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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
Hit The Wall an Off-BroadwayShow - Review
New York City, June 27th, 1969—it’s hot as hell, the air is thick with civil unrest, and Judy Garland’s funeral draws thousands of loyal fans to the Upper East Side. Downtown, it’s just another smack-talking morning on the neighborhood stoop, where sharp-tongued young hustlers Mika and Tano (Gregory Hanley and Arturo Soria) read every unwelcome queen who steps onto their turf.
“Hit the Wall,” is an entertaining yet relatable and raucous re-telling of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, which launched the modern gay rights movement. It is not a typical show that you will see in an off broadway theatre because you experience the emotions of the characters alongside with them as they land their bodies next to your chairs. It is intimate and interactive and all attention is on the action that is happening in the center of the room. The lights dim and the sound comes on and it is as if you are transported back in time to witness the beginning of the movement for yourself.
The set up, acting and the seamless simplicity of an incredibly complicated production is done brilliantly on every level. The only thing that threw me off was the fighting sequence which was great in itself and it is understandable that the use of the strobing light increased intensity of it but the use of light in that manner and was just too much. It was longer than needed and with the loudness of the sound effects it definitely stood out. That is not something that needs too much concentration because overall the show it a "Hit" in my book.
A great play becomes successful when you walk in with minimum expectations and walk out with first identifying with at least one or more characters and second when your emotions are evoked and you feel when a tear slides down your cheek as you empathize with the pain or joy you see presented to you on the stage. You get to laugh or cry when watching as each character develops his or her strength throughout the show and start to cheer or worry for them when things are unclear. There is a flow in this play where the transitions help progress each character and continue the historical/mythical story of this group of outsiders. Each new introduction brings a new story and a new personality with different experiences and we get to know them one by one without realizing that there is much more substance to their individual character then initially thought. Each character represents a type to show the diversity of people that can be found in a very small proximity. It is done for the shock value but also to show that you never know who you are talking to, really. He might just be another ordinary conservative business man coming home from work or he might catch you completely by surprise when it comes down to whom he prefers as for his intimate company.
At the End of the night each person just wants to have fun at the Stonewall Inn where they can drink, dance, get laid, meet new people, celebrate and just be themselves.
Live music which is part of the show adds to its authenticity and well thought out choreography adds to it. You really do feel like you are in 1969. The conviction of each character is outstanding and we will never forget the day of Judy Garland's funeral.
About the Show at Barrow Street Theatre at
27 Barrow Street, New York, NY 10014
In Ike Holter’s new play a group of unlikely revolutionaries are thrust onto the frontline of history during the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, when a routine police raid on The Stonewall Inn, a popular underground gay bar in Greenwich Village, erupts into a full-scale riot. Violent protests and street demonstrations continued over the next several days, creating a flashpoint known as The Stonewall Riots, and igniting one of the most influential social and political movements of the 20th Century. Hit the Wall focuses on the enigmatic first night of the riots, vibrantly blending history and mythology with theatrical imagination to shine contemporary light on the legacy of Stonewall.
The world Premiere of Hit the Wall was presented by The Inconvenience and performed as part of GARAGE REP: three productions presented in rotating repertory in The Garage at Steppenwolf, Chicago, IL. Chris Chmelik, Artistic Director and Emily Reusswig, Executive Director.
A New Play by Ike Holter
directed by Eric Hoff
directed by Eric Hoff
Featuring
Nick Bailey, Jessica Dickey, Ben Diskant, Nathan Lee Graham, Matthew Greer, Gregory Haney, Sean Allan Krill, Rania Salem Manganaro, Jonathan Mastro,
Ray Rizzo, Carolyn Michelle Smith, Arturo Soria and Indigo Street.
Nick Bailey, Jessica Dickey, Ben Diskant, Nathan Lee Graham, Matthew Greer, Gregory Haney, Sean Allan Krill, Rania Salem Manganaro, Jonathan Mastro,
Ray Rizzo, Carolyn Michelle Smith, Arturo Soria and Indigo Street.
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Written By Anna Kuchma
Monday, March 18, 2013
BEAUTIFUL THE CAROL KING MUSICAL
HER VOICE WOULD DEFINE A GENERATION, BUT FIRST SHE HAD TO FIND IT.
