You could let your readers know that this Friday (July 2) will be their last chance to see Courting Disaster at the Alban Arts and Conference Center, located at 65 Olde Main in St. Albans.Thanks, Mel!
Curtain time is 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for students and under 17.
If you're looking to get involved in local theater, then the Red Lion Theatre Company has couple of upcoming events that could be for you.
The company will present a special improvisational comedic event called The Believers. The program will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 3 in the KYOVA Tri-State Mall and Lifestyle Center. Admission is free.
The show will be in a style similar to the television program Whose Line Is It Anyway? It is a two-man improv show that will have audience members participating on stage.
To learn more about "The Believers," go online at www.KennyAndKory.com or www.RedLionTC.org.
If you're interested in being a little more involved, the Company is having auditions for the musical PIPPIN: His Life and Times at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 29 in the Fairview High School cafeteria.
The show will be performed at 8 p.m. nightly Aug. 12 through 15 at the Greenbo Lake State Resort Park Amphitheatre.
The show will be directed by Jim Maggard.
All materials will be provided the night of auditions. There will be readings from the script and a song from the show will be taught to those auditioning so that they may sing as well.
Originally directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, this hip, tongue-in-cheek, anachronistic fairy tale captivated Broadway audiences and continues to appeal to the young at heart everywhere. The energetic pop-influenced score by three-time Oscar-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Children of Eden and the animated films Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Prince Of Egypt) bursts with one show stopping number after another, from soaring ballads to infectious dance numbers.
PIPPIN is the story of a young prince that longed to discover the secret of true happiness and fulfillment. He sought it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the world and the intrigues of political power (after disposing of his father King Charlemagne the Great). In the end, he found it in the simple pleasures of home and family.
Fans of the stage are in for a special treat this weekend as dinner theater comes to Huntington.And here's Annie:
ARTS Resources for the Tri-State presents Harvey, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Mary Chase, AT 8 p.m. Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26 and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 27 in the Renaissance Ballroom of the Renaissance Center, 900 East 8th St., in Huntington.
Dinner tickets are no longer available, but show only tickets are available at the door each night for $15. You can also order tickets online at www.733arts.org or by calling 304-733-ARTS.
Danny Ray, the production's director and designer, promises a show like no other.
"It's something that won't be experienced anywhere else in Huntington," he said. "It's going to be wonderful."
Harvey is the story of Elwood P. Dowd, who meets a mischievous spirit called a pooka that takes the form of a giant white rabbit.
"It's about Elwood visiting the town and bringing Harvey with him which embarrasses his family," Ray said. "It's a very, very funny play. It's a delightful comedy that's good for all ages."
The story is probably best known from the 1950 film starring Jimmy Stewart as Elwood.
Ray said the experience putting the performance together has been a good one.
"It's been incredible," he said. "We have a marvelous cast. The chemistry is really good. There are a lot of laughs that come out at rehearsal."
The play stars Nancy R. Jackson, Dylan Clark, Amelia Rapp, Mark Baker, Kenny Harbolt, Nick Husted, Jordan Bean, John Pritchard, Loretta Hetzer, Linda Reynolds, Brandon Ward and Jennifer Sias. Clara Adkins is the assistant director.
Staging the play in a dinner theater setting does have its challenges, Ray admitted.
"There's the artistic aspect and the restaurant portion. It lends itself to a certain type of show," he said.
Because of the limited space, Ray said different locales are suggested as opposed to full blown sets being constructed.
"Harvey" is Ray's first production in three years after he left the theater to work on his master's degree. He couldn't be happier about his choice for a comeback.
"This play is one of my favorites," he said. "It has a message but it's also very, very entertaining. It'll be a delightful evening."
Summer is officially here, and in Huntington that means one thing — Huntington Outdoor Theatre.
Those steamy July weekend nights will once again be filled with the sights and sounds of local performers bringing a classic production to life at Huntington’s Ritter Park Amphitheater. This year H.O.T. will perform Annie.
“Annie is a timeless production with great music,” said Artistic Director Helen Freeman. “This is a show that appeals to the young and the old. We’ve been trying to get the rights to this show for several years, but it’s such a popular show that this is the first time they’ve been available to us.”
The family favorite centers on the hijinks of a Depression-era orphan who is wise beyond her years. Her upbeat message is that there is always hope.
Annie will be performed at 8:30 p.m. nightly July 2-4, 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25. A special pay-what-you-will preview will take place at the final dress rehearsal on Thursday, July 1.
As always, there will be preshow entertainment at 7 p.m. each night. This year’s show will be a Taste of Broadway and will feature some of the best known numbers from Broadway classics that have been seen on the H.O.T. stage.
Freeman said this year’s production is beginning a week early at the request of the Cabell-Huntington Convention Visitors Bureau to coincide with the 2010 US Youth Soccer Region I Championships.
