Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: May 7, 2017
By: Laura Deni
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NEED A FEEL GOOD MUSICAL? SAY HELLO TO DOLLY

Bette Midler in Hello Dolly! Photo: Julieta Cervantes

Hello Dolly! is the comfort food of musicals. The 1964 musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955, can be enjoyed in a hit Broadway revival which stars Bette Midler as matchmaker Dolly Levy.

Midler owns the show.

The show has become one of the most enduring musical theatre hits, with four Broadway revivals and international success. It was also made into the 1969 film Hello Dolly! that was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and won three.

Still, Midler owns this revival.

There was an opening advance of $40 million. During the first week of performances the musical broke the highest gross weekly record.

Thank Bette Midler.

Directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks with high-stepping, intricate and exhaustive choreography by Tony winner Warren Carlyle, there are a few little, important tweaks, but basically the musical that has been adored for years is staged under the wise philosophy of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

If Dolly didn't descend those famous steps in that red dress, a riot would probably ensue. Midler knows how to make an entrance. The three-time Tony Award winner Santo Loquasto's awesome period costumes are created with a perfect co-existence of sherbet hues and day-glow. There are times when it looks like a fireworks factory exploded - a jaw dropping stunning spectacle; his staging is era appropriate exquisite. He also earned a Tony nomination for this show.

Five-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz's lighting design is impressive and Tony Award winner Scott Lehrer's sound design is an aural pleasure.

It's a vibrant production both in staging and performance energy.

Beanie Feldstein as Minnie Fay, Taylor Trensch as Barnaby Tucker, Kate Baldwin as Irene Molloy, and and Gavin Creel as Cornelius Hackl. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

Tweaks include the inclusion of Horace Vangergelder's (David Hyde Pierce) solo Penny in My Pocket, which was cut prior to the original Broadway opening for reasons of time has been adding, opening Act Two in front of the curtain.

David Hyde Pierce as old man Horace Vandergelder knows how to play cranky.

The last revival which ran for 11 previews and 166 performances starring Carol Channing, who originated the role, had 22 musicians. Tony award winning arranger Larrry Hochman, who has received a Tony nomination for his work on this production - gives new vibrancy to a well known score. He has the same number of instruments for this revival but he's slightly changed the configuration - using three trombones instead of two and reducing the violin section from five to four.

The arrangements better fit a brassy broad like Midler. Calling the multi-talented Midler a 'brassy broad' - is a serious compliment.

Midler owns this show.

Somehow when Midler as Dolly gnaws the meat off a turkey bone and drinks from a gravy boat it seems "appropriate."

Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce in Hello Dolly! Photo: Julieta Cervantes

All of the performers are exceptional. David Hyde Pierce as Horace Vandergelder, Kate Baldwin as Irene Molloy, Gavin Creel as Cornelius Hackl all received Tony nominations for their roles.

Simply as a musical Hello Dolly! is a priceless gem. The music is memorable and it's a feel good show at a time when we could all use stress reducing.

Turning it into a blue ribbon bonanza incorporating Broadway's best makes it a must see show. Why suddenly Midler took on cosmic proportions could probably be the subject of a psychology class. She's always been good - from her bath house performance days where she developed a devoted but fickle gay following to opening the show for Johnny Carson at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. That was a performance I reviewed for Billboard, admitting that I didn't understand what she was doing and neither did the audience. We just weren't sure what we saw. What we witnessed was the formation of what would become a mega-star.

Since then I've both understood and enjoyed her performances - be they on stage, in television or in the movies.

With Hello Dolly! deserved appreciation has finally caught up with her. Perhaps the planets perfectly aligned - vehicle, star, current social climate. If you're ever going to loose a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical - this is the year to loose. You'll have the perfect explanation. People will totally understand when you say: "I was up against Bette Midler."

Of course she's going to win.

Other principal casting for this revival includes: Jennifer Simard as Ernestina Money, Taylor Trensch as Barnaby Tucker, Will Burton as Ambrose Kemper, Melanie Moore (whose ability to wail could substitute for a fire alarm) as Ermengarde, Beanie Feldstein in her Broadway debut as Minnie Fay and Kevin Ligon as Rudolph.

