Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: October 27, 2019
By: Laura Deni
CLICK HERE FOR COMMENT SECTION

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS PERFECT FOR HALLOWEEN - OR ANYTIME

Jonathan Groff as Seymour and Tammy Blanchard as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. Photos by Emilio Madrid.

I've always enjoyed Howard Ashman and Alan Menkin's musical Little Shop Of Horrors. I've seen it in full blown major production and more stripped down versions. The current mounting at the intimate Westside Theatre in New York City may be in a small space, but it's big on enjoyment. There is just something about the ditty Suddenly Seymour which always stays in my head for about a week.

The music is totally catching.

The delicious production is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer. Starring two-time Tony nominee Jonathan Groff (“Seymour”), Emmy Award winner Tammy Blanchard (“Audrey”) and two-time Tony Award winner Christian Borle (“Orin Scrivello, D.D.S.”) alongside Tom Alan Robbins (“Mushnik”), Kingsley Leggs (“The Voice of Audrey II”), Ari Groover (“Ronnette”), Salome Smith (“Crystal”), Joy Woods (“Chiffon”), Eric Wright, Teddy Yudain, Kris Roberts, Chelsea Turbin, Chris Dwan, and Stephen Berger.

Seymour Krelborn is a down-on-his-luck skid row florist with a crush on his co-worker Audrey. When he discovers that a mysterious dying plant he rescued in Chinatown during a solar eclipse is voracious – suddenly Seymour and Audrey are thrust into an epic battle that will determine the fate of the entire human race. Audrey suddenly pays attention to him and Mushnik’s Flower Shop is swarming with lookie-loos who want to see the plant turned creature which Seymour has christened Audrey II. Problem is, this picky eater likes to chow down on human blood (Feed Me and Suppertime.). With a limited supply chain, murder becomes a viable option. The laughs fed to the audience are in the all you can eat buffet variety.

This isn't a high school campy, cartoonist version. It may be deadpan, but it's deeply felt, sincere. There is something adorable about the impossible to ignore, neurotic Seymour. And, nobody has belted Suddenly Seymour with more heart retching anguish (Somewhere That's Green) than Tammy Blanchard as the emotional fragile Audrey who is being abused by her dentist boyfriend.

Jonathan Groff as Seymour and the Urchins in Little Shop of Horrors. Photos by Emilio Madrid.

Low bows to the puppeteers who bring Audrey II to life - Eric Wright, Teddy Yudain, Kris Roberts, Chelsea Turbin.

Nobody should dare to ignore Borle, who oozes talent, portraying several roles including a maniacal dentist whose profession enables him to possess an ample supple of nitrous oxide which is his drug of choice (Now (It’s Just the Gas).

Julian Crouch’s Skid Row set is spot on and those blood red flecks speak volumes. Excellent evil lighting by Bradley King.

Chiffon (Joy Woods), Crystal (Salome Smith) and Ronette (Ari Groover) are street wise street urchins who doo-wop sing and serve as the neighborhood know-it-all chorus (Ya Never Know). Literally, they know where the bodies are buried.

Choreography by Ellenore Scott. Music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Will Van Dyke. Scenic Design, Julian Crouch; Costume Design, Tom Broecker; Lighting Design, Bradley King; Sound Design, Jessica Paz; Wigs, Hair & Makeup Design, Tommy Kurzman; Puppet Design, Nicholas Mahon; Original Puppet Design, Martin P. Robinson; Puppets, Monkey Boys Productions.

Tickets sell out as fast as they are offered. Make every effort to get yours.

E-Book

Soft back Book

Broadway To Vegas is supported through advertising and donations. Priority consideration is given to interview suggestions, news, press releases, etc from paid supporters. However, no paid supporters control, alter, edit, or in any way manipulate the content of this site. Your donation is appreciated. We accept PAYPAL.

Thank you for your interest.

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.

ART AND ABOUT

IMAGES OF WELLNESS AND ILLNESS, CARE AND SUFFERING ACROSS TIME AND CULTURES PROFILED IN SPECIAL EXHIBITION Throughout history and across cultures, concepts of illness and healing have been given concrete form through art. States of Health: Visualizing Illness and Healing features over 80 objects from around the world, from antiquity to the present – including paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, photographs and multimedia – that collectively illuminate the role that art plays in shaping our perceptions and experiences of illness and healing. The works of art represent and respond to pandemics and infectious disease, mental illness, the hopes and dangers associated with childbirth and the complexities of care.