The early opening is also being helped in part by a donation from Massey Energy, according to Freeman. Massey matched a grant from the state to purchase new sound boards.
“They gave us $3,000 to buy two new sound boards to make 34 channels,” Freeman said. “We’re real excited because now we own all of our own equipment. Before we used stuff from Marshall (University). Now we’re independent.”
Tickets for Annie are $16 for general admission and $15 for seniors 65 and older and children ages 5-12. Children 5 and under are admitted free. Groups of 20 or more are $15 if the tickets are purchased at the same time. All tickets include a $1 surcharge for the Greater Huntington Parks and Recreation District.
Tickets can be purchased beginning at 6 p.m. at the gates on show nights. Tickets are also available at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena box office and Borders Books and Music at the Huntington Mall.
Gates open at 6:30 p.m. for picnicking. Concessions are also available. Bring your own lawn chairs or blankets.
For more information, go online at www.hotwv.org.
Kanawha Players will present the first of two encore performances of Courting Disaster at the Alban Arts and Conference Center (located at 65 Olde Main in St. Albans, WV) on Sunday, June 27. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m.
Featuring music by Mark Scarpelli (Norman Rockwell’s American Paradise, Mary) and book and lyrics by Jeremy Eisler, Courting Disaster pokes fun at judges, lawyers and litigants, all without fear or favor.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling Kanawha Players at 304-343-7529 or the Alban Arts & Conference Center at 304-721-8896. Cost is $16.00 for adults and $10.00 for students and under 17.
My pal Bil Neal sent in this comment today, and it's a good one - he's recommending the upcoming production of Harvey at the Renaissance Center (which is, of course, the old Huntington High School). Just left a dress rehearsal of Harvey at ARTS. I'm keeping it simple - the right cast, the right director, the right script. An evening of really good, clean fun.
This deserves to be seen, deserves a great audience, and by the time you hear just how good it is it'll be over. One weekend only - this Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Call ARTS and make your reservations now - 304-733-ARTS. You'll thank me for it. (Once your sides recover from laughing so hard.)
Arts Resources for the Tri-State announces the cast list for the musical Baby which will be held at the Renaissance Center ballroom August 20-22 and 27-29.
The cast list is:
Lizzie: Angela Wolfe-Hunt
Danny: Mark Radford
Pam: Jane Modlin
Nick: Dave Benton
Arlene: Mary Olson
Alan: Ron Short
Doctor: Jane Morse
Chorus:
Susan Rawn
Jacqueline Boylan
Kenny Harbolt
Andrew Surber
Baby tells the story of three couples who discover they are due to have babies: One couple in their 20s, one in their 30s, and one in their 40s. It takes the audience through the laughter, tears, frustrations, and joys of waiting for the blessed event. The show will be done in a dinner-theatre format.
For more information about the show or to reserve tickets, please call 304-733-ARTS.
Steel Magnolias
Fifth Avenue Theatre Company announces auditions for Steel Magnolias August 1 at 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. in the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium in City Hall. Auditions are open to females age 14 and up. Participants will be reading scenes selected by director. All materials needed will be provided at the audition.
The action is set in Truvy's beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are "anybody" come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle (who is not sure whether or not she is still married), the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the towns rich curmudgeon, Ouiser,("I'm not crazy, I've just been in a bad mood for 40 years"); an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader M'Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town), is about to marry a "good ole boy." Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions, the play is truly touching and funny.
Steel Magnolias runs September 17-19 and 24-26. The show will be directed by Zach Davis.
White Christmas
5th Avenue Theatre Company announces auditions for White Christmas on Sunday, July 27 from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. for principle characters only in the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium in City Hall.
Auditions for ensemble roles and children’s pre-show are scheduled for Sunday, August 22 from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. and will also be in the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium.
Individuals auditioning for the adult principle roles are required to sing and dance and will be reading scenes selected by the director. The characters being cast are:
Bob Wallace: A slightly formal businessman-type in his 20s-30s.
Phil Davis: A fun-loving, energetic guy in his 20s-30s.
Betty Haynes: A young, sophisticated lady in her 20s-30s.
Judy Haynes: An outgoing, fun-loving, and energetic girl in her 20s-30s
General Henry Waverly: A gruff but gentle, no-nonsense-type of man in his 40s-60s.
Martha Watson: A funny, motherly lady who runs the inn for the general. A pleasant lady in her 40s-60s.
The story of White Christmas begins on the Western Front in World War II and then travels to New York and continues in the state of Vermont where Bob and Phil try to save the inn owned by General Waverly by having a show in the barn of the inn. Communications get skewed, and the fun ensues. This fun, romantic comedy introduced great songs like White Christmas, Sisters, I Love a Piano, Snow and The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing.
