Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: October 13, 2024
By: Laura Deni
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OH, MARY IS MUST SEE LAUGH-A- THON

If laughter is the best medicine than all residents of this sick world we are living in right now should be required to see Oh Mary, the outrageously funny - perhaps the funniest show to have ever played Broadway - which transferred to the Lyceum Theatre from its off-Broadway start at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

Oh, Mary! billed as "a dark comedy starring Cole Escola as a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Unrequited yearning, alcoholism and suppressed desires abound in this one act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of an idiot (Cole Escola)."

That almost explains it.

It's absurdist comedy at its brilliant best. Cole Escola knows how to write comedy/satire/farce and structure a script. Pacing is perfect and the delivery nothing short of impeccable comedy timing - gold standard. The way Escola's mind addresses a subject matter reminded me of the way the late Robin William's unhinged mind would twist and turn.

Coming up with the concept of showcasing former Mary as an alcoholic former cabaret star who is desperate to get back into cabaret ("the thing I love more than anything on earth … cabaret!") and then stage that in drag is - unique.

Escola is nothing short of a brilliant genius who not only wrote this stage event, but whose performance captivates and controls the audience. I can't imagine anyone ever walking out.

The excellent cast also includes: Conrad Ricamora as Mary's Husband. James Scully who is making his Broadway debut as Mary's Teacher. Mary's drama teacher is also a psycho ex-boyfriend. Bianca Leigh as Mary's paid companion Louise, who has her own over the top ice cream issues revolving around "ice cream in her pussy". Tony Macht as Mary's Husband's Assistant has a crush on Mary. Never-the-less Lincoln sexually propositions him.

Spirited direction by Sam Pinkleton. This quirky, infectious, laugh machine makes it difficult for the audience members to catch their breath before continuing to laugh.

Conrad Ricamora, Cole Escola and Bianca Leigh in Oh, Mary! Photo by: Emilio Madrid

Oh Mary begins with a hyper Mary desperate for a drink. If she can't locate liquor she'll settle for downing paint thinner and then her own vomit. No, this isn't Days of Wine and Roses. it's a madcap hoot of a show. Mary is also desperate to get back into cabaret, describing her longed for previous lifestyle, describing herself as a "well-known niche cabaret legend" and "people traveled the world over for my short legs and long medleys." She also affords cabaret the same status as theatre. Her husband, Honest Abe, a conflicted man who represses his own cloistered affairs, has a different take on show business and wishes his wife would act her age, remember her social status and conform to the time frame in which they are living.

As Mary, Escola is a force of nature with a high octane, deranged performance nothing short of perfection.

The 80-minute show can't be boxed into a category. Parts of it are downright dumb and one laugh follows another. The language can be crude and Mary isn't above flashing her unusual bloomers at the audience.

Excellent lighting by by Cha See. Authentic period set design by a respected theatrical design company known simply as dots. The sets could be used in any "straight laced" low budget historical drama. As the backdrop for unhinged hysterical dialogue and movement, they balance the production, rather than sucking away serious attention from the performance. After all, this is camp. Likewise the original piano music by Daniel Kluger emphasizes that Oh Mary is rinky dink fun. Costumes created by Holly Pierson are hoop skirt on target even being color-coordinated with the wall paper. Mary's now famous "bratty curls" wig is by veteran wig, hair, make up artist Leah J. Loukas. The sound tends towards loud.

The ending is powerful.

Cole Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln and James Scully as Mary's Teacher in Oh, Mary! Photo by: Emilio Madrid

For those who have forgotten what limited information they were taught in 4th grade about Mary Todd Lincoln: a refresher course.

Before she married Abraham Lincoln, Mary was courted by his long-time political opponent Stephen A. Douglas.

Mary staunchly supported her husband's political ambitions and was active in keeping national morale high during the Civil War. The deaths of her husband and three of her sons contributed to her mental health issues. She likely suffered with depression or possibly bipolar disorder. She was briefly institutionalized for psychiatric illness in 1875, and then spent several years traveling in Europe.

