Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: May 19, 2024
By: Laura Deni
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KENNY LEON'S HAMLET IS EXCEPTIONAL

John Douglas Thompson, Solea Pfeiffer, Nick Rehberger, and Laughton Royce in The Public’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Hamlet, directed by Kenny Leon. Photograph by Joan Marcus.

Director Kenny Leon's reinvention of Shakespeare's Hamlet bringing it into the present is nothing short of brilliant.

For those who missed last summer's production as part of Public Theater’s New York City’s Free Shakespeare in the Park— PBS has been running the show - in association with the Public Theater, produced by Mitch Owgang and directed for television by David Horn - as part of its Great Performances series and it is available for streaming. A don't miss it event.

As most know, Hamlet is Shakespeare's most produced work. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, was written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. In addition to Shakespeare's most performed play, it is also his most puzzling, play. It's a "revenge tragedy."

Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. Leon has skillfully managed what many would term an impossible task - of transferring the location from Denmark to Atlanta, Georgia - and making it all seem plausible.

PBS promotes the production as: "Set in a desolate post-George Floyd world, this contemporary production is a present-day take on the Bard’s tale of family and betrayal.

For those who have had Shakespeare crammed down their throats in school by marginal teachers, this production is engaging.

You can also understand every word. Shakespeare's sonnets and lines that we all know, are in tact - only they aren't delivered in an antediluvian, highfalutin way.

This production begins with an excellent Acapella chorus of Black men-Brandon Gill, Colby Lewis, Lance Alexander Smith, in black suits singing songs ranging from spirituals Turn, Turn Turn to Let It Shine followed by powerful lyrics "When you go, you'll have to wipe your tears. No one in this world/ Can take your journey/ When you go, you'll have to wipe your tears/ When you take that lonesome road/ No one in this world/ No one/ Can take your journey/ When you go, you'll have to go alone - to doo-wop harmonizing of Day-O, Harry Belafonte’s 1950s calypso hit.

They are at standing in front of a casket, covered in an American flag, in a room of an official residence. Flags flank a portrait of a uniformed Black man.

"Stacey Abrams 2020" yard sign is half-buried in the ground.

The set screams socio-economic-political injustice.

Hamlet's brutal 16th century world is relevantly "today".

To the far left of the stage a SUV appears stuck. It has crashed apparently into two houses.

Ato Blankson-Wood as Hamlet holding Yorick's skull while Greg Hildreth as Gravedigger looks on. Photo by Joan Marcus.

There is a rap section by Jason Michael Webb, entitled “Cold World.”

King and the Queen engage in silence while the associates, dressed in colorful hip hop couture, rap: “Days are precious when you’re livin in a warzone…City’s cold, but the streets are even colder…It’s a rat race on a mousetrap."

The hardest costume assignment is one which involves current clothes - stuff you might have in your closet. To the audience it can look like somebody just picked out what was handy. In reality, more though and intelligence goes into this type of costuming that any other time frame. There is no costume book as in what the Tutors or the Stuarts wore. Jessica Jahn's costumes are splendid. From funeral garb to street rapper wear to ethnic ensembles to traditional business suits, all of the costumes both emphasize and blend into the script.

There are also blue face masks.

Ominous music plays, groans and rumbling bring on the ghost of Hamlet's father, The SUV on the stage sudden;y blinks its headlights and starts to shake; Then the ghost is on the house – a projection and a reverberating bass voice of uncredited Samuel L. Jackson. Then the projection on the house shifts into focus, and it’s Blankson-Wood, as Hamlet, being videotaped live on stage portraying his father.

A mind boggling embodiment.

Lighting design by Allen Lee Hughes, sound design by Justin Ellington, and projection design by Jeff Sugg are crucial and flawlessly delivered.

Ato Blankson-Wood’s performance as Hamlet, John Douglas Thompson as Claudius and Lorraine Toussaint as Gertrude explaining phelia's "muddy death", and Solea Pfeiffer as Ophelia having a breakdown are standouts.

Greg Hildreth’s Gravedigger shovels up earth and skulls, recovering, of course, poor ole Yorick’s.

The final duel, with poison-tipped swords, doesn't present itself as particularly dangerous, nor should it. This is a stage production, not a movie with camera angles and a wide territory. Nobody wants an injury. The audience gets the point as to what the duel is about.

Blankson-Wood in the multi faceted role of a three-dimential Hamlet is excellent. All of the actors are top notch. From start to finish this is a most enjoyable production.

In the title role is Tony nominee Ato Blankson-Wood. The brilliant cast includes Wooingre Brandon Gill as Guildenstern, Tyrone Mitchell Henderson as Osric/Priest, Greg Hildreth as Gravedigger, Colby Lewis as First Player, Warner Miller as Horatio, Daniel Pearce as Polonius, Solea Pfeiffer as Ophelia, Nick Rehberger as Laertes, John Douglas Thompson as Claudius, Lorraine Toussaint as Gertrude, and Mitchell Winter as Rosencrantz.

The ensemble comprises Mikhail Calliste, Safiya Kaija Harris, Lauren Hayes, LaWanda Hopkins, Jaylon Jamal, TrÍ Lê, Cornelius McMoyler, Laughton Royce, Lance Alexander Smith, and Lark White. Rounding out the company as understudies are Liam Craig, Myxolydia Tyler, William Oliver Watkins, and Bryce Michael Wood.

The creatives are: choreography by Camille A. Brown, scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Jessica Jahn, lighting design by Allen Lee Hughes, sound design by Justin Ellington, video projection design by Jeff Sugg, music composition by Jason Michael Webb, and hair, wig, and makeup design by Earon Chew Nealey. Karyn Meek serves as production stage manager.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

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

ART AND ABOUT

SACRED SERVICE

Photograph of soldiers attending a field Mass on a mountainside Austria-Hungary, c. 1914-1918 Object ID: 2019.47.3217" Photo: World War I Museum

Officer's collar insignia devices for a Jewish chaplain United States, c. 1917-1919. Object ID: 2009.44.6. On Oct. 6, 1917, Congress passed a bill opening the chaplaincy to Jewish and other faith groups. Jewish chaplains often had to confront antisemitism; AEF rabbi Lee Levinger once humorously remarked that part of the chaplain’s job was to protect soldiers from their real "tyrants and oppressors, the line officer". Photo: World War I Museum

opens May 23, 2024 in the Wylie Gallery at the World War I Museum in Kansas City, MO.

