Lauren Van Hemert - Page 5

At what concert can you hear music from both Young the Giant and Olivia Newton-John?  The LM/DC Tour featuring former "Glee" stars Lea Michele and Darren Criss. Michele and Criss kicked off the second leg of their tour this week. This weekend they play both the Durham Performing Arts Center and Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte. A youthful energy erupted when Michele and Criss took the stage at DPAC Friday night. They opened the show with "Broadway Baby," followed by two more Broadway popular showtune duets, "Suddenly, Seymour" and "Falling Slowly." Michele opened her solo set with "Cannonball" and "Battlefield" two songs from her first album "Louder." She continued singing fan favorites from "Glee" and paid homage to Lady Gaga and Pink, but it was "Don't Rain on My Parade," a song most recognizably sung by Barbra Streisand, that brought the audience to a standing ovation.

According to Mo Gaffney, she and Kathy Najimy still think they are the funniest people on the planet. And if the play PARALLEL LIVES is any indication, they just might be. Najimy and Gaffney (better known as Kathy and Mo) first performed PARALLEL LIVES, a series of comedy sketches they penned about women, in 1983 at The Old Town Theatre in San Diego. Six years later, they opened the show off-Broadway and in 1991, PARALLEL LIVES became an HBO special. PARALLEL LIVES opens this weekend at Burning Coal Theatre as part of The Women's Theatre Festival. In this production, the roles originated by Gaffney and Najimy are being played by the Keith Liles and Emily Levinstone. While there is no through-line to PARALLEL LIVES per se, the common thread that ties these sketches together is one of acceptance and fundamental human rights, strikingly contemporary and relevant themes for a piece first performed over 30 years ago. And although some of the sketches work better than others, and the play runs long at just over two hours, there is enough thought-provoking funny material to make PARALLEL LIVES worthy of a girl's, err should I say women's, night out.

PIPPIN is the story of a young prince trying to find the meaning of life. Pippin's struggle to find out where he fits into the world is not unlike the 38 middle school and high school students performing in North Carolina Theatre Conservatory's production, which opens July 6th at the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in Downtown Raleigh. The students are part of the conservatory's Master Summer Theatre Arts School (STAS), one of the flagship pre-professional training programs of North Carolina Theatre. 'Pippin never finds anything fulfilling until he finally realizes he never had to go anyplace further than his own backyard to find what he was looking for,' says Director Tito Hernandez, who has been teaching at the conservatory for 18 years. 'It has a closure at the end and the message that you can search all over you want, but the happiness has to be within.' Hernandez first saw PIPPIN after it opened on Broadway in 1972, under the direction of Bob Fosse. But he says, this production is closer to the 2013 Tony Award-winning revival, including the circus choreography, acrobatics, and extended ending. And Hernandez, a dance veteran himself having made his Broadway debut in JEROME ROBBINS' BROADWAY, is no stranger to Fosse's artistry. In fact, he participated in a tribute event to Fosse before the legendary choreographer passed away and had the opportunity to meet him, work with his associates, and perform his choreography. PIPPIN runs July 6-8 at A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater at The Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

This week, Lea Michele hits the road for the second leg of her LM/DC tour with "Glee" co-star Darren Criss. The duo is scheduled to play the Durham Performing Arts Center on June 30th, and Michele says audiences can expect a fantastic show full of surprises. "Obviosly we sing some of our most popular songs from 'Glee' as well as songs that we just love from outside of the show, from Broadway, or maybe from some of our personal records that we've released, but we also tell a lot of stories, and I think that's what fans have loved the most," Michele says. Once the second leg of the tour is over, Michele, who is newly engaged to AYR clothing president Zandy Reich, is looking forward to taking the rest of the summer off but says she is also hoping to grow the tour with Criss overseas.

