BWW Review: EDWARD ALBEE'S AT HOME AT THE ZOO Perfectly Combines Two One-Acts and Signing/Speaking Actors
EDWARD ALBEE'S AT HOME AT THE ZOO combines Albee's groundbreaking 1959 short play The Zoo Story with his acclaimed prequel Homelife, written in 2004. Together these short plays tell a more complete story of publishing executive Peter, his wife Ann, and Jerry, the volatile stranger Peter meets in the park. The production marks the first major Albee production in Los Angeles since the 2016 passing of the legendary American Playwright, with Coy Middlebrook directing a cast that includes deaf and hearing actors working in perfect unison.
The Wallis and Deaf West Theatre Join Forces Once Again for EDWARD ALBEE'S AT HOME AT THE ZOO
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Deaf West Theatre (DWT), the performing arts organizations behind the Tony Award-nominated and Ovation Award-winning revival of Spring Awakening, reunite to bring multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo to life in an innovative and new production. Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo begins previews on March 7 and will open in the Lovelace Studio Theater at The Wallis on Friday, March 10. It will run through March 26. This production is made possible by the generous support of Meeghan and Michael Nemeroff.
Signs of the Times- A History of SPRING AWAKENING's Deaf West Theatre on Broadway and Beyond!
'Theatre for the deaf? On Broadway?' It's a question that many theatre fans have asked since July 7, when official word came that Deaf West Theatre's production of Spring Awakening would land on Broadway this fall. The upcoming production, which will run September 8 through January 9 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, will sound the same to fans of the 2006 Tony-winning musical, but it will be performed simultaneously in American Sign Language by a cast of 27.
Wait...what? That's right- this production, which marks the first Broadway revival of the show since it closed in 2009, comes complete with ASL, and though the concept seems revolutionary, this is far from the first time that it has been done (and has worked). Let's review:
BWW Reviews: Ideas Pop at Dog & Pony DC's TOAST
Toast playfully explores innovation, technology, crowd-sourcing and the very roots of inspiration. You don't 'see' a show at dog & pony dc, you become part of it. Dog & pony is committed to "Audience Integration" or participatory theatre - that means when you attend a show you are intimately knit into all that is unfolding. Dog & pony takes great delight in shattering the fourth wall that supposedly separates actors and audience. The Toast ensemble actively engages everyone in the room - questioning, touching, nudging, mumbling, seeking a reaction.
Photo Flash: Marlee Matlin Visits Deaf West and The Fountain's CYRANO Opening Night
The excitement of last weekend's opening night performance of Cyrano by Stephen Sachs, a co-production between The Fountain Theatre and Deaf West Theatre, was given an added thrill by the attendance of film/TV actress Marlee Matlin. Matlin is a longtime supporter and patron of Deaf West, and she starred in the CBS television movie version of Sachs' 1997 play Sweet Nothing in my Ear, which also premiered at the Fountain. See photos of Matlin with the cast below!
Photo Flash: The Fountain and Deaf West Theatre's CYRANO, 4/28-6/10
What is the true language of love? The Fountain Theatre and Deaf West Theatre collaborate on the world premiere of 'Cyrano,' a modern day, re-imagined signed/spoken version of the classic 'Cyrano de Bergerac' is performed in ASL and English, April 28-June 10. See photos from the production below!
Fountain and Deaf West Theaters Present Premiere of Signed CYRANO, 4/20
The Fountain Theatre and Deaf West Theatre present the world premiere of a modern day classic romance, a re-imagined signed/spoken version of "Cyrano de Bergerac." CYRANO, written by Fountain Theatre co-artistic director Stephen Sachs (Bakersfield Mist) and directed by Simon Levy, opens at The Fountain Theatre on April 28, with previews beginning April 20.
Fountain and Deaf West Theaters Present Premiere of Signed CYRANO, 4/20
The Fountain Theatre and Deaf West Theatre present the world premiere of a modern day classic romance, a re-imagined signed/spoken version of "Cyrano de Bergerac." CYRANO, written by Fountain Theatre co-artistic director Stephen Sachs (Bakersfield Mist) and directed by Simon Levy, opens at The Fountain Theatre on April 28, with previews beginning April 20.
TV: 'FLIPPIN' With CTG & Deaf West's PIPPIN: Part Two
BroadwayWorld gave the cast of Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre's production of 'Pippin' a FLIP video camera and then set them free backstage during rehearsals as they prepared for opening night on January 25th and beyond!
Photo Flash: PIPPIN at LA's Market Taper Forum
The Los Angeles cast of Pippin includes Michael Arden, Jonah Blechman, Dan Callaway, Bryan Terrell Clark, Nicolas Conway, Rodrick Covington, James Royce Edwards, TL Forsberg, Sara Gettelfinger, Tyrone Giordano, Harriet Harris, Rebecca Ann Johnson, Troy Kotsur, Jose F. Lopez, Jr., John McGinty, Anthony Natale, Aleks Pevec, Victoria Platt, Ty Taylor, Nikki Tomlinson, Melissa Van Der Schyff and Alexandria Wailes. Tony Award winning, the musical is composed by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell) and is directed by Jeff Calhoun. Deaf West Theatre is best known to Los Angeles audiences for their CTG productions of Big River, at the Taper and Sleeping Beauty Wakes at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
LA Times: Original 'Leading Player' Vereen Cheers on PIPPIN at The Mark Taper
Ben Vereen earned a Tony Award for his singing and dancing in Pippin, and while his vast and celebrated career has taken him far beyond those early days of that Fosse hit, his heart will always belong to the stage. Vereen was there for the opening night of the CTG and Deaf West Theatre production of Pippin at the Mark Taper Forum. He spoke to the Los Angeles Time about performing in the original Broadway mounting, and how much the show still matters to the audience...and him. Vereen explained to the LA Times that 'Pippin' holds an undeniably central spot in his heart. 'Well, first of all, it got me a Tony,' he said with a loud laugh that echoed outside the theater minutes before the opening night curtain. 'It was also an honor to work with Bob Fosse. There was nothing more rewarding.'
