Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: May 5, 2024
By: Laura Deni
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NATIONAL TREASURE JESSICA LANGE STARS IN MOTHER PLAY

Jim Parsons, Jessica Lange, Celia Keenan-Bolger in Mother Play. Photo by Joan Marcus.

"I never wanted to be a mother . . . it's a life sentence." Mother Phyllis (Jessica Lange) tells her daughter Martha (Celia Keenan-Bolger).

Motherhood is a trying occupation. Too many times it is frustrating and unrewarding. Females are expected to become mothers. There are no training manuals, warranties or guarantees. It's on the job training, while those who have come before cough up bon-mots, even though they, too, weren't perfect and caused pain. An argument could be made that motherhood is why Valium was invented.

Mother Play, written by Paula Vogel, is another one of Vogel's creations in which her own family and experiences are the script's cartilage. The potential hazard with that is that every time a personal narrative is used the well becomes a little less deep.

Mother Play is set in a 40 years period beginning in 1964 moving to the present. It's subtitle is A Play in Five Evictions, referring to the number of times the family has been forced to move. Some of those evictions are the fault of Phyllis such as sending the rent in an envelope filled with dead bugs. Phyllis is trying to make a point that those bugs run rampant throughout her home. The landlord sees it differently.

Effectively directed by Tina Landau, the sets by David Zinn are outstanding - at first furniture choking the stage with the actors moving the pieces to compliment their dialogue. Costume design, which ranges from mood affirming drab to a plethora of color as if to defy negativity, is by Toni-Leslie James. in tune mood lighting design by Jen Schriever, and balanced sound by Jill B.C. Du Boff; Projection Design by Shawn Duan are all perfect.

Cigarettes and liquor are the support system for mother Phyllis. Her best friend appears to be her telephone. She has just separated from her abusive and cheating husband. In poverty and left with two children, her parenting skills are lacking. Son Carl (Emmy winner Jim Parsons) and daughter Martha (Tony winner Celia Keenan-Bolger) know that eventually they will be able to leave, although that knowledge doesn't make their circumstances any less daunting. They will also be carrying emotional baggage with them. They are cognizant that they will have to take care of, or deal with, their mother and her addictions and distorted view of life.

Both Parsons and Keenan-Bolger are total pros and excellent.

Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger in Mother Home. Photo: Joan Marcus

Topping fourteen-year-old Carl's wish list is being a member of the famed Algonquin Round Table, while his sister Martha uses looking like she dressed in a dumpster as armor to ward off advances from male bus riders.

They have basically raised themselves. Their mother, Phyllis, views her life and her children in a totally traditional philosophy, one which may never have existed at all - created out of magazine covers and product advertising.

Phyllis is moored in muck, unable to free herself as emotional flaying acts as quick sand trapping and pushing her resentment into an even more downward spiral. She excels at cursing. Phyllis can't cope.

She isn't so much off key with her children as not even in the score.

The children's survival skills are in some ways enabling - they light her cigarettes and pour her drinks. But, they are teenagers. They have little wiggle room to change anything.

Rigidity opinionated, raised a devout and conservative Catholic, the non-malleable Phyllis can neither accept her children for what they are - gay - or what they long to be - accepted. "All troubles begin with sexual repression," asserts Carl.

Comfortable with his sexuality and lifestyle, Carl attempts to explain his way of life in absurd ways he hopes his mother might understand - such casting himself as Anastasia Romanov in the midst of the Russian Revolution.

His mother chooses to emotionally deny and decry any attempts at understanding her son. She rejects him. She's frustrated at her lot in life, unable to either embrace it as it is or change. Carl heads off to college and leaves his sister as their mother's emotional punching bag.

In a scene which is over-long, topping 10 minutes, the incredible Lange as Phyllis is on stage alone. She utters not one word, not a syllable. She begins by staring out at the audience. Then her body movements hold your attention. She sets the dinner table for herself. A dignified, proper table with a rose serving as decoration. Her dinner is almost edible, but - like her life - not really consumed, and probably not well digested. For entertainment, or even a form of music therapy, she listens to the radio stream out American Standards. Not emotionally mollified, she attempts meditation, but is overcome by tears.

You don't want to miss the ending.

All three of the actors have been nominated for a Tony Award for their roles in this play while the play itself has also received a nomination.

The Mother Play with no intermission is part of Second Stage’s 45th Anniversary Season with performances at The Hayes Theater, NYC.

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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

NATIONAL GALLERY TURNS 200 and a Big Birthday Weekend is planned.

On Friday, May 10, the National Gallery in London kicks off their Bicentenary celebrations with a night of creativity and spectacle inspired by one of the greatest collections of paintings under one roof.

Join the evening of DJs, talks, bars, creative workshops and live music, including a special performance by Jools Holland for lucky ballot winners.

The party culminates with breathtaking projections from Trafalgar Square onto the Museum's iconic building.

Tickets include automatic entry into a ballot to see Jools perform live in the intimate setting of the Gallery.

SPRING EXHIBITION PARTY at the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Springs, CA takes place May 11, 2024.