White Christmas runs December 3-5 and 10-12 with a school performance on December 9. Eddie Harbert will serve as director for the show with Mike Campbell as musical director. For more information about auditions, call 304-412-8738.
Did you know that Antionette Perry directed the original broadway production of Harvey?Of course, the Tony Awards were named for Antionette... and Danny brings up Harvey because he's directing the production that will be taking the stage in the near future. (I'm a big fan of shameless plugs, so I encourage such behavior!)
Come see why the No Pants Players are quickly becoming the #1 choice for live family entertainment in the Kanawha Valley!
The NPP will be performing at The Labelle Theater, Saturday, June 19 at 8 p.m.
Bring out the entire family and have a great evening of live improv comedy! Tickets go on sale at 7 p.m. with live music beginning at 7:30 p.m. The troupe takes the stage at 8 p.m.
Concessions and NPP merchandise will also be available. Lots of audience participation!
Come out to support local West Virginia performers and artists! Tickets are still only $6 each.
The Labelle Theater is located at 311 D St in South Charleston. If you can't make it out, you can also check the troupe out on June 26 at The Alban Theater!
Check our website at www.nopantsplayers.com for more info.
The Tri-State is plum packed with summer festivals.
But there is only one FestivALL.
Like the LeBron James of festivals, FestivALL Charleston shoots and scores with an amazingly diverse game.
Here’s a look at the super-sized festival that runs June 18 through June 27, with an all-you-can-enjoy buffet of live music, dance, theater, art, food and community fellowship.
Here’s a look at just a few highlights from the FestivALL. For a full schedule go online at www.festivallcharleston.com.
Let There Be Butterflies
In years past, FestivALL has always had something cool from Europe like English chalk artist Julian Beever.
This year, it is the multi-media production from Italy called Compagnia T.P.O. Farfalle (Butterflies).
The 50-minute-long, interactive show that charts the lives of butterflies with ultra modern visual and audio technology mixed with Old World theatrical charm takes flight in the intimate Walker Theater (120 seats) inside the Clay Center. The Avampato Discovery Museum will be offering butterfly workshops to coincide with the performances.
Wednesday, June 16 through Sunday, June 20, there will be several daily shows and installations where you can stay after the performance and explore the environment on your own.
Tickets are $18 adults, $10 kids and $5 for the installations. Go online at www.theclaycenter.org for more info.
A Mountain of music
One of the Mountain State’s coolest exports, Mountain Stage, has been sending sweet, original tunes around the planet’s airwaves for decades.
It kicks off FestivALL at 8 p.m. Friday, June 18, with a special show at the Clay Center featuring Grammy Award-winning pianist and songwriter, Marc Cohn, doing a one-hour set, as well as other guests including two Australians,North Australia native Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu and Kate Miller-Heidke as well as Austin, Texas, resident Sahara Smith, a 20-year-old who has been working with renowned producer T Bone Burnett.
Tickets are $29 reserved. Call 304-561-3570 or visit www.theclaycenter.org.
Advance tickets are also available at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston.
Got wheels
At 10 a.m. Saturday, June 19, FestivALL will have an Art on Wheels art parade that winds through downtown ending up at Capitol Market where entries will be judged for most creative. Anyone who has a bike, scooter, wheelchair, stroller, carriage or wagon, has the chance to spiff it up and parade it through the streets during FestivALL’s Art Parade. All ages are invited, although you must register by Tuesday, June 15.
For more information, contact FestivallArtParade@gmail.com or call 304-729-4ART(4278).
Smoke on the Water
Charleston has a great chili history, as it is home to the Capitol Market Green Chili Shoot-Out, the world’s largest green chili cook-off, and last October, Charleston hosted the ICS World Championships at Appalachian Power Park.
Come and celebrate that spicy heritage with the Smoke on the Water Chili Cook-Off that from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 19, with a slew of chili samples (two tickets for $1) a kids area, the always-popular Hot Pepper Eating contest, a frozen t-shirt contest, and live music beginning at 11 a.m. with Buckstone and the Diablo Blues Band, All proceeds go to HospiceCare.
Go online at www.smokeonthewater.org.
A Hall of Fame Performance
The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame (with funding from Brewer and Co.) brings the musical A-game to the stage to celebrate the Mountain State’s birthday on Sunday, June 20.
From noon to 6 p.m., they’ll be rolling free music on the new Schoenbaum Stage of the recently redesigned Haddad Riverfront Park led by 2008 West Virginia Music Hall of Fame inductee Charlie McCoy, the WV Superpickers (featuring Russ Hicks, Wayne Moss and Robert Shafer), the Bob Thompson Unit, Brian Diller, Kanawha Valley Community Band, and Beckley’s Gospel Reunion.