The ensemble includes Justin Bowen as the County Clerk, Michael McCormick as the Judge, Linda Mugleston as Mrs. Rose with Cameron Adams, Phillip Attmore, Giuseppe Bausilio, Taeler Cyrus, Leslie Donna Flesnerm, Jessica Lee Goldyn, Stephen Hanna, Michael Hartung, Robert Hartwell, Aaron Kaburick, Amanda LaMotte, Analisa Leaming, Jess LeProtto, Nathan Madden, Hayley Podschun, Jessica Sheridan, Christian Dante White, Branch Woodman, Ryan Worsing, and Richard Riaz Yoder.

Swings: Elizabeth Earley, Jenifer Foote, Ian Liberto and Michaeljon Slinger Understudies: Cameron Adams (Ernestina), Justin Bowen (Ambrose Kemper, Barnaby Tucker), Leslie Donna Flesner (Irene Molloy), Michael Hartung (Barnaby Tucker), Aaron Kaburick (Rudolph), Amanda LaMotte (Ermengarde, Minnie Fay), Analisa Leaming (Irene Molloy), Kevin Ligon (Horace Vandergelder), Nathan Madden (Ambrose Kemper, Cornelius Hackl), Michael McCormick (Horace Vandergelder), Linda Mugleston (Dolly Gallagher Levi), Hayley Podschun (Ermengarde, Minnie Fay), Jessica Sheridan (Dolly Gallagher Levi, Ernestina), Christian Dante White (Cornelius Hackl) and Branch Woodman (Rudolph).

Vocal arrangements by Tony award winner Don Pippin; Dance arrangements by David Chase; Musical Director: Andy Einhorn Associate Director: Stephen Edlund; Associate Choreographer: Sara Edwards; Hair and Wig Design by Campbell Young Associates; Make-Up Design by Campbell Young Associates; Ms. Midler's Makeup Design: Oslyn Holder; Associate Scenic Design: Evan Adamson and Jisun Kim; Associate Costume Design: Matthew Pachtman; Associate Lighting Design: Anthony Pearson; Associate Sound Design: Alex Neumann

Musical Coordinator: John Miller; Associate Conductor: Justin Hornback; Reeds: Steve Kenyon, Dan Block, Jay Brandford and Alden C. Banta; Trumpet: John Chudoba, Dave Trigg and Rob Slowik; Trombone: John Allred, Dan Levine and Joseph Barati; Drums: Buddy Williams; Percussion: Andrew Blanco; Guitar/Banjo: Scott Kuney; Acoustic Bass: Mark Vanderpoel; Harp: Stacey Shames; Concert Master: Philip Payton; Violin: Sarah Zun, Laura Frautschi and Héctor O. Falcón; Cello: Sarah Seiver and Summer Boggess; Keyboards: Justin Hornback.

Beginning in June Donna Murphy will play the role of Dolly at the Tuesday evening performances.

A Broadway cast recording of this production will be released by Sony on May 12, 2017. Broadway To Vegas is slated to review the cast recording in a future Broadway To Vegas column. In the meantime, go see the show.










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ART AND ABOUT

THE PINK FLOYD EXHIBITION: THEIR MORTAL REMAINS this is the first international retrospective of one of the world's most pioneering and influential bands who are recognized as one of the top selling artists of all time. The exhibition is an unprecedented, innovative and multi-sensory journey through Pink Floyd's extraordinary worlds, chronicling the music, design and staging of the band, from their debut in the 1960’s through to the present day. It has been produced with active involvement and collaboration from the three surviving band members, and includes artifacts such as instruments, music technology, original designs, architectural drawings, hand-written lyrics, graphics and artwork.

Immersing visitors in Pink Floyd's iconic visuals and sound, the exhibition begins with the psychedelic sounds of their early years, moving through their internationally renowned concept albums of the 1970's and beyond. The Pink Floyd Exhibition will illustrate the band’s pioneering use of special effects, sonic experimentation and powerful imagery, and explores the narrative arc of a band that began in London's 'swinging sixties' and whose influence continues today.

Pink Floyd 1971. Photo: V&A

Visitors will gain a unique insight into a group of world-class musicians who have always defied artistic boundaries.

