Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: September 29, 2019
By: Laura Deni
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HIDDEN TREASURE JEN FELLMAN IS A GOLDMINE OF TALENT

Jen Fellman holdsa B.A. Theatre/Music/French from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. The bell tone soprano with a range of E3-C6 appears to have - thus far - sacrificed her career for something or someone. Hopefully, with the release of her debut album Forbidden Drive on Broadway Records her vocal prowess, which has been hidden under a rock, will be thrown to the four winds so that the world might appreciate her.

The singer, actor, writer and cabaret performer currently living and working in New York City spent four years living in France. She speaks fluent French and studied theatre and clown studies in Paris.

That is also the location of where she fell in love and had her heart broken.

As for her debut album the selections are about survival after heartbreak.

The CD booklet explains: "It embodies my physical journey and life lived between the US and Paris, but also my journey as an artist, as a gay woman, and even the journey of a romantic relationship from beginning to end."

Love Look Away has never been sung better.

Named for a Philadelphia park trail, Forbidden Drive features songs from the worlds of jazz, standards, Broadway, and French chanson. Drawing from a diverse repertoire of love songs, album highlights include Stardust" (by Hoagy Carmichael), Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (by Oscar & Grammy-winner Michel Legrand, an original song New York Treasure about love in The Big Apple written by Fellman and Music Director/Arranger Bob Goldstone, and a moving duet of Happiness from Stephen Sondheim's Passion between Fellman and Broadway star Margo Seibert - the first time this song has been recorded by two women. in addition to making that song trans gender Fellman also delivers I Won't Send Roses from Jerry Herman's Mack and Mable sung in the production by Robert Preston and made a chart hit by Robert Goulet. Four selections later she offers another selection from Mack and Mable, the statement making Wherever He Ain't, sung in the original 8-time Tony nominated Broadway production by Bernadette Peters. While Wherever He Ain't has always been a defiant song, the arrangement for this high octane version opens with a bongo and features spirited orchestration with added horn and drum emphasis. An unusual 20's jazz infused arrangement of Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man of Mine is from Showboat.

The CD I received to review was defective on at least two tracks. Never-the-less Fellman is a marvelous listening experience.

Fellman can be enjoyed in person performing October 19 at Feinstein's/54 Below in New York City.

Musicians: Bob Goldstein piano - Mary Ann McSweeney bass - Damien Bassman drums and percussion - Charles Pillow alto and soprano saxophone, clarinet, oboe, flute and piccolo - Entcho Todorov violin and viola - Summer Boggess cello - Randy Andos trombone - Jeremy Minoszewicz trumpet - Will Holshouser accordion - Brian Koonin banjo - Michael Croiter additional percussion.

Assistant engineer Matthias Winter. Music engraved and edited by Ipsilon Music Press/Services, New York. Mastered by Michael Fossenkemper. Produced by Grammy nominee and 12-time Emmy nominee Michael Croiter.

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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

JAMES TISSOT: FASHION & FAITH

JamesTissot, Portrait of the Marquise de Miramon, née, Thérèse Feuillant, 1866. Oil on canvas, 50 1/2 x 30 3/8 in. (128.3 x 77.2 cm). The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 2007.7

one of the most celebrated artists of his era, yet today, less is known about him than his contemporaries, the Impressionists. This first major reassessment of Tissot’s career offers West Coast audiences a rare glimpse at the fascinating life and dazzling art of a man who captured an era.

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris are co-organizing James Tissot: Fashion & Faith, the first major reassessment of the artist’s career in over 20 years. In San Francisco, this international retrospective will examine approximately 70 paintings, additional works on paper, and cloisonné enamels by Tissot.

Exhibition highlights are drawn from the permanent collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, including Tissot’s Self Portrait (ca. 1865) as well as prints and photographs from the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts. New scholarship on the artist presented in this collaboration demonstrates that even Tissot’s most ebullient society paintings reveal rich and complex commentary on topics such as nineteenth-century society, religion, fashion, and politics, rendering him an artist worthy of reexamination in the twenty-first century.

Tissot experimented with major trends in contemporary art, including Aestheticism and Japonisme, yet his work defies classification and traditional labels. Moreover, Tissot was arguably a painter of modern life although he did not formally belong to the Impressionist circle and never exhibited in their group shows, despite an invitation from Edgar Degas. Tissot’s long association with Degas is a major thread in the exhibition: he frequently acted as Degas’s mentor in the 1860s and early 1870s, and they shared an extended series of correspondence. After cultivating close relationships with artists in both France and England, Tissot ultimately developed a distinctive body of work that was uniquely shaped by his cosmopolitan international career.

