Rue McClanahan News

The uncommonly versatile actor/writer/musician Darryl Van Leer has made it his mission to provide inspiration to others. It would therefore be hard to think of a more perfect way for The Marsh to launch Black History Month than with a live performance of his electrifying one-man play, Mandela: Let Freedom Reign, which it will present on MarshStream on Saturday evening, February 6th. From his early life to his epic struggles against apartheid, Nelson Mandela comes to vivid life in this life-affirming performance. An icon of democracy and social justice, Mandela’s life-long dedication to promoting forgiveness and equality are celebrated in this stirring reminder of one man’s incredible impact. Mandela: Let Freedom Reign will be presented at 7:30pm PST on Saturday, February 6th on MarshStream. Van Leer will also appear two days prior to that on Stephanie’s MarshStream at 7:30pm PST on Thursday, February 4th to discuss the play and perform a brief excerpt. For more information, visit www.themarsh.org/marshstream. Also, please note that the performance on February 6th will be live only, and not archived for later viewing. Van Leer is a man of many talents who has enjoyed an exceptionally wide-ranging career. While his theater work has focused primarily on his one-man shows about iconic historic and musical figures, he has also racked up some impressive film and TV credits in ensemble projects, sharing the screen with acting luminaries such as James Earl Jones, Samuel L. Jackson and Rue McClanahan. BroadwayWorld spoke with Van Leer last week from his home base in Nashville, Tennessee.  In conversation, he is instantly and effortlessly engaging, warm and upbeat, and clearly thankful for the opportunity to create and perform works of inspiration. His Kentucky roots are evidenced by the delightfully musical lilt in his speech patterns.

The Marsh welcomes a diversified line-up of guests for Stephanie's MarshStream – from an acclaimed playwright to a leader at the forefront of curriculum education, Bay Area-based actors, a longtime public radio journalist, and more.

Baring It All with Call Me Adam returns today, Thursday, January 7, 2021 when Season 2 of the entertainment podcast begins. This season, Baring It All host Adam Rothenberg focuses on his guest’s legacy and lessons learned.

Piano Bar Live! (PBL!) A Night at Rose's Turn, Part 2, streams tonight Tuesday, November at 7:15 pm ET, with hosts Scott Barbarino and Leslie Anderson. PBL! will continue the long-established tradition of the piano bar-that special place where we can gather, entertain, support and create, as we connect with live music.

In the play,THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB, a group of female swimmers return each year to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a weekend rendezvous of drinking and playing catch-up on each other's lives. Curtain Players' season-opening production of this five-women play feels much the same way.

The Golden Gays NYC have taken their act online in a successful 13-week run of shows and this week Broadway World found out why they are called The premiere Golden Girls drag show in the country.

The Del Shores Foundation presents a one-night-only benefit reading of the original SORDID LIVES play by Del Shores for a #SordidLiveStream. The reading will be live streamed on YouTube and Facebook on Sunday, May 31 at 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern, hosted and produced by Emerson Collins and Del Shores.

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best TV episodes from the 1950's to 2020; see if your favorites made the list!

Richard Skipper has started a #StayHome campaign!

Auntie Mame not to be confused with Mame the popular musical version tells the story of the life of Mame Dennis and her orphaned nephew Patrick over the course of 18 years of time. Mame Dennis a swinging and very progressive woman with a zest/zeal for the finer things in life is left to be the guardian of her late brothers young boy. Teaching the boy about the finer things in life and a laundry list of new vocabulary Mame leaves nothing to the imagination for this young boy to be brought up in a world unlike that of which he's known. The script by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee is based on the novel by Patrick Dennis; which lends itself to some funny, touching, and endearing moments.

As the days become shorter and the crisp air signals the time when the Xmas sweaters are taken out of mothballs, it can only mean one thing. It's time for what has become a San Francisco tradition a?" the annual production of The Golden Girls Live! The Christmas Episodes. Performance Dates are Nov. 29 - Dec. 22, 2019 - 25 performances Only Wed. Thurs. Fri. at 8:00pm, Sat. at 3:00p and 8:00pm, Sun. at 2:00pm and 7:00pm with Special Matinee Performances Wed. Dec. 11 at 3:00pm.

BroadwayHD is heading into November with a stellar lineup, lead by knock-out performances of theater classics. The all-female production of Donmar Warehouse's Julius Caesar makes its way to the platform on November 7, giving subscribers a stunning twist on a classic play. Dan Goggin's internationally acclaimed musical anthology series, Nunsense and its 6 sequels will be making its exclusive digital streaming premiere on BroadwayHD beginning November 14. Just in time for the 20th Anniversary of its debut on Broadway, Putting It Together starring Tony and Emmy Award winners Carol Burnett and George Hearn as well as Emmy Award nominee Bronson Pinchot brings a heavy dose of humor to the library on November 21. In addition to all of this, the holidays arrive early when beautiful productions of A Christmas Carol, MeshugaNutcracker! and The Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker debut on BroadwayHD on November 26.