The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains is designed by Stufish entertainment architects, founded by the late pioneering stage designer, Mark Fisher. The exhibition has been curated by Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell, the Creative Director of Pink Floyd, who with his late partner Storm Thorgerson as founders of design company Hipgnosis Ltd., designed much of Pink Floyd's revolutionary album art.

For the V&A, the curation team was lead by Senior Curator Victoria Broackes. The curators have worked in close consultation with Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason on the content of the exhibition, which will feature over 350 artifacts spanning the band's five decades, alongside material from the V&A’s outstanding collections of art, design, architecture and performance.

May 13-October 1, 2017 at the V&A Museum in London.

A PRIVATE TOUR OF NEW YORK CRYSTAL PALACE 1853 will take place Thursday, May 11, 2017.

‘New York Crystal Palace’ will shed light on this near-forgotten aspect of New York City’s cultural history - America’s first world’s fair.

Presenting key objects from the period, the exhibition illustrates New York City’s increasing industrialization and fledgling ambitions to contend as a global cultural center. Exploring both the wealth of goods displayed at America’s first world’s fair as well as the social fabric of the era, ‘New York Crystal Palace 1853’ seeks to present a snapshot of a New York in transition.

A graduate student educator will lead Historic Royal Palaces American patrons and members on an inquiry based tour of the exhibition that is designed to inspire deeper understanding of the material culture that characterized this fascinating moment in New York City’s history,

SWEET CHARITY

URBAN STAGES 33rd BENEFIT will honor the legendary Tony Walton the Oscar, Tony, Emmy Winning Costume, Set Designer & Director of such films and Broadway shows like The Wiz (1978), Grand Hotel (1989), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ('62 & '96).

Monday, May 15, 2017 at The Central Park Boathouse, New York City.

NATIONAL SAWDUST 2016 SPRING GALA takes place May 11, 2016 at Weylin B. Seymour’s in Brooklyn, NY.

The event will honor David Lang and Alicia Hall Moran.

Performances curated by composer Paola Prestini include: Reneé Fleming in David Lang’s Youth, Bryce Dessner, Glenn Kotche & Jeffrey Zeigler, Alicia Hall Moran, Norwegian string ensemble 1B1 and Young Peoples’ Chorus of New York City.

Gala Co-Chairs Valerie Dillon, Karen Wong, & Jean Pierre Chessé.

CHICAGO RITA HAYWORTH 30TH ANNIVERSARY ALZHEIMER'S GALA takes place on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at the Hilton Chicago.

Under Princess Yasmin Aga Khan's leadership, over $70 million has been raised through the Chicago, Palm Beach and New York Rita Hayworth Galas. These funds, combined with other donations, have helped the Alzheimer's Association work toward our vision of a world without Alzheimer's disease.

2017 Master of Ceremonies is Jon Harris, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of ConAgra Foods.

The event will be chaired by Betsy and David Goltermann and honor Cathy Edge with the 2017 Civic Award and The Murphy Family: Daniel, JoAnn, Dan and Jim with the 2017 Family Philanthropy Award Last year, this annual spring black tie event attracted more than 800 guests and raised over $1 million dollars. Princess Yasmin Aga Khan began the Gala in honor of her mother, actress Rita Hayworth, who died as a result of Alzheimer's disease.

6TH ANNUAL HONORS BENEFIT NYC CURTAIN UP a celebration and preview of Sag Harbor's Bay Street Theatre's 26th anniversary season takes place at Joe's Pub in New York City on Monday, May 15, 2017.

The show, hosted by Bay Street's Artistic Director Scott Schwartz will be a sneak peek of the 2017 Summer Mainstage season with songs and bits of scenes performed, along with other special moments, including the honoring of special guests Richard Kind and Jules Feiffer.

Cocktails and light bites followed by the show which will feature performers and creators of the Mainstage line-up including Tony nominated Andrew Lippa who is the composer of The Man in the Ceiling), Kelly McCreary, star of Intimate Apparel and Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller, who is the director of The Man in the Ceiling.

Roger Rosenblatt, playwright of Thomas Murphy, will also be attendance. The world premiere of two songs composed by Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz will be performed by Jazz singer Gabrielle Stravelli.

