Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: September 4, 2016
By: Laura Deni
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BROADWAY REMEMBERS 15th ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11

Tony Award winner Jim Dale will prform Bikeman.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed when terrorists crashed two planes into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. A third plane hit the Pentagon in D.C., and a fourth plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field. Next Sunday, September 11, marks the 15th anniversary of the horrific attacks.

The New York Public Library of Performing Arts at Lincoln Center will commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of September 11 with readings from Bikeman, performed by the Tony award winning actor Jim Dale, illustrated with photos and documents from the NYPL archives, plus a conversation with Jim Dale and Thomas Flynn.

Modeled on Dante’s Inferno, veteran journalist Tom Flynn’s Bikeman chronicles the morning of September 11, 2001 like no other published work. Flynn delivers a personal account of his experiences beginning with the first strike on the World Trade Center when he decided to follow his journalist’s instinct and point his bike’s handlebars in the direction of the north tower. His story continues as he transitions from reporter to participant hoping to survive the fall of the south tower. Flynn, as both journalist and now survivor, must come to terms with the harrowing ordeal and somehow find peace in the very act of surviving.

The event is free to the public.

The 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City is staging an art exhibition Rendering the Unthinkable: Artists Respond to 9/11, that in some cases uses actual remnants of the day of terror in works that convey both grief and tenderness. Scorched and torn business papers from the collapsing towers and radio transmissions from the fiery pit are part of the collection which will open September 12.

Thirteen artists contributed paintings and a sculpture, ranging in media from paintings and sculpture to works on paper and video, these pieces will be displayed together for the first time

Blue Man Group's tribute to 9/11 Exhibit 13 from The Complex

Papers, letters, business forms and personal notes flutter through the air in the video Exhibit 13 by the creative collective, Blue Man Group. Inspired by the scraps of paper that blew from the World Trade Center into the yard of their rehearsal space in Carroll Garden neighborhood of Brooklyn on that life altering day, members of Blue Man Group wrote the song, Exhibit 13, featuring spoken recitations of the papers’ contents, and created the accompanying video, both named after one of the scorched pieces of paper they found.

The audio intercut in the song is recitation of the contents of other documents found in that same park.

Exhibit 13 is also the last song on the Blue Man Group's album The Complex. Blue Man Group members Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton are New York residents and were in various locations in Manhattan on 9/11. The performance group is based in New York with gifted, unique and entertaining shows at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. Other mountings are in Boston, Chicago, New York and Orlando, Florida. There is also a world tour as well as a long term staging in Berlin.

In another memorial video clip, Colleen Mulrenan MacFarlane's piece captures the return home of her father after three days of working around the clock at Ground Zero. Her father, James F. Mulrenan, was a deputy fire chief of the New York City Fire Department on that horrific day. The piece focuses on Mulrenan MacFarlane’s hands washing her father’s shirt, soiled from three days spent working in the smoking World Trade Center rubble. The soundtrack includes exchanges based on his radio transmissions at the site.

One version of Tumbling Woman by Eric Fischl. Photo: Eric Fischl website.

Eric Fischl created the bronze statue Tumbling Woman. Since 2001 Fischl has created several versions of Tumbling Woman, varying in mediums and sizes.

The object has been interpreted and perhaps misinterpreted by many. For this exhibit the art work is described as: "The piece itself embodies a horizontal movement rather than a crashing down and is a testimony to those who survived as well as those who died. The figure’s hand reaches out in a gesture of connection. Fischl, who lost a friend in the attacks, is a resident of Long Island where he was on that fatal day."

In October 2002 Fischl’s bigger-than-life-size bronze sculpture, Tumbling Woman, was installed in the lower concourse of New York’s Rockefeller Center. According to Project Muse one week later, public outcry resulted in its removal. Fischl’s sculpture was said to depict a “jumper.” Coverage of and images of those who had leaped or fallen to their deaths from the upper floors of the World Trade Center had quickly been deleted or "spiked" from media coverage.

A spokeswoman for Rockefeller Center apologized, saying that she was sorry "if anyone was upset or offended by the display of this sculpture," and Eric Fischl issued a statement as well. "The sculpture was not meant to hurt anybody," the statement said. "It was a sincere expression of deepest sympathy for the vulnerability of the human condition. Both specifically towards the victims of Sept. 11 and towards humanity in general."

Art From The Ashes questioned whether it was "art or an assault."

Robin Cembalist wrote in ARTNews, “it quickly became clear that art about or at Ground Zero was perceived by many as subject to a vetting process by constituencies connected to the attacks - and that stated priorities of patriotism, as well as the moral rights of victims and their families, trumped freedom of expression.”