It's been a busy week for Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth. First, she hosted the Banff World Media Festival's Rockie Awards, where she ingeniously sang 'Bring Him Home' accompanied by Robert Greenblatt, Chairman of NBC. Then she hosted the Kristin Chenoweth Broadway Bootcamp in her hometown of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a cause for good, she couldn't be prouder of. 'If I can be of any inspiration at all to the younger generation and after that and after that and after that, then I feel like I am doing what I'm supposed to do,' she adds. 'And it blesses me, as much as I hope they are blessed.' Chenoweth is preparing for two upcoming concerts in Boone and Asheville and says audiences in Western Carolina can expect to hear an eclectic mix of music. 'I think people can expect a little bit of everything, which with my taste, that seems about right,' she says. 'I'm really living in the world of Don Henley lately, and of course Dolly Parton, that's my favorite, so there will be Don Henley and Dolly Parton, new stuff, not stuff I've done before.' 'I do really enjoy the concert work because I get to sing what I want to sing,' she adds. 'I enjoy taking the audience on a ride.' Chenoweth will be performing at The Schaeffer Center for the Performing Arts on August 4th and at The US Cellular Center in Asheville October 7th.

You are cordially invited to Theatre in the Park (TIP) for the wedding of Brian Howard and Rebecca Steinberg.  But before you pop the cork on that bottle of champagne, or dance the Hora, the bride and groom might have something to share. IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU opened on Broadway in 2015, after a 2011 run at The George Street Theater Playhouse in New Jersey, where it was the highest-grossing production in the theater's 40-year history. And that's because although the musical rom-com is somewhat hokey and formulaic, it is also very funny. TIP's cast effortlessly sing their way through Barbara Anselmi and Brian Hargrove's catchy and cheery score. But it's the standout comedic performances that make TIP's production work. Ultimately, IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU is about family and the craziness that ensues when you bring two families from different backgrounds together through wedded bliss. And judging by the glowing response of the audience opening night, TIP's walk down the aisle is sure to be the social event of its season.

Always a bridesmaid, never the bride… or so the old saying goes. But what happens when all the bridesmaids become brides and the gay best friend is left quite literally standing alone? That's the premise of Joshua Harmon's smart, funny and poignant play SIGNIFICANT OTHER. Harmon's play premiered off-Broadway in 2015 and was billed as one of the top ten productions that year by The New York Times. It opened for a limited run on Broadway in 2017, marking Harmon's Broadway debut. This week SIGNIFICANT OTHER marks the second production in Theatre Raleigh's Summer Series at The Kennedy Theatre. Harmon, as a millennial himself, truly has his finger on the pulse of the 20-something generation, which makes this play completely engaging for the under 30 crowd. But the questions posed by Harmon's script and the fear of being alone are ageless and will appeal to all audiences. The bottom line is SIGNIFICANT OTHER is one invitation worth RSVPing to.

In the opening scene of PARALLEL LIVES, two Supreme Beings plan the beginning of the world with the relish of two slightly sadistic suburban wives decorating a living room. From this moment, the audience is whisked through a series of skits that catapult them into the outrageous universe of comediennes Kathy Najimy and Maureen (Mo) Gaffney. Najimy and Gaffney first performed PARALLEL LIVES in 1983 at The Old Town Theatre in San Diego. Six years later, they opened the show off-Broadway at The Westside Theatre in New York and in 1991, PARALLEL LIVES became an HBO special. Later this month, Emily Levinstone and Keith Liles step into Kathy and Mo's shoes for the opening of PARALLEL LIVES at Burning Coal Theatre as part of the North Carolina Women's Theatre Festival. Judy Long, who is making her Raleigh directorial debut, says the show covers themes that are relevant today as they were 35 years ago, including women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and acceptance. Gaffney and Long opened up about the relevancy of PARALLEL LIVES 35 years later.

What do you get when you cross a grief-stricken mother, a bomb-making daughter, a crazy cat lady for an aunt, an apartment mourning for better days, and an apparition manifesting himself in the form of Justin Timberlake and Harrison Ford? Sheila Callaghan's play CRUMBLE (LAY ME DOWN, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE), which is the first installment of The Women's Theatre Festival's (WTF's) third season. There is something comedic, poignant, and unexpected about CRUMBLE, which makes it a valiant start to WTF's 'Women as Heroes' third season. The show runs through June 24th at Burning Coal Theatre.