An important feature of this exhibition is a strong technical research component that has engaged conservation colleagues to investigate Tissot’s materials and working methods. FAMSF’s painting conservation studio has been conducting primary research on five paintings by James Tissot, including Self-Portrait (ca. 1865) from our permanent collection. In-depth scientific analysis was carried out with support from NU-ACCESS, a collaboration between Northwestern University and the Art Institute of Chicago. Findings were further contextualized through documentation of Tissot paintings in other museums and a visit to the Chateau de Buillon, Tissot’s former family home and residence, where part of his studio contents remain. This research will begin to lay the groundwork for emerging trends regarding Tissot’s painting technique.

Other significant threads are Tissot’s experimentation with print versions of his painted compositions as well as his interest in photography. His work in other media, including decorative arts, will add depth to the project. Since contemporary fashions feature so prominently in many of Tissot’s major compositions, the catalogue research will also feature significant costume and textile components. This critical reassessment of Tissot’s oeuvre will stimulate new appreciation for and awareness of an artist whose life and work continue to captivate audiences and scholars alike.

Opens October 12 at the Legion of Honor in San Franacisco, CA.

ETCHED IN MEMORY the latest special exhibition from the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri features color etchings by British artist James Alphege Brewer published throughout the Great War as a reminder of the cultural losses it inflicted.

Brewer’s series of etchings were influential. They were begun on the basis of newspaper speculation prior to the German invasion of Belgium and their publication closely followed the events of the war in news from the front. This exhibition features 15 etchings depicting scenes directly affected by the Great War. The etchings are supported by images of destruction and devastation from the Museum and Memorial, juxtaposing the iconic buildings before and after the tragedy of the war. Some of Brewer’s war etchings were copied and distributed widely in the United States and could be found hung on parlor walls in solidarity with the Allied cause.

Brewer was raised in an accomplished and artistic British family and studied at the Westminster School of Art before embarking on a career as an artist in the first years of the 20th century. Before and after the war, Brewer’s etchings of continental and English cathedrals - Milan, Rouen, Canterbury, Toledo, York Minster, St. Paul’s - and views of Oxford and Cambridge and Italian and Scottish lakes focused on scenes that would be of interest to tourists and readers of European history and literature.

Etched in Memory closes March 1, 2020. This exhibition is on loan from and curated by Benjamin S. Dunham with special collaboration from the Museum and Memorial.

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SWEET CHARITY

IAN McKELLEN turned his 80th birthday celebration into a party for 80 theatres throughout the UK who divided the 3 milllion pounds raised on McKellen's sold out tour.

Following that unprecedented event Ian McKellen's 80th Birthday theatre journey continues with a return to London for 80 further performances at the Harold Pinter Theatre, (to January 5, 2020) directed by Sean Mathias.

An exclusive gala performance of Ian McKellen's one-man show takes place at the Harold Pinter Theatre on October 3. Ticket holders will receive a drink and a program, with top price ticket holders receiving their programme signed by Ian McKellen.

Ten charities will jointly receive his fee and all the profits earmarked for each theatre's charitable projects or restoration funds, such as soundproofing, from this West End run. Those include The King's Head Theatre.

"Having raised essential funds for regional theatre, I am delighted to bring this show to the West End where the beneficiaries will be national theatre charities selected by those involved with the daily running of the show." Ian McKellen.

On Tuesday, November 5 the self-explanatory Ian McKellen On Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others …And You!, directed by Sean Mathias, will play the Hudson Theatre in New York City. All proceeds from the event will benefit the nonprofit theater organization Only Make Believe.

BROADWAY INSPIRATIONAL VOICES partnered with Ronald McDonald House New York to deliver a special performance for pediatric cancer patients and families. On Tuesday, September 24, musicians from Broadway Inspirational Voices sang unique, personalized songs they wrote about each patient’s journey. For the past several weeks, eight children and families met and formed relationships with the composers and performers, and through these meetings, the musicians -Rona Siddiqui, Indy Angel, Janet Noh, Andrea Daly, Lynne Shankel, Amanda Green and Dionne McClain-Freeney - created special songs for each child. The children heard the songs for the first time during this performance at RMH-NY which provides temporary housing and care for pediatric cancer patients and their families from around the world in a strong, supportive and caring environment. Broadway Inspirational Voices (BIV) is a diverse, professional choir of Broadway artists, united to change lives through the power of music and service.

SPREADING THE WORD

CRACKED Curated by Russell Brand takes place tonight, Sunday, September 29, at The Old Vic in London.

One Voice: Solo performances funded by the TS Eliot Estate. This one-off night of seven solo performances written by Russell Brand, Scarlett Curtis, Lena Dunham, Mr Gee, Gabor Maté, Matthew Perry and Kate Tempest is in response to the growing conversation and changing attitudes around mental health and addiction.

STEPHEN COLBERT'S WIFE was the smartest person at last week's Emmy awards. She arrived carrying a small, battery operated fan.