The NY Post published a critical essay and Fischl had some second thoughts: In an interview with David Rakoff, Fischl stated: “I wouldn’t have made the sculpture differently at all. I even regret caving in to Rockefeller Center so fast and saying: ‘Yeah, take it away. I don’t want to hurt anybody.’ I’m sorry I didn’t raise a stink over it. I hate this idea that there are some peoplee who have a right to express their suffering and others who don’t, that there are those in this hierarchy of pain who own it more than you do. It’s not necessarily about witnessing firsthand that makes the experience."

A senior critic at the New York Academy of Art, the noted sculpture's Tumbling Woman is proudly a part of this exhibition. It is on loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

Other artists represented lost relatives, friends or witnessed the attacks.

Monika Bravo, a native of Colombia living in Brooklyn, had filmed a thunderstorm passing over the city on September 10, 2001, from her studio on the 92nd floor of the north tower. The footage is now condensed into a piece dedicated to a fellow artist who died a day later in the same tower.

The exhibition was assembled by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum that oversees two reflecting pools bearing the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died that day in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The display is the first in the museum’s special exhibition gallery where various 9/11 related topics are planned in the future.

Inside St. Paul's Chapel, located across from Ground Zero. Photo: Laura Deni

One of the memorials inside St. Paul's Chapel. Photo: Laura Deni

St. Paul's Church directly across the street from Ground Zero wasn't damaged. St. Paul’s Chapel has stood since 1766. It’s the oldest continuous use building in New York and was where George Washington went to pray at his inauguration. It is also the site where the fence was covered with flowers and mementos after 9/11. The beautiful old stone chapel became a triage area on 9/11 and eventually a place for first responders and volunteers to rest in the days following. Inside there are areas showing various displays of support banners, police and fire patches, rosaries, letters, postcards, and photos.

The National Museum of American History in Washington, DC will observe the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a special one-day exhibition and a ceremony marking the donation of the last existing robot used in the search and rescue effort. The robot will be donated by its operator, Dr. Robin Murphy from the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and Texas A&M University.

During the day on September 11, in Flag Hall, the museum will display more than 35 objects from the three sites - New York, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa. To create an intimate experience for visitors, the objects will be shown on tables rather than behind glass and include airplane fragments, lights from a crushed FDNY fire truck, a flight attendant’s handbook from Flight 93, clothing and equipment from first responders, and objects recovered from offices at the Pentagon.

“Americans continue to live with the impact of September 11,” said John Gray, director, National Museum of American History. “That day marked a generation, and will forever be one of remembrance.”

The museum will show the Smithsonian Channel documentary, 9/11: Stories in Fragments, hourly in the Warner Bros. Theater. The documentary is based on the museum’s 9/11 collections and the stories they convey. The film features museum curators and object donors speaking about the collection and telling the stories of victims, witnesses, bystanders and heroes from New York, the Pentagon and Shanksville.

There will be a conversation in the Coulter Performance Plaza with Murphy, Raytheon Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M and director of TEES’ Center for Emergency Informatics and its Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue division. Murphy has deployed ground, air and marine robots including Bujold, an Inuktun microVGTV robot used following the September 11 attacks at more than 24 disaster sites worldwide.

One World Trade Center. Photo: Laura Deni

In 2001, Congress designated the museum as the official repository for September 11 materials so that objects, photographs and documents would be preserved permanently in the museum’s collections to help future generations of historians and visitors comprehend the horrific events of September 11, 2001, their roots and their long-term consequences.

Amidst growing political division, a new coalition, Tomorrow Together, including more than 20 nonprofit organizations, organized diversity service projects are asking Americans and the nation's political leadership to put aside their differences and pledge to work together on a bipartisan basis to help solve some of our country's most pressing societal problems.

"Our goal with Tomorrow Together is to rekindle and reinforce the important lessons of empathy, service and unity that arose from the 9/11 tragedy," posted David Paine, president and co-founder of 9/11 Day, "and to encourage all Americans and our leaders to work more closely together again as one nation to address the challenges facing our society."

"As someone who lost a loved one on 9/11, I was truly inspired by the remarkable way our nation came together in the months following the attacks," said Jay S. Winuk, co-founder and executive vice president of 9/11 Day. Winuk's brother, Glenn J. Winuk, an attorney and volunteer firefighter and EMT, died in the line of duty as a rescuer on 9/11.

"We owe more than division and discord to those who perished from the attacks and those who served in its aftermath. The anniversary of 9/11 should be a reminder to us all about our common humanity and the opportunity we have to help people and communities in need."

The Tomorrow Together initiative will include large-scale service projects staged in many cities on September 11, 2016, intended to bring together a diverse community of people to help address hunger in America and other important societal issues.

