Elliot Lanes - Page 9

Towards the end of the musical A Chorus Line, the director/choreographer asks of his auditioning dancers 'What are you going to do when you can't dance anymore?' The COVID-19 outbreak has affected everybody without question. Social distancing, face masks, and quarantining ourselves have become the 'new normal.' It's anything but that!

A few days ago Senator Bernie Sanders was kind enough to record a public service announcement for Broadway World for which we were greatly honored. 

On Wednesday Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont ended his second election bid to become President of the United States.  Since he is no longer having to campaign. Broadway World was able to have Mr. Sanders record the following public service announcement as an exclusive to our website.

With everything shut down due to the pandemic do you find yourself looking for an innovative and affordable way to get your theatre fix? Have you ever wanted to take a theatre class taught by a top DC theatre artist but thought that you couldn't afford one? Well, my favorite DC area arts education institution has found a way to solve both of these issues while you are cooped up in your home practicing social distancing and binge watching whatever one binge watches.

Today's subject was kind enough to give me an hour of his time in the balcony of the place he lived his theatre life for almost 40 years.  I'm sure there isn't a person here in DC who would argue that Howard Shalwitz was one of the most influential minds in the DC theatre community as the Artistic Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Under Shalwitz, Woolly Mammoth produced some of the most thought provoking, wild, and sometimes shocking pieces of theatre this area has ever seen. Shalwitz stepped down in 2018 and the company is now run by Maria Manuela Goyanes. Mr. Shalwitz remains as Artistic Director Emeritus.

Today's subject Jennifer Elizabeth Smith is currently living her theatre life touring the country in Bandstand in which she portrays the lead character of Julia Trojan. The show plays here is DC at the National Theatre from March 3rd through 8th.

With very few exceptions stage musicals based off of comic books and horror movies are never truly successful. You're a Good Man Charlie Brown and Little Shop of Horrors are two very rare examples where those genres succeeded commercially.

As a reviewer you generally find something wrong with a production no matter how much you enjoy it. Signature Theatre's latest World Premiere Musical Gun & Powder is a rare breed of show because it is literally a perfect theatrical experience. Under the fantastic direction of Robert O'Hara it features a superb cast, a compelling story, and possibly one of the best new scores of the season to be heard here or anywhere else.

Today's subject Marva Hicks is currently living her theatre life onstage at Signature Theatre in the World Premiere Musical Gun & Powder. The production runs through February 23rd in Signature's MAX Theatre space. You'll be able to see my review of the show on Broadway World soon. Trust me it will be worth the wait.

Today's column starts with some questions for you my fellow readers. Have you ever thought about how theatres get audiences to attend their productions? Generally the first thing you might see after a season is announced is what's known as a press release for each individual production. Have you ever wondered who puts out that information?

Everyone once in a while a project is announced that basically sounds fool proof. The latest entry into Kennedy Center's Broadway Center Stage series Next to Normal is definitely one of those projects.

Today's subject Justin Weaks is currently living his theatre life onstage at Studio Theatre where he plays Omari Joseph in the company's current production of Pipeline. The production runs through February 23rd in Studio's Mead Theatre space.

Today's subject John Bell is currently living his theatre life as the musical director for the Bartlett Sher directed touring production of My Fair Lady which plays in the Opera House at the Kennedy Center now through January 19th.

Today's subject Corey Greenan is currently living his theatre life in a show he is very familiar with. He portrays Tommy DeVito in the current National Tour of Jersey Boys. Read on to see how many performances of the show he has under his belt. The show is currently playing at the National Theatre and will continue there through Jan 5 2020.

As a reviewer you hear lots of advance hype about a particular show or performer before having your own experience. Much of the time the hype doesn't live up to the end product. Selling over 90 million recordings opera singer Andrea Bocelli was definitely one of those performers who I had heard a lot about before seeing him perform live at Capital One Arena. I of course was familiar with some of his recordings but nothing prepared me for what I was about to witness. Here is a case where the hype not only lived up to the end product it exceeded it at least twenty fold. Bocelli stepped out onstage and flat out held around 20,000 concertgoers spellbound with his ringing tenor in a concert that included some of the most beautiful arias ever written.

Today's subject Ted Sperling is very well represented this holiday season here in DC. He is the Musical Director/New Orchestrator for Fiddler on the Roof which plays through December 15th at the National Theatre. Beginning December 17th his work as Musical Supervisor can be heard on My Fair Lady at Kennedy Center. That show runs through Jan 19th.

Today's subject Diana Huey is currently living her Theatre Life at Studio Theatre where she is giving a shattering (literally) performance as Built Suttikul in White Pearl. The production runs through December 15th.

Today's subject Jenn Rapp is making the holiday season all the more magical as the Associate Director (AD) of the international magic extravaganza The Illusionists. The show begins a DC return engagement this evening December 3rd at the National Theatre. It will play there through December 8th.

Tis the season for Santa Claus, holiday lights, people lining up at three am to get a deal on a 76 inch TV set, and of the course the perennial holiday ballet favorite by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky known as The Nutcracker.

I am often asked what my all time favorite Broadway musical is. I always reply A Chorus Line. I consider it to be a perfect musical in every way. The show's original director/choreographer Michael Bennett captured the heart and soul of the dancer so beautifully in what I consider to be his masterwork. Marvin Hamlisch's music and Edward Kleban's lyrics were and still are one of the most inventive theatre scores ever written. James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante's book (based off of taped interviews of Broadway dancers conducted by Bennett) frame the songs to sheer perfection. Paul's monologue in the show is actually based on Dante's true story.