Celebrated bubble artists, Guinness World Record holder, and star of the log running Off- Broadway Hit The Gazillion Bubble Show, Melody Yang will be featured in the third season of the upcoming award-winning Amazon series “Mozart In the Jungle” beginning December 9, 2016
In the third season of Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle, a musicians’ strike forces the fictional New York Symphony to rent out its theater to a children’s spectacle, involving lots and lots of bubbles. “Everyone loves bubbles,” the symphony’s president, Gloria (Bernadette Peters), says.
That spectacle in “Mozart in the Jungle” is The Gazillion Bubble Show and one of its stars Melody Yang. Now entering its 10th year in NYC, The Gazillion Bubble Show fun-filled family affair that will amaze you, it creates an interactive bubble world that dazzles the audience with spellbinding lasers, spectacular lighting effects, and jaw-dropping masterpieces of bubble artistry including a bubble winter wonderland. It will make you smile, laugh, and feel like a kid all over again! Enchanting, exciting, and downright unbubblievable, The Gazillion Bubble Show is unlike anything you have ever seen before.
Melody Yang is a performer and artist of Soap bubbles. She was born in a small town north of Serbia known as Ruma and moved to Toronto Canada at the age of 3. Since then she has been traveling the world for the past 20 years performing the beauty of soap bubbles combining art, science and entertainment. Born into a family of performers her mother, Ana Yang and father Fan Yang began as street performers traveling across Europe performing juggling, magic, bubbles and even martial arts acts since the 1980s.
Melody has performed in various TV Shows, competitions and prestigious theaters around the world. Her first live appearance was at the age of three (3) in Italy on the “Rai I Network” with her brother Deni. She fascinated millions of viewer across Europe. That was the beginning of what would eventually brought Melody’s international acclaim at Monte Carlo International Circus Festival in 1997.
Melody has toured the globe with her spectacular bubble show and has been featured on; the Queen Latifah show, MDRT Million Dollar Round Table Conference, Istanbul’s Popular Koptu Geliyor Show, France’s Beat the Best TF1, China’s CCTV Network, Ciudad de las Ideas International Festival of Brilliant Minds and followed by numerous appearances around the world in USA, Canada, Europe and Asia.
Upon purchase of your ticket, you are invited to one of Jay Gatsby’s infamous parties. As invites go, this is the hottest ticket in town. A world of red-hot rhythms, bootleg liquor, and pure jazz age self-indulgence awaits. Spend the evening dancing, gossiping and clinking glasses with Nick Carraway, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and the perfect host, Mr. Jay Gatsby himself. The champagne flows and the drama unfolds. Dress to the nines and join this heart racing, immersive theatrical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic tale direct from London after 7 years of sold-out performances.
Welcome back to the roaring twenties!
The Great Gatsby is finally coming to its spiritual home in New York. Dark, hedonistic, literary, and theatrical, this immersive telling of one of the world’s greatest novels brings audiences closer to Jay Gatsby’s opulent world than ever before.
Following a record-breaking seven year run in the UK, Immersive Everywhere’s critically acclaimed immersive production of The Great Gatsby, will make its New York debut at The Gatsby Mansion at the Park Central Hotel New York (870 Seventh Avenue).
The party starts as soon as you arrive.
The Gatsby Mansion at the Park Central Hotel New York space has been transformed into a new interactive theatrical venue. With its own separate entrance on 55th Street and Seventh Avenue, visitors will enter immediately into Gatsby’s Mansion. A complete renovation covering over 16,000 square feet of the Park Central Hotel New York ballroom space will deliver audiences into a fully immersive and enthralling world of music, darks stories and wonder from the world of Jay Gatsby.
“Immersive” means that the environment is designed to deliver an all-encompassing experience; from the moment you enter Gatsby’s Mansion, you will feel like you have been transported back to the roaring 1920’s. You may have the opportunity to follow the other guests into smaller rooms and spaces, with Mr. Gatsby himself, if you are so lucky! You need only interact as much as you are comfortable to – if you prefer to observe from the side-lines, please do. In fact, Mr. Gatsby often enjoys doing exactly that himself! 1920s dress code is encouraged but not compulsory.
Tickets are $99 plus tax and you can get them here.
