Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: October 2, 2022
By: Laura Deni
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ALAN CUMMING'S INTERPRETATION OF ROBERT BURNS VS THE POET IN THE CLASSROOM

Robert Burns. Photo; Wikipedia Common License

The chameleon known as Tony winner Alan Cumming - I'd love to see him in David Mamet's 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning play Glengarry Glen Ross - is barefoot, with black hair extensions, black eyeliner and fingernails, channeling the mental complexities of Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, in a dance play. The short September engagement of the American debut ran at the off-Broadway Joyce Theatre, where Cumming did the last performance with a broken toe.

I took a three week class on Robert Burns from the University of Glasgow, which is home to the Centre for Robert Burns Studies. The course facilitators were Dr. Paul Malgrati and Dr. Carol Baraniuk with lead instructors Gerry Carruthers and Pauline Mackay, who are both experts in Burns Studies, and leading historian Catriona MacDonald and teacher Ronnie Young.

Carruthers teaches and researches Scottish Literature from the 1690s to the 20th Century. MacDonald lectures in Scottish History, specializing in the late modern period, roughly, the years after 1832. In 2013 Mackay was appointed as the first Lecturer in Robert Burns Studies. Young works in Scottish Literature teaching the Scottish Enlightenment and research the manuscripts of Burns. All are affiliated with the University of Glasgow.

For the class Neil Macgillivray recorded several poetry selections. He's a leading performer of the works of Robert Burns. Past winner of the three recognised Robert Burns speaking championships - the Tam o’Shanter, the Lapraik and the Whistle, Neil has also spoken at Burns Suppers in Europe, USA and the Far East.

Both Cumming and Macgillivray deliver soul moving, spine tingling, masterful readings.

On stage Cumming uses Burns' letters as the majority of his script, resulting in Burns' own words revealing his hypocrisy, financial desperation, womanizing and mental instabilities.

Andrzej Goulding's projections keep the audience aware of dates, times and places.

In class, students are provided with copies of Burns' Scottish penned poems and told to accurately transcribe them, a daunting exercise which requires a magnifying glass and considerable patience.

Margaret Chalmers. Of all the women in Burns life, Peggy has been called "the closest he came to an intellectual soul mate," and she inspired at least two poems, My Peggy's Charms and Where, Braving Angry Winter's Storms. Oil on canvas painting by John Irving, titled Margaret Chalmers, Mrs. Lewis Hay. Photo: Wikipedia Common License

Burns was obsessed with sex, a womanizer who objectified women, incapable of being faithful, by today's standard's a rapist - he had sex with two underage servants and fathered at least twelve children by at least five women. And, he was a braggart.

On stage Cunning recites: “I took the opportunity of some dry horse litter and gave her such a thundering scalade that electrified the very marrow of her bones,” he says. “Oh, what a peacemaker is a guid weel-willy purple/pintle/prick!”

In class we read: Down flow’d her robe, a tartan sheen, Till half a leg was scrimply seen, [barely] An’ such a leg! my bonie Jean [pretty] Could only peer it; Sae straught, sae taper, tight an’ clean – [So straight, so tapered] Nane else came near it. . . . . "with soul erect"!

from The Vision written in 1785 and published in Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. It takes the form of a poetic dream vision. The class had fun commenting, especially about the use of the word 'erect'.

Burns is the author of some of the most poignant and tender love songs ever written, and yet bawdy, sexually explicit productions collected and printed in The Merry Muses of Caledonia (1799) point towards a male bravado that has led some commentators to the conclusion that he was, in some guises, masculinist in his attitude towards sex and relationships. Indeed in his prose and poetry Burns can be seen, intermittently, to worship, admire and objectify women.

In 1780, Robert Burns founded the Tarbolton Bachelors’ Club, a debating society, along with his brother Gilbert and several of their Ayrshire acquaintances. Members were expected to abide by the club’s Rules and Regulations, one of which states that, "Every man proper for a member of this society must be a professed lover of one or more of the female sex."

On stage the scores of women are cleverly represented by shoes hanging down from the ceiling.

