In Act II of the current revival of Sunset Boulevard, faded silent movie star Norma Desmond (Glenn Close) returns to the lot of Paramount studios where, years prior, she was an adored actress. As she looks around in stunned amazement, she launches into one of the musical’s most well-known numbers, As If We Never Said Good-bye. The song captures the emotion of a celebrity who wears spotlight like a warm winter coat and is ecstatic to be basking in it once again. Close, who won the Tony for her role in the 1994 staging is back on the boards, chewing the scenery and commanding the stage like the true professional that she is. [Read more…] about Theatre Review: Sunset Boulevard on an Empty Strip
THEATRE
Theater Review: “If I Forget” Rife with Family Conflict
Anti-holocaust discussions might not make for an appropriate conversation at a dinner party, but they most definitely produce excellent dramatic tension, as witnessed in Steven Levenson’s sharply written Off Broadway play, If I Forget.
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Theater Review: Will Eno’s “Wakey, Wakey” Rises To the Occasion
None of us are getting out of here alive, but we are getting tzotchkes and knick knacks before it all ends. The “here” I am referring to is life and an actor, simply known as “Guy” (Michael Emerson) will spend 75 plaintive and sometimes whimsical minutes talking to us about our mortal condition while reading interesting trivia from 3X5 business cards. It sounds dull, but Playwright Will Eno’s existentialist drama captures our attention and beautifully paints a canvas of what it means to live a life well lived. [Read more…] about Theater Review: Will Eno’s “Wakey, Wakey” Rises To the Occasion
CharityBuzz is Auctioning Michael Bolton (and He’s Waiting for You)
Michael Bolton is a multi-Grammy Award winning vocalist with global appeal and album sales that have yielded over 60 million. He’s also been a staunch social activist, lending his time and services to his organization, The Michael Bolton Charities supporting women & children at risk. You’d think with all that he’s accomplished, he’d be sitting on top of the world. Lately however, he’s been a bit melancholy and keeps returning to the the same question he posed in 1989: “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You?” Yes. You, Dear Reader. Michael Bolton needs you to be his “soul Provider”—and here is how you can help him get “back on his feet again.” [Read more…] about CharityBuzz is Auctioning Michael Bolton (and He’s Waiting for You)
TEDx Broadway Returns for 6th Annual Event
TedX Broadway is back on the boards for its’ 6th consecutive year and co-organizers Damian Bazadona and Jim McCarthy have recently announced confirmed speakers. [Read more…] about TEDx Broadway Returns for 6th Annual Event
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.
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