“Always look on the bright side of life“, that’s what they sing, so enthusiastically to all of us, with automatic head-bobbings from one joyous side to another in happy unison, and inside Stratford Festival‘s magnificent production of Monty Python’s Spamalot, there really is no other way to go. It’s deliciously fun and utterly ridiculous, as any Monty Python engagement should ultimately be, with stellar comedic performances riding in most delightfully to the sound of coconut shells banging together with determination by those that follow. Within seconds, after our surprising side trip to Finland, all hesitations are entirely washed away by the utter skillful hilarity of all involved. Purposefully directed with sharp clever focus by Lezlie Wade (La Jolla/Broadway’s Jesus Christ Superstar), the quest for extreme merriment is “steady and over we go” inside the Avon Theatre in Stratford, Ontario as it is achieved wholeheartedly at every turn of phrase. And that is something no “doubting Dennis” will argue about.
From left – Aidan DeSalaiz, Liam Tobin, Jonathan Goad, Eddie Glen, Aaron Krohn and Josh Doig in Monty Python’s Spamalot. Stratford Festival 2023. Photo by David Hou.
Ripped expertly off from the motion picture “Monty Python and the Holy Grail“, this stunningly funny staging of the Broadway stage musical that in 2005 received 14 Tony Award nominations, winning in three categories, including Best Musical, finds its grail time and time again, delivering forth joke after silly joke with an expertise that is golden and holy. With a score by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, and lyrics and book by Idle, this superb parody of epic proportions is completely entertaining and non-stop irreverent, in the best of all possible ways. Playing parody with Arthurian legend, Spamalot leads itself in at the instruction of the Historian, played to perfection by Henry Firmston (Stratford’s Chicago). It’s all about the tale of King Arthur, hilariously well portrayed by Jonathan Goad (Stratford’s To Kill a Mockingbird) and his trusting right-hand coconut-wielding sound man, Patsy, awesomely embodied by Eddie Glen (MTC’s The 39 Steps), by his side. They are out on an expedition, searching for and trying to recruit a knightly army of men to serve and follow him. That is once we get our location settings all in order.
Now that we find ourselves (correctly) in dreary dark England, with penitent monks bashing themselves on the head to the beat of some drum, King Arthur hooves his way before us with his trusted sound man behind him, mimicking him to perfection. How do we know he’s the King? Well, “he hasn’t got shit all over him” is about the best response one could have, as the two go door to door trying to form a troupe of knights to sit at the round table in Camelot (and I must add, after watching the most recent revival of Camelot at the Lincoln Center Theatre a few months ago, this is the one I’d most like to hang out it, in spades). And as they say, whatever happens in Camelot, stays in Camelot.
Slowly but surely, they gather together this band of merry ridiculous men; Sir Robin, portrayed with song and dance in his heart by Trevor Patt (TIP’s Jersey Boys); Sir Lancelot, played tremendously (and violently) well by Aaron Krohn (Broadway’s The Lehman Trilogy); Sir Bedevere, cagedly portrayed with glee by Aidan DeSalaiz (Winter Garden’s Into the Woods); and Sir Dennis Galahad, beautifully embodied by the beautifully coifed (and very funny) Liam Tobin (Broadway’s The Book of Mormon). Even if his politically radical mother, Mrs. Galahad (DeSalaiz) is against it from the get-go. She states, most wisely, that they all must deny any king who has not been elected by the people, and therefore, Arthur has no legitimate right to rule over them. Well said. But it doesn’t really matter in the end. Just ask that Lady in the Lake, played magnificently by the oh-so-talented Jennifer Rider-Shaw (Stratford’s Chicago). She has another plan floating within her.
Sir Robin and Sir Lancelot need to navigate the Not Dead Yet Fred (Firmston) and his lively riotous number, “He Is Not Dead Yet.” Gloriously grand. But it’s Sir Galahad (and his mother) that needs to be convinced by the mighty charms and voice of the Lady of the Lake who has to prove to them that the story of Excalibur is real and true. Cheered on by the “Laker Girls Cheer“, she turns Dennis into the dashingly handsome Sir Galahad and together, they sing the most generic (and wonderfully long) Broadway love song, “The Song That Goes Like This“, complete with a falling chandelier and swampy boat ride in order to win out the day. With a grand fling of his locks, he happily joins Sir Robin and Sir Lancelot, and together with cagey Sir Bedevere and the “aptly named” Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show (Knuckle), they all set off for Camelot and the adventurous quest that leads them through this ridiculously funny skit-filled show.