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER AND NILE RODGERS LIVE AT THE OTHER PALACE recently took place. In this fascinating 'in-conversation', Andrew was joined by multiple Grammy-winning composer, producer, arranger and guitarist, Nile Rodgers. Listeners heard r anecdotes from an artist who's collaborated with Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna and Daft Punk on their most successful, career-defining albums and heard an intimate performance of 'Love Look Away' from Flower Drum Song, inspired by Andrew and Nile's mutual love of Rogers and Hammerstein.

Live at The Other Palace is a series of events curated by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which offers listeners on Skype the opportunity to learn from the best and put your questions to some of the biggest names in the theatre industry, in an informal and relaxed environment.The Other Palace, London.

The Other Palace is a theatre in London's Off West End which opened on 18 September 2012 as the St. James Theatre. It features a 312-seat main theatre and a 120-seat studio theatre. It was built on the site of the former Westminster Theatre, which was damaged by a fire in 2002 and subsequently demolished.

OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL celebrated the culmination of Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Latinx Play Project (LxPP), OSF by hosting a panel discussion today, Sunday, September 29, 2019 featuring five veteran Latinx playwrights who discussed the joys and challenges of working in professional theatre today, finding artistic home, and making work that speaks to the times we are in.

The panel, Working From Home / Trabajando Desde Casa: Five Migrant Artists Talk About Working & Writing in America & Ashland, features Luis Alfaro, Richard Montoya, Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, Octavio Solis, and Karen Zacarías and was moderated by Dr. Tiffany Ana López.

OSF’s LxPP was founded in 2014 in response to a lack of play development programs in the American theatre dedicated to furthering and showcasing plays by Latinx writers. Led by OSF’s Associate Artistic Director, Christopher Acebo, and OSF’s former Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Playwright in Residence for six years from 2013-2019, Luis Alfaro, the program was inspired by previous Latinx theatre movements in the U.S. to focus deeply on mentorship.

L.A. THEATRE WORKS' syndicated radio theater series wil record the U.S. premiere of real-life thriller Pressure by David Haig which commemorates 75th anniversary of D-Day. Four performances are set for UCLA’s James Bridges Theater October 4 – 6.

Jonathan Cake stars as Scottish meteorologist James Stagg with James Morrison as General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Sarah Drew as Eisenhower’s personal secretary, Kay Summersby. It’s June, 1944 - just 72 hours prior to the D Day landings - and Stagg is advising General Eisenhower on the weather conditions likely to prevail when 350,000 troops are to be sent across the Channel in Operation Overlord. But with Stagg predicting severe storms and Irving P. Krick - Hollywood’s meteorological movie consultant - predicting beautiful weather, the future of Britain, Europe and the United States rests on one single forecast.

Helmed by Martin Jarvis, the cast also features Mike McShane as Krick, as well as Darren Richardson, voice actor André Sogliuzzo and Matthew Wolf, each playing multiple roles.

Pressure premiered at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh in May, 2014 before transferring to the Chichester Festival at the end of the same month. In 2018, the play was revived for a UK tour, and transferred to the West End Ambassadors Theatre. The L.A. Theatre Works production comes as we celebrate the 75th anniversary, in 2019, of the D-Day landings.

Each of the four performances at UCLA’s state-of-the-art James Bridges Theater will be recorded live in front of an audience for future radio broadcast, distribution on CD, digital download and online streaming.

CAPE MAY NEW JERSEY THEATRE WEEK takes place October 2 -6 with the two Equity professional theater companies in the popular seaside resort town offering specials. East Lynne Theater Company's offering is Arsenic and Old Lace with Suzanne Dawson and Gayle Stahlhuth portraying the Brewster sisters who enjoy populating their Brooklyn cellar with "acceptable" lodgers. Performances take place at The First Presbyterian Church of Cape May, where the company is in residence.

At Cape May Stage, it's The Taming, written by Lauren Gunderson and under the direction of Marlena Lustik, at The Robert Shackleton Playhouse. In this hilarious, raucous, all-female "power-play" inspired by Shakespeare's Shrew, contestant Katherine has political aspirations to match her beauty pageant ambitions.

DID YOU KNOW THAT it takes nearly two hours to apply Mason Alexander Park's makeup as the Emcee in Cabaret at the Olney Theatre in Olney, MD.

Cabaret brings the Kit Kat Klub to life on stage through October 6, 2019.

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CAESAR & CLEOPATRA by Georg Bernard Shaw.

Directed by David Staller.

The cast features Jeff Applegate as Rufio, Rajesh Bose as Pothinus, Brenda Braxton as Ftatateeta, Robert Cuccioli as Caesar, Dan Domingues as Apolldorus, Jonathan Hadley as Britannus, and Teresa Avia Limas Cleopatra.

"One of Shaw’s most famous and least known plays, this remarkable comedy hasn’t been given a full NYC production in over 40 years! As an early draft of the Eliza/Higgins relationship in Shaw’s Pygmalion, this highly entertaining play boldly addresses women’s rights, gender roles, empowering the disenfranchised, and being an active and contributive member of the community."