SPREADING THE WORD

BEST POSSIBLE WISHES TO

Jimmy Kimmel. Photo: Twitter

Jimmy Kimmel on the birth of his new son and the baby's successful recovery from open heart surgery. Kimmel, the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live moved the nation, if not the world, with his heartfelt disclosure of the baby's medical condition and plea for affordable, excellent, and available health care.

Kimmel is a remarkably nice and charming performer - traits which are not always present in those associated with the entertainment industry. His Jimmy Kimmel Live! is a comfortable show to watch. Kimmel could go on forever without either annoying or boring the viewer. He comes across as not only intelligent and topically aware, but as a decent guy who is welcome in one's bedroom for late night television viewing.

Kimmel moved to Las Vegas with his parents when he was nine; graduating from high school in Las Vegas and then attending a year of college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The school awarded him an honorary degree in 2013.

THE VISIBLE THEATER: THE ARTISTS WHO MAKE THE ONSTAGE MAGIC a new series of panel discussions with Broadway Historian/Producer Harvey Granat and Guests. Up next on May 10 will be The Actors.

Guest are: Joel Grey, Cabaret (stage – Tony Award; film - Academy and Golden Globe Awards), The Cherry Orchard, Wicked, Anything Goes.

Danny Burstein, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, South Pacific, The Drowsy Chaperone, Follies, Golden Boy (six time Tony Award nominee) Richard Thomas, Race, Incident at Vichy, The Waltons (TV).

The event takes place at 92Y in New York City.

THE ARTS RADIO THEATRE NETWORK will present I Remember Mama the touching story about a mother who holds her immigrant family together as they encounter financial troubles. May 10 and 11 in Delray Beach, Florida.

MONDAY, MAY 8 is National Coconut Cream Pie Day. Wednesday is National Liver and Onions Day (don't gag). Thursday is National “Eat What You Want” Day. Friday is National Nutty Fudge Day.

VICTORIAN SLUM HOUSE PBS SERIES IS SUPERB

The cast of Victorian Slum House Photo: PBS.

If your life revolves around any of the real housewives of anywhere shows, chances are Victorian Slum House isn't for you. It's intelligent, well thought out, entertaining, enlightening and has a relevance to today's society.

Based upon watching the first episode which aired last week, Victoria Slum House is an ambitious, five-part reality type reenactment series based on historical fact. The series features real people instead of actors who learn what it was like to live and work in the East Side slum area of London during the time period 1860-1901.

To pull this off Old Nichol slum in the East End London tenement district was historically recreated. 15 modern-day volunteers between the ages of 10 and 59, whose ancestors once called the East End slums home, were selected to live like people would have in that place and time – think Dickens. They arrive in period costumes designed by Mark Ferguson and make up by Bunnic Allen.

Some of the real life volunteers were curious about history, desired to know more about their ancestors; or used this experience as a form of closure to what they had previous been told by family members.

They learned that those who are extremely strong willed, have a trade or can easily learn one - can survive. For others without any safety net, poverty traps and becomes generational.

In real life, this participant has spent decades as a bespoke London tailor whose customers can spend thousands of dollars on a suit. He hasn't done hand stitching in years. In Victorian Slum House he hand sews newsboy caps from rags. The results are couture. He is able to make the rent and buy food. He is one of the few who would be able to survive and possibly even - advance. Photo PBS.

With no money or belongings the residents try to figure out how to survive in the unhealthy and unsafe conditions, while narrator Michael Mosley provides the factual context. Each of the episodes examines what life was like in a different decade of the long Victorian age.

According to Mosley, food was extremely expensive, taking two-thirds of a slum dwellers income. People were so poor they bought bread by the slice and tea by the spoonful. The poor were looked down upon by the upper classes, who considered poverty to be a result of moral failings. One out of every 12 mothers raising children alone due to death or abandonment by a man was forced into prostitution.

Most slum families in the Victorian period lived in one room; had at least six children all of whom would be expected to start work at the age of eight.

At the time of the first episode of Victorian Slum House women didn't yet work outside the home. It would be another decade before women went to work in unsafe factories making actual matches, a job which resulted in serious health issues. However, women could earn money by doing piece labor at home. That included making match boxes.

The slum had one communial fountain. Resident cold rent a plate or a spoon. Air freshener for the communal out house came from hanging herring inside for drying. Photo: PBS.

