Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: May 23, 2010
By: Laura Deni
CLICK HERE FOR COMMENT SECTION

2010 MEMORIAL DAY - FROM MUSIC AND TEA TOSSES TO NEW MILITARY COMMANDERS

Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise. Photo © Capital Concerts

In the quest to stock up on beer, burgers, chips and sunscreen for the party mode frenzy of celebrating the upcoming Memorial Day week-end, a reminder that Memorial Day was created as a day of remembrance for those who have died serving our country.

The annual National Memorial Day Concert, which is sponsored by and airs on PBS May 30, is a free concert on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The concert features actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise, Lionel Ritchie, Brad Paisley, Kelli O'Hara, Katherine Jenkins, Yolanda Adams, Dennis Haysbert, Colin L. Powell, the National Symphony Orchestra and the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Celebrating his first Memorial Day as commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard will be Adm. Robert J. Papp, Jr. On Tuesday, May 25, Adm. Thad W. Allen will be relieved by Papp during a military change of command ceremony at Fort Lesley J. McNair. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will preside over the event. A change of command ceremony is a time-honored naval tradition, which formally restates the continuity and authority of command and is unique in the world today. It involves the total transfer of responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another.

In the area surrounding Washington, DC the Memorial Day week-end atmosphere is party like a colonial.

On Sunday, May 30, Wolf Trap stages its Summer Blast Off! The park for performing arts kicks off the summer season with a free performance by the U.S. Marine Band followed by fireworks.

Sunset Celebration at Mount Vernon is a new family-friendly event slated for May 28-30. Enjoy evening tours of the Mansion, 18th-century music, dancing, games, and wagon rides. Stroll the lantern-lit grounds and visit with Lady Washington and her granddaughter Nelly.

Interpretive Performers provide Mount Vernon visitors with multiple perspectives on George Washington through the eyes of his family, friends, fellow revolutionaries, slaves, employees, and business associates - as well as curious travelers, who were drawn to Mount Vernon in the 18th century just as they are today. Experience real stories of George Washington and the world he inhabited through our two daily programs: Engaging Encounters and Washington's World.

Mount Vernon is the most popular historic estate in America. Located just 16 miles south of Washington, D.C. and 8 miles south of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, the plantation rests on the banks of the Potomac River.

Visitors are invited to tour the Mansion house and more than a dozen outbuildings including the slave quarters, kitchen, stables, and greenhouse. Stroll four different gardens, hike the Forest Trail, and explore the George Washington: Pioneer Farmer site, a four-acre working farm that includes a re-creation of Washington's 16-sided treading barn. George and Martha Washington rest in peace in the tomb where wreath laying ceremonies are held daily, and the Slave Memorial and Burial Ground is nearby.

The Fort Ward Park in Alexandria, Virginia stages their annual Memorial Day Jazz Festival on Monday, May 31. The event features big band, swing, and contemporary jazz music.

The historic river-front town of Chestertown on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay - about an hour and half from DC celebrates colonial resistance to British rule each summer with a weekend (May 28-31) of fun for the whole family including a tea toss reenactment, colonial parade, cocktail party, raft race, street performances, colonial crafts, strolling musicians, local fare, 5k & 10 mile run and more.

The Annual Tea Party Festival is Saturday. In response to British Parliament's closing of the port of Boston, the citizens of Chestertown, Maryland met in May of 1774 and set forth "Resolves" forbidding importing, selling, or consuming tea in Chestertown. According to local legend, residents then gathered at the town center, marched down High Street to the brigantine Geddes, which was anchored in the Chester River, and tossed her cargo of tea overboard. The annual reenactment of that event is the centerpiece of the Chestertown Tea Party Festival.

The Prince Theatre will be staging the premier of local playwright, Keith Thompson's Raiding the Geddes and an encore presentation of local playwright, Mary Wood's Chestertown Romance which was first performed at the Prince Theatre's 2009 Short Attention Span Theatre Festival.

Just a few of the week-end possibilities for visitors include playing chess with master chess player Benjamin Franklin.

There will also be drill demonstrations by 1st Battalion of Maryland Loyalists, 1st Maryland Regiment and 6th Maryland Regiment. Swordmasters will both delight and astound with swordmanship lessons and demonstrations.

