Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: November 23, 2025
By: Laura Deni
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TURKEY TIME ON STAGE

We don't men those flops - a lot of them.

Nope, not this time.

We mean the subject matter. Those squawking birds which end up day old sandwiches andpieces chpped up in salads.

Then there are the die hard families which include watching a play which included Thanksgiving in order to round out the celebritory bill.

Thanksgiving inclusions aren't as popular as Christmas, but there are plenty of plenty of nods to that feathered bird.

The Thanksgiving Play is a satirical comedy written by Larissa FastHorse. The play centers around a group of four well-meaning but culturally insensitive ... theatre people who walk into an elementary school. They work to deliver a Thanksgiving pageant that won't ruffle any feathers.

The Thanksgiving Play premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in New York City on October 12, 2018. An updated version starring D'Arcy Carden had a makeshift troupe of four actors must devise an elementary school Thanksgiving show that centers the Native American perspective.

The musical Holiday Inn has a Thanksgiving number - Plenty to be Thankful For.

Thanksgiving plays include The First Thanksgiving, Perambulating Pie, Turkey Saves the Day, Thanksgiving at Rubino's, Unexpected Guests, and The Pilgrim Who Didn't Care—and many more.

J.B. by Archibald Macleish is a verse play of the biblical Job story with a Thanksgiving dinner scene.

Nothing says Thanksgiving quite like the word "Food." Sort of says it all.

Bruce Spribgsteen has long been a canned cranberry sauce devotee.

On a variety of television talk shows he has opened up about his holiday eating habits.

"My main thing on Thanksgiving is not the turkey. It’s the sweet potatoes covered with the marshmallows," he said, continuing: "And canned cranberry sauce. I don’t want to see any real cranberries in that cranberry sauce. I want it coming out of the can, slice by slice, so I can put it on my plate."

"The biggest thing is diet, diet, diet," Springsteen emphasized. "I don't eat too much, and I don't eat bad (for you) food, except for every once in a while when I want to have some fun for myself."

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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

THE LAND OF WEST COAST CRANBERRIES - and are as American as apple pie – in fact, even more so! Long before the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, and before Lewis and Clark walked these parts two centuries ago, Native Americans combined crushed cranberries with dried deer meat or salmon and melted fat to make pemmican – a convenience food that would keep for a long time.

Cranberry farming in the SW corner of Washington State has a more than 100-year history. A Massachusetts visitor observed the native berries growing in the marshes and was impressed with the area’s resemblance to Cape Cod. Convinced that the peat soil could be successfully adapted to the cultivation of commercial cranberries, a partnership of 4 entrepreneurs purchased more than 1600 acres of Peninsula land between 1872 and 1877 for as little as $1 an acre.

The industry built between 1877 and the turn of the century, when it hit a period of stagnation. Cranberries weren’t sought after by Americans except during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and the established bogs on the East Coast already filled that market. To make matters worse, East Coast vines brought with them non-native pests, marketing West Coast berries was expensive due to its geographic isolation, start-up costs for the bogs was high, and taxes were frequently higher than profits.

The cranberry industry in Pacific County is nothing short of impressive. The coastline is affectionately called "the Cranberry Coast" due to the garnet berry’s production. Washington produces nearly 150,000 barrels of cranberries annually, making it a key player in the U.S. market. Ther state proudly ranks among the top five cranberry producers in the country.

A boon was experienced in the 1910s when syndicates purchased and sold several thousand acres of marshland. This increase in the number of farmers and bogs, combined with the still existing problems of the past ten years left the growers that survived in an anguished state.

Help arrived in the early 1920s in the form of D. J. Crowley. Conducting tests over a 30-year period at the Cranberry Research Station, Crowley was able to make recommendations to solve a number of pest, frost and other local problems.

Growers did not immediately adopt these recommendations. Combined with the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s, the industry whittled itself down to a few highly committed farmers. The next 40 years brought many changes to cultivation methods, increasing product yields and quality. A significant change during the 1940’s was the switch most growers made from dry to wet harvesting of the berries.

The Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation was formed to purchase the Cranberry Research Station owned and operated by Washington State University. The Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation was established in 1992 as a non-profit organization. Its goals are to:
Help fund cranberry research and extension work on the West Coast of the United States and Canada.
Maintain a demonstration cranberry farm.
Produce cranberries on Foundation property to fund research and extension activities.
Provide an educational facility for tourists, local citizens, and schools.

When WSU decided to close the Station in 1992, cranberry growers formed the Foundation and purchased the Station and 40 acres of farmland. WSU continues to support the personnel, while growers join together in farming the bogs.

There are currently about 235 growers on the West Coast from British Columbia to Oregon. The industry is strong and stable as it enters the new millennium, with year-round demand for juices, canned goods and a variety of cranberry products. 99% of local growers are part of an Ocean Spray cooperative.

Many of the original "dollar an acre" bogs are still viable today. Not surprisingly, the cost of growing has increased substantially with raw land suitable for cranberries now costing over $5,000 an acre. Growers are challenged by falling crop prices and environmental regulations.

In spite of high costs, Cranberry farming on the Pacific Coast has a bright future. The creative, aggressive marketing by Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. has brought the demand for cranberries to an all time high.

Employees for the WSU Long Beach Research and Extension Unit include Kim Patten, Ph. D., associate horticulturist and station manager, who serves as an extension specialist and agricultural researcher. There is also a research technician, and a three-quarter time secretary. Temporary personnel have included visiting scientists, post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, college interns, and summer students.

Over at the Cranberry Museum, you’ll find more than just history. Try a cup of the unique cranberry ice cream. This local favorite is the ultimate treat: smooth and creamy with an icy pop of tartness. While there, stock up on cranberry-infused skincare like lotions, soaps, and face mist. Cranberry seeds are bursting with Omega 3 and fatty acids that strengthen the skin’s protective barrier.

The Cranberry Museum & Gift Shop is open during winter on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10 am to 4 pm. Take a self-guided tour of our bogs anytime from dawn to dusk. Try our Delicious Cranberry Ice Cream, available in the Gift Shop. Visit our Museum and learn both the history of this garnet colored berry as well as key phases of the industry from bog preparation and planting to marketing cranberry products.

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SWEET CHARITY

JOIN EN GARDE ARTS FOR A LUMINOUS EVENING HONORING THERESA REBECK

Theresa Rebeck

one of the most influential playwrights of our time, whose career has been an example of what it means to champion women’s voices on stage.

Tony and Emmy Award winner Tony Shalhoub will present Theresa with the En Garde Arts Change Maker Award, celebrating her indelible mark on stage and screen.

Experience a special selection from A Foreign Body, a new play by Neena Beber, directed by Theresa Rebeck and performed by Alfred Molina, Marin Ireland, and Delilah Napier.

A Foreign Body tells the story of a woman who courageously breaks her silence to confront an abuser from her past, reclaiming her power, truth, and sense of self in this compelling new drama.

Together, Neena and Theresa continue their legacy of making space for new voices, championing artists who defy convention, and creating work that meets the world where it is.

This evening is more than a tribute. It’s a continuum, from Theresa to Neena to En Garde Arts’ Executive Artistic Director Anne Hamburger. Your support fuels their legacy, empowering En Garde Arts to keep amplifying stories that move us forward.

Several ticket levels with the highest being The Skyline Circle.

The event takes place at Handson Place in Brooklyn on December 8, 2025.

SPREADING THE WORD

THE 99th ANNUAL MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE will include excerpts from four Broadway musicals in the event, to be televised on NBC and Peacock at 8:30 a.m. November 27 simultaneously in all time zones.

Viewers will get to see numbers from current hits Ragtime from Lincoln Center, Buena Vista Social Club and Just in Time, plus a 50th anniversary presentation from A Chorus Line, titled A Chorus Line: The Next Generation led by director, choreographer and original ACL cast member Baayork Lee.