Bob Kravos, nephew of 2008 WV Music Hall of Fame inductee Frankie Yankovic, will perform. He will also present one of his uncle’s bandstands to the Hall of Fame. There will also be a raffle for a guitar and harmonica autographed by Charlie McCoy and the WV Superpickers (courtesy of Cheap Beats). Sponsorships are available by calling the WV Music Hall of Fame at 304-342-4412.
Step right up for ‘Barnum’
The Charleston Light Opera Guild shines a spotlight on America’s greatest showman, P.T. Barnum, in the hit musical, Barnum, that runs 8 p.m. Saturday, June 19; 3 p.m. Sunday, June 20; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 25-26 and then 3 p.m. Sunday, June 27.
Enjoy exploring Barnum’s fascinating life with his wife, Chairy and his living curiosities from Joice Heth, the oldest woman in the world to Tom Thumb, the smallest man and finally Barnum’s first respectable attraction, Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale.
Tickets are $20 at the Charleston Civic Center Little Theatre box office. Call 304-343-2287 or 304-343-2287.
Diamonds are a sister's best friend
Charleston native Neil Diamond tribute act, Theron Denson, “The Black Diamond,” who is now living and working out in Las Vegas, gets to roll home and open for one of his favorite groups, and old friends, The Pointer Sisters, as they are the featured guests for the annual Charleston FestivALL Mayor’s Concert.
That show is at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at the Clay Center.
For anyone who was asleep in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the Pointer Sisters, are Grammy Award-winning R&B and pop singing sisters who have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, were inducted into the Soul Train Hall of Fame, and left behind a ton of hits since they burst out of the church and onto the national scene back in the early 1970s.
Tickets are $47.50 to $57.50. They are available at www.theclaycenter.org or by calling 304-561-3570
Go online at www.theclaycenter.org for more info.
Wine & All That Jazz
A production of Charleston’s Fund for the Arts at the University of Charleston, this eight-hour party starts at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 26, and is headlined by Grammy winning sax man, Joe Lovano. Other acts include Dugan Carter, Bluenotes, Actual Rhinoceros, Matias-Rocha y Nueva Trova featuring Othello Molineaux, Bob Thompson Unit.
Tickets are $18 advance or $20 at the gate or at Fund for the Arts and the Wine Shop at Capitol Market. Go online at www.festivallcharleston.com.
Up On The Ridge with Mountain Stage
Mountain Stage celebrates Father’s Day by hosting red-hot country act, Dierks Bentley, who has headed down the Americana Music road with a new bluegrass flavored CD called “Up on the Ridge” featuring The Travelin’ McCourys, Ronnie (mandolin) and Robbie (banjo).
They all visit for a special Mountain Stage show at the Clay Center, at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 20. Other acts include gypsy jazz and more from the John Jorgenson Quartet, another guitar hero, Bill Kirchen, off beat-humor and fantastic songwriting by Canadian Fred Eaglesmith (he’ll be on The David Letterman Show on June 19) and Nashville harmonica legend, Charlie McCoy, an Oak Hill, W.Va., native.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $29 day of show. Go online at www.mountainstage.org for more info.
A river runs through it
On the River Queen sternwheeler (the free “water taxi” between Haddad Riverfront Park and the Wine & All That Jazz Festival held at the University of Charleston on Saturday June 26), enjoy two original 10-minute, river-themed plays picked by the Charleston Stage Company in their “The River Play” contest.
Colleen Anderson and Michael Davis collaborated “Deep Issues” and Derek J. Samms penned the comic “Lady Fortune and her Sternwheel.” Play times are 11 a.m., noon, 1 and 2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Call 304-766-5721 or visit the CSC website www.charlestonstagecompany.com.
Five new plays and an original film short by local and national playwrights will premiere Thursday through Saturday, June 17-19, in The New Works Festival 2010 at Marshall University.
The festival, presented by the Marshall University Theatre Alliance and the Marshall University College of Fine Arts, will include both staged and unstaged readings.
All readings will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Francis-Booth Experimental Theatre of the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center. Each evening's readings will be followed by a discussion/question-and-answer session with the playwright, director and cast. Participation is both welcome and encouraged.
Admission to this year's festival is by donation on a nightly basis. All admission money goes towards the New Works Festival Fund in the Marshall University Foundation and is tax deductible.
The schedule includes:
Thursday, June 17: "Kiss Off," by Jonathan Joy, is the third in a growing series of 10-minute plays that revolve around an argumentative husband and wife and various holiday/special events. The first two plays in that series -- "The War on Halloween" and "An Inappropriate Christmas Story" -- have been performed on stages in three West Virginia cities (Huntington, Charleston and Wheeling) and at the Wings Theatre in Greenwich Village in New York City.
In the latest entry, "Kiss Off," Mark arrives home early to surprise his wife on their anniversary. He could have never imagined how the tables would turn when he is the one left shocked at the end of evening. It is a domestic comedy about love, marriage and irreconcilable differences.