Match box workers (plural) in the Victorian slum could turn out over a thousand boxes a day. Our volunteer slummer managed seven. That's possibly because she doesn't do crafts, never studied wood working or architecture, or wasn't given proper instructions. By my calculations, if you know how to glue correctly, one worker putting in full days - which was then 10-12 mind and body numbing hours - could construct 700 boxes in a five day week. Had the woman been able to do that she would have earned enough to pay the rent and eat.

From the very first episode you sense an inkling of who had the grit to make it and who didn't. Survival is the key word. Some would manage to exist, but only under exceptional circumstances will anyone prosper.

Cast in a role requiring both surviving poverty and a handicap is a volunteer with an amputated leg. He was drawn to the program to learn how the handicapped were treated in olden times. Not very well. For viewers, it's eye opening.

Everyone went hungry to save enough to pay the landlord each Monday - known as ‘Black Monday’ because it was rent day. Tenants who were late on rent would be thrown out with no recourse or warning.

In real life this women, pictured with her two children, home schools her twins. In this photo from Victorian Slum House the family transports gift boxes they have made for a high end store. The work wasn't considered satisfactory and they were only paid for two boxes - not nearly enough income to pay the rent or buy food. This family is in a downward spiral. Photo: PBS.

Those without a pound to their name could sleep on a “tuppenny hangover,” by paying two pence a night to sit outside, leaning over a strung-up rope to sleep.

Air freshener for the communal out house was provided by hanging herring to dry over the toilet.

Faced with the virtually impossible task of earning enough money to pay the rent and put food on the table, the participants experience first-hand the tough living and working conditions endured by the millions that made up the urban poor in Victorian Britain. It’s an eye-opening experience for the participants as they each confront the harsh realities of the past and together lay the groundwork for welfare reform in the 20th century.

While America and the UK now have various welfare programs in place, unfortunately, some situations experienced in Victorian Slum House still occur in America and elsewhere. It's still difficult to ascend from poverty. Many in places like the Sudan don't buy a tube of tooth paste; they can only afford to purchase "a squirt." Many who can't afford to make bread at home are forced to buy it by the slice. In America and England people can be found walking the streets searching through other people's garbage looking for food.

People are still evicted to the streets for nonpayment of rent. No matter the decade, there is no free room and board.

Job quotas are common place in today's workplace. Fail to make your quota and you'll get sent home early or fired. The opinions of quota working are subject to perceptions. I've watched interviews of those who painted stills (a delicate and tedious job) at Disney. If they didn't keep up production, they got sent home early. The difference - the job was viewed by outsiders as an artistic occupation in a glamorous industry, while the delicate and tedious job of putting together match boxes would be considered low class and undesirable.

Quotas are necessary, then and now, because too many individuals don't exhibit a good work ethic and would sluff off at the slighest opportunity.

Adjusted for inflation, piece work today would pay the same and demand an identical production rate as those depicted in the 1860 Victorian Slum House.

I don't know what the other eras will disclose in this series. The first episode showed that - unfortunately - despite current welfare safety nets, the 1860s and today still have a few economic issues in common.

Directors on the series included Emma Frank, Tom Currie, Cassie Farrell, Kim Maddever, Edward Sunderland, and Garfield Carrott.

Cinematography by Anthony Dalton and Rob Goldie.

Exceptional research by Flo Rowland; researcher - Maddie Yuille; researcher - David Green; historical consultant - Nikki Morgan; home economist - Holly O'Leary; food researcher - Caroline Spencer; researcher - Sarah Wise; historical consultant.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

REPRIEVE The National Endowment for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Humanities and The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will do business as usual at least through September 30. The three groups have been granted not only full funding of $150 million each - but even a $2 million increase - for the remainder of the 2017 fiscal year which ends September 30. The US Congress approved the grants as part of a bill to prevent a government shutdown.

However, many feel that the groups will see their funding axed or significantly reduced in the 2018 budget.



OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE the organization of writers and commentators covering New York theater for out-of-town newspapers, national publications and other media beyond Broadway, will announce their winners on Monday, May 8, 2017.

Broadway To Vegas will post the nominees and winners shortly thereafter. See list of nominees and winners

The annual Gala Awards Dinner and presentation of awards to the winners will be held on Thursday, May 25th at the legendary Sardi's Restaurant.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA who receives the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award today, Sunday, May 7, 2017 at the Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston.