Mary suffered from severe migraines, throughout her adult life, as well as protracted depression. Her headaches seemed to become more frequent after she suffered a head injury in a carriage accident during her White House years. A history of mood swings, fierce temper, public outbursts throughout Lincoln's presidency, as well as excessive spending, has led some historians and psychologists to argue that Mary suffered from bipolar disorder.

Another theory holds that Mary's manic and depressive episodes, as well as many of her physical symptoms, could be explained as manifestations of pernicious anemia.

Her surviving son, Robert Lincoln, a rising young Chicago lawyer, initiated proceedings to have her institutionalized. Following a trial, a jury committed her to a private asylum in Batavia, Illinois. After the court proceedings, she was so despondent that she attempted suicide. She went to several pharmacies and ordered enough laudanum to kill herself, but an alert pharmacist frustrated her attempts and finally gave her a placebo.

Conrad Ricamora as Mary's Husband and Tony Macht as Mary's Husband's Assistant in Oh, Mary! Photo by: Emilio Madrid

Three months after being committed to Bellevue Place, she devised her escape: She smuggled letters to her lawyer, James B. Bradwell, and his wife Myra Bradwell, who was not only her friend but also a feminist lawyer. She also wrote to the editor of the Chicago Times. Soon, the public embarrassments that Robert had hoped to avoid were looming, and his character and motives were in question, as he controlled his mother's finances. The director of Bellevue at Mary's trial had assured the jury she would benefit from treatment at his facility. In the face of potentially damaging publicity, he declared her well enough to go home.

Mary was declared competent to manage her own affairs. The earlier committal proceedings had resulted in Mary being profoundly estranged from her son Robert, and they did not see each other again until shortly before her death.

37 year old Cole Escola told Seth Myers that he had done zip, zero, no research on Mary Todd Lincoln before creating Oh, Mary. While the author and star may not have studied the historical Mary, the emotional parallels of the stage version Mary and the distraught real version are symbiotic.

While circumstances can have nothing in common, emotional reactions tend to fall into categories. The emotional upheaval, desperation, defiance and angst Mary experiences in the off the wall black humored play are the same "emotions" Mary Todd Lincoln must have felt in real life.

The show, the first at the Lyceum to gross over $1 million weekly, has been extended to January 15, 2025.

Unless you have an invitation, know somebody who has tickets or believe in Divine Intervention, tickets are hard to come by. Make a point to see this show, but plan in advance.

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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

EDGES OF AILEY

Today, Sunday, October 12, 2024 visitors can interact with PBS character Xavier Riddle the main character from Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, and help celebrate legendary dancer Alvin Ailey at the Whitney in New York City. Photo: Whitney Museum of Art

is on exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City

It is the first large-scale museum exhibition to celebrate the life, dances, influences, and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey (b. 1931, Rogers, Texas; d. 1989, New York, New York). This dynamic showcase—described as an "xtravaganza" by curator Adrienne Edwards—brings together visual art, live performance, music, a range of archival materials, and a multi-screen video installation drawn from recordings of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) repertory to explore the full range of Ailey’s personal and creative life.

Presented at the Museum in two parts, Edges of Ailey consists of an immersive exhibition in the Museum’s 18,000 square-foot fifth-floor galleries—featuring works by more than eighty artists and revelatory archival material—and an ambitious suite of performances in the Museum’s third-floor theater, including AILEY in residence for one week each month during the exhibition.

Sweeping holdings of rarely seen archives, including performance footage, recorded interviews, notebooks, letters, poems, short stories, choreographic notes, drawings, and performance programs and posters gathered from Ailey’s archives and others forge a vital throughline in the gallery. Selections from the Alvin Ailey Archival Papers—courtesy of the Allan Gray Family Foundation and held at the Black Archives of Mid America in Kansas City, Missouri—and the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation Archives Collection held at the Library of Congress are of singular importance, specially digitized and exhibited for this show’s occasion. A dynamic montage of Ailey’s life and dances will play on loop across an 18-channel video installation created by filmmakers Josh Begley and Kya Lou, with curator Adrienne Edwards.