Don't miss an unforgettable evening of mystical artistic inspiration at our Spring Exhibitions Party as they celebrate the opening of their newest exhibition "A Shadow Set Free," a selection of works that convey an otherworldly aura.

That quality of flair and mystery has inspired their party theme: Spring Noir.

They encouraging attendees to dress in striking hues—sapphire blue, ruby red, amethyst purple, citrine yellow, forest green. Flaunt your finest spring garb in an ambience of light and shadow!

Guests will enjoy live music, in-museum activations, curated cocktails, and delectable bites.

The party will be celebrating three exhibitions and the galleries will be open for viewing throughout the event.

A Shadow Set Free
Norman Zammitt: Gradations
To Move Toward the Limits of Living: LGBTQ+ Works from the Collection

Music by C.Love and MAAD an American artist, singer, songwriter, model, and DJ. Performances by Four elemental conduits—Skynsuit, Abhora, Kloud and Obsidienne—are charged with the coming of Spring. Join them as they channel the art of transformation, performance, ritual, music and dance in the idiom of drag—to celebrate not only a new exhibition for the museum but provide an invocation for paradigm shifts in the world.

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SWEET CHARITY

QUEEN CAMILLA

Queen Camilla (front row center) and her 300 suppporters of helping sexual assault victims. Photo: The Royal Family

hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace last week to recognize supporters of survivors of sexual assault. She welcomed around 300 guests to the palace for the reception, including staff from Sexual Assault Refferal Centers (SARCs), service users and representatives from charities, the police, health services and the some of the specialized centers she has visited.

"Each one of you has a powerful story to tell: whether you work in this country or overseas; whether you are based in a refuge, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre, a charity, Parliament, or, most important of all, you are a survivor.

"Your stories and your experiences are vital tools as we seek to bring about change: to forge a world in which people, whoever and wherever they are, do not live in fear of being abused," she continued. "As I have often heard victims say: speaking about the experience is one of the key ways to survive it. By sharing with one another today, we can strengthen our alliance against sexual abuse in all its forms."

According to rapecrisis.org.uk "1 in 4 women have been raped or sexually assaulted as an adult (6.54 million women in total);1 in 6 children have been sexually abused; 1 in 18 men have been raped or sexually assaulted as an adult (1.34 million men in total).

"Most survivors don't report it to the police. 5 in 6 women who are raped don’t report – and the same is true for 4 in 5 men. Lots of these survivors tell someone else what happened. So, why don't they tell the police? 40% said 'embarrassment' - 38% said they didn’t think the police could help - 34% said they thought it would be humiliating."

In America, on average, there are 433,648 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year. 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted). 1 out of every 10 rape victims are male.

"9 in 10 girls and young women in schools say: Sexist name-calling and being sent unwanted 'dick pics' or other images of a sexual nature happens to them or other girls and young women their age," according to rapecrisis.org.uk.

The Buckingham Palace event also marked the relaunch of the Wash Bags project, reviving a venture she initiated in 2013. As the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla launched the project after learning the stories of survivors of rape and sexual abuse through visits to Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs). The program provides toiletries to those affected by rape and abuse, with the kits offered at SARCs after examinations as a gesture of comfort.

"The aim of the washbags was to create something that would be 'a crumb of comfort' to those finding themselves in this horrendous position," Queen Camilla explained.

The Queen has long made supporting victims of rape, domestic violence and sexual abuse a key priority of her public work, aiming to break taboos and end the cycle of violence.

The Wash Bags project has been revamped with the charity In Kind Direct (which King Charles founded in 1996 as the Prince of Wales) as the distributor, with U.K. health and beauty chain Walgreens-owned Boots donating the products.

Boots is the UK's leading health and beauty retailer. With 2100 stores ranging from local community pharmacies to large destination health and beauty stores. The pharmacy-led health and beauty chain has state-of-the-art skin scanning technology and has a dermatologist-trained pharmacist.

Boots has proudly supported Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s Wash Bags initiative since 2017. To date, Boots has donated over 50,000 wash bags filled with essential toiletries, which are distributed to Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) across the UK. In December 2023, Boots announced its commitment to provide donations for a further three years. During this time, it will donate a further 9,500 bags per year, which will be distributed across 65 SARCs.

THE JANICE JAM: BROADWAY FOR BREAST CANCER the second annual concert benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), takes place at Haswell Green’s in New York City on Monday, May 13th, 2024.

This year’s event invites guests to one of the most power-packed and exciting benefit concert events of the year with 100% of net proceeds funding metastatic breast cancer research grants through BCRF, the largest private funder of breast cancer research worldwide.

Tony Award Winner Audra McDonald, Tony Award Nominees Will Swenson, and Norm Lewis will be joining the special evening virtually, with live performances from Omar Jose Cardona, Jackie Cox, Kayla Davion, Matt DeAngelis, Lissa DeGuzman, Christine Dwyer, Tony-Award Winner John Gallagher Jr., Julia Hoffman, Bre Jackson, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Eric Michael Krop, 2024 Olivier Award nominee Caissie Levy, Jelani Remy, Colleen Sextonm Talia Suskauer, Ryan Vona, and Nik Walker, and some additional surprises. The evening’s band, led by Jacob Yates (musical director/keys), includes Rich Mercurio (drums), Lee Nadel (bass), Meg Toohey (guitar), Yair Evnine (Guitar/Cello), and special guest saxophonist Andrew Gutauskas (Charlie Rosen’s Broadway Big Band & 8-Bit Big Band). Pre-show entertainment for all guests at Haswell Green’s by Margo Mayhem, with special acoustic sets for a VIP pre-show reception featuring AJ Holmes & Caitlin Cook and John Gallagher Jr.