"Every year, the Profile in Courage Award is given to an exemplary public servant who has made decisions of conscience without regard for political consequences. From his inspirational 2008 campaign until his final weeks in office, President Obama consistently reflected in so many ways, big and small, the "grace under pressure" that President Kennedy admired," according to the official announcement.

Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and her son Jack Schlossberg will present the award during a Centennial May Dinner ceremony that kicks off on May 7 with a special performance by James Taylor. This will be one of President Obama's first public speeches since leaving office.



ANGELS IN AMERICA: A GAY FANTASIA by Tony Kushner.

Directed by Olivier and Tony award-winning Marianne Elliott.

America in the mid-1980s. In the midst of the AIDS crisis and a conservative Reagan administration, New Yorkers grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell.

Starring Andrew Garfield as Prior Walter and Nathan Lane as Roy Cohn.

Featuring Denise Gough as Harper, and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Mr. Lies, Russell Tovey in the role of Joe Pitt. Louis Ironson is portrayed by James McArdle.

With Amanda Lawrence, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Susan Brown as the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg.

Set design by Ian MacNeil. Costume design by Nicky Gillibrand and the puppet design by Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes.

This 25th-anniversary revival is on stage through August 19, 2017 at the National Theater, London.

National Theatre Live: Part One: Millennium Approaches will be broadcast live to cinemas on July 20, 2017. Part Two: Perestroika will be broadcast live to cinemas on July 27, 2017. Encores of both parts will be in selected cinemas from August 4, 2017.

SUKANYA by Ravi Shankar with the score completed by Shankar’s long-time collaborator David Murphy who also conducts.

Directed by Suba Das.

Dance choreographed by the Aakash Odedra Company.

Starring Susanna Hurrell as Sukanya, American tenor Alok Kumar as Chyavana, Keel Watson as King Shaariyati, Njabulo Madlala and Michel de Souza as the Aswini Twins.

Featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Singers.

An interesting note, Kumar is both an American attorney and a professional opera singer. He's a member of the state bars of Massachusetts and New York and maintains a law practice. Born in India and raised in the New York Hudson Valley area, he resides in New York City with his wife.

After a terrible mistake leaves the ancient sage Chyavana blinded, the beautiful princess Sukanya finds herself marrying for the sake of her kingdom. As a pair of swaggering, meddling gods watch this unlikely union blossom, will love grow in the strangest of circumstances?

Taken from the legendary Sanskrit texts of the Mahbhata, the story of Sukanya has been brought to life in this innovative production with music by Indian music legend Ravi Shankar and combines traditional Indian instruments with Western orchestra and singers. Come and experience Ravi Shankar’s Sukanya. This special event combining myth, music and dance brings Ravi Shankar’s opera to life for the very first time.

This special production combines myth, music and dance brings Ravi Shankar’s opera to life for the very first time.

Production Design: 59 Productions. Lighting Designer: Matt Haskins.

Production by The Royal Opera and the musicians of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Performances Friday, May 12 at the Curve in Leicester; Sunday, May 14 at The Lowry in Salford; Monday, May 15, at Symphony Hall in Birmingham and Friday, May 19, at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre in London.

JERSEY BOYS book by Marshall Brickman. and Rick Elice. Music by Bob Gaudio. Lyrics by Bob Crewe.

Directed by Des McAnuff.

Choreography by Sergio Trugillo.

Jersey Boys is the behind-the-music story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard – and the radio just couldn’t get enough of it. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story – a story that has made them an international sensation all over again. The show features all their hits including Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Oh What A Night, Walk Like A Man, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and Working My Way Back To You.

Starring Mark Ballas a Frankie Valli. Also featuring Matthew Dailey(Tommy DeVito), Keith Hines (Nick Massi) and Cory Jeacoma (Bob Gaudio) as The Four Seasons, with Barry Anderson and Thomas Fiscella.

The ensemble includes Mark Edwards, Corey Greenan, Bryan Hindle, David LaMarr, Austin Owen, Kristen Paulicelli, Leslie Rochette, Andrew Russell, Jenna Nicole Schoen, Dru Serkes, Jonny Wexler and Jesse Wildman.