Thursday, June 17: "Coney," by David Johnston, takes place on New York City's Coney Island, where people from all walks come together and break apart. "Coney" is a new play/work in progress from David Johnston, author of the award-winning "Candy & Dorothy" and "Conversations on Russian Literature."
Friday, June 18: Marshall University Professor Kellie Bean's "Close to Mourning" tells the story of a mother and daughter who confront a shared and painful secret that has nearly cost them their relationship. A story of a mother visiting her widowed, middle-aged daughter after a long separation, this play explores the pain of family secrets.
Friday, June 18: Closing out the Friday night performances is something for audiences who love musicals. "Effie Jean in Tahiti," by David Johnston, music and lyrics by Stephen Speights, tells the story of Princess Effie Jean who has made a bargain with Proteus, the Old Man of the Sea, and is now stuck in Tahiti guarding his jewels.
Saturday, June 19: "The Date," an original comedic short film written and directed by Mike Murdock, asks the question, "Can you think of anyone better to prepare you for a blind date than your two best friends?" Maybe you should start looking now.
Closing out this year's festival is "War of the Welles," by Michael Weber, which takes place on Halloween Eve, 1938. A shaken America struggles to recover from economic collapse as Hitler threatens the future of the Free World.
Call 304-696-6395 for tickets and information on The New Works Festival 2010 at Marshall University.
Although it'd be more appropriate to say "shots in the dark".. here goes:
Best Musical
American Idiot (I'm a Green Day fan, so I have a soft spot in my heart for this show! I love this album, "21 Guns" & "Know Your Enemy" so much. But that curtain call with "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)"...)
Best Play
Red
Best Book of a Musical
Everyday Rapture
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Fences (Branford Marsalis)
Best Revival of a Play
Fences
Best Revival of a Musical
La Cage aux Folles
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Denzel Washington, Fences
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Viola Davis, Fences
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (tough call with both Kelsey Grammer and Sean Hayes in the running. But Ngaujah is onstage virtually the whole show.)
Sahr Ngaujah, Fela!
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Jon Michael Hill, Superior Donuts (showin' the Steppenwolf folks some love)
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Kevin Chamberlin, The Addams Family
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (this is tough, because there's at least three ways it could go)
Barbara Cook, Sondheim on Sondheim
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Santo Loquasto, Fences
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Christine Jones, American Idiot
Best Costume Design of a Play
Martin Pakledinaz, Lend Me a Tenor
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Santo Loquasto, Ragtime
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Brian MacDevitt, Fences
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, American Idiot
Best Sound Design of a Play
Scott Lehrer, A View from the Bridge
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Robert Kaplowitz, Fela!
Best Direction of a Play
Michael Grandage, Red
Best Direction of a Musical
Terry Johnson, La Cage aux Folles
Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, Promises, Promises
Best Orchestrations
Daryl Waters & David Bryan, Memphis
Well I racked my little brain and gave it the good ol' college try! I don't feel as much excitement for the Tonys overall compared to last year - however, some very tough choices!
Best Musical (most interesting range and variety this year)
Memphis
Best Play
Red
Best Book of a Musical
Everyday Rapture
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Memphis - Music: David Bryan, Lyrics: Joe DiPietro, David Bryan
Best Revival of a Play
Fences
Best Revival of a Musical(hardest category as always)
A Little Night Music
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (wow, another toughy. Denzel and Jude are in there, too)
Christopher Walken, A Behanding in Spokane
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (almost chose Davis... wonder why?)
Valerie Harper, Looped
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Sean Hayes, Promises, Promises
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Fences
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Jan Maxwell, Lend Me a Tenor
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Christopher Fitzgerald, Finian's Rainbow
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (almost went with Cook. Going to be close)
Angela Lansbury, A Little Night Music
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Santo Loquasto, Fences
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Christine Jones, American Idiot
Best Costume Design of a Play
Catherine Zuber, The Royal Family
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Matthew Wright, La Cage aux Folles
Best Lighting Design of a Play (Hamlet)
Neil Austin
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, American Idiot
Best Sound Design of a Play (Red)
Adam Cork
Best Sound Design of a Musical (Dan has it either way)
Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen, A Little Night Music
Best Direction of a Play
Kenny Leon, Fences
Best Direction of a Musical
Christopher Ashley, Memphis
Best Choreography
Twyla Tharp, Come Fly Away
Best Orchestrations
Aaron Johnson, Fela!
Arts Resources for the Tri-State is having auditions for the musical Baby on Sunday, June 13 at 2 p.m. at the Renaissance Center (old Huntington High School).
The show will be presented in Huntington at the Renaissance Center on August 20-22 and 27-29 as well as September 10-12 at the Alban Theatre in St. Albans.
