Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: November 1, 2015
By: Laura Deni
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21st ANNUAL SAN DIEGO JEWISH BOOK FAIR HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

Steve Katz

San Diego’s internationally recognized San Diego Jewish Book Fair celebrates its 21st year with high profile leading authors in their fields including: Steve Katz, David Gregory, Fern Mallis, Arlene Alda, Barney Frank, Jennifer Teege and Mitch Albom.

Book Fair events will run from November 7 through November 16 at a variety of locations.

Opening night stars the founding member of Blood, Sweat & Tears, Grammy-winning musician and author Steve Katz. Come rock the night away with storytelling and music as patrons enjoy Steve Katz talking about his tell-all memoir Blood, Sweat, and My Rock 'n' Roll Years: Is Steve Katz a Rock Star? He did it all: performed at Woodstock, jammed with Hendrix, produced records for Lou Reed, and partied with everyone from Janis Joplin to Groucho Marx. He had it all…and then lost it all. His bill is described as "a dizzying, delicious, head-spinning, heart wrenching tale of the Sixties."

In his solo performance shows Katz sets up each song with a brief story and then sings the songs in the order that they happened to him, whether they were given to him by early mentors like Dave Van Ronk (whom he paid to teach him guitar, although it ended up as an all night drinking and bull session), or legendary bluesman Mississippi John Hurt; or whether women who broke his heart twisted the songs out of him.

In 1977, after Katz had left BS&T he became East Coast Director of A&R and later Vice President of Mercury Records. During the three years that he spent at Mercury he produced the Irish group Horslips and spent a good deal of time in Ireland producing three albums for the group. In 1987, Katz became managing director of Green Linnet Records, a leading record label of traditional Irish music in America. Katz stayed at Green Linnet for five years, during which time he married Alison Palmer, a ceramic artist. Together, they started a small business. He is a professional photographer. After a 35-year absence, Katz rejoined Blood, Sweat & Tears as the band marked the 40th anniversary of its inception.

On Tuesday November 10 come meet David Michael Gregory an American television host, and former moderator of NBC News' Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press. He is the author of the forthcoming book How's Your Faith? Like so many, David Gregory has been a man conflicted about his faith. When then-President George W. Bush would from time to time ask then-White House reporter David Gregory, “How’s your faith?” He rarely knew what to say.

Raised Jewish, and surrounded by Jewish culture, Gregory simply did not hold much in the way of Jewish belief. Now, after a decade of studying with an Orthodox Jewish scholar, he does. This spiritual autobiography details his exploration and embrace of the religious beliefs that fueled his cultural identity. Gregory uses his journalistic curiosity to engage Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith leaders about belief and surrender, in an effort to encourage everyone to live a more spiritually engaged life.

Arlene Alda and her husband Alan will share fascinating stories about life in the Bronx during the Depression, World War II and its aftermath. Photo: Alan Alda.

Fashion lives on Thursday November 12. From the fashion world of New York, meet Fern Mallis as she dishes out over lunch all you'd want to know about the famous designers and the famous fashion trends that defined our market from Oscar De La Renta to Donna Karan to Marc Jacobs. Nineteen interviews Mallis has done at the famed 92nd Street Y in New York are featured in this exquisite coffee table book, Fashion Lives: Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis.

Next up, a bit of the Bronx in La Jolla. Join Arlene and Alan Alda on Thursday, November 12. What is it about this NYC borough that makes it unique? Depends on who you ask. And that’s what Arlene Alda does in Just Kids from the Bronx: Telling It the Way It Was: An Oral History, when she interviews some famous Bronx natives - such as Robert Klein, Carl Reiner, Maira Kalman, and Colin Powell - about what it was like growing up in the Bronx. Join Arlene and Alan as they share fascinating stories that are rich with details about life in the Bronx during the Depression, World War II and its aftermath. President Bill Clinton calls Alda’s collection, “A down-to-earth, inspiring book about the American promise fulfilled."

Former Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank.

And now for Politics…. Meet former Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank on Saturday, November 14. Growing up in Bayonne, New Jersey, the fourteen-year-old Barney Frank made two vital discoveries about himself: he was attracted to government, and to men. He resolved to make a career out of the first attraction and to keep the second a secret. Now, sixty years later, his sexual orientation is widely accepted, while his belief in government is embattled. He discusses his memoir Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage.