In Washington, DC, 9/11 Day will work with the AARP Foundation and other organizations to help pack more than one million meals for at-risk seniors, children, veterans and others. Similar large-scale events promoting the value of diversity are also planned for New York City and in communities around the nation in cooperation with area food banks.

"We are proud to work with AARP Foundation to support such a wonderful intergenerational event that will help address hunger in the metropolitan DC area," Paine said. "AARP has a long history of recognizing and supporting the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, and we are honored to assist the Foundation and AARP Create the Good volunteers on such an important and solemn day as the 15th anniversary of 9/11."

In addition to helping to support interfaith, multi-racial and other diversity service projects, 9/11 Day distributed to millions of teachers nationwide free educational service-learning materials that assist in teaching empathy, in collaboration with the Ashoka's Start Empathy Initiative and the National Youth Leadership Council.

At the college level, The George Washington University helped organize other universities and colleges to participate in 9/11 Day as well. The American Express Corporation, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Holland & Knight LLP and Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund are among the underwriters helping to support Tomorrow Together activities.

The Salt Lake Men’s Choir presents We Remember… A Patriot Day Tribute.

The concert features all types of American Music and ends with a Patriotic Tribute on the 15th Anniversary of 9/11. Special guest will be Sen. Jim Dabakis. Music for the concert includes Aaron Copeland’s Stomp Your Foot, music from John Denver, Kurt Bestor, folk music and more.

The concerts will take place Thursday, September 8, and Friday, September 9, 2016 at the First Baptist Church, in Salt Lake City, UT.

For the 15th Anniversary of 9/11, the Tribute in Light will be illuminated in Manhattan from dusk on September 11, 2016 until dawn on September 12, 2016.

For the 15th Anniversary of 9/11, the Tribute in Light will be illuminated in Manhattan from dusk on September 11, 2016 until dawn on September 12, 2016.

The two towers of light are composed of two banks of high wattage spotlights - 44 for each beam and point straight up. The 88 7,000-watt xenon light bulbs are set up in two 48-foot squares, echoing the shape and orientation of the Twin Towers. Originally they were set up on a lot next to Ground Zero and presented by the Municipal Arts Society. Since 2012, they have been presented by the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Each year the memorial is set up on the roof of the Battery Parking Garage near the World Trade Center site.

The Tribute in Light is best viewed from the waterfront outside of Manhattan, including Jersey City, the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade and Gantry Plaza State Park, though the Tribute in Light can be seen from many places in and around New York City and is visible for many miles.










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ART AND ABOUT

INSIDE PRESIDENT REAGAN'S WORLD

A pillow with the inscription You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet was a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Ray Stark. Estimate $1,000-1,500. Photo: Christie's.

10 lots offering unique insights. From his beloved jelly beans to gifts from visiting heads of state, a selection of lots that reflect President Reagan’s time in office.

Christie's Auction takes place September 21-22 at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

Three of the more entertainment oriented items include:

A pillow with the inscription You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet was a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Ray Stark, and represents the 49 out of 50 states won by Reagan in 1984. Ray Stark was one of the most successful independent producers in post-war Hollywood. He was involved with more than 125 films, including Funny Girl and The Goodbye Girl, both of which were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. After serving in the US Navy in World War II, Stark became a literary agent. During his subsequent career as a talent agent at the Famous Artists Agency he represented Ronald Reagan. The Starks owned a property close to the Reagans’ California ranch. Ray Stark died in 2004 at the age of 88.

Estimate $ 1,000 - 1,500.

Comprising a bronze plaque with the Reagan quotation There Is no Limit To What a Man Can Do or Where he Can Go if He Doesn't Mind Who Gets The Credit, an Hermes silver blotter with horse head, marked to reverse; a glass jar with horse head lid enclosing jelly beans; an English red leather and repousse silver box; a tiger's eye paperweight surmounted by two silver birds, and a wooden parquetry box, with green inventory labels 9 ¾ in. (23.5 cm.) long, the blotter. Estimate: $1,000-2,000. Photo: Christie's

Desk accessories: Comprising a bronze plaque with the Reagan quotation There Is no Limit To What a Man Can Do or Where he Can Go if He Doesn't Mind Who Gets The Credit, an Hermes silver blotter with horse head, marked to reverse; a glass jar with horse head lid enclosing jelly beans; an English red leather and repousse silver box; a tiger's eye paperweight surmounted by two silver birds, and a wooden parquetry box, with green inventory labels 9 ¾ in. (23.5 cm.) long, the blotter

According to the Reagan Library archives, when Ronald Reagan ran for Governor of California in 1966, he began eating ‘Goelitz Mini Jelly Beans’ as part of his successful attempt to give up pipe-smoking. Herman Goelitz Candy Company, the Oakland-based producer of the jelly beans, sent a monthly shipment to the Governor’s Office throughout Reagan’s two terms in Sacramento. The company also made a custom-designed jelly bean jar for Reagan.