Ailey’s presence, felt through the video surround and his encased personal effects, envelops a scenic installation of artworks by over eighty artists. These works are arranged by themes that shaped Ailey’s life and dances. Sections span an expanded Black southern imaginary that enfolds histories of the American South with those of the Caribbean, Brazil, and West Africa; the enduring practices of Black spirituality; the profound conditions and effects of Black migration; the resilience for and necessity of an intersectional Black liberation; the prominence of Black women in Ailey’s life; and the robust histories and experiments of Black music; along with the myriad representations of Blackness in dance and meditations on dance after Ailey.

Artists exhibited among Ailey include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, Alma Thomas, Jacob Lawrence, Rashid Johnson, Kevin Beasley, Kara Walker, and many others. A recent acquisition of Eldren Bailey and new works by Karon Davis, Jennifer Packer, Mickalene Thomas, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye will be presented for the first time in honor of this landmark exhibition.

Edges of Ailey also offers a rare opportunity for visitors to watch intimate live performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the Museum’s third-floor theater. As part of the exhibition's robust live performance program, AILEY is in residence at the Whitney for one week each month, for a total of five weeks and over ninety performances. This gives visitors the opportunity to experience the full scope of Ailey's world and legacy, including performances of classic and contemporary works by the two repertory companies—Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II—as well as showcases by students from The Ailey School, workshops and education programs from Ailey Arts In Education, and classes from Ailey Extension.

During the weeks AILEY is not in residence at the Museum, a series of dance commissions by leading choreographers and their collaborators, including Ronald K. Brown, Trajal Harrell, Bill T. Jones, Ralph Lemon, with interdisciplinary artist Kevin Beasley, Sarah Michelson, Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born, Will Rawls, Matthew Rushing, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar will be showcased.

Visitors can also see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater during the company's annual engagement at New York City Center from December 4, 2024 to January 5, 2025.

Edges of Ailey is organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art in collaboration with the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation. Special acknowledgment to the Allan Gray Family Foundation and the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City for access to archival materials. The exhibition is curated by Adrienne Edwards, Engell Speyer Family Senior Curator and Associate Director of Curatorial Programs, with Joshua Lubin-Levy, Curatorial Research Associate, and CJ Salapare, Curatorial Assistant, with thanks to Katie Fong, Curatorial Assistant, for research support.

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SWEET CHARITY

2024 ASIA GAME CHANGER AWARDS recognizing individuals and groups whose actions have profoundly strengthened the bonds between Asia and the world will be presented during an awards ceremony and dinner on Thursday, October 24, at Cipriani in New York.

This year’s event honors:

The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), national organization building safety, belonging, and prosperity for the AANHPI community to create a brighter future for all
Bang Si-Hyuk, music industry visionary and Chairman of HYBE
Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin, Academy Award-winning filmmakers
Bowen Yang, actor and comedian of Saturday Night Live fame.

Established in 2014, the Asia Game Changer awards are bestowed annually to individuals, organizations, and movements that have inspired, enlightened, and shown true leadership in areas that reflect Asia Society’s key areas of focus: policy and business, arts and culture, and education.

The Asia Game Changer Awards are designed to fill a vital gap — identifying and honoring true leaders making a positive contribution to the future of Asia and its diaspora.

COLE ESCOLA of Oh Mary fame will be honored at GLWD's 18th Annual GOLDEN-HEART award on October 21, 2024. The event will benefit God's Love We Deliver.

The evening will also honor Sarah Jessica Parker and Megan Thee Stallion and features a special performance by Sam Smith.

A TECTONIC CABARET'S ANNUAL GALA will take place at Current at Chelsea Piers in New York City on Monday, October 21.

Featuring a cocktail hour prior to the performance slate, the evening will honor producer Gigi Pritzker with the James C. Hormel Spirit of Tectonic Award, actor Colman Domingo with the Jane Fonda Award, and Broadway Cares Executive Director Tom Viola with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Directed by Timothy Koch, under the artistic supervision of Moisés Kaufman with musical direction by Anna Ebbesen, the evening will feature performances by countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, Claybourne Elder, Alyssa Fox, spoken word artist Prentice Powell, Ryan VanDenBoom, Sasha Velour, and Françise Voranger and the Hybrid Movement Company.

