Tickets Now Available to See Disgraced on Broadway
Disgraced Show Closed This production ended its run on March 1, 2015 Related Shows Tickets are now on sale to see Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced, starring Hari Dhillon, Gretchen Mol and Josh Radnor. Directed by Kimberly Senior, the Broadway production will begin previews on September 27 and officially open on October 23 at the Lyceum Theater. Disgraced follows Amir Kapoor (Dhillon), a successful Pakistani-American lawyer who is rapidly moving up the corporate ladder while distancing himself from his cultural roots. When Amir and his wife, Emily (Mol), a white artist influenced by Islamic paintings, host a dinner party, what starts out as a friendly conversation escalates into something far more damaging. The cast also includes Karen Pittman and Danny Ashok. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play previously had a critically acclaimed off-Broadway run at Lincoln Center’s Claire Tow Theatre in 2012. View Comments
Wicked’s Willemijn Verkaik’s on the Verge Wicked vet Willemijn Verkaik, Ricardo Afonso and Haydn Oakley have been tapped to join the previously announced new stage adaptation of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, starring Tamsin Greig. The production, helmed by Bartlett Sher, will begin performances at London’s Playhouse Theatre on December 16. Alan Cumming & Victor Garber on Embarrassing B’way Moments. Cabaret’s Alan Cumming and Great White Way Vet Victor Garber recently stopped by Watch What Happens Live on Bravo. Check out below as they chat their most embarrassing Broadway moments with host Andy Cohen…and the most annoying thing an audience member can do (apart from whacking). Here’s a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today. Allison Williams Talks Pan Problems When it comes to the Peter Pan Live! telecast’s viewers, Allison Williams, who will play the titular role, is pragmatic. “The myriad things that can go wrong is why most of America will tune in,” the Girls star admitted to the New York Post. (That’s not us, obviously. No really.) However, she’s also confident that the team will pull it off: “I’m not scared because everyone is working to the best of their ability…my biggest training ground is improv. I’ll know how to handle things if something goes wrong.” We can’t wait to see what Williams, Christopher Walken, Christian Borle, Kelli O’Hara and some of our favorite Newsies have in store for us on December 4. Antonie Murray-Straughan is Cats’ First Hip-Hop Tugger Antoine Murray-Straughan will play the new 2014 version of the Rum Tum Tugger in London’s upcoming Cats revival, starring Nicole Scherzinger. Andrew Lloyd Webber(!) has said that the Tugger is now going to be “a contemporary street cat and he has to do hip-hop. That will be a completely new way of doing it.” We’re confident, however, that he will still be curious.
NPH Reminisces About Being Naked With Josh Radnor Former Hedwig Neil Patrick Harris got honest about getting (publicly) naked when he paid a visit to Conan on October 23. Which led, below, to him reminiscing about being nude with Disgraced’s Josh Radnor. It was all in the name of art, of course, in this case when they starred together on stage in A Paris Letter. We’re somewhat annoyed with ourselves for missing that one. View Comments