Raleigh Little Theatre's Don't Dress for Dinner is a comic romp about marriage, infidelity, and alibis gone awry. Bernard (Rob Jenkins) is planning a romantic weekend with his mistress (A.C. Donohue) in his charming converted French farmhouse, while his wife, Jacqueline (Jenny Anglum), is away. He has arranged for a Cordon Bleu cook (Tara Nicole Williams) to prepare dinner and has invited his best friend Robert (Michael Parker), along to provide a cover story. What ensues is a French farce that at times borders on the ridiculous but is sustained by the comic timing of the cast who masterfully work their way through the rhythm of Marc Camoletti's wordy script. Jenkins and Parker channel their inner Laurel and Hardy as the bumbling Bernard and affected Robert, while the over-the-top performances and physical comedy of Donohue, Anglum, and Williams are on point for this type of material. Runs through June 24th at Raleigh Little Theatre.

Broadway Veteran Julia Murney is stepping out of her comfort zone and into the director's chair to direct Theatre Raleigh's production of Joshua Harmon's play Significant Other. Murney sat down with me to discuss Significant Other, life of an actor, and what's next. Significant Other opens June 13th and runs through June 24th at The Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information visit www.theatreraleigh.com.

This week, The Women's Theatre Festival opens its third season, Women Are Heroes, with Sheila Callaghan's Crumble (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake). 'I think it is one of the hardest plays I've ever worked on in terms of how to describe it to an outsider,' says Director Kayla M. Kaufman, who is making her Raleigh directorial debut. 'It centers around the relationship between Clara and Janice, a mother and a daughter, who a year ago, lost the father of the family who died in a calamity.' 'So fast forward a year and everything is crumbling, nothing is going well,' she adds. 'Mother is trying to pull it together to be strong enough for Janice. Janice thinks that she is going to solve everything by building a bomb. Barbara, the sister of Clara, is trying to care for her 57 cats but also her stressed out sister. Harrison Ford and Justin Timberlake are flying in through the window. And of course, the apartment, who is obviously a character, is trying to murder everyone.' Crumble opens June 8th at Burning Coal Theatre.

The Tony Award-winning SPRING AWAKENING begs the question: 'How will we know what to do if our parents won't tell us?' The provocative show, which opened June 1st, closes out North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre's (NRACT) 2017-2018 season. Adapted from Frank Wedekind's 1890 play 'Spring's Awakening A Children's Tragedy,' the musical tells the story of a group of teenagers coming of age and sexual awakening amid a repressive German society. More than a century after Wedekind's play was first performed, the themes of SPRING AWAKENING, including that of sexuality, rape, abuse, incest, abortion, homosexuality, and suicide, are as relevant today as ever, which is why NRACT's Director Tim Locklear felt this was an important story to tell. Billed for mature audiences due to content and brief nudity, NRACT's SPRING AWAKENING holds a mirror up to the way in which we communicate with and listen to each other, especially our children, a haunting lesson that will linger long after the final bow.

Backstage the walls at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) boast a who's who of A-list stars. That's because every act, from Robin Williams to Rob Lowe, who has performed at DPAC from the time the theater opened its doors in 2008, has signed the hallowed halls. And the celebrities aren't the only ones who have left their mark. Every national touring production since Rent opened at DPAC in January 2009 has 'tagged' the walls with a painted logo. In 2011, the national touring production of Shrek painted the first 'mimic' logo, which has become a DPAC wall tag tradition ever since. The mimic wall tags appropriate logos from other shows. For example, the School of Rock wall tag is reminiscent of the poster from The Sound of Music and The Sound of Music company painted a mimic logo reminiscent of The Book of Mormon. At DPAC, several floors backstage are covered with wall tags and signatures, but according to Jacob Holland, DPAC's Membership Manager, there are still empty walls to be painted. Holland says the public can see the wall tags during one of DPAC's monthly behind-the-scenes tours.