Keep the party going at Janice Jam Afterglow presented by Stage Time. When the Jam is over, dance the night away with DJ Mike Borowski, live music from Julia Hoffman and Andrew Gutauskas, sword swallowing by Gin Minskey, burlesque performers, and more. You don’t want to miss the best of NYC’s nightlife gathered in one place. Special beverages are sponsored by DE-NADA Tequila, New Amsterdam Vodka, Pink Whitney Vodka, and High Noon Spirits with additional support from Clarins.

This annual event is the brainchild of actor Matt DeAngelis, who lost his mother, Janice, in 2022 to metastatic breast cancer. To honor her and the countless people affected by this disease, he, alongside friends and Broadway industry colleagues, is culling another evening of Celebration, Remembrance, and Awareness, with guests singing, dancing, and helping bring funding to this special cause. This event serves as an annual celebration of Janice, her love for theater, and raising money for the millions of people affected by breast and other types of cancer.

The event will be on Monday, May 13th, 2024; doors open at 6:00 pm with pre-show entertainment. Specialty cocktails, a cash bar, and a full menu will be available to all attendees throughout the evening.

100% of net proceeds benefit BCRF’s breast cancer research initiatives.

2024 CURTAIN CALL BALL Under the Same Stars: Building a Legacy for Milwaukee Repertory Theater, takes place Saturday, May 11, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s annual Curtain Call Ball is its largest event of the year, gathering over 400 guests to enjoy lively auctions, gourmet dining, and riveting entertainment. The gala event provides essential funds for Milwaukee Rep’s artistic and educational programming. As a non-profit organization, Milwaukee Repertory Theater relies on the continued support of corporations and individuals to ensure it is providing the highest caliber work to the region. Funds raised at the 2024 Curtain Call Ball will support the Powering Milwaukee Campaign — Milwaukee Rep’s Capital Campaign to fund the creation of a state-of-the-art theater complex. The ambitious project includes three new performance spaces, a large unified lobby providing ample opportunities for community events, an expanded offsite production center employing hundreds of local artisans, and venues with modern and accessible audience amenities. The new Associated Bank Theater Complex will define the standard of theater in Wisconsin.

This gala event will feature a celestial theme with glittering cocktail attire (expansive blues and purples with pops of shimmering metallics).

Mark Clements, Artistic Director. Chad Bauman, Executive Director,

2024 Curtain Call Ball Committee - Auction Committee - and Corporate Committee co-chairs are:
Ellen and Joe Checota - Diep and Jason Graham - Diane and Andy Harmening - Anne and Chris Noyes - Eric Durant - Dante Houston - Jason Graham - Adam Peck.

WE'RE NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA a fundraising event for Theatre West and Asian American Drug Addiction Program for this AAPI Heritage Month.

The development of "We're Not Your Cup of Tea" started with a spark of cultural celebration and a commitment to diversity!

By fusing the power of storytelling with advocacy, these artists aim to tackle critical issues and celebrate the vibrant diversity of the Asian American community. This collaboration isn't just about entertainment, it's about empowerment. From dispelling stereotypes to heartwarming tales and thought-provoking narratives, this event is a tribute to the resilience of the Asian American experience. Accompanied by various talented performance artists and esteemed guest speakers.

Saturday, May 11, 2024 at Theatre West in Los Angeles, CA.

CHICAGO RITA HAYWORTH GALA benefiting the Alzheimer's Association takes place May 11, 2024 at the Old Post Office in Chicago.

Join in for an evening of dinner and dancing in generous support of the Alzheimer's Association.

Rita Hayworth, sadly, was not diagnosed with Alzheimer's until long after she showed symptoms. Her odd behavior and inability to memorize her lines was blamed on her use of alcohol.

Rita's daughter Princess Yasmin Aga Khan created the galas more than three decades ago, in memory of her mother, Rita Hayworth, a Hollywood legend whose life was cut short by early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Held annually in New York and Chicago, the Rita Hayworth events have collectively raised more than $90 million since 1984 to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association’s care, support and research programs, while bringing awareness to the disease.

SPREADING THE WORD

DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS A PAT SAJAK CENTER FOR VISUAL ARTS AT HILLSDALE COLLEGE in Hillsdale, Michigan? There is.

The soon to retire wheel spinner has served on the Board of Trustees since 2002. He was the vice chairman from 2003 to 2019 and was named chairman in 2019, and is described as "a longtime supporter of Hillsdale".

He is slated to deliver the 2024 address at the 172nd spring commencement ceremony on May 11th.