Source: The Broadway League America may have celebrated jettisoning the monarchy in 1776 this weekend, but on Broadway The Lion King continued its reign. The long-running musical brought in a massive $2,143,344 this week. It was joined in the top five in terms of grosses by perennial faves Wicked, Aladdin, The Book of Mormon, and this season’s box office standout An American in Paris. Capacity wise, Tony winning-tuners Fun Home and The King and I continued to have a strong showing. However, on the other end of the spectrum, the currently in preview Amazing Grace will be looking to opening night reviews for a box office bump, while On the Town will be hoping the allure of prima ballerina Misty Copeland provides a much needed boost to takings.Here’s a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending July 5:FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)1.The Lion King ($2,143,344)2. Wicked ($1,864,235)3. Aladdin ($1,598,424)4. The Book of Mormon ($1,382,123)5. An American in Paris ($1,348,052)UNDERDOGS (By Gross)5. On the Town ($473,731)4. Wolf Hall Parts One & Two ($346,459)3. It Shoulda Been You ($344,925)2. Hand to God ($317,404)1. Amazing Grace ($201,081)*FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)1. Fun Home (103.46%)2. The Book of Mormon (102.61%)3. The Lion King (101.02%)4. Aladdin (100.01%)5. The King and I (100.00%)UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)5. Hand to God (70.55%)4. It Shoulda Been You (68.89%)3. Amazing Grace (63.51%)*2. On the Town (59.50%)1. Wolf Hall Parts One & Two (59.28%)* Number based on seven preview performances View Comments
Drop Dead Perfect Related Shows View Comments After a madcap run off-Broadway last year, Drop Dead Perfect will return to New York City, once again starring Everett Quinton. Directed by Joe Brancato and written by Erasmus Fenn, the adults-only comedy will play a limited eight-week engagement from August 19 at Theatre at St. Clements. Opening night is scheduled for August 23.Drop Dead Perfect follows Idris Seabright (Quinton), a wealthy, eccentric mistress of a Key West cottage who runs her estate with a zany flair. When her beloved ward Vivien decides to abandon the Florida Keys to pursue art in Greenwich Village and Idris’ lawyer becomes alarmingly interested in her investments, Idris’ life begins its outrageous downward spiral. After she receives a visit from a mysterious stranger bearing an undeniable resemblance to her long-lost love, she becomes unhinged and her life erupts into over-the-top comic mayhem.The cast will also include Jason Cruz, Jason Edward Cook and Timothy C. Goodwin.Drop Dead Perfect will feature choreography by Lorna Ventura, sets by James J. Fenton, lighting by Ed McCarthy, costumes by Charlotte Palmer-Lane and sound by William Neal. Show Closed This production ended its run on Oct. 11, 2015
View Comments Perfect Arrangement Show Closed This production ended its run on Nov. 6, 2015 Related Shows From Barbra’s basement to the state department! Former Buyer and Cellar headliner Christopher J. Hanke and more will appear in the previously announced New York premiere of Topher Payne’s dark comedy Perfect Arrangement. Directed by Michael Barakiva, the limited engagement will run September 29 through November 6 at off-Broadway’s Primary Stages at The Duke on 42nd Street. Opening night is set for October 15.Joining Hanke as Jim Baxter will be Julia Coffey (London Wall) as Norma Baxter, Robert Eli (Tartuffe) as Bob Martindale, Mikaela Feely-Lehmann (Cyrano de Bergerac) as Millie Martindale, Kelly McAndrew (Abundance) as Barbara Grant, Kevin O’Rourke (The City of Conversation) as Theodore Sunderson and Jennifer Van Dyck (Hedda Gabler) as Kitty Sunderson.It’s 1950 and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. The twist: both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other’s partners as a carefully constructed cover. Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the American gay rights movement, madcap I Love Lucy sitcom-style laughs give way to drama as two “All-American” couples are forced to stare down the closet door, confronting the very struggles facing society today.Perfect Arrangement will feature scenic design by Neil Patel, with costume design by Jennifer Caprio, lighting design by Traci Klainer Polimeni, sound design by Ryan Rumery and hair and wig design by J. Jared Janas.
