Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: September 8, 2024
By: Laura Deni
CLICK HERE FOR COMMENT SECTION

THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS EVE IS A LONG BURIED GEM WHICH DESERVES A RESURRECTION

The back story of why The Ghosts of Christmas Eve has been buried for 25 years must be fascinating - or tragic - or both.

This 1999 made-for-television film showcasing a Christmas music performance by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, starring Ossie Davis and Allie Sheridan. Guest performers included Michael Crawford and Jewel, who is now 50. That just emphases how long this gem has been hidden. Other performers include Bob Kinkel, Al Pitrelli, Chris Caffery, Johnny Lee Middleton, Jeff Plate, Tony Gaynor, Daryl Pediford and Tommy Farese is being aired on PBS. The first showing took place on Labor Day eve and other dates are listed through October.

While September seems a bit early to air Christmas themed shows, this one is refreshingly different.

It premiered on Fox Family on December 14, 1999, as part of their 25 Days of Christmas programming block. On November 13, 2001, it was released on DVD with the Timeless Version of "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" included as a bonus track. It can be occasionally be located on youtube.

The New York Times wrote: "the Trans-Siberian Orchestra has carried out a mission to create powerful artistry in music through the webbing of songs together by means of storytelling...artists like Jewel and Michael Crawford bring their own unique twists to a musical exploration of art and the Christmas spirit."

Not even a rave review from the New York Times could turn this into an annual presentation.

Although the TSO has surmounted the challenges of transforming this into one of their phenomenal stage shows, the television version has been underground.

During the 2024 winter tour the TSO is "bringing an all-new version of The Lost Christmas Eve - the final chapter of TSO’s Christmas trilogy - to a city near you." That's all well and good, but it should be an in person experience, not a total replacement for the television version.

Ossie Davis. Picture PBS.

There must have been dramatic, personal intrigue - even a vendetta - to get this television special buried. That isn't an unusual event. From Entertainment Tonight to daytime or late night talk show segments, or even entire episodes, can mysteriously disappear; in isolated instances, to reappear decades later.

And so we have one of the greatest holiday musical institutions - The Trans-Siberian Orchestra coupled with powerhouse performers delivering a very sweet, non threatening performance of a simple, non complex story-line with a happy ending.

Traditional Christmas songs are presented in such a way as to form a storyline about a runaway who takes refuge in a run down, abandoned theatre on Christmas Eve, and experiences the musical performances as ghostly visions from the theatre's past. Ossie Davis as the caretaker, Allie Sheridan as the runaway, a special guest appearance by Joseph Jankovic as part of the children’s choir, and Jennifer Sheridan and TSO vocalist Tommy Farese as the runaway's parents are used to fill out the narrative. The 46 minute special was filmed at the historic Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Paul O'Neill who died in 2017 penned the script. He was the producer of the progressive metal band Savatage, and the founder of Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

This is an expensive production, directed by Hart Perry, with a top-of-the-line crew with incidental and transitional music by Paul O'Neill, Robert Kinkel, and Jon Oliva. Edited by Brian Kates. Costumes by Tanya Seeman.

An interesting aside is that somebody officially listed this production as a "horror/musical" which will turn off the multitudes. There is nothing "horror" about it

List of songs

"O Come All Ye Faithful / O Holy Night"
"Good King Joy"
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (featuring Jewel)
"Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24"
"Christmas Canon"
"O Holy Night" (featuring Michael Crawford)
"Music Box Blues"
"Promises to Keep"
"This Christmas Day"
"First Snow"
Reception

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

SEX, GIN & OPIUM: AN ALTERNATIVE GUIDED TOUR takes place at the Charles Dickens Museum in London.

“I got Heavens-hard drunk for sixteen year afore I took to this; but this don't hurt me, not to speak of. And it takes away the hunger as well as wittles, deary.” – The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

When you think of Charles Dickens, you probably imagine the respectable older gentleman with a big, bushy beard. He was the master story-teller, and the writer of family values, penning some of the most famous stories in the English language; Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and, of course, A Christmas Carol. But beneath this respectable façade was an enigmatic and at times turbulent private life, lived within a stark and troubled world.

