Photo A Day – Company on Broadway

company broadway show

My friend and I went together to go see The revival of the play “Company” recently. I was very “meh” on it. As talented as everyone was, I was not excited by the story or the characters. Sometimes, no matter how good the cast is, it can’t carry a boring plot. I thought it was odd, meandering, and it jumped about in a way that wasn’t fun or interesting but was (for me) disjointed and just unnecessary. There were a few good songs, but overall I didn’t find the score to be “wow”. I didn’t love the first rendition of the play, which I am too young to have seen when it was out originally, but have heard the songs numerous times. “Company” did all sorts of new and “first” things when it was first produced, but that was 50 years ago in the 70’s. I thought it was weird and stale.

My friend chose this one, and she was really pleased by it. She and I are from different generations, so that might have something to do with it- she had seen the first/original play play, done with a male lead. I liked the performers, I just wasn’t caught up with the story, the characters, or the music. They can’t all be winners- and that’s in addition to they can’t all please everyone. This one just wasn’t my cup of tea. Seeing Patti LuPone live is always exciting and a pleasure and worth going for in itself- the play is still running, but won’t be for long.

 

Info on the play via Wikipedia

Company is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The original 1970 production was nominated for a record-setting 14 Tony Awards, winning six. Company lacks a linear plot, depicting instead a story occurring in the mind of the central character, a concept musical composed of short vignettes, presented in no particular chronological order, linked by a 35th birthday.

Company was among the first book musicals to deal with contemporary dating, marriage, and divorce.

Info on the new version via it’s website

Tony Award® and Grammy Award® winner Katrina Lenk and two-time Tony Award and two-time Grammy Award winner Patti LuPone join forces in Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s groundbreaking musical comedy.

It’s Bobbie’s 35th birthday party, and all her friends keep asking, Why isn’t she married? Why can’t she find the right man and isn’t it time to settle down and start a family? As Bobbie searches for answers, she discovers why being single, being married, and being alive in 21st-Century New York could drive a person crazy.

Two-time Tony Award-winning director Marianne Elliott (War Horse, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Angels in America) helms this revelatory new production, at once boldly sophisticated, deeply insightful, and downright hilarious. COMPANY features Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning songs You Could Drive a Person Crazy, The Ladies Who Lunch, Side by Side by Side and the iconic Being Alive.

It will be closing soon- if you want to see it, you’ll need to hurry. https://companymusical.com

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) Welcomes Back Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company to Celebrate Both the Legacy of Nai-Ni Chen and the Year of the Water Tiger

