What Did You Expect? 2016 - Articles Page 6

As usual, Mixed Blood Theatre is doing something pretty remarkable right now. They're presenting three plays in rep, all written by young black men. Under the umbrella 'Prescient Harbingers' (meaning: 'having or showing knowledge of events before they take place;' 'a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another'), these three brilliant plays explore what it means to be a black man in America, directly or indirectly (one is even subtitled BEING BLACK FOR DUMMIES), along with commenting on race relations in America and more generally on modern life in America. Young black men are dying at an alarming rate, and these are voices we need to listen to if we ever hope to understand the problem so that we can stop it from happening. If you are a young black man, I can only imagine how validating it must feel to see these voices and these stories on stage. If you're not, I encourage you to go see one, two, or preferably all three of these plays with an open mind and an open heart. Listen, hear, laugh, cry, be disturbed, get angry, join the movement for justice and equality.

This week finds Jeremy Benton - Broadway's favorite tap-dancing man - in Paducah, Kentucky, with the rest of the cast and crew of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, preparing for tonight's opening performance of the quintessential holiday season musical. He's spent so many holiday seasons performing in White Christmas, in fact (he joined the show back in 2005 and has been a part of the company off and on ever since) that it's become second nature to him now.

This week finds Jeremy Benton - Broadway's favorite tap-dancing man - in Paducah, Kentucky, with the rest of the cast and crew of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, preparing for tonight's opening performance of the quintessential holiday season musical. He's spent so many holiday seasons performing in White Christmas, in fact (he joined the show back in 2005 and has been a part of the company off and on ever since) that it's become second nature to him now.

For The Record returns to The Wallis with their holiday show LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE December 4th through 31st. Headliners for this multi-media concert (backed by a 15-piece orchestra) include Rumer Willis, Steve Kazee, Kelley Jakle, Rex Smith and B. Slade. LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE's music supervisor and arranger Jesse Vargas offered up some of his infrequent down time to most graciously share his history with FTR, as well as, his encompassing musical expertise with me.

Survival Experts Jhoanna Trias And Mitchell Langon tell us how they got their start, competing on History's Forged in Fire: Knife or Death 2, and give us the top three survival tips.

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) will reach 47,000 children in over 45 schools across the state of Florida this year through its award-winning WRITE A PLAY program. Now in its 28th year, FST's WRITE A PLAY program is a year-round arts-in-education initiative, providing students with the example, the inspiration, and the skills to write their own original plays.

Stephen Lawless will be directing the San Diego Opera's production of The Marriage of Figaro this week. I met with him in the opera company's rehearsal room recently to discuss that, how he came to be a director, and his views of a director's responsibilities.

There's just something about Kristin Chenoweth. It's almost undefinable, perhaps even undescribable, yet as with any writer's efforts to put into words how remarkable the woman behind the image is, I'll give it my best shot, attempting to encapsulate the wonder that is Kristin Chenoweth in 2,000 words or less (but if I go over, don't judge too harshly - I'm simply stating the facts that prove the folly of my initial hypothesis).

There's just something about Kristin Chenoweth. It's almost undefinable, perhaps even undescribable, yet as with any writer's efforts to put into words how remarkable the woman behind the image is, I'll give it my best shot, attempting to encapsulate the wonder that is Kristin Chenoweth in 2,000 words or less (but if I go over, don't judge too harshly - I'm simply stating the facts that prove the folly of my initial hypothesis).

There's just something about Kristin Chenoweth. It's almost undefinable, perhaps even undescribable, yet as with any writer's efforts to put into words how remarkable the woman behind the image is, I'll give it my best shot, attempting to encapsulate the wonder that is Kristin Chenoweth in 2,000 words or less (but if I go over, don't judge too harshly - I'm simply stating the facts that prove the folly of my initial hypothesis).

With just 12 weeks to go until its 18th edition, the Whistler Film Festival (WFF) is offering a sneak peek of what audiences can expect at this year's fest including the first wave of confirmed films plus a roster of BC talent that will be honoured at Almost WFF, its' annual benefit in Vancouver. From November 28th to December 2nd, the Whistler Film Festival will welcome both fans and filmmakers to experience fresh films, special guests, epic events, unique industry and talent programs, and time to play in North America's premier mountain resort destination.