After Reagan left the governorship, he continued to receive shipments of Goelitz Mini Gourmet Jelly Beans directly from the company. When Herman Goelitz introduced its Jelly Belly brand of jelly beans in 1976, it began including the new brand in Reagan’s regular shipment. Within two years, the shipment consisted entirely of the Jelly Belly brand.

Three and a half tons of red, white and blue Jelly Belly jelly beans were shipped to Washington, D.C., for the 1981 Inaugural festivities. Herman Goelitz Candy Company provided the Reagan White House with Jelly Belly jelly beans for all eight years of Reagan’s presidency. In February 1981 Herman G. Rowland, the president of Herman Goelitz and a fourth-generation descendant of the company’s founders, received official Government authorization to develop a Jelly Belly jelly bean jar with the Presidential Seal on it. These presidential jars of Jelly Belly beans, each in its own blue gift box, were given by Reagan to heads of state, diplomats and other White House guests. President Reagan’s favorite Jelly Belly flavor was licorice.

Estimate $1,000-2000.

An official NFL Wilson football, signed and inscribed by Reagan on the blank panel: ("Win One For the Gipper Ronald Reagan"). 11 inches long. Unused, and housed in its original box. Estimate $5,000-10,000. Photo: Christie's.

An official NFL Wilson football, signed and inscribed by Reagan on the blank panel: ("Win One For the Gipper Ronald Reagan"). 11 inches long. Unused, and housed in its original box.

After several years spent in Iowa as a sports announcer, Reagan traveled to Hollywood to take a screen test for Warner Bros. in 1937. He soon graduated from B-movie roles to star in feature films including Dark Victory with Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart and Santa Fe Trail, starring Errol Flynn. In 1940 he landed the role of George Gipp, in the 1940 film, Knute Rockne, All American, starring Pat O'Brien as the legendary Notre Dame Coach. Gipp (1895-1920) was a gifted halfback who played for the Fighting Irish from 1917 to 1920. His career was cut short by a throat infection that killed him at age 25. On his deathbed, Gipp told Rockne to inspire the team: "ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper." Rockne later used Gipp's story to rally his team to beat the undefeated Army team of 1928, telling them to "win one for the Gipper."

Estimate $5,000 -10,000.

MASTER OF BEAUTY: KARL SCHENKER'S GLAMOROUS IMAGES The Museum Ludwig is taking the acquisition of some 100 photographs by Karl Schenker (1886–1954) as an opportunity to rediscover this once well-established artist.

As a photographer, illustrator, painter, and occasional designer of mannequins, Schenker devoted himself above all to the female portrait and to fashion photographs. From the 1910s on, he had his studio in Berlin, interrupted by several years in New York, before he had to immigrate to London in 1938.

Schenker pictured silent movie stars, dancers, musicians and the high society. He used his mastery of retouching and staging to transform his models into the glamorous figures whose images they wished to represent. To rediscover Karl Schenker is to encounter a photographer whose pictures widely circulated and were then unjustly forgotten.

Curated by Miriam Halwani.

September 10-December 30, 2016 at The Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany.

YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION? RECORDS AND REBELS 1966-1970

John Sebastian performing at Woodstock, 1969. © Henry Diltz / Corbis. V/A Exhibit

How have the finished and unfinished revolutions of the late 1960s changed the way we live today and think about the future?

This major exhibition will explore the era-defining significance and impact of the late 1960s, expressed through some of the greatest music and performances of the 20th century alongside fashion, film, design and political activism

Come on a musical odyssey through the era defining years of the late 1960s. Featuring over 200 records from John Peel’s collection, the exhibition transports you to a time when London was ‘swinging’, Jimi Hendrix was rocking Woodstock, students were rioting in Paris and the first man walked on the moon.

September 10, 2016 – February 26, 2017 V&A Museum in London.

SWEET CHARITY

STAND UP TO CANCER a one-hour telethon held once every two years airs September . 9 on more than 60 broadcast and cable networks including ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, Bravo, Comedy Central, E!, Showtime, Starz and VH1.

The star packed line-up includes: Ben Affleck, Matt Bomer, Matthew McConaughey, Marcis Cross, Terry Crews, Emma Stone, Anna Kendrick, Josh Gad, Niecy Nash, Eric Stonestreet, Alison Sweeney, SU2C, Viola Davis, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Dave Franco, Sonequa Martin-Green, Rob Riggle, Tony Hale, Mel B, Bree Turner and Telethon co-founder Katie Couric.

