The Grand Duchess Revival

What did our critic think of YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU at Searcy Summer Dinner Theatre?

Building on the overwhelming success of last year's Expansive initiative, Opera Parallèle and The Transgender District have announced plans to renew their collaboration and present a showcase of transgender and non-binary classical artists for two performances at 7.30 p.m. on Thursday, August 3 and Friday, August 4 at A.C.T.'s intimate Strand Theater.

This June, The Royal Ballet presents a dazzling summer programme of one-act ballets featuring works by the Company’s associated choreographers past and present, Kenneth MacMillan, Wayne McGregor and Christopher Wheeldon. 

Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman’s classic, YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, is eighty-six years young, and the latest revival at Portland’s Good Theater makes a strong case for the work’s perennial appeal. Directed by Brian P. Allen and featuring a cast of eighteen, most Good Theater veterans, this delightfully zany script, filled with wacky but loveable characters, delivers a timeless message about family and the secrets to true happiness.

You Can’t Take It with You is a play that reminds us not to take life too seriously. It helps us to remember what the important things are—family, friends, love, and laughter.

Legendary mezzo-soprano and LAO Young Artist Artist Director Susan Graham is back on the DCP stage in her role debut as Geneviève in 'Pelléas and Mélisande.' We sat down with her to ask about her inspiring start in opera, her role as a mentor, and the advice she has for the up-and-coming generation of singers.

What did our critic think of ANASTASIA at Schuster Center For The Performing Arts?

Chris Yarnell directs an energetic cast. The plot is channelled through effortless movement and expressive music by Paul Freeman. A smooth figurative choreography establishes a creative attitude to physical theatre. Their tale isn’t obscure or cryptic in any way, but entertaining and utterly magnetic in its accessibility.

  “Have you heard there’s a rumor in St. Petersburg? Have you heard what they’re saying on the streets?” Anastasia has made its stop in Jacksonville! The musical based on the beloved 1997 movie, follows the story of the two Russian men attempting to pass off a street sweeper as the sole surviving member of the Romanov family. Little do they know she is truly the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov. Anastasia is a treat for the whole family! I should also mention, if you were a little girl born in the 90s obsessed with the movie, this will be a very nostalgic time.

There are two big reasons to take in the national touring production of ANASTASIA, now running at Keller Auditorium: Kyla Stone (who plays the central character) and the visual spectacle.

Broadway Sacramento has hit it out of the park again with Anastasia-The New Broadway Musical.  The 2022 Broadway on Tour season opened on Tuesday, satiating those who were eager for more after December’s hit run of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

Broadway might be dark, but that doesn't mean that theatre isn't happening everywhere! Below, check out where you can get your daily fix of Broadway this weekend, May 15-16, 2021.

Be their guest as Broadway’s Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, and Anna celebrate all the Disney Princesses in Disney Princess – The Concert, an unforgettable evening of story, animation, and song.

Yesterday, the nominees for the 2020 Tony Awards were announced! Jagged Little Pill leads with 15 noms. Did your favorite get nominated? Check out the full list below, as well as reactions from some of the nominees! 

Angela Lansbury has enjoyed a career without precedent. Her professional career spans more than half-a-century, during which she has flourished, first as a star of motion pictures, then as a four-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical star, and most recently as the star of 'Murder, She Wrote,' the longest running detective drama series in the history of television.

Today we celebrate the Broadway revival of Kaufman and Hart's You Can't Take It with You, which opened on this day in 2014.

Perfectly timed for the blistery cold Rochester weather we're all suffering through, the RBTL is currently presenting 'Anastasia', the stage adaptation of the 1997 animated movie in which audience members are whisked away to snowy St. Petersburg during the height of the Russian Revolution of the 1920's. This era of political upheaval is the backdrop, but the story focuses on a young woman and her journey through the past to find her family and her identity.

In the last decade or so, musicals based on movies have become a regular occurrence. It seems like several new shows are opening each year, so it's not surprising that a?oeAnastasia,a?? Don Bluth's semi-unconventional take on a princess movie, made the transition a?' and thankfully, the end result maintains much of the magic of its source material.

At first glance, the musical stage adaptation of ANASTASIA looks and feels like an appropriately grand, luxe affaira?"from its gorgeous costumes designed to the lush soundscapes created by the orchestra and the vocal talents that have been assembled for this tour. But the undeniable wow factor of the show is, of course, the stunning visual trifecta of its scenic design working in keen harmony with dazzling projections and stage lighting. The overall technical prowess of this stage musical is just jaw-droppinga?"and, I must say, is quite an adequate enough reason to experience the show. The adaptation's execution of the story itself, however, suffers slightly from its well-meaning intentionsa?"revealing a stage show that feels stilted by its own drama, and with an unsure footing of what it truly wants to be.