The Museum has collaborated with a diverse range of disciplines, programs and voices at Princeton – including experts in the fields of infectious diseases, disability, literature, medicine, contagion, psychology and creative writing – in order to provide multiple points of entry to the objects on view.

States of Health is organized into four thematic groupings: “Confronting Contagion”; “States of Mind”; “Worlds of Care”; and “Birthing Narratives.” Provocative cross-cultural juxtapositions throughout the exhibition consider both broad issues and specific historical events from a visual perspective.

In “Confronting Contagion,” the two primary areas of focus are the bubonic plague and AIDS, while additional artworks speak to syphilis, cholera and typhoid fever, among other diseases.

“States of Mind” features artists’ reflections on their own mental struggles as well on the experiences of others. Utilizing different stylistic means, these works communicate inner turmoil, while inviting empathy from the viewer. Leonora Carrington’s color lithograph Crookhey Hall depicts fleeing figures and an ominous palace in the background, suggesting associations with her book Down Below (1944), a harrowing account of her experiences in an asylum, where she was subjected to convulsive shock therapy.

“Worlds of Care” juxtaposes objects used for medical treatment with others providing spiritual comfort, and places in conversation works reflecting self-care with others depicting caregiving by a doctor or other healer.

The final section, “Birthing Narratives,” speaks to the hopes and perils associated with pregnancy, childbirth and the many rituals across cultures surrounding the start of human life. A rich array of public programs accompanying the exhibition will further examine the ways in which artists have tackled disease, responded to mental illness and explored the complexities of care. Among those planned are a curator’s lecture and student dance performance inspired by the themes in the exhibition on November. 7; an all-day symposium followed by a reception on Novrmber 15; a concert by the Princeton Chamber Music Society on November 21 exploring the multifaceted intersection of music and medicine; and a Day With(out) Art community event on December 1 marking the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day.

Organized by Veronica White, curator of academic programs, and Laura Giles, Heather and Paul G. Haaga Jr., Class of 1970, curator of prints and drawings, the exhibition will be on view exclusively at the Princeton University Art Museum from November 2, 2019, through February 2, 2020.

MoMA PS1 IN NEW YORK CITY will present a large-scale group exhibition examining the legacies of American-led military engagement in Iraq. While brief, the 1991 Gulf War marked the start of a lengthy period of military involvement in the country that led to more than a decade of sanctions and the 2003 Iraq War. The invasion in 2003 galvanized a broader international response, prompting anti-war protests around the globe. Though the Iraq War officially ended in 2011, artists have continued to examine these conflicts and their ongoing impacts.

Through more than 250 works, the exhibition explores the effects of these wars on artists based in Iraq and its diasporas, as well as responses to the war from artists in the West, revealing how this period was defined by unsettling intersections of spectacularized violence, xenophobia, oil dependency, and new imperialisms. Featuring the work of over 75 artists including Afifa Aleiby, Dia al-Azzawi, Thuraya al-Baqsami, Paul Chan, Harun Farocki, Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Guerrilla Girls, Thomas Hirschhorn, Hiwa K, Hanaa Malallah, Monira Al Qadiri, Nuha al-Radi, and Ala Younis, Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 1991–2011 will be on view across the entire MoMA PS1 building.

Fall Open House takes place Sunday, November 3, while the Gallery experience Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 1991–2011 Film Series takes place:
Sunday, November 3, 2:30–3:30 p.m. Lessons of Darkness. Werner Herzog. 1992.
Saturday, November 16, 12:30–2:30 p.m. Three Kings. David O. Russell. 1999.
Saturday, November 16, 3:00–4:10 p.m. War, Oil and Power. Paper Tiger Television. 1990. 28 min and Amid the Alien Corn. Kasim Abid. 1990. 38 min.

Major support for Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 1991–2011 is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

E-Book

Soft back Book

SWEET CHARITY

CELEBRATING THEATREWORKS AT 50 a celebration of their 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award and 50th Anniversary takes place November 2, 2019.

Black-tie Cocktail Reception, Gourmet Dinner and Auction at The Computer History Museum followed by a star-studded Celebration Concert at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in Mountain View, CA.