At times headless mannequins sit on chairs.

There is a clever, creative use of objects as scenery.

Burn presents the man who penned the lyrics to the New Year's Eve standard Auld Lang Syne and single-handedly caused whiskey to become the Scottish national drink, as bi-polar, a conclusion that Cumming didn't make without careful investigation.

In interviews, Cumming has discussed studying Burns’ letters to discover his immense financial worries as well as his mental health issues.

As the stage projects the word "hypochondria" morphing into "hypomania," a symptom of the bipolar disorder, a result from Cumming and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Steven Hoggett consulting numerous scholars including Kirsteen McCue Professor of Scottish Literature and Song Culture and Co-Director of the Centre for Robert Burns Studies at the University of Glasgow, and her colleague Dr Moira Hansen who had examined Burns’ output and "presented a fascinating study that lined up his periods of creativity alongside a very distinct "mood map" of his life." The conclusion was that Burns was bipolar.

Their findings titled "Mood disorder in the personal correspondence of Robert Burns: Testing a novel inter-disciplinary approach" were published in The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh,


Burns' bi-polar condition is brought to the stage in this dance musical through Cumming's use of erratic, musical structural movements created by Anna Meredith and choreographed by Steven Hoggett and Vicki Manderson.

It is the spine of Cumming's Burn.

In the course, students read: "Robert Burns was plagued by both physical and mental ill health on several occasions throughout his short life. Poems such as A Prayer in the Prospect of Death (believed to have been written in 1784 when the bard was just twenty-five) are testament to this. In his First Commonplace Book, Burns gives this poem the longer, more explanatory title, A Prayer, when fainting fits, & other alarming symptoms of a Pleurisy or some other dangerous disorder, which indeed still threaten me, first put Nature on the alarm. . . . He also discusses spells of "melancholy" and hypochondria which may have been the depressive aspects of what we would now recognise as bipolar disorder."

Burns was also a champion of the underdog.

In class we studied the song-sequence Love and Liberty (The Jolly Beggars), in which Burns features and celebrates a cast of social dropouts, who represent the vibrancy and defiance of human life in the face of often cruel official power. It is full of incidents such as the vagrant woman’s Highlander love, who, she tells us, has been hanged by the law. We never know whether he has committed a crime or not, but the implicit message is that natural prejudice as much as natural justice is just as likely to be brought down upon some social types.

With some subtle qualification, Burns’ long poem, Tam o’ Shanter too, can be taken to be on the side of the "little man", the ordinary bloke who is assailed by forces much bigger than himself. Full of cheap drink, Tam feels he can face anything on his ride home from the pub through the stormy night. The narrator channels his feelings:

The class learns that it was Burns who coined the popular phrase "Man’s inhumanity to man’"in his poem Man Was Made to Mourn that like Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the title of J.D. Salinger’s famous novel Catcher in the Rye also comes from one of Burns’s poems - Comin’ Thro’ the Rye. US President Abraham Lincoln was a real fan of Burns and could recite pieces of Burns’s poetry by heart.

Burns is a man who is somewhat childish, staying overlong in the pub fancying the barmaid when he has a perfectly good wife at home. His inflated (Dutch) courage is misplaced as his actual timidity becomes evident in his psychological projection of witches dancing at Alloway Kirk. Simultaneously attracted and repelled by the witches (his lusts and fears embodied), Tam is the contradictory "common man" figure, partly to be laughed at, partly to be sympathised with.

Witches, dreams and fantasizing are important elements of Burns' mindset coming from a man who radically rebelled against the strict Presbyterian church of Scotland.

Cumming closes Burn with a poignant rendition of Auld Lang Syne which is sung at New Year the world over - arguably the most recognizable and the most performed of all Burns’s songs. According to class instructors, the "song we are so familiar with is actually a reworking of earlier Scottish songs, and therefore exemplifies the process by which Burns collected and reworked pre-existing material."

Thank the Masons for supporting Burns. He was an avid Freemason and they promoted and purchased his work. It is believed that Auld Lang Syne was inspired by the Masonic parting ritual of singing with arms crossed and hands joined.