Join us on this new tour, Sex, Gin & Opium as we tear back the layers of respectability and explore the seedier side of Victorian London, through the eyes of the museum collection. As you are taken through the historic London home of Charles Dickens, you’ll be immersed into Dickens’s world of boozy parties, illicit romances and dangerous medical treatments. A world of sex workers and opium dens, social neglect and familial betrayal.

Why did Dickens’s daughter marry the same man twice? What did Dickens mean when he wrote of a ‘fictitious and evanescent’ happiness? And what every day spice was used as a Victorian narcotic?

We’ll answer all these questions and much, much more as we delve into a world of Sex, Gin & Opium.

The guided evening tour lasts approximately 1 hour. September 18, October 9th and 23rd and November 6th.

ART MUSEUM FOR LAS VEGAS is becoming a reality. Construction is set to begin in March 2027 with the goal of completing and opening the Las Vegas Museum of Art by the end of 2028. The project which was first approved by the Las Vegas City Council last December with the agency announcing it has secured the 1.5 acres land giving the land to the proposed museum for $1. was announced last Wednesday. The land is located in Symphony Park, near the Smith Center.

The museum would be about 90,000 square feet and include three exhibition spaces, ranging between 7,000 square feet to 21,000 square feet each, a gift shop, theater, café, exhibition staging, and an outdoor public area.

The Las Vegas Museum of Art team is spearheaded by art patron and philanthropist Elaine Wynn, and Michael Govan, the director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. On Wednesday it was announced that Las Vegas City Council agreed to give 1.5 acres of land in the city’s downtown cultural district to the museum for $1. Frances Kéré has been selected as the architect for the project.

The projected cost for the museum is $150 million and the total campaign is looking to raise $200 million. Half of the building goal was raised even before the land was secured.

E-Book

Soft back Book

SWEET CHARITY

FARM AID takes place September 21, 2024 at Broadway Stage at Sarasota Performing Arts Center in Sarasota , New York.

The all day festival will feature" Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Neil Young, Margo Price, Mavis Staples, Nathaniel Ratliff & The Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson with the Travelin' McCourts, Charley Crockett, Joy Olaookun, Southeren Avenue, Cassandra Lewis, Jesse Welles.

Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on the land.

Proceeds from Farm Aid's annual concert are granted to non-profit organizations working to strengthen family farm agriculture in America. Since the first concert more than $25 million has been granted to over 300 organizations nationwide.

THE NEW YORK POPS through their PopsED program this school year will
Kids in the Balcony will distribute over 1,000 free tickets to our Carnegie Hall concerts to students and their families.
Kids on Stage will invite middle school music students to audition for a chance to perform alongside the orchestra at our annual Birthday Gala.
PopsEd residencies will provide music classes at schools in all five boroughs.
This school year alone, PopsEd will reach over 3,000 New York City students with programs that celebrate the power of music performance and appreciation.

SPREADING THE WORD

OASIS MEMORABILIA TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION Propstore, a global leader in film, TV and music memorabilia, is thrilled to announce that over 60 Oasis-related lots will be featured in their upcoming Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction this November. This exceptional collection includes a variety of iconic guitars, previously owned and played by Noel Gallagher, alongside handwritten lyrics, platinum records and other unique items.

Among the most notable offerings are 18 guitars formerly owned and played by Noel Gallagher, including his famous custom Silver Sparkle Gibson Les Paul Florentine. This guitar, a key instrument for Noel during the late '90s, is thought to be the most thoroughly documented Gallagher guitar outside of his own collection and has been praised by Noel as "the best guitar in the world." This lot is anticipated to sell for between £200,000 and £400,000. Several of the guitars on offer are signed by Noel and can be photo-matched to significant performances throughout his career.

The auction also features several sets of Noel Gallagher's handwritten lyrics to some of Oasis' most legendary songs. Highlights include the lyrics to "Wonderwall" - estimated at £4,000 - 8,000 - and a set featuring "Supersonic" and "Live Forever," the latter autographed by both Noel and Liam Gallagher, estimated at £3,000 - £6,000.

Another standout item is Noel Gallagher's custom-made psychedelic golf buggy, a gift from his former wife Meg Matthews in the late 1990s. Matthews had the buggy repainted in the vibrant psychedelic style of John Lennon's Rolls Royce Phantom V limousine, which Noel used to navigate the grounds of their estate in Buckinghamshire. This lot is estimated between £5,000 - £10,000.