Baby is the story of three couples who discover they are having babies: One couple is in their 20s, one is in their 30s and the third couple is in their 40s-50s.
The setting for Baby is a college campus. The youngest couple are students in college who discover they are pregnant and are trying to plan their careers and future around the coming of the child.
The couple in their 30s are coaches at the college who have been trying to have a baby for years. They are very excited when discovering they are going to have a baby and are devastated when told there was a mix-up with the pregnancy tests and they are not really going to have a baby. We then follow them on their arduous and sometimes comedic journey of trying to get pregnant. There is also the role of the doctor who advises the couple on their attempts at fertilization.
The third couple consists of a college professor and his wife who are retiring and leaving the university just as their third child graduates high school and heads for college. While celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary at the Plaza Hotel, they get pregnant, and their struggle throughout the show is trying to decide whether to terminate the pregnancy and move on with their lives or to keep the baby and rearrange their new lifestyle plans.
Baby tells the story of the ups-and-downs, joys, and trials of having children. It is about change and how we either ride the tide or fight against it. It will bring audiences to tears and be a source of great laughter. It is the story of life and how, in spite of our fighting against it, "the story goes on."
For more information about auditions or the production itself, please call Eddie Harbert at 304-412-8738.
New York, NY - The Tony Awards has announced the line-up of performances for the 64th Annual Tony Awards Telecast on Sunday, June 13.
The show will be packed with entertainment from start to finish including a phenomenal opening and performances by Tony-nominated Best Musicals American Idiot, Fela!, Memphis and Million Dollar Quartet as well as the Tony-nominated Best Musical Revivals La Cage aux Folles featuring Kelsey Grammer, A Little Night Music featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ragtime.
Also taking the stage throughout the evening will be Green Day, Glee's Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison, as well as cast members from Come Fly Away and Promises, Promises.
This year's telecast will feature a special presentation of the Tony-nominated Best Play and Best Play revivals. The presentation will feature Denzel Washington and Viola Davis from Fences; Justin Bartha, Anthony LaPaglia and Tony Shalhoub from Lend Me a Tenor; Jan Maxwell and Rosemary Harris of The Royal Family; Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson from A View from the Bridge; Laura Benanti and Michael Cerveris from In the Next Room or the vibrator play; Patrick Breen and Patrick Heusinger of Next Fall; Laura Linney and Brian d'Arcy James from Time Stands Still; and Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne from Red.
As previously announced, Antonio Banderas, Cate Blanchett, Michael Douglas, Scarlett Johansson, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, Chris Noth, Bernadette Peters, David Hyde Pierce and Raquel Welch will also be appearing throughout the evening.
The Tony Awards will be broadcast live in HD from Radio City Music Hall on CBS, Sunday, June 13 at 8 p.m. The 2010 Tony Awards are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. To view the live Tony Awards pre-telecast, please log onto www.TonyAwards.com at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 13.
The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards are bestowed annually on theatre professionals for distinguished achievement. The 2010 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. The Tony is one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry and the annual telecast is considered one of the most prestigious programs on television.
Like fireflies dancing in a mid-summer night’s dream, actors are lighting up the stage and the night at amphitheaters all over the region.
From southern Kentucky’s famous Jenny Wiley Theatre where such famed actors as Michael Cerveris, Sharon Lawrence and Randy Jones of the Village People cut their acting teeth to Tecumseh, the cannon-blasting, horse-dashing drama that has drawn in more than one million people to the Sugarloaf Mountain in Chillicothe, Ohio, our area is rich with outdoor theater history.
Get out the Sharpie, pack the picnic and the bug spray, here’s a look at the outdoor theater schedule for summer 2010.
Red Lion Theatre
THE SHOWS: Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Musical, a modern take on the age-old love potion gone wrong tale wrapped in ‘80s pop and rock music.
WHERE: Greenbo Lake State Resort Park Amphitheater in Greenup, Ky.
THE SCHEDULE: 8:05 p.m. Sunday, June 6, and 8:05 p.m. June 10-13. Red Lion will also stage Pippin at Greenbo at 8 p.m., Aug. 12-15.
HOW MUCH: $12 and $10 seniors and students. Dinner theater tickets for the KYOVA weekend are an additional $10.
TICKETS: For more information or to make reservations for the dinner theatre weekend, call 606-571-6478 or visit www.redliontc.org.
ON THE WEB: Go online at www.redliontc.org.
WHAT ELSE: Greenbo Lake State Resort Park is home to a lake that offers fishing and boat rentals. There is also a swimming pool with a water slide, 18-hole mini golf, campgrounds, a lodge, hiking and biking trails and more.
Also, Red Lion will do a special dinner theater weekend of the show at KYOVA Tri-State Mall at 8:05 p.m. June 17-19, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 20.