“A good chaplain is as valuable as a good general.”
—British field marshal Sir Douglas Haig, Dec. 1915

The year is 1914: In media, politics and the pulpit, leaders around the world are portraying the start of the Great War as a modern-day struggle against evil. With hundreds of thousands enlisting to fight, religious guidance and leadership become priorities. Chaplains – from many faiths – answer the call to duty.

Rabbis, pastors, monks, imams, priests and more served with the fighting nations of World War I. Many were as unprepared for the horrors of war as the soldiers they served, yet strove to bring courage, comfort and compassion to millions – on and off the battlefield.

"Sacred Service" explores the rarely told, true stories of chaplains who armed warriors with inspiration and compassion through the Great War at its most hellish.

Guiding visitors on a journey through the physical and spiritual environment of war, the exhibition incorporates artifacts, documents, film, artwork, images, stories, poetry, first-person accounts and interactive 3D digital models.

Visitors come face-to-face with the men of faith whose actions reflected courage on the battlefield and projected hope into hearts and souls.

JEREMY FREY: WOVEN is the first-ever major retrospective of a Wabanaki artist in a fine art museum in the United States opens May 24, 2024 and will be on display through September 25, 2024 at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine.

Jeremy Frey: Woven is a groundbreaking exhibition in contemporary and Indigenous art. Featuring more than 50 baskets, made from natural materials like black ash and sweetgrass, Woven presents a comprehensive collection that spans a career of more than two decades. These works are intricate, mesmerizing, and expressive, emphasizing Frey’s prodigious skill and prolific creative output that honors and transforms one of the oldest art forms in the northeast.

Frey, a seventh-generation Passamaquoddy basket maker and one of the most celebrated Indigenous weavers in the country, learned traditional Wabanaki weaving techniques from his mother and apprenticeships through the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance. An important aspect of Frey’s artistic vision is his drive to build upon the past and what was once passed down to him. "I have refined the teaching of my mother beyond anything I would have considered possible," Frey states. He pushes the boundaries of his work across concept, materials, and technique, adding "I try to create a newer and more elaborate version of my work each time I weave."

Basketry represents a core mode of cultural expression for Passamaquoddy people, whose tribal nation is one of five that form the Wabanaki Confederacy, along with the Penobscot, Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, and Abenaki. Their ancestral territory, called Wabanakik or "Dawnland," stretches across present-day Canadian maritimes and the northeast United States, including where the Portland Museum of Art sits.

Organized by the Portland Museum of Art and co-curated by Ramey Mize, PhD, Assistant Curator of American Art at the Portland Museum of Art, and Jaime DeSimone, Chief Curator at the Farnsworth Art Museum.

As the first museum survey of Frey’s career, Woven also provides entry points for audiences to reflect on the mounting ecological challenges, cultural agency, and resilience embedded in Frey’s work. In recent decades, the emerald ash borer, an invasive species of beetle, has decimated ash stands from the Great Lakes to Maine. With the future of ash under such serious threat, Frey’s practice takes on new stakes, aiming to celebrate an endangered art form and preserving its legacy for future generations.

NOW YOU SEE US: WOMEN ARTISTS IN BRITAIN 1520-1920

Rebus Odoratus by Mary Delany 1772-1782 The British Museum 1897,0505.753. Bequeathed by Augusta Hall, Baroness Llanover in 1897 Photo: Tate Modern

This ambitious group show charts women’s road to being recognized as professional artists, a 400-year journey which paved the way for future generations and established what it meant to be a woman in the British art world. The exhibition covers the period in which women were visibly working as professional artists, but went against societal expectations to do so.

Featuring over 100 artists, the exhibition celebrates well-known names such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Angelica Kauffman, Julia Margaret Cameron and Gwen John, alongside many others who are only now being rediscovered. Their careers were as varied as the works they produced: some prevailed over genres deemed suitable for women like watercolor landscapes and domestic scenes. Others dared to take on subjects dominated by men like battle scenes and the nude, or campaigned for equal access to training and membership of professional institutions. Tate Britain’s exhibition showcases over 200 works, including oil painting, watercolor, pastel, sculpture, photography and ‘needlepainting’ to tell the story of these trailblazing artists.

Now You See Us begins at the Tudor court with Levina Teerlinc, many of whose miniatures will be brought together for the first time in four decades, and Esther Inglis, whose manuscripts contain Britain’s earliest known self-portraits by a woman artist. Focus will be given to the 17th century and one of art history’s most celebrated women artists, Artemisia Gentileschi, who created major works in London at the court of Charles I, including the recently rediscovered Susanna and the Elders 1638-40, on loan from the Royal Collection for the very first time. The exhibition also looks to women such as Mary Beale, Joan Carlile and Maria Verelst who broke new ground as professional portrait painters in oil.

In the 18th century, women artists took part in Britain’s first public art exhibitions, including overlooked figures such as Katherine Read and Mary Black, the sculptor Anne Seymour Damer, and Margaret Sarah Carpenter, a leading figure in her day but little heard of now. The show looks at Angelica Kauffman and Mary Moser, the only women included among the Founder Members of the Royal Academy of Arts; it took 160 years for membership to be granted to another woman. Women artists of this era are often dismissed as amateurs pursuing ‘feminine’ occupations like watercolor and flower painting, but many worked in these genres professionally: needlewoman Mary Linwood, whose gallery was a major tourist attraction; miniaturist Sarah Biffin, who painted with her mouth, having been born without arms; and Augusta Withers, a botanical illustrator employed by the Horticultural Society.