The auction also includes other remarkable items such as a stage-used tambourine by Liam Gallagher, stunning prints of the band by acclaimed music photographer Jill Furmanovsky, stage equipment and much more.

DOGUGAESHI created and performed by Basil Twist with musician Yumiko Tanaka (Contemporary Puppet Theater).

Born as a Japan Society commission, this ever-innovative piece now celebrates its 20th anniversary. Enter a mystical world, where a mysterious white fox shepherds you through past and present Japan. Inspired by a disappearing traditional stage mechanic from Japan’s Awa region called dogugaeshi, Twist has created fusuma screens with stunning painted imagery, which dance, slide, flip, conceal and reveal to pull audiences deeper into a brain-bending optical illusion. Dogugaeshi is a cross-cultural collaboration with master shamisen player and experimental musician Yumiko Tanaka, whose multi-layered music collage embraces everything from traditional tunes to popular songs.

New York-based shamisen musician Yoko Reikano Kimura will perform for the matinee shows. Yumiko Tanaka will perform for all evening shows.

Wednesday, September 11 will be followed by a Private Gathering for Artists and Members; Other performances September 12 -18, 2024. All performances take place at Japan Society, New York City.

DESI, MAMI, AND THE NEVER-ENDING WORRIES - EVA MENDES IN CONVERSATION Join acclaimed actress Eva Mendes on her extraordinary career, life after Hollywood, motherhood, and her debut picture book, Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries. Hear her discuss the arc of her career, the joys and challenges of parenthood, and the personal stories that inspired the book. On line and in person, Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 92Y in New York City.

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN performing his show Because of You, My Tribute to Tony Bennett featuring the Carnegie Hall Big Band on Friday, September 13, 2024 at Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA.

With tunes made famous by Feinstein’s close friend—including "Because of You," "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," and "New York State of Mind"—this concert celebrates the songs and stories of the legendary Tony Bennett, whose career spanned more than seven decades and resulted in what Feinstein calls "a body of work surpassed by none."

THE ALABAMA SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL has announced the appointment of its 5th artistic director in the theater’s 52-year history. Quin Gresham will join ASF November. 4, 2024, after 19 years at Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre in Missouri.

At Arrow Rock, Gresham directed numerous musicals, comedies, and dramas of varying scope and size. Also an actor, he appeared in 50 productions at the Lyceum.

Gresham is the 2020 recipient of the Missouri Arts Award for Leadership in the Arts. In 2011, his production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at his alma mater, Webster University (Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Art), was named the 2011 Best Musical in St. Louis by The Riverfront Times. His work has also been seen at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, Totem Pole Playhouse, The Riverside Theatre, The National Arts Club, Stephens College, Providence College, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre and The Texas Shakespeare Festival.

Gresham will introduce his first slate of shows in 2025-26. The 2024-25 season begins on September 26 with Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise, followed by A Christmas Carol; The Watsons Go To Birmingham; Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood; Hamlet; Kudzu Calling; and The Wizard of Oz.

THE NATIONAL WWI MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL presents two opportunities to learn about propaganda and WWI – one for the interested public and self motiviated learners and one for educators.

On Saturday, September 12, "Fixed Reputation? British Wartime Propaganda" explores the personal accounts of wartime propagandists like author A.A. Milne, and how they support or challenge British propaganda’s negative reputation.

On Sunday, September 15, educators will have the opportunity to take part in a virtual webinar "Professional Learning: WWI, Propaganda and Media Literacy" about the use of propaganda during WWI on all sides.

The popular annual event with the United Nations Peacekeepers returns on Thursday, September 19 at 6 p.m. "Protecting the Peace: United Nations Peacekeepers in the 21st Century" will feature a panel of international military officers who have served as U.N. peacekeepers. They will discuss their experiences and the questions surrounding the responsibility of protecting civilians and peace. A free reception will be held before the panel.

The National WWI Museum is located in Kansas City, MO.

DID YOU KNOW THAT Frances Perkins of Newcastle, Maine, was the first woman to serve in a President's cabinet during her more than 12 years as the Secretary of Labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and thus she was also the first woman ever to enter the presidential line of succession. Senator Collins of Maine has written to the President in support of a recent effort to designate Perkins' homestead as a National Monument.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

THE GOVERNMENT OF NEW ZEALAND has announced that it will nearly triple entry fees for foreign tourists. T Currently, international tourists pay NZ$35 ($22) to enter the country. Starting October 1, that fee will rise to NZ$100 ($62). The measure was to "ensure visitors contribute to public services and high-quality experiences while visiting New Zealand."