Huntington Outdoor Theatre
THE SHOWS: The timeless musical Annie.
WHERE: Ritter Park Amphitheater
THE SCHEDULE: Annie will be performed at 8:30 p.m. on July 2-4, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25, and 30 through Aug. 1.
HOW MUCH: $15, seniors (65 and older) and children (5 to 12) are $13. Children under 5 get in free. Group tickets are $13. All tickets include an additional $1 park surcharge.
TICKETS: At the Big Sandy Superstore Arena and at the Ritter Park amphitheater starting at 6 p.m. day of show.
GETTING THERE: The amphitheater is located in the hills of Ritter Park beyond the tennis courts and the rose garden.
ON THE WEB: Go online at www.hotwv.org.
WHAT ELSE: The amphitheater opens at 6:30 nightly. Each night at 7 p.m. there will be pre-show entertainment. The main show begins at 8:30 p.m.
The Aracoma Story
THE SHOWS: Always ... Patsy Cline, the musical about the life and death of the late country music singer, Patsy Cline. The show is based on a true story about Cline’s friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger, who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk in l961 and continued a correspondence with Cline until her death.
Aracoma Story — Spirits and Legends, the newly modernized telling of the classic love story of Shawnee princess Aracoma and a pioneer Boling Baker, a scout with the U.S. Army captured by Chief Cornstalk and rescued from death by Cornstalk’s daughter Aracoma.
Jungle Book Kids, the classic Disney musical starring Mowgli the human and his jungle full of funky animal friends.
WHERE: Chief Logan State Park’s Liz Spurlock Amphitheater
THE SCHEDULE: Always... Patsy Cline runs June 15 through July 3. Show nights are 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
The Aracoma Story — Spirits and Legends runs July 20 through Aug. 7, and Jungle Book Kids runs Aug. 10-15.
HOW MUCH: For “Patsy Cline” and “Aracoma Story,” advance tickets are $11, $9 for senior citizens and $8 for children under 12. For Disney’s “Jungle Book Kids,” tickets are $10, and $8 for children under 12. Add $1 per ticket if you buy them at the gate.
GET TIX: To purchase tickets by phone using Visa or MasterCard call 304-752-0253. Group rates available for advance ticket purchases by phone for groups of 15 or more. The box office opens nightly at 7:30 p.m.
ON THE WEB: Go online at www.loganshows.com or www.thearacomastory.com.
WHAT ELSE: One of West Virginia’s busiest state parks, Chief Logan is an oasis in the heart of Logan with a swimming pool, a wildlife center, miniature golf, tennis, basketball, fishing, 18 miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking, and nearby is the new Chief Logan Lodge as well as the extensive Hatfield and McCoy Trail. Go online at www.chiefloganstatepark.com.
Theatre West Virginia
THE SHOWS: Celebrating its 50th season, Theatre West Virginia is putting on four shows this summer: Hatfields and McCoys, Honey in the Rock, (about the founding of West Virginia), Footloose and Willy Wonka.
WHERE: The Cliffside Amphitheater at Grandview, located just off of I-64 in Beckley, W.Va.
THE SCHEDULE: “Hatfields” runs June 8 - Aug. 22; “Honey” runs June 8 through Aug. 22; “Footloose” runs July 6 through Aug. 20; and “Wonka” runs Aug. 3-21.
HOW MUCH:$17, $15 for seniors and AAA members, children under 12 $9 or free per child sitting on a lap. Also a 20-percent discount is given to groups with 15 or more members.
GET TIX: Ticket orders are taken 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 304-256-6800 or toll free at 1-800-666-9142. Between June 10 and Aug. 24, ticket orders will be taken by phone with extended hours Tuesdays through Fridays (up to 7:45 p.m.), as well 10 am. to 7:45 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 7:45 p.m. Sundays.
ON THE WEB: Go online at www.theatrewestvirginia.com.
WHAT ELSE: There will be a fundraising concert for Theatre West Virginia on Friday, Aug. 27 with oldies rock band, Phil Dirt and the Dozers. Tickets are $15 advance or $20 at the door.
Also, Theatre West Virginia’s home, Grandview, is part of the New River Gorge National River. Check out panoramic views of the New River, 1,400 feet above the river, overlooking the town of Quinnimont, where the first coal was shipped out of the gorge in 1873. Grandview is home to many miles of trails, as well as picnic shelters, a playground and basketball courts. Go online at www.nps.gov/neri
GET IN FREE: All current West Virginia residents can bring a staple food item or a back-to-school supply item to be donated to a local charity Helping Hands, and get in free for the closing night show of Honey in the Rock on Sunday, Aug. 22.
Tecumseh!