Gay, Jewish, reliably intellectually combative and even more reliably disheveled, Barney Frank is an iconoclast in every sense of the word. In his fast-paced, moving, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny memoir, we meet the man more closely than ever before, coming face to face with someone “acerbic, pugnacious, saucy, and ferociously, intimidatingly smart… dedicated students of government and trivia-obsessed political geeks shouldn’t miss [Frank].” (The New York Times). Meet Congressman and author Barney Frank as he discusses his personal memoir.

On Sunday, November 15, hear an unforgettable story. At age 38, Jennifer Teege, a German-Nigerian woman, received the shock of a lifetime when she learned she was the granddaughter of infamous Nazi commandant, Amon Goeth (portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List). Her acclaimed memoir My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers her Family’s Nazi Past, shares the personal repercussions of the Holocaust felt by a woman who realizes that her grandfather “…shot hundreds of people for being black. He would have shot me, too.”

An inspiring night with bestselling author Mitch Albom will close out the Book Fair, appearing on Monday, November 16. He is a bestselling novelist, a screen-writer, a playwright, and an award-winning journalist. He is the author of six consecutive number-one New York Times bestsellers and has sold more than thirty-four million copies of his books in forty-two languages worldwide. Tuesdays with Morrie, which spent four years atop the New York Times list, is the bestselling memoir of all time.

Albom will discuss his new novel The MagicStrings of Frankie Presto, about the greatest (fictional) guitar player who ever lived. Frankie Presto is a war orphan sent to America at the tender age of nine, his only possessions being a guitar and six magical blue strings, each string with the power to change a life.










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ART AND ABOUT

THE LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ART conceived and initiated by George Lucas, has chosen Judy Kim as its first Deputy Director. Kim joins the Lucas Museum with more than 20 years of experience in museum management, including collections, exhibition and institutional development.

As part of the initial leadership team, Kim will be responsible for a significant scope of early stage planning and strategic management, to ensure the Lucas Museum’s successful development, construction, staffing, launch and ongoing operations. Kim will also be involved in recruiting and hiring a talented team to advance the ongoing development and programming of the Museum.

Most recently, Kim served as Director of Affiliates and Abu Dhabi Project Operations for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York. Kim led strategic thinking for the planned museum in the United Arab Emirates.

Prior to working at the Guggenheim, Kim served as Head of Exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum. In that role, she managed all museum exhibitions as well as developed future projects and served as in-house curator for major incoming exhibitions.

Kim has also worked for the American Federation of Arts, New York; the Wadsworth Athenaeum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; and American Association of Museums, Washington, D.C.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and her master’s degree at the Center for Curatorial Studies in Contemporary Art and Culture at Bard College, where she was a CCS fellow. She has also studied at the Getty Leadership Institute, The Museum Leadership Institute.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is in development for Chicago’s lake shore museum campus, will celebrate the power of visual storytelling through collections and exhibitions of narrative painting, illustration, photography, film and cinema arts, animation and digital art. The Museum’s highly innovative facility is designed by Beijing-based MAD Architects.

TASTE OF T takes place November 5, 2015 at the A&D Building in New York City. Back for its 12th year, New York’s premier food and design event celebrates your taste for gourmet cuisine and impeccably furnished spaces. Watch culinary greats whip up delectable delights and sample their savory creations as you tour luxury kitchen, bath and furnishing showrooms.

Taste of T is a glorious showcase of the luxury life - bringing together thousands of food and wine aficionados to sample creations by some of the country’s most awarded chefs, restaurateurs and culinary personalities.

Set inside the Architects & Designers Building, the ultimate showroom resource for high-end residential and contract furnishings, you’ll be surrounded by kitchen, bath, tile and stone ideas to inspire your own luxurious spaces.

Chefs include: Massimo Bebber of Sirio Ristorante; Emma Bengtsson of Aquavit; Matteo Boglione of Le Cirque; David Bouley of Bouley; Alessandro Caporale of Casa Lever; Rebecca Charles of Pearl Oyster Bar; Maneet Chauhan of Chauhan Ale and Masala House; Clifford Crooks of ESquared Hospitality; Ariane Daguin of D’Artagnan; Sylvain Delpique of 21 Club; Frédéric Duca of Racines NY; Sarabeth Levine of Sarabeth's; Ali Loukzada of Cafe Serai; Lucero Martinez of Pampano; Julian Medina of Toloache, Tacuba; Liran Mezan of Fillmore Room; Todd Mitgang of Bo’s Kitchen & Bar Room; Andrea Montobbio of Asellina; Marco Moreira of One Five Hospitality; Raffaele Ronca of Rafele; John Stevenson of Tavern on the Green; Kee Ling Tong of Kee’s Chocolates; Alex Ureña of Tasca Chino; David Waltuck of élan; and Isao Yamada of Brushstroke.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to God’s Love We Deliver