“ B E A U T I F U L
T H E C A R O L E K I N G M U S I C A L ”
WILL BEGIN PERFORMANCES ON BROADWAY
SPRING, 2014
NEW MUSICAL
ABOUT THE LIFE AND CAREER OF
CAROLE KING
FEATURES STUNNING ARRAY OF HIT SONGS BY
GERRY GOFFIN / CAROLE KING
AND
BARRY MANN / CYNTHIA WEIL
BOOK BY ACADEMY® AWARD NOMINATED FILMMAKER
DOUGLAS McGRATH
New York, NY – Producers Paul Blake and Sony/ATV Music Publishing announced today that Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, about the life and career of legendary singer/songwriter Carole King, will begin performances on Broadway in Spring, 2014. The new musical, featuring a stunning array of beloved songs written by Gerry Goffin/Carole King and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil, and a book by Academy® Award-nominated filmmaker Douglas McGrath, will play a Fall 2013 pre-Broadway engagement, to be announced shortly.
Long before she was Carole King: chart-topping music legend, she was Carol Klein: Brooklyn girl with passion and chutzpah. She fought her way into the record business as a teenager and, by the time she reached her twenties, had the husband of her dreams and a hot career writing hits for the biggest acts in rock ‘n’ roll. But it wasn’t until her fairytale life began to crack that she finally managed to find her true voice. Beautiful tells the inspiring true story of King’s rise to stardom, alongside husband and co-writer Gerry Goffin and fellow song writers Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil, set to the music that made her one of the recording industry’s most enduring icons.
In a statement today, Carole King commented, “What's so great about this for me is that musicals were a major influence on my songwriting. In fact, when Gerry and I first met, we made a bargain that I would write music for the Broadway show he wanted to write if he wrote lyrics for my rock 'n roll songs. The songs took off, and the show idea never came to fruition. Now that our songs have merged with a Broadway show, we've come full circle.”
Casting and other news from Beautiful will be announced shortly.
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Michael Raven's Private Launch of the James Brown Jewelry Collection in Hollywood Hills, CA.
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Steven Tyler, Mario Lopez, the Sachika Twins, Judi Evans, Patrick Kilpatrick and many others attend Michael Raven's Private Launch of the James Brown Jewelry Collection in Hollywood Hills, CA.
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(Los Angeles, California) - March 16, 2013 Celebrity Jewelry Michael Raven's Party last Thursday, March 7th in his Hollywood Hills estate was nothing less than 'the talk of the town'. The lavish event was planned in just under two days by Veronica Lee Anne and despite the rare Los Angeles rain; celebrates came out in droves - with a whopping 250 guests in attendance. Such guests included Steven Tyler, Mario Lopez, the Sachika Twins, Patrick Kilpatrick, Robert Rieckermann, Rolonda Watts, Charlie Schmidt, John Savage, Ari Zucker, Judi Evans, Pamela Bach Hasselhoff, Vikki Lizzi, Chaz West, Christina Fulton, Carissa Rosario, and many others.
Guests enjoyed signature cocktails by DAMA Tequila, hor d'oeuvres from Trader Joes, and desserts by Sweet Spils. The swag bags were valued at over $300 with an inspirational tee from Poetik Designs, state-of-the-art beauty cream from Miracle Hydrate, signature luxury scents from Dossage, and V3 Water.
Michael Raven is called The Jeweler to the Stars - adorning celebrities for red carpets; creating custom hand-crafted pieces for clients all over the world including royalty and celebrity weddings such as the Gene Simmons wedding and Khloe Kardashian wedding. Raven specializes in one-of-a-kind pieces that have won him the attention of faithful clients like Brad Pitt, Ivanka Trump, and Paris Hilton.
