Due to constant abuse from this IP range, all interactive traffic is blocked. If you are running a legitimate crawler/robot, ensure that it properly identifies itself via the user agent with a contact site or address.The arts feed us. They are not like cake. You can skip cake. You have to eat your vegetables. There is tremendous nourishment to be found in museums and theaters. These provide us nutrients for our soul. I will focus here on theater arts, but it applies to all aspects of essential human endeavors in expression and self-expression. Good and good for you! The arts, in their turn, need nourishing. They are most often supported by the public that attends to them. It’s a kind of symbiosis. Not for profit theater is particularly vulnerable. The subscription houses that depend upon patrons will tell you that only x% is derived from the price of tickets; the rest is covered by donations, and sometimes public funding. In the present environment, the latter is likely –no scratch that– definitely not going to be much support.

It is up to us, and to theater professionals to find their way around the gaps. Twitter is explosive with opinions and comments on all sides, with many an artist standing tall in that forum. Some hail from abroad, including Canada based  University of Waterloo. Others like @GeorgeTakei and @Rosie (O’Donnell) are doing what we expect in their tweets, as is our dear @cher, whose all caps outrage is refreshing. We can easily concede that the 140 character message does not begin to tell the story. For more complete dialog, there will be many artists empanelled in an effort to understand how to proceed. The Public Theater is holding a series of fori on the subject of the election’s impact on the arts. In March, the panwels will address what responsible citizens can do in this new dystopian era; the series is called Truth to Power. On February 20th, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) will take a direct look at the risks this election has created, and how the artistic community should and can address them.

Is it really cheating if your spouse approves your infidelity? Exploring the conventions of marriage and the humbug of monogamy, Miles Malleson wrote and published Yours Unfaithfully in 1933. Mint Theater Company is giving this charming and disarming comedy/drama a premiere showing through February 18th, under the direction of Jonathon Bank. For this discovery, we owe them a great thanks. Stephen Meredith (Max von Essen) is blissfully enjoying his wife’s beneficence. Anne (Elisabeth Gray) has given her blessing for him to “get into some mischief” with Diana Streathfield (Mikaela Izquierdo) in the hope that an affair would rejuvenate Stephen and end his writer’s block. Neither she nor Stephen imagine any other consequence. They are acting on their convictions that a strong marriage can withstand other and lesser alliances, just as Stephen’s father, the Rev. Meredith (Stephen Schnetzer) acts on his principles when he is shocked to learn of Stephen and Diana’s dalliance. 

Anne’s confidant and the Merediths’ friend, Dr. Alan Kirby (Todd Cerveris) preaches the counterbalance of the head to the heart.circo sea life wave shower curtain The brilliantly deft production of Yours Unfaithfully is a welcome addition to the Mint archive. harlequin nikita curtainsAs is customary in a Mint production, sets and costumes have a panache as well. eclipse curtains campaniaThe scenic (by Carolyn Mraz) and costume (by Hunter Kaczorowski) design are admirable. eclipse frisco energy efficient curtain panelsThe top-notch ensemble brings Malleson’s smart vision to life with an easy flair. mardini curtains egypt

It’s a tribute to all involved that one can’t peg Yours Unfaithfully as  drama, or drawing-room comedy; martin mawby curtainsit transcends labels and stands on its own. For more information and tickets, please visit the Mint website. Okay, so now as Phantom approaches its 12,000 performance at the Majestic on November 28th, it is time to visit (or perhaps re-visit) this record-breaking musical. After  January 26, 2017, as it enters its 29th year on Broadway, Phantom of the Opera becomes an event, a go-to destination, a bright fixture. You get the picture. Go, see James Barbour in the lead role opposite Ali Ewoldt as Christine Danae, and welcome the returns of Kaley Ann Voorhees as the Christine alternative, and Linda Balgord as Madame Giry in the new year. Phantom has broken records before, of course, in January 26, 2013, it was the first show to celebrate 25 years on the stage.

It became  the longest-running show in Broadway history on January 9, 2006 with its 7,486th performance, surpassing the previous record-holder Cats, also by Andrew Lloyd Webber and also produced by Cameron Mackintosh. Since breaking the record 11 years, Phantom has played  more than 4,500 performances – which by itself would be a smash hit run for a Broadway musical. To put this in perspective, sort of, note that Broadway’s second longest-running show, Chicago has played for just 20 years. Phantom has had the curtain fall on 4,000 more shows than Chicago over the years. Even now, it is consistently among Broadway’s highest-grossing shows and remains a box office star. Phantom also plays to the world, and its productions around the globe have been enjoyed by a staggering 140 million people in 35 countries and 160 cities in 15 languages. As we said, its an event! Our Theater Blog: TandBOnTheAisle After 11,000 performances, a musical drama could be forgiven if it began to show some wear.  

In theater time, a run of more than 25 years is a very long lifetime. The Company in “Masquerade” in a photo by Matthew Murphy. The Phantom of the Opera, in its 27th year on Broadway, at the Majestic Theatre, hasn’t aged, or rather it has aged well. This is not a show resting on its laurels. Or on its worldwide success in tours all over the US, in Stockholm or Budapest or Istanbul, among the many places it has found a home. Despite the myriad other accomplishments of his career, Phantom may prove to be Andrew Lloyd Webber’s crowning legacy. It was a breakout hit from its opening night at the Majestic in 1988, where it walked away with 7 Tony Awards, including for Best Musical, Design and Direction. A scene from “The Phantom of the Opera,”… via Daily Prompt: Shine with thanks to , The Daily Post for the inspiration Those who crave the spotlight most often become entertainers. Their talent demands it. It is their calling to shine. We applaud them, and in so doing bask in the glow of their accomplishment.

They are center stage with the footlights on them, but we are illuminated by their performance. Their light shines on us as they render and interpret and presnet their truths. Greater  performers shine brightest, and we shine brighter too. via Daily Prompt: Ovation In the theater, the sounds of a crowd pleased are often accompanied by a standing ovation for those who pleased us. It is a way of saying thanks. Our gratitude makes us feel good, too. We yell “Bravo” and are rewarded with a sense of our magnanimity. Our approbation fills the theatre. Applause, like laughter, are contagious. We tend to think of sports teams as units, their individuality drubbed by the group. In The Wolves, Sarah DeLappe belies our assumptions. Her suburban indoor soccer team is given voice, each one nearly drowning out the others. One expects teenage girls to trivialize serious subjects and blow up the trivial, and DeLappe’s soccer players do just that. It’s unfortunate that while letting them express themselves so eloquently, she allows them to be characterized by field position and jersey number.

DeLappe fails to give them names, only personal quirks and traits. Playwrights Realm encore production at the Duke 42nd Street follows a successful run just about a month ago. It has been spirited along by the help of producing partners Scott Rudin and Eli Bush. The nine players on DeLappe’s field gossip, chatter, and jeer at each other as they stretch and run drills. Their adolescent speech is infectious, and engrossing, a perfect simulation of how girls talk. When the conversations hit a lull, however, it feels like The Wolves have gone into overtime. Lila Neugebauer directs the ensemble, through pattering dialogue, superb ball handling and fancy footwork, giving each of them a standout moment. #7 (Branna Coates) shows a fiery sass, while her friend #14 (Samia Finnerty) is the perfect go-along, tag-along to her, #77’s, flamboyance. The new girl, #46 (Tedra Millan) earns her outsider status with a disarming charm. The squad works well together, and their acting very credible.