Honorary Committee: Alex Brightman • David Bryan • Danny Burstein • Joe DiPietro • Colman Domingo • Hershey Felder • Jules Feiffer • Montego Glover • Paul Gordon • Lauren Gunderson • David Henry Hwang • James Monroe Iglehart • Zeljko Ivanek • Rajiv Joseph • Francis Jue • Min Kahng • Andrew Lippa • Brendan Milburn • Irene Sankoff and David Hein • Stephen Schwartz • Jeanine Tesori • Valerie Vigoda.

OFF THE REEF Benefit At San Francisco’s Bently Reserve on November 2 celebrates generations of environmental leadership.

Conserving and restoring our oceans require intergenerational leadership. This year San Francisco’s International Ocean Film Festival ) recognizes that need through honoring generations of environmental leadership at its 17thannual fall benefit fundraiser. Internationally acclaimed oceanographer and marine advocate Dr. Sylvia Earle, 84, will received the Festival’s annual Ocean Champion Award—past awardees include Kip Evans, director of Expeditions for Mission Blue, Academy-Award winning director Louie Psihoyos and Jeff Boehmn, Executive Director of the Marine Mammal Center.

Swedish environmentalist and climate change activist Greta Thunberg, 16, will be honored with the International Ocean Film Festival’s inaugural Next Generation Award, which recognizes extraordinary leadership from a young advocate raising environmental issues on a global stage. Thunberg will receive the award after having recently completed a Trans-Atlantic journey by sail to minimize her own carbon footprint while attending global forum on Climate Change. The Next Generation Award recognizes not only Thunberg’s thought leadership on the urgency of addressing global climate change, which is causing a higher extinction rate in the seas than on land, but also her leading by example in her climate strike and individual actions to reduce carbon emissions.

The benefit event will feature a vegan dinner, fine wine and a live auction. Cocktail reception followed by dinner and program with music by DJ Bryce Williams.

SPREADING THE WORD

HANDEL & HENDRIX AT HALLOWEEN this Halloween, take part in a late-night adventure inspired by the supernatural stories of two historic houses. For this year’s Museums at Night festival, there will be an evening of live music, performances and interactive activities to celebrate the darker sides of the lives and music of Handel & Hendrix.

Ghosts, witches, voodoo, even an exorcism; the history of 23 and 25 Brook Street is full of references to magic and the occult and it is this spirit that invokes this Halloween Friday Late.

Taking place throughout Handel House will be operatic performances and Baroque music performed by tenor Charles MacDougall and theorbo player Jonatan Bougt. On top of that a variety of Georgian characters from Handel’s London will be brought to life in the great composer’s Composition Room & Bedroom. Over in 23 Brook Street, where Jimi Hendrix called home from 1968-69, will be film projections, and life-drawing, all to a soundtrack of psychedelic tunes courtesy of Art Macabre, creators of London’s best life drawing and death drawing workshops. To top all this off there will be tarot reading, face painting and a pop-up bar featuring a few surprises. Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity to visit the whole house after hours, lit by candle and haunted by ghostly figures of the past. November 1 at the Handel & Hendrix in London.

POETRY FEST at the Irish Arts Center in New York City takes place November 1-3, 2019.

Curated by Nick Laird, the 11th annual PoetryFest opens next Friday with a tribute to Seamus Heaney in celebration of the publication of 100 Poems, a seminal anthology of his work, with Catherine Heaney, Jane Clarke, Tim Donnelly, Martina Evans, Leontia Flynn, Bill Irwin, Nick Laird, Belinda McKeon, Julie Morrissy, Emily Mortimer, Paul Muldoon, Glenn Patterson, Katie Raissian, Sally Rooney, Stephen Sexton, and Zadie Smith reading their most-loved work by the Nobel laureate.

The festival continues through the weekend with readings, conversations, and book signings by top and emerging poets from Ireland and the U.S., including Martina Evans, whose "I want to be like Frank O'Hara" kicks off their Poem of the Day series.

Evans reads with Tina Chang on Saturday, November 2. All Saturday and Sunday PoetryFest programs are free. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

MR LESLIE ODOM, JR IN CONVERSATION WITH BUDD MISHKIN takes place Sunday, November 3, at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

The Grammy and Tony Award-winning actor, vocalist, songwriter, and author Leslie Odom, Jr. will talks about his new projects - including Mr, his first album of original material, and his starring role in Harriet, a biopic about the extraordinary life of Harriet Tubman with Cynthia Erivo and Janelle Monae - as well as behind-the-scenes stories from his incredible career onstage and in film and television.