The Sajak Center for Visual Arts expands the resources available to students enrolled in the Film and Documentary Program, and will be used for the production of online courses and K–12 instructional videos. A leadership gift from Board of Trustees Chairman Pat Sajak and his wife Lesly inaugurated the project.

On February, 2024 it was announced that construction on the Pat Sajak Visual Media Center had been completed.

The project required two construction phases: one for the studio and one for the surrounding office spaces. The 10,500-square-foot visual media studio is completely soundproof, featuring smooth floors for rolling cameras, a green room, and room for sets, makeup, and equipment.

Director of Visual Media and Marketing Mark Waters has been quoted as saying: that "the usable studio space is 80 by 60 feet, and can hold four to five filming sets. This will allow the visual media team to work on more projects at a time, including commercials, online courses, and videos for K-12 outreach.

"While the building will primarily serve the media and marketing teams, students will also have the opportunity to use the space to film documentaries."

MARK TAPER FORUM LEGACY READINGS resume with The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, written by Daniel Berrigan and directed by Michael John Garcés. This will be the first play featured as a Taper Legacy Reading when it returns to the Taper stage for a one-night-only reading on May 18, 2024.

The play received its world premiere at the Taper in 1971, in a production commissioned and directed by Center Theatre Group Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson. The reading will feature film, television, and Broadway veteran Bill Pullman, taking on the role of the author, Daniel Berrigan.

The Catonsville Nine were a group of Catholic peace activists including Jesuit priest Daniel Berrigan, who put their lives and careers on the line when they broke into the Catonsville, Maryland draft board office on May 17, 1968, took 378 draft folders from the files, and burned them in the parking lot using homemade napalm in protest of the Vietnam War. The incident was one of the most famous of its time and inspired hundreds more anti-war demonstrations—as well as this searing dramatization of the events.

This first installment of the Taper Legacy Reading Series will be presented in an engaging multi-media format with captivating stories and details from the 1971 production, dramatic monologues, and video bringing this landmark play to life in the Taper once again. J writer and editor Gustavo Arellano.

As part of CTG:FWD, an initiative committed to special events, community gatherings, and legacy projects, established last fall by CTG's Artistic Director Snehal Desai, the Taper Legacy Readings were created to honor CTG’s past and share readings from the Taper vault, while also welcoming a new era for the organization. The next Taper Legacy Reading will take place on Saturday, June 15, 2024.

GOODSPEED MUSICALS proudly welcomes Tony award-winning playwright, composer and lyricist Rupert Holmes for a special talkback and to sign his New York Times best-selling mystery novel, Murder Your Employer, exclusively for the Goodspeed audience between performances of The Mystery of Edwin Drood at The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn. Holmes will hold the talkback on Wednesday, May 8, after the matinee performance, and sign books immediately following. He will also sign books before the evening performance. The public is welcome to attend the talkback and book signing if they do not have tickets for the performances. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Holmes latest novel Murder Your Employer reached #6 on the New York Times' best-selling hardcover fiction list, #1 on Barnes and Noble's Bestseller List, was one of their Top Ten Mysteries of 2023, and one of Amazon's Best 50 Books of 2023. It will be the Barnes and Noble Mystery Pick of May. The Audiobook read by Neil Patrick Harris has been at #1 or the nearby vicinity for over a year at Amazon, and was nominated for an Audie award for Best Mystery Audiobook. It is currently being translated into 11 foreign language editions and has already been released in England with a rave from the London Times.

Holmes was the first person to singly win Tony Awards for book, music and lyrics of a musical, this for The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which also won the Tony for Best Musical in 1986. The Drama Desk bestowed all identical honors with yet another to Holmes for Best Orchestration. Drood’s 2012-2013 Broadway return received a Best Revival Tony nomination. Holmes has written, arranged and conducted platinum recordings for Barbra Streisand and is a pop songwriter of Top 40 recordings including his own #1 hit (and a personal favorite of Broadway To Vegas) Escape (The Pina Colada Song).

The Mystery of Edwin Drood is currently playing at the Goodspeed in East Haddam and runs through June 2nd, 2024.

HOT DOG IN THE CITY takes place in Times Square, New York City throughout this month.

Street meat reaches new heights... and lengths. Artists Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw bring Times Square a 65-foot hot dog sculpture, which rises into the sky and sprays confetti each day at noon.

Not only that, but on May 10 it's The Hottest Dog Show. NYC's most captivating canine will be crowned at this four-legged beauty pageant co-presented with the AKC Museum of the Dog, with discerning judges awarding prizes in the swimwear, talent, and congeniality categories.

May 17th has a hot dog eating contest. Under the shadow of a 65-foot hot dog sculpture, Nathan's Famous and Major League Eating will host a real deal hot dog eating contest featuring known competitors and amateur eaters alike.

EVERY YEAR ON MOTHER'S DAY"MOMentum Place" creates a fantastical world of aerial and circus performers, dancers and musicians in the rustic outdoor amphitheater at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga, CA.