THE SHOW: Tecumseh! The Ultimate Outdoor Drama Experience. “Witness the epic life story of the legendary Shawnee leader as he struggles to defend his sacred homelands in the Ohio country during the late 1700s on a huge outdoor stage with live horses, live military cannon in action and battle scenes. Seen by more than 1 million people, this professionally produced outdoor drama is written by seven-time Pulitzer Prize nominee and Emmy recipient, Allan W. Eckert. The score was recorded exclusively by the London Symphony Orchestra and its narration sequences recorded by Native American actor Graham Greene.
WHERE: Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheater in Chillicothe, Ohio
THE SCHEDULE: June 11 through Sept. 4. Show time is 8 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $22.95 and $15.95 per child (10 and younger). The show is not recommended for children ages six and under due to some violent content and loud battle scenes.
GET TIX: Call toll free 866-775-0700.
ON THE WEB: Go online at www.tecumsehdrama.com.
WHAT ELSE: California resident and Jesse Stuart Foundation author, Allan W. Eckert will attend the Saturday, June 12 performance and do a book-signing.
Also, regular extras include a Behind-the Scenes Tour at 4 and 5 p.m., on show nights. Cost is $4 or $3 per child 10 and younger. There is a mini museum in cooperation with the Ohio Historical Society. It is open 5 to 7:45 p.m. and is free. There is also restaurant on-site, The Terrace Buffet is $12.50 and $7.50 for kids.
There is a meet and greet immediately following the performance.
Jenny Wiley Theatre
THE SHOWS: Mid-Life Crisis: The Musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Jack and the Beanstalk.
WHERE: Jenny Wiley Theatre amphitheater inside Jenny Wiley State Resort Park in Prestonsburg, Ky.
THE SCHEDULE: “Mid-Life” runs June 11 through July 23; “Cinderella” runs June 26 through July 24; “Joseph” runs July 31 through Aug. 14 and “Jack” runs July 13 through Aug. 10.
HOW MUCH: Tickets for “Cinderella” and “Joseph” are $24 and $20, $18 and $24 for seniors and $11 and $15 for youth. Overflow seating (only available Friday and Saturday) is $15 for adults or seniors and $9 for youth. “Jack and the Beanstalk” ticket are $12 adults and seniors and $8 for youth.
"Mid-Life Crisis" tickets (all inside the Wilkinson/Stumbo Convention Center) are $24, $20 or $40 with meals. Seniors tickets are $24 and $18 and for youth, $11 and $15.
GET TIX: Call 877-Call-JWT (877-225-5598).
ON THE WEB: Go online at www.jwtheatre.com.
WHAT ELSE: Jenny Wiley State Resort Park is home to Dewey Lake, which has pontoon boat rentals. There’s also 10 miles of hiking trails, a 9-hole golf course, lodge pool, the 49-room May Lodge, one and two-bedroom cottages and the Country Music Highway Grill.
NEW YORK (AP) - Andrew Lloyd Webber's global hit The Phantom of the Opera may be coming to a high school or college near you.Quite a few groups will no doubt be lining up to tackle this show. I suspect Huntington's children's theatre, First Stage, will want to stage it (assuming it is eligible). How I'd love to see that one at the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center...
R&H; Theatricals said Thursday it is accepting applications from school groups in the U.S. and Canada for performances beginning Sept. 1.
"Phantom" is a gothic tale of romance set in the Paris Opera and has been seen by 100 million people since it opened in 1986. It is still playing in London and in New York, where it is the longest-running show in Broadway history.
R&H; Theatricals has been representing North American performance rights to Lloyd Webber's musicals since 2001. The company is a division of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
The Contemporary Youth Arts Company will present the new Dan Kehde drama The Moment of Greatest Happiness at 8 p.m., June 3-5 and 10-12 on the stage of the WVSU Capitol Center Theater, 123 Summers Street, Charleston.
The play, about two students in love in a 1950s girl's academy, features the acting talents of veterans Maria Fioravante, Samantha Oxley, Sheila Jarrett, Donnie Smith, Meredith Overcash and a large supporting cast.
During the height of the conservatism of the 1950s McCarthy era, young Maureen Foster, the daughter of soon-to-be blacklisted Hollywood director Joe Foster, transfers to the prestigious Whittaker Academy for Girls, just outside Boston. Intelligent, independent and gay, in an era when homosexuality was unspoken and largely unknown to the respectable world, Maureen fights to maintain a low profile among the students, seeking simply to graduate and move on with her life.
Her plan is sidetracked permanently when she meets and falls in love with fellow student Evie Humphries who, in the midst of a bout of teenage rebelliousness, has openly declared herself a lesbian as well as a communist. After a tumultuous beginning, their relationship blossoms into love and mutual respect, eventually challenging the status quo of the ancient New England tradition of the girls academies.
Tickets are $9.50 for adults and $5.50 for seniors and are available at the door the evenings of the performances.