LIVE WITH KELLY AND RYAN with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Secrest, will take four days’ worth of shows at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas taping Sunday, November 17 and Monday, November 18 at 9 and 11:20 am for airing November 18 to 21.

Tickets, which were free, have already been gobbled up. There is a wait list.

ALIS HUWS 24, who was named the latest Office Harpist to Prince Charles, the Prince Of Wales in July 2019 accompanied the royal party to Japan where she performed for guests at the official reception. Alis is touring the country as part of a cultural program organized by WAI Cymru Wales.

Huws attended the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, where she graduated with both undergraduate and master's degrees. While there, she was awarded the Midori Matsui Prize for music, the Royal Welch Fusiliers Harp Prize and the McGrennery Chamber Music Prize.

Huws was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and in 2016 was principal harp in the WNO Youth Opera production of Kommilitonen! by Peter Maxwell Davies. In 2017 Huws performed alongside Katherine Jenkins and Only Men Aloud at an event celebrating the UEFA Champions League Final in Cardiff. She performed for the Royal Family on several occasions before her appointment as the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales, becoming the sixth person to take on the role. Her appointment runs for an initial period of two years.

The Prince of Wales reinstated the post of Official Harpist nineteen years ago in order to foster and celebrate musical talent in Wales and to raise the profile of the harp as an instrument. Alis follows in the footsteps of Anne Denholm who was appointed in 2015.

A STAGED READING OF of Force of Habit by by Guillén de Castro y Bellvís presented by the as part of its Diversifying the Classics staged reading series, featuring a Latinx cast.

The reading will be presented in an English language version translated by the UCLA Working Group on the Comedia in Translation in Performance.

The readings are free and open to the public, and will be presented from on Monday, November 4 at Brookfield Properties’ Tata Innovation Center, and Tuesday, November 5 at Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place.

Can gender be learned and unlearned? In Force of Habit, Félix and Hipólita, two siblings separated at birth, are brought up in the habits of the opposite gender. Kept close by his mother’s side, Félix is sensitive. Hipólita, trained by her father on the battlefield, is fierce. When the family is reunited, the father insists on making the siblings conform to traditional gender roles. Helped along the way by their respective love interests, the two gradually assume traditional positions, but their journeys expose the limitations of the gender system.

DUBAI DESIGN DISTRICT the region’s creative hub dedicated to design, fashion and retail, presents the 11th season of Fashion Forward Dubai (FFWD) set to run from October 30 to November 2 at d3’s Design Quarter. Creative partners and retailers will showcase their latest collections and participate in a series of social events, "activations" and workshops.

FFWD 2019 will provide a platform for popular and new designers in haute couture, ready-to-wear, and accessories from the region and the wider globe.

The forum d3 Fashion Talks returns and will feature prominent fashion influencers and industry experts headlining panel discussions and seminars.

For the first time ever, FFWD 2019 is also set to host a social commerce marketplace, Shop The Show, called "a game changing platform that connects the audience directly with the designers’ customer representatives."

Sky 2.0, the famous Beirut nightclub, will host the opening party and also run an on-site pop-up during the event.

DID YOU KNOW THAT in 2015, a $15 million project, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the White House Brain Initiative, called Cracking the Olfactory Code was initiated. Scientists hoped to unravel how smell (the oldest guidance system in the world) works. Then, the team aims to teach robots how to smell.

THE MUSIC GOES ROUND AND ROUND

MARIN MAZZIE & JASON DANIELEY BROADWAY & BEYOND

Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley in Broadway & Beyond

released by Broadway Records is a brilliant, heartbreaking - sometimes funny, exquisite performance of songs by two top notch performers.

Both Marin and Jason have sumptuous voices. Discussing their vocal abilities is nothing short of layered superlatives.

Our Love Is Here To Stay which closes the recording was their wedding song. It's a statement of their marriage which legally ended on September 18, 2018 when three time Tony nominee Marin Mazzie lost her battle against ovarian cancer - leaving her husband Jason Danieley a widower.