CORE PROGRAM LECTURE SERIES continues with Demetrius Oliver. Former Core fellow Demetrius Oliver discusses the topic of natural phenomena. In his art, he uses prosaic objects such as teakettles, light bulbs, and umbrellas to evoke poetic associations between physical materials and abstract ideas. Both introspective and transformative, Oliver's practice investigates the cosmos from the vantage point of the artist’s studio and the space of the gallery.

Oliver earned his BFA at the Rhode Island School of Design and his MFA at the University of Pennsylvania, and he worked as artist-in-residence at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Solo exhibitions include shows at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Inman Gallery, MoMA PS1, and Rhodes College.

Thursday, November 5, at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas.

SWEET CHARITY

JAMIE deROY & FRIENDS

Jamie deRoy

celebrates 25 years & Jamie’s 40th Annual 30th Birthday with gala one-night extravaganza, Monday, November 9.

Mega stars of Broadway and Cabaret come out to salute award-winning cabaret performer and Tony Award-winning producer Jamie deRoy when she celebrates the 25th anniversary of her Multi MAC award-winning Variety Show Jamie deRoy & friends, and her “40th annual 30th Birthday at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College in New York City.

Proceeds from the evening will benefit The Actors Fund’s new program, The Jamie deRoy & friends Cabaret Initiative. The program has been created to assist people working in the cabaret industry who seek help for medical needs and concerns made available through the comprehensive services and programs at The Actors Fund.

From over 25 years of amazing guests, the first theatre award-winners and legendary performers for the gala benefit will include: Joy Behar, Larry Gatlin, Michele Lee and Tommy Tune as well as many others.

Barry Kleinbort will direct, and Ron Abel will serve as musical director for the full stage band.

The colorful cabaret series, which has been thrilling New York City audiences for the past 25 years and serves as the basis for deRoy's award-winning cable television show, spotlights a wide variety of well-known entertainers and newcomers lighting up the worlds of cabaret, theater, music and comedy.

In addition to her three Tony Awards for her theatre producing talents - A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Norman Conquests - Jamie deRoy has won eight MAC Awards, four Back Stage Bistro Awards, eleven Telly Awards and CaB Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her extensive work on both stage and screen.

EAST LYNNE THEATER COMPANY'S 35th ANNIVERSARY GALA takes place Monday, November 9 at Aleathea's Restaurant at the Inn of Cape May, New Jersey.

The evening is titled “155 in 35” since ELTC has produced over 150 plays that were first produced in the 155 years spanning 1788-1943, and all mounted at East Lynne since 1981 when the company was founded. ELTC has also produced over 40 world and/or New Jersey premieres.

The evening begins with hors d'oeuvres followed by dinner and entertainment.

Jennifer Bissell, Eric Stephenson, and James Rana, cast members from the Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company will perform.

The entertainment includes short scenes from past ELTC productions, live music provided by Chris Sooy and Lew London, with Eric and Jennifer singing, and a trivia contest.

THE MUSIC GOES ROUND AND ROUND

A CHORUS LINE - 40th ANNIVERSARY is a remastered reissue by Masterworks Broadway.

With music by EGOT Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Ed Kleban this is one of those rare productions which was heaven kissed. Not one, but two songs became anthems - One and What I Did For Love.

Kleban, by the way, was a former Columbia Records executive who was making his Broadway debut. Hamlisch was a movie and pop song writer wunderkind who was also dipping his toe into the Great White Way. Together they made history.

Forty years have flown by. If you weren't born when this statement making show conquered the stage and musical charts; or were too young to appreciate it, this is a must have stocking stuffer.