Bradley Cooper is an executive producer of the broadcast.

Funds raised benefit cancer research.

SPREADING THE WORD

THE JOHN F. KENNEDY LIBRARY FOUNDATION has named Steven M. Rothstein as the new Executive Director. Among his previous posts, he has served as President of the world-renowned Perkins School for the Blind; CEO of Citizen Schools, a national non-profit organization that expands the learning day for middle school children in low-income communities; Co-Founder of Citizens Energy, the world's first non-profit social mission oil company; and Assistant Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation.

He will begin his post on September 6, 2016.

FLORIDA STATE WIDE RECEIVER TRAVIS RUDOLPH has to be the best lunch date ever - and a credit to a sport which has way too many players running amok.

A BIT TOO FESTIVE The final day of the Notting Hill Carnival in London was marred by scenes of violence as police struggled to keep the peace during the famous event - the largest carnival in Europe. Scotland Yard confirmed that more than 300 people were arrested during the two-day celebrations. Monday, August 29, marked the Grand Finale of the event's 50th anniversary, which this year hosted 60 bands and 38 sound systems. Scotland Yard said a total of 156 arrests were made on Sunday, August 28, while 160 people were apprehended by 7pm on Monday, August 29.

CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY SEE IN HIM Anthony Weiner. I don't know why anybody would consider him sexy.

SEPTEMBER 5 is National Cheese Pizza Day and September 10 is TV Dinner Day.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

THE ACADEMY AWARDS generally the most viewed entertainment program of the year will continue to be broadcast on ABC for the next 12 years. The network and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have extended their agreement for ABC to broadcast the Academy Awards through 2028.

The previous contract was set to expire in 2020. Financial details weren't disclosed.

The 89th Academy Awards returns to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on February 26, 2017. The ceremony is televised live to 225-plus countries and territories around the globe.



SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS book by Lawrence Kasha and David Landay, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, music by Gene de Paul, and new songs by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn. Based on the glorious MGM hit film and Stephen Vincent Benet’s short story The Sobbin' Women.

Directed by BT McNicholl.

Pull up your boots and hold onto your hats when this all-dancing, all-singing, all-new production of the rip-roarin' musical comedy classic bursts onto the Ogunquit Playhouse stage September 7 to October 1.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a big, brawling, rollicking show filled with rambunctious energy and set in 1850s Oregon Territory. This beloved musical tells the story of Adam Pontipee and his backwoods brothers' unusual pursuit of brides. When Adam goes to town to get a wife, he miraculously convinces the beautiful and feisty Milly to marry him that same day, and then she immediately starts reforming her six rowdy brothers-in-law. When her plan to marry off the boys backfires, this exuberant rousing musical kicks into high gear with a combination of daredevil dancing and wonderful songs like Goin' Courtin, Sobbin’ Women, and Wonderful, Wonderful Day.

Broadway performers will headline the Ogunquit production. Starring as Adam Pontipee is Nathaniel Hackmann who is making his Ogunquit Playhouse debut. Also making her Ogunquit Playhouse debut is Analisa Leaming who is cast as Milly.

Adam’s brothers are played by Kevin Munhall as Benjamin, Colin Bradbury as Caleb, Brian Martin as Daniel, Abe Hegewald as Ephraim, Jeff Smith as Frank, and Justin Schuman as Gideon. The brides are played by Kelly Berman as Alice, Becky Grace Kalman as Sarah, Shelby Putlak as Liza, Maria Cristina Slye as Dorcas, Chloe Tiso as Martha, and Lizz Picini as Ruth, who is also the Assistant Choreographer for the Ogunquit production.

Parker Esse is choreography. Scenic design is by Anna Louizos. Jeffrey Campos serves as Musical Director. Working with Campos as Associate Music Director is Michael Uslemann. Sam Davis joins the creative team for the dance music arrangements. Costume Designer is José Rivera. Sound Designer is John Emmett O’Brien. Lighting Designer is Richard Latta.

The Ogunquit Playhouse production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on stage September 7 through October 1 at the Ogun uit Playhouse in Ogunquit, ME.

FOLLIES featuring a book by James Goldman and a score by Stephen Sondheim.

Directed by Rob Ruggiero.

The musical is set at a 1970s reunion of stars from the Ziegfeld-like Weismann Follies. Two couples work through unfinished romantic business that they thought they'd left far behind them. The score includes I'm Still Here, Who's That Woman?, Would I Leave You?, In Buddy's Eyes.