Their love and their battle against her cancer is beautifully, elegantly preserved in this musical capture of their residency of concerts at Feinstein’s/54 Below known as Broadway & Beyond: Live at Feinstein’s/54. Although you can here pronounced start and stops between each track, this is a exquisite album - a loving tribute to Marin, and to their love for each other. When this taping took place Marin had recently been told the ovarian cancer which she thought was in remission had returned. They present an important but not preachy or maudlin message about her treatment and the disease in an all around delightful listening experience.

During the run of Broadway & Beyond, Mazzie and Danieley celebrated 20 years of marriage. The song selections are those of love, each with a personal attachment to at least one of them. They had first met while working together on an avante garde production of Trojan Women. The CD opens with a Trojan Woman medley: an upbeat All the Way followed by the gentle When You Wish Upon a Star with Massie's gorgeous soprano backed by a piano, followed by Danieley's exuberant rendition of The Glory of Love. before being joined by his wife in a reprise of All the Way.

The occasional patter is clever, well timed, moving along the song selections without emphasizing the personal heartache the couple must have been experiencing. Music appears to have given them, if not hope, at least a purpose. The results are joyous.

Not every song is about them as a couple. Danieley delivers You Walk With Me from The Full Monty, which, he explains, had been turned into a favorite to be sung at gay weddings. Danieley explains that his performing the song is a public statement of their support of the LGBTQ community.

I saw Danieley in the Kanter & Ebb musical Curtains, a production which I totally enjoyed. In this recording Danieley performs I Miss the Music a heart tugging song from the show in which Danieley played a Broadway composer. Originally the song had been called Kanter's love letter to Broadway. During the composition process Ebb died and the song took on a deeper, more personal statement of friendship and love.

Rodgers and Hammerstein is represented with Massie's Hello, Young Lovers from her role as Anna in a Lincoln Center production of The King and I and Danieley's PBS performance of South Pacific in which he sings the hopeful Younger Than Springtime, followed by the defiant You've Got To Be Taught.

The Sondheim Suite includes Happiness; the longing and remorseful Good Thing Going and Too Many Mornings followed by the anquished Not a Day Goes By and Move On, in which the voices of Massie and Danieley flawlessly blend as the soul mates they were/are.

You, You, You is from The Visit another Broadway show Kanter and Edd show which I loved and Danieley did a magnificent job playing Fred.

This 22-track recording belongs in everyone's collection.

Recorded live at Feinstein's/54 Below on June 1, 2017.

Liner notes written by John Kander, Terrance McNally and Lynn Ahrens who, along with Steven Flaherty, wrote two of the songs in the show. Ahrens was in the audience during the taping and was introduced to the crowd.

Arrangements by Tedd Firth, Joseph Thalken, David Loud, Charlie Rosen, and William Brohn.

Musical Direction and piano: Joseph Thalken. Bass: Pete Donovan. Drums: Rich Rosensweig.

Mixed at Kontinuous Jams Studio, Youngstown, Ohio. Mastered by Gred Reierson, Rare Form Mastering.

A portion of the profits of the sale of this album benefit Tina's Wish, for the early detection of ovarian cancer, the Cancer Support Community and The Actors Fun.

DOING THE TIME WARP ON HALLOWEEN

The Rocky Horor Picture Show a Halloween staple has showings across America. Probably the oddest, most off-the-wall cult film ever made, this kinky rock’n’roll science fiction horror satire is everybody’s favorite midnight show. A young couple stumbles into a castle inhabited by weirdos from the planet Transylvania, including Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry) a transvestite Frankenstein in rhinestone heels. A marvelous musical spoof which urges, “Give yourself over to absolute pleasure.”

In addition to Curry the cult favorite stars Susan Sarandon as "Janet Weiss", Barry Bostwick as "Brad Majors", Richard O'Brien as "Riff Raff", and Meat Loaf as "Eddie".

The Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, VA is staging their 6th annual a screening on November 2, 2019. Their shivering in antici…pation for the most interactive, eclectic, prop-filled evening of the year rules are similar to those of other locations.

Dress in your favorite Rocky Horror get-up for our annual costume contest! This year’s specialty drink, “Absolut Pleasure” will be available for purchase. For the first time on the Paramount stage, there will be a live shadowcast for this year’s screening! Come see the actors on film come to life with Voyeruristic Intention as they perform while the movie plays on central Virginia’s biggest screen.

