RED ALERT : LIVE EVENTS in support of Entertainment and Arts Workers

 

Live Events Industry Has Organized Movement for Buildings

 And Venues Nationwide to Light up Red in Support of

Entertainment and Arts Workers

PHILADELPHIA LOCATIONS WILL INCLUDE THE SUZANNE ROBERTS  THEATRE, THE PENNSYLVANIA

CONVENTION CENTER, THE KIMMEL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, LIVE NATION VENUES, AND MORE

  Philadelphia members of local chapters of event, stage, and venue organizations are banding together and imploring the US Congress to offer economic relief to the Live Events Industry by passing the RESTART ACT (S.3814.) Shuttered since March 2020, putting millions of people out of work, the industry is organizing a national ‘Red Start’ campaign on September 1, 2020 when buildings, venues and iconic locations in Philadelphia and nationwide will light up red from 9 pm  to 12 midnight to raise public awareness that the Live Events Industry is on Red Alert for its very survival and to create congressional pressure to act now. The North American event comes on the heels of a similar event held on August 11 in the UK  when over 700 buildings were lit, calling attention to the same plight facing the Live Events Industry there.

 

SUMMER MUSIC FEST: A Night At the Movies

Artistic Director Keith Baker on keyboard leading the 5 piece band, various singers and musical groups have joined the fun over the years. This year, of course, the theatre closed its doors to the public in March due to the Corona virus pandemic. Keith Baker and his crew were not to be deterred. They’ve scheduled a three-part Summer Fest which can be accessed online after purchasing a ticket. I’ve just seen the second one, A Night At the Movies, and it was remarkable. Keith Baker, co- founder and Artistic Director, hosted the concert live from his living room and interviewed the soloists. Rebecca Robbins, Sean Thompson, Demetria Joyce Bailey and guitarist, Neil Nemetz and violinist Claudia Pellegrini before they performed. When Rebecca performed San Francisco in her living room, she was in one of five zoom squares surrounded by the band. With her gorgeous soprano voice she lifted her champagne glass voice high to match her voice! Sean Thompson has a soothing pure voice that is a pleasure to listen to as he sings Moon River and Unchained Melody. Demetria Joyce Bailey sings Stormy Weather and Goldfinger and if you close your eyes you could picture her in Porgy and Bess… a phenomenal voice. The 5 member band is frequently featured as you see and hear 2 guitars, a keyboard, a drum set and a violin. Although this is a virtual event, every soloist is featured in a visually unique and appealing way in a well-designed zoom arrangement. 

The last concert of the series a Broadway Summer Spectacular is scheduled for September 2, 4, 6.  It will feature Broadways bests from composers like Stephen Sondheim, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein.               

      

SUMMER MUSIC FEST: A Night At the Movies

Bristol Riverside Theatre is continuing its 25 year tradition of its Summer Music Fest. Held annually, these music events not only raise funds to help keep the theatre afloat during the regular theater season, but delight the audiences as well. With Co-Artistic Director Keith Baker on keyboard leading the 5 piece band, various singers and musical groups have joined the fun over the years. This year, of course, the corona virus dictated that the theatre close its doors in March due to the pandemic. Keith Baker and his crew were not to be deterred. They’ve scheduled a three-part Summer Fest which can be accessed online after purchasing a ticket. I’ve just seen the second one, A Night At the Movies, and it was remarkable. Thanks to Keith Baker and his production team, this BRT virtual presentation is one that everyone will be talking about for virtually days on end.

Keith Baker, hosted the concert live from his living room and interviewed the soloists Rebecca Robbins, Sean Thompson, Demetria Joyce Bailey and guitarist, Neil Nemetz and violinist Claudia Pellegrini before they performed. When Rebecca performed San Francisco in her gorgeous soprano voice, she lifted a champagne glass voice high to match the high notes she achieved at the song’s end. Sean Thompson had a soothing, pure voice that was a pleasure to listen to as he sang Moon River and Unchained Melody. Demetria Joyce Bailey's deep throaty voice was mesmerizing as she sang Stormy Weather and Goldfinger.  . In this virtual event, every soloist was featured from a different visual perspective. The zoom arrangement was well designed and unique.  The last concert of the series, a Broadway Summer Spectacular, is scheduled for September 2, 4, 6.  It will feature Broadway's bests from composers like Stephen Sondheim, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein.              

Kimmel' Center's Covid -19 Relief Concert

KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS CO-PRESENTS

COVID-19 RELIEF CONCERT

CHRISOPHER JACKSON:LIVE FROM THE WEST SIDE

STREAMED LIVE FROM NEW YORK

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15 AT 8 P.M. EST

DONATIONS OF $40+ 

+ ACCEPTED STARTING AUGUST 4

The Kimmel Cultural Campus is one of a select group of 16 nonprofit arts organizations across the nation who have partnered to present an exclusive live-streamed concert event, Christopher Jackson: Live from the West Side, on Saturday, August 15 at 8 p.m. EST. Jackson is a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning songwriter/composer and a Tony Award nominated actor best known for originating the role of George Washington in Hamilton. Accompanied by a live band, Jackson will   perform songs from his favorite musicals, pop standards and some of his original material. He will also share stories from his time with   In the Heights and Hamilton. Audience members will be invited to text questions which                       will be answered during the live event.

CHRISTOPHER JACKSON: LIVE FROM THE WEST SIDE is accessible with a $40 donation and includes access to the livestream performance plus an additional 72 hour of on-demand viewing of the livestream. Donations support the Kimmel Cultural Campus’ Covid 19 Relief Fund. ”Nonprofits arts presents are the lifeblood of the performing arts industry.” said Jackson, as he explained his partnering with the Covid-19 Relief Concert.