Bring your mother to honor the MOMentum in her life — always on the go for others. Now, she can sit back and relax and enjoy an uncommon afternoon of performance delights that are kid-friendly and full of surprises. For an extra treat, enjoy a scrumptious Mother’s Day brunch in the Theatricum gardens before the performance. Sunday May 12, 2024. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is an outdoor space terraced into the hillside of the rustic canyon. Audience members are advised to dress casually and bring cushions for bench seating.

THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST ALBUM OF GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL featuring Grammy Award winners and Tony Award nominees Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells has been released digitally and will be available physically on Friday, May 17 from Center Stage Records and Yellow Sound Label. The album also features comedy legend Mel Brooks in the role of the 'Guest Producer.'

The album is produced and mixed by 12-time Emmy winner and three time Grammy Award nominee Michael Croiter. Music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations are by T.O. Sterrett, vocal supervision is by Liz Caplan, and music direction is by Paguia.

Written by Tony and Emmy Award nominees Scott Brown and Anthony King, and directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers. The production became the talk of the town with a never-ending stream of Guest Producers who "ate dreams" with Gad and Rannells including Hillary Rodham Clinton, Steve Martin & Martin Short, Billy Crystal, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kerry Washington, Anne Hathaway & Anna Wintour, Will Ferrell, Patti LuPone, Ariana DeBose, "Weird" Al Yankovic, Al Roker, Senator Chuck Schumer, Cynthia Erivo, Nathan Lane, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenowith, LaChanze, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jordan Fisher, Steve Guttenberg, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog (and Robert Smigel), and Audra McDonald.

THE LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION has launched the third annual Leading Ladies of Entertainment Connect TogetHER mentorship program, in partnership with She Is The Music, a global nonprofit that works to increase the number of women in music. Founder of RondenePR, a music and entertainment public relations firm Róndine Alcalá, recording and mixing engineer and Vice President of N.A.R.S Records/Dream Asylum Studios Marcella Araica, Latin Grammy winning sound-engineer Maria Elisa Ayerbe, Latin Grammy winning artist Goyo, Latin Grammy winning and Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Mon Laferte, Founder & CEO, Nevarez Communications and Chapter Chair Women in Music Miami Mayna Nevarez, award winning journalist Pamela Silva, Grammy-nominated engineer and vocal producer Simone Torres, Latin Grammy winning composer Mónica Vélez and SVP Marketing and Promotion at Sony Music Entertainment México Ana Villacorta López will be the mentors of this year’s collaborative program, which will provide one-on-one virtual mentoring sessions with young women looking to follow a career in the music and entertainment industries.

Paying-it-forward and forging opportunities for future generations is a core pillar of the program, and for the third year the Leading Ladies of Entertainment Connect TogetHER Panel presented by Spotify for Artists, will expand access to these Leading Ladies expertise. The panel moderated by mentees, Stephanie Acosta and Valeria Peñaranda features’ conversations with Róndine Alcalá, Maria Elisa Ayerbe and Mayna Nevarez.

The Leading Ladies of Entertainment initiative was created by The Latin Recording Academy in 2016 to honor and recognize professional and socially conscious women within the arts and entertainment fields who have made significant contributions and inspired the next generation of female leaders. She Is The Music (SITM) is a global nonprofit working to increase the number of women in music and transform the gender landscape of the industry. Operating as a unifying network for the music business and beyond, SITM provides resources and support for female-focused initiatives, both through its own programs as well as external efforts worldwide. A first-of-its-kind collaboration, SITM is powered by industrywide representation: creators, publishers, record labels, talent agencies, management companies, industry groups, think tanks, media companies, streaming services and more. Entertainment Industry Foundation serves as a partner.

HARRY CONNICK, JR kicks off his Summer performance dates with back to back shows in Boston, MA at Symphony Hall. Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11, 2024.

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THE 77TH ANNUAL TONY AWARDS will be hosted by Ariana DeBose and will be broadcast live on June 16 from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York on CBS and streaming live (for subscribers with Showtime) and on demand on Paramount+. A preshow will air on Paramount’s free streaming service PlutoTV and feature select awards presentations.

The Tony nominees were selected by an independent committee of 44 theater professionals appointed by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. 836 Tony voters in the theater community will now vote on the categories.

The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. To view the complete slate of nominees click here

THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM is the Nation's highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the ... On Friday, May 3, 2024 President Biden awarded the Medal of Freedom to 19 recipients, including individuals associated with entertainment.

Biden spoke about each recipient individually before giving them their medals. He recalled how former President Kennedy established the Medal of Freedom award 61 years ago.

The recipients are:
Media personality and talk show host pioneer Phil Donohue
Actor Michelle Yeoh the first Asian to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky
Activist Opal Lee
Former Secretary of State John Kerry
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
Former Vice President Al Gore (D)
Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.)
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D)
Gregory J. Boyle, a Jesuit Catholic priest who founded Homeboy Industries.
Former Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.)
Civil rights activist Clarence B. Jones
Astronaut Ellen Ochoa
Astronomer Jane Rigby
United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero
Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard, who was attacked and later died of his injuries in one of the most notorious anti-gay hate crimes in U.S. history
Posthumously, Biden honored civil rights activist Medgar Wiley Evers, who was murdered in 1963, former Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.), and Jim Thorpe, a multi-sport athlete who was the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal.