For those who own the original Broadway recording, or the reissue, the reasons to add this 40th Anniversary issue to your collection are the eight bonus demo tracks performed by composer Hamlisch and lyricist Kleban. The eight bonuses on this reissue were discovered under the title “A Chorus Line work reel” in the holdings of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Of these additional tracks, two didn't make the final score and have never previously been released - Shoes as Linda Klein's (who was co-book writer of the acclaimed Ed Kleban bio-musical A Class Act) liner notes explain:"African-American actress Candy Brown's ode to her father. Candy left A Chorus Line after the first workshop replaced by Ron "Gimme the Ball" Dennis, and Joanne. Some of the other tracks are early alternate versions of tracks that did make the cut. Composers are always asked which came first the music or the lyrics. In this case - it was the music. The bonus tracks with Hamlisch on piano and vocals and Kleban on vocals give a fascinating insight into the Hamlisch/Kleban writing process.

Hamlisch's memorable music is perfectly married to Kleban's emotionally spanning lyrics - creating a singular sensation.

The cast:

Scott Allen as Roy, a dancer who can't get the arms right ("Wrong arms Roy") and gets cut; Renee Baughman as Christine Urich (DeLuca), Al's scatter-brained wife who can't sing; Carole (Kelly) Bishop who won the Tony Award Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for the role of Sheila; Pamela Blair as Val Clark, a foul-mouthed but excellent dancer who couldn't get performing jobs because of her looks until she had plastic surgery; Wayne Cilento as Mike Costa, an aggressive dancer who learned to tap at an early age.

Chuck Cissel as Butch, who gives attitude in the audition and is cut; Clive Clerk as Zach's assistant Larry; Kay Cole as Maggie Winslow, a sweet woman who grew up in a broken home; Ronald Dennis as Richie Walters, an enthusiastic black man who once planned to be a kindergarten teacher; Donna Drake as Tricia who has a brief vocal solo and is cut; Brandt Edwards as Tom an all-American jock who is cut.

Patricia Garland as Judy Turner, a tall, gawky, and quirky dancer; Carolyn Kirsch as Lois, who dances like a ballerina and is cut; Ron Kuhlman as Don Kerr, a married man who once worked in a strip club; Nancy Lane as Bebe Benzenheimer, a young dancer who only feels beautiful when she dances; Baayork Lee as Connie Wong, a petite Chinese-American who seems ageless; Priscilla Lopez who was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Diana Morales, Paul's friend, another Puerto Rican who was underestimated by her teachers.

Robert LuPone who was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his role of Zach, the imperious, successful director running the audition; Cameron Mason as Mark Anthony, the youngest dancer who recounts the time he told his priest he thought he had gonorrhea; Donna McKechnie who won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for the role of Cassie Ferguson, a once successful solo dancer down on her luck and a former love of Zach's; Don Percassi as Al DeLuca, an Italian-American who takes care of his wife; Carole Schweid as Barbara; Michael Serrecchia as Frank, who looks at his feet when he dances and is cut.

Michel Stuart as Greg Gardner, a sassy Jewish gay man who divulges his first experience with a woman; Thomas J. Walsh as Bobby Mills, Sheila's best friend who jokes about his conservative upbringing in Buffalo, New York; Sammy Williams who won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his role of Paul San Marco, a gay Puerto Rican who dropped out of high school and survived a troubled childhood; and Crissy Wilzak as Vicki, who never studied ballet and is cut.

Timeless songs such as I Hope I Get It, expresses the eternal emotions of those in the business emotionally and financially desperate to get the job. Priscilla Lopez singing Nothing is compelling. Dance Ten: Looks Three by Priscilla Blair is bawdy. The show stopping What I Did For Love, by Priscilla Lopez is about what performers sacrifice and endure for their careers - although the number has also been turned into a statement maker about lost love. Donna McKechnie's rendition of The Music and the Mirror is poignant. I Can Do That by Wayne Cilento is comic relief.

It's an emotional show, as on target today as it was in 1975.

This release introduces a new high-resolution (24/96) master of the original cast recording, taken from the surround-sound remix created for Super Audio CD (SACD) and previously available only in that format. A perennial best-seller and 1975 Grammy nominee for Best Musical Show Recording, A Chorus Line was the last of the great original cast albums produced by Columbia Records' Goddard Lieberson.

Simultaneous to the 40th Anniversary Celebration release is a new audiophile vinyl LP edition of the cast album. Cut from high-resolution files by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and manufactured on 180-gram vinyl at Memphis Record Pressing, the set includes a digital download card redeemable for the entire 40th Anniversary Celebration set.

The expanded deluxe booklet includes numerous commentary including notes penned by Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of The Public Theater in New York, the venue which originated A Chorus Line and Marvin’s widow Terre Blair Hamlisch.

