Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: October 15, 2017
By: Laura Deni
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WHAT TO HEAR PERFECTION? GIVE A LISTEN TO PATTI LuPONE'S DON'T MONKEY WITH BROADWAY

Patti LuPone: Don't Monkey With Broadway released by Broadway Records is a musical gift to the senses.

This two-CD set belongs in every household. It's an exquisite example of great music, flawless singing, and entertaining and articulate commentary. Anybody's favorite or highlight will be based strictly on personal preference. Every single selection is a gem.

LuPone possess one of the most magnificent, elegant, well controlled voices ever to emanate from two vocal chords.

Give My Records To Broadway begins with a melancholy tone before turning powerful. LuPone can make any song her own, with such diverse sections as If I Could Write a Book sung by Frank Sinatra in Pal Joey to Happy Talk sung by Bloody Mary in South Pacific, or I Can't Say No performed by Ado Annie from Oklahoma and If from Two on the Aisle by Jule Stein.

When LuPone talks during or between songs, you can understand every single word of each sentence which not only relate to Broadway shows, but offers pithy and entertaining comments about her history in the industry.

As for the musical backing - that would be the incredible piano mastery displayed by Joseph Thalken, who also is responsible for all of the simply perfect arrangements.

Disc I closes with Don't Cry For Me Argentina from Evita. LuPone can perfectly sing anything including the difficult to carry off, a warp speed rendition of Trouble from The Music Man.

On Disc 2 LePone, a graduate of Northport High School, is joined by 22 members of the school's Tour Choir. The chorus was showcased on a beautiful rendition of Sleepy Man from The Robber Bridegroom, as well as the closing number Some Other Time.

Conducted by choir directors Ellen McCarthy and Nicholas Hart, the choir members are: Ashleigh Basel, Julia Hahn, Daniel Rodriguez, Benjamin Strait, Shannon Wines, Liam Burkart, Lucas Cusati, Jennie Dworkin, Katherine Gallo, Harrison Konanur, Joseph LaBua, Marianne Perrino, Mark Scalia, Gabriel Sherman, Alexandra Weidenman, Machenzie Germain, Joseph Greene, Jack Maline, Caroline Mancino, James Noonan, Peter Rapiejko, Tess Robinson, Samantha Schoeps, Emily Vezzi, and Erin Weiss.

LuPone spectacularly sings several selections from West Side Story which she calls her "all time favorite musical." She even performs both parts in A Boy Like That/I Have a Love which, from the audience reaction, must have been hilarious. From a listening standpoint - amazing.

If you didn't know it before, on this 2-disc CD LuPone proves she is a master at effectively delivering every possible emotion which can be vocally expressed.

Backed by "only" a piano this CD is the perfect example of what can be accomplished by somebody with extraordinary talent. LuPone couldn't do any better backed by a full orchestra. Thalken is as versatile with those 88 keys as LuPone is with her vocal chords. Put the two together - as this CD set does - and you have the equivalent of a full orchestra performing in a stage show with all of the accessorizing available on a no-limit budget.

Most CDs collect dust on a shelf. This CD will wear out from use. Then go out and buy another one.

Recorded before a live audience at the John W. Engeman Theater in North Port, New York on January 23-24, 2017. The event was also a fundraiser for the Northport High School in which $35,000 was raised.

In related news, LuPone, who is currently starring on Broadway in War Paint requires immediate hip replacement surgery, resulting in the production to shutter early on November 5. Broadway To Vegas wishes her a speedy and successful recovery.










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ART AND ABOUT

LOUISE DAHL WOLFE A STYLE OF HER OWN

Image: Suzy Parker by the Seine, Paris. Costume by Balenciaga, 1953. © Staley-Wise Gallery New York

Louise Dahl-Wolfe (1895–1989) was one of the most influential fashion photographers of the 20th century. She revitalized the Hollywood portrait and invigorated fashion photography of the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

During two decades spent working for Harper’s Bazaar (1936–58), Dahl-Wolfe pioneered the use of natural lighting in fashion photography, shooting on location and outdoors.

Her modernist outlook changed American visual culture and influenced a school of artists – including Richard Avedon.

A uniquely American artist, this is the first major survey of her work in the UK and is timed to coincide with a resurgence of interest in female photographers.

The exhibition features over 100 photographs spanning three decades, from 1931 to 1959 and, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the house of Christian Dior, will showcase a small selection of original Dior dresses from the Fashion and Textile Museum’s permanent collection. The dresses range from 1954 to 1967 and feature the designs of Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Marc Bohan. From an iconic New Look dress with layers of chiffon and embroidery to a youthful mini-dress, the garments will capture the sophistication of the maison’s early decades.