The Colonel Leonards Irregulars will once again serenade visitors with their own brand of Irish, Celtic & Folk Music. The Dover English Country Dancers will perform 18th century dancing in period costumes. The Chesapeake Caledonian Pipe Band offer up traditional and contemporary bagpipe and drum ensemble performances. The high energy country music of Fiddlestyx and Step Jam (formerly Footnotes) aims to tempt listeners to join in the clogging and flatfooting. Master musician Stephen Christoff will perform on Octave Mandolin, Bowed Musical Saw, and hand flute. Fifes and Drums of the Delaware Militia will play traditional fife and drum music, mainly from the Revolutionary War and Civil War eras. The Kiltie Band of York’s impressive pipe band will fill the air with Scottish favorites.



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.

ART AND ABOUT

VICTORIA & ALBERT: ART & LOVE

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Photo - Royal Collection

This exhibition is the first ever to focus on Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s shared enthusiasm for art and music. Bringing together more than 400 items from the Royal Collection, it celebrates the royal couple’s mutual delight in collecting and displaying works of art, from the time of their engagement in 1839 to the Prince’s untimely death in 1861. The exhibition also challenges the popular image of Victoria - the melancholy widow of 40 years - and reveals her as a passionate and open-minded young woman.

For Victoria and Albert, art was an important part of everyday life and a way they expressed their love for each other. Around a third of the objects in the exhibition were exchanged as gifts between the couple to mark special occasions. They range from the simple and sentimental, such as a set of jewelry in the form of orange blossoms, to superb examples of early Italian painting, including Bernardo Daddi’s The Marriage of the Virgin and Perugino’s Saint Jerome in Penitence, both given by the Queen to the Prince for his birthday in 1846.

Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live at Buckingham Palace. Under the direction of the Prince’s artistic adviser, Ludwig Gruner, the Palace’s State Rooms were expanded and decorated in colorful neo-Renaissance style. In the new Ballroom, Victoria and Albert enjoyed private performances of favorite operas and hosted costumed balls. Guests were encouraged to commission elaborate fancy dress in support of the declining Spitalfields silk industry.

Queen Victoria's gown for the 1851 Stuart Ball created by Eugene Lami. Photo - Royal Collection

The exhibition includes the most sumptuous of Queen Victoria’s surviving dresses, designed by Eugène Lami for the 1851 Stuart Ball.

Music played an important part in Victoria and Albert’s life. The day after her proposal to Albert, the Queen wrote in her Journal, ‘…he sang to me some of his own compositions, which are beautiful, & he has a very fine voice. I also sang to him.’

Their shared passion for music was central to their relationship. The couple were accomplished musicians and played four-handed arrangements of orchestral and operatic work. A beautifully decorated Erard piano, commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1856, is shown in the exhibition.

They particularly admired the work of Mendelssohn, who visited the Palace on several occasions. Shortly before his death in 1847, the composer presented Prince Albert with the manuscript of Song Without Words as a Piano Duet. Albert also composed music from an early age. The exhibition includes his song with piano accompaniment, Dem Fernen (To the Distant One), annotated by Victoria: ‘Composed by dear Albert at Windsor Castle & sent to me by him Jan. 5. 1840.’

To celebrate the exhibition Victoria & Albert: Art & Love, The National Gallery is staging Queen Victoria, Prince Albert & Their Music on Friday, June 4. Mezzo-soprano Daniela Lehner and baritone Gunter Haumer, accompanied by Oliver Davies on piano, perform works by Donizetti, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Weber and Prince Albert himself.

Victoria & Albert: Art & Love, The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace through October 31, 2010.

THE MUSIC GOES ROUND AND ROUND

1776 music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards. Book by Peter Stone. Musical direction by Peter Howard. Orchestrations by Eddie Sauter.

This original Broadcast cast recording has been reissued by Broadway Masterworks.

"1776 sounded like maybe the worst idea that had ever been proposed for a musical," Peter Stone recalled in the original liner notes. The 1969 audience would not pay - went the prevailing wisdom - to see a nearly all-male cast debate the Declaration of Independence (this being well before the onset of the Bicentennial fever). Everyone would know how it ended

To the surprise of many, 1776 delightfully brought history to life. After tryouts in New Haven and Washington, the show opened on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre on March 16, 1969, running for 1,217 performances. The show was nominated for five Tony Awards and won three, including Best Musical. A film of the same name followed in 1972.