Recorded June 2, 1975 at Columbia's 30th Street Studios. Released October 1975. Columbia PS 33581.

Reissue Mixing Engineers Mike Placentini and Maria Triana. Produced by Didier C. Deutsch and Mike Placentini.

SPREADING THE WORD

NEW ORCHESTRATIONS SERIES created by founding Musical Theatre Factory Members Danny Abosch and Mira Magrill, pairs up-and-coming musical theatre composers with Broadway orchestrators, with the mission of freeing composers from the traditional economic limitations of instrumentation, to unlock new possibilities through a fully-realized reading of their scores.

The New Orchestrations Gala takes place Monday, November 9, the Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Music Center, in New York City.

Musical Theatre Factory in association with The Chelsea Symphony will present the gala concert event Get Yourself Some New Orchestrations, which will feature excerpts from four new musicals - and one reimagined favorite - brought to life by the 35-piece Chelsea Symphony and a cast of Broadway stars. In addition to the new works audiences will also get to enjoy an exclusive performance of the touring cast of The Bridges of Madison County, staring Elizabeth Stanley and Andrew Samonsky.

In addition to Bridges’ Andrew Samonsky and Elizabeth Stanley, the event will feature performances by Farah Alvin, Annie Golden, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Angel Desai, Eden Espinosa, Aidan Gemme, Jason Gotay, Beth Malone, Kent Overshown, Hugh Panaro, Ashley Park, and Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba.

The Honorary Host Committee includes Tony Award-winners Daryl Roth, James Lapine, Jason Robert Brown, and Michael Cerveris.

The performance will feature the 35-piece Chelsea Symphony premiering fully orchestrated excerpts from:

The Firebird music by Lisa Whitson Burns, words by Christopher Staskel. Orchestrated by Matt Aument

Only Anne music by Will Buck, book and lyrics by John Dietrich. Orchestrated by Tony Award winner William David Brohn.

Radioactive music by Will Reynolds, book and lyrics by Eric Price. Orchestrated by three-time Tony Award winner Doug Besterman.

The White City music by Avi Amon. Words by Julia Gytri. Orchestrated by Kim D. Sherman.

And an orchestral re-imagining of: The Bridges of Madison County music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Book by Marsha Norman Based on the Novel by Robert James Waller. Orchestrated by Charlie Rosen. Also featuring a special Rosen orchestration of Broadway, Here I Come! by Joe Iconis.

The New Orchestrations Series is directed by Danny Abosch and Mira Magrill. The Chelsea Symphony is conducted by Matthew Aubin, Reuben Blundell, and Mark Seto.

All proceeds will benefit the Musical Theatre Factory.

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA'S director Bartlett Sher stages the season-opening new production of Verdi’s masterful Othello. The title character played by tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko does not play the part in black face - the first time a Met Othello didn't cork up. The production is getting it both ways - being praised for being color blind and criticized for altering Shakespeare who specified that Othello was black Moor.

Tony award winner Donald Holder did the lighting design while Tony Award winner Catherine Zuber created the costumes. Performances are through May 6, 2016.

THE LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION as part of its music education programs teamed up with Ricky Martin to invite 25 students of Music Sound and Engineering Majors from UM Frost School of Music, Miami Dade College and SAE Institute in Miami to the Sound Check for Ricky Martin’s One World Tour 2015 concert in Miami, Florida on Saturday, October 24th at the American Airlines Arena.

The Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation’s music programs connect students interested in pursuing careers in the music industry to learn from musicians, songwriters, producers, record label executives, and other members of the recording industry about the music business and their experiences. The students were able to have a Q&A session with Ricky Martin; Producer and Musical Director, David Cabrera; Chief Engineer, Enrique Larreal; Record Producer, Julio Reyes.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

FUNNY GIRL the 50th anniversary musical revival at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London, sold out in 90 minutes. Sheridan Smith stars as Fanny Brice, directed by Michael Mayer and choreography by Lynne Page. The production begins previews November 20 and officially opens on December 2, 2015, running through March 5, 2016 before transferring to the Savoy on April 9, 2016.

THE PRICE OF FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR'S TOYS referring to his recent purchase of a 2015 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse convertible was $3.5 million and is one of only 44 made.

He announced this latest acquisition on his Instagram account. Mayweather lives in Las Vegas, but was accompanied by Obi Okeke who co-owns Fusion Luxury Motors in Chatsworth, California with him to Miami to put the deal together. It's the fourth Bugatti the famed boxer has purchased from Okeke whose seller's commission wasn't disclosed.