The exhibition will also present a significant body of portraiture by Dahl-Wolfe. These portraits capture literary figures such as W.H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, Jean Cocteau, Edith Sitwell, Colette and Carson McCullers.

She also documented fashion designers; and a major portfolio of Hollywood stars from Bette Davis, Orson Welles and Vivien Leigh in the 1930s to James Cagney and Veronica Lake in the 1940s.

Louise Dahl-Wolfe worked with an exceptional range of models including Suzy Parker, Jean Patchett, Barbara Mullen, Mary Jane Russell and Evelyn Tripp. She helped to create distinctive looks for her models defining their professional lives and, arguably, creating the first generation of ‘supermodels’. In particular, her cover shoot for the March 1943 issue of Harper’s Bazaar is credited with discovering Lauren Bacall and leading to her film career in Hollywood.

October 20, 2017 – January 21, 2018 at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, England.

THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON has announced that Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo and Susan and Matthew Weatherbie have made a commitment to give their collections of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish art to the Museum - the largest gift of European paintings in MFA history.

"The donation of 113 exceptional paintings by 76 artists - including one of the finest Rembrandt portraits in private hands - will elevate the Museum’s holdings into one of the foremost collections of Dutch art from the Golden Age, and significantly strengthen its representation of Flemish paintings from the time," stated the Museum. "The Boston-area collectors will also donate funding to establish a Center for Netherlandish Art, and the Van Otterloos will also give a major research library to support scholarship in the field.

"A major highlight of the gifts is Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn’s moving Portrait of Aeltje Uylenburgh (1632). In nearly perfect condition, the portrait displays delicate tones of black-on-black and virtuosic control of the brush. The gift of Aeltje will bring the number of Rembrandt paintings in the MFA’s collection to an astounding six and is one of many instances where the promised gifts will complement the MFA’s holdings."

CAROLEE SCHNEEMANN: KINETIC PAINTING

Carolee Schneemann. Up to and Including Her Limits. 1973–76. Crayon on paper, rope, harness, 16mm film projector, video (color, sound; 29 min.), and six monitors, dimensions variable. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Drawings Funds and Committee on Media and Performance Art Funds. © 2015 Courtesy of Carolee Schneemann and PPOW Gallery, NY. Digital image © 2017 The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo: Jonathan Muzikar

presented by MoMA PS1 is the first comprehensive retrospective of Schneemann, spanning the artist’s prolific six-decade career.

As one of the most influential artists of the second part of the 20th century, Schneemann’s pioneering investigations into subjectivity, the social construction of the female body, and the cultural biases of art history have had significant influence on subsequent generations of artists.

Carolee Schneemann: Kinetic Painting begins with rarely seen examples of the artist’s early paintings of the 1950s and their evolution into assemblages made in the 1960s, which integrated objects, mechanical elements, and modes of deconstruction. In the late 1960s Schneemann began positioning her own body within her work, performing the roles of “both image and image-maker.” As a central protagonist of the New York downtown avant-garde community, she explored hybrid artistic forms culminating in experimental theater events.

The exhibition considers Schneemann’s oeuvre within the context of painting by tracing the developments that led to her groundbreaking innovations in performance, film, and installation in the 1970s, as well as her increasingly spatialized multimedia installations from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

Carolee Schneemann: Kinetic Painting is organized by the Museum der Moderne Salzburg and is curated by Sabine Breitwieser, Director, Museum der Moderne Salzburg; and consulting curator Branden W. Joseph, Frank Gallipolli Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art, Columbia University, New York. Organized at MoMA PS1 by Erica Papernik-Shimizu, Assistant Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art, The Museum of Modern Art; with Oliver Shultz, Curatorial Assistant, MoMA PS1. On display October 22, 2017–March 11, 2018. MoMA PS1 in New York City.

SWEET CHARITY

PLAYWRIGHT JOHN GUARE author of The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation, The Landscape of the Body and more, will be honored at The Workshop Theater's fourth unGala on October 23, 2017 at Bar 466 in New York City.

Tony and Olivier Award Guare is also the recipient of the Dramatists Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. As part of the event, he will be interviewed by Theatre for a New Audience’s founding artistic director, Jeffrey Horowitz.

There will be a cocktail supper, open bar, music and both a live and silent auction.

Now under the direction of Thomas Coté, The Workshop Theater, now 24 years old, is devoted to the rigorous development and production of new American plays and musicals that transport, challenge and surprise both artists and audiences.

SPREADING THE WORD

THE 2018 TONY AWARDS will take place at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 10, the American Theatre Wing announced last Thursday. A new broadcast agreement has the annual ceremony airing on CBS through 2026. The Tony Awards broadcast has aired on CBS since 1978.