Leading the cast are Tony nominee Emily Skinner (as Phyllis), Bradley Dean (Ben), Tony nominee Christiane Noll (Sally) and Adam Heller (Buddy). The supporting cast includes Tony nominee Nancy Opel (Carlotta) and Dorothy Stanley (Emily), as well as E. Faye Butler (Stella), Joneal Joplin (Weismann), Zoe Vonder Haar (Hattie) and Ron Himes (Max).

St Louis Rep's staging of Follies will run September 7 – October 2 on the Browning Mainstage of the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts in St. Louis. MO.

FIORELLO! Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick’s Pulitzer Prize & Tony Award-winning Musical.

Directed by Bob Moss, founder of Playwrights Horizons.

Featuring Katie Birenboim, Michael Brahce, Rebecca Brudner, Dan Cassin, Chelsea Cree Groen, Austin Lombardi, Matt McLean, Rylan Morsbach, Julius Reese, and Michael Sullivan.

The young 21-member company is rounded out by chorus members Erica Anclade, John Barsoian, Matt Caccamo, Drew Carr, Collier Cobb, Christy Coco, Ana Marie Lovric, Kelsey Ryan Moore, Benjamin Dallas Redding, and Jessica Riloff.

Fiorello! tells the story of New York’s Mayor LaGuardia’s rise from an immigrant’s son to the feisty congressman who brought down the crooked Tammany Hall political machine. (He’s also the man singularly responsible for saving City Center from the wrecking ball and transforming it into Manhattan’s first performing arts center.) Songs from the 1959 show include Little Tin Box, Till Tomorrow, Politics and Poker and When Did I Fall In Love?

Previews begin Sunday, September 4, 2016 with an opening night slated for Friday, September 9, 2016 at The East 13th Street Theater, New York City

MAN OF LA MANCHA written by Dale Wasserman. Music by Mitch Leigh. Lyrics by Joe Darion.

Directed by David Edwards.

Musical Direction by Paul Feyer.

One of the world’s most popular musicals, Man of La Mancha, the “Impossible Dream” musical, is based on Cervantes’ masterpiece Don Quixote, and tells of the adventures of a mad, aging nobleman who embarrasses his respectable family by his adventures. Backed by his faithful sidekick Sancho Panza, he duels windmills and defends his perfect lady Dulcinea.

At times both inspiring and thought provoking, the story is both very entertaining and very moving, and will warm the heart of everyone whose spirits were ever raised by the prospect of a victory by the underdog against all the odds. Winner of 5 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Starring David Pittsinger as Cervantes / Don Quixote, Brian Michael Hoffman as Manservant / Sancho, Talia Thiesfield as A Prisoner / Aldonza, Amy Buckley as A Prisoner / Antonia, David Edwards as The Duke / Dr. Carrasco, AJ Hunsucker as Muleteer, James Van Treuren as The Governor / Innkeeper, Matthew Krob as A Prisoner / The Padre, and Melissa McLean as A Prisoner / The Housekeeper).

With Brian Binion, Ryan Cavanaugh, James Ludlum, Conor McGiffin, and Stephen Mir.

Choreographer Todd Underwood: Stage Manager James Joseph Clark; Scenic Designer Daniel Nischan; Lighting Designer Marcus Abbott; Sound Designer Tate Burmeister; Costume Designer Liz Cipollina.

Wednesday, September 7 through Sunday, October 2, 2016 at The Ivoryton Playhouse in Ivoryton, CT.

TIGER STYLE! a new comedy by Mike Lew.

Directed by Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Jaime Castañeda.

Cheeky Humor.

Star students and squabbling siblings Albert and Jennifer Chen used to represent the pinnacle of adolescent achievement. But when it comes to adulthood, they’re epic failures. Albert’s just been passed up for promotion and Jennifer's been dumped by her loser boyfriend. So they do what any reasonable egghead brother and sister would do - go on an Asian Freedom Tour. Travelling from California to China, Tiger Style! "embraces the inner slacker and the outer tiger parent in all of us."

September 6 – October 2, 2016 at the Potiker Theatre of the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California.

RED VELVET by British playwright Lolita Chakrabarti.

Directed by Bonnie J. Monte.

"Set in the mid-1800s, Red Velvet is the fascinating true-life story of Ira Aldridge, an African-American actor and the first black man to appear as Othello on the London stage. When the famous Edmund Kean collapses on stage while playing Othello, the young black actor is asked to step into the role. Red Velvet examines the public’s reactions to this groundbreaking moment in history that took place amidst the start of the abolitionist movement. Red Velvet not only celebrates the life of this little known American artist, but it sheds light on his immense influence on the stylistic “revolution” that occurred in the world of theatre in the late 1800s, and it examines the power of art to sustain an artist through daunting circumstances."