Related Shows It’s official! The much-buzzed about new musical Come From Away will bow on Broadway in the spring of 2017 at a theater to be announced. Prior to appearing on the Main Stem, the tuner is scheduled to run at Washington D.C.’s Ford’s Theatre September 2 through October 9 and in Toronto at a Mirvish Theatre to be announced from November 15 through January 1, 2017.Directed by Christopher Ashley, the show has a book, music and lyrics by husband-and-wife duo David Hein and Irene Sankoff. Come From Away is based on the true story of when the isolated community of Gander, Newfoundland played host to the world. What started as an average day in a small town turned in to an international sleep-over when 38 planes, carrying thousands of people from across the globe, were diverted to Gander’s air strip on September 11, 2001. Undaunted by culture clashes and language barriers, the people of Gander cheered the stranded travelers with music, an open bar and the recognition that we’re all part of a global family.The production will feature choreography by Kelly Devine, scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Gareth Owen and music supervision by Ian Eisendrath.Come From Away has had exceptionally strong word of mouth after previous engagements at Goodspeed, NAMT, La Jolla Playhouse and Seattle Repertory Theatre. No word yet on casting for the latest incarnation of the show, but the Seattle company included Jenn Colella as Beverley, Chad Kimball as Colin 1, Joel Hatch as Claude, Rodney Hicks as Bob, Caesar Samayoa as Colin 2, Q Smith as Lana and Sharon Wheatley as Diane. Jenn Colella in ‘Come From Away'(Photo by Kevin Berne / La Jolla Playhouse) Come From Away
from $49.00 View Comments
Magical, fantastical news! Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford and her husband Joe Tapper have welcomed their first child. Jack Clark Tapper was born on September 8 at 6:36AM in Los Angeles, according to People.“There are no words to describe our joy when we first met our Jack,” the proud parents said. The two were wed in 2013.Ashford won a Tony Award last year for You Can’t Take It With You, which also featured Tapper. She most recently appeared on Broadway in Sylvia and also earned a Tony nomination for Kinky Boots. She will return to the stage opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in Sunday in the Park with George this October at New York City Center. On screen, Ashford can be seen on Masters of Sex and Fox’s upcoming Rocky Horror Picture Show remake. Joe Tapper & Annaleigh Ashford(Photo: Bruce Glikas) View Comments
What grows on Georgia farms? Cotton and peanuts, of course. And veggies. Don’t forgetthe veggies.People may not know it, but vegetables rank right up there with cotton and peanuts asmoney crops in Georgia.In fact, Georgia vegetable income in 1995 was $17 million more than the income frompeanuts. Figures for 1996 aren’t in yet. But the final ’95 figures show vegetable incomesecond only to cotton among Georgia row crops.In 1995, cotton income topped $767 million. Vegetables brought in $434 million, andpeanuts slipped to $417 million. With a value of $1.6 billion, the three crops made upabout one-third of the state’s farm income.”Georgia vegetable acreage actually dropped a little in 1994,” said TerryKelley, a horticulturist with the University of Georgia Extension Service. “Butexperienced growers are now producing more on fewer acres.”Just five years ago, vegetable income wasn’t even 40 percent of the figure for peanuts.Georgia farmers planted more than 175,000 acres to vegetables in 1994 and ’95. Theygrew cabbage, cucumbers, lima and snap beans, onions, sweet corn, tomatoes, squash,peppers, watermelons, greens and 20 other veggies. And they’re growing more new crops,like carrots.Some veggies bring more money than others. Prices vary widely through the harvest andmarket season, too. Through it all, vegetable income keeps growing.”Vegetable income has risen slowly for many years,” said Larry Snipes, thestate statistician with the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service. “Peanut incomevaries more from year to year.”Many peanut farmers say their crop suffered during the mostly dry 1995 growing season.Irrigation systems cover less than half of Georgia peanut land. But Kelley said farmersirrigate 95 percent or more of their vegetable acres.”We don’trecommend that any farmer grow vegetables without irrigation,” he said. “Theinvestment is too large to let the plants dry up and die.”So at least until the 1996 crop figures are in next year, vegetable farmers can basknear the top of the income pool.”It’s aboost for vegetable growers to know their crop has joined the ranks of peanut and cottonincome in Georgia,” Kelley said. “We’re up with the standards, the crops people all over the nation andworld know as ‘Georgia’ crops.”Extension economist George Westberry figures the peanut crop will take back itssecond-place rank in ’96. “Peanuts had their problems, but so did vegetables,”he said.Low watermelon prices and freeze damage in cabbage, onions and greens could dropvegetable income back just below peanuts.”The fall vegetable season has been strong,” Westberry said. “But it maynot be enough to keep vegetables ahead of peanuts in 1996.”