If it isn’t some sentries debating whether or not one or two swallows are needed to successfully carry a coconut to this non-tropical land, or being taunted by a few lewd French soldiers high up on a wall that even an empty rabbit won’t remedy, it’s some singing and flying nuns and monks dancing the mamba that keep delivering the laughs time and time again. It’s brilliantly funny, and superbly choreographed, thanks to the work of Jesse Robb (Ogunquit’s Ragtime) and the fabulously talented ensemble. It gives and it gives in abundance, just like Rider-Shaw who keeps reappearing to remind us all of her glory. “Whatever Happened to My Part?” is the question she asks, and I couldn’t agree more because every time she steps on that stage, she brightens the moment with her wit and voice (Sweet aside, I was lucky enough to be in the Broadway audience for the first show after the 2005 Tony Awards and joined in with the standing ovation for Sara Ramirez, who just two nights prior had won the Tony Award for her portrayal of the Lady of the Lake. It was a glorious moment, one that I won’t forget.)
This “All for One” mentality wins big on a stage perfectly constructed by designer David Boechler (Stratford’s Chicago) with solid lighting by Renée Brode (Stratford’s Patience), spot-on projections by Sean Nieuwenhuis (Broadway’s Dr. Zhivago), and exacting sound by emily c. porter (Stratford’s Little Women). It shifts, shuffles, and presents found shrubbery with pizzazz throughout with some pretty magnificently funny and entertaining numbers, deftly presented by music director Laura Burton (Stratford’s You Can’t Stop the Beat), that zing and sing with exacting precision. There are some Broadway hopes that rely on finding some specifics, but one of the funniest bits revolves around Sir Lancelot who receives a stabbing letter from what he assumes to be a young damsel in distress. But it turns out, he is actually an effeminate young man by the name Prince Herbert, wonderfully portrayed by Josh Doig (Theatre Aquarius’ Hairspray) whose brutish father, the King of Swamp Castle (Tobin), is forcing him into an arranged marriage. And, even more horribly, refuses to let the boy sing and dance to his heart’s content.
As any great knight would do, Lancelot saves the young man, and then delivers a heartfelt speech about honoring his son’s gentle sensitivity. In return, Lancelot is outed as a homosexual, naturally, and the cast gyrates forward into a big wild disco dance number in celebration and acceptance of it all, and the fun we are having. “His Name Is Lancelot” is the Pride Month anthem of the show, and setting the puppet-controlled killer rabbit aside, this number, and Monty Python’s Spamalot as a whole, plays proud and hilarious to the end, thanks to its ridiculous roots and its perfect placement. After pondering the final stoney clue, with Arthur admitting that they’re all “a bit stumped“, God points it all out, rewarding the holder with a small trophy and a Polaroid photo. The grail is found, finally, and the marriage mamba can begin. We all rise in celebration, and join in with the welcomed repeat of the glorious “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” feeling completely entertained, overjoyed, and emptied of every laugh one could possibly have had inside their happy head.
For more go to frontmezzjunkies.com
“It smells of mortality,” this King Lear, as the Stratford Police Pipes and Drums parade us into the opening night of the Stratford Festival in beautiful Stratford, Ontario. I must admit freely that I was thrilled. To be invited to all the openings of this world-renowned Festival is a dream, and I couldn’t be more thankful. Yet, I also couldn’t help but contemplate that moment in 2018, when, after watching The Royal Shakespeare Company’s King Lear at BAM, I surprised myself by thinking that I wasn’t quite sure I wanted another Lear viewing for some time coming. Don’t get me wrong. I love the play, with all its rich unfolding divisions around love, blindness, sanity, and a certain kind of madness that lies awaiting deep inside the sharp illumination of darkness and ego. Yet, this Shakespearian contemplation written with all the complexities of love, duty, and deceit intermingled is not my favorite of the bunch (honestly, I think that might be Macbeth). But it certainly isn’t my least favored either.