"International tourism plays a hugely important role in the New Zealand economy, with international visitors spending over $11 billion in the year ending March 2024," Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Matt Doocey said. "But international tourism also comes with costs to local communities, including additional pressure on regional infrastructure and higher upkeep and maintenance costs across our conservation estate," he explained.

ROME OFFICIALS are considering requiring a 2-euro ($2.25) ticket to access the famed, open-air Baroque fountain area that has always been free for wish making.

"Too many tourists are damaging the tourist experience, and damage the city," said tourism official Alesandro Onorato. Those permitted to enter would be managed by a ticketed system.

Those living in Rome would not have to pay to walk up the nine stone steps leading up to the fountain. It is emphasized that charging a fee would also discourage tourists from eating on the steps or feeding the pigeons.

E-Book

Soft back Book

THE BEACON by Nancy Harris.

Directed by Marc Atkinson Borrull.

Starring Kate Mulgrew. With Zach Appelman, Sean Bell, David Mattar Merten, and Ayana Workman.

A tragic accident, a dead husband, accusations resurfaced by a true crime podcast. Everyone will have a different interpretation. When you look at it, what do you see?

Beiv, a renowned artist, has left her suburban Dublin home for a secluded cottage on a rugged island off the coast of West Cork, Ireland. Here, there is no escaping the rumors of her shadowy past, and Beiv lets everyone see right in. Her relative peace is disrupted when her estranged son, Colm, returns home with his new wife, searching for answers about his father’s mysterious death. Prying into the past comes with a cost, however, and returning to the island will leave some people searching for a light — and others avoiding its glare.

The Beacon will feature set design by Colm McNally, costume design by Orla Long, lighting design by Colm McNally, and sound design by Liam Bellman-Sharpe.

September 11 — November 3, 2024 at Irish Rep in New York City.

PASCAL & JULIEN written by Australian playwright Daniel Keene.

Directed by Debbie Devine.

Original music composed by Bradley Brough.

Starring Rick Segall, Paul Turbiak, Darby Winn, Jude Schwartz.

Spanish translation (supertitles) by Jesús Castaños-Chima.

"The story of a closed, isolated middle-aged man whose true self is able to emerge through his friendship with a child. Pascal (Paul Turbiak, understudied by Rick Segall) is a regular at the local café, spending his days huddled over a cup of coffee and a crossword. Thirteen-year-old Julien (Darby Winn, alternating with Jude Schwartz) is on the hunt for a new father to replace his own, who is distant and remote. Julien’s been keeping his binoculars trained on Pascal. Could this awkward, graceless adult be the right one? Audiences both young and old will be enthralled by this bittersweet story of heartache and connection."

Originally commissioned by Scéne Nationale de Toulouse in France, where it was presented under the title "L’Apprenti" in a translation by Séverine Magois and awarded the Prix Théâtre en Pages, the 24th Street Theatre production marks the play’s English language as well as its U.S. premiere.

Over 80 productions of Keene’s work have been presented in Europe, predominately in France. Keene was the first (and so far, the only) Australian playwright to be produced in the main program of the Avignon Festival, and major productions and tours of his work include theaters such as the Théâtre de la Commune in Paris, Scéne Nationale de Toulouse, Scéne Nationale de Valence, Scéne Nationale de Bordeaux and the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris.

The creative team for Pascal & Julien includes composer Bradley Brough; scenic designer Keith Mitchell; video designer Matthew G. Hill; lighting designer Dan Weingarten; sound designer John Nobori; costume designer Shannon Kennedy; and casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA and Richie Ferris, CSA. Spanish translation is by Jesús Castaños-Chima, who also assistant directs. The production stage manager is Christina Otarola. Jay McAdams and Jennie McInnis produce for 24th Street Theatre alongside line producer Abel Alvarado.

Performances through October 27, 2024 at the 24th Street Theatre in Lo Angeles, CA.

AGE IS A FEELING written by and starring Olivier nominated Haley McGee.

Directed by Mitchell Cushman, with original direction and dramaturgy by the late Adam Brace.

