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What is the American musical identity? A question for this special year!

January brings many transformations, but one of the most unusual being anticipated by those who follow theatre here is the transformation of a northside titanium parts factory into the fading estate that is the setting for Anton Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA.

With only 35 seats per show, the intimate production of Uncle Vanya sponsored by The New Theatre Project will take place inside a manufacturing operation called Servi-Sure.

Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) have announced the next events in their joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works.

This month, the reader question was “What Broadway show has been revived the most?” Taking both plays and musicals into account, and considering works in repertory, these were the findings.

Celebrated as a revolutionary playwright in turn of the century Industrial Russia, Anton Chekhov delivers an examination of urban and country life in his play, UNCLE VANYA. Now playing at The City Theatre in East Austin, this famous playwrights works are brought to stage for the first time at this community theater. New beginnings of this play date back to 1898 with publishing and debuting a year later in full production by the Moscow Art Theatre. Directed by the godfather of modern acting, Konstantin Stanislavski brings the struggle of class and love to the stage. Set on a run-down estate in the woods of Russia, our hometown family of characters are disrupted by an elderly professor and his much younger, and very attractive second wife, Yelena. The pining title character of the play Vanya is the long running estate manager and brother to the sickly professors first wife. Intimated and teetering on the edge of patience, Vanya befriends the towns local doctor, Astrov in an effort to pass the time and pontificate his frustrations and helplessness. Quickly into the play, Astrov and Vanya fall under the spell of the beautiful Yelena, throwing themselves in circumstances unbecoming of a married woman. Into the mix is Vanya's niece, Sonya who lives in a lonely love with doctor Astrov. With the demise of characters and the estate at risk, our characters desperately attempt to navigate the tough terrain ahead of them.

Although the solstice doesn't officially appear for another week or so, the summer opera clock is already ticking. There's a plethora of performances going on all over New York City, in addition to interesting, entertaining and fascinating productions that are just a hop, skip and jump away. Among them: Lincoln Center's Lincoln Center Festival and Mostly Mozart and On Site Opera's West Village venue, to the more bucolic realms of Bard SummerScape in Dutchess County (NY) for Mascagni and Caramoor in Katonah (NY) for Rossini and Beethoven.