Yet after seeing that RSC production at BAM, which starred the incomparable Sir Antony Sher, I watched in awe as it dragged itself forward like an old Cleopatrian relic, spreading itself out slowly and ceremoniously in a way that made me slouch in my seat wishing for bed. That King never fully emotionally engaged, even with the hard-at-work Sher, one of Britain’s most esteemed classical actors, giving it his all. He enthrallingly stated in the program that once you play Lear, there’s really “nowhere else to go, Shakespeare-wise“. The part is a virtuoso solitary climb; a battle against time and importance; a “shouting at, arguing with, a storm.” And what could be better than that? It’s the ultimate human duel with the force of nature and existence, crackling with lighting and fury (as it should be). So it’s no wonder that I found myself, once again, ready and willing to engage, with this text and the trauma that is at the heart of this family breakdown.
My fingers were crossed, as the trumpets signaled us all to our seats. They beaconed us most impatiently, ushering us into the dynamic and expansive Stratford Festival‘s 2023 season with ceremonial aplomb, and I couldn’t be happier. This was the first opening of the season, and the energy of the event was electric, just as it was within those first few moments of this King Lear, with Gloucester, played captivatingly by Anthony Santiago (Citadel’s Of Mice and Men), talking uncomfortably to those men nearby about women and sex; as well as legitimacy and illegitimacy, in such degrading and callous terms. I couldn’t help but squirm inside the deafness of his speech, especially as he boasts about it all in front of his “bastard” son, Edmund, played anti-heroically by the wonderfully charming and talented Michael Blake (Arts Club’s Topdog/Underdog). No wonder Edmund has become the man he shows himself to be; to his father, and to his half-brother, Edger, played touchingly by André Sills (Stratford’s Coriolanus).
With utter diligent determination, this epic “crawl towards death” digs itself into the stark walled stage with clarity and the love of Shakespearean text. Designed with unique and compelling lines and lit boundaries by Judith Bowden (Shaw’s Desire Under the Elms), the impact from that first scene registers undeniably strong, brilliantly illuminated by sharp shards of light designed most impressively by Chris Malkowski (Shaw’s Chitra). It gives structure and significance to the geometric lines of space and power, never letting us disengage from the sanity and insanity of the form and the falling from start to finish. It truly is a brilliantly constructed visual, not exactly matched by the characters in its midst.
Parcelled in that frame, this King Lear is determined, mainly because of the casting of Paul Gross (“Slings and Arrows“; Stratford’s Hamlet) in the title role. He enters strong and vital, powerful and emotionally cut to the bone. He doesn’t look like a man ready to give up his throne, yet for some reason, he has come to this untimely decision, and I couldn’t help but lean in wondering how this will unfold. This becomes the question of the night. How will this Lear develop, giving clarity and a deeper understanding to his untimely rationale of departure and dependence? Will he let us in to see the “Why now?” that is at the heart of his King? With an impressive head of long white hair, Gross finds an engagement inside the text that delivers expressively, but maybe not entirely finding the answer. It’s smart and clear-minded, yet he doesn’t, at least in the beginning, give off an air of being “old before your time“. Yet it’s there, slowly, and with a tense heart-pounding pulse and a clutching of his chest. It lives somewhere in the pained heart; the idea that this man knows a thing or two about mortality and disease, whether conscious or not, and needs something (or someone) else to help him manage, to take hold, without the losing of his regal form, and without having to ask for it directly. Pride is a formulation that doesn’t serve this King well, and arrogance. That we all know.
The historical framework of Gross’s return to Stratford is one for celebration and excitement. And I was totally there for it from the moment I read of his casting. The construction seems sublime and timely as Gross played Hamlet on this very stage back in 2000. That appearance mimicked one of my all-time favorite television shows, the Canadian “Slings and Arrows.” The series unearthed a fascination with and an understanding of the three powerhouse roles for an actor: Hamlet, Macbeth, and, more importantly, King Lear (I would have said ‘male actor’ but I’m hoping that gender specificity is receding somewhat, especially after watching Glenda Jackson give us a Lear to remember). The television show relished over three seasons the idea of exploring the three stages of man, one per season. (If you haven’t seen this brilliant and funny look at art and commerce within the world of Shakespearean Summer Festivals, find it immediately and dig in.) Romeo and Hamlet mark the beginning of engagement, Macbeth takes on the middle years with a conflictual urgency, and King Lear, one of the greatest parts for an older actor, unleashes the madness in the grand finale. It seems Gross has decided to skip the Scottish play and run headlong into the storm that is King Lear. For that, I am intrigued. I couldn’t help but wonder, what does he have in store for us after all these years away.