Costume contest for all audience members - props are permitted The venue will sell a limited amount of “prop kits.” You may bring your own as well but there are some rules and restrictions. Foodstuffs are explicitly not allowed. They create a slip hazard, are hard to clean, and will spoil and attract rodents and vermin. This includes, but is not limited to Rocky Horror props like rice, toast, hot dogs and prunes. The use of lighters and matches is prohibited. They’re obviously a fire hazard. Do not throw anything at the screen. It’s expensive and we might prosecute if damaged. Do not throw anything at anyone else. They might prosecute if damaged. Violators will be subject to ejection without warning.

Here is a somewhat comprehensive list of what is and is not allowed, along with suggestions for their use during the movie: Use as a guide for other venues.
BALLOONS Allowed? Yes. Use: During the song “Science Fiction Double Feature,” pop the balloon when the movie When Worlds Collide is mentioned.

RICE Allowed? NO! Why? It is very difficult to clean, it makes the floor slippery, and can attract rodents and vermin. (Broadway To Vegas note: some vanues allow).

CONFETTI Allowed? NO. Why? It is very difficult to clean, it makes the floor slippery, and it’s known as the herpes of art supplies.

LARGE “J”-“A”-“N”-“E”-“T” CARDS Allowed? Yes. Use: during “Dammit Janet” when Brad says Janet’s name, and also when he spells out Janet’s name, use each letter as he spells it.

LARGE “OH” “B”-“R”-“A”-“D” CARDS Allowed? Yes. Use: during “Dammit Janet.”

WATER GUNS Allowed? Yes. HOWEVER, only water guns the size of your palm will be permitted into the theater. Use: during the song “There’s a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place),” after they get out of the car, and are walking in the rain. Don’t squirt directly at any performers or audience members! (Broadway To Vegas note: NOT ALLOWED at many venues)

TOMMY GUNS Allowed? No. Why? Because.

GLOW STICKS AND FLASHLIGHTS Allowed? Yes. Use: During the song “There’s a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place),” wave your light during the chorus of “There’s a Light.” Conceal it when they say, “In the darkness.”

FIRE HAZARDS Allowed? No.

LIGHTERS AND MATCHES Allowed? No. They’re fire hazards.

RUBBER GLOVES Allowed? Yes. Use: During Frank’s speech at the tank when he puts on the gloves, stretches and snaps them.

NOISEMAKERS Allowed? Yes. Use: During the Lab scene, when the Transylvanian Guests use their noisemakers.

TOILET PAPER Allowed? Yes. Use: When Dr. Scott makes his entrance and Brad exclaims “Great Scott!” Wait for the line, and don’t throw it until Dr. Scott crashes through the wall.

NEWSPAPER Allowed? Yes. Use: When it starts raining. Duh.

TOAST Allowed? No! We know it’s a seminal Rocky Horror prop, but it is very difficult to clean, can make the floor slippery, and even crumbs will attract vermin and rodents. (Broadway To Vegas note: Some venues permit unbuttered toast)

PAPER PLATES Allowed? Yes. Use: When Frank pulls the table cloth off the dinner table.

BELL Allowed? Yes. Use: During the song “Planet Schmanet,” after dinner, when Frank chases Janet and asks the musical question, “Did you hear a bell ring?” Your keys work too.

DRY SPONGES Allowed? Yes. Use: During Columbia’s speech, when she says to Frank, “you’re like a sponge!”

ROPE Yes. Use: When the rope falls from the rigging after Riff finishes shooting.

HOT DOG AND PRUNES Allowed? NO! Foodstuffs will inevitably attract rodents and vermin.

A spot check of locations showing Rocky Horror include:
Thursday, October 31, 2019 and Friday, November 1, 2019 at littlefield, Brooklyn, NY. The Occasionalists present their Fifth Annual Rocky Horror Picture Show Revue and Live Karaoke Halloween Extravaganza.
October 31, State Theatre in New Brunswich, NJ with the party starting at 9pm followed by the movie.
October 31 Baum Walker Hall at Walton Arts Center Fayetteville, AR.
October 31 Roxy Theater, Muskogee, OK.
October 31 Oklahoma State Student Union, Stillwater, OK.
October 31, Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC.
October 31 The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall, Berkeley, CA.
October 30-31 midnight at Music Boc Theatre in Chicago.
November 1-2 at Los Feliz 3 in Los Angeles, CA.
Now through November 2 at the Victoria Theatre, San Francisco, CA.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

ROD STEWART is the highest paid Las Vegas entertainer of the decade, it’s been revealed surpassing Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey combined, as first reported in the London Daily Record.