The Victorian period saw a vast expansion in public exhibition venues. Now You See Us showcases major works by critically appraised artists of this period, including Elizabeth Butler (née Thompson)’s monumental The Roll Call 1874 (Butler’s work prompted critic John Ruskin to retract his statement that ‘no women could paint’), and nudes by Henrietta Rae and Annie Swynnerton, which sparked both debate and celebration. The exhibition also looks at women’s connection to activism, including Florence Claxton’s satirical 'Woman’s Work': A Medley 1861 which is on public display for the first time since it was painted; and an exploration of the life of Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon, an early member of the Society of Female Artists who is credited with the campaign for women to be admitted to the Royal Academy Schools. On show is the work of students finally admitted to art schools, as well as their petitions for equal access to life drawing classes.

The exhibition ends in the early 20th century with women’s suffrage and the First World War. Women artists like Gwen John, Vanessa Bell and Helen Saunders played an important role in the emergence of modernism, abstraction and vorticism, but others, such as Anna Airy, who also worked as a war artist, continued to excel in conventional traditions. The final artists in the show, Laura Knight and Ethel Walker, offer powerful examples of ambitious, independent, confident professionals who achieved critical acclaim and – finally – membership of the Royal Academy.

The exhibition is curated by Tabitha Barber, Curator, British Art 1550-1750, with Tim Batchelor, Assistant Curator, British Art 1550-1750, Tate Britain.

List of artists:
Sarah Angelina Acland; Elinor Proby Adams; Anna Airy; Helen Allingham; Laura Alma-Tadema, Helen Cordelia Angell; Clare Atwood; Emma Barton; Rose Barton; Mary Beale; Vanessa Bell; Mary Benwell; Zaida Ben-Yusuf; Sarah Biffin; Mary Black; Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon; Rosa Bonheur; Rosa Brett; Anne Brigman; Elizabeth Butler; Carine Cadby; Julia Margaret Cameron; Anna Maria Carew; Joan Carlile; Margaret Sarah Carpenter; Penelope Carwardine; Florence Claxton; Maria Cosway; Dolores Courtney; Catherine da Costa; Anne Seymour Damer; Evelyn De Morgan; Mary Delany; Sarah Anne Drake; Una Dugdale Duval; Susan Durant; Olive Edis; Maria Flaxman; Anne Forbes; Elizabeth Forbes; Eleanor Fortescue- Brickdale; Mary Gartside; Artemisia Gentileschi; Sylvia Gosse; Harriet Gouldsmith; Mary Grace; Nina Hamnett; Minnie Jane Hardman; Clementina Hawarden; Diana Hill; Harriet Hosmer; Anna Hope Hudson; Esther Inglis; Frances Elizabeth Jocelyn; Gwen John; Charlotte Jones; Mary Ann Jones; Louise Jopling; Gertrude Kasebier; Angelica Kauffman; Minna Keene; Lucy Kemp-Welch; Emma Kendrick; Anne Killigrew; Laura Knight; Mary Knowles; L.A. (Ida) Knox; Edmonia Lewis; Mary Linwood; Mathilda Lowry; Anne Mee; Margaret Meen; Anna Lea Merritt; Evelyn Meyers; Clara Montalba; Henrietta Montalba; Mary Moser; Olive Mudie-Cooke; Annie Feray Mutrie; Martha Darley Mutrie; Eveleen Myers; Caroline Emily Nevill; Emily Mary Osborn; Emily Pitchford; Clara Maria Pope; Henrietta Rae; Katherine Read; Frances Reynolds; Christina Robertson; Susannah Penelope Rosse; Ethel Sands; Helen Saunders; Sarah Setchel; Kate Smith; Rebecca Solomon; Marie Spartali Stillman; Maria Spilsbury; Jane Steele; Marianne Stokes; Sarah Stone; Annie Louisa Swynnerton; Levina Teerlinc; Mary Thornycroft; Maria Verelst; Ethel Walker; Agnes Warburg; Henrietta Ward; Joanna Mary Wells; Augusta Withers; Ethel Wright.

On display until October 13, 2024 at Tate Modern in London.

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SWEET CHARITY

THE JANICE JAM: BROADWAY FOR BREAST CANCER event held Monday Night, May 13, 2024, raised over $52,000 for Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). The benefit was held at Haswell Green’s and guests enjoyed powerhouse performances, as well as, dancing. Matt DeAngelis0f Waitress, who lost his mother, Janice, in 2022 to metastatic breast cancer, began the event as a celebration of Janice and her love for theater, with 100% of net proceeds funding metastatic breast cancer research grants through BCRF, the largest private funder of breast cancer research worldwide.

WILDLIFE WARRIORS' STEVE IRWIN GALA took place at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on May 11, 2024. The sold out event had attendees wearing "black tie, with a touch of khaki."

The late star’s wife Terri Irwin, daughter Bindi Irwin and son Robert Irwin gathered in Las Vegas to host as guests at the gala were treated to a "scrumptious three-course dinner and a night of wild fun and dancing with roving animals, entertainers, guest speakers and a live auction. In a khaki-decked ballroom, surrounded by fellow Wildlife Warriors, it’s a remarkable night honoring one extraordinary man."

William the Prince of Wales filmed a special video message for the occasion.

In the video William welcomed guests to the gala, "which celebrates the life and legacy of the brilliant Steve Irwin. Tonight is all about conservation and continuing Steve’s global mission to protect life on our planet," William said. "His dream was to have the cleanest water, the freshest air and wildlife in abundance. But most of all, he wanted a future for our children."

He continued, "Advocating for the preservation of life on our planet, it is a passion that I share, and it is why I launched the Earthshot Prize to search for and scale innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges. Our mission is to protect and restore our planet in this critical decade leading up to 2030."

William also said that he is "hugely grateful" for "the Irwin family's support" of Earthshot, which he first launched in 2020. Robert, in particular, is an advocate and ambassador for the prize.

"And I'm proud to join you virtually tonight to celebrate their work through Wildlife Warriors," William concluded. "Seeing the global impact of the charity, founded by Steve and Terri in 2002, brings hope for the future."

The Wildlife Warriors is headquartered in Australia with two gala events taking place annually; one in Australia and one in Las Vegas.

SPREADING THE WORD

PETER MARKS The Washington Post's long-time theater critic, who stepped down in January, will be honored by the Washington theater community at this year's Helen Hayes Award ceremony later this month.