With Memorial Day upon us and the 4th of July around the corner, if you plans call for a trip to the beach or a backyard barbecue bring along this CD and connect with what permitted patriotic holidays in the first place.

In the days leading up to July 4, 1776, Continental Congressmen John Adams and Benjamin Franklin coerced Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence as a delaying tactic as they try to persuade the American colonies to support a resolution on independence. As George Washington sends depressing messages describing one military disaster after another, the businessmen, landowners and slave holders in Congress all stand in the way of the Declaration, and a single "nay" vote will forever end the question of independence. Large portions of spoken and sung dialog are taken directly from the letters and memoirs of the actual participants.

In many ways members of congress have always been a bunch of self serving reprobates. While 1776 doesn't gloss over the biases and bigotry it does add personal insight and depth to each founding forefather.

The songs run the emotional gamut.

The rousing fife and drum march tempo overture leads to Sit Down, John signaling that John Adams, the outspoken and frustrated delegate from Massachusetts, is the central character, and his quest to persuade all thirteen colonies to vote for independence is the central conflict.

Adams is annoyed that Congress is a do-nothing bunch and voices his ire to God in Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve.

"A second flood, a simple famine / Plagues of locusts everywhere / Or a cataclysmic earthquake / I'd accept with some despair / But no, you sent us Congress / Good God, sir, was that fair?"

John Adams and his wife Abigail deeply love each other, but are not immune from a little bickering in Till Then. He wants her and her friends to make salt peter and she wants sewing pins. "We will not make salt peter until you send us pins," she sings. In the end they serve each other's best interests.

Richard Henry Lee of the first family of Virginia isn't above throwing his name around. As performed by Ronald Holgate, the song The Lees of Old Virginia could stop the show on Broadway. Listening to it on this CD is just as exhilarating.

Who was going to actually pen the powerful paper resulted in pass-it-off-to-the-next-guy approach, almost to the point of short straw wins. "Which one of us will write our declaration of independence?" questions John Adams in But, Mr. Adams. A debate ensues. Adams admitted he was too obnoxious and disliked. Franklin was reluctant. Roger Sherman being a "simple cobbler" declared he "cannot write with any style or proper etiquette. I don't know a participle from a predicate." Robert Livingston announced he had been "presented with a new son by the noble stork. So I am going home to celebrate and pop the cork." Jefferson who hasn't seen his wife in six months missed her bed. When asked if he preferred to be a patriot or a lover, he replied - lover. Sex has always been an excellent manipulative tool. Jefferson's wife is secretly brought to him.

Adams' desire for his Abigail is gently brought forth in the duet Yours, Yours, Yours.

Having been reunited with his wife, Jefferson is persuaded to periodically leave their bed chamber to author The Declaration of Independence. The love of Jefferson by his wife is expressed in He Plays The Violin, sung by Betty Buckley, Rex Everhart and William Daniels.

William Daniels as John Adams in 1776

Cool, Cool Considerate Men is the anthem of "men on the right" in the political battle between liberal versus conservative.

Momma Look Sharp is a poignant, heart-wrenching song performed by Scott Jarvis telling of his best friend being killed in battle.

Selecting the eagle as the Official American Bird was a time consuming, serious, hard fought battle told in The Egg. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey.

Molasses To Rum To Slaves sung by Clifford Daniels, is a politically powerful, disturbing song about The Triangle Trade, effectively describing the unflattering ideological landscape. Much as today, bigotry concealed by somebody carrying a Bible.

"Who sails the ships out of Boston/Ladened with bibles and rum?/Who drinks a toast to the Ivory Coast?/Hail Africa, the slavers have come/New England with bibles and rum."

Is Anybody There? "does anybody care/does anybody see what I see? . . . I see America, free" is a desperate, patriotic cry sung by Williams Daniels who is being pressured to quit. As the roll is called, the bell tolls louder and louder.

The Declaration of Independence is signed.

The cast includes: William Daniels as John Adams of Massachusetts, Rex Everhart as Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania - the understudy who took over when Howard DaSilver was unable to complete several performances or the recording because of illness, Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Ronald Holgate as Richard Henry Lee of Virginia and Scott Jarvis as the Courier.