As directed by Kimberley Rampersad (Shaw’s Man and Superman), the play somehow doesn’t find its way to the emotional core, seeming uncomfortable and surprisingly traditional in its unraveling of the inherent drama. It does hold some intellectual grace, and a great deal of found humor within its delivery, yet it somehow rolls in like a controlled storm without a clear unique fierce vision. Through its epic arc of realization in the face of betrayal, this production somehow struggles to clarify itself, attempting to give a darker meaning to blind needy arrogance and narcissism, yet never really unpacking its true personal ideology. It plays itself so straightforward with a direct clarity of the language, spinning the traditional yarn gracefully, but I wondered where this production’s true underlying vision lies. Or is it blindly wandering through the heath without a strong hand to guide it? I wanted a compelling vantage point to usher us through the known wild storm of Lear and into something fresh and exciting, one that matched the wild inventiveness of the stage and its structural illumination. Yet it feels flat and formulaic, even in its fine standardized telling. Don’t get me wrong, for the most part, it played itself out with a textual honoring that unpacks Lear’s slow mental decline well, even inside the youthful appearing body of the old man. But I wanted some contextual understanding that wasn’t so obvious and laid out. Something that made this Learcrackle like the storm that is coming.
The strongest symbol of its unfortunate undoing is the visual impact of the storm. Years ago, when I was in my teens, I saw a production of King Lear that helped solidify it as one of my favorite Shakespearian tragedies. It starred Peter Ustinov standing center stage at the same Festival Theatre (1980, directed by Robin Phillips), with a torrential rain and wind storm blasting him from every direction, almost ripping him apart. It was a powerful moment that stayed with me, but nowhere in this current production did I get the sense that Gross’s Lear could actually be blown to bits. The ‘rain’ did fall down on him, steady and straight, dampening his hair and his spirit, but there was no danger in it. No wind. No uncontrollable gusts. Just a steady stream of ‘rain’ that fell in a controlled small pool of light. Nothing to be afraid of here, I thought.
It has been said that Lear is somewhat of a paradox. He’s known for his wild and windy battles against the storm of dementia, but at the beginning of this tale, he feels technically sane, looking strong and centered in his proud but narcissistic insolence, even as it is clear that the stance is highly misguided. As portrayed by the compelling Gross, his almost youthful arrogance struck true, fortified by an absurd desire to hear only praise and levels of love that makes no sense. His older two “pelican daughters“, portrayed by the stern Shannon Taylor (Crow’s Uncle Vanya) as Goneril, and Déjah Dixon-Green (Grand’s The Penelopiad) as the violent secondary Regan, willing play the insincere game, showering him measurably with adoration that borders on the ridiculous. But Lear doesn’t hear that quality, he only registers the over-wrought deceptive venerations and digs his heels in with delight. The older sisters understand their father’s prideful need for idolatry, and praise him with words that are actually too grand and quite foolish in idea and theme. They stand, without any backstoried clarity (something that I blame on the interesting new play, Queen Goneril after seeing it at Soulpepper. I will always now look for hints and side glances of the problematic familial history, trauma, and the reasonings for these two older sisters’ heartless cruelty. But I wasn’t going to get that here, as the subtext wasn’t available to be seen). They are dolled up in detailed costumes designed confusingly by Michelle Bohn (CSC’s A Four Letter Word) that appear initially as somewhat symbolically bold and classical, yet unfurl and start to feel somewhat weird, haphazard, and unfocused, bringing at least one-time giggles from the audience because of one ‘funny thing happened on the way to the forum’ yellow frock. I just couldn’t understand the choices made in those sisters’ getups, just like I couldn’t fathom some of their overly melodramatic responses.
Standing in the background throughout, struggling in her own way, is the favored daughter, Cordelia, the youngest and most clear-minded, played somewhat flatly and blandly by Tara Sky (Soulpepper/Native Earth’s Where The Blood Mixes), who decidedly fails to play up to the arrogance and desperate needs of her father, the King. It’s an act of bravery, in a way, believing her unquestionable love will be seen, felt, and known by her father, but she is not, finding herself cast off, thrown away, betrayed most callously by her honesty and candor. The tides of joy turn dark, like white fluffy clouds that quickly darken and turn ominous with the changing of the wind. Dementia and madness start to blow in, and we watch as that seed takes hold and twists the King’s form and face into something quite scary, and then sad and despondent. The moment doesn’t actually fully resonate, but as she is packed off to France, we sit wondering what just happened, and why it never felt truly heart-breaking.