THE MIRAGE RESORT IN LAS VEGAS is closing. The resort's last day of operations takes place July 17, and the last day for hotel occupancy will be on July 14. "The property will be closed for construction and the transformation will begin into the highly anticipated Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas," read a segment of Mirage's website.

Future plans include a nearly 700-foot guitar-shaped hotel. The December 22 sale of the Mirage to Hard Rock international which is run by the Seminole Tribe in Florida meant that the Mirage became the first property on the Strip to be run by a Native American tribe. The resort opened in November 1989, with a sidewalk-side volcano spewing fire. This is the property that Siegfried & Roy called home as well as a marvelous Cirque du Soleil show Love set to a Beatles soundtrack. Unfortunately, that show will end its 18-year run on July 7.

The Mirage report informs that the famed volcano will be torn down. The resort is set to reopen in 2027.

GEORGE CLOONEY the two-time Academy Award winner will make his Broadway debut in spring 2025 in a stage adaptation of his 2005 historical drama film about American television news Good Night, and Good Luck.

Clooney and Grant Heslov have adapted their screenplay for the stage. Tony winner David Cromer will direct.

In addition to directing the movie, Clooney starred as Fred Friendly. He will lead the stage version as Edward R. Murrow, the role played by David Strathairn on screen.

That film also starred Robert Downey, Jr., Jeff Daniels, Patricia Clarkson, Alex Borstein , Rose Abdoo, Grant Heslov, Tom McCarthy, Ray Wise, Frank Langella and Jeffrey Skoll. The box office take was $54.6 million. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture.

Good Night, And, Good Luck takes place during the early days of broadcast in 1950's America. It chronicles the real-life conflict between Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee.

NEW YORK CITY OPERA kicks off Celebrating 100 Years of Giacomo Puccini, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the passing of one of the greatest opera composers in history, and kicks off with Puccini Celebration as part of the Bryant Park Picnic Performances presented by Bank of America on May 31 & June 1, 2024 at Bryant Park, NYC. Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis. Performances are designed to be enjoyed casually - no tickets required - with ample seating available and free picnic blankets for audience members to borrow.

For anyone unable to attend in person, a free livestream broadcast of the performance will be available nationwide via Bryant Park's website and social media platforms. Featuring the New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus and conducted by Maestro Joseph Rescigno, the concerts will include selections from each and every Puccini opera, performed by some of the brightest stars of the opera world singing some of the most beloved arias, duets, and ensembles in all of opera.

Performers: Kristin Sampson, soprano - Ashley Bell, soprano - Victor Starsky, tenor - WooYoung Yoon, tenor - Todd Thomas, baritone - Tatev Baroyan, soprano.

New York City Opera was famously dubbed "The People’s Opera" by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia at its founding in 1943. More than 75 years later, City Opera continues its historic mission to inspire audiences with innovative and theatrically compelling opera, nurture the work of promising American artists and build new audiences through affordable ticket prices and extensive outreach and education programs.? Picnic Performances continues the tradition of opera in Bryant Park.

HOLLAND TAYLOR AND ANA VILLAFANE will star in a new Off-Broadway play, N/A by Mario Correa, directed by Tony-winner Diane Paulus. Taylor and Villafañe will play politicians in the two-hander inspired by a battle of wills and wits between Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are generations apart.

The production opens June 23, 2024 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in New York City.

NEW MUSICAL ROJA by Jaime Lozano and Tommy Newman to be developed at Forestburgh Playhouse in Forestburgh, New York, which is the oldest operating professional summer theater in New York. The In the Works-In the Woods Festival at the Forestburgh Playhouse announced a new residency-collaboration with writers Jaime Lozano (Jonathan Larson Grant Award Winner) and Tommy Newman.

ROJA will be featured at the 2024 Festival in September, 2024. Lozano and Newman’s work, El Otro Oz, was a part of the inaugural Festival in 2021 and has subsequently toured nationally and performed Off-Broadway. The Playhouse welcomes the team back to the ITW-ITW Festival. As part of a new Festival component, Lozano and Newman have traveled to the Playhouse for a May residency to write and further develop the piece and then return for the September Festival for additional development with a creative team lead by director Florencia Cuenca. Full cast and staged readings take place during the Festival weekend of September 6-8.

The musical tells the story of a young girl, living with her grandmother in America, who a befriends a mischievous, magical coyote, who takes her on a journey across the border into Mexico to find her mother and make peace with the loss of her father. A bilingual musical, ROJA will explore the familiar tale Little Red Riding Hood, through the lens of Mexican Folklore.

To celebrate the collaboration, the Playhouse will host a reception, including a sneak peek of songs from ROJA, songs from El Otro Oz and Songs by an Immigrant. The reception will be held May 25th, 2024 at the Tavern at the Forestburgh Playhouse.

SAGE a miniature poodle has won Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show. She beat out sporting dog Micha, a cocker spaniel; working dog Monty, a giant schnauzer; toy dog Comet, a Shih Tzu; hound dog Louis, an Afghan hound; terrier dog Frankie, a colored bull; and herding dog Mercedes, a German shepherd.

FIRST EVER ROYAL GARDEN PARTY FOR CREATIVE ARTS

Pretty in pink Queen Camilla and King Charles at the Garden Party for Creative Arts. Photo: The Royal Family/Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The King and Queen of England hosted a first ever Garden Party for Creative Arts at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 to pay tribute to and mingle with members of the entertainment communities.

Per Buckingham Palace - the party brought "together approximately 4,000 representatives across culture, art, heritage, film, TV, radio and fashion," and celebrated "the economic value of the sector to the UK economy in helping to showcase British culture and creativity around the Globe."

King Charles, who recently returned to public engagements despite still receiving treatment for cancer, hosted the debut party with Queen Camilla by his side. Other senior working royals attending included Prince Edward the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Duchess of Gloucester. All were gussied up in their finest tea party attire and looked stunning.

In addition to mingling with members of the royal family and strolling around the grounds, guests were treated to tea and cake. The royals' website has stated around 27,000 cups of tea are served and 20,000 slices of cakes are consumed!