Veteran actors Lindsay Smiling and Victoria Mack star in the leading roles portraying the real life actors Ira Aldridge and Ellen Tree, who play Othello and Desdemona respectively in Red Velvet.

The Cast also includes David Foubert playing Pierre Laporte. David Andrew Macdonald in the role of Charles Kean. John Little will play Terence/Bernard Warde. Shannon Harris is cast as Connie. Sofia Jean Gomez will play the role of Halina Wozniak/Margaret Aldridge. Rounding out the cast are Savannah Desourmeaux and Garrett Lawson.

The show’s visual elements will be brought to life through the work of set designer Bethanie Wampol, lighting designer Burke Wilmore, and costume designer Paul Canada. Serving as production stage manager is Denise Cardarelli.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) presents the New Jersey premiere of multi-award-winning play, Red Velvet. Performances begin September 7 and continue through September 25 at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, in Madison, NJ.

THE OTHER PLACE by Sharr White.

Directed by Joseph W. Ritsch.

Juliana Smithton is a successful neurologist whose life seems to be coming unhinged. Her husband has filed for divorce, her daughter has eloped with a much older man, and her own health is in jeopardy. But, nothing is as it seems. Piece by piece, a mystery unfolds as fact blurs with fiction, past collides with present and the elusive truth about Juliana boils to the surface.

Regional Premiere September 7-25, 2016 at the Studio Theatre of Rep Stage in Washington, DC.

THROW ME ON THE BURNPILE AND LIGHT ME UP written and performed by Lucy Alibar, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Directed by Neel Keller.

A lecherous goat, Pentecostals on the radio, a clutter of in-bred cats, phone calls from death row, and Daddy’s burnpile. Experience a delicious and magical stew of stories about growing up in Grady County, Following a celebrated workshop in the DouglasPlus program, Alibar brings her unforgettable Southern childhood to fantastical life in this World premiere production.

September 10-October 2, 2016 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, CA.

THE COCKTAIL HOUR the bracing, boisterous comedy by A.R. Gurney.

Directed by Rosina Reynolds.

Mix two upper-class New Englanders, their over-privileged adult children and endless cocktails for a delightfully intoxicating evening of fun. Son John arrives for dinner at his parent’s home carrying his provocative tell-all script that leaves the family shaken and stirred.

Starring J. Michael Flynn, Chris Petschler, Cristina Soria and Shana Wride.

The design team includes Marty Burnett (Scenic Design), Matthew Novotny (Lighting), Melanie Chen (Sound), Elisa Benzoni (Costumes), Andrea Gutierrez (Props) and Peter Herman (Wig & Hair). Aaron Rumley is the Stage Manager.

Previews begin Wednesday, September 7. Opening Night on Saturday, September 10, and includes a post-show reception. There will be a special talkback on Friday, September 16, with the cast and artistic director. Performances through October 2, 2016 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre, Solana Beach, CA.

WHO'S WHERE

THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA CELEBRATES 70 YEARS in it's 70th Anniversary Gala at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Monday, September 10, 2016. For this very special occasion, the Orchestra welcomes the RPO's Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Charles Dutoit, the phenomenal violinist (and the Orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor) Pinchas Zukerman and legendary pianist Martha Argerich, who will perform in a thrilling program of works by Rossini, Ravel, Bruch and Stravinsky.

LAURA BENANTI brings her talent to the Performing Arts Center in Omaha, NE on Friday, September 9. On September 10 the Tony award winner performs at the 20th annual Debi Awards in Chicago. The black tie event will be held at the Field Museum. The award bestowed during The National Bridal Market Chicago & New York International Bridal Week honors "the best and the brightest designers and manufacturers in the Bridal Industry."

DON HENLEY the singer/drummer and cofounder of the iconic band, the Eagles, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer makes his Wolf Trap debut in a two night gig beginning Wednesday, September 7. Wolf Trap is located in Vienna, VA.

WANDA SYKES telling funny stories Friday, September 9, at Treasure Island in Las Vegas.

ELVIS COSTELLO . performs Monday, September 9, at Sankei Hall in Osaka, Japan. A two nighter begins Tuesday, at Hitomi Kinen Hall in Tokyo. Next Sunday, September 11 he can be found at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore.

BEN FOLDS headlines the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville on Friday, September 9.

BRIAN WILSON is on stage tuesday, September 6, at the Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland. On Friday he's in the spotlight at te Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA. On Saturday his tour stops at the Amphitheatre in Saint Augustine, Florida.

KEVIN DeGRAW performs Tuesday, September 6, at the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering, Ohio. On Wednesday the show is at the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thursday's gig is at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, Wisconsin. Next Sunday, September 11, he stars at Weill Hall at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park,CA.