The ATW also announced that the awards eligibility cutoff date for all Broadway productions opening in the 2017-2018 season is April 26, 2018. . Productions which meet all other eligibility requirements and open on or before that date are considered eligible for nominations, which will be announced live on May 1, 2018.

The Tony Awards are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

JIMMY KIMMEL has taken his ABC late night talk show to Brooklyn for a week of shows. Guests set to appear include David Letterman, Billy Joel, Tracy Morgan, Amy Schumer and Howard Stern. Musical guests will include performances from LCD Soundsystem, Cardi B, Billy Joel and a special performance from the Tidal X show at Barclays Center.

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Back to Brooklyn will tape before a live audience from the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Howard Gilman Opera House. This will be the third time Kimmel and his show have broadcast from BAM. Paul Shaffer, former bandleader on Late Show with David Letterman, is confirmed to sit in with the house band, Cleto and The Cletones, each night.

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ one of the great observers of the contemporary world, capturing the personalities of the past half century in images that are both influential and intimate - in conversation with Chief Fashion Critic at The New York Times, Vanessa Friedman. Leibovitz will discuss her newly published book of portraits, Annie Leibovitz: Portraits 2005–2016, which portray artists, writers, actors, politicians, athletes, royals, activists and others who have shaped the times we live in. Subjects include Venus and Serena Williams, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Gloria Steinem, Rihanna, Meryl Streep, Zaha Hadid, Leonard Cohen, Jasper Johns, LeBron James, Joan Didion, Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at The New School in New York City.

THE LATIN RECORDING ACADEMY has announced that Chilean painter and sculptor Ignacio Gana will be the official artist of the 18th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Gana’s work will feature prominently on posters, program books, tickets, and other media before and during the 18th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, which will broadcast live on Univision Network from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on November 16.

REMEMBERING MUTER VOICES: CONSCIENCE, DISSENT, RESISTANCE AND CIVIL LIBERTIES IN WORLD WAR I from October 19-22, the World War I Museum in Kansas City host a symposium which will feature acclaimed authors and presenters, including New York Times author Michael Kazin and Ingrid Sharp from Leeds University in the United Kingdom.

Additionally, author Duane Stoltzfus and Dora Maendel of the Fairholme Hutterite Colony in Manitoba, Canada, will examine what happened to more than 500 Hutterites who protested American involvement in WWI and were later jailed in Washington, Alcatraz and eventually Ft. Leavenworth, where two young men died under suspicious circumstances.

Nearly 50 Hutterites from Canada, many of whom are descendants from the 500 people imprisoned at Ft. Leavenworth, will be in attendance at the event.

PRINCE HARRY

Chance The Rapper will perform as will Gloria Estefan and The National.

will spend Halloween in American. On October 31 he'll attend the inaugural Obama Foundation summit in Chicago which takes place October 31-November 1.

Also on board is Chance the Rapper who is curating a special concert on November 1. He will also perform as will Gloria Estefan and The National.

The foundation's mission is to inspire and empower people to change their world.

On October 31st and November 1st, the Obama Foundation will welcome civic leaders from around Chicago, the U.S., and the world to join us for a two-day immersive event in Chicago. During this inaugural Summit, hundreds of leaders from around the world will come together to exchange ideas, explore creative solutions to common problems, and experience civic art, technology, and music from around the world.

The Summit will feature five main stage sessions with talks on topics ranging from motivating young people to choose a civic path to technology’s role in creating equitable and inclusive communities. The Summit will also include breakout sessions on topics range from communicating across differences to art and culture’s role in creating productive cities to understanding race in relation to one’s civic identity.

In addition to Prince Harry, the speakers and facilitators include: Matteo Renzi former Prime Minister of Italy - Whitney Kimball Coe director of the National Rural Assembly - Hamdi Ulukaya humanitarian and founder of Chobani - artist Bahia Shehab - journalist and author Brian Alexander - Tod Williams and Billie Tsien who are Obama Presidential Center architects - Gabriella Gomez-Mont of Laboratorio para la Ciudad - CEO of Citizen University Eric Liu - Poet and author Elizabeth Alexander - artist Theaster Gates.

The closing event is planned to bring together thousands to celebrate civic leaders making a difference around the world and inspire those in attendance and watching live to make a positive impact in their own communities. Chance the Rapper is working with the Foundation on the creative design of the event.

THE HOUSTON BALLET displaced from its usual home at the Wortham Theater Center, which was heavily hit damaged by Hurricane Harvey and is expected to remain closed until at least mid-May of next year, isn't letting that interfere with its production The Nutcracker. The annual mounting is not only a holiday tradition, but is financially crucial to the Ballet's existence, responsible for 20 percent of its income.

The Nutcracker, a $5 million production which premiered last year, will hit the road splitting its presentation between the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land December 10-23, then move to Hobby Center for the Arts December 30-January 6.