Garden parties have been held since the 1860s as a way for the monarch to recognize community members for their public service.

Male attendees to garden parties traditionally wear morning dress or suits while women wear day dresses paired with hats or fascinators. National dress and uniform can also be worn.

Who wears what becomes a big deal. You don't just throw on what's handy.

For this very first garden party - ever- to specificially honor those in the entertainment community - the Sovereign's Creative Industries Garden Party - Camilla wore a stunning shell pink fringed coat dress by Anna Valentine with a lovely wide brimmed hat by Philip Treacy. She accessorised her outfit with the late Queen’s pink diamond flower brooch.

Her husband looked dapper in a grey morning suit with a pink waistcoat, which he accessorized with a pocket square and matching, grey patterned tie which, from a distance, looked like black squares, but up close was a whimisical design. He also carried and wore the appropriae black top hat.

Noted for humorous ties, King Charles and his brother Prince Edward have a long standing tradition of wearing amusing ties. King Charles' ties which, when viewed from a distance, look like a small pattern. Up close the objects are cartoon animals.Many of them can be found at Hermes. Prince Edward is noted for his cat ties.

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh talking to guests. Photo: The Royal Family/Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Prince Edward was first spotted wearing a cat tie to his 1999 wedding to Sophie Rhes-Jones, now the Duchess of Edinburgh.

He's owned his cat tie collection since at least 1997 with no reason disclosed as to what attracted him to the feline species.

The King and Queen invited screen stars and back stage celebrities to this garden party which celebrated the creative industries. People are always fawning over the recognizable faces. Important is that the royals also paid homage to those that work tirelessly behind the scenes.

Around 4,000 guests from the worlds of film, TV, radio and fashion attended.

The Duchess of Gloucester, who always looks smart, wore a blue outfit with a color blending green hat. During her walkabout she had a plesant conversation with Elaine Paige who starred as Eva Perón in the first production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita in 1978, winning Laurence Olivier Award for Performance of the Year in a musical. She originated the role of Grizabella in Cats and had a Top 10 hit with "Memory", a song from the show. Paige made her Broadway debut in Sunset Boulevard in 1996, playing the lead role of Norma Desmond, to critical acclaim. In addition to being nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards, and has been called the First Lady of British Musical Theatre Since 2004 she has hosted her own show on BBC Radio 2 called "Elaine Paige on Sunday".

Invitees to the tea party included artist model Kate Moss, comedian Sir Lenny Henry, and broadcaster Clara Amfo.

Love Island star Maya Jama and Campbell Addy spoke to the King about whether he watches Love Island, and shared a laugh about the kissing scenes. Maya looked fabulous in a show stopping - fit for the red carpet - dramatic, blue off-the-shoulder number. On her head was a dramatic, wide brimmed chapeau.

Sir Ridley Fox, who directed Hollywood blockbusters Gladiator and Alien, told the press he was "incredibly honored" at receiving a garden party invitation. Also in attendance, British Vogue's Global Creative and Cultural Advisor Edward Enninful, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, former BBC director-general Lord Tony Hall, BBC director-general Tim Davie and actor David Harewood.

Supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whitely was overjoyed and "very touched" when Queen Camilla complimented her on her new range of M&S lingerie.

The Duchess of Gloucester in conversation with theatrical icon Elaine Paige. Photo: The Royal Family/Department for Culture, Media and Sport

DJ Roman Kemp was among the musical guests invited. Documentary maker Louis Theroux, best known for his When Louis Met series on the BBC, was so stunned at receiving an invitation he admited that he thought his invite "was a mistake."

Artist Tracey Emin was flattered that the Queen had remembered both her and her work. She said: "It was lovely. Both the King and Queen recognise the creative arts and that was what was today was for." She disclosed that when she met the King they "spoke about health and painting."

Emin is known for autobiographical and confessional artwork. Once the "enfant terrible" of the Young British Artists in the 1980s, Tracey Emin is now a Royal Academician. Her 1995 piece Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995, also known as The Tent, was a tent with the appliquéd names of, literally, everyone she had ever slept with. It achieved iconic status and was owned by Charles Saatchi. Since its destruction in the 2004 Momart London warehouse fire, Emin has refused to recreate the piece.

When The King was introduced to television's married couple broadcaster Vernon Kay and Tess Daly, Tess told the reporters: "It was an honor to meet him," adding "He said he liked my dress."

Tess began her career as a model, venturing into television hosting and has co-presented the BBC One celebrity dancing show Strictly Come Dancing since 2004.

Dame Arlene Philips chatted with the Queen. She said: "She remembered me from when we last met. It was at a concert after I’d just been let go from Strictly (Come Dancing as a judge) and she said how much she missed me, which was very kind. She asked me what I’ve been doing lately and I explained I was doing the choreography for Guys and Dolls. She said she had taken the grandchildren to see it and they loved it."

Host of The One Show Alex Jones, who was accompanied by her husband Charlie Thomsons, was seen chatting with Queen Camilla as was Nikki Fox.

Having a good time was Toby Jones who delivered an incredible performance in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office which can be viewed in America on PBS.

Televisions Barney and Bradley Walsh were spotted laughing with the King.

The Queen is a great supporter of the Arts and regularly attends concerts and the theatre with The King. As with her other interests, The Queen supports the Arts though her work with patronages and affiliated charities.

As The Duchess of Cornwall, The Queen became Patron of the London Chamber Orchestra, St Johns, Smith Square, the New Queen’s Hall Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

The Queen also supports the dramatic arts through her patronages, the National Theatre and the Theatre Royal Bath.

In 2022, Her Majesty visited the National Theatre to hear more about their 'Public Acts’ initiative, which creates ambitious new works, built on sustained partnerships with theatres and community organisations who share the vision of theatre as a force for change.

The Queen often takes time to visit theatres overseas as well. In 2023, during Their Majesties' State Visit to Germany, The Queen visited the Komische Opera Berlin, where she watched a performance and met actors and performers who use the space.