Nai-Ni Chen
a world of dance just minutes from home
When: Saturday, May 21, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. EST
Where: NJPAC is located at 1 Center Street, Newark, New Jersey; a short walk from the Newark Penn Station stop by Newark-bound PATH Train or Amtrak.
Tickets: $17 and Up. To purchase, contact NJPAC at 1.888.GO.NJPAC/1.888.466.5722
Health + Safety Protocols: NJPAC regularly updates its COVID protocols and procedures based on CDC, federal, state, city, and other scientific data.
Visit NJPAC.org for the most updated guidelines.
The critically acclaimed Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company presents Year of the Water Tiger at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in a family-friendly matinee celebration on Saturday, May 21, 2022. Paying tribute to the incredible dancer, choreographer, and educator Nai-Ni Chen, this marks the Company’s return to NJPAC after Chen’s untimely passing in December 2021. Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has been a beloved presence at NJPAC since it first opened its doors in 1997.
In addition to vibrant dance commemorating the Year of the Water Tiger, NJPAC will also welcome the innovative classical music group, the Ahn Trio. (Program details are below.)
The afternoon begins with demonstrations and fun activities staged in the lobby before the performance. Year of the Water Tiger celebration combines the elegance of traditional Asian art and the beauty of American modern dance with thrilling choreography, exotic music and dazzling acrobats. Audiences get close to the exciting sights of dancing lions and dragons, the lilting sound of Chinese pipa and erhu, and vibrant gold and red costumes and props.
On stage, the first part of the program starts with one of the most popular dances performed in the Chinese New Year Double Lions Welcome Spring and the most colorful Chinese traditional dances in the repertory, Festival and Dragon Dance. Sandwiched between is one of Na-Ni Chen’s most iconic dances, Raindrops, which takes the audience to the choreographer’s childhood. To express the Company’s hope for the next generation, Company Director Ying Shi brings Green Lotus by eight junior dancers from her academy.
In the second half of the program, the dancers of Nai-Ni Chen pay tribute to the grace and power of Nai-Ni Chen’s work by performing her signature work, Incense. Making its NJPAC debut is the chamber music ensemble, Ahn Trio. Hailed by The Los Angeles Times as “exacting and exciting musicians,” the three sisters (pianist Lucia, violinist Angella, and cellist Maria) have earned a distinguished reputation for embracing 21st century classical music with their unique style and innovative collaborations. The Ahn Trio is a longtime collaborator of Nai-Ni Chen and they will play Ave Maria by Bach; Concrete Stream with music composed by Kenji Bunch, their first collaboration with Nai-Ni Chen, and Skylife, one of their signature works.
The program ends with UNITY, one of Nai-Ni Chen’s final work, completed by PeiJu Chien-Pott, the Company’s current Director of New and Creative Dance who worked with composer Jason Kao Hwang to finalize the powerful work that is Nai-Ni Chen’s urgent call to the world.
About Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
“Like endlessly proliferating forces of cosmic energy”… The New York Times
“Chen’s phrases, part exoskeletal rigidity, part boneless grace, embodied an epic dignity.” – Village Voice
Bridging the grace of Asian elegance and American dynamism, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a premier provider of innovative cultural experiences that reflect the inspiring hope and energy of the immigrant’s journey. The company’s ground-breaking works have focused on themes from ancient legends that reflect issues of the present time to purely abstract, contemporary dances influenced by a mix of cultures Nai-Ni Chen experienced in New York. An Asian American company that celebrates cross-cultural experience, the Company’s productions naturally bring forth issues of identity, authenticity, and equality. The Company’s repertory is based on the works of its recently passed founder, Choreographer/Dancer, Nai-Ni Chen who is a unique artist whose work crosses cultural boundaries. Each of her dances reflect her personal vision as an immigrant and an American female artist with deep roots in the Asian culture. From this very personal perspective, she creates new works that reflect current issues with global influences. Many of her works have been developed in collaboration with renowned artists such as the Ahn Trio, Glen Velez, Joan La Barbara, Myung Hee Cho, Karen Young, Bei Dao among others. The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is currently directed by Artistic Director Greta Campo, Director of Traditional Dance, Shi Ying, and Director of Contemporary/Creative Dance, PeiJu Chien-Pott.
The Company has presented at some of the most prestigious concert halls such as the Joyce Theater, Lincoln Center in New York, and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Florida. The Company appears annually at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Queens College, the College of Staten Island and on Ellis Island. Internationally, the Company has presented at international festivals including Open Look Festival in Russia, the Silesian International Contemporary Dance Festival, the Konfrontations International Festival in Poland, the Chang Mu International Dance Festival in Korea, the Meet in Beijing International Arts Festival in China, and the Tamaulipas International Arts Festival in Mexico.
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has received more than 20 awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and numerous Citations of Excellence and grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Advancing Dance Education, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is currently in residence in New Jersey City University pioneering a program with the University’s A Harry Moore Laboratory School teaching dance to urban children with disabilities. For additional Company information, visit their website, www.nainichen.org; write to Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, P.O. Box 1121, Fort Lee, NJ 07024; or call (800) 650- 0246.
About NJPAC
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, N.J., is America’s most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city.
Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has served more than 10 million visitors (including over 1.9 million students and families) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.

BROADWAY BY THE YEAR, FROM THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES TO MOULIN ROUGE #Theater

Starring…..