The A Tectonic Cabaret Benefit Committee is chaired by Aaron Walton and includes Michael Graziano, Erika Kramer, Jeff LaHoste, Scott Johnson, George Slowik, and Tim Wu.

The benefit's Host Committee includes Elizabeth Armstrong, Maria Cristina Anzola, Deborah Barrera, Barbara Broccoli, Ebs Burnough, Cartier, Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Ruth & Itzak Fisher, David Goldman & Debbie Bisno, John Hadity, Erika Kramer & Susannah Schoolman, Alan Kornberg, Brian and Dayna Lee, Stephanie & Carter McClelland, Marianne Mills, James L. Nederlander, Heather Randall, Gary Ressler, Ann Sarnoff, Nick Scandalios, Jayne Sherman, George Slowik and Brian Callaway, Amy Stursberg, Aaron Walton, Barbara Whitman, and Tim Wu and Eric Murphy.

Proceeds from the cabaret will benefit Tectonic Theater Project’s development of new works and education through the Moment Work Institute.

SOPHIE, THE DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH made a rare televisions show appearance last Thursday, October 10, 2024 on CBeebies Bedtime Story to mark World Sight Day.

The wife of Prince Edward read Specs for Rex, the story of a little lion who does not want to wear his new glasses to school. The Duchess is passionate about supporting the sight loss community and eliminating avoidable blindness.

Like many passionately involved with a charity, her interest started as personal. Her beautiful grown daughter, Lady Louise, was a preemie born with the expected eye issues, since that part of the body is the last to become fully formed. The college student now has perfect vision.

2024 RECIPIENTS OF PRINCE WILLIAM BAFTA BURSARY FUND were honored with an appearance by Prince William at the event which showcases the importance of supporting young people in the film, games and television industries.

The event, which was co-hosted by BAFTA and The Royal African Society, saw the father of three, who admitted that his children fight over the remote, meet with 2024 recipients of The Prince William BAFTA Bursary fund, as well as students from the National Film and TV School who have been supported by the Society.

The Prince of Wales serves as the President of the arts organization, and Patron of the Society.

William started The Prince William BAFTA Bursary in 2021, in an effort to assist young people from underrepresented groups to progress their career in film, games or television through grants.

He was joined by actors Stephen Merchant, Andy Serkis, Celia Imrie and film director Paul Greengrass, all four of whom are donors to the fund. The bursary provides grants of up to £2,000 to individuals.

William has discussions with recipients working across a range of disciplines from production assistants, costumer designers, writers, and game designers, to camera and sound trainees to find out how the bursaries have allowed them to accelerate their careers and overcome barriers within the industry.

Paul Greengrass, the British director and producer who directed three of the Bourne franchise films, and who made the founding donation to the bursary fund in 2021, joined the prince during his chat with the group of young people.

William jokingly lobbied him to make another film, suggesting 'another Bourne, please?' This prompted Greengrass to laugh and shake his head with a 'no'.

William stated: "In 2021, the Prince William BAFTA Bursary Fund was launched to provide vital funding towards costs that might otherwise prevent talented individuals from being able to pursue careers in the industry.

"To date, over 150 young people have been supported through the program and have gone on to work in the film, games and television industries as production assistants, costume designers, writers, camera and sound trainees, game designers and many many more."

In addition, The Prince of Wales and director Greengrass spoke with students who have been assisting the Royal African Society on their upcoming Film Africa festival by helping to curate the festival program and give guidance on the short films that have been selected to represent diverse voices and narratives in African storytelling.

The festival, which runs during Black History Month, is the largest of its kind for African heritage film makers in Europe, and this year marks its 11th event.

SPREADING THE WORD

ISSAC MIZHARI the Emmy award winning jack of all trades, has a relatively new, marvelously entertaining podcast called Hello Issac which features celebrity friends and other guests, discussing their success and how failure affects it. Hello Issac has new episodes released every week.