Virginia Vestoff plays Abigail Adams and Betty Buckley is Martha, the new bride of Jefferson. With Paul Hecht as John Dickinson of Pennsylvania, Roy Poole as Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island, Clifford David as Edward Rutledge of South Carolina, David Ford as John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, Paul-David Richards as Dr. Joseph Bartlettt of New Hampshire, David Vosburgh as Roger Sherman of Connecticut; Ronald Kross as Lewis Morris of New York, Henry Le Clair as Robert Livingston of New York, Edmund Lyndeck of Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon, Emory Bass as James Wilson of Pennsylvania, Robert Gaus as Caesar Rodney of Delaware, Bruce Mackay as Col. Thomas McKean of Delaware, Duane Bodin, as George Read of Delaware, Philip Polito as Samuel Chase of Maryland, Charles Rule as Joseph Hewes of North Carolina, Jonathan Moore as Dr. Lyman Hall of Georgia, Ralston Hill as Congressional Secretary Charles Thompson, William Duell as Congressional Custodian Andrew McNair, B. J. Slater as A Leather Apron - a common phrase denoting a cobbler.

For this recording, 20-bit technology was used to maximize sound quality.

HONORING THE MUSIC AND LEGEND OF THE BEATLES

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Terry Sylvester formerly of the Cryers

Abbey Road on the River (AROTR) is a music festival honoring the music and legend of The Beatles. It takes place in Louisville, Kentucky on Memorial Day weekend and in Washington DC Labor Day weekend at National Harbor, MD, both lasting five days.

Attracting over 30,000 attendees, Abbey Road on the River is the largest Beatles festival in the United States. The festival had its start in 2002 in Cleveland, Ohio, then moved to its current Louisville location in 2005.

Abbey Road on the River doesn't limit itself to one type of tribute. Rather, some bands look, sound, and behave like the Beatles. Other bands play Beatles music accurately, but do not dress or act as Beatles. Still other bands celebrate the music of Lennon & McCartney and George Harrison without trying to reproduce the Beatles sound.

Strongly endorsed by the City of Louisville, Mayor Jerry E. Abramson states: "Abbey Road on the River in Louisville has been a huge success, featuring dozens of the best Beatles bands, speakers, collectibles, 25,000 music lovers from Louisville, and thousands more from around the world. The event is now something my family and I also look forward to. Last year we were able to enjoy the complete performance of Love and several of The Summer of Love concerts. We, like you, can't wait to see all the new bands, new music, and great attractions the event always offers."

Scheduled to perform - Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Terry Sylvester formerly of the Cryers out of Liverpool, UK. Gary Quinn is from Leeds, England. All You Need Is Love is from Ontario. Nova Scotia is represented with Luv Me Deux, Hal Bruce and Hard Dazed Knights. Det Betales hail from Norway while The Repeatles are from Sweden.

Making the trip from Alta, Norway are the Norwegian Beatles. Revolver comes from Dundee, Scotland. Calling Glasgow, Scotland home is Itchycoo Park. The Beat!radicals hail from Germany while The Jukebox come from Puerto Rico.

Jimmy Pou of Las Vegas

Jimmy Pou calls Las Vegas home. Drew Harrison comes from San Francisco. The Tearaways are from Santa Barbara, CA.

The Castillo Kids call Orlando, FL home. Scott Ferguson, Wingsbanned and He Said, She Said hail from New York City. The Taxman comes from Pittsburgh. The Rigbys are from Louisville as are the Johnny Doughnut Experience, The Dropouts, Mr. Wonderful, Digby, The Merry Pranksters, Vinyl Kings, Whiplash, Tattoo Babylon, The Classical Strings, and The Wooldridge Brothers. The Steve Sizemour Group is from Lexington, KY, while The Trouble With Boys list their home town as Kentuckyiana. Abbey Road Live is from Athens, GA.

Cincinnati is the home base for Savoy Truffle, 8 Days a Week, The Apples and The Newbees. Joe Rocco, and the duo Desmond & Molly hail from Cleveland. Peter Conrad is from Columbus.