Tony Danza, Tom Wopat, Anais Reno,
Douglas Ladnier, and Danny Gardner
A One-Night-Only History of Jukebox Musicals and Musical Revues
Celebrating Songs From:
The Ziegfeld Follies, George White’s Scandals, The Jersey Boys, Beautiful, All Shook Up, Kismet, After Midnight,
Ring of Fire, and more!
CREATED, WRITTEN, DIRECTED, and HOSTED BY
SCOTT SIEGEL
MONDAY, MAY 23 AT 8PM

THE TOWN HALL / www.TheTownHall.org

(123 West 43rd Street)

The Town Hall presents Broadway By The Year: From The Ziegfeld Follies To Moulin Rouge on Monday, May 23 at 8pm. Created, written, directed and hosted by Scott Siegel for The Town Hall, the evening will continue Broadway By The Year’s 21st landmark season at The Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street).
In this second concert of the Broadway by the Year season, audience members will get a one-night-only history of jukebox musicals and musical revues. And the truth is, an extraordinary number of hit Broadway shows fit the description of these two kinds of shows. These oftentimes maligned genres have played an important role in the resurrection of songs, and styles from rock ’n’ roll (Jersey Boys,Beautiful, All Shook Up) to classical music (Kismet), and from country (Ring of Fire) to Rhythm & Blues (Black & Blue, After Midnight). And they have highlighted oftentimes forgotten composers, bringing their names back into the limelight, such as Eubie Blake with Eubie!and “Fats” Waller with Ain’t Misbehavin’.
The cast of Broadway By The Year: From The Ziegfeld Follies To Moulin Rouge includes: Tony Danza (Honeymoon In Vegas; TV’s Who’s The Boss); Tom Wopat (Annie Get Your Gun; Chicago), Anais Reno (Carnegie Hall, and concerts at Birdland), Douglas Ladnier (Jekyll and Hyde; Sweeney Todd), and Danny Gardner (Flying Over Sunset; Dames At Sea). More performers will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Broadway By The Year Dance Troupe, choreographed by Danny Gardner, will also be performing.
Tickets for Broadway By The Year are $57-$67. For tickets and information, please visit www.thetownhall.org or call 800-982-2787. The Broadway By The Year concert series is part of The Town Hall’s presenting season.

Two Classic Plays About Love, Not War #LoveNotWar #Theater

russian classic plays
Blueprint Productions presents Chekhov + Turgenev, two Russian classics presented in repertory, and scored in jazz: About Love, a musical play with songs, inspired by Ivan Turgenev’s novella, “First Love”; and Three Sisters, a sparkling new adaptation of the play by Anton Chekhov. Both productions are adapted and directed by Will Pomerantz, and feature an original jazz score by Nancy Harrow, performed nightly by a live jazz quartet. Chekhov + Turgenev plays a four-week repertory, May 10 through June 5 at The Sheen Center (18 Bleecker Street at the corner of Elizabeth Street, NYC) in The Frank Shiner Theater. The official opening is Thursday, May 19.
THREE SISTERS
Sat, May 14, 2PM
Tues, May 17, 7PM
Thurs, May 19, 8PM (opening)
ABOUT LOVE
Sat, May 14, 8PM
Sun, May 15, 3PM
Thurs, May 19, 2PM (opening)
“About Love” tells the compelling story of a young man who expects to spend a quiet summer with his parents in the Russian countryside, but soon discovers those three months will be the most consequential of his life, as he learns the difference between love and passion, and the ephemeral nature of life itself. About Love is inspired by Ivan Turgenev’s beautifully crafted short story, “First Love,” originally published in 1860. Turgenev was one of Russia’s first modern writers to achieve international acclaim with his novel, Fathers and Sons, and his play, A Month in the Country.
In Chekhov’s masterpiece,”Three Sisters”, Olga, Masha and Irina are talented, cultured young women who were raised in urban Moscow, but have been living in a small provincial town for eleven years. Within these less than vibrant surroundings, each pursues her dreams and passions amongst the soldiers garrisoned there, all the while yearning for a return to Moscow. In this world-premiere version, audiences will experience afresh what makes this writer so memorable and indispensable.
Russian classics
The company of Chekhov + Turgenev features John Ahlin, Silvia Bond, Essence Brown, Harrison Bryan, Manny Dunn, Nathan Hinton, Miles G. Jackson, Nehal Joshi, Amanda Nichols, Tom Patterson, Elizabeth Ramos, Tommy Schrider, Jean Tafler and Pilar Witherspoon.
Chekhov + Turgenev features a live jazz quartet nightly: music director Misha Josephs  on guitar, Ben Sutin on violin, Ryan Berg on bass, and Steve Picataggio on drums. The scenic design is by Brian Staton, lighting design by Allen Hahn, costume design by Whitney Locher and sound design by Sean Hagerty. Heather Arnson’s YesAnd Productions serves as General Management.
“Chekhov + Turgenev is a unique theatrical opportunity for audiences to experience, in rotating repertory, two writers who changed playwriting forever, and  whose influence still resonates today,” says  adaptor and director Will Pomerantz. “Both Chekhov and Turgenev strived to contain the entirety of the human experience in their work, and they did it with a combination of heart, humor and humanity that remains unparalleled.  The original jazz scores by beloved jazz singer and composer Nancy Harrow punctuate and underscore these timeless works. Both productions will share a company of actors who will delight audiences with their versatility, as they double the many singular roles created by these two celebrated writers.”