The design and production team comprises Klara Zieglerova(scenic design), Jess Goldstein (costume design), Howell Binkley (winner of the 2006 Tony Award for his lighting design of Jersey Boys), Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Clark (projections design), Charles LaPointe(wig and hair design), Steve Orich (orchestrations) and Ron Melrose (music supervision, vocal/dance arrangements and incidental music).

May 16 – June 24, 2017 at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.

WHO'S WHERE

BRUNO MARS entertains Tuesday, May 9, in Amsterdam, Netherlands at the Ziggo Dome. On Friday he's in Zurich, Switzerland performing at the Hallenstadion Zurich. Next Sunday, May 14 the show is in Munich, Germany at Olympic Hall.

BEN FOLDS performs Tuesday, May 9, at the Cincinnati Music Hall in Cincinnati, OH.

LEA SALONGA the Tony award winner with the beautiful voice opens a two week long stand at Feinstein's/54 Below in New York City on May 9, 2017.

TIM McGRAW AND FAITH HILL are on stage Thursday, May 11, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, K. On Friday their tour stops at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE. Saturday finds them at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK.

ED SHEERAN on stage Saturday, May 13, at the Estadio Nacional in Lima, Peru.

THE STARLITE SISTERS known for their precision close harmony celebrates Singin’ & Swingin’ Sistas from Hollywood’s Golden Age: the Boswell Sisters, pioneers of the jazz age, as well as the McGuire Sisters, the Peters Sisters, the Lennon Sisters and of course, the Andrews Sisters takes place Sunday, May 14th at the Metropolitan Room in New York City.

FINAL OVATION

WILLIAM M. HOFFMAN a Tony nominated playwright and librettist died April 29, 2017. He was 78.

Hoffman earned a Drama Desk Award and Tony nomination for his 1985 play As Is, one of the first plays to focus on AIDS, opened in New York City at the Lyceum Theatre, where it ran for 285 performances.

Hoffman’s numerous Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and regional plays included A Book of Etiquette, The Cherry Orchard Part II, Children’s Crusade, and Luna.

In 1991, Hoffman was commissioned by The Metropolitan Opera Company to write the libretto for The Ghosts of Versailles first produced in celebration of the company's centennial. A 1993-televised production starred Teresa Stratas, Renée Fleming, and Graham Clark. Hoffman earned an Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

The recording of the 2015 L.A. Opera production won two Grammy Awards.

Additionally, Hoffman wrote for the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, for which he received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 1992.

Until the time of his death, he was an Associate Professor of Theatre at Lehman College at The City University of New York.

KATHRYN CRIPPEN HATTOX board member of the Tony award winning Old Globe Board member died April 29, 2017 at her Point Loma, CA home after a brief illness. She was 87.

“Kathy Hattox helped shape the cultural vibrancy of our city, and her passing leaves behind an emptiness that will be hard to fill,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “Her generosity to The Old Globe over decades transformed this institution. Whenever we meet in our hall that bears her name, we celebrate her impact. She loved theatre and loved talking about this art and how it gets made, and she took great pride in the fact that San Diego is a national force in this field. Kathy was on the committee that hired me, and she took pains to make sure that my family and I settled in happily to our new hometown. I will always cherish our close friendship, and I will hold her up as the ideal of a philanthropist and civic volunteer. I will miss her warmth, good cheer, and abiding faith in theatre art, as will everyone at the Globe. We all extend to John and her family our most sincere condolences.”

In addition to The Old Globe, where she served as Chair of the Board of Directors in 2006 and 2007, she was an active supporter and leader in the growth of the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Natural History Museum, and the San Diego Museum of Art. She recently served on the board of the San Diego Opera and continued to be active in many of these institutions until very shortly before her death.

She is survived by her husband, John S. Hattox, MD, and her daughters, Sue Blessey, Margaret Maas, and Sylvia Maas. She has three grandchildren, Quentin Cobb, Tay Blessey, Erroll Maas, and a great grandchild, Lily Cobb. Her son, Alex Maas, and her former spouses, Harry Maas, MD and Ken Crippen, MD, predeceased her.

Next Column: May 14, 2017
Copyright: May 7, 2017 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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