Broadway To Vegas has listened to his podcast and it stands apart from most other entertainment podcasts, of which there are a plethora. His is different because it a professional production with marvelous sound balancing, and no distracting background noises. Too many entertainment podcasts have the people talking over each other; depending upon the tone of their voices and the device upon which the podcast is heard, many times it can be difficult to difference between the speakers. Another problem is that they try too hard to include the listening audience i.e. the podcast takes on the atmosphere of taking place in a living room in which people are just chatting with background noise, and people interrupting and - worse- talking over each other and laughing. It comes across as amateur time.

With Mizhari the speaking is distinct, easily understood. There is no random, confusing jabbering - rather - well thought out questions and interesting replies from the celebrity guests (Mindy Cohn's goal is to win a Tony: her worst experience as an entertainer, was while being directed by Anson William (Potsy on Happy Days) he "embarassed me in front of the crew").

Hello Issac is well worth the listen. It is available on however you receive your podcasts.

92Y NY’S LYRICS & LYRICISTS presents Cockeyed Optimist: Where Hammerstein Found His Hope, a deep dive into the plays, novels, and films that inspired Oscar Hammerstein – resulting in such masterworks as "Oklahoma!," "The King and I," "The Sound of Music," "South Pacific," "Show Boat and more.

The show is written by Tony Award nominees Dick Scanlan and Malcolm Gets and directed by Scanlan, and features a cast including Kerstin Anderson; Mikaela Bennett; Patrick Breen; Eddie Cooper, Omar Lopez-Cepero and Katie Mariko Murray.

Additional credits
Stephanie Alvarado Prugh, Producer.

Musicians:
Sylvia D’Avanzo, violin - - George Farmer, bass - - Christian Marrero, trumpet - - Jason May, reeds - - Adele Stein, cello.

"Beyond his deceptively simple lyrics, Oscar Hammerstein was a genius at finding unexpected sources," says Scanlan. "All of his hits were adaptations: a bestselling novel by a feminist author that Hammerstein turned into an anti-racist musical; two lines of text in a Hungarian play that became the basis for Carousel’s epic 'Soliloquy;' a queer, Indigenous writer’s story of a love triangle — Laurey, Curly and Jud — left largely intact but transformed by Rodgers & Hammerstein’s score into the quintessential American musical."

Performances are on October 26, 27 and 28 at 92Y in New York City.

STEVEN REINEKE AND THE NEW YORK POPS ORCHESTRA celebrate the legacy of the iconic Tina Turner and the countless artists she inspired with Adrienne Warren, Tony Award winner for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on Friday, October 18 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

With an evening of hits like "Private Dancer," "Let’s Stay Together," and—of course— "The Best," this is a not-to-be-missed tribute to the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

EPIC DOES THE 90S: A NEURO-INCLUSIVE CABARET at Joe's Pub in New York City on Saturday, October 26, 2024.

Get ready to relive the 90s in style with EPIC Players' Neuro-inclusive 90s Cabaret! A a night of iconic hits and unforgettable performances as talented neurodivergent artists share the stage with special Broadway guests. This one-of-a-kind cabaret blends nostalgia with empowerment, showcasing the incredible talents of this inclusive theater company. Don’t miss out on a night of music, fun, and celebration that will have you dancing in your seat and singing along to all your favorite 90s tunes! Broadway actors Keri René Fuller, Molly Hager, Sandra Okuboyejo, and Stephanie Torns are confirmed as guest performers.

This production is made possible in part with the support of: The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The J.E. & Z.B. Butler Foundation, The Hoffman Charitable Trust, The Howard Gilman Foundation, The Lortel Foundation, Arts for Autism, The Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.

STATE THEATRE OF NEW JERSEY in New Brunswick, New Jersey presents Ain’t Too Proud The Life and Times of The Temptations October 25-27. Leading the cast as The Temptations are Jameson Clanton as 'Melvin Franklin', Rudy Foster as 'Otis Williams', Lowes Moore as 'Eddie Kendricks' Josiah Travis Kent Rogers as 'David Ruffin' and Bryce Valle as 'Paul Williams.'

The musical, which opened on Broadway on Thursday, March 21, 2019, and was nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

GOODSPEED MUSICALS has announced their 2025 Season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT.

A steller selection will include:
Ragtime directed by Christopher Betts and choreographed by Sara Edwards.