For further information on Michael Raven please visit www.RavenJewelers.com
To view more photos from the event visit: http://snapped4u.com/
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QI SHU FANG PEKING OPERA COMPANY PRESENTS 13th ANNUAL PEKING OPERA FESTIVAL WITH A RARELY SEEN FULL-LENGTH PEKING OPERA CLASSIC “THE LEGEND OF THE WHITE SNAKE”
CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF SNAKE
QI SHU FANG PEKING OPERA COMPANY
PRESENTS
13th ANNUAL PEKING OPERA FESTIVAL
WITH A RARELY SEEN FULL-LENGTH PEKING OPERA CLASSIC
“THE LEGEND OF THE WHITE SNAKE”
ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY
SUNDAY, APRIL 28th AT 3:00 PM
AT NYU SKIRBALL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
(Co-presented as part of the World Stage Series
by NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts)
New York, NY (March 3, 2013) – Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company (Qi Shu Fang, President & Ding Mei Kui, Artistic Director), recipient of National Heritage Fellowship for the Arts, will present the 13th Annual Peking Opera Festival featuring Qi Shu Fang and the Company for one performances only on Sunday, April 28th at 3:00 PM at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South). This performance is part of the World Stage Series presented by NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.
To celebrate the Year of Snake, Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company presents the 13th Annual Peking Opera Festival with the Legend of White Snake. It is a rarely seen full-length Peking Opera Classic. The performance featuring the Peking Opera Master, Qi Shu Fang along with several other renowned performers from China. The performance provides a spectacular evening of music, mime, costumes, amazing martial arts, acrobatics, and traditional Chinese orchestra. Combining singing and dialogue with acrobatic tumbling and kung‐fu fighting, the Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company stages an unforgettable glimpse into ancient China. The performance will be in Chinese with English subtitles.
The 13th Annual Peking Opera Festival is Sunday, April 28th at 3:00 PM at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (part of the World Stage Series). Tickets are priced at $38. Students and group discounts are available. To purchase tickets by phone please call (212) 352-3101 or(866) 811-4111. To purchase tickets online visit http://www.skirballcenter.org and to purchase tickets in person please visit the Skirball Center Box Office at 566 LaGuardia Place (at Washington Square South) open Tuesday - Saturday 12NOON-6:00PM and two hours prior to performances. For more information, please visit www.qishufang.com.
SYNOPSIS
The Legend of the White Snake
Once upon a time in the Mountain E-Mei, there were White Snake and Blue Snake. White Snake transforms into a very beautiful woman named Bai Su-Zhen. Blue Snake also transforms a very lovely girl, named Xiao Qing. They came to West Lake of Hang Zhou for a visit, Bai saw a young man named Xu Xiao. Bai immediately falls into an unrequited love. To help her sister, Xiao Qing set various magic tricks to entice Xu Xian to reciprocate the love and suggests that he marries Bai. Meanwhile the Abbot Fa Hai of a remote Buddhist temple in Golden Mountain senses the unusualness and pledges to capture the White Snake.
After the couple getting married, Bai, Xu and Xiao Qing moved to a city near the Yangtse River where Bai provided her husband with a medicine shop. She used her magical powers so that all medicines became especially potent, and the business in consequence prospered exceedingly. Fa Hai found Xu Xian and warms him that his wife is a snake. He Suggests Xu to find her real identity by giving her a glass of wine. On the momentous day, Xiao Qing goes to Mountain E-Mei and leaving Bai by herself. Xu Xian brings the festival wine and drinks with Bai. Bai unsuspectingly reveals her true form as a large white snake after drinking the wine and Xu Xian dies of shock after seeing that his wife is not human. Bai Su-Zhen and Xiao Qing travel to Mount E-Mei, where they brave danger to steal a magical herb that restores Xu Xian to life.
After coming back to life, Xu still maintains his love for Bai despite knowing her true identity. Fa Hai tries to separate them again so he captures Xu and imprisons him in Jinshan Temple. Bai and Xiao Qing fight with Fa Hai to rescue Xu, and Bai uses her powers to flood the temple. In the end, Fa Hai is not able to defeat Bai, Xu Xian is happily to return home with Bai.
BIOGRAPHIES___________________
Qi Shu Fang has been performing Peking Opera all of her life. In her youth, she studied with her sister-in-law, the renowned martial arts actress Zhang Meijuan. At sixteen, she created a stir in Beijing when she played the lead role in “Three Battles with Zhang Yue’e.” The great actor and female impersonator Mei Lanfang praised her performance of this tremendously difficult piece. After this early success, Ms. Qi went on to study at the Shanghai Municipal Theater School and performed as a leading actress with Shanghai Youth Peking Opera Company and the Shanghai Peking Opera Theater. During this time, her performance in the “Yang Paifeng” was made into a movie and her role in the ‘modern Peking Opera’ “Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy” made her a household name in China.