MISERY by William Goldman based on the celebrated novel by Stephen King.

Directed by Will Frears.

Starring Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf, with Leon Addison Brown.

Following a near fatal car accident, a world-famous novelist (Willis) finds himself in a strange house being nursed back to health by his doting, self-proclaimed Number One Fan (Metcalf). But as her love for his work turns to dangerous obsession, he realizes he must plot his greatest story yet: how to escape with his life.

Scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Academy Award and Tony Award winner Ann Roth, lighting design by David Weiner, sound design by Tony Award winner Darron L. West, and original music by Michael Friedman.

Performances at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City.

A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE London’s Young Vic Olivier Award-winning production of Arthur Miller’s play.

Directed by Ivo van Hove.

A View From the Bridge is being produced on Broadway during the author’s centenary and marks the Broadway debut of internationally acclaimed director van Hove.

The production features Mark Strong, Nicola Walker, Phoebe Fox, Russell Tovey, Michael Zegen, Michael Gould, Richard Hansell and Thomas Michael Hammond.

Scenic and lighting design by longtime van Hove collaborator Jan Versweyveld, costume design by An D’Huys, and sound design by Tom Gibbons.

Currently in previews with the official opening slated for Thursday, November 12, at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City.

HAND TO GOD welcomes Bob Saget to the Broadway production. He's replacing Marc Kudish as pastor in the play. Saget takes over the pulpit November 3 and remains with the show until it closes on January 3, 2016.

SCOTT AND HEM written by Mark St. Germain.

Directed by Dimitri Toscas.

F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway wrestle with the sparks of art and the perils of creativity - and the personal destruction they can reap. In this combative comedy fueled by friendship and rivalry, these two literary heavyweights reunite in 1937 at Fitzgerald’s home in Hollywood’s fabled Garden of Allah, chaperoned by the saucy Ms. Eve Montaigne. There they explore their mysterious bond and the genius that first brought them together, and ultimately tore them apart.

The Falcon Theatre welcomes Kevin Blake now performing the role of F. Scott Fitzgerald alongside Ty Mayberry as Ernest Hemingway and Jackie Seiden as Eve Montaigne.

Performances through November 15 at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, CA.

Talkback Tuesdays take place November 5th and 12th. Ticket holders are welcome to participate in an informal Q&A discussion with members of the cast in the theatre.

ANNIE book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin.

Directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin for the 19th time, this production of Annie will be a brand new physical incarnation of the iconic Tony Award-winning original.

This brand new production features a 25 member company: in the title role of Annie is Issie Swickle, a 9-year-old actress from Davie, FL, making her tour debut. Gilgamesh Taggett will star as Oliver Warbucks. In the role of Miss Hannigan is Lynn Andrews. Also starring in the tour are Ashley Edler as Grace, Garrett Deagon as Rooster, Lucy Werner as Lily and Allan Ray Baker as FDR. Sunny, a 4-year-old rescue terrier mix, stars as Sandy.

The Orphans are Angelina Carballo, Adia Dant, LillyBea Ireland, Sydney Shuck, Lilly Mae Stewart and Isabel Wallach.

The beloved score includes Maybe, It’s the Hard Knock Life, You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile, Easy Street, I Don’t Need Anything But You and the eternal anthem of optimism, Tomorrow.

Scenic design by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Costume Designer’s Guild Award winner Suzy Benzinger, lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington and sound design by Tony Award nominee Peter Hylenksi.

The lovable mutt “Sandy” will once again be trained by Tony Award Honoree William Berloni Musical supervision and additional orchestrations are by Keith Levenson Casting is by Joy Dewing CSA and Holly Buczek CSA, Joy Dewing Casting.

The show remains one of the biggest Broadway musical hits ever. It ran for 2,377 performances after it first opened, and has been performed in 28 languages and has been running somewhere around the world for 37 years. Performances November 3-8 at the San Diego Civic Theatre in San Diego, CA.

COLIN QUINN THE NEW YORK STORY written by performed by Colin Quinn.

Directed by Jerry Seinfeld.

In Colin Quinn The New York Story, Colin waxes nostalgic about the rise and fall of his hometown, the city formally known as NY from its modest beginnings as Dutch outpost to the hipsters of modern Williamsburg. Quinn is once again at his satirical best, taking aim at the prejudices, paranoias and peculiarities that make New York City the crossroads of the world.