As to Alan Cumming's dance play Burn and the class about Burns - they compliment each other.

An added benefit would be if there was a video of Cumming performing Burn which individual class members could view.

Alan Cumming has toured with Burn to Greenock, Edinburgh, Perth, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Inverness and New York. Co-Produced by the Joyce, the Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theater of Scotland.

In related news: Cumming debuts his second installment of the unusual paring of Miriam Margolyes and Alan Cumming - which works. This time they venture from Scotland to Los Angeles for Miriam and Alan Lost in Los Angeles where they travel the glorious coastline from Los Angeles to San Francisco which was filmed in May 2022.

In this second segment the couple is housed in a supersized RV and take in the sights of the stunning California coastline and reconnect with people and places from this amazing chapter in their lives.

Margoyles of Hogwarts fame as Madame Sprout, also appeared as Mother Mildred in Call The Midwife and in Doc Martin delivered an over the top dramatic role as a reclusive neighbor of Doc Martin's Aunt Ruth as a lady who believed her son was poisoning her. She "wastes no time in whisking Alan right off to the apartment where she lived for 16 transformative years, on the palm-lined Ocean Avenue, seeking out her old synagogue and reliving her first encounters in Hollywood. Alan delights in introducing her to some of his favourite haunts and closest friends, as they take in the glorious coastline from Los Angeles to San Francisco," states the promo. The series airs on PBS.

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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 NATIONAL WWI MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL

Saint Javelin by Chris Shaw. Photo: WWI Museum

has announced the arrival of Chris Shaw’s Saint Javelin. It will be installed on Monday, October 3 and be on view for the public in the Main Gallery beginning on Tuesday, October 4.

This popular and moving contemporary painting became an online phenomenon in March 2022 as a symbol for the Ukrainian resistance movement.

Mass production and public consumption of images of Christian saints in the environment of war began in WWI, and this unique temporary exhibition will display Saint Javelin in the context of historical prints from the National WWI Museum and Memorial’s collection.

She is clad in a mantle of green, a blue halo embossed with the Ukrainian trident around her head. Her hands are not clasped in prayer or outstretched for a blessing, but are grasping her namesake – a Javelin anti-tank missile launcher, the weapon acknowledged as the Ukrainian resistance’s best asset for thwarting and hold off the invading Russian army.

Calling upon classical Christian imagery, Saint Javelin became an online phenomenon in March 2022, mostly thanks to social media.

This 21st century viral icon has deep roots within religion and conflict, which is part of what makes the image so compelling. Use of Christian saint and Virgin Mary imagery to inspire action and foster hope in war dates back centuries, though mass production and public consumption of such images began during the First World War.

Prints from the collection of the National WWI Museum and Memorial show that the Virgin Mary and other Christian saints were facilitators of miraculous victories, inspiration for heroism within the armed forces and moving images of help inspiring others to give.

The Virgin Mary and Saint Joan of Arc were popular WWI representations that expressed patriotic and religious confidence in a righteous cause – as well as useful tools for inspiring others to give in support of the effort. In one depiction from an acknowledgement of support for the Polish Army, the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus shine above a city, divinely guiding the bravery and faith of the soldiers below. Not unlike her embodiment in Saint Javelin, it is clear in the Polish work that the Virgin Mary is a source of faith and sacred support for the cause.

Saints, particularly those with a militant penchant, were also widely called upon by the nations at war for support and inspiration. “Saint Joan of Arc Saved France, Women of America Save Your Country” reads a popular WWI advertisement for war stamps. In this depiction, Joan of Arc is ready to fight, with her sword unsheathed and her face lifted upward in optimistic bravery. Like Saint Javelin, her image is calling on all to do their part to assist in the effort, communicating that while collective and patriotic faith is a necessity, the miraculous alone will not save a country in conflict. The images of the divine serve to facilitate the heroism of those fighting, and a key to understanding the images -- the modern Saint Javelin included -- is the popular WWI tenet, “Help yourself, and Heaven will help you.” Collective belief goes far, but only so far as those willing to express bravery and endure sacrifice.