As The Duchess of Cornwall, The Queen became Patron of Elmhurst Ballet School in 2006. As the school celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023, Her Majesty paid a visit to watch a short performance and heard about recent developments in ballet teaching that are being spearheaded by the school.

Among the students met by Her Majesty on this visit was Nigerian ballet dancer, Anthony Mmesoma Madu. Anthony was awarded a scholarship to Elmhurst Ballet School in 2020 after a video of him dancing barefoot in the rain went viral online.

As Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance, Her Majesty supports the Silver Swans program which encourages older learners of all abilities to learn ballet.

In 2022, Her Majesty formally opened the new state-of-the-art Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) global headquarters. During the visit, The then Duchess was introduced to RAD students training to become dance teachers, before watching a Silver Swans ballet class for learners aged over 55.

A Silver Swan herself, The Queen joined Angela Rippon and Darcey Bussell in conversation to discuss the benefits of dance at an older age, during the pandemic.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

ARTS ADVOCATES LAUNCH CAMPAIGN URGING CALIFORNIAN GOVERNOR NEWSOM to reverse arts funding cuts he proposed in May.

With a remaining $27.6 billion dollar deficit in the current year, the arts were among the hardest hit in Newsom’s proposed spending cuts. The May Revise proposes fully cutting the state’s innovative Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund ($12.5 million), plus a reduction of 38% in state grant funding for small arts nonprofits through the California Arts Council (CAC).

"In total, we’re looking at budget cuts upwards of 58% that will decimate California’s small nonprofit arts organizations and industry workers reliant on this funding," said Julie Baker, CEO, CA Arts Advocates. "While we understand that every agency and sector must play their part to balance the budget, the cuts to arts and culture are massively disproportionate. We had hoped we were long past the days when the arts were the first to be cut and undervalued. The state’s recent investments recognized the creative industry’s essential service for bolstering the economic and social health of local communities, especially as an industry still very much in post-pandemic recovery."

Since 2020, a broad coalition of arts and culture workers, entertainment unions, producers, nonprofits, live entertainment venues, music film, TV, and movie theater representatives have worked together on public policies and resources to ensure the recovery and sustainability of the creative industries. However, while some parts of the arts and culture ecosystem have recovered from the impact of COVID, many have not, most notably the nonprofit performing arts. The sweep of the $12.5 million intended for the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, a groundbreaking program that supports live arts workers at smaller, nonprofit companies, was approved just a few years ago with a strong, bipartisan vote from the Legislature. This policy innovation remains critical to stabilizing the performing arts workforce. The Governor's cut erases five years of building a legislative solution to address the deleterious impacts of both rising labor and operational costs and the pandemic on California’s small performing arts organizations.

Currently, Arts & Culture production drives 8% of California's economy, producing over $290 billion in direct impact and supporting 847,688 jobs; it also drives 7.3% of state tax revenues. Meanwhile, the California Arts Council is already functioning at a cut-level and the performing arts community is facing unprecedented challenges.

The $10 million cut to this program would position California at 45th in the nation in local arts assistance funding, just above Kentucky, Kansas and Georgia.

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JOB WELL DONE

SIR ANTONIO PAPPANO 64, outgoing music director of the Royal Opera House in London was feted on Thursday, May 16, 2024. The gala performance to celebrate Pappano 's 22 years of service featured renowned opera singers such as Aigul Akhmetshina, Jonas Kaufmann, Freddie De Tommaso, Bryn Terfel, Diana Damrau, Ermonela Jaho, Lisette Oropesa, Sondra Radvanovsky, Nadine Sierra, Aigul Akhmetshina, Xabier Anduaga, Jonas Kaufmann, Carlos Álvarez, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Huw Montague Rendall, Gerald Finley, Insung Sima, as well as The Royal Opera Chorus and The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. In attendance was King Charles III who became Patron of the Royal Opera House in 2009. The singers and orchestra performed arias and music that defined Sir Antonio's time as Music Director, spanning his lengthy year career.

The performers were not told King Charles would attend until 20 minutes before showtime.

The show closed with a standing ovation. Looking absolutely handsome in a traditional black tuxedo, His Majesty took to the stage, walked across the Royal Opera House stage hand in hand with performers and joined in a bow.

As he exchanged words with Grammy winner Pappano, the Royal who was positively beaming, shook hands. Then the King raised his hands in the air and gave Pappano a congratulatory pat on the shoulder.

After the curtain fell Charles and Sir Antonio spoke about the time that has passed since the coronation last May, which was conducted by Pappano.

Sir Antonio told the press: "He was just so generous in his praise, and genuinely so, and that means everything, he loves music.

"He knighted me, and I've done several events at Buckingham Palace over the years where he's been the engine for those things, and of course I conducted at the coronation, so we've done quite a few events."

Referring to the evening's gala: "These kinds of programs are almost impossible, with so many different pieces from one to the other, but the feeling that everybody wanted to be here, we had a full house, the King was here."

Sir Antonio, who is married to American vocal coach Pamela Bullock, isn't retiring - just moving down the road. He became the London Symphony Orchestra's Chief Conductor Designate in September 2023, and will become Chief Conductor in September 2024.



THE OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS have been announced. For the thirs year they will be presented at Lincoln Center on Thursday, May 23, 2024 in the Bruno Walter Auditorium of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York City.

Dressy business attire or festive attire is requested.

This year's presenters include Tony Danza, Montego Glover, Steve Guttenberg, Julie Halston, and Miriam Silverman.

It's always a fun party.

For a complete list of nominees and winners click here.

LILY TUNG CRYSTAL will become the next Artistic Director of East West Players (EWP), one of the nation’s oldest theaters of color and the largest producer of Asian American theatrical works. She is joined by Managing Director Eugene J. Hutchins as the historic theater company—founded in 1965—implements a co-leadership model in anticipation of its 60th Anniversary Season.

"The East West Players Board is excited to introduce Lily to the East West Players community and to welcome her back to LA, her first hometown," shares EWP Board Chair Rose Chan Loui. "The Search Committee was gratified to see how many qualified candidates applied for the artistic director position, as it demonstrated how much progress we have made as a community in developing AAPI talent. We were particularly pleased to see the number of outstanding Asian American women among the applicants. Out of this impressive field of candidates, Lily stood out for her impressive portfolio of artistic work, her cohesive vision for EWP, and her strong leadership and management skills. We know she will be greatly missed by Theater Mu and the Minnesota community, but we are thrilled for EWP to be her new artistic home."