VINCE GILL appears Thursday, September 8, at the MSU Riley Center in Meridian, MS. On Friday he's at the Soybean Festival in Martin, TN. Saturday finds him at the Aryest Bank Theatre in Kansas City, MO.

THREE DOG NIGHT headline the Honeywell Center in Wabash on Friday, September 9. Saturday's gig is an appearance at the Soybean Festival in Martin, TN.

FINAL OVATION

GENE WILDER died August 28, 2016 at home in Stamford, Connecticut, from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 83.

. Wilder began his career on stage. He studied Communication and Theatre Arts at the University of Iowa. Following his 1955 graduation from Iowa, he was accepted at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, England. Eventually returning to America, after joining the Actors Studio, he slowly began to be noticed in the off-Broadway scene, thanks to performances in Sir Arnold Wesker's Roots and in Graham Greene's The Complaisant Lover, for which Wilder received the Clarence Derwent Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Nonfeatured Role.

In 1963, Wilder was cast in a leading role in Mother Courage and Her Children, a production starring Anne Bancroft, who introduced Wilder to her boyfriend Mel Brooks. That led to a life long collaboration. Wilder gained enormous fame starring in Mel Brooks' comedies including Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, which Wilder co-wrote, garnering the pair an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Wilder also gain enormous fame starring in Willy Wonka and The Producers.

He was married four times. His first two marriages ended his divorce. His third marriage was to Gilda Radner with whom he starred in three films. Her death from ovarian cancer ( as had Wilder's mother) led to his active involvement in promoting cancer awareness and treatment, helping found the Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Detection Center in Los Angeles and co-founding Gilda's Club.

At the time of his death he was married to Karen Boyer. The couple wed in 1991.

JUAN GABRIEL a legend in his native Mexico and in the U.S suddenly died on Sunday, August 28, 2016 from a heart attack in his Santa Monica, California home, while on tour in the United States.. His was 66 and had performed at the Forum in Inglewood on Friday night, August 26, 2016.

Known for romantic ballads, flashy outfits and marathon show. Having sold over 100 million copies worldwide, Gabriel is among Latin America's best-selling singer-songwriters. His eighteenth studio album, Recuerdos, Vol. II, holds the distinction of being the best-selling album of all-time in Mexico, with over eight million copies sold.

A six time Grammy nominee, Billboard, inducted him into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame 1996. Hr received the ASCAP Latin Songwriter of the Year Award in 1995, 1996, and 1998.

Gabriel was never married. He had four children. The mother of his children is Laura Salas and Gabriel stated that she was "la mejor amiga de mi vida" or "the best friend of my life.

FRED HELLERMAN a singer, guitarist and songwriter and the last surviving member of the Weavers, the quartet that helped usher in the folk music revival during the 1950s, died on Thursday, September 1, 2016, at his home in Weston, Connecticut. He was 89.

With songs like If I Had a Hammer, Goodnight Irene and Kisses Sweeter Than Wine, the Weavers brought folk music to a mass audience, paving the way for singers like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, who as the NY Times reported, "galvanized a young, politically conscious audience in the 1960s"

Other members of The Weavers were Pete Seeger, Lee Hays and Ronnie Gilbert. Hays died in 1981, Seeger in 2014 and Gilbert in 2015.

Hellerman also maintained a varied career behind the scenes in the music industry that included working as an arranger, session musician, and producer. In addition to writing songs for other performers, he also contributed music to motion pictures and the theater.

On May 2, 1968, Hellerman entered another realm of the entertainment business when two of his and Fran Minkoff's songs, A New Waltz and The Girl in the Mirror, were featured in the Broadway musical revue New Faces of '68. The show ran only 52 performances, but it produced an original Broadway cast album released by Warner Bros.

Hellerman also played guitar on the debut albums by Joan Baez and Judy Collins, and produced Arlo Guthrie’s first album, Alice’s Restaurant, and its successor, Arlo.

UPDATE: On September 6, 2016 Neil Portnow President/CEO of The Recording Academy issued the following statement:

"We are very saddened to learn of the passing of influential folk music vocalist, guitarist, and producer Fred Hellerman. A 2006 recipient of The Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award with the iconic group the Weavers, Fred and his bandmates were best-known for performing timeless versions of American folk standards such as Goodnight, Irene; If I Had A Hammer, and On Top Of Old Smoky. Their musical talents, and commitment to social activism, were a strong influence on the folk music revival of the 1960s. We have lost a true innovator, and our heartfelt condolences go out to Fred’s family, friends, and all those who benefited from his remarkable talents."

Next Column: September 11, 2016
Copyright: September 4, 2016 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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