Chicago based performers are; Yellow Submorons: A Tribute to the Rutles, Instant Karma, BritBeat, Meet the Beetles and Axis: The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Scott & Dave come from West Milfin, PA. The Elliotts are from Pittsburgh. Based in Nashville are Timeline. Blue Jay White is based in Evansville, IN. The Cryers are from Freehold, NJ. Union Jack comes from Southampton, MA. Stan & Mandie Bullock come from Greensboro, NC. Frankie-Rae is from Hagarstown, MD. The Traveling Beatleburys list their homes as OH, PA and MA. Mario Da Silver lists homes in Sao Paulo/Nashville. Also on deck are George Martin Presents and the 2009 Singing Contest Winner, Chris Smallwood.

SWEET CHARITY

MEMORIES OF THE USO

The Swing Dolls

Center Theatre Group and the Wilshire Grand celebrate the arrival of South Pacific, at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, with this benefit. Memories of the USO takes guests to the 1940s with a special performance by the vocal trio, The Swing Dolls, and a video homage to USO legend Bob Hope. Attendees will enjoy an evening of comedy and entertainment, historic film footage, World War II era music and complimentary hors d'oeuvres. Proceeds benefit the Bob Hope USO.

The Swing Dolls, a dynamic female vocal trio who captivate and entertain with close harmonies, will salute our troops with classic hits made famous by such greats as The Andrews Sisters and The McGuire Sisters. The trio’s authentic renditions of classic hits like Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight are adored by audiences of all ages.

Saturday, May 29 at the Wilshire Grand Hotel's Point Moorea Lounge in Los Angeles.

South Pacific is a classic tale set on a tropical island during World War II. Considered by many the finest musical ever written, South Pacific tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples and how their happiness is threatened by the realities of war and by their own prejudices. South Pacific is on stage at the Ahmanson May 27 through July 17, 2010.

Since 1941, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been a bridge between the American people and the U.S. military. In times of peace and war, the USO has consistently delivered its special brand of comfort, morale and recreational services to service members and their families. A nonprofit, Congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support USO activities. Many notable individuals have served as USO entertainers, including Bob Hope, Martha Raye, Marlene Dietrich, Danny Kaye, Ann Sheridan, Vic Damone, Marilyn Monroe, Phillis Diller, John Wayne and thousands of others. Currently, the USO operates more than 130 centers in 9 countries, 21 states and the District of Columbia.

DOLLY HELPS NASHVILLE a fund raising event Dolly Parton devised to help families displaced by the recent Nashville flood. On May 22 and 23 net admission proceeds from her Dollywood and Dixie Stampede properties in Pigeon Forge, TN have been earmarked for Music City flood relief efforts.

On both days, Dolly made several special appearances at various theaters and locations throughout Dollywood and at Dixie Stampede to greet guests who came for the weekend event.

SPREADING THE WORD

KIM CATTRALL Q&A aka the PR-savvy Samantha Jones, a fourth of the famous New York friends, is coming to the Tricycle Theatre for an exclusive Q&A alongside a screening of the film Sex and the City 2. The extra special evening will start with cocktails in the Tricycle bar, followed by the evening screening and will culminate in a Q&A discussion with one of the stars of the film - Kim Cattrall.

Friday, May 28 at the Tricycle Theatre in London.

IMAGINING MADOFF a fictional dialogue between convicted Ponzi scheme criminal Bernard Madoff and one of his most prominent victims, Nobel laureate Dr. Elie Wiesel, written by Obie-winning playwright Deb Margolin will not open at the Washington, DC based Theater J this August. According to the Washington Post which broke the story, the author withdrew the play because "Margolin revealed that Wiesel had written her calling the play “obscene” and “defamatory” and threatened to sue to stop production."

A program of the Washington DC Jewish Community Center, Theater J works in collaboration with the other components of the Morris Cafritz Center for the Arts: the Washington Jewish Film Festival and Screening Room, the Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery, and the Program in Literature, Music and Dance.

Theater J prides itself on "produc(ing) thought-provoking, publicly engaged, personal, passionate and entertaining plays and musicals that celebrate the distinctive urban voice and social vision that are part of the Jewish cultural legacy. Acclaimed as one of the nation’s premiere playwrights’ theaters, Theater J presents cutting edge contemporary work alongside spirited revivals and is a nurturing home for the development and production of new work by major writers and emerging artists exploring many of the pressing moral and political issues of our time."