Lily Tung Crystal will become East West Players’ fifth artistic director, succeeding Snehal Desai who departed the company in summer of 2023 to become the Artistic Director of Center Theatre Group. She returns to her hometown of Los Angeles and joins East West Players after five years serving as the Artistic Director for Theater Mu, an organization based in Minneapolis-St. Paul, with the mission of producing great performances born of arts, equity, and justice from the heart of the Asian American experience.

Tung Crystal arrived at Theater Mu after co-founding and leading Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company in the Bay Area. During her tenure at Mu, the company was named a Regional Cultural Treasure by the Ford and McKnight Foundations, doubled the size of its staff, and doubled its budget from $650,000 to $1.3 million. Tung Crystal also led the revitalization of the Mu Training Institute, created Mu’s fellowship program to better invest in the next generation of BIPOC artists, and provided a space for new playwright cohorts. Her visionary leadership made an impact nationally during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of shuttering Theater Mu's doors during the lockdown, she opened them wider, producing at least three virtual events each week from late March through May 2020. She also directed Susan Soon He Stanton's Today Is My Birthday (2021), produced with support from East West Players, which received attention from outlets such as The New York Times for its innovative live stream coordination.

THE 2024 ROGER REES AWARDS hosted by Tony winner Bonnie Milligan, celebrates excellence in student performance. The Awards will feature 50 Roger Rees Awards nominees in musical production numbers from Back to the Future and Spamalot as well as solo performances by award finalists.

W.T. Clarke High School's Pit Orchestra, winner of the inaugural New York City Center High School Orchestra Award, under the direction of guest conductor Rick Hip-Flores of Bad Cinderella and Ain’t Too Proud fame, will also be featured at the ceremony.

The Roger Rees Awards is directed and choreographed by Theo Lencicki with music direction by Christine Riley.

The event takes place this afternoon, Sunday, May 19, 2024 at the The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College in New York City.



FAT HAM by James Ijames.

Original direction by Saheem Ali.

Directed by Sideeq Heard.

The 2022 Pulitzer-winning, Tony-nominated sensation Fat Ham is a fresh and funny take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

During a Southern family cookout, Juicy is confronted by the ghost of his father, who demands revenge for his murder. But Juicy, a young, queer, Black man, has enough on his plate. "James Ijames’s remarkable play uses uproarious humor and profound insight to explore the conflict between what you owe your family and what you owe yourself."

The cast features Felicia Boswell as Tedra, Yvettte Cason as Rabby, ??la Fadiran as Juicy, m (SIC) as Opal, Xavier Pacheco as Tio, Tian Richards as Larry, and Lance Coadie Williams as Rev and Pap.

Understudies include Ethan Henry as Rev and Pap, Madeline Grace Jones as Opal, April Nixon as Tedra and Rabby, and Duane Shabazz as Juicy, Tio, and Larry.

The creatives include: Darrell Grand Moultrie (Choreography), Maruti Evans (Scenic Design), Dominique Fawn Hill (Costume Design), Bradley King (Lighting Design), Mikaal Sulaiman (Sound Design), Skylar Fox (Illusion Design), Earon Chew Nealey (Wig, Hair, and Makeup Design), Lisa Kopitsky (Fight Director), Caparelliotis Casting (Casting), Ryan Kane (Production Stage Manager), and Sam Allen (Production Stage Manager).

Performances begin May 25 and run to June 23, 2024, with the opening on Thursday, May 30, on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in Dan Diego, CA.

THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE by Ashley Griffin.

Directed by Rachel Klein.

"An intimate story about a down on his luck hustler and a trust fund baby who form an unlikely bond when she hires him to help overcome her sexual trauma. Can this unexpected connection transcend their darker inclinations in a world where love is a commodity?"

Starring Danny Gardner and Ashley Griffin.

The creatives are: scenic design is by Brendan McCann, and the lighting design by Zach Pizza. Kelly Merritt is Production Stage Manager and Emily Katherine is Assistant Stage Manager. Kaylin Kellin is General Manager.

NewYorkRep presents this world premiere production of The Opposite of Love following developmental readings at A.R.T./New York in 2019, and at Theater Row in 2022.

May 28 through June 15 at Royal Family Performing Arts Space in New York City.

MEDEA written by Kate Mulvaney and Anne-Louise Sarks.

Directed by Daniel Evans.

Sometimes Tragedt is Child's Play.

10-year-old Jasper and 12-year-old Leon are like most brothers you know. They fight. They laugh. They play games. Their bedroom is their fortress: home to Cornelius (their goldfish), watched over by Hercules (their teddy bear) and an arena of cowboy showdowns and swashbuckling sword fights.

But today something feels different. Their door is locked shut. Their parents’ shouting is getting louder. And, unbeknownst to them, at some point in the next hour, their iconic fate will ensure they enter mythology as two of the most tragic siblings of all time.

"Told entirely from the perspective of Medea’s young sons, this internationally celebrated version of the Ancient Greek tragedy. Tender, surprising and bittersweet: this is a re-imagining of history’s most misunderstood mother in an unforgettable pressure-cooker performance that is not to be missed."

Featuring Helen Cassidy as Medea. With Jeremiah Rees as Leon (Hercules); Edward Hill as Jasper (Hercules); Orlando Dunn-Mura as Leon (Cornelius); Felix Peam as Jasper (Cornelius).

The creatives are set and costume designer Chloe Greaves. Lighting designer Matt Scott. Composer/sound designer Mike Willmett. Filect coach Gabrielle Rogers. Intimacy and Fight Direction by NJ Price. Vocal coach Luke Kennedy.

Stage management includes Maddison Penglis as stage manager. Tia-Hanee Cleary assistant stage manager. Damian Tatum as chaperone.

Performances through June 8, 2024 on the Bille Brown Theatre of the Queensland Theatre in South Brisbane, Australia.