Ms. Qi also has performed throughout Asia and Europe. She performed “Green Stone Mountain,” “The Legend of the White Snake,” and “Autumn River” in Vienna to great acclaim in 1987. She was hailed as “a white-clad empress” for her performance of the “Flaming Phoenix” in Hamburg, Germany. In Japan, She is also known as one of the country’s most beloved Peking Opera Stars. Ms. Qi moved to New York City and established the Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company in 1988. She was awarded the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor in traditional folk arts in the United States in 2001.
In 2003, Ms. Qi made her Broadway debut in her company’s historic performance of The Women Generals of the Yang Family at the New Victory Theatre. Ms. Qi is accomplished in all areas of Peking Opera performance; in particular she is known for her full and sweet soprano voice, and her remarkable powerful martial abilities. Jack Anderson of The New York Times wrote “she fills the stage with magic that is inexpressibly enchanting.” James R. Oestreich of The New York Times has praised her as “a bright star, a truly great artist.”
Ms. Qi and her husband Ding Meikui currently lead the company across the country to promote Peking Opera and Chinese culture. Every year their professional performances are greeted with great enthusiasm by American audiences. In this regard, Ms. Qi has made a great contribution to cultural richness in America while at the same time building a bridge between East and West.
Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company, established in 1988, is a non-profit arts organization. The Company mission is to promote Chinese and Chinese American culture by bringing Peking Opera -one of China’s national treasures- to a global audience. Through its performances the Company aims to foster a deeper cultural understanding between East and West.
The professionalism and the high level of artistic attainment of the Company have been met with enthusiasm by audiences throughout the United States and the world, including at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, Madison Square Garden in New York City, and in Krakow, Poland. The Company activities have also been generously supported by New York State Arts Council.
Highlights of the Company’s twenty-year history include: performances in 1997 in Connecticut, Texas and Ohio; a twelve-city tour of Florida in 1999. In 2000, the Company participated in the International Confrontation Festival in Krakow, Poland. In 2001, the Company organized the first annual Peking Opera Festival, an event that was greeted with approval by both audience members and critics from The New York Times. In 2002, the Company was one of thirty groups invited to Washington, D.C. to take part in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. During this ten-day
event, the Company reached an audience of over one hundred thousand people, the Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company was recognized as the “Audiences’ Favorite”. The Company made history by staging a critically acclaimed complete performance of The Women Generals of the Yang Family at the New Victory Theatre on Broadway in 2003. Finally, in conjunction with the Arts Power Group, the Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company performs, lectures, and holds workshops in schools and universities throughout the country.
NYU SKIRBALL CENTER:
The Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for New York University and lower Manhattan. Led by executive producer Jay Oliva (President Emeritus, NYU) and senior director Michael Harrington, the programs of the Skirball Center reflect NYU's mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an intellectually rich and diverse environment. A vital aspect of the Center's mission is to build young adult audiences for the future of live performance. www.nyuskirball.org
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PETER AND THE STARCATCHER NEWS
WELCOME BACK TO NEVERLAND!
“ P E T E R A N D T H E S T A R C A T C H E R ”
BEGINS PERFORMANCES MARCH 18
AT NEW WORLD STAGES
New York, NY – Peter and the Starcatcher, written by Tony® Award nominee Rick Elice, and directed by Tony® Award-winner Roger Rees and Tony® Award-nominee Alex Timbers, officially begins performances at New World Stages (340 West 50thSt.) today, Monday, March 18, 2013, after ending its triumphant run on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Sunday, January 20, 2013.
The cast of Peter and the Starcatcher includes returning Broadway cast members Rick Holmes, now playing Black Stache,Jason Ralph, now playing Boy, along with Kevin Del Aguila as Smee, Matt D’Amico as Slank, and Evan Harrington as Alf, all reprising their roles. They are joined by Nicole Lowrance (Molly), Edward Baker-Duly (Lord Aster), Josh Grisetti(Fighting Prawn), Alex Hernandez (Captain Scott), Nate Miller (Ted), Andrew Mueller (Prentiss), Jon Patrick Walker(Mrs. Bumbrake), Jordan Geiger, Joanna Howard, José Restrepo, and Graham Stevens.