The first clue that ANASTASIA was going to be different than what I expected was a note on the title page reading, “Inspired by the Twentieth Century Fox Motion Pictures.” Plural? A savvy journalist, I quickly asked Siri to bring up the imdb page for “Anastasia”. Turns out Fox made ANASTASIA twice, the 1997 animated off-brand Disney princess movie and a 1957 film that scored Ingrid Bergman's second Oscar and marked Helen Hayes' transition to the big screen. And it turns out the musical version has more in common with LES MISERABLES and RAGTIME than BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Gone is the hell-wizard Rasputin, his talking fruit bat sidekick, and the singing demon caterpillars. At intermission, I asked my third grade niece, Adalyn, how she was liking it. “It's awesome…it's real people, like no Beast or anything. No animals.” We decide that Disney staged musicals are great but more it's more impressive when you can achieve the magic without a story that departs from reality. ANASTASIA is historical fiction hypothetical. It poses a “what if…?” that a daughter of the last czar of Russia (The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna) escaped when the czar's family was executed in 1918. Rumors persisted for decades that Anastasia did, in fact, escape. In 2007, DNA testing confirmed the remains of all four Grand Duchesses were in the Imperial grave. In this version, Terrence McNalley's book follows Anastasia's rediscovery of her identity after surviving the attack on her family and sustaining some plot enabling amnesia. Renamed “Anya” she grows up and makes a life in post-Revolution Russia. Anastasia's grandmother, the Dowager Empress (in a staggeringly moving performance by Joy Franz) has fled to France and offered a cash reward for anyone escorting the rumored alive Anastasia to Paris. The wily duo Vlad (Edward Staudenmayer) and Dmitry (Jake Levy) pull a My Fair Lady style makeover on Anya to collect the Dowager's prize. They are pursued by Gleb (Jason Michael Evans). A Soviet officer drawn to Anya romantically but tasked with finding and eliminating the last Romanov. Anya's memory becomes somewhat coaxed back, but the Dowager has stopped seeing Anastasia claimants after too much heart-break from countless frauds. It sounds dark, but with high-tech digital scenery and inspired performances across the cast it is delightful. Stephen Flaherty (Music) and Lynn Ahrens (Lyrics), responsible for bringing us RAGTIME, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, LUCKY STIFF, as well as the Oscar nominated songs carried over from the animated film. ANASTASIA is a perfect context for this pair. “Stay, I Pray You” (my favorite song of the evening) is evocative of RAGTIME's “New Music”. The two songs literally race my heart in a strangely specific way. My real test of a National Tour at Gammage is how fast I get the music playing in my car on the way home. At ANASTASIA I was already finding, “Stay, I Pray You” walking through the parking lot. The rest of the score is similarly haunting. Lila Coogan, as Anya/Anastasia, powers through the score with nuance, clarity, and passion. Tari Kelly, as Countess Lily, and Stadenmayer (Vlad) were Adalyn's favorite performances and I have to agree. This incredibly gifted pair take the “triple threat” designation (singer, dancer, actor) and go quadruple with the addition of flawless comic timing. The choreography by Peggy Hickey is masterful. It somehow combines inventive and traditional throughout and the ten-minute slice of “Swan Lake” infused into “Quartet at the Ballet” is the highlight of the second act. It's a fun-size version that gets an under-represented art form onto the plate. This kind of trope often means the plot putting the plot on hold. But here, it is the connective tissue between Anya, Dmitry, the Dowager, and Gleb as they each bring us up to speed heading into the show's climax. Ultimately, the show's success comes from applying a higher artistic standard to the “previously-animated-film-now-theatrically-staged” genre. It cashes in on the name draw of the 1997 film then gives the viewer something much more enriched than what they think they are coming to see.

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents celebrated American tenor Paul Appleby in Schumann's Dichterliebe for Voice and Piano, Op. 48 (1840) with pianist Ken Noda on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 7:30pm at Alice Tully Hall. Part of a concert titled 1891: Brahms's Clarinet Quintet, the program also includes Schubert's Fantasie in F minor for Piano, Four Hands, D. 940, Op. 103 (1828) and Brahms's Quintet in B minor for Clarinet, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 115 (1891) performed by pianist and Artistic Director Wu Han, violinists Aaron Boyd and Francisco Fullana, violinist and violist Yura Lee, cellist Keith Robinson, and clarinetist David Shifrin.

Today's top stories: The Lightning Thief officially opens tonight, and more!

Edward Staudenmayer, plays the crafty courtier Vlad in the production of ANASTASIA that is bringing this musical about family, memories, adventure, and more to Broadway San Diego from October 1st a?' October 6th

The Sycamores have been happily living their zany lives in his house by Columbia University in New York for many years. This family (and their friends) are a madcap group of eccentrics, marching to the beat of their own drum, with pride and joy. But when practical young Alice Sycamore becomes engaged to her company's Vice President Tony Kirby, the Sycamore clan must straighten up to meet the new in-laws. Disaster ensues when the Kirbys arrived at the wrong time and, despite the best laid plans, see Alice's family in all of its crazy glory.

The Sycamore family, (and their friends) are a madcap group of eccentrics, marching to the beat of their own drum, with pride and joy. When young Alice Sycamore becomes engaged to her company's VP, Tony Kirby, the Sycamore clan must straighten up to meet the new in-laws. Performances run August 9th thru August 25th, 2019 at Little Theatre Off Broadway, 3981 Broadway, Grove City, Ohio. For reservations/more info visit: http://www.ltob.org or call 614-875-3919.