20th Anniversary Production! of All Shook Up directed by Daniel Goldstein

50th Anniversary Production! of A Chorus Line directed by Rob Ruggiero and choreographed by Parker Esse.

Closing the season is the world premiere stage musical, Jerry Herman’s Mrs. Santa Claus, running November 14 – December 28, 2025. With music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and a book by Alexis Scheer, Mrs. Santa Claus is based on the Halcyon Television television film and the teleplay by Mark Saltzman.

MACBETH the Donmar Warehouse's sold out production starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo will be screened in cinemas across the UK, US, Australia and internationally from February 5, 2025. The critically acclaimed production, directed by Max Webster was filmed live during its run at the Donmar Warehouse.

KATHY BATES a tremendous actress who is terrific in anything. She shines in her new CBS television series Matlock. The surprising, curve ball twist ending to the first episode has me looking forward to the next installment.

THE OLD GLOBE IN SAN DIEGO has announced its 2025 season featuring:

Two world premiere musicals, including Regency Girls with book by Jen Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan, music by Curtis Moore, and lyrics by Amanda Green and Huzzah! with book, music, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe; three world premiere plays, including the Globe-commissioned Empty Ride by Keiko Green, House of India by Deepak Kumar, and The Janeiad by Anna Ziegler; two West Coast premiere plays, Deceived by Johnna Wright and Patty Jamieson, adapted from Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton, and Small by Robert Montano; two San Diego premiere plays, Appropriate by Pulitzer Prize Finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and One of the Good Ones by Gloria Calderón Kellett.

IT'S OKAY TO STAND WHILE DRINKING The Premier, Minister for Gaming and Racing, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy of New South Wales, Australia have declared that they intend to get NSW nightlife glowing in the dark. How are they going to do this? By permitting customers to stand while they drink.

Outdated conditions that forced patrons to be seated while drinking outside a licensed premises will be removed as part of the Minns Labor Government’s crusade to strip back useless red tape and rebuild nightlife and vibrancy.

A blanket ban on standing and drinking as part of approvals for outdoor dining on sidewalks in front of licensed venues will be scrapped.

The outdated ordinance is currently being enforced by around 145 licensed establishments, including 60 pubs, clubs and small bars. In future, the Liquor Act will no longer have a blanket condition that stipulates patrons must be sitting down to consume alcohol in outdoor areas.

Other reforms include in the Vibrancy Reforms include:
Ended single neighbor noise complaints against local pubs and other licensed venues
Made it easier to activate streets for festivals and events.
Expanded Special Entertainment Precincts that empower local councils to change the rules around noise and opening hours in a designated area to support live entertainment and nightlife
Increased incentives for live music and live performance, with two hours extended trading and an 80% reduction in liquor licence fees for licensed venues offering live music and performance.

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said: "For too long Sydney’s nightlife has been strangled by red tape. We’re fixing this by removing the restrictions destroying entertainment venues . . . Having an economy that fires up at 5pm during the week is critical for global cities like Sydney."

Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham stated: "We are getting the social scene back on its feet in Sydney and right across NSW. A blanket ban on standing with a drink in hand is a red tape hangover that has no place in 2024. Adults should be trusted to choose whether they stand or sit while having a drink."

Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris opined: "Our government is making a stand to elevate NSW back to its rightful place as no.1 for having a vibrant, diverse and inclusive night-time economy."

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THE 2024 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE has been awarded to Han Kang, a South Korean author, for her "intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life."

Han, 53, began her career with a group of poems in a South Korean magazine, before making her prose debut in 1995 with a short story collection.

Her novel The Vegetarian won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016, charts a young woman’s attempt to live a more "plant-like" existence after suffering macabre nightmares about human cruelty.

Han is the first South Korean author to win the literature prize, and just the 18th woman out of the 117 prizes awarded since 1901. The prize, announced in Sweden, carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million).

The Swedish Academy lauded Han’s work for her "unique awareness of the connections between body and soul, the living and the dead." Through her "poetic and experimental style," the Academy said, Han "has become an innovator in contemporary prose."

CURTAIN DOWN

THE TROPICANA HOTEL in Las Vegas, for 67 years known as the "Jewel of the Strip" became dust in just 22 seconds.