The painting by Chris Shaw, and on loan from Christian Borys, will be exhibited at the Museum and Memorial from October through February 2023.

THE EY EXHIBITION: CEZANNE opens October 5, 2022 at the Tate Modern in London.

This will be a once-in-a-generation exhibition of paintings, watercolors and drawings by Paul Cezanne (1839-1906). Famously referred to as the "greatest of us all" by Claude Monet, Cezanne remains a pivotal figure in modern painting who gave license to generations of artists to break the rules.

The EY Exhibition: Cezanne will bring together around 80 carefully selected works from collections in Europe, Asia, North and South America, giving audiences their first opportunity in over 25 years to explore the breadth of Cezanne’s career. It will feature key examples of his iconic still life paintings, Provençale landscapes, portraits and bather scenes, including over 20 works never seen in the UK.

A press preview takes place on Monday, October 3 at the Tate Modern in London.

The exhibition opens to the public on October 5 and remain on display through March 12, 2023.

The exhibit is on display through March 12, 2023.

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SWEET CHARITY

CLOONEY FOUNDATION FOR JUSTICE 2022 ALBIE AWARDS took place September 29, 2022 in New York City at the New York Public Library.

George and Amal Clooney, Co-Founders of The Clooney Foundation for Justice and Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, served as hosts.

Named after Justice Albie Sachs, revered for his heroic commitment to ending apartheid in South Africa, the Albie Awards honored courageous defenders of justice who are at great risk for what they do.

"We believe that justice must be waged — it doesn’t just happen. So when journalists are locked up just for doing their job, we try to get them out of prison. When young girls are denied the right to study, work, or marry when they want, we help them fight for their rights through the courts. When minorities are targeted for genocide, we help trigger trials against the perpetrators," said George and Amal Clooney.

"The Albie Awards add a new dimension to our work at CFJ: they are a way to shine a protective light on the many courageous individuals who, at great personal risk, have devoted their lives to justice."

Justice Albie Sachs was honored with a lifetime achievement award; Filipino journalist Maria Ressa received the Justice For Journalists award; iAct, an organization that supports survivors of genocide in refugee camps, was honored with the Justice For Survivors award; Belarusian human rights group Viasna was presented with the Justice For Democracy Defenders award; and Dr. Josephine Kulea of the Samburu Girls Foundation, a Kenyan-based organization, was bestowed the Justice For Women award.

“We are seeing attacks on journalists, human rights defenders, women, LGBTQ people and minorities proliferating worldwide, with very little accountability. With the Albie Awards, we hope to bring much-needed attention to the courageous work of our award-winners and to the critical importance of freedom of the press, the right to protest, and anti-discrimination principles more broadly” added Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation.

Michelle Obama, Meryl Streep, Oscar Isaac, Dua Lipa, Aloe Blacc, John Oliver, Julia Roberts, Nadia Murad, and Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa attended and raised their voices on behalf of the honorees.

In attendance were Bridgerton's Simone Ashley and Phoebe Dynevor, Drew Barrymore, host of The Drew Barrymore Show, Gemma Chan star of Crazy Rich Asians, Dominic Cooper of Mamma Mia, Zoey Deutch, star of Not Okay, Rande Gerber and model Cindy Crawford, models Lori Harvey and Camila Morrone, Ethan Hawke his wife Ryan Shawhughes, Oscar Isaac and his wife Elvira Lind, Gayle King, Julianna Margulies, John Krasinski, Law & Order star Stephanie March, comedian Phoebe Robinson, Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross, Diane Sawyer, Alfre Woodard, Grace Gummer, (daughter of Meryl Streep) and her husband Mark Ronson, and Designer Donatella Versace.The stunning gold and white, sequined, flapper-inspired Atelier Versace gown was worn to perfecton by Amal Clooney.

SPREADING THE WORD

49TH ANNUAL WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF GARGANTUAN GOURDS takes place in Half Moon Bay, California on Monday, October 10, 2022.