Montage – ABOUT LOVE.mp4 from About Love on Vimeo.

Chekhov + Turgenev is two Russian classics presented in repertory, and underscored in jazz: About Love, a musical play with songs, inspired by Ivan Turgenev’s novella, “First Love”; and Three Sisters, a new adaptation of the play by Anton Chekhov. Chekhov + Turgenev plays a four-week repertory, May 10 through June 5 at The Sheen Center (18 Bleecker Street at the corner of Elizabeth Street, NYC) in The Frank Shiner Theater. The official opening for both production is Thursday, May 19. Tickets are available online at SheenCenter.org, by phone at 212-925-2812, or in-person at The Sheen Center box office Monday to Friday noon to 5PM and one hour before performances. Tickets are $39 – $69. Premium seating is available. Rush tickets will be available at the box office an hour before any performance for $20. See calendar below for a complete playing schedule for About Love and Three Sisters:

2022 Chita Rivera Awards #Dance #PerformingArts

theater dance awards show NYC
Legendary Broadway performer and Tony, Academy, and Golden Globe Award winner Joel Grey (Cabaret, Wicked, Anything Goes) will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 Chita Rivera Awards (www.ChitaRiveraAwards.com), it was announced today by Joe Lanteri, Founder and Executive Director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation (www.NYCDAFoundation.net).  The Chita Rivera Awards will take place at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, off Washington Square Park) on Monday, June 20 at 7:30pm. Lanteri produces the Chita Rivera Awards in conjunction with Patricia Watt.
It was also announced today that the Nominations Announcement has been rescheduled to May 17 due to Covid complications.
Carrying the namesake of one of the great dance icons of the American musical theater, the mission of the Chita Rivera Awards is to celebrate dance and choreographic excellence – past, present and future. The awards will honor the superb achievement of each nominee, while recognizing the immeasurable talents and passion of every theatrical choreographer and dancer. Additionally, through education and scholarships, the awards are committed to nurturing future generations, as well as preserving notable dance history.
Nominators will consider outstanding choreography, featured dancers and ensemble in shows on Broadway and Off Broadway, as well as, outstanding choreography in film, that opened pre-Covid as well as in the 2021-2022 season. Nominations for the productions under consideration this season will be determined by the designated nominating committee. There are separate nominating committees for Broadway, Off Broadway and Film. There is also an awarding committee for Broadway, which determines the final nominations that are received from the Broadway nominations committee.
Honorees of the Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theater Award, and Ambassador For The Arts Award as well as when tickets go on sale will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We are thrilled to honor Joel this year with our Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Joe Lanteri. “From Cabaret and George M! to Chicago and Wicked, Joel’s body of work has put him in “theater icon” status. We are proud to celebrate the man and his career.”
The NYC Dance Alliance Foundation College Scholarship Program will be the beneficiary of the event. Since the inception of the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation, 4 million dollars have been awarded to over 400 dancers represented in 42 of the most prestigious college dance programs in the country.
ABOUT JOEL GREY
In a career that was launched in the early 1950’s, Joel Grey has created indelible stage roles each decade since. Grey made his theatrical debut at the age of 9 in On Borrowed Time at the storied American regional theatre the Cleveland Play House. He recently directed a production of the play at New Jersey’s Two River Theater Company for their 20th Anniversary Season. He made his Broadway debut exactly two decades later in Neil Simon’s first comedy hit, Come Blow Your Horn (1961). Since then, his Broadway credits include the Stop the World I Want to Get Off, Half a Sixpence, Cabaret (Tony Award), George M! (Tony nomination), Goodtime Charley (Tony nomination), The Grand Tour (Tony nomination), Chicago (Drama Desk Award), Wicked, Anything Goes, and Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Joel’s dramatic stage roles include Marco Polo Sings a Solo, Give Me Your Answer, Do! (Drama Desk nomination), New York City Opera’s Silverlake (directed by Hal Prince) and Larry Kramer’s seminal The Normal Heart at the Public Theatre, which he also subsequently co-directed with George C. Wolfe in its Tony Award winning Broadway premiere (Drama Desk Award, Tony nomination). Joel received the Academy Award, the