Performances at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City.

BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES created and directed by UK and Berlin-based Gob Squad.

Billed as "ambitious and poignant," Before Your Very Eyes, created over the course of the past two years with 8-14 year olds from around New York City. From behind the safety of one-way mirrors, the audience witnesses seven lives lived in fast forward, from angst-ridden teens to hunched geriatrics. As we adults try to stop the process of aging and preserve youth as long as we can, the children peer into the future and nostalgically back at their recent past, as they prepare to leave childhood behind forever.

The complete cast features Mikai Anthony, Charlotte Beede, Rose Bell-McKinley, Eloise Celine, Meghan Chang, Margalit Duclayan, Keanu Jacobs, Simone Mindolovich, Jasper Newell, Elijah Pluchino, Maeve Press, Matthew Quirk, Miles Sherr-Garcia, and Aja Nicole Webber.

The Belgian version of Before Your Very Eyes was produced by CAMPO (Belgium) and premiered in 2012.

Performances through November 29 at The Public Theater in New York City.

WHO'S WHERE

KRISTIN CHENOWETH in the spotlight, November 6, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA.

JOHN PIZZARELLI & JESSICA MOLASKEY that husband and wife talented duo shows off November 3-28, 2015 at Cafe Carlyle in New York City. No show on Thanksgiving.

MICHELE LEE: NOBODY DOES IT LIKE ME, THE MUSIC OF CY COLEMAN the Emmy and Tony nominee makes her Kennedy Center debut as part of Barbara Cook's Spotlight. Friday, November 6 at the Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC.

THE BOLLYWOOD MASALA ORCHESTRA AND DANCERS OF INDIA performed Spirit of India, billed as “a lively musical journey from Rajasthan to Mumbai,” the show stars artistic director Rahis Bharti and features a cast of seventeen professional artists, including a brass band, acoustic musicians, singers, dancers, acrobats, and a fire eater. A seamless blend of live music and dance, Spirit of India incorporates Indian and Western instruments, including bass drums, side drums, trombone, tabla, dholak, harmonium, and clarinet. Kean University’s Wilkins Theatre in Union, New Jersey on Saturday, November 7, 2015.

JOSH GROBAN opens a two nighter Tuesday, November 3 at the Masonic Temple in San Francisco.

JOSHUA BELL performs Tuesday, November 3, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA.

FOO FIGHTERS entertain Thursday, November 5, at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. On Friday the show is at the Lanxess Arena is Cologne, Germany. Next Sunday, November 8, they are on stage at the Mercedes-Benz Arena is Berlin, Germany.

ADRIENNE HAAN internationally acclaimed cabaret singer, backed by an Israeli String Quartet, fresh from Carnegie Hall. Presenting a program of meaningful and deeply felt music. Tehorah, which means pure in Hebrew, features music of 1920s-Weimar, Berlin, klezmer and contemporary Hebrew songs sung in German, Yiddish and Hebrew. The concert carries a message of hope and forgiveness with music as an ambassador of peace. Celebrating 50 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Germany and Israel. Part of the Embassy Series. Post-concert reception: Hors d’œuvres, wine, cheese, Strudel, desserts, all included in the ticket price. Embassy of Austria on November 3, 2015, Washington, DC.

FINAL OVATION

JEROME KASS the Emmy and Tony nominated writer, died October 22, 2015 at his home in Manhattan from prostate cancer. He was 78.

Kass wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed 1975 telefilm Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, starring Maureen Stapleton and Charles Durning. Kass then earned a Tony nomination for Ballroom, his 1978 Broadway musical adaptation that starred Dorothy Loudon and Vincent Gardenia.

Kass also co-wrote the screenplay for the 1983 telefilm The Black Stallion Returns and adapted a 1978 novel by Belva Plain for the 1985 NBC miniseries Evergreen, starring Lesley Ann Warren.

He is survived by his wife, author, screenwriter and playwright Delia Ephron and two children, Julie and Adam Kass, from his first marriage to Artha Schwartz and a sister.

MARK MURPHY six time Grammy nominee jazz vocalist died October 22, 2015 at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, N.J. . He was 83. A lengthy illness had kept him from performing since 2012

Murphy was known for his improvisational skill and ability to interpret a wide range of song material.