The Earl of Kent, played with an undetermined tone of voice and character by David W. Keeley (Stratford’s Coriolanus), attempts to stand up to the King, defending Cordelia’s public declaration of love for her father, but to no avail. He, like her, is not heard through the stubborn barriers that enclose this King. He and Cordelia are chastised and ordered away, and the two elder eager daughters take control of the kingdom, gaining power over all, including their father. Why the King doesn’t recognize Kent when he returns to serve him I can’t say. He has changed nothing about his appearance, yet we are instructed to believe, and so we shall. With some effort.
This is not going to end well for the old King, but as he brandishes his bullying privilege over Goneril and her court, we struggle to get under the skin of his or her predicament. Something about that first formulation of banishment and dismissal didn’t register in the way it somehow should have. We must almost instantly align ourselves with the discarded pair, or it seems the reformation doesn’t really stand a chance to fully emotionally engage. Cordelia is scantily only given that initial scene to connect to our collective heart, yet standing there, in her oddly fitted prom dress, our bond with her falls flat at her feet, hobbling the future traumatic undoing mainly because of this detached uneven first engagement.
Something isn’t sitting right, yet we know how this will run its course. We see it from the very beginning, and although King Lear in the hands of director Rampersad hasn’t fully captivated us or made us understand the director’s vantage point, the engaging Gross works hard to create a father and a King that is proud, argumentative, and sharp as a claw. We know, or at leastbelieve that the torturous journey through the wastelands will somehow cake his frame with mud and bruises, but somewhere along the path, we are challenged to see it, even though it never fully formulates itself strongly. His progression to his undoing staggers forward sneakily, with the wonderfully sly Fool, played with clever intuition by Gordon Patrick White (Neptune’s The Devil’s Disciple) delivering the truth through his sharply barbed tongue. It’s a wonderfully detailed deliverance, but I would have favored some more physical affection between the King and his fool, well, from anyone to be honest, as the play fails to touch and be touched with any kindness and connection, even as he derails himself against the approaching storm that never really materializes.
In the first and only subplot to be found in this Shakespearian tragedy, the bastard son Edmund (Blake) is also quite the devious and deceiving child. He orchestrates a well-thought-out and structured plot to forge mistrust between his father, the Earl of Gloucester (Santiago) and his legitimate son, Edgar (Sills). Paralleling the familial betrayal between parent and child, the deceitful Edmund finds a dark sensual stance to play out his cruel plot with ease and a coolness that registers, flying forward with heartless glee. He throws his half-brother underfoot, forcing the man to flee in a confused flurry of accusations, only to find himself later leading his blinded father through the same wasteland of distrust and deceit. Blake’s charming approach to deception is captivatingly engaging, selling the moment, even if initially Sills’ approach to Edgar doesn’t feel fully formed. At least not in those first moments. It deepens as the anguish builds.
Now both fathers find themselves caught in the storm of misguided betrayal, but both are there, wandering through the wasteland unprotected solely because of their own doing and arrogance, believing in lies and flattery, even when it goes against their better judgment. The Earl of Gloucester has also been dutifully wronged, cut down, and gruesomely gored by the same plot and ploy, but we feel we understand, at least a little, why his illegitimate son would hate him so. (It isn’t so clear why Regan would though.) The destroyed son leading his blind accuser through the wasteland is one of the more fragile and clearly intimate moments of kind compassion seen between child and father. The image elevates the pain that has been forged by the cold-hearted damaged child, Edmund. Is this what happens when mothers are not anywhere to be seen?
It is said that with Lear, you do it big, or go home. But delivering a revisitation of the compelling tale without a clear answer to the “why now?” question, both in terms of the production and the characterized stepping down of this King Lear, beyond some obviously broad strokes, becomes the central problem and obstacle. Returned from her banishment, Cordelia sits at the bedside of the found mad Lear, his sad confusion registers, but not completely. It’s painful to watch the struggle, as we know what the inability to recognize means, and what is in store for the poor upset former King as he lovingly remembers both his favorite daughter and his loyal Kent. The look is all the more engaging knowing how much he has lost out of pride and fury.