Beginning Tuesday August 4^th donations of $40+ to the Kimmel Cultural Campus Relief Fund will grant access to Christopher Jackson: Live from the West Side. Donations can be made at www.kimmelcenter.org.

 

 

Broadway Philadelphia 2020-2021 Season

The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus

And the Shubert Organization

Present

2020-2021 Broadway Philadelphia Season

With 14 Blockbuster Productions

And a combined

49 Tony Award Wins

Take a deep breath and look forward to the fall when all the covid 19 shelter in place will be nothing but a memory and everyone will be out and about enjoying the theatre once more. There's nothing better  than experiencing theatre produced by Broadway Philadelphia. Here’s something to look forward to.

·        Broadway Philadelphia is presented collaboratively by the Kimmel Center for the performing Arts and The Shubert Organization with productions at the Academy of Music, the Merriam Theatre and the Forrest Theatre. The upcoming season is dynamite. It includes: Pretty Woman: The Musical, (October 21 -  Nov, 8, 2020 - Academy of Music),  My Fair Lady (Nov 17 - 29, 2020- Academy of Music). 1776 (Dec. 8 – 20, 2020 – Forrest Theatre), Hairspray (Dec. 29 – Jan 3, 2021- Merriam Theatre,) The Cher Show (Jan 5 - 17, 2021- Academy of Music,) Blue Man Group (January 26 - 31. 2021 –Merriam Theatre,) Beautiful –The Carole King Musical (February 2- 14, 2021. – Academy of Music). Aint Too Proud (March 16- April 4 2021 - Academy of Music,) Anastasia (March 16-21, 2021- Merriam Theatre), RENT: 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour (April 9-11, 2021, -Merriam Theatre), Oklahoma! (May 4 – 16. 2021 – Forrest Theatre,) Disney’s The Lion King (May 26- June 20, 2021- Academy of Music, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida (July 14 – 18 2021 – Academy of Music) and Hadestown (July 27 – August 8, 2021 – Academy of Music). Hamilton will return as part of the following season. The dates and venue will be announced at a later date. Tickets are on sale now and subscribers can save up to 25% off single ticket prices. Tickets may be purchased online at kimmelcenter.org/broadway20-21 or by calling 215-893-1055. For the second consecutive year, subscription packages include a Wednesday matinee option. New this season, subscribers have the option of swapping one of the shows in their subscription package for a season extra of their choice. 

Cabaret

Lauren Molina as Sally Bowles

Bristol Riverside Theatre, located at 120 Radcliffe Street in Bristol, Pa. is producing a dazzling rendition of the challenging musical, Cabaret through April 12. Set in Berlin, Germany in 1929-1930, Cabaret offers a glimpse of some lives before the war breaks out.  Robb Sapp is a talented and engaging Emcee.  The ensemble cast is brilliant. Many of them have come to the BRT stage from Broadway or from Broadway touring companies. While Sally Bowles (Lauren Molina) belts, “Don’t Tell Mama,” each Kit Kat girl attains high kicks and maintains her spot as she moves dizzyingly around in a formatted circle. There is excellent choreography maintained on the chairs as the girls engage their hands, feet and their entire bodies while Sally once more has a chance to illustrate her talent as she sings “Mein Herr.”  The set design is done to perfection. There is an easy transition from The Kit Kat Club to Fraulein Schneider’s Rooming House and back again. Frequently, while the transition is being made, there are projections on the walls showing the time period - dates, dancing girls, etc., so it is easy to miss the young men and women moving chairs and props off stage to reset the scene. Bristol Riverside favorite, Jo Twiss, shows everyone why she has such a reputation as she portrays Fraulein Schneider flawlessly. I have seen several iterations of Cabaret and I have never seen this character portrayed with more feeling. This is an excellent rendition of an amazing musical. For more information or tickets, call 215- 785- 0100 or visit brtstage.org

A Woman of No Importance

Ian Merrill Peakes & Karen Peakes

Oscar Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance will be playing on the mainstage of the Walnut Street Theatre at 825 Walnut Street, through March 1, 2020. The set is magnificent with revolving rooms. It is a delightful revival of Wilde’s moralistic play in the Victorian age when women had few of the advantages of men. The times were rife with a double standard; men did as they wanted; women did as they were told…but the women are kept bedecked in long gowns,jewelry,and petty gossip. Wilde pokes fun of this society and laugh lines are sprinkled throughout the dialogue.The women seem to have everything they need until Mrs. Arbuthnot (Alice Roper) enters looking for her son Gerald (Brandon O’Rourke). Clearly she is not “one of them” but she is admitted to the salon and given a seat. Her son appears, to tell her he has been offered a significant job as secretary to an important man. When Mrs. Arbuthnot discovers who her son’s patron will be, she is horrified and asks her son to leave the room for a moment. In the argument that ensues between Mrs. Arbutnoth and the patron Mr. Kelvil (Ian Merrill Peakes), it is disclosed that Mr Kelvil is actually the boy’s father who had refused to marry the mother 20 years ago, causing her a lifetime of heartache and shame. She does not want Gerald to have anything to do with the man who had rejected both of them 20 years ago. Nor does she want him to know her reasons for objecting to his taking the position as secretary. Added to this lovely cast of characters is Miss  Hester Worley, (Audrey Ward) a wealthy American who disagrees with most of the Brit’s way of life. Gerald is in love with the American and wants to have this new job so he will be in a position to propose marriage. Wilde adds a sumptuous twist at the end of the play. Enjoy! For more information or tickets, call 215-574-3550 or 800-982-2787 or visit www.walnutstreettheatre.org or Ticketmaster