No weigh. Weigh!!! Bring it on burly, beefy, bodacious behemoths!

The excitement is building in Pumpkintown as the World’s Greatest Gourd Growers and their titanic, mind-blowing, Volkswagen-sized orange orbs hope to squash the world record at the 49th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off - the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs” - in the World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay, California. This year organizers, in association with title sponsor Safeway, are upping the ante big time to celebrate the world’s greatest gourd growers. Using a pay-by-the-pound system, the world’s biggest top prize of $9/pound will be awarded to the 2022 weigh-off champion.

Also at stake are thousands of dollars in super hefty prize money doled out to the top 20 plus the big carrot: a $30,000 total mega-prize for a new world record pumpkin entered at Half Moon Bay. The current world record is 2,703-pounds set at a 2021 weigh-off in Italy.

A host of accomplished veteran growers are expected to contend for the coveted title. The champion will be feted and play a starring role in the world-famous Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, Oct. 15-16 - including a free weekend at the posh, pumpkin-centric Ritz-Carlton on the stunningly beautiful Half Moon Bay coast.

Defending Half Moon Bay champion Jeff Uhlmeyer took home the top prize with his Godzilla-like 2,191-pound mega-gourd that obliterated a formidable field of heavyweight contenders in winning the 2021 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. Beauty will share center stage with beefy brawn with a $1000 prize awarded for the "Joe Cotchett Family Most Beautiful Pumpkin" as judged by the audience based on color, shape and size. The grand champion gourd (along with the top four overall) will be on display plus there's a special weigh-off champion pumpkin photo booth at the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, October 15-16, on Main Street.

Admission is free. Open to the public.

ABORTION RIGHTS & HEALTHCARE DISCUSSION post show discussion takes place October 4th at Seattle Rep in Seattle, Washington.

A cross section of powerhouse abortion rights advocates deconstruct the themes of What the Constitution Means to Me and the role of storytelling in activism. Featuring playwright Heidi Schreck, Amelia Bonow, Mercedes Sanchez, Alexis Turla, and moderated by Kaytlin McIntyre.

The Tony Award Nominee, Pulitzer Prize Finalist is playwright Heidi Schreck's boundary-breaking play which breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans. "In this hilarious, hopeful, and achingly human new play, actor Cassie Beck resurrects Schreck's teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives."


PASADENA PLAYHOUSE is providing a Free Ticket Initiative for its critically acclaimed production of Sanctuary City by Pulitzer Prize-winner Martyna Majok which is on stage through October 9.

For this production, the Playhouse will expand its CommunityPlay Program, which in the past has offered thousands of free tickets to targeted nonprofits and underserved populations for all of our productions. The expansion of the program for Sanctuary City offers free tickets for the general public, removing cost as a barrier for this production.

Producing Artistic Director Danny Feldman stated, “At the Playhouse, we think everyone should have the opportunity to attend the theater. We work hard to remove obstacles and want as many people as possible to see our work. In that spirit, we are making free tickets available for anyone with barriers to purchasing tickets, no questions asked. This powerful play deserves to be seen by all.”

As the State Theater of California, Pasadena Playhouse is committed to making theater for everyone and for expanding the kinds of stories told on its historic stage. The Playhouse believes that relevant new plays and fresh voices speak directly to our times and move the American theater forward. In Sanctuary City, two teenagers are just trying to get through high school, navigating the pressures of an unstable home, prom invites and graduation – and the threat of deportation. When she is naturalized, they hatch a plan to help him, but life, time, and distance threaten to push them apart. Can they make their way back to each other, or are the risks too great when they have everything to lose?

The production stars Ana Nicolle Chavez as “G,” Miles Fowler as “B” and Kanoa Goo as "Henry."

The creative team features direction by Zi Alikhan; scenic design by Chika Shimizu; costume design by Jojo Siu; lighting design by Solomon Weisbard; sound design by John Nobori; intimacy choreography by Amanda Rose Villarreal; and stage management by Brandon Hong Cheng. Sanctuary City is the recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Theater Development Grant. In addition to the Los Angeles premiere of Sanctuary City, Majok’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Cost of Living opens on Broadway October 3.