Yet when the King returns with her lifeless body, we are surprisingly not moved. The production didn’t lead us in deep enough to engage with the dark well of tragedy and sense of loss. Gross’s Lear nods himself off into death, unceremoniously, leaving us to wonder where our emotional pain and connection has gone. It’s sad that we aren’t that moved by Rampersad’s King Lear, even though it gives some insight metaphorically to the blind and foolish, especially through its diligent delivery of the text. But as a whole, it failed to sit heavy nor forcible in my heart. No tears of grief came to my eyes when the struck-down King sees the ridiculousness that lived inside his ego, and the destruction it has brought forth. And that’s a shame, as there is something clever inside Gross’s return to the stage, and his interpretation of his damaged and dying King Lear.
Broadway Dreams (Annette Tanner, Founder & President), a leading non-profit performing arts training program, is kicking off its 2023 Summer Intensive Tour “Immerse Yourself” this week in Nashville, TN. The organization is known for its unique brand of intensive musical theater training and master classes taught by the theater industry’s biggest stars and most influential creatives. The tour will offer intensives in twelve U.S. cities as well as London and Europa Park in Rust, Germany. Throughout the weeklong intensives, rising stars in each city will participate in masterclasses focusing on acting, vocal performance, and dance. The program will culminate in public performances – dynamic Broadway-style cabarets held in both large and intimate venues, allowing students to perform alongside their Broadway idols. In addition to the performance opportunities, each student will have a private audition before a panel of Broadway directors, choreographers, music directors, and leading casting directors who will provide valuable feedback throughout the process. Registration is still open in most cities, offering aspiring performers the chance to learn from the best in the industry and take their skills to the next level. For more information, or to register, click here. “We are ecstatic to be back on the road this summer with our biggest Summer Intensive tour yet,” said Annette Tanner, Broadway Dreams Founder and President. “At Broadway Dreams, we are passionate about discovering, fostering, and propelling the next generation of musical theater stars. Our programs offer young artists unparalleled opportunities to connect with top industry professionals and decision-makers, which has resulted in numerous breakthroughs for our students. With Dreamers in 19 of the 32 currently running shows on Broadway, Broadway Dreams takes immense pride in shaping the future of musical theater.” “Our 2023 Broadway Dreams season theme is Immerse Yourself,” said Nicholas Rodriguez, Broadway Dreams Artistic Director. “After spending nearly 2 years at a distance and on Zoom, we want to dive head first into the collaborative experience. We’re inspired by immersive theater, big bold ideas, thinking outside of the box, and creating in unique spaces. We are thrilled to bring a diverse group of talented, innovative, creative and cutting edge artists to collaborate with students across the country and abroad.”The 2023 Summer Intensive Tour will launch at Belmont University in Nashville, TN (through June 3) before continuing on to School of the Arts at Central Gwinnett High School in Atlanta, GA (June 4 – 10), Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts in Salt Lake City, UT (June 19 – 24), Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, CA (June 25 – 27), Enlightened Theatrics in Salem, OR (July 3 – 9), Playhouse Square in Cleveland, OH(July 16 – 21), The Black Academy of Arts and Letters in Dallas, TX (July 17 – 21), Ebony Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles, CA (July 23 – 28), Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington, DE (July 30 – August 5), Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC (July 29 – August 5), Florida Children’s Theatre in Fort Lauderdale, FL (August 6 – 12), RWS Studios in New York City (August 19 – 24), RWS Studios in London, England (August 21 – 25), and Europa Park in Rust, Germany (August 27 – September 2).Joining Broadway Dreams’ Founder and President, Annette Tanner; Artistic Director, Nicholas Rodriguez (Company); and Director of Engagement and Opportunity, Rachel Hoffman, CSA (The Telsey Office), is an impressive roster of Broadway Dreams faculty, including directors, choreographers, and performers such as Emmy Award