PREMIERE STAGES AT KEAN UNIVERSITY will present three free readings of Nicole Pandolfo’s Brick City, a recipient of the 2017 NJPAC Stage Exchange Commission, October 20th through 22nd in the Miron Student Center Little Theatre at Kean University in New Jersey.

In this topical and compelling new play, worlds collide inside a failing Newark public school. Jessie, a combative high school senior with a disability, and Darnell, the star player of the basketball team, find themselves together in extended study hall during the most important marking period of their lives. As Darnell inches dangerously close to throwing away a lucrative college scholarship and Jessie a potential career as an artist, both discover that things aren’t always as simple as they may seem. Producing artistic director John J. Wooten directs.

SLAVERY & SATIRE: REVEALING BLACK HISTORY a tour revealing objects relating to Black History and Black Jewish History in the collection of the Jewish Museum in London.

Led by Black Heritage Tour Guide Lauren Johnson, attendees will get to see previously unseen objects. From servants in the Sukkah to campaigning together for Civil Rights, the tour will explore the shared history and faith of the Black and Jewish Communities across time and geography.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017 - Jewish Museum in London.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15 is National Mushroom Day and National Red Wine Day. Monday is National Liqueur Day. Tuesday is National Pasta Day. Wednesday is National Chocolate Cupcake Day, Thursday is National Seafood Bisque Day. Friday is National Brandied Fruit Day and Saturday is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day.

THREE BRAVE MEN: RONAN FARROW, TERRY CREWS AND JAMES VAN DER BEEK

Terry Crews

Terry Crews posted one of the most intelligent, eloquent and effective disclosures about a groping encounter he endured.

With Harvey Weinstein being shammed for his predatory behavior, the posting by the Brooklyn Nine-Nine star is so relevant and important that Broadway To Vegas is reprinting it in it's entirely from his Twitter postings:

“This whole thing with Harvey Weinstein is giving me PTSD. Why? Because this kind of thing happened to ME,” he begins.

"My wife n I were at a Hollywood function last year n a high level Hollywood executive came over 2 me and groped my privates. Jumping back I said What are you doing?! My wife saw everything n we looked at him like he was crazy. He just grinned like a jerk.

“I was going to kick his ass right then - but I thought twice about how the whole thing would appear. 240 lbs. Black Man stomps out Hollywood Honcho’ would be the headline the next day. Only I probably wouldn’t have been able to read it because I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN JAIL. So we left.

"That night and the next day I talked to everyone I knew that worked with him about what happened. He called me the next day with an apology but never really explained why he did what he did. I decided not 2 take it further becuz I didn’t want 2b ostracized— par 4 the course when the predator has power n influence.

“I let it go. And I understand why many women who this happens to let it go,” he wrote. “Who’s going 2 believe you? (few) What r the repercussions?(many) Do u want to work again? (Yes) R you prepared 2b ostracized?(No).”

"I love what I do. But it’s a shame and the height of disappointment when someone tries to takes advantage of that. He knows who he is. But sumtimes Uhav2 wait & compare notes w/ others who’ve been victimized in order 2gain a position of strength. I understand and empathize with those who have remained silent. But Harvey Weinstein is not the only perpetrator. Hollywood is not the only business we’re this happens, and to the casualties of this behavior— you are not alone. "Hopefully, me coming forward with my story will deter a predator and encourage someone who feels hopeless." — terrycrews (@terrycrews) October 10, 2017"

Ronan Farrow's investigative reporting and article brought down Harvey Weinstein.

Two days after Crews' disclosure, actor James Van Der Beek, 40, confessed in a Twitter post that: "I’ve had my ass grabbed by older, powerful men, I’ve had them corner me in inappropriate sexual conversations when I was much younger... “

“I understand the unwarranted shame, powerlessness & inability to blow the whistle. There’s a power dynamic that feels impossible to overcome,” he wrote.

The man grab may or may not be done by somebody who is gay. It may be about wanting a sex connection, but like rape - it's violence. It's a power grab. A disgusting statement of authority.

Men coming forward with their stories are important. They add depth to the harrowing accounts from women. Many female victims are portrayed as either 'asking for it' or a willing participant. Neither Crews nor Van Der Beek can be accused of dressing in a provocative manner or, desperate for a career move, willing to do anything to get a role.

The reasons Crews gave for women not complaining are spot on. Broadway To Vegas repeats his Twitter answers: "I understand why many women who this happens to let it go,” he wrote. “Who’s going 2 believe you? (few) What r the repercussions?(many) Do u want to work again? (Yes) R you prepared 2b ostracized?(No).”