Sir Rod receives $2,700,000 (£2.1 million) for each of his concerts at Sin City’s Caesars Palace casino. His Rod Stewart: The Hits in Vegas shows have attracted over 500,000 people in seven years. His fee means that the rocker/American songbook singer earns $243,000 (£190,000)-per-minute when on onstage.

However, the father of 8 children by 5 mothers has joked that he can’t afford to retire because he has “too many kids” to support. Speaking about his performances at Caesars Palace, Rod said: “I’ve been doing it now for seven years and I thoroughly enjoy it. It’s so intimate, there’s not a bad seat in the house." Having seen his show, it definitely is worth the price of a ticket. He's great.

LORI LOGHLIN AND HUSBAND MOSSIMO GIANNULLI aren't the only parents facing additional charges in the buy your kid into college gimmick. Two Las Vegas parents each were socked with a new bribery charge, according to the Justice Department.

Gamal Abdelaziz and Elisabeth Kimmel were among 11 parents, indicted last week a Massachusetts grand jury on charges of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. They are accused of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to facilitate their children’s admission into universities, according to release from the department.

Both Las Vegas parents had previously been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. On April 29, 2019 they entered a not not guilty plea.

Abdelaziz, a former Strip casino executive who went by the name Gamal Aziz, is accused of paying $300,000 to get his daughter into the University of Southern California as a basketball recruit. She began attending the school in fall 2018, but never was part of the basketball team. Kimmel, a former San Diego media executive, is accused of paying $275,000 through a family foundation to get her daughter accepted into Georgetown University as a tennis recruit in 2013, and at least $200,000 through the same foundation to get her son into USC as a track recruit. Her kids never played on the teams.

A Nevada judge released Abdelaziz on his own recognizance; a California judge ordered Kimmel to post $500,000 bail. A Massachusetts judge later allowed Abdelaziz to travel internationally for business, despite the pending case. Abdelaziz and Kimmel’s next court dates are set for January 17, 2020.

The 11 parents charged Tuesday are among 15 who are fighting the charges against them. Four other parents changed their not-guilty and are to be sentenced next year. An additional 15 parents already have pleaded guilty in deals with prosecutors. Of the 10 parents sentenced so far, nine have received prison sentences, ranging from 14 days to five months. Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman was the first parent to be sentenced and ended her 14-day prison sentence early, being released last Friday.

BRITISH AIRWAYS celebrated 10 years of non stop service to Las Vegas last Friday, October25, 2019. 1.4 million passengers have taken the 10 hour flight resulting in a positive impact of $2 billion. On October 30, Level Airlines, a low-cost European carrier owned by IAG (the parent company of British Airways) which operates a mixture of long-haul and short-haul routes, will begin a non-stop service between Paris Orly and Las Vegas.

E-Book

Soft back Book

NEWSIES Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Jack Feldman. Book by Harvey Fierstein. A musical based on the Disney film written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White. Originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions.

Directed by Molly Smith.

Choreographed by Parker Esse.

Music Direction by Laura Bergquist.

In the summer of 1899, the newsboys of New York City took on two of the most powerful men in the country — Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst — and won. Inspired by true events, the Broadway smash hit is a testament to the power of standing up and speaking out. The Tony Award-winning musical features fan-favorites like Carrying the Banner; King of New York and Seize the Day.

Starring Rory Boyd as Oscar Delancey / Bill.

November 1 – December 22, 2019 at Arena Stage in Washington, DC.

LAST DAYS OF SUMMER based on the bestselling novel by Steve Kluger. Book and Lyrics: Steve Kluger. Music by Grammy winner Jason Howland.

< Direction & Musical Staging: Jeff Calhoun.

"This beautiful tale of friendship, baseball, and the enduring bonds between fathers and sons will speak to all generations. The heart-warming story is set in 1940’s Brooklyn and pulses with jazz music and big band sounds of the era."