ARTISTS' HOUSING - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE When Westbeth opened in New York's West Village in 1970, the former Bell Labs buildings became the world's largest artists' community. On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, a panel of experts discusses the legacy of Westbeth and the state of artists' housing in New York City. Join a discussion with Theodore Berger, Executive Director, Urban Artists' Initiative, and former Executive Director of the New York Foundation for the Arts; and Norma P. Munn, Chairperson, New York City Arts Coalition; Michael Premo, Independent Artist; Ronald Shiffman, Professor, Graduate Center for Planning, Pratt University; Rise Wilson, Program Manager Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC); with guest Joan K. Davidson, founding Chairman of Westbeth Artists Housing. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition America's Mayor: John V. Lindsay and the Reinvention of New York. Monday, May 24 at the Museum of the City of New York in NYC.

LOUIS GOSSETT, JR: AN ACTOR AND A GENTLEMAN this world-renowned actor takes part in a book signing event Monday May 24, at the Barnes & Noble store, Lincoln Triangle in New York City.

The Malibu, CA resident and Academy Award winner's career spans stage and screen, but it has been fraught with racism and discrimination. His book An Actor and a Gentleman, is described as "an honest portrayal of an African American in Hollywood and New York."

He was a Broadway star at age seventeen. His first job out of college was the 530-performance run of Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking play A Raisin in the Sun, in which he appeared with Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis. At age thirty-two, he became the first African American actor to play an authority figure in a major primetime network broadcast, which was also the first-ever made-for-TV movie, Companions in Nightmare. As impressive as these accomplishments are, they all occurred long before Louis Gossett Jr. won an Emmy Award and an Oscar and became one of the best-loved and most famous and respected actors in America.







THE 55th ANNUAL VILLAGE VOICE OBIE AWARDS took place Monday, May 17, 2010, at Webster Hall in Manhattan. Co-hosted by Michael Cerveris and former OBIE winner Anika Noni Rose, the awards were presented by J. Smith Cameron, Marin Ireland, Linda Lavin, Hamish Linklater, Michael Shannon, and Jennifer Westfeldt.

The Village Voice Obie Awards also bestowed an Obie grant for $1,000 to the Harlem School of The Arts.

According to Obie officials, "the Obie grants have never been for large sums, they are given more as a sign of support than anything else, a declaration of the Voice’s belief in the value of New York’s artistic community. This year, the organization found itself in serious financial trouble. For decades, The Harlem School of the Arts has taught theater, dance, music, and visual arts to the children and young people of Harlem. Today it is struggling to survive, and the judges have voted to join the many others who have reached out to help it in its hour of need by voting a $1000 grant to the Harlem School of the Arts."

HSA’s new Board Chairman, Charles J. Hamilton Jr., accepted the award on behalf of the school. ( For a list of the winners click here )

THE TONY AWARD ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE announced May 17 that it will award a fourth Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre to the Midtown North and South New York City Police Precincts.

The award will be given "in recognition of their many years of outstanding service to the theatre district." The other previously announced recipients of Tony Honors are the Alliance for Resident Theatres New York (A.R.T./New York), B.H. Barry and Tom Viola.

Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League stated, "We had decided on this particular Tony Honor well before the May 1st incident in Broadway/Times Square which brought the NYPD's skills to the forefront of a very public stage, so our desire to award them for their consistent day-to-day dedication proved even more appropriate. Since the New York City Police Department is a City Agency, they had to first ensure that they could accept this recognition. Today, that approval was received and we are thrilled that they will join their fellow recipients at the Tony Awards on Sunday, June 13th at Radio City Music Hall."

CURTAIN DOWN

THE TEMPERAMENTALS the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production will close on May 23 having played 11 previews and 84 performances.



DISSONANCE by Damian Lanigan. Directed by Lonny Price.

Egos, loyalty and love are all put to the test in this witty, wise and ultimately moving play of music and musicians.

Dissonance centers around a professional string quartet in the midst of rehearsing for a once-in-a-lifetime performance at Carnegie Hall.

As the quartet bickers, the history of their entangled relationships unfolds. Tensions heighten further as the only woman in the group has a chance meeting with a successful rock star.

Starring Rosie Benton, Daniel Gerroll, Morgan Spector, Robert Stanton and Gregory Wooddell.

June 1-27 at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY.