In 2017, one of the most popular theatrical magazines in Korea, THE MUSICAL did a poll to pick the top favorite female musical characters performed in Korea. In the top 3, Jerusha Abbott of DADDY LONG LEGS the musical was selected. When seeing the poll, I could immediately agree in why Jerusha is such a beloved character, especially in Korea. Why? Because she is brave, intellectual, and unique. The list of her charms goes on and on. The best way to know this is for you to go and see the wonderful show which has returned for its 3rd production, currently performing in Baekam Art Hall.

Laura Pitt-Pulford and Louis Maskell are returning to their roles in Flowers for Mrs Harris after previously being in the 2016 Sheffield Crucible run. Laura Pitt-Pulford garnered an Olivier nomination for playing Milly in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and has also been seen in Side Show and Nell Gwynn. Louis Maskell is best-known for playing the lead role of Grinpayne in The Grinning Man, which was on earlier this year at the Trafalgar Studios.  

UFC GYM, the rapidly expanding fitness franchise that creates training programs for all levels inspired by the training regimens of world-class UFC athletes, today announced the opening of its fourth location on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. In partnership with UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn, this location in Kailua will provide members with a brand new, 20,000 square foot, full-service premium training facility that will include high quality equipment and amenities, including a Kids Club.

Today at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, PBS announced KEN BURNS PRESENTS THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY, a new three-hour documentary executive produced by Ken Burns, will premiere over three nights in Spring 2020 on PBS. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., and acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns will collaborate on the new documentary inspired by Mukherjee's best-selling 2016 book, The Gene: An Intimate History. Award-winning filmmaker Barak Goodman will produce and, in addition to Burns and Goodman, the film will largely have the same production team behind the Emmy Award-nominated CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES, an adaption of Mukherjee's earlier 2010 book that aired in 2015 on PBS.

Disney's enduring classic The Little Mermaid is heading to the stage in Charleston, WV! The Charleston Light Opera Guild is excited to bring this fairy tale masterpiece to life at the Clay Center Theater. The hit musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2007, is based on the 1989 animated classic film and features music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, and a book by Doug Wright. Children of all ages will be delighted as they watch the story of Ariel, Flounder, Ursula, Sebastian, and Prince Eric unfold by the talented professionals in the Charleston Light Opera Guild.

Today Becca Kotte speaks to BroadwayWorld about making her Broadway debut in a show which she hopes will inspire people to do the things that they have brushed aside because life got in the way.

For two nights only, stage and screen stars Melissa Errico and Ryan Silverman reunite on the 54 Below stage to sing some dazzling love songs, in every sense of the word, in A Broadway Romance. I was fortunate to get the chance to talk to them about everything from what to expect in 'A Broadway Romance', and how they got their start in theatre, to what keeps them coming back to the stage, parenthood, and more in the interview below!  

More artists have been announced to perform at the Chillin' on the Lucie music festival in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Oct. 3 - 7. Uncle Kracker has joined the roster, as well as Cassadee Pope, Parmalee, Josh Gracin, Clare Dunn, Kalie Shorr, Hudson Moore and Lewis Brice. Twang and Round, Radio Romance, Julia Cole, Honey County, County Wide and Libby Switzer are also set to perform. Festival packages can be purchased here.

Iconic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and three-time Grammy-Award winner BRIAN SETZER and his 19-piece ORCHESTRA have announced the details for their 15th anniversary 'Christmas Rocks! Tour,' presented for the fourth consecutive year by SiriusXM. Hitting 25 cities, the annual holiday extravaganza will launch November 16 at the State Theatre in SETZER's adopted hometown of Minneapolis and wrap December 22 in Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theater (full itinerary below). Supporting the tour will be Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones. The public on sale date is Friday, July 20 at 10am local time, with the following presales:

The concert that everyone has been talking about. On July 9th, Luxembourg welcomed for the first time the Icelandic rock band Kaleo, which has gained significant international attention since 2016. Iceland is really making a name for itself in the music scene, and Kaleo is clearly one of the major pillars of this well-deserved reputation.

Next month, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

The world premiere of Log Cabin, a new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Jordan Harrison, and directed by Tony Award and Obie Award winner Pam MacKinnon, opened last night! Let's see what the critics are saying...

After bringing their Calais experience to the Young Vic, playwrights Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson are ready to take The Jungle to the West End. They took time out of their busy rehearsal schedule to tell us what their journey has been like.