The entire Award-winning design team of Peter and the Starcatcher, which includes Steven Hoggett (Movement), Wayne Barker (Music), Donyale Werle (Scenic Design), Paloma Young (Costume Design), Jeff Croiter (Lighting Design), Darron L West (Sound Design), Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum (Fight Direction), Marco Paguia (Music Supervision), and Greg Anthony(Music Direction), have reunited for the New World Stages production.
Peter and the Starcatcher won five 2012 Tony Awards (the most of any play of the 2011-2012 season) and was recently named one of New York Times, New York Magazine and New Yorker’s Top 10 Shows of the Year.
The performance schedule for Peter and the Starcatcher is as follows: Monday at 7:00pm, Wednesday at 2:00 & 7:00pm, Thursday – Friday at 8:00 PM, Saturday at 2:00 & 8:00 PM, Sunday at 3:00 PM.
Tickets ($72.50 - $92.50) are currently available via Telecharge.com or in person at New World Stages (340 West 50th St) box office. For more information on group offers (10 or more people), call 877-321-0020 or email petergroups@321mgt.com.
This imaginative prequel to the story of Peter Pan, based on The New York Times best selling Disney-Hyperion novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, tells the tale of an orphan who heads to a faraway land, where he finds love, friendship, and, ultimately, himself.Peter and the Starcatcher is comprised of a company of twelve actors playing more than a hundred unforgettable characters, all on a journey to answer the century-old question: How did Peter Pan become The Boy Who Never Grew Up? This epic origin story of one of popular culture’s most enduring and beloved characters proves that an audience’s imagination can be the most captivating place in the world.
Peter and the Starcatcher will embark on a national tour, opening in August 2013 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, CO. The play’s Tony Award-nominated directors, Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, will direct the touring production, which will be represented by The Road Company.
Peter and the Starcatcher is produced by Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Greg Schaffert, Eva Price, Tom Smedes and Disney Theatrical Productions.
CRITICAL PRAISE FOR PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
“Sensational! Showbiz at its most infectious!”
“"The most exhilarating storytelling on Broadway in decades."
-- Ben Brantley, The New York Times
“Hysterical! Peter and the Starcatcher is a madcap production, filled with silly puns, hip jokes and sophisticated zaniness!”
-- Jennifer Farrar, Associated Press
“Mr. Rees and Mr. Timbers have created a theatrical world that’s so high-spirited, so inventive, so smart – it’s a hell of a lot of fun!”
-- Jesse Oxfeld, New York Observer
“A rollicking good time!”
-- Melissa Rose Bernardo, Entertainment Weekly
“Endlessly imaginative!”
-- Matt Windman, AM NewYork
“A treasure chest of pleasures!”
-- Adam Feldman, Time Out New York
“Magical! An infectious balance of broad gags with cheeky adult humor. In an era of mainstream entertainment in which audience imagination is too rarely a requirement, it's a breath of salty sea air.”
--David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
“Sweet enough for kids, sophisticated enough for grown-ups, this play with music was both a valentine to the innocence of childhood and the magic of stagecraft. Bravo to the directors Alex Timbers and Roger Rees for infusing Broadway with starstuff.”
--Broadway.com
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WILL THE AMAZING KRESKIN LEAVE A STRONGER IMPRESSION THAN THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE?
WILL THE AMAZING KRESKIN LEAVE A STRONGER
IMPRESSION THAN THE INCREDIBLE BURT
WONDERSTONE?
In New Jersey’s Newark Star Ledger review by syndicated reviewer Stephan Whittey comments about the movie the Incredible Burt Wonderstone… and his commentary …
“You don't have to be Kreskin to predict that one… Actually, Kreskin already inspired a much better comedy, The Great Buck Howard which had John Malkovich crisscrossing the country..."
Philadelphia Daily News movie reviewer Gary Thompson commented…
"by the way, this movie was much better, a few years ago, as "The Great Buck Howard", featuring the great John Malkovich as a Kreskin-like figure..."
The Great Buck Howard still getting well reviewed several years after its release, great opportunity to revisit the film or see it for the 1st time, even better read Kreskin's new book Conversations with Kreskinand gain insight into the legendary entertainer and to top it off you can see Kreskin over 200 dates per year and prepare to be blown away by his live performances.
Conversations with Kreskin book page
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