The Crews and Van Der Beek statements emphasize that this type of inappropriate behavior can happen to anyone. Years ago I was sexually groped by a man who was then a person of entertainment power. He deliberately waited for me outside a Las Vegas hotel restroom. As I stepped out of the ladies' room, he groped me. There was a smirk on his face. I was humiliated and frozen in my tracks. Today, he is even more powerful. His current wife has explained his actions - or so I've been told - by brushing it off as his then being - a young buck. Maybe some reform, I don't know.

The point is that women and men are abused by those in power. It can happen in any industry or profession, but it seems to run rampent in the movie, television and music industries - for no other reason than men flexing their authority.

The entertainment industry is based upon illusion and hypocrisy. The illusion with statements, promo spots and talk show topics that they are against bulling - severely criticizing people outside the business who have been caught bullying - although they bully people on a daily basis. Announcing they are for women's rights, even though women are treated like sex objects. An industry which decries slavery, yet 'owns' people through contracts and real and implied promises which require total, unquestioning obedience. Some executives have been known to require underlings to knee before them and promise loyalty. One must worship at their feet. In their minds they are God and must be treated as such. Get on their bad side and your life will be destroyed.

Apparently, it isn't the crime that causes outrage within the industry, which conceals all types of outrageous behavior the way a makeup artist conceals blemishes. It's being caught. Are they, their friends or co-workers next? That's the fear. Of being discovered.

James Van Der Beek made an important disclosure about a recent event.

For Crews, a married man and former defensive end and linebacker football player, to now disclose a rather recent event, is important. There is no longer the excuse of saying that in the 70s all men behaved that way.

People need to stop thinking up excuses, and protecting the perpetrators. All of these men who think they are the axis upon which the sun revolves; who are compelled to boost their own egos by abusing others - need to be stopped.

Thanks to Van Der Beek for coming forward. His statements were important.

The issue isn't confined to heterosexuals. A day after the Weinstein blow up Amazon suspended their top entertainment executive Roy Price over a renewed sexual allegation. First reported by The Hollywood Reporter, which published an interview with Amazon's Man in the High Castle producer Isa Hackett, a lesbian with a wife and children, who detailed lewd comments and behavior by Price, which took place in 2015 at a party. Various published reports have her quoted as saying that Price stepped close and loudly said, "Anal sex!" in her ear.

She said she immediately reported the incident to Amazon which indicated they would investigate but she never heard what, if anything, took place.

As first reported by BuzzFeed, on Friday, October 13, 2017, through an employee memo, Amazon exec Jeff Blackburn, the company's senior vice president for business development, wrote, "The news coming out of Hollywood over the past week has been shocking and disturbing - and unfortunately we are a part of it. It’s sad and very disappointing to me."

Ronan Farrow's powerful, ten-month researched Harvey Weinstein expose published in the New Yorker is what brough down Weinstein. Had it not been for Farrow's article the Weinstein complicity and cover-up would have continued.

In 2008 Farrow was awarded Refugees International's McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award for "extraordinary service to refugees and displaced people." In 2009 Farrow was named New York magazine's "New Activist" of the year and included on its list of individuals "on the verge of changing their worlds." In 2011 Harper's Bazaar listed him as an "up-and-coming politician." In 2012, he was ranked number one in "Law and Policy" on Forbes magazine's "30 Under 30" Most Influential People. He was also awarded an honorary Doctorate by Dominican University of California in 2012.

In related Weinstein news: Yesterday, Saturday, October 14, 2017, Weinstein was expelled from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences . After an emergency meeting was held the organization released the following statement:

“The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Board of Governors has voted well in excess of the required two-thirds majority to immediately expel him from the academy. We do so not simply to separate ourselves from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over.”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, also known as simply the Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion pictures. The Academy's corporate management and general policies are overseen by a 54-member Board of Governors, which includes representatives from each of the craft branches.

The Academy is known around the world for its annual Academy Awards, now officially known as The Oscars.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

THE USC SCHOOL OF CINEMATIC ARTS has announced that it was rejecting a $5-million pledge from disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein to fund a program for female filmmakers.



THE 2017 MacARTHUR FELLOWS have been announced. Also known a Genius Grant winners, the 24 who each receive $625,000 over five years to spend any way they choose are:

Njideka Akunyili Crosby, 34, Painter, Los Angeles.

Sunil Amrith, 38, Historian, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Greg Asbed, 54, Human rights strategist, Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Fair Food Program, Immokalee, Fla.

Annie Baker, 36, Playwright, New York.

Regina Barzilay, 46, Computer scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.

Dawoud Bey, 63, Photographer and educator, Columbia College Chicago.

Emmanuel Candès, 47, Mathematician and statistician, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.

