Life has certainly doled out its share of lemons for LaCHANZE but like Senator Elizabeth Warren, she has persisted. The Broadway, concert, and film star was eight months pregnant with her second child when her husband, Calvin Gooding, tragically perished in the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. The Florida native has also managed to navigate through the difficult entertainment industry, all while balancing the endless demands of motherhood. [Read more…] about Beautiful and Here: An Interview with Tony Award Winner LaCHANZE
Theater Review: “Milk and Honey” is Rich and Sweet
Imagine a country full of refugees who feel disenfranchised in this new land they wish to call “home.” The sentence reads like a current headline from a United States newspaper but in fact, it refers to Israel in the early 1960s. [Read more…] about Theater Review: “Milk and Honey” is Rich and Sweet
From the Papers to the Stage, Fake News is all the Rage
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was involved in a children’s sex slave ring that operated from a pizza shop in Washington, DC.
The New York Times once reported that a man had died, in spite of the fact that he was still a living and breathing specimen.
These two tidbits share a common thread; both of them are fake news. The latter, however, will soon make legitimate headlines when Dick Brukenfeld’s comedy, The Big Broadcast on East 53rd begins performances this Friday at Off Broadway’s TBG Theater. [Read more…] about From the Papers to the Stage, Fake News is all the Rage
From Hamilton (New Jersey) to “Spamilton”: An Interview with Nicholas Edwards
It didn’t take long for director and parodist Gerard Alessandrini to sink his hooks into Hamilton. The creator of the long running Forbidden Broadway series is now amusing audiences with Spamilton, a gut-busting riff on the Lin-Manuel Miranda blockbuster. Along the way, he takes the rest of the theater world with him, poking fun at current and former Broadway musicals. Spamilton has generated so much buzz, that the New York production has been extended several times. Performances will begin in March for a Chicago staging and plans for a mounting in Los Angeles, London, and a National tour are underway. [Read more…] about From Hamilton (New Jersey) to “Spamilton”: An Interview with Nicholas Edwards
Convergences Theatre Collective Explores a Bit of Biblical “Babel”
References to the city and tower of Babel are relatively scarce in the Bible. In fact, there are only nine verses in the book of Genesis that allude to the origin of the world’s various languages. However, the scant source material didn’t prevent co-creators WT McRae and Jeremy Williams from producing Babel, an acrobatic dance theater piece based on the story. [Read more…] about Convergences Theatre Collective Explores a Bit of Biblical “Babel”
Major Artists Gather at Town Hall to Consecrate Day of Unity
Manhattan’s Town Hall holds approximately 1500 chairs and although the venue was filled to capacity on Friday afternoon, June 20th, those plush theater seats could very well have gone to DC to join thousands of other vacant spots along the inaugural parade route, thanks to Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley.
[Read more…] about Major Artists Gather at Town Hall to Consecrate Day of Unity
Burrows on the Bard: Interview with Shakespeare & Company’s Allyn Burrows
Allyn Burrows will soon have to satisfy over 600,000 people. As the newly appointed artistic director of Shakespeare and Company, he will oversee all of the programming, workshops, and community programs for one of the largest, year round Shakespeare festivals in the country. [Read more…] about Burrows on the Bard: Interview with Shakespeare & Company’s Allyn Burrows
Theater Review: “Mark Felt, Superstar”
Numerous books and articles have been written about Watergate, the 1970s political scandal that toppled former President Richard Nixon and many within his cabinet. The infamous Republican break-in at the Democratic National Committee further compromised American’s already shaky integrity of our U.S. government, led to an unprecedented resignation of a sitting president and sent many high profile individuals to jail. It certainly was not a historical event worth singing about—unless you’re Joshua Rosenblum. [Read more…] about Theater Review: “Mark Felt, Superstar”
Chazz Palminteri Ristorante Italiano Cooks Up Pre-Theatre Goodness
Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri’s name may not immediately ring a bell, but most folks know him as “Chazz.” The New York native is best known for his autobiographical story, A Bronx Tale, first conceived as a solo stage show and later adapted into a movie starring Palminteri and Robert DeNiro. Currently, his work is being told in song via composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater in the musical of the same name. Since November, it’s been playing to large and enthusiastic crowds at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre and has received critical acclaim from leading publications. [Read more…] about Chazz Palminteri Ristorante Italiano Cooks Up Pre-Theatre Goodness
Manhattan Digest’s 2016 Best of Theater
To write extensively about the past year is simply redundant. Enough journalists have covered it, so I’ll keep my thoughts brief. Collectively, we shed more tears than we thought possible. We tried to come to terms with the political, spiritual, and human losses but with each tragedy, the news felt more dour and overwhelming than any other time in recent history. [Read more…] about Manhattan Digest’s 2016 Best of Theater