JUDGMENT DAY by award-winning TV screenwriter Rob Ulin.

Directed by Tony nominated Moritz von Stuelpnagel.

Sammy Campo, a staggeringly corrupt, morally bankrupt lawyer who's threatened with eternal damnation by a terrifying angel after a near-death experience. In a desperate attempt to redeem himself, Sammy forms an unlikely bond with a Catholic priest who is having his own crisis of faith. Filled with razor-sharp wit, this deliciously devious comedy rollicks through the timeless questions of Western philosophy—"morality," "faith," and "Are people any damn good?"

Starring as Sammy Campo Emmy and Tony Award-winner Jason Alexander who is making his Chicago stage debut.

Featuring: Maggie Bofill as Tracy - Tony nominated Daniel Breaker as Father Michael - Candy Buckley as Angel - Olivia Denise Dawson as Della - Joe Dempsey as Jackson - Michael Kostroff as Monsignor - Ellis Myers as Casper - Meg Thalken as Edna.

The creatives are: Beowulf Boritt Scenic Designer - Tilly Grimes Costume Designer - Amith Chandrashaker Lighting Designer - Mikaal Sulaiman Sound Designer - Tommy Kurzman Hair and Make-up Designer - Max Fabian Fight and Intimacy Director - Mallory Metoxen Assistant Director - Alexis Distler Assistant Scenic Designer - Caity Mulkearns Assistant Costume Designer - Max Grano De Oro Assistant Lighting Designer - Bob Mason Chicago Casting Director - Laura Stanczyk, C.S.A. New York Casting Director - Jinni Pike Production Stage Manager - Mary Zanger Assistant Stage Manager.

Judgment Day at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, has performances through May 26, 2024.

MARY SAID WHAT SHE SAID written by novelist and playwright Darryl Pinckney.

Directed by Robert Wilson.

Set and lighting design by Robert Wilson. This UK premiere is and features an evocative classical score by the Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi.

Academy Award nominee Isabelle Huppert and director Robert Wilson reunite on this breathtaking show charting the life and torments of Mary Stuart, the sovereign whose passions cost her a crown.

Mary Said What She Said is the testimony of Mary Queen of Scots drawn from her letters about her involvement in some of the most notorious plots of her time. She is lying, but on the eve of execution has fear persuaded her that she is telling the truth?

Mary Stuart is a woman who battled the forces of history in order to control her own destiny. Even as she faces martyrdom after nineteen years in captivity, her spirit remains unbroken. Award-winning French actress Isabelle Huppert gives a tour de force performance in this remarkable production from Théâtre de la Ville–Paris.

May 10-12, 2024 at the Barbican in London.

A COMPLICATED WOMAN Book by Ianne Fields Stewart. Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Brielle. Additional Lyrics by: Sam Salmond.

Director and Choreographer by Tony award nomiee Jeff Calhoun.

Music Director Debra Barsha.

John Kenley was a theatre impresario who brought Hollywood stars like Gene Kelly and Ann Miller to Ohio’s summer stock stages. But when summer ended, he wintered in Florida where John disappeared… and Jean came to life. A Complicated Woman is a new musical that features a Golden Age score and a gender-diverse cast. Join us for the intriguing story of a theatre legend who had to navigate the joy, pain and pitfalls of leading a double life.

Nora Brigid Monahan who will play John/Jean. L Morgan Lee will play Nina Mae. Oscar will be played by Christian Brailsford. Myrtle will be played by Klea Blackhurst. Lee Shubert will be played by Danny Rutigliano. Carl will be played by Dashiell Gregory. Muhlaysia will be played by Zachary A. Myers. Diamond will be played by Arewà Basit.

The ensemble will feature Bryan Munar and Siena Rafter.

The creatives are: Music direction by Debra Barsha. Scenic Designer: Tobin Ost. Costume Designer: Phuong Nguy?n. Lighting Designer: Jason Lyons. Sound Designer: Jay Hilton. Wig, Hair & Make-Up Designer: Tommy Kurzman. Co-Orchestrators: Jonathan Brielle and Nathan Dame. Production Stage Manager: Devin Day. Casting: Paul Hardt / Hardt Casting.

A Complicated Woman will appear at Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre from May 10 – June 2 in Chester, Conn.

THE PREACHER'S WIFE book by Azie Dungey. Music and lyrics by Tituss Burgess. Based upon the motions pictures The Bishop's Wife starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven and produced by Samuel Goldwyn; The Preacher's Wife starring Whitney Houston, Denzel Washington, Courtney B. Vance and produced by Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. and the novel The Bishop's Wife written by Robert Nathan.

Directed by Michael Arden and Tinashe Kajese-Bolden.

In their fast-gentrifying Harlem neighborhood, Preacher Henry and his wife Julia struggle to keep their congregation going in the face of development. When all seems lost, Henry asks God for help, and receives it in the form of an angel. But will this mysterious newcomer really help or make matters worse? Through it all, Julia must find her voice and the strength to lead their congregation through the crisis, reminding them that a church is not a building, but the people who inhabit it and the love they share.