THE UNITED NATIONS INSTITUTE FOR TRAINING AND RESEARCH (UNITAR) Oberlin College & Conservatory, and the Global Foundation for the Performing Arts (GFPA), have announced a new partnership that also includes a select group of higher education institutions dedicated to expanding international student access to world-class academic and musical instruction.

The goal of this collaboration is to apply the benefits of higher education and the arts to enhance the culture and quality of life within countries around the world. Oberlin College & Conservatory is the only institution among those few partnering with the United Nations to focus specifically on undergraduate education. Other institutions within the group UNITAR and GFPA formed will focus on graduate-level study.

Through this collaboration, students from around the world who otherwise could not afford to attend a prestigious U.S.-based college or university with exemplary musical instruction and academics will have the opportunity to apply. If it is needed, financial assistance would come from the students’ home countries or from UNITAR and the GFPA.

Students would apply to Oberlin and if accepted would pursue either a bachelor of arts, a bachelor of music, or a double degree; students who attend the other institutions would pursue post-baccalaureate degrees. The first students engaged in this program would arrive on their respective campuses in fall 2023.

Under the MOU, Oberlin’s relationship with UNITAR will extend beyond academic degree programs into a pre-collegiate curriculum that teaches English as a second language. This immersive program would serve students who need to develop their language skills prior to entering a UNITAR program.

Oberlin, UNITAR and GFPA also have the potential to create joint practice-based programs that include performances, educational and research opportunities, conferences, and symposia. Oberlin already is collaborating with UNITAR and the United Nations on a significant musical program scheduled for later this year in Carnegie Hall, New York City.

Oberlin College & Conservatory uniquely combines a world-class conservatory of music with a top-ranking liberal arts college. As an independent institution in Ohio, Oberlin was the first college to grant undergraduate degrees to women in a coeducational program and, historically, has been a leader in the education of African Americans. The Oberlin community is known for its commitment to social and global engagement and diversity. The Conservatory of Music provides flexible programs to prepare students as professional musicians and teachers of music.

The Global Foundation for the Performing Arts (GFPA) is an international foundation with a mission to provide valuable artistic education and professional support in service of those in the performing arts while fostering a global community and enabling cross-cultural exchange. As a long-standing partner of UNITAR, the Foundation is dedicated to supporting the performing arts particularly in the realms of classical music and ballet through education, mentorship, and collaboration. GFPA is centered in the belief that young artists deserve professional guidance from experienced musicians in order to remain true to their artistic practice. The Foundation provides advice to artists, competitions, and institutions dedicated to rewarding the world’s future performers. The Foundation has been a long-term partner of UNITAR.

AN EVENING WITH ALFIE BOE the Les Misérables star will bring the house down Tuesday, October 11, at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

MARTY STURAT AND HIS FABULOUS SUPERLATIVES make their way to the Kauffman Center for a performance on October 6.

Country music legend Marty Stuart is a five-time Grammy Award-winner, platinum recording artist, AMA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Grand Ole Opry star, country music archivist, photographer, musician and songwriter. Since starting out singing gospel as a child, Stuart has spent over four decades celebrating American roots music.

The Kauffman Center is in Kansas City, MO.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD has extended to February 2023 at the Gielgud Theatre in London.

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is celebrating its 8th year on London's West End. It first opened at the Duchess Theatre in 2014, and has become the longest running play at the Duchess since the theatre opened in 1929, and the longest-running comedy currently in the West End. The show has also extended, booking to October 29, 2023.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

THE LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION has announced that applications are officially open for its 2023 Latin Music Research and Preservation Grants program. The program provides four grants annually to music institutions, musicologists, researchers, nonprofit organizations and individuals around the world who are enhancing and preserving Latin music heritage.

Grants offered by the Latin Grammy Foundation fall into two categories:

Two (2) Research Grants for a maximum amount of $5,000 each, which fund projects focused on historical research, folklore and anthropology of Latin music genres.
Two (2) Preservation Grants for a maximum of $5,000 each, which support projects aiming to archive and preserve the heritage of Latin music.