Jason De Léon, 40, Anthropologist, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Rhiannon Giddens, 40, Singer, instrumentalist and songwriter, Greensboro, N.C.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, 41, Journalist, The New York Times Magazine, New York

Cristina Jiménez Moreta, 33, Social justice organizer, Co-founder and executive director, United We Dream, Washington.

Taylor Mac, 44, Theater artist, New York.

Rami Nashashibi, 45, Community leader, Inner-City Muslim Action Network, Chicago.

Viet Thanh Nguyen, 46, Fiction writer and cultural critic, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Kate Orff, 45, Landscape architect, Founder and partner, Scape, and associate professor, Columbia University, New York.

Trevor Paglen, 43, Artist and geographer, Berlin.

Betsy Levy Paluck, 39, Professor of psychology and public affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.

Derek Peterson, 46, Historian, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Damon Rich, 42, Designer and urban planner, Co-Founder and partner, Hector, Newark.

Stefan Savage, 48, Computer scientist, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif.

Yuval Sharon, 37, Opera director and producer, The Industry, founder and artistic director, Los Angeles.

Tyshawn Sorey, 37, Composer and musician, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn.

Gabriel Victora, 40, Immunologist, Rockefeller University, New York.

Jesmyn Ward, 40, Fiction writer, Tulane University, New Orleans.

ARTSLINK have welcomed their latest selection of international artists and arts managers who have arrived for 5-week residencies at leading arts organizations throughout the U.S.

During their residencies, ArtsLink Fellows have opportunities to develop community-based projects, present new art and issues from their regions and initiate collaborative projects with U.S. artists.

ArtsLink Hosts and Fellows are:

CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, San Francisco, CA hosts Monika Lipšic, Lithuania.

Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH hosts Nikita Makarenko, Uzbekistan.

Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland, OH hosts Adriana Totiková, Slovak Republic.

Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA hosts Anton Ovchinnikov, Ukraine.

Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures Kansas University, Lawrence, KS hosts Goran Fercec, Croatia.

Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO hosts Corina Bucea, Romania.

Movement Research, New York, NY hosts Canan Yücel Pekiçten, Turkey.

Seven Loaves / GOH Productions, New York, NY hosts Enton Kaca, Albania.

7 Stages Theater, Atlanta, GA hosts Aksana Haiko, Belarus.

Yale School of Drama, New Haven, CT hosts Marcell Szabó, Hungary.

TOM HANKS

Tom Hanks

will be honored by the National Archives Foundation in Washington with its 2017 Records of Achievement Award. In a statement the foundation, which is the nonprofit partner to the National Archives, says it is honoring Hanks for “for his powerful illumination of the American story through his vast body of work in film and television during the past four decades.”

The foundation stated Hanks will receive the award at the foundation’s annual gala on October 21 at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC.

“No actor has covered the span of Twentieth Century American history as broadly as honoree Tom Hanks,” said Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero. “He’s served in World War II (in both the European and Pacific Theaters), negotiated for the U.S. in the Cold War, fought in Vietnam, worked in Congress, and led the space program. He’s fought pirates and deadly viruses, befriended mermaids, and saved both Private Ryan and Gary Powers. Off-screen, he supports military veterans and caregivers, environmental issues and the space program. Furthermore, Tom’s a self-described ‘geek’ who collects and still uses typewriters - two characteristics that alone make him worthy of this honor! He’s also been called ‘the coolest guy ever,’ which gives us geeks at the National Archives hope. In addition to his many honors including his place in the Army Ranger Hall of Fame, his two Oscars, and the asteroid named for him, I am proud to honor Tom with our Records of Achievement Award.”

“As a dive into archives of almost any kind is, to me, a swim in the finest of waters, I’m dazzled to be a part of this event,” replied Hanks. “Part of my job has always been one not far from that of a lay-Historian, to understand that I am a part of the documenting of the human condition and the American idea, even in the silliest of stories. My hope is that the event is as enjoyable as possible for those who attend; that a Night of Work is not required.”

The gala will also include a question and answer session with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, who also serves as a member of the National Archives Foundation Board.

The Records of Achievement Award is the highest honor given by the National Archives Foundation to an individual whose work has fostered a broader national awareness of the history and identity of the United States through the use of original National Archives records. Previous recipients of the Foundation’s award include: Steven Spielberg, Ken Burns, David M. Rubenstein, the late John Hope Franklin, David McCullough, Tom Brokaw, Annette Gordon-Reed, Brian Lamb and C-SPAN, James McPherson, Robert Edsel, Taylor Branch, and the stars and creators of the Broadway musical Hamilton: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, and Ron Chernow.

The National Archives Foundation is an independent nonprofit that increases public awareness of the National Archives, inspires a deeper appreciation of our country’s heritage, and encourages citizen engagement in our democracy. The Foundation generates financial and creative support for National Archives exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives, introducing America’s records to people around the U.S. and the world.