With Danny Binstock, Will Burton, Bobby Conte Thornton, Sabatino Cruz, Mylinda Hull, Julian Emile Lerner, Junior Mendez, Gilberto Moretti-Hamilton, Christine Pedi, Julio Rey, Peter Saide, Don Stephenson, Sean Watkinson, Parker Weathersbee, Teal Wicks, and Jeslyn Zubrycki.

The creatives are: Set Design: Beowulf Boritt. Costume Design: Loren Shaw Lighting Design: Ken Billington. Sound Design: Brian Ronan. Hair and Wig and Makeup Design: J. Jared Janas. Fight Direction: Rick Sordelet. Production Manager: Christopher J. Bailey. Production Stage Manager: Bess Marie Glorioso. Assistant Stage Manager: Katherine Shea. Casting by Tara Rubin Casting , Merri Sugarman, CSA. Orchestrations: Kim Scharnberg. Musical Supervision and Arrangements: Jason Howland. Music Direction by Lon Hoyt. Associate Director and Choreographer: Paul McGill.

Performances through November 10, 2019 at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

GIULIO CESARE IN EGITTO by George Frideric Handel.

Directed by Russell Franks, MM, director of Stetson Opera Theatre.

Conducted by Anthony Hose, ARCM.

The sexy and tragic Baroque opera tells the musical story of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra’s love affair and the war between Rome and Egypt in 48 B.C. The three-act opera portrays Caesar’s campaign in Alexandria where he meets Cleopatra for the first time and falls head over heels for the Egyptian goddess. The plot thickens when Cleopatra’s brother Tolomeo wages war against Caesar to keep her from becoming the queen of the Nile.

The double-casted production features Alesandra Collins (Giulio Cesare); Adam Benton (Giulio Cesare’s understudy); Max Wolf (Curio); Vanessa Moya (Cornelia); Annabrett Ruggiero (Cornelia’s understudy); Colby Harter (Sesto); Melissa Feurich (Cleopatra); Lauren Prestifilippo (Cleopatra); Kat Kirby (Cleopatra’s understudy); Matthew Harris (Achilla); Adam Benton (Achilla); Allison Fahey (Tolomeo); Tony Capizzi (Nireno); and Bradley Monroe (Nireno).

Stetson Opera Theatre students will be performing in authentic costumes, which represent the time period and were created by Franks, while collaborating with Stetson’s Chamber Orchestra.

Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, which made its debut on February 20, 1724 at the King’s Theatre in London, has become one of his most performed operatic works.

“The Baroque era was rich in operatic repertoire and many Italian, German and French composers were prolific in this genre, which spanned 150 years,” said Franks. “Handel, a German composer, rose to fame after he moved to London. Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto is considered one of his most successful operas because of the music, story (libretto) and dramaturgy.”

The opera will be sung in Italian with English supertitles projected on the proscenium.

Stetson Opera Theatre and the Chamber Orchestra at the Stetson University School of Music begins its 2019-20 season with this production with performances Saturday, November 2 and Sunday, November 3, at the historic Athens Theatre, in DeLand, Florida.

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.

WHO'S WHERE

MADONNA brings her Madame X Tour to the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco for shows October 31, November 2 and 4, 2019.

SARAH BAREILLES AND EMILY KING perform Saturday, November 2, 2019 at The Hollywood Bowl.

CELINE DION performs Monday, October 28, at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. On Wednesday the show is at the Fargodome in Fargo, ND. Friday finds her at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN.

VINCE GILL performs Friday, November 1, in Pittsburgh, PA at the Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts. On Saturday he's on stage in Morristown, NJ at the Mayo Performing Arts Center. Next Sunday, November 3, his tour stops in Concord, NH for a show at the Capitol Center for the Arts.

PATTI LuPONE Actress, singer, author, and all-around entertainer Patti LuPone is a beloved star of stage and screen. If you’ve been following the exciting Broadway news, LuPone has been cast in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company. The show enjoyed a successful run on London’s West End and is coming to Broadway on March 22, 2020. You can experience her before them on Saturday, November 2, in her concert Don’t Monkey with Broadway at the Center in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Next Column: November 3, 2019
Copyright: October 27, 2019 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.
Link to Main Page

---

Laura Deni

For the snail mail address, please E-mail your request.
CLICK HERE FOR COMMENT SECTION