THE BURNT PART BOYS the new musical features a book by Mariana Elder, music by Chris Miller, lyrics by Nathan Tysen and direction and musical staging by Joe Calarco.

The cast features Charlie Brady, Al Calderon, Andrew Durand, Steve French, Noah Galvin, Molly Ranson, Randy Redd, Asa Somers and Michael Park who currently has his third Daytime Emmy nomination as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Jack Snyder on As the World Turns. The Daytime Emmy Awards will be aired from the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas on June 27. Emmy Award winner Regis Philbin will host.

The Burnt Part Boys is set in coal country, West Virginia, 1962. Fourteen year-old Pete’s fighting to claim his past. His older brother Jake’s hoping to forge a future. With their friends, they’ve embarked on a life-altering journey to the mine that took their father’s life. Featuring what is billed as "a vibrant, haunting bluegrass and pop-inspired score, this gripping new musical from an acclaimed new team will capture your heart as it finds the streaks of light within the darkness."

A co-production between Playwrights Horizons and Vineyard Theatre, the limited engagement will have its official opening on Tuesday, May 25 and continue through Sunday, June 13. New York City.

THE WICKED WILDE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Produced, adapted and directed by Lisa Wolpe. Starring John Achorn, Cynthia Beckert, Linda Bisesti, Mark Bramhall, Laura Covelli, David Glasser, Andrew Heffernan, Scott McRae, Heidi Rose Robbins, Katrinka Wolfson, Lisa Wolpe and Kevin Vavasseur.

Streamlined, gender-bending versions of classic plays in a five-week summer theater festival from the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company. Macbeth3 is a one-hour retelling of Shakespeare's creepiest tragedy in which three male actors perform a dozen roles, including Lady Macbeth and the diabolical Porter. A Tyrant's Tale is bill as "a gripping and fantastical one-hour adaptation of the Bard's The Winter's Tale that explores the nature of leadership, loyalty, and the redemptive power of enduring love." A gender-bent version of The Importance of Being Earnest features Lisa Wolpe as Jack and John Achorn as Lady Bracknell, highlighting the role-playing inherent in courtship and underscoring the play's unconventional attitudes towards romance and sexuality.

In Lovers and Madmen, an all female, student cast performs a selection of scenes from Shakespeare, playing both men and women in an inverted version of the Elizabethan practice of male actors playing everyone from Coriolanus to Cleopatra, and deftly exploring the meta-theatrical commentary on gender and sexuality inherent in Shakespeare's writing.

The Wicked Wilde Shakespeare Festival runs May 29 through June 27 at The Miles Memorial Playhouse, Santa Monica, CA.

EPICENE OR THE SILENT WOMAN Ben Jonson’s cross-dressing morality tale. Adapted and directed by Tom Berger, with assistant director Patrice Miller.

One of Ben Jonson’s lesser-known works, Epicene tells us of the paranoid Morose, his clever nephew and a new bride unlike any other in the classical theatre. Jonson took gender-bending and identity to a new and hilarious level, and according to the release "(re:) Directions Theatre is proud to ridiculously amplify and completely sully that noble tradition. Epicene is a biting satire on greed, snobbery, and the rampant existence of hypocrisy in society - on every level."

The cast of Epicene features Caitlin McColl, Gina Marie Jameison, Jonathan Cantor, Michael-Alan Read, Robert Gonzales Jr., Victoria Miller, Christopher Norwood, Lucy Gillespie, Michael Kirby, Josh Odess-Rubin, Sarah Knittel, and Kathryn Elisabeth Lawson.

Epicene or The Silent Woman is being performed at the 14th Street Theatre, NYC as a part of The Anybody But Shakespeare Classics Festival.

BOOM written by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb. Directed by Damaso Rodriguez.

This Los Angeles premiere stars 7-time Emmy nominee Julia Duffy with Furious ensemble members Nick Cernoch and Megan Goodchild.

The plot begins as a grad student's online personal ad lures a mysterious journalism student to his subterranean research lab under the pretense of an evening of "no strings attached" sex. When a major global catastrophic event strikes the planet, their date takes on evolutionary significance and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. The production received its World Premiere at Ars Nova in New York and has since received productions at such theatres as Woolly Mammoth in Washington, DC and Seattle Rep.