He was the recipient of the 1996, 1997, 2000, and 2001 Down Beat magazine readers jazz poll for Best Male Vocalist of the Year. He wrote original lyrics to the jazz tunes Stolen Moments and Red Clay.

In 1954, Murphy moved to New York City, working part-time as an actor and singer. He appeared in productions for the Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera Company and a musical version for television of Casey at the Bat.

His final album, A Beautiful Friendship: Remembering Shirley Horn, was released in 2013.

GERALD J. GROSS considered a 'beacon for the arts' died October 14, 2015 of complications from cancer at his Brightwood retirement community home in Lutherville, Maryland. He was 94. A noted publisher and editor whose stable of authors included former Nazi official Albert Speer, Eudora Welty, Robert Penn Warren, Barbara W. Tuchman and E.E. Cummings.

During his years at Harcourt Brace, he was the first editor to have the National Book Award presented to two of his authors in the same year: for fiction, Wright Morris' Field of Vision, and for poetry, Richard Wilbur's Things of This World.

He later joined Pantheon Books and supervised publication of Born Free, Dr. Zhivago, The Tin Drum and The Leopard, which became motion pictures.

In 1962, he joined Macmillan Publishers, where as senior vice president he was in charge of the company's general book division, responsible for publication of 450 books per year.

Later he served as Boston University's Vice President for the Arts, where he help found the Huntington Theatre Company

In 1984, he persuaded BU President John R. Silber to start Huntington Theatre, which has grown into Boston's leading professional theater company and was the 2013 recipient of a regional Tony Award.

"There would have been no Huntington Theatre Company without Gerry Gross," wrote Michael Maso, managing director of the theater company, in a memo to trustees and others informing them of Mr. Gross' death. "He was a warm and passionate supporter of all of the arts, but ... he was deeply devoted to the Huntington. In fact throughout his long life he kept up his habit of sending me programming and fundraising ideas – the most recent just a few months ago!"

Gross also encouraged intellectual copyright lawyers to found a literary agency in 1990, and the Kneerim, Williams and Bloom literary agency in New England was born. Mr. Gross continued directing talented authors to it until his death.

His wife, Flora Finn, who was a director of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, died in 2005. He is survived by his son Adam Gross, a daughter, Sarah Gross; and two granddaughters.

BILL KEITH a member of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame died from cancer at his home in Woodstock, New York on October 23, 2015. He was 75.

He was a five-string banjoist who made a significant contribution to the stylistic development of the instrument - transforming the banjo from a largely percussive instrument to one with previously unforeseen melodic potential.

Keith made a mechanical contribution to the banjo, as well. He designed a specialized type of banjo tuning peg that facilitates changing quickly from one open tuning to another, while playing.

Known today simply as Keith Pegs, they remain the state of the art, and Bill Keith continued to manufacture and market them personally as the primary product of his own company, the Beacon Banjo Company, until his death. Beacon Banjo tuners continue their proud tradition, now in the hands of his son, Martin.

He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame at an awards ceremony in Raleigh, NC on October 1, 2015 and delivered a heartfelt address on that occasion, just three weeks prior to his death.

in addition to his son Martin, he is survived by Claire, his wife of 39 years, and son Charles, a professor of Asian history at Michigan State University; a brother, Allan; a sister, Mildred Drummond; and four grandchildren.

LEON BIBB Tony Award nominee, singer, actor and civil rights activist died Friday, October 23, 2015 in his adopted city of Vancouver, British Columbia. He was 93 and had suffered a series of strokes.

He made his Broadway debut in 1946 in Annie Get Your Gun as a chorus member. In 1967, he was in A Hand Is on the Gate with James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson and was nominated for a Tony Award.

In a revival of the musical Carnival!, he was part of a mixed-race couple playing Paul Berthalet, the puppeteer and love interest of the Lili, who was played by the white actress Victoria Mallory.

As a folk singer he performed at New York venues and the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. Through singing and his involvement with the civil rights movement, he performed with Joan Baez, Harry Bellefonte and Paul Robeson.

He is survived by his daughters Amy Bibb Ford and Dorie Bibb Clay both living in the Philadelphia area, son Eric a Grammy-nominated musician who performed and recorded music with his father and lives in Stockholm, Sweden. Bibb also is survived by nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Bibb was twice divorced and leaves behind his long-time partner Christine Anton. The family said a portion of his cremains will be sprinkled in Louisville on the grave of his sister, Harriett Porter.

Next Column: November 8, 2015
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Laura Deni

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