"Queensland Theatre acknowledges the Jagera and Turrbal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, and their unique relationship with the lands, seas and waterways. We pay our respects to their Elders both past and present, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples."

THORNTON WILDER’S THE EMPORIUM Completed By Kirk Lynn

Directed By Rob Melrose.

Thornton Wilder’s unfinished masterpiece comes to life for the first time, and you play a vital role! An orphaned young man escapes to the city, only to discover a grand metaphor for life itself, with the audience woven into the very fabric of the play by Wilder himself. This world premiere explores big questions with Wilder’s signature wit and charm. Be an active participant in this exciting moment in theatre history.

Starring Christoper Salazar, Elizabeth Bunch, Shawn Hamilon, David Raimey, Shawn Sides, Raven Justine Troup, Sally Wingert.

The creatives include costume design by Raquel Barreto. Scenic design by Michael Locher. Cate Tate Starmer lighting designer. Yezninne Zepeda sound design. Jocelyn A. Thompson stage manager. Brandon Clark assistant stage manager.

On stage now through June 2, 204 at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas.

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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

BORIS MALDEN Emmy nominated producer died on Friday, May 12, 2024 in Sarasota, Florida. He was 76.

Boris began his film career in Los Angeles, CA. In a career which spanned more than five decades he was involved in more than three hundred credited productions. Starting as a Grip and ultimately becoming a Director and Unit Production Manager, a member of the DGA and a Producer. He produced movies, documentaries, television series and pilots. Boris received two Emmy nominations and a PGA nomination for his work on the Netflix series House of Cards.

Boris chose to retire in 2021 so that he and his wife Elizabeth ccould ruised and traveled the world.
Boris is survived by his wife Elizabeth, daughter Krystina, sons Christopher and Jonathan and grandchildren Ryan, Kyle, Spencer, Trevor and Zoey.

ROGER CORMAN an American film director, producer, and actor. died May 9, 2024 in Santa Monica, CA. He was 98.

Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he was known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are low-budget cult films including some which are adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe.

In 1964, Corman became the youngest filmmaker to have a retrospective at the Cinémathèque Française, as well as in the British Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art. He was the co-founder of New World Pictures, the founder of New Concorde and was a longtime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2009, he was awarded an Academy Honorary Award "for his rich engendering of films and filmmakers".

Corman became a "cinematic godfather" to Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola and others whose careers he boosted.

He is survived by his wife Julie Corman whom he married in 1970 and their four children and their families.

DAVE SANBORN Grammy award winning saxophonist died of prostate cancer with complications on May 12, 2024 in Tarrytown, New York. He was 78.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018, but continued performing until recently.

A statement on his death included: "David Sanborn was a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz music. It has been said that he "put the saxophone back into Rock ’n Roll."

He began playing the saxophone as part of his recovery after contracting polio at age three, according to his website.

"By the age of 14, he was able to play with legends such as Albert King and Little Milton," it states in his biography on the site. "Dave went on to study music at Northwestern University before transferring to the University of Iowa where he played and studied with the great saxophonist JR Monterose."

Sanborn went on to join the Butterfield Blues Band and played Woodstock with Paul Butterfield. His career took off and the saxophone player toured with Stevie Wonder, recording on Wonder’s Talking Book album, playing with The Rolling Stones, and touring with David Bowie.

Sanborn’s solo on Bowie’s Young Americans was a stand out. His other collaborators include Paul Simon and James Taylor. He released his debut solo album, Taking Off, in 1975. His sophomore album, Hideaway, followed four years later. Sanborn’s other albums featured contributions from Luther Vandross, Christian McBride, Eric Clapton and more.

All I Need Is You won him his first Grammy Award for best R&B instrumental performance in 1981. He would go on to win five more Grammys, earn eight gold albums, one platinum album and tour successfully for decades.

In March 2024, Sanborn was honored in St. Louis for his lifetime achievement in jazz.

ALICE MUNRO a Nobel-winning author died May 13, 2024 at her home in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. She was 92 and had had dementia for at least twelve years.

In 2009 Munro revealed that she had received treatment for cancer and for a heart condition requiring coronary-artery bypass surgery.

The Canadian writer was celebrated as a master of the short story. Munro was a towering woman of letters whose works of short fiction often illuminated the emotional landscape of seemingly ordinary lives. She received the Nobel Prize in 2013, months after announcing she was ending her literary career because of health problems.

Her stories explore human complexities in an uncomplicated prose style. Her writing established her reputation as a great author similar to Chekhov. Aside from the Nobel Prize, Munro received the prestigious Man Booker International Prize in 2009 for her lifetime body of work. She was also a three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for Fiction, and received the Writers' Trust of Canada's 1996 Marian Engel Award and the 2004 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize for Runaway.

Munro married James Munro in 1951.Their daughters Sheila, Catherine, and Jenny were born in 1953, 1955, and 1957, respectively; Catherine died the day of her birth due to a kidney dysfunction. In 1963, the Munros moved to Victoria, where they opened Munro's Books, a popular bookstore still in business. In 1966, their daughter Andrea was born. Alice and James Munro divorced in 1972. Munro returned to Ontario to become writer in residence at the University of Western Ontario, and in 1976 received an honorary LLD from the institution. In 1976, she married Gerald Fremlin, a cartographer and geographer she met in her university days. The couple moved to a farm outside Clinton, Ontario, and later to a house in Clinton, where Fremlin died on April 17, 2013, aged 88.

Her children and their families survive her.

DABNEY COLEMAN Emmy award winning actor died at his home in Santa Monica, California on May 16, 2024. He was 92.

Coleman trained with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City from 1958 to 1960. He made his Broadway debut in A Call on Kuprin in 1961.

Coleman was a character actor with roles in well over 60 films and television programs to his credit. He was noted for his comically macho roles. He received six Primetime Emmy nominations, winning one and took home a Golden Globe Award from three nominations.

On November 6, 2014, Coleman received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Divorced twice, he is survived by four children and their families.

Next Column: May 26, 2024
Copyright: May 19, 2024 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.
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Laura Deni

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