Photo Coverage: 'Pippin' Opens at Taper in LA
The Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre opened Pippin at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles January 25. Composer Stephen Schwartz and original cast members Ben Vereen and John Rubenstein joined in on the celebration.
PIPPIN Kicks Off The Mark Taper Forum's 2009 Season 1/25
Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre's production of 'Pippin' opens the Mark Taper Forum's 2009 season on Sunday, January 25, at 6:30 p.m. Both deaf and hearing actors sign and sing the magical musical comedy with book by Roger O. Hirson and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun, 'Pippin' continues performances through March 15.
'Pippin' is the captivating coming of age story about a young man's search for meaning in his life, as told by a lively band of troubadours in the Roman Empire. The episodic quest of Pippin, the son of the powerful Charlemagne, takes him through battlefields, orgies, revolution, and finally, love and domesticity, as he tries to find a place for his 'spirit to run free,' for his 'corner of the sky.' This production interweaves music, voice, American Sign Language and dance, and combines powerful storytelling techniques from both hearing and deaf cultures.
The cast includes (in alphabetical order) Michael Arden, Jonah Blechman, Dan Callaway, Bryan Terrell Clark, Nicolas Conway, Rodrick Covington, James Royce Edwards, TL Forsberg, Sara Gettelfinger, Tyrone Giordano, Harriet Harris, Rebecca Ann Johnson, Troy Kotsur, Jos? F. Lopez, Jr., John McGinty, Anthony Natale, Aleks Pevec, Victoria Platt, Ty Taylor, Nikki Tomlinson, Melissa van der Schyff and Alexandria Wailes.
TV: 'FLIPPIN' With CTG & Deaf West's PIPPIN: Part One
BroadwayWorld gave the cast of Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre's production of 'Pippin' a FLIP video camera and then set them free backstage during rehearsals as they prepared for opening night on January 25th. This production interweaves music, voice, American Sign Language and dance, and combines powerful storytelling techniques from both hearing and deaf cultures. BWW TV is proud to bring you this very special video feature, stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon! 'Pippin' opens the Mark Taper Forum's 2009. Both deaf and hearing actors sign and sing the magical musical comedy with book by Roger O. Hirson and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun, 'Pippin' continues performances through March 15. 'Pippin' is the captivating coming of age story about a young man's search for meaning in his life, as told by a lively band of troubadours in the Roman Empire. The episodic quest of Pippin, the son of the powerful Charlemagne, takes him through battlefields, orgies, revolution, and finally, love and domesticity, as he tries to find a place for his 'spirit to run free,' for his 'corner of the sky.' This production interweaves music, voice, American Sign Language and dance, and combines powerful storytelling techniques from both hearing and deaf cultures.
PIPPIN Kicks Off The Mark Taper Forum's 2009 Season 1/25
Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre's production of 'Pippin' opens the Mark Taper Forum's 2009 season on Sunday, January 25, at 6:30 p.m. Both deaf and hearing actors sign and sing the magical musical comedy with book by Roger O. Hirson and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun, 'Pippin' continues performances through March 15.
'Pippin' is the captivating coming of age story about a young man's search for meaning in his life, as told by a lively band of troubadours in the Roman Empire. The episodic quest of Pippin, the son of the powerful Charlemagne, takes him through battlefields, orgies, revolution, and finally, love and domesticity, as he tries to find a place for his 'spirit to run free,' for his 'corner of the sky.' This production interweaves music, voice, American Sign Language and dance, and combines powerful storytelling techniques from both hearing and deaf cultures.
The cast includes (in alphabetical order) Michael Arden, Jonah Blechman, Dan Callaway, Bryan Terrell Clark, Nicolas Conway, Rodrick Covington, James Royce Edwards, TL Forsberg, Sara Gettelfinger, Tyrone Giordano, Harriet Harris, Rebecca Ann Johnson, Troy Kotsur, Jos? F. Lopez, Jr., John McGinty, Anthony Natale, Aleks Pevec, Victoria Platt, Ty Taylor, Nikki Tomlinson, Melissa van der Schyff and Alexandria Wailes.
Photo Coverage: MUSICAL MONDAYS with Stephen Schwartz
STEVEN SCHWARTZ is, of course, one of the most important composers and lyricists for musical theatre and musical films working today, with an amazing career of stellar achievements. He has been nominated for six Academy Awards and the winner of three. His credits include the animated features Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as last year's smash Enchanted and DreamWorks' first animated feature, The Prince of Egypt. Alongside his film work, Schwartz' incredibly successful stage productions include Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show and the worldwide phenomenon WICKED.