SHAINA TAUB has been named the recipient of the Lucile Lortel Award-Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award. Created to honor a female composer of musical theatre, the BBZA is a prestigious $10,000 cash grant. In addition, the recipient receives one year of artistic and professional mentorship from a prominent composer and a producer of musical theatre.

Past recipients of the Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award are composer/lyricists Masi Asare (2015) and Anna Jacobs (2016). The 2017 recipient of the Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award was selected by panels that included Jen Bender, Eric Cornell, Mindi Dickstein, Michael John LaChiusa, John Margulis, Polly Pen, Andy Sandberg, Shea Sullivan, Rachel Sussman, Nadav Wiesel, and John Zindarsic.

A reception will be held on Monday, November 6, 2017 at 5:00 pm to honor Ms. Taub as the 2017 Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award recipient, and Laura Borgwardt the 2017 recipient of The Liz Swados Inspiration Grant, a $5,000 cash grant for a distinguished female music educator in NYC given by The Ziegfeld Club and underwritten for 4 years by Academy Award-nominee actor Diane Lane.

Held at the New Amsterdam Theater, home the legendary Ziegfeld Follies from 1913-1927, the ceremony will feature a special musical presentation by Shaina Taub, with Tony Award-nominee Leigh Silverman serving as this year’s Distinguished Speaker. In addition, the ceremony will offer a special display of original Ziegfeld Follies memorabilia as well as showgirls in original costumes from the Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic.

LEAGUE OF PROFESSIONAL THEATRE WOMEN every three years presents an award to an extraordinary international female theatre artist. The 2017 LPTW Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award goes to Adelheid Roosen from the Netherlands.

It will be presented on October 23, 2017 at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center/CUNY. in New York City. An after party will follow.

Other Award Week events, including a celebration of all the Nominees are scheduled between October 15 and 20th.

Awardee Adelheid Roosen was chosen from a group of six finalists that also included: Lina Attel (Jordan), Jalila Baccar (Tunisia), Mihaela Dragan (Romania), Natalia Kaliada (Belarus), and Jesusa Rodriguez (Mexico).

The remaining nominees are: Abir Aly (Egypt), Sarah Berger (England), Patricia Benecke (Germany), Sabina Berman (Mexico), Kate Cherry (Australia), Drenia Frederick (St. Lucia), Elena Gremina (Russia), Brigitte Helbling (Switzerland), Carmina Narro (Mexico), Julia Pascal (England), Marwa Radwan Mohamed (Egypt), Nan Van Houte (The Netherlands), Ilire Vinca (Kosovo), and Linda Wise (France).

On Friday, October 20 Making Change-Making Theatre - a Performance and Panel Event will showcase G/C Award Nominees: Abir Aly (Egypt), Lina Attel (Jordan), Sarah Berger (England), Mihaela Dragan (Romania), Brigitte Helbling (Switzerland), Marwa Radwan Mohamed (Egypt), Carmina Narro (Mexico), Ilira Vinca (Kosovo). The free event is hosted by Theater for the New City in New York City.

PLAYWRIGHT DAVID HARE received this year's Gielgud Award at the UK Theatre Awards which are taking place tonight, Sunday, October 15, at the .London's Guildhall. The award recognizes creative achievement on and off stage.. The Gielgud Award for Excellence in the Dramatic Arts was established by the Shakespeare Guild in 1994. Hare's plays include Plenty, Racing Demon, South Downs and Skylight. He has written over 25 screenplays including The Reader and The Hours.

Previous recipients of the Gielgud Award for Excellence in the Dramatic Arts include F Murray Abraham, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Dame Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Kevin Kline and Lynn Redgrave.

In the same ceremony, Lyn Gardner will receive this year's Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre Award. Sharon D Clarke hosts the awards.



PRIDE AND PREJUDICE adapted from the Jane Austen novel by Kate Hamill.

Directed by Amanda Dehnert.

This new version promises to "imbues hilarious new life into this classic love story with a decidedly progressive take on the trials and travails of Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, and, of course the delightful Bennet clan. But not to worry, empire waists and lavish Regency-era attire still abound in this familiar yet surprisingly modern premiere adaptation."

The cast includes Kjerstine Anderson as Lizzy - Kenajuan Bentley as Mr. Darcy - Cheyenne Casebier as Mrs. Bennet - Emily Chisholm as Jane/Miss de Bourgh - Trick Danneker as Mr. Bingley/Mary - Hana Lass as Lydia/Lady Catherine - Brandon O’Neill as Wickham/Miss Bingley/Mr. Collins and Rajeev Varma as Mr. Bennet/Charlotte Lucas.