Inspired by hospices, mystics and trips to the cemetery, Age is a Feeling wrestles with our endless chances to change course while we’re alive. A covert rallying cry against cynicism and regret. A call to seize our time. this never-the-same-twice show is a gripping story about how our relationship with mortality shapes the way we live. Charting the seminal moments, rites of passage and turning points in an adult life from the day of turning 25 through death, Age is a Feeling celebrates the glorious and melancholy unknowability of human life.

The design team includes scenic design by Zoë Hurwitz, lighting design by Daniel Carter-Brennan, and sound design by Robert Moutrey.

Age is a Feeling premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe 2022 where it won the Fringe First Award, before transferring to the Soho Theatre in London for two sold-out runs.

Preview performances will begin on September 11, 2024 and opening night is set for September 22, 2024. The limited run is through October 13, 2024 at Vineyard Theatre in New York City.

NOISES OFF by Michael Frayn.

Directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro.

Featuring ensemble members Audrey Francis, Francis Guinan, Ora Jones and James Vincent Meredith.

The cast also includes: Vaneh Assadourian, Amanda Fink, Rick Holmes, Andrew Leeds and Max Stewart.

The cast and crew of Nothing On are scrambling to prepare for opening night, but despite their earnest efforts, the production is an absolute mess. Line flubs and lost props and missed cues, oh my! Can this beleaguered ensemble overcome egos and jealousies to pull the show together in time?

Onstage antics collide with offstage foibles in Steppenwolf’s production of Noises Off, the classic comedy that writes an ingenious, slapstick and zany tribute to “theatre-people” everywhere. By the end of this dizzying play-within-a-play, you won’t know stage right from left.

The creatives are: Scenic Design Todd Rosenthal. Costume Design Izumi Inaba. Lighting Design Josh Epstein. Sound Design Cricket Myers. Dialect and Voice Coach Kate DeVore. Violence Design R&D Choreography. Intimacy Consultant Kristina Fluty. Creative Producer Patrick Zakem. Producing Director Tom Pearl. Casting JC Clementz and Phyllis Schuringa. Production Stage Manager Laura D. Glenn. Assistant Stage Manager Kathleen Barrett.

A Co-Production with Geffen Playhouse with performances September 12 – October 27, 2024 In the Downstairs Theater of Steppenwolf in Chicago.

ABIGAIL'S PARTY Mike Leigh's cult classic.

Directed by Jack Bradfield, winner of the 2023 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director’s Award.

Stage design by Anna Yates.

Set in 1970’s suburbia, where Beverly and her husband Laurence are hosting a drinks party for their neighbors is plenty of alcohol, an array of cheese-pineapple savory bites and olives in the shape of an animal, and Demis Roussos on the record player. Beverley fancies herself the queen of suburbia. This little do of hers becomes an increasingly horrible awkward nightmarish cocktail night. As prejudices are unmasked and tempers flare, the evening can only end in disaster. It’s really funny, it’s really outrageous, it’s really risky and close to the bone, and underneath all of that, there is a dark psychological element that is brought to the surface.

In case you're wondering Who is Abigail. She is a teenager who’s having a party next door and we are not invited.

Featuring: Laura Rogers – Beverly; Leander Deeny – Laurence; Chaya Gupta – Angela; Joe Blakemore – Tony; Amy Rockson – Susan.

Guide, hearing and all working dogs are welcome in this theatre.

Staged from September 13- 28 at the Northern Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, President of The Royal Theatrical Support Trust, will attend a performance of Abigail's Party on September 18, 2024.

GISELLE - A ROMANTIC BALLET score by Adolphe Adam.

Prepare to be captivated by the ballet masterpiece Giselle which will grace the stage of Dubai Opera in Dubai, UAE from September 18-21. Performed by the esteemed dancers of the Polish National Ballet and Orchestra, conducted by Patrick Fournillier with the choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot.

The tragic work tells the story of a young girl who dies of love and is transformed into a spirit that haunts the forest. Taken in by the Wilis, she enters an ethereal world where dance is the language of the soul. Her lover Albrecht, distraught, pursues this ghost at the risk of his life.