Bertolt Brecht's LIFE OF GALILEO is given a modern makeover in Tom Wright's adaptation, directed by Eamon Flack for Belvoir St Theatre.

Thankfully, when ANASTASIA hit Broadway, it dispensed with anyone immortal or winged, replacing fantasy with the real-world politics that led up to the Romanovs' demise. The added historical context grounds this once-wacky story, and frankly, I would have welcomed even more of it...

A Haunting Tale of Anastasia On Tour

The Royal College of Music Opera Studio is taking audiences back to the booming fifties this summer with an evening of sparkling musical satire, led by esteemed theatre director Stephen Unwin. The cast presents a double bill of 20th century opera and a rare chance to hear Bernstein's sardonic Trouble in Tahiti, paired with Berkeley's delightful comedy of manners, A Dinner Engagement.

In 2017, the Broadway musical version of Anastasia (which opened at Hartford Stage nice months earlier), based on the 1997 film, featuring music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and a book by Terrence McNally debuted to much fanfare, and now Nashville audiences are in the thrall of the cast and crew of the national touring company, onstage at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall through Sunday, March 24.

Moon Theatre Company presents 'You Can't Take it With You' April 12 - 20 in Loveland. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, April 14 at 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $18 - $22 and are available online at www.rialtotheatercenter.org or by calling 970-962-2120. All performances are at the Rialto Theatre Center, 228 E. 4th St., Loveland, CO 80537.

Whether you're a history buff, grew up with the film or are a newcomer to the mysterious story of the lost princess, you will find something to love. Run, don't walk to catch this instant musical theatre classic before it leaves Austin on February 17th.

ANASTASIA opened at the Fox Cities Performing Center on January 8 and will continue to play through January 13. The show builds on the animated movie it is based on, adding new songs, more dynamic characters, and unbeatable staging, choreography, lighting, and costuming. While ANASTASIA is not a Disney production and lacks the buzz that Disney productions enjoy, it proves that the mouse does not have a monopoly on captivating family fare.

Angela Lansbury has enjoyed a career without precedent. Her professional career spans more than half-a-century, during which she has flourished, first as a star of motion pictures, then as a four-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical star, and most recently as the star of 'Murder, She Wrote,' the longest running detective drama series in the history of television.

Bergen County Players (BCP), one of America's longest-running little theater companies, is proud to present in its 86th season the 1937 Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, You Can't Take It With You. Written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, You Can't Take It With You will be performed at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell from October 20th through November 10th, 2018.

Good morning BroadwayWorld! Today's top stories: Ain't Too Proud opens its pre-Broadway run in Toronto tonight, and more!

Today we celebrate the Broadway revival of Kaufman and Hart's You Can't Take It with You, which opened on this day in 2014.

6 people walk into an oven...Sound like the beginning of a sick joke or a Grimm Brothers' fairy tale? Nope. It's the premise of Maxim Vinogradov's new play, Lost in 3 Pines, reminiscent of Baum's Wizard of Oz.

The Dallas Opera is proud to present an afternoon of magnificent orchestral works and one of the most gifted pianists in classical music today.  American pianist Andrew von Oeyen and The Dallas Opera Orchestra will perform a genuinely exciting twentieth-century masterworks: Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor.

What do you get when you mix a cocktail of 21 Gershwin gems, madcap comedy, and show-stopping dance numbers?  It's Musical Theatre West's (MTW) production of Broadway's 10-Time Tony nominated musical Nice Work If You Can Get It, coming to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center April 6-22. 

The 2018 Janet and Mark L. Goldenson Broadway Concert Series at Rubicon Theatre Company kicks off with five intimate concerts by award-winning stars of the Great White Way, including Tony Award-winner FAITH PRINCE (Guys and Dolls), L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award-winner JASON GRAAE (RTC's Return to the Forbidden Planet, Falsettos), Helen Hayes Award-winners DAVID BURNHAM (The Light in the Piazza) and TAMI TAPPAN (RTC's Streetcar Named Desire, Miss Saigon), husband-and-wife duo MEGAN MCGINNIS and ADAM HALPIN (Daddy Long Legs), Ovation nominee ERIC KUNZE (Evita), and Nashville-based singer MELISSA HAMMANS (Back to the Garden).

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham, Executive Director Ellen Richard and Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP) have announced final casting for Lythgoe Family Panto's ALADDIN AND HIS WINTER WISH.

Brewster Theater Company is presenting YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, now through November 4th. Like many great comedies, this play tickles the funny bone and touches the heart!

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham, Executive Director Ellen Richard and Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP) have announced final casting for Lythgoe Family Panto's ALADDIN AND HIS WINTER WISH.

Today we celebrate the birth of one of the stage's greatest legends, Angela Lansbury!

The Tony Award-winning musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum hits the Garry Marshall Theatre stage, following Ovation Recommended play Master Class.

Today we celebrate the Broadway revival of Kaufman and Hart's You Can't Take It with You, which opened on this day in 2014.