The implosion's opening act was a seven minute performance involving 550 drones and 150 pyrodrones. "Imploding the two 23-story towers that made up the Tropicana's hotel and casino took 490 pounds of explosives for the steel-framed Paradise Tower, and 1,700 pounds of explosives for the concrete-framed Club Tower. To light it up and take it down required 22,000 feet of detonating cord," according to a release."

The demise of Tropicana is to make way for the Athletics’ planned $1.5 billion baseball stadium for John Fisher's Athletics.



THE DUCHESS adaptated by multi-award-winning playwright Zinnie Harris.

Don't miss Jodie Whittaker's stage comeback at Trafalgar Theatre. The casting marks Whittaker's first time on the stage since 2012, in which she starred opposite Christopher Eccleston in Antigone at the National Theatre.

The Duchess tells the story of a recently widowed Duchess (played by Whittaker) seeking autonomy. As she says, "I am utterly and always myself." She wears colorful clothing, styles her hair how she wants, and sings at parties, even in the face of her patriarchal brother's disapproval. When she chooses to marry below her social class, her brothers eventually find out they seek to punish her. But will their punishments have consequences? This play is a tale of resistance, of a woman seeking to be herself and not be defined as a victim.

The show is based on The Duchess of Malfi, a Jacobean tragedy written by John Webster in 1612–1613. Webster's play was partly based on the life of Giovanna d'Aragona, the sixteenth-century Duchess of Amalfi. The play has since been adapted numerous times, including for opera, television, radio, and film.

The Duchess is a play that premiered in 2019 at the Royal Lyceum Theatre. Performances through December 20, 2024 at the Trafalgar Theatre in London.

ANOTHER SHOT a comedy by Spike Manton and Harry Teinowitz.

Directed by Jackson Gay.

Another Shot is a humorous and heartfelt ode to recovery and the community that makes it possible. It is based loosely on the real-life experiences of Chicago ESPN sports radio personality Harry Teinowitz, whose career and life were put in jeopardy following an arrest for DUI. Another Shot tells the outrageous, infuriating, and hilarious story of an alcoholic on the edge of blowing up his life when he finally confronts the inarguable truth of his behavior and how it is affecting his family, his life, and his liver.

Dan Butler stars as Harry with Chiké Johnson; Samantha Mathis; Gregg Mozgala; Quentin Nguy?n-duy; and Portia.

Performances begin at Signature Center’s Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre, in New York City. Another Shot begins performances on October 15 and officially opens on October 29, 2024 running through January 4, 2025.

VLADIMIR written by Erika Sheffer.

Directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan.

This haunting world premiere unfolds in Moscow, where an independent journalist covering Putin’s first term struggles to maintain sanity and hope in increasingly hostile circumstances. She finds herself on the brink of an explosive story – but as danger mounts for her and her sources, she questions whether her bravery will make any difference at all. Vladimir is about standing up to immorality no matter the cost, when you know your nation is headed for disaster.

The cast of Vladimir features two-time Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz, Erin Darke, Francesca Faridany, Erik Jensen, Olivia Deren Nikkanen, David Rosenberg, and Jonathan Walker.

The creative team includes Mark Wendland (Scenic Design), Jess Goldstein (Costume Design), Japhy Weideman (Lighting Design), Dan Moses Schreier (Original Music and Sound Design), Lucy Mackinnon (Projection Design), Tom Schall (Fight Direction), Charles G. LaPointe (Hair and Wig Design), Ashley Ryan (Makeup Design), and Charlotte Fleck (Dialect Coach).

Official opening night is Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at the Manhattan Theatre Club, NYC.

DIRTY LAUNDRY written by Mathilde Dratwa.

Directed by Rebecca Martinez.

After the woman who unites them dies, three people grapple with love, loss, lust…and household chores. Meanwhile, a spin cycle of voices pings with questions: are you still a daughter when your mother dies? Are you still the other woman when the first woman is gone? And maybe more importantly–how do you clean all that Dirty Laundry?