Starring Amber Riley as Julia Bigga, Akron Lanier Wilson as Henry and Donald Webster, Jr as Dudley. Sharing the stage are: Emmy award winning Loretta Devine as Marguerite Coleman (in the movie 20 years ago Devine played Beverly) , Rebecca E. Covington as Beverly, Alan H. Green as Joe Hamilton, Jahi Kearse as Deacon Lewis, Davis Michael Matthews as Hakeem, Cameron McCrae as Jeremiah, Wayne Pretlow as Ol’ Mac, and Brad Raymond as Deacon Johnson.

The ensemble will include Wesley J. Barnes, Brianna Bellamy, Angela Birchett, Laila Bollar, Melessie Clark, Cedrick Ekra, Cyniah Elise, Darius Harper, Toneisha Harris, Shaq Hester, Brianna Javis, Harper Miles, Amma Osei, Kala Ross, Drew Shade, Michael Stiggers, Alicia Thomas, Damani Van Rensalier, and Helen Marla White. Undestudy Ashley Jenkins rounds out the company.

The creatives are: choreographer Matthew Johnson Harris, music supervisor James Sampliner, scenic designers Dane Laffrey and Teresa L. Williams, costume designer Sarafina Bush, lighting designer Jennifer Schriever, sound designer Joshua D. Reid, wig designer Cookie Jordan, and illusionist Skylar Fox.

May 14 - June 16, 2024 at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

THE BODY'S MIDNIGHT Written by Tira Palmquist.

Directed by Jessica Kubzansky.

Starring Ryan W. Garcia, Jonathan Nichols-Navarro, Sonal Shah, Keliher Walsh.

What does it mean to discover America? Anne (IAMA ensemble member Keliher Walsh) and David (Jonathan Nichols-Navarro) are determined to find out, as they embark on the perfect American road trip. They have a map, an impressive list of sights to see, and an itinerary that should get them to St. Paul, home of daughter Katie and son-in-law Wolf (IAMA members Sonal Shah and Ryan W. Garcia), just in time for the birth of their first grandchild. But their perfect plan is derailed by a troubling diagnosis and the beautiful impermanence of the world around them. As Anne and David veer off of their intended path, they are forced to grapple with the unavoidably messy and breathtaking journey of their lives.

The creative team includes scenic designer Nicholas Ponting; lighting designer Benedict Conran; sound designer John Zalewski; video and projections designer David Murakami and associate projections designer Sam Clevenger; costume designer Mylette Nora; properties designer Cindy Campos; intimacy director Carly DW Bones; and dramaturg Adrian Centeno. IAMA ensemble member Anisha Adusumilli is associate director. Jasmine Kalra is the production manager, Jesse Soto is the technical director and Jasmine Leung is the production stage manager. The IAMA team includes season producer Quinn O'Connor and co-producer Katharine Means.

The Body’s Midnight was developed with Boston Court’s Playwrights Group and given a staged reading as part of that company’s 19th annual New Play Reading Festival before being selected for the current co-production.

IAMA Theatre Company and Boston Court Pasadena have joined forces to present this poetic and surprising new play about the complicated, ridiculous, awe-inspiring trajectory of life. Boston Court artistic director Jessica Kubzansky directs the world premiere of The Body’s Midnight by Tira Palmquist, running through May 26 at Boston Court in Pasadena,CA.

A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER based on the comedic novel by Roy Horniman and brought to life by Robert L. Freedman Book and Lyrics and Steven Lutvak Music and Lyrics.

Directed by The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's new Artistic Director Brian B. Crowe.

The s cast includes: Christopher Sutton plays all eight of the ill-fated D'Ysquith heirs who fall prey to the charming and murderous Monty Navarro, portrayed by Miles Jacoby. The cast also features Lauren Cohn as Miss Shingle, Eryn LeCroy as Phoebe D'Ysquith, and Claire Leyden as Sibella Hallward. The production also includes Javier Alfonso Castellanos, Bobby Cook Gallagher, Francesca Mehrotra, James Conrad Smith, Kayla Ryan Walsh, and Katie Zaffrann.

"Freedman and Lutvack's delightfully wicked comedy unites unforgettable music, sharp wit, decadent characters, and a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end. They have transformed a comic crime novel from 1907 into a knock-'em dead riotous musical comedy that continues to leave audiences rolling in the aisles."

The creative team includes Doug Oberhamer (music director), Dick Block (set design), Austin Blake Conlee (costume design), Matt Weisgable (lighting design), Steve Beckel (sound design), Jeffrey Marc Alkins (choreography), Julie Foh (dialect consultant), and Carolyn Fast serves as Production Stage Manager.

A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, marking The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's first musical in over a decade.

Performances will run from May 15th through June 9th at FM Kirby Shakespeare Theatre on the campus of Drew University in Madison, NJ.

MEAN GIRLS the record-breaking new musical comedy adapted from the hit Paramount Pictures film, Book by Tina Fey, composer Jeff Richmond, lyricist Nell Benjamin.

Directed by Casey Nicholas.

Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naive newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on The Plastics, a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.