Applications from qualified candidates will be reviewed by a committee of experts from Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula and the United States. Four applicants will each receive a grant with a maximum value of $5,000.

Since its inception in 2015, the program has awarded more than $155,000 in grants supporting 32 projects worldwide.

The materials can be submitted in English, Spanish or Portuguese. The deadline to apply is November 20, 2022, by 11:59 p.m. ET. If you have any additional questions contact ht eLatin Grammy Cultural Foundation.

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POWERHOUSE by David Harms.

Directed by Ken Wolf.

A powerhouse female lawyer in her 40s is being pushed out of her high-profile Law Firm due to an inappropriate relationship she is having with a younger associate. This relentless, passionate, lawyer challenges traditional roles in a male-dominated business and questions "What happens when a woman truly stands in her own power?"

The production stars Laura Shoop as Regan Van Riper, Dominck LaRuffa Jr. as Guy, Jennifer Pierro as Meena Cizinski, Tony-nominee Jane Robbins as Janet Shaney, and Jeorge Bennett Watson as Norris Peebles. The standbys are Maya Days, Nick Jordan, Madeline Grey Defreece, Kate Levy, and Marc Webster.

The creatives are scenic design by Jack C. Golden, costume design by Sabrinna Fabi, and lighting design by Yang Yu. Composer/Sound Designer/Graphic Design by Katherine Cartusciello. Kyra Bowie is the production stage manager and Mary Garrigan is the assistant stage manager. Props master is Siarra Donna, costume supervisor is Alex Wolf, covid safety manager Jackson Cline, and intimacy director is Jamie Monohan. Casting by Eisenberg/Beans Casting: Daryl Eisenberg, CSA Ally Beans, CSA. Publicity and Marketing by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.

The Manhattan Repertory Theatre production plays a four-week limited engagement at Off-Broadway’s A.R.T./New York Theatres - Gural Theatre in New York City. Opening Night Saturday, October 8 and performances continue through Sunday, October 30, 2022.

HOLIDAY by Philip Barry.

Directed by Anita Maynard-Losh.

An up-and-coming Wall Street lawyer from a working-class family aspires to quit his job and enjoy life once he's made enough money to do so.

"A sparkling yet quietly subversive comedy decked out in the gilded glamor of the Roaring Twenties."

Returning to Arena Stage are cast members John Austin, Rachel Felstein, Todd Scofield, and Jamie Smithson.

Joining the cast in their Arena Stage debuts are Regina Aquino, Claire Blackwelder, Peter Boyer, Baize Buzan, Bowen Fox, Olivia Hebert, Ahmad Kamal, Emily King Brown, Andrés F. Roa, and Sean Wiberg.

The creative team for Holiday also includes Set Designer Misha Kachman, Costume Designer Ivania Stack, Lighting Designer Pablo Santiago, Sound Designer Daniel Erdberg, Original Music by Daniel Erdberg and Ursula Kwong-Brown, Hair and Wig Designer Charles G. LaPointe, Voice and Dialect Coach Lisa Nathans, Dramaturg Otis Ramsey-Zöe, Casting Director Joseph Pinzon, New York Casting JZ Casting/Geoff Josselson, C.S.A. and Katja Zarolinski, C.S.A., Stage Manager Christi B. Spann, and Assistant Stage Managers Emily Ann Mellon and Leigh Robinette.

October 7 – November 6, 2022 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater in Washington, D.C.

ALL THINGS EQUAL - THE LIFE AND TRIALS OF RUTH BADER GINSBURGH by Tony Award Winning playwright Rupert Holmes.

Directed by Laley Lippard.

Holmes invites the audience into the intimacy of RGB’s life and her many trials: losing her mother the day before she graduated as valedictorian of her Brooklyn high school ... being one of only nine young women studying law at Harvard while also raising a daughter and helping her husband battle cancer ... fighting for women's rights in the nineteen-seventies before condescending all-male courts ... and taking courageous stands for human rights as a voice of reason amid a splintering and increasingly politicized Supreme Court.