Golden Globe and the British Academy Award for his performance in the 1972 film version of Cabaret (directed by Bob Fosse). He is one of only nine actors to have won both the Tony and Academy Award for the same role. Other film credits include Man on A Swing, Robert Altman’s Buffalo Bill and the Indians, The Seven Percent Solution, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, Steven Soderbergh’s Kafka, Altman’s The Player, The Music of Chance, Michael Ritchie’s adaptation of The Fantasticks, Lars von Trier’s Dancer in the Dark and Clark Gregg’s Choke. Notable television appearances include “Brooklyn Bridge” (Emmy nomination), “OZ,” “Law and Order: CI,” “House,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Private Practice,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Warehouse 13,” and “CSI.” In 2010, Joel was honored for his illustrious television career by The Paley Center for Media in both NYC and Los Angeles. Joel is also an accomplished photographer. He has five books of photographs, Pictures I Had to Take (2003), Looking Hard at Unexamined Things (2006), 1.3 – Images From My Phone (2009), and The Billboard Papers (2013) and The Flower Whisperer. His work is part of the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. His memoir, Master of Ceremonies, was published in February 2016 (Flatiron). Joel most recently directed the acclaimed production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish which won the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Best Musical Revival, the 2019 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical Revival, and a 2019 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award Special Citation. Joel is the father of Jennifer and James and the grandfather of Stella.
dance theater Broadway awards CHITA RIVERA
ABOUT CHITA RIVERA
A theatrical icon and one of Broadway’s greatest triple-threat talents, Chita Rivera is one of the most nominated performers in Tony Award history having earned 10 nominations, won twice and received the 2018 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. A versatile actress/singer/dancer, her most recent starring roles include The Visit, the final John Kander/Fred Ebb/Terrence McNally musical directed by John Doyle and choreographed by Graciela Daniele on Broadway; the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood; the Broadway and touring productions of The Dancer’s Life, a dazzling musical celebrating her spectacular career, written by Terrence McNally and directed by Graciela Daniele and the revival of the Broadway musical Nine with Antonio Banderas. She trained as a ballerina (from age nine) before receiving a scholarship to the School of American Ballet from the legendary choreographer George Balanchine. Chita’s first appearance (age 19) was as a principal dancer in Call Me Madam. Her electric performance as Anita in the original Broadway premiere of West Side Story brought her stardom, which she repeated in London. Her career is highlighted by starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, The Rink (Tony Award), Chicago, Jerry’s Girls, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony Award), and the original Broadway casts of Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful. On tour: Born Yesterday, The Rose Tattoo, Call Me Madam, Threepenny Opera, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate, Zorba, Can-Can with The Rockettes. Chita was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2009 and received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in 2002. In 2019, Chita performed her solo concert at London’s Cadogan Hall; in 2018 she was honored as a Living Landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy; in 2016 she headlined at Carnegie Hall and in 2015, Great Performances aired their special Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin’ To Do, a retrospective of her extraordinary life and career nationally on PBS. Her current solo CD is entitled And Now I Swing. Her most treasured production is her daughter, singer/dancer/choreographer Lisa Mordente.
ABOUT THE NYC DANCE ALLIANCE FOUNDATION, INC.
The NYC Dance Alliance Foundation, Inc. (NYCDAF), founded in 2010 by Executive Director Joe Lanteri, is committed to broadening performing arts awareness while advocating education and high standards of excellence in dance. The Foundation invests in the next generation of professional performers by offering scholarships for secondary and college education. To date, over 300 talented teenagers have shared in nearly $3 million awarded directly through NYCDAF. Those recipients are represented in 42 of the most prestigious university arts programs in the country. Many have since graduated and are now represented on Broadway, as well as concert dance companies based in NYC and around the world. www.NYCDAFoundation.net