Starring in the tour are Natalie Shaw as Cady Heron, Maya Petropoulos as Regina George, Kristen Amanda Smith as Gretchen Wieners, MaryRose Brendel as Karen Smith, Alexys Morera as Janis Sarkisian, Ethan Jih-Cook as Damian Hubbard, Kristen Seggio as Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George, Joseph Torres as Aaron Samuels, Shawn Mathews as Kevin G, and Justin Phillips as Mr. Duvall.

The cast also features Megan Arseneau, Thalia Atallah, Darius Aushay, Lucas Hallauer, Mikey Corey Hassel, Tyler Jung, Reagan Kennedy, Joi D. McCoy, Oshie Mellon, Victoria Mesa, Brandon Moreno, Jonah Nash, Justin O’Brien, Mikaela Rada, Emily Ann Stys, and Ryan Vogt.

Two performances each day - Saturday, May 11, 2024 and Sunday, May 12, 2024. at the State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick, NJ.

STILL by Lia Romeo.

Directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt.

Following a successful run at the Dorset Theatre Festival in 2023, Tony Award nomineeJayne Atkinson and Emmy Award nomineeTim Daly will be reprising their acclaimed roles as Helen and Mark in this new play for anyone who’s ever wondered "what if?"

Thirty years ago, Helen and Mark broke up, but they never completely forgot about each other. When they meet for dinner to catch up, the flame is rekindled... but Mark is running for Congress, and Helen has a secret that could derail his bid. Lost love is revisited and an avocado goes flying in this comedy about getting older, political divisions, and roads not taken.

The creatives are: scenic design by Alexander Woodward; costume design by Barbara A. Bell; lighting design by Reza Behjat; sound design by Hidenori Nakajo; and production stage manager Caren Celine Morris.

A limited run only to May 18, 2024 at DR2 Theatre in New York City.

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME by Heidi Schreck.

Produced and Directed by caryn desai [sic].

Starring Kelley Dorney, Tom Trudgeon and Sheila Correa.

What if we were in charge of creating America today? What kind of future do we want for ourselves? A new production of What the Constitution Means to Me, this hilarious, witty and refreshingly honest play garnered Obie and New York Drama Critics’ Circle awards for best new American play and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Inspired by her experiences at age15 when she traveled the country entering Constitutional debate competitions to earn scholarship money for college, Schreck’s funny, hopeful and achingly human play digs deep into the document’s beauty and contradictions. Actor Kelley Dorney resurrects Schreck's teenage and present self to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women in her family and the founding document that shaped their lives. Joining Dorney onstage are Tom Trudgeon and Sheila Correa.

The creative team includes set designer Tim Mueller, lighting designer Donny Jackson, costume designer Kim DeShazo, sound designer Dave Mickey and prop designer Patty Briles. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA and Richie Ferris, CSA.

The limited engagement has performances through May 19 at International City Theatre (ICT’s) home in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, in Long Beach, CA.

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FINAL OVATION

FRANK STELLA celebrated artist of minimalist power, died March 4, 2024 in New York City. He was 87.

Stella achieved early fame with a series of monochromatic paintings that helped establish minimalism as an alternative to abstract expressionism in the late 1950s. He then spent the next several decades creating colorful works that seemed to repudiate his youthful principles. In 1967, Stella designed the set and costumes for Scramble, a dance piece by Merce Cunningham. The Museum of Modern Art in New York presented a retrospective of Stella's work in 1970, making him the youngest artist to receive one. During the following decade, Stella introduced relief, which he came to call "maximalist" painting for its sculptural qualities. After introducing wood and other materials in the Polish Village series (1973), his Minimalism became baroque. In 1976, Stella was commissioned by BMW to paint a BMW 3.0 CSL for the second installment in the BMW Art Car Project. He said of this project, "The starting point for the art cars was racing livery. The graph paper is what it is, a graph, but when it's morphed over the car's forms it becomes interesting. Theoretically it's like painting on a shaped canvas."

In 1969, Stella was commissioned to create a logo for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Centennial.

From 1978 to 2005, Stella owned the Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart building in Manhattan's East Village and used it as his studio which resulted in the facade being restored. After a six-year campaign by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, in 2012 the historic building was designated a New York City Landmark. After 2005, Stella split his time between his West Village apartment and his Newburgh, New York studio.

On June 6, 2008, Stella (with Artists Rights Society president Theodore Feder; Stella is a member artist of the Artists Rights Society published an Op-Ed for The Art Newspaper decrying a proposed U.S. Orphan Works law which "remove[s] the penalty for copyright infringement if the creator of a work, after a diligent search, cannot be located".

In the Op-Ed, Stella wrote, The Copyright Office presumes that the infringers it would let off the hook would be those who had made a "good faith, reasonably diligent" search for the copyright holder. Unfortunately, it is totally up to the infringer to decide if he has made a good faith search. The Copyright Office proposal would have a disproportionately negative, even catastrophic, impact on the ability of painters and illustrators to make a living from selling copies of their work...

He is survived by his second wife Harriet McGurk whom he married in 1978.

Next Column: May 12, 2024
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Laura Deni

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