Starring Michelle Azar as Ruth Bader Gingsburg.

The creatives include: Set Designer: Tom Hansen. Lighting Designer: Dalton Hamilton. Video Projections Designer: Mike Billings. Costumer: Devon Spencer. Sound Designer: Tj O'Leary. Prop Master: Brenda Scott. Casting Director: Mark Paladini. Music Supervisor: Teressa Jennings. Standby Actress: Jean Kauffman. Stage Manager: Philip Gold.

The production begins a 16-city 2022-2023 tour on October 5 with performances through October 30 at the Free Fall Theatre in St. Petersburg, Florida.

THE CAKE by Bekah Brunsterrer.

Directed by Kim Clark-Kaczmarek.

"A celebrated North Carolina baker is thrilled to finally design a wedding cake for her goddaughter. But when she learns the marriage is between two women, she begins to feel conflicted. A surprising and sweet take on a modern-day controversy, seeped in humor and warmth." October 7 - November 6, 2022 at the Omaha Community Playhouse in Omaha, Nebraska.

CINDY & THE DISCO BALL THE MUSICAL Book and Lyrics by Joseph Leo Bwarie and Lori Marshall. Music by Rachael Lawrence.

Directed by Bwarie and Christine Lakin.

Anna Aimee White is choreographer.

Ryan Whyman directs the music.

Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank, CA is rolling out the shag carpet with a magical trip to 1976 in a Cinderella musical event. Cindy & The Disco Ball: The Musical is set to kick off GMT’s live, indoor season with a superfly Cinderella story. So break out the bell-bottoms and platform shoes because Garry Marshall Theatre is gettin’ down with the boogie! Cindy & The Disco Ball: The Musical time-travels back to a decade that was dy-no-mite! Colorful fashion, sensational songs, and disco dance moves bring an all-new Cinderella story to life. The story unfolds at a SoCal High School in 1976. On the flip side, a glittering Soul Sister with magic up her sleeves is keeping tabs on Cindy and her "messy" relationship with her stepsister. It’s a fun and fabulous journey through teenage self-discovery, high school romance, and four friends who dream up something big for the future - you know… the 1980s.

The original musical blends the signature sound of the 70s, with bright lyrics and pop musical theater influences, and stars Christopher Baker, Jasiana Caraballo, Malynda Hale, Hayden Kharrazi, and Abigail Kate Thomas.

Costume design by Jessica Champagne-Hansen, scenic design by Tom Wagman, lighting consulting by JM Montecalvo, sound design by Ovation-nominee Robert Arturo Ramirez. Casting is by Jami Rudofsky. Production stage manager is Giselle N. Vega.

The limited engagement is Friday-Sunday, October 7 – October 30 at the Garry Marshall Theatre, Burbank CA.

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FINAL OVATION

FRANCO DRAGONE entertainment visionary who created the first Cirque du Soleil shows to mount in Las Vegas and designed Celine Dion's show died September 30, 2022 in Cairo, Egypt. He was 69.

It is estimated that 100 million people have seen Dragone's shows.

For Cirque he created 10 shows in 12 years.

Following his tenure with Cirque he formed Dragone Group in 2000 working with Celine Dion on her show A New Day at Caesars Palace.

Cirque du Soleil released this statement: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Franco Dragone. Our hearts go out to his friends, family and the entire Dragone organization. Franco was an industry icon. Responsible for some of our most successful productions including Nouvelle Experience, Alegria; Mystere; O and La Nouba, he has contributed invaluably to the success of Cirque du Soleil. His passing is a loss not only for his family, but for the entire industry. Out of respect, tonight’s performances (September 30th) of Mystere and O in Las Vegas will be dedicated to his life’s work.”

Next Column: October 9, 2022
Copyright: October 2, 2022 All Rights Reserved. Reviews, Interviews, Commentary, Photographs or Graphics from any Broadway To Vegas (TM) columns may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, utilized as leads, or used in any manner without permission, compensation and/or credit.
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Laura Deni

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