Saving the Tony Nominated Play “FOR COLORED GIRLS” – Behind the Scenes

Play Theater FOR COLORED GIRLS
Following the viral grassroots social media campaign and insider efforts to keep Broadway’s 2022 Tony-nominated production of FOR COLORED GIRLS from closing early, the show’s producer Ron Simons talks about behind the scenes and the show, as well as what it takes to save a Broadway production.
Ron is the most Tony Award-winning Black Producer in history. He is also leading the historic Broadway effort to bring in people of color to tell stories of Black history, culture, and experience.  The new closing date follows seven Tony nominations that the production received earlier this week, including Best Revival of a Play.
Regarded as Broadway’s “best-kept secret,” Ron is working to change theater forever at this pivotal point in history, as he shapes what stories are told on Broadway. At the same time, he works to open doors for more people of color to work as producers. Shockingly, there are only 6 Black producers working on Broadway, as well as himself working to change that statistic by mentoring people of color to discover roles behind the scenes. According to Ron, if we want more diverse stories, more representative casting, and more inclusive staff, it begins with producers.
Ron has helped lead the creation of Black Theater United’s “New Deal For Broadway,” setting out a manifesto that outlines reforms that are short-term — that were to be implemented before Broadway reopened this fall — as well as long-term over the next few years.
With over 20 years of experience, Ron Simons has a track record of pioneering diversity on the stage, including:
  • First Black Broadway producer to win 4 Tony Awards (also to earn 5 Tony nominations)
  • First Black producer to lead produce three black shows to Broadway
  • Produced first Black show with all creative leads as women of color (New Broadway production of For Colored Girls)
  • Producing the first TWO Black Broadway shows to feature Black producers, Black writer, Black director, and Black cast
  • Only Black producer to make four films premiering at Sundance (three in competition)
As CEO & President of SimonSays Entertainment, Ron Simons produced Tony award-winning and nominated productions including Jitney (Produced with John Legend, Won Tony for Best Play Revival), Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations (12 Tony nominations including Best Musical), A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Tony Award for Best Musical), Porgy & Bess (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Tony Award for Best Play) and more. Ron’s legendary career as Broadway’s most influential and prolific African American producer focuses on inspiring narratives about underrepresented minority communities.
For additional details on Ron Simons’ storied career and Broadway projects, please visit www.simonsaysentertainment.com.

A Lunar New Year Special: Pan Asian Repertory Theatre

FEATURING
DEANNA CHOI, JONATHAN WONG FRYE. FENTON LI,
HYUNMIN RHEE, MANDARIN WU, AND XIAOQING ZHANG

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT THROUGH JANUARY 30, 2022
AT THEATRE ROW

A Lunar New Year Special: Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (Tisa Chang, Founding Artistic Producing Director) launches its 45th Milestone Season of recovery and healing with the return to LIVE theater beginning after the new year and celebrating the Lunar New Year with the annual return engagement of the acclaimed 2018 production of The Emperor’s Nightingale by Damon Chua (Incident at Hidden Temple)The limited return engagement that includes public and student matinee performances begins this Saturday afternoon, January 15, 2022 and concludes Sunday afternoon, January 30, 2022 at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street).

Directed by Chongren Fan (Lost in Shanghai), the six-member cast will feature DeAnna ChoiJonathan Wong FryeFenton LiHyunmin RheeMandarin Wu, and Xiaoqing Zhang.

The Emperor’s Nightingale is a family-friendly staged adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s story “The Nightingale,” set in 18th century China, and brings to light the youthful exploits of the future Emperor Qianlong. This production employs traditional Chinese puppetry, folk songs and new illustrations teaching the art of Chinese calligraphy. Nominated by the Off-Broadway Alliance for “Best Family Show”, this TYA production emphasizes the importance of leadership guided by a moral compass, through the story about two rival teen brothers competing for the throne. The Emperor’s Nightingale by Damon Chua is produced by special arrangement with Plays for New Audiences.