Starring Lakisha May as Me, Emmy Award nominee Richard Masur as My Dad, and Drama Desk Award nominee Constance Shulman as Another Woman. They are joined by Sasha Diamond as Red, Yvette Ganier as Blue, Amy Jo Jackson as Green.

Performances through October 20, 2024 at the WP Theatre in New York City.

ASHES & INK written by Martha Pichey.

Directed by Alice Jankell.

A powerful new Off-Broadway drama starring Kathryn Erbe. This moving story confronts love, addiction, and a mother’s fight to save her son.

Molly, a widow still grappling with her husband's death, is desperate to pull her son Quinn back from the edge of addiction. As Quinn fights for a chance at redemption and auditions for drama school, the emotional scars between them surface, leading to moments of tenderness and turmoil.

The cast includes: Kathryn Erbe, Javier Molina, Julian Shatkin, Tamara Flannagan, Rhylee Watson.

The creatives are: Scenic Design by Tim McMath. Costume Design by Kaitlin Feinberg. Sound Design by Alexis Attalla. Lighting Design by Paul Hudson.

Performances begin October 16 at the AMT Theater in NYC. Limited engagement through November 3.

THE COUNTER by Meghan Kennedy.

Directed by David Cromer.

"Every morning at the local diner in a small town, a waitress refills a regular’s coffee. An unlikely friendship develops and keeps him coming back for more. But when he asks for a shocking favor, it brings to light both of their deepest secrets. The Counter is meditation on the everyday connections that can change our lives."

Featuring Anthony Edwards as "Paul," Susannah Flood as "Katie," and Amy Warren as "Peg."

The creative team includes Walt Spangler (Set Designer), Sarah Laux (Costume Designer), Stacey Derosier (Lighting Designer), and Christopher Darbassie (Sound Designer).

Performances at the Laura Pels Theatre, Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre in New York City through November 17, 2024.

BARCELONA by Bess Wohl.

Directed by Lynette Linton.

Lily Collins and Álvaro Morte are making their West End debuts in this explosive two-hander.

2009. Late night in Barcelona. An American tourist goes home with a handsome Spaniard. What begins as a carefree, one-night stand becomes an invitation to danger, as the personal and political catastrophically intertwine.

"By turns funny, sexy and surprising, Barcelona is a seductive thriller that will keep audiences guessing - exploring the fantasy of who we pretend to be, versus the truth of who we are."

Barcelona at the Duke of York's Theatre in London from October 21, 2024 - Saturday, January 11, 2025.

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.

FINAL OVATION

RICHARD BLOCK whose career in radio and television spanned seven decades, died September 30, 2024 in Santa Monica, CA from a from heart-related complications of amyloidosis. He was 97.

His work included developing and managing stations with Kaiser Broadcasting, where he pioneered UHF. Later, he created the Travel Channel and Game Show Network. Recent decades saw him consulting extensively, including for the Rose Parade to promote international coverage. He taught broadcasting at the University of Southern California (USC) from 2006 to the current semester.

He was married twice - to Cecelia Ulfelder and later, Marilyn Quinn. He is survived by two children, Julie Grunsky (Curtis) and Nick Block (Patricia), four grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.

CISSY HOUSTON Grammy award winning soul and gospel singer died October 7, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. She had been in hospice care for Alzheimer's disease. She was 91.

Houston was a founding member of the R&B group The Sweet Inspirations, and sang backup for artists such as Roy Hamilton, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Paul Simon, and Chaka Khan. Houston embarked on a solo career in 1970, and won two Grammy Awards in the Traditional Gospel Album category.

In 1955, Houston married Freddie Garland and had a son, Gary Garland, an NBA basketball player and DePaul University Athletic Hall of Famer.

In early 1958, when she was 24, Houston met John Russell Houston Jr. and embarked on a romance that led to the births of son Michael, a songwriter and road manager, and daughter Whitney (1963–2012), who went on to be a world-renowned singer, actress, and entertainer.

In addition to her sons, Houston issurvived by six grandchildren including Bobbi Kristina Brown and nine great-grandchildren.

Other relatives include nieces Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee Warwick, Damon Elliott is a grandnephew and Leontyne Price was a cousin.

Next Column: October 20, 2024
Copyright: October 13, 2024 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