The 99th edition of the parade will be hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker.

TATIANA SCHLOSSBERG JFK’s granddaughter, reveals she has less than a year to live.

In her emotional essay, "A Battle with My Blood," written for The New Yorker, 35-year-old Schlossberg said she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia with a rare mutation back in May 2024, shortly after giving birth to her daughter. Her son, Edwin, was born in 2022. She married physician George Moran in 2017.

This is beyond heartbreak.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY Based on the story The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern. Adapted by Joe Landry.

Step in from the cold as our stage is transformed into a 1940s radio studio for this cherished American classic complete with musical jingles and sound effects created live on stage. Inspired by Frank Capra’s beloved holiday film, this heartfelt adaptation follows the life of the idealistic George Bailey.

When all suddenly seems lost, an unlikely guardian angel intervenes and offers George an unexpected gift. A nostalgic blend of holiday cheer and theatrical magic, It’s a Wonderful Life celebrates the true meaning of the season and the best attributes of humankind. It will warm your heart and make you fall in love with the inhabitants of Bedford Falls all over again.

December 3 - December 28, 3035 at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre in Madison, New Jersey.

A NOISE WITHIN in Los Angeles stages its uniquely faithful & musically merry "A Christmas Carol" opens next weekend, right after Thanksgiving. Beloved for its innovative staging, whimsical costumes, original music and boundless good cheer, the production has become a family tradition for many, yet continues to be filled with new surprises every year.

In addition to the regularly scheduled performances, the run includes a special 'Relaxed Performance' on Sunday, November 30 at 11 a.m. that offers an inviting environment for those living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Delay, Neuromuscular Disorder, Sensory Integrative Dysfunction, Attention Deficit Disorder and Disorders of Social Interaction and Communication.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

NO HOLLYWOOD FOR LAS VEGAS for the third time a bill to bring Hollywood film studios to Nevada failed to get approval from Nevada lawmakers.

Assembly Bill 5, proposing to tie $95 million of state’s transferable film tax credit program to the development of a film studio campus called Summerlin Studios, failed 10-8 in the state Senate, with three senators absent. It needed a majority of the Senate — 11 votes — to pass.

Special interest groups weighed in heavily to get the bill passed. A coalition of construction trades unions formed a political action committee, and argued that the bill could create 19,000 construction jobs and nearly 18,000 jobs when the project completed. Meanwhile, progressive groups, government workers’ unions and fiscal conservatives decried the measure as unfair tax breaks to multi-national companies that would hurt the Nevada’s general fund.

The bill would have required $1.8 billion in new capital investment by the end of the 2039 fiscal year and $4.5 billion in direct production spending over the 15-year span of the program ending in 2044. Transferable tax credits would have become available in 2029 The subsidies would have run for 15 years, from 2029 through 2044.

Opponents said the effect on the state’s general fund was too large to subsidize the risky film and TV industries. Fiscal analysts in the Legislature projected the general fund could fall below the required balance in the 2030 and 2031 fiscal years, assuming appropriations proposed in the special session were approved and that there was 3 percent annual growth in state revenue and expenses. That would have forced lawmakers to cut state spending or raise revenue elsewhere.

Under the proposal, the state would have offered up to $95 million a year in subsidies to projects that film at the Summerlin facility, and another $25 million to projects that shoot elsewhere.

The bill faced opposition from both the right and the left. Americans for Prosperity Nevada, a conservative group, called it a "corporate giveaway" that would generate just 23 cents for every dollar invested.

Some liberal groups, meanwhile, warned that it would reduce the funding available for healthcare and climate initiatives.

Though Nevada narrowly rejected film subsidies, other states have approved programs. California and New York both expanded their programs this year, and Texas recently increased its film incentive to $300 million every two years.

E-Book

Soft back Book

E-Book

Soft back Book

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.

Next Column: November 30, 2025
Copyright: November 23, 2025 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