“Chongren Fan’s staging, for Pan Asian Reparatory Theatre, uses shadow puppets, playful costumes, and goofy humor to bring the story to life,” said Elizabeth Vincentelli of The New Yorker. “It is refreshing to be able to bring kids to such a show, rather than to one of the corporate monoliths crowding the holidays.”

The creative design team includes Set by You-Shin Chen (Acquittal), Costumes by Karen Boyer (Romulus the Great), Lights by Leslie Smith (Acquittal, No-No Boy), and Sound by Joseph Wolfslau (Romulus the Great). The Stage Management team is Kristine Schlachter and Sabrina Morabito.

The Emperor’s Nightingale will play select public performances and student matinees.

NOW ON SALE: Tickets for Public Performances are priced at $40.50 (includes $2.50 restoration fee). Premium seating is available in Row A only at $52.50 (includes $2.50 restoration fee).

Public Performances will play the following schedule: Saturday & Sunday afternoons, January 15 & 16 at 2:30 p.m.; Thursday – Saturday evenings, January 20 -22 at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday afternoons, January 22 & 23 at 2:30 p.m.; Thursday – Saturday evenings, January 27 -29 at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday afternoons, January 29 & 30 at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets for Public Performances may be purchased online at https://bfany.org/theatre-row/, or by calling the Box Office at (212) 714-2442, ext 45 (phone hours are 12:00PM – 5:00PM daily), or by visiting the Box Office. When ordering ticket, please use the CODE: EN22.

Tickets for School Matinees are priced at $15 per student (minimum of 20 per class; one free chaperone ticket for every 10 students.)

School Matinees will play the following performance schedule: Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday: January 18 – 20 at 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday: January 25 – 27 at 11:00 a.m.

Reservations and payment is through Pan Asian office only by calling (212) 868-4030, or via email to Simon Rogers at srogers@panasianrep.org, or info@panasianrep.org.

For more information about Pan Asian Rep, visitwww.panasianrep.org. For information about Theatre Row, visit www.theatrerow.org.

BREAKING: CHRISTMAS IS NOT CANCELLED! “GOD BLESS US EVERYONE!” EXCLAIMS LOCAL BOY

TONY AWARD® WINNER
JEFFERSON MAYS
REPRISES HIS ACCLAIMED PERFORMANCE IN CHARLES DICKENS’ BELOVED HOLIDAY CLASSIC

“A CHRISTMAS CAROL”
TO BENEFIT THE ARGYLE THEATRE

DIRECTED BY TWO-TIME TONY AWARD NOMINEE
MICHAEL ARDEN

ADAPTATION WRITTEN BY
JEFFERSON MAYS, SUSAN LYONS, & MICHAEL ARDEN

PRODUCTION CONCEIVED BY
MICHAEL ARDEN & DANE LAFFREY

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW AT www.onthestage.com/show/argyle-theatre/a-christmas-carol-15589/tickets/ 5fce8c7c07d4fc00031b455f

2020 Christmas

New York, NY (December 11, 2020) – The Argyle Theatre (Mark and Dylan Perlman, Managing Partners; Evan Pappas, Artistic Director), and producer Hunter Arnold unofficially kicked off the holiday season early by announcing that a special filmed version of Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday classic A Christmas Carol starring one of the finest stage actors of our time, Tony Award® winner Jefferson Mays, was released worldwide on Saturday, November 28. This streaming video event will benefit The Argyle Theatre as well as other community, amateur, regional theaters across the country which have been devastated by the pandemic. Directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Michael Arden, adapted by Mays, Susan Lyons, and Arden, and conceived by Arden and Tony Award nominee Dane Laffrey, the filmed version is based on the wildly acclaimed 2018 production which made its world premiere at Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse.

Tickets for A Christmas Carol are now available to purchase via https://www.onthestage.com/show/argyle-theatre/a-christmas-carol-15589/tickets/5fce8c7c07d4fc00031b455f