The triple cast features: Giselle: Chinara Alizade, Jaeeun Jung, Mai Kageyama.Duke Albrecht of Silesia: Vladimir Yaroshenko, Ryota Kitai, Marko Juusela. Hilarion: Kristof Szabo, Pawel Koncewoj and Gregor Giselbrecht. Mirta:Natalia Pasiut, Hannah Cho and Yana Shtanhei.

Prince of Courtland: Wojciech Slezak and Lukasz Tuznik.

Since the premiere in 1841, Giselle has been considered as a masterwork in the classic ballet repertoire. Originating from the French romanticism era, the bewitching score by Adolphe Adam has inspired the greatest ballet dancers and choreographers to bring the ethereal beauty and emotional depth of this tragic romantic ballet to life.

Experience Maina Gielgud’s meticulous recreation of the original choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot with set and costume designs by the late Andrzej Kreutz Majewski skillfully adapted by Malgorzata Szablowska and Katarzyna Rott, capturing the romantic atmosphere of this French masterpiece.

Dubai Opera is the ideal venue to celebrate elegance and style. Kindly avoid overly casual or provocative attire, such as shorts or flip flops, to uphold our venue standards. Guests not complying with the dress code will not be permitted entry.

Premiere night tickets for September 18 will include a glass of champagne. Guests are kindly requested to adhere to a dress code of black tie, formal, or national attire. This show is supported by Van Cleef & Arpels.

GIRLS & BOYS by Tony award winner Dennis Kelly.

Directed by Eleanor Bishop.

Set design by Tracy Grant Lord.

The pulse-pounding London sensation with a tour-de-force performance by the brilliant Beatriz Romilly, who portrays a funny, gutsy, messy woman who falls head over heels for a sexy, charismatic man who imports European antiques.

"I met my husband in the queue to board an easyJet flight and I have to say I took an instant dislike to the man."

It begins with a chance encounter at an airport in Naples. How it ends will make you question whether it's ever possible to truly know the people we love.

This shattering, passionate solo drama by Tony Award-winning British playwright Dennis Kelly has gripped audiences in London and New York with its provocative take on gender politics as a family unravels at the seams.

At first, they can’t get enough of each other. "Our love was intense. Actually, it was insane." But, as the heat of their passion gives way to the banalities of domestic life, her star continues to rise while his starts to fade.

As her story unfolds, from being madly in love, through frazzled interactions with her two squabbling kids, to confessional moments of heartbreaking intimacy, what went wrong with their relationship is slowly revealed. Raw and unflinching, Girls & Boys explores the dark shadow on the far side of love and asks what anyone of us is capable of.

Love is a battlefield. This is a war story.

September 10-22, 2024 at the ASB Waterfront in Auckland, New Zealand.

THE LIGHTEST ELEMENT by Stella Feehily.

Directed by Hampstead Theatre's award-winning Associate Director Alice Hamilton.

Nothing compares with being the first person in the history of the world to see something, but timing is everything. The world has to be ready for you.

Boston, 1956. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, one of the leading astronomers of the twentieth century, is poised to be appointed Chair of Astronomy, and the first woman to head a Harvard department. The only things that stand in her way: a covert investigation aimed at exposing her as a communist sympathiser, and the entrenched conservatism of her male colleagues. . .

Maureen Beattie stars as Cecilia Payne Gaposchkim. She is joined by Steffan Cennydd, Simon Chandler, Rina Mahoney, Simon Markey, Julian Wadham, Hari Kang and Annie Kingsnorth.

The creatives are: design by Sarah Beaton, lighting design by Johanna Town and sound design by Harry Blake. The casting director is Gabrielle Dawes.

Performances through October 12, 2024 at the Hamstead Theatre in London.

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.

FINAL OVATION

MICHAEL McDONALD Tony nominated theatrical costume designer died September 4 due to complications from a brief illness. He was 61.

He received a Tony nomination for his irreverent costumes for Hair which he co-designed with Zinni.

Trained at Muhlenberg College, he worked with American Repertory Theater, George Street Playhouse, the Zachary Scott Theatre, the Director's Company, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and Goodspeed Musicals.

For six seasons, McDonald was one of the associate costume masters and the costume shop manager at the Public Theater, where he brought countless iconic productions to life between 1997 and 2011.

His career including working on The Ride Down Mt. Morgan; The Goat, or Who is Sylvia and Take Me out.