North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre (NRACT) is closing out their 2017-2018 season with the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening. NRACT Artistic Director Tim Locklear says although the show is controversial and for mature audiences only, due to the subject matter and brief nudity, Spring Awakening is as relevant as ever. Spring Awakening was also the subject of this season's NBC series Rise. 'For people who watched the TV show and didn't know about the musical, it breathes new life into the show,' says Locklear. 'But Spring Awakening is one of those shows that has a following, along with shows like Rent and Hair.' Read more about what Locklear has to say about Spring Awakening and hear what the cast has to say about NRACT's upcoming production.

If it is the secret of happiness you seek, you might look no further than The Kennedy Theatre in Downtown Raleigh where Theatre Raleigh's production of 'Daddy Long Legs' opened last night. Based on the 1912 novel by Jean Webster, the two-actor musical 'Daddy Long Legs' is the coming-of-age story of Jerusha Abbott, the oldest orphan in The John Grier Home. Jerusha's life is forever changed when a mysterious unknown benefactor, who calls himself Mr. Smith, decides to send her to college. His nine-point plan 'for the further education of Jerusha Abbott' includes she write him one letter every month, which he will not read nor respond to. Over the next four years, Jerusha finds her spirit, voice, happiness, and love in the arms of Jervis Pendleton, who may have a secret of his own. 'Daddy Long Legs' is a sweet, heartfelt love story in the spirit of Miklos Laszlo's 1937 play 'Parfumerie,' which inspired the movies 'The Shop Around the Corner' and 'You've Got Mail.' And who knows, perhaps Theatre Raleigh's production may even inspire you to pen a love letter of your own.

Broadway Veteran Jennifer Leigh Warren is reprising her role as The Blues Singer in North Carolina Theatre's 'A Night With Janis Joplin.' She played the role in the first and second national tour and spoke to me about the blues, Janis Joplin, and what's next. 'A Night With Janis Joplin' runs through May 20th at The Fletcher Opera Theatre. For more information, visit www.nctheatre.com.

If the Triangle Rising Stars showcase is any indication, the future of musical theater is bright. On Tuesday night, 20 students representing 13 high schools across the Triangle and beyond performed at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) as part of the 2018 Triangle Rising Stars program. compete at The Jimmy Awards. This year, Mya Ison won the award for Best Actress. Ison won for her portrayal of Sarah in Enloe High School's production of Ragtime. She is graduating this June and plans to attend Boston University in the fall. Sterling Jones won the award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Gaston in Broughton High School's production of Beauty and the Beast. Jones is a rising senior and plans to attend the University North Carolina School of the Arts next year. In addition to Ison and Jones, Cary High School won the Best Ensemble Award for their production of The Secret Garden. Enloe High School won the Marchael Bayne Award for Best Musical for their production of Ragtime. Both schools received $1000 for their drama programs.

Playwright and performer Taylor Mac once said: "Theater reminds an audience of the things they've forgotten, dismissed, or buried or that others have buried for them. It unearths. It brings the conversation you aren't having with yourself into the room." Such is the case with Raleigh Little Theatre's world premiere ensemble version of Blood Done Sign My Name. The play by Mike Wiley, adapted from the memoir by Timothy Tyson, looks the "brutal history" of Oxford, NC in the eye during a time when the quaint town became a battleground for racial equity and social justice. Just as Hamilton informed how people have come to understand American History, Wiley's Blood Done Sign My Name moves audiences to face North Carolina's past in a way that is palatable, accessible, and thought-provoking, which is good, because this is one history lesson you don't want to miss.

Gone are the days of the magic wand, rabbit, and top hat. Instead, THE ILLUSIONISTS LIVE FROM BROADWAY delivers a balanced mix of mind readers, escape artists, sleight-of-hand and disappearing acts to the stage. The standout of the show is Forensic Mind Reader Colin Cloud (aka The Deductionist). Cloud opens the show and returns in the second act to deliver a mind-bending performance that mesmerizes the audience, just as he did the judges on last season's 'America's Got Talent.' The producers of 'The Illusionists' should give him more stage time, as his performance alone is worth the price of admission, cementing his place as the face of a 'new generation of magicians" (although he is more entertainer and comedian than a magician per se).