The creative staff includes: Scenic Designer John McDermott. Costume Designer Tracy Christensen. Lighting Designer Robert J. Aguilar. Dialect Consultant Gin Hammond.

The production runs through October 29, 2017 at the Bagley Wright Theatre.

On Saturday, October 21 at the Seattle Rep Spirits Lounge attend the Pride and Prejudice Costume Tea Party.

Come dressed in your best Regency-era attire (think empire-waist dresses and breeches!), and one hour before the matinee performance partake in an elegant tea with your fellow Austenites, and enjoy some fun photo ops that’ll be perfect for your Insta or Facebook.

M. BUTTERFLY the first Broadway revival of David Henry Hwang’s Tony Award®-winning play.

Directed by Tony Award winner Julie Taymor.

Starring Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Clive Owen as Rene Gallimard.

The company also includes Jin Ha, in the role of Song Liling, as well as Murray Bartlett, Michael Countryman, Enid Graham, Clea Alsip, Celeste Den, Jess Fry, Jason Garcia Ignacio, Kristen Faith Oei, Scott Weber, Emmanuel Brown, Thomas Michael Hammond, Jake Manabat, Erica Sweany, John Leonard Thompson, and Erica Wong.

M. Butterfly charts the scandalous romance between a married French diplomat and a mysterious Chinese opera singer - a remarkable love story of international espionage and personal betrayal. Their 20-year relationship pushed and blurred the boundaries between male and female, east and west - while redefining the nature of love and the devastating cost of deceit.

Currently in previews withe the official opening slated for Thursday, October 26 at the Cort Theatre in New York City.

On Monday, November 6, at The Times Center in New York City, Tony Award-winning director of theater, opera and film Julie Taymor; Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe-winning actor Clive Owen; and Tony and Obie Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang participate in a conversation with The New York Times theater reporter Michael Paulson. The trio will discuss Hwang’s modern classic, M. Butterfly.

THE EXORCIST

The Exorcist will have a special late night Friday show.

John Pielmeier’s play, adapted from the novel by William Peter Blatty.

Directed by Sean Mathias.

Ian McKeller, who is currently starring in King Lear at Chichester, England, is the voice of the Demon.

Adam Garcia will play Father Damien Karras opposite Jenny Seagrove as Chris MacNeil, Peter Bowles as Father Lankester Merrin, Clare Louise Connolly as Regan, Todd Boyce as Doctor Strong, Mitchell Mullen as Doctor Klein, Elliot Harper as Father Joe, and Tristram Wymark as Burke.

The story about a desperate mother who turns to a priest to try and cure her daughter’s mysterious, disturbing symptoms is so dramatic that it's recommended for those 18 and older.

The upcoming production will be designed by Anna Fleischle, with lighting design by Philip Gladwell, composition and sound design by Adam Cork, projection design by Jon Driscoll and Gemma Carrington, and illusion design by Ben Hart.

One of the most successful horror films of all time, The Exorcist's The West End premiere is unleashed at the Phoenix Theatre in London with performances beginning October 20, 2017 and is currently booked through March 10, 2018.

WHO'S WHERE

GARTH BROOKS AND TRISHA YEARWOOD perform five shows between Friday, October 21 - 22, at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. Brooks last played Lincoln 21 years ago. Currently on a world tour, this stop will be their last in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas area.

TIM McGRAW AND FAITH HILL perform Thursday, October 19, at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.

MATTHEW AND GUNNAR NELSON performing their Ricky Nelson Remembered show at the Genessee Theatre in Waukegan, IL on Thursday, October 19. Saturday's stop is at the Arlington Music Hall in Arlington, TX.

ALICE COOPER is in Australia and New Zealand this week. He's on stage Tuesday, October 17, at the Perth Arena in Perth. Wednesday his tour stops at Powerstation in Auckland, New Zealand. Then it's back to Australia for a show Thursday at the Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide, Australia. Friday's gig is at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. He ends the week Saturday with a show at the Hordern Pavilion in Moore Park, Australia.

FOO FIGHTERS perform Tuesday, October 17, at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC. On Wednesday they are on stage at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Friday finds them at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH. On Saturday they are int the spotlight at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY.

JOSHUA BELL AND ALESSIO BAXviolinist Joshua Bell is one of those rare classical musicians whose talent, charisma, and star power have made him popular with even non-classical audiences. For Bell’s return engagement, the dynamic Italian pianist Alessio Bax will join him for what promises to be an unforgettable evening. Saturday, October 21, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, MO.

THE WEEKND Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum selling music artist The Weeknd has announced a second leg to his critically acclaimed Starboy: Legend of the Fall 2017 World Tour and will perform Tuesday, October 17, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. On Thursday, October 19, he stars the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. He'll be at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma on October 21.

Next Column: October 22, 2017
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Laura Deni

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