The Players announces its next Pipe Night, honoring Tony Award-nominated composer and writer Joe Iconis (Be More Chill). A favorite Players tradition that has celebrated significant cultural figures for over a century, the Pipe Night for Mr. Iconis will be held on Monday, September 9th starting at 6:30 pm at The Players, located at 16 Gramercy Park South. 

Picture it. Miami. 1987. A successful television show ends after seven seasons, to everyone's chagrin. Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia live on in all of our hearts as we watch reruns of The Golden Girls over a mound of cheesecake and a bottle of wine. But what if, through some strange bit of Hollywood magic, they were able to come back for a new season? And what if the first episode of that season included the girls doing Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor? The gay gasps would be deafening. Good news, Slipstream Theatre Initiative reimagines Shakespeare's comedy as just that - and invites you to a live filming of Season 8, episode 1: The Golden Girls do Merry Wives!

Performances of The Golden Girls Musical Parody: PRIDE Edition begin Wednesday, June 19 at HERE (145 Sixth Avenue) for a three-week engagement through July 6. Hailed 'hilariously outsized' by The New York Times, the musical comedy - updated with new story elements for PRIDE and featuring an original pop score - is written and directed by Nick Brennan with music, lyrics and movement also by Mr. Brennan.

PlayGround has announced the lineup for its second annual PlayGround Solo Performance Festival, a celebration of the best in Bay Area solo performance, running January 24-February 10 at Potrero Stage. The festival features 12 double-bill performances by 11 local artists over three weeks, including new works by Ron Campbell, Julie Gieseke, Malcolm Grissom, Emil  Guillermo, Michael Phillis, Fred Pitts, Kathryn Seabron, and Talisha Tolliver, as well as special guests Marga Gomez, Matthew Martin, and Nina Wise, with each evening running a little over two hours. PlayGround opens the program to the next generation of performers with a special Open Mic Night on Monday, January 28, at 8pm. The festival, initiated last winter as one of PlayGround's new "pop-up" programs, represents an extension of PlayGround's mission and commitment to the discovery of bold new voices for the stage and the first PlayGround offering fully dedicated to solo performance. Tickets, on sale beginning December 1, are $31-$46 and All-Festival Passes start at just $93 (unlimited access to all 11 artists, 12 performances and a reserved seat for Open Mic Night). For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://playground-sf.org/solofest or call (415) 992-6677.

REELZ today announced new original programming for winter 2019 including four new specials, three new series and three returning series. Highlighting the specials is the U.S. premiere of Saturday Night Fever: The Ultimate Disco Movie celebrating the 40th anniversary of the movie shot guerrilla style on the streets of Brooklyn with a BeeGees soundtrack and a fledgling 23-year-old John Travolta that became a cultural phenomenon. At the heart of '70s disco fever is one of the biggest voices that shaped contemporary music in Donna Summer and the new special Donna Summer: Disco Queenshows how she became the queen of disco ushering in a new era of sound that is still heard today. Donna Summer: Disco Queen leads a week packed with '70s themed programming starting Monday, January 14 with shows about the celebrities, music and movies that defined a generation.

REELZ today announced new original programming for winter 2019 including four new specials, three new series and three returning series. Highlighting the specials is the U.S. premiere of Saturday Night Fever: The Ultimate Disco Movie celebrating the 40th anniversary of the movie shot guerrilla style on the streets of Brooklyn with a BeeGees soundtrack and a fledgling 23-year-old John Travolta that became a cultural phenomenon. At the heart of '70s disco fever is one of the biggest voices that shaped contemporary music in Donna Summer and the new special Donna Summer: Disco Queen shows how she became the queen of disco ushering in a new era of sound that is still heard today. Donna Summer: Disco Queen leads a week packed with '70s themed programming starting Monday, January 14 with shows about the celebrities, music and movies that defined a generation.

As the days become shorter and the crisp air signals the time when the Xmas sweaters are taken out of mothballs, it can only mean one thing. It's time for what has become a San Francisco tradition - the annual production of The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes.  Performance Dates are Nov. 29 - Dec. 23, 2018 - 19 performances only! Thurs. Fri. & Sat. 8:00pm, Sun. 7:00pm with Special Sunday Matinees Dec 9, 16, & 23 at 2:00 pm.