Presented by the Gingold Theatrical Group at Theatre Row in New York City through October 12, 2019.

DUBLIN CAROLwritten by Conor McPherson.

Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly.

John Plunkett is haunted by memories of a shameful past and shattered life. On Christmas Eve, an unexpected visit from his estranged daughter, Mary, forces John to confront his demons and grapple with his chance at redemption.

The cast features Jeffrey Bean as John, Cillian Hegarty as Mark, and Sarah Street as Mary.

Set design by Charlie Corcoran, costume design by Leon Dobkowski, lighting design by Michael Gottlieb, sound design by M. Florian Staab and Ryan Rumery, and properties by Sven Henry Nelson. Jeff Davolt serves as production stage manager.

Performances at Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City with an opening night set for October 1, to run through November 10, 2019.

THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL the original musical adaption of Rick Riordan’s novel, has a book by Joe Tracz, music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki.

Directed by Stephen Brackett.

Choreography by Patrick McCollum.

A recording of the original off-Broadway cast was released by Broadway Records and reviewed in the July 9, 2017 issue of Broadway To Vegas. See Broadway To Vegas column of July 9, 2017.

In this new mounting, Chris McCarrell reprises his role as Percy Jackson, Sarah Beth Pfeifer returns as Clarisse, Kristin Stokes again is Annabeth and James Hayden Rodriguez reprises the role of Luke. They are joined by Izzy Figueroa, Jorrel Javier, Ryan Knowles, Sam Leicht, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, Jalynn Steele, and T. Shyvonne Stewart.

The design team includes Lee Savage (set design), Sydney Maresca (costume design), David Lander (lighting design), Ryan Rumery (sound design), AchesonWalsh (puppet design), Rod Kinter (fight direction), Dave Bova (hair, wigs, and makeup design), with orchestrations by Wiley DeWeese (First Daughter Suite, Preludes) and Rob Rokicki, and music direction by Wiley DeWeese.

The Lightning Thief began previews Friday, September 20 prior to an October 16 opening night at the Longacre Theatre in New York City.

MORE SENIOR MOMENTS Music, book, and lyrics by Linda Kaufman.

Directed by Mike Rademaekers.

Les Young is the music director.

This sequel to Senior Moments is "a series of rollicking musical vignettes dealing with aging. Growing older has many facets and can be uproarious at times and deeply moving at others This musical comedy is a fast-paced romp through various aspects of aging - from the hilarious antics at a senior dance class to the poignant interaction between two high school flames who still have feelings for one another. The soaring music includes such unforgettable tunes as The Power of a Dream; If I Only Knew Then; First Love, and Medication Rock. The show is guaranteed to produce laughter as it moves from scene to scene, touching on life experiences to which every audience member can relate, including debating the benefits (and taste) of kale."

Cast includes Fran McRedmond, Francie Dix, Seth Smith, Maris Lynne Long, and Toni Souther.

More Senior Moments is now playing at the Hill Country Community Theatre, Cottonwood Shores, TX through October 6, 2019.

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E-Book

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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.

WHO'S WHERE

THE EAGLES STAGE A LAS VEGAS FIRST in a three show gig which wraps up October 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, with Deacon Frey and Vince Gill - perform their iconic album Hotel California in its entirety for the first time in the band’s career plus an additional set of the band’s greatest hits. These three concerts are the only North American performances for the Eagles this year.

LONDON'S THE KINGDOM CHOIR is best known for their show-stopping rendition of Stand By Me at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018. The performance, seen by a global audience of over 2 billion, instantly catapulted The Kingdom Choir to worldwide fame. Youcan see them perform in person at the Kauffman Center in Kansas City, MO on Tuesday, October 1, 2019.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD performs Monday, September 30 at the PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC. Wednesday's stop is at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY. Friday's show is at the Capital One Arena, Washington, DC. On Saturday she'll be delighting her fans at the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA.

AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH FAITH PRINCE will feature music direction and accompaniment by Alex Rybeck on October 4-5 at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane, Australia.

ROD STEWART continues his residency this week at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

LINDA EDER - IF YOU SEE ME performs her new album’s sweeping melodies that span Broadway and the Great American Songbook. The night will include musical gems such as Before the Parade Passes By; As If We Never Said Goodbye; Music That Makes Me Dance/Can't Take That Away From Me; Down With Love; Bring Him Home and many more. October 4 and 5 at the Smith Center in Las Vegas.

WYONNA and The Big Noise perform Wednesday October 2, 2019 at The Cohoes Music Hall, Cohoes, NY. On Friday she is on stage at Penn's Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA.

Next Column: October 6, 2019
Copyright: September 29, 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.
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Laura Deni

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