nominated choreographer Spencer Liff (“So You Think You Can Dance”), Tony Award nominees Kristin Hanggi (Rock of Ages), Laura Osnes (Cinderella), and Sidney DuPont (Paradise Square), along with Connor Gallagher (Beetlejuice: The Musical), Quentin Earl Darrington(MJ: The Musical), Hailee Kaleem Wright (Paradise Square), writer and composer, Douglas Tappin (I Dream), Melody Mills (Bring it On: The Musical), Jason Goldston(Jagged Little Pill), musical director Charlie Alterman (Pippin), David Eggers (In Transit), Eric Sciotto (Something Rotten!), Tyler Hanes (Cats), Mariah Lyttle (Bad Cinderella), Samantha Sturm (My Fair Lady), Telly Leung (Aladdin), Max Reed (Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark), Otis Sallid (The Piano Lesson), Alysha Umphress (On the Town), Christopher Hanke (How to Succeed…), Nick Adams (Fire Island, Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Gordon Greenberg (Holiday Inn), Matthew Lee Robinson (Atlantis), Alexa Green(Wicked), Greg Haney (Hamilton), The Telsey Office casting director, Rashad Naylor, and more. In addition to Broadway Dreams’ traditional workshops and master classes, participants in the Atlanta intensive will have the unique opportunity to work on material from a new musical entitled 1994 with book, music and lyrics by Sidney Dupont, who also serves as the director for the piece, additional lyrics by Hailee Kaleem Wright, associate direction by Amy Marie Seidel, and choreography by Chloe O. Davis. Students in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Dallas will work on a second new work entitled, Diva with book, music and lyrics by Douglas Tappin.Founded in 2006, Broadway Dreams offers mentorship-driven performing arts training programs throughout the year, drawing on a wide network of teaching artists from the Broadway community, inspiring students to awaken their highest potential. Now in its 17th year, Broadway Dreams has inspired more than 20,000 students in more than 8 countries, including a record 3,200 in-person students in 2022 alone. Broadway Dreams has to-date awarded more than $1.5M in scholarships, with more than 150 students booking professional breakthrough jobs since 2018. The 2022 Showcase featured 52 students from cities across the United States, Kenya, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and Brazil.Established by casting executive Annette Tanner, Broadway Dreams Foundation (“Broadway Dreams”) empowers aspiring young artists through performing arts training, with a focus on the acting, voice, and dance disciplines. Program intensives are offered nationally and internationally throughout the year and are led by an exceptional faculty of respected entertainment professionals who: assess where all students are in their development process and where they need to be; teach student practical skills that can be applied immediately to elevate their performance levels; guide students to achieve physical, emotional, and artistic self-awareness that can be channeled effectively in their work. The Broadway Dreams Board of Directors includes Dr. Elizabeth Faulkner (Chair), Marjorie Wynn (Marketing Chair), Adam C. Sansiveri, Margaret Busch, Michael Cox, Bruce Daitch, Alice Farquhar, Martha Gorjanc, Bernie Jackson, Nanci Lewis, Dannyand Georgina Louchiey, Victoria Morris, Alex Newell, Suzanne Rehl, Chris Roberts, Jerry Schiano, Ryan Stana, Lynne Latham Slear and Ivan Williams.The Broadway Dreams staff includes General Manager, RRR Creative / Ryan Ratelle; Artistic Director, Nicholas Rodriguez; Director of Engagement and Opportunity, Rachel Hoffman; Director of Development, Joe Finocchario; Director of Advancement, Hannah-Kathleen Hawkshaw; Creative & Marketing Director, Drew Padrutt; Company Manager,Yuvin Lee; and Executive Assistant, Mackenzie Messick. For more information on Broadway Dreams and its programs, please visit BroadwayDreams.org.
-
Broadway4 days agoAnd The Winners of The 2023 Drama Desk Awards Are ………
-
Food and Drink4 days agoStart You Up This Morning with The Rolling Stones and Keurig
-
Broadway4 days agoKen Fallin’s Broadway: Remembering Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd
-
Events4 days agoSean Hayes, Eric McCormack, Kim Cattrall Scheduled for Tribeca Festival 2023 Audio Storytelling
-
Events4 days agoTribeca Festival Set to Thrill with Roxstar Entertainment with Cinema Center
-
Events4 days agoGalit Ventura-Rozen Hosts Enlightening Dinner in New York City
-
Entertainment4 days agoNatasha Bedingfield Thrills at Frederick Anderson’s Nebula Fashion Show
-
Celebrity4 days agoThe Glorious Corner