A few of his other credits included: George C. Wolfe's production of Mother Courage and Her Children, Mike Nichols' The Seagull, Daniel Sullivan's The Merchant of Venice, Alex Timbers' Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, James Lapine's King Lear, Moises Kaufman's Macbeth, David Esbjornson's Measure for Measure,Leigh Silverman's Yellow Face, Kathleen Marshall's Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Michael Greif's Romeo and Juliet.

An extensive list of his credit can be found at the Museum of Broadway. His work will remain on display at The Museum of Broadway to inspire a new generation of designers.

SHELDON PINCHUK died August 28, 2024, a month short of his 85th birthday.

He produced some 50 movies and television series and 3 solid children, with whom he preferred to have dinner every evening rather than socializing with the Hollywood elite. He was known in the movie industry and beyond for his exceptional decency and integrity. He graduated from UCLA undergraduate, law school and film school. After practicing corporate law for one year and hating it, he turned to Hollywood, working as an entertainment lawyer at NBC and Warner Bros., and as an agent in the early days of CAA and the William Morris Agency. His love of aviation led to producing his first film, Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac. Through this, he met and formed the Finnegan-Pinchuk company with partners Bill and Pat Finnegan. Over the course of some 20 years, they produced hit films such as Reality Bites and The Fabulous Baker Boys, Emmy nominated television movie Gore Vidal's Lincoln and cult classic series The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and Northern Exposure.

Twelve of Sheldon's films were accepted into the Library of Congress. Professionally, he was proudest of the television series Any Day Now, which focused on the issue of race relations in the United States. It was used as an educational tool in multiple seminars on the subject.

Sheldon will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 57 years Barbara, whom he adored, children Ellen, Julie and Jason, their spouses John and Meghan, and grandchildren David, Spencer, Evelyn and Alexandra.

SILVIKJA K. DEVINE generous philanthropist and patron of the arts, passed away peacefully at home on August 24, 2024. She was 83.

Born on July 9th, 1941, in Riga, Latvia, Silvija was the daughter of Veronika Valainis and Viktor Kutlets. At the age of three, Silvija and her mother had to flee Latvia during WWII during the Russian invasion, and they survived for the next six years, 1944-1950, the last five years in a displaced persons camp in Germany, where they endured great uncertainty with grace and resilience. In 1950, Silvija and her mother Veronika, who had spent 5 years in a displaced perons camp in Germany, emigrated to the United States, finding a new beginning in Davenport, Iowa, where Veronika worked as a nanny, cook, and seamstress for a local banking family while Silvija, age 9, learned to speak English.

Silvija adapted quickly to her new homeland, immediately excelling in her studies and becoming an insatiable reader. Her mother was such a fine seamstress, in 1953, Veronika was recruited by the Singer Sewing Machine Company and relocated the family to the Washington D.C. area.

Silvija was educated at Academy of Holy Names H.S. (1955-59) and Trinity College (1959-63) graduating with a B.A. in History. Saturday, November 24th, 1962, Silvija met the love of her life, Brian Devine, on a blind date for a dance at Trinity.

Silvija and Brian, a retail trade executive, have been active patrons of the arts, and aficionados of music and theater, since the beginning of their marriage. While in Washington DC, In 1964, they supported the Corcoran Chamber Music Society and, in 1965, the Arena Stage. In 1970, it was the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in San Francisco. In 1978, after moving to New Jersey, it was the Roundabout Theater Company in New York.

In 1990 the Devine family began a move out West, settling in Rancho Santa Fe, California, Silvija served on the Boards of the the La Jolla Music Society (LJMS), and the Old Globe Theatre and was a tireless supporter of the La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Rep, Mainly Mozart, the San Diego Symphony, ECHO Chamber Music Society, San Diego Early Music Society, the San Diego Film Festival, the Woodstock Film Festival.

Silvija and her husband attended weekly plays and musical performances, playing a pivotal role in fostering and promoting the performing arts in San Diego, engaging with the performers and organizers and often opening their home to visiting artists.

Silvija is survived by her beloved husband, Brian Devine, her two children, Brian Jr. and Brooke, her three grandchildren, Nathan, Brian III and Madeline Foster Devine and their mother, Suzanne Hasz, along with many nieces and nephews.

Next Column: September 15, 2024
Copyright: September 8, 2024 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