Scenic Design is by Kurt Boetcher. The Lighting Design is by Furious Ensemble member Christie Wright. The Sound Design is by Furious Ensemble member Doug Newell. Costume Design by Leah Piehl.

Presented by The Furious Theatre Company, the production officially opened on May 22 at The Carrie Hamilton Theatre in Pasadena, CA.

AN EVENING WITH RITA RUDNER the award-winning comedian and Las Vegas headliner is using her two days off from starring in Sin City to bring her sophisticated wit and clever one-liners to The Laguna Playhouse for an exclusive engagement. Rudner’s sharp timing and soft-spoken voice have become her trademarks while delivering hilarious and witty observations on everyday life. May 29-30 at the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna, CA. Rudner will also return for performances on August 15-16 and August 22-23. When she's not at the Laguna Playhouse she can be enjoyed at Harrah's Hotel in Las Vegas.

THE LATE MIDDLE CLASSES by Simon Gray. Directed by David Leveaux.

Celia is bored to distraction; Charles is obsessed with his work; and their son is having his first lessons in music and in life.

Simon Gray’s funny, melancholic and captivating play about a young boy trapped between two types of oppressive love reveals the frustration, secrets and guilt of middle-class respectability in 1950s England.

Cast includes; Eleanor Bron, Robert Glenister, Helen McCrory, Peter Sullivan, Harvey Allpress, and Felix Zadek-Ewing.

The creative team includes; Designer Mike Britton. Lighting Designer Hugh Vanstone. Composer Corin Buckeridge. Sound Designer Simon Baker.

Previews begin May 27 with performances through July 17, 2010 at the Donmar Warehouse in London.

WHO'S WHERE

SUTTON FOSTER a special performance by the Tony Award winner. Foster reunites with esteemed Music Director Michael Rafter for a special evening featuring Broadway show stoppers and selections from her debut album Wish. Premium Tickets also include a reception onstage with Sutton following the performance. Saturday, May 29 at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY.

CHRIS BOTTI appears at the Jazz Festival on Saturday, May 29, in Downtown Jacksonville, FL.

DIANA ROSS performs Tuesday, May 25, at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD. On Thursday she's on stage at the Chicago Theater in The Windy City. Friday finds her at the State Theatre in Cleveland, OH. On Saturday her tour stops at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK open a two night gig on Friday, May 28, at the Borgato Hotel in Atlantic City.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE IGUANA with hosts Dana Lorge and Richard Skipper. Barry Levitt on keyboard & Saadi Zain on bass. A Susan Winter Birthday tribute. Wednesdays guests include: Charisma (featuring Esther Beckman, Nina Grand, Scott LaChance, Mike Mulligan,Paul Auriemma, Joe Clenents, and MD Mike Leshowitz), Michelle Collier, Daryl Glenn, Julie Reyburn, Susan Winter - and a few other surprises as well! May 26 at the Iguana VIP Lounge in NYC.

JAMIE CULLUM entertains Tuesday, May 25, at the Coliseu Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal. On Wednesday the show is at La Riviera in Madrid. Thursday finds the singer at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barvelona. Saturday's performance is at the Volkshaus in Zurichm Switzerland. Next Sunday he can be enjoyed at the Austria Centre in Vienna, Austria.

TAYLOR SWIFT begins a two night stand, Tuesday, May 25, at the Toyota Center in Houston. On Saturday she appears as part of the Bayou Country Superfest at the LSU Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA.

BON JOVI has a three night gig beginning Wednesday, May 26, at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ.

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC Lionel Bringuier, conductor. Julian Rachlin performing on the violin. Immediately following the Friday performance, there will be a TalkBack, a question-and-answer session with special guests Lionel Bringuier and Julian Rachlin. May 28-30, Los Angeles.

MICHAEL BUBLE entertains Tuesday May 25, at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany. On Wednesday the show is at Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland. Friday finds the singer starring at O2 World in Berlin.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD performs Saturday, May 29, at the Comcast Arena in Everett, WA.

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND had a two night gig Friday and Saturday at the Comcast Theatre in Hartford, CT.

Next Column: May 30, 2010
Copyright: May 23, 2010. 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

U.S. Postal Address: Post Office Box 60831, Las Vegas, NV 89160
CLICK HERE FOR COMMENT SECTION