelated scenes - some funny, some touching, some rueful - but when taken together, the scenes create an in-depth portrait of a vanishing species: the upper-middle-class WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants). Overall, it tells a story of the transition into a much more efficient society with less emphasis on tradition and more emphasis on progress."

Presented by Square One Theatre Company at Stratford Academy in Stratford, Connecticut March 5 through March 22, 2020.

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.

WHO'S WHERE

ROD STEWART back on his feet after knee replacement surgery opens a residency in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace on Friday, March 6.

HARRY CONNICK, JR performs Tuesday, March 3, in Albuquerque, NM at the Kiva Auditorium. Thursday;s show is in El Paso, TX at the Plaza Theatre while on Friday he can be enjoyed in San Antonio, TX at the Majestic Theatre. Next Sunday, March 8 he;ll be delighting fans in Dallas, TX at the AT&T Performing Arts Center – Winspear Opera House.

WILLIE NELSON performs Wednesday, March 4 in Houston, TX at the NRG Stadium.

PAUL ANKA singing his hits on Saturday, March 7 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida. Next Sunday, he'll be delighting the crowds when he opens a two nighter at Artis in Naples, Florida.

PINK MARTINI blending their voiced March 4-8 at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, CA.

FINAL OVATION

BARBARA 'B.' SMITH a model in the 60s who became the first black woman to grace the cover of Mademoiselle magazine in 1976 died Saturday, February 22, 2020 in hospice care at her home in Long Island, New York, She was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's in 2013 at the age of 63. She was 70.

She went on to open three restaurants in NYC, Long Island and Washington, DC. She formed formed her own lifestyle and media brand after landing a talk show in 1997 which aired on NBC stations across the country. She launched her own home collection at Bed Bath and Beyond in 2001 - the first line by an African-American woman to be sold by a national retailer. She also authored three home entertaining books.

In 2011, Smith appeared in Love, Loss and What I Wore, an off-Broadway play written by sisters Nora and Delia Ephron about the effect of fashion on women's lives.

She is survived by Dan Gabsy, her husband of 28 years, his daughter Dana and her caregiver Alex Lerner.

LILA GARRETT the Emmy award winning writer, KPFK radio host and anti-war activist died February 1, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. She was 94.

Lila Co-wrote episodes of Get SMart; Betwitched and All in the Family, an Emmy for Mother of the Bride and The Girl Who Couldn't Lose, both comedies with a feminist orientation.

She is survived by her children April Garrett and Eliza Roberts; sons in law Eric Roberts and Aaron Laub; grandkids Keaton Simons, Morgan S, Arielle Laub, Louie Laub, and her great granddaughter Georgia Windsor Simons.

Next Column: March 8, 2020
Copyright: March 1, 2020 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

---