Summer fun doesn’t come without dangers. When the sun comes out, so do a lot ofstingers. “While many bee pollinators are active only in early spring, honeybees and bumblebeesare active all summer,” said Keith Delaplane, a University of Georgia ExtensionService entomologist. “Its sting burns for a few minutes, then starts itching,” Sparks said. “Then a whitepustule forms within several hours of a sting.” If fire ants sting you, treat the area with an approved insect-bite remedy that not onlydeadens pain but provides infection protection. Sting-Kill External Anesthetic, whichcontains benzocaine, is one such product. “Fire ants inflict pain,” said UGA entomologist Beverly Sparks. “They actually bite (tohold on) and then sting — that’s the part that hurts.” If you are allergic to bee stings, carry a sting kit at all times. Most other stings can betreated with a topical ointment such as Benadryl. Don’t swat at stinging insects. Swatting a bee just agitates it more. Delaplanerecommends you walk — or run — away and don’t waste time with fruitless anddangerous swatting. How do you avoid being stung? Wasps and yellow jackets are another matter. In spite of folk tales, most stinging insects are equally potent. Think bees are the only summer stingers? Think again. In Georgia, it’s not bees you have to watch out for. It’s wasps. It’s their behavior that gives them away. “They become more numerous and problematic toward the end of summer,” Delaplanesaid. “The best control is to treat individual nests. The earlier in summer the better.”
A fire ant sting is different from other ants. “It depends more on the individual than the bee,” Delaplane said. “For somebeekeepers, honeybee stings are practically nothing. But for those same people, a waspsting can be very painful.” “Most people call any stinging insect a bee,” Delaplane said. “True bees are valuablepollinators and rarely warrant control. A live-and-let-live approach is far better.” “Walking barefoot in clover is a risk,” Delaplane said. “If you encounter bees onflowers, simply leave them alone and enjoy watching them. If you see a bumblebeenest, avoid it. It will die out in the fall.” Commercial sprays are best for controlling wasps and yellow jackets. “If you swell and feel pain at a sting site, it’s not an allergic reaction,” he said. “It’s anormal reaction. An allergic reaction includes sweating, dizziness, light-headedness,shaking, convulsions and more serious symptoms — reactions suffered by a very smallfraction of the population.” Some people may have bad reactions to any bee sting. “Many ants are the shape and size of a fire ant, and unless you have a good hand lensor microscope it’s hard to tell these ants apart,” Sparks said. “If you see a large, turtle-shaped mound with no obvious entry point and when youdisturb the mound, hundreds of ants respond very quickly, you can be sure they’re fireants,” Sparks said. “Some people react severely to fire ant stings,” Sparks said. “They should see aphysician immediately.” Not all ant stings are as painful as a fire ant’s. Allergic reactions to fire ant stings may include chest pains, nausea or lapsing into acoma.
Host an adultOn most days, Kyoko went to work with Cantrell, but she spent onework day with Cantrell’s husband Gary, a media specialist.”It was the school’s open house and she read some Japanesebooks to the children and played games,” she said. “Now Kyoko andone of the teachers are going to set up an e-mail exchangebetween their students.”A music lover, Kyoko enjoyed accompanying the Cantrells on theirfamily vacation to the Belle Chere Music Festival in Asheville.”She was very excited to go on ‘an American road trip,'” Cantrellsaid.Back in Atlanta, the Stubbs have made lifelong friends in theIrikura family, despite the fact that they’ve never met or spokento one another.”We write e-mails back and forth using a computer program thatconverts English to Japanese and vice versa,” Stubbs said. “Ourfamilies have become wonderful friends, and now my eldestdaughter Elizabeth wants to go to Japan through the program nextsummer.”If you are interested in hosting a student or chaperone nextsummer, contact Buckley at (706) 542-8735 or email him atjbuckley@uga.edu. Don’t put on a show”The goal isn’t to put on a great show,” said Jeff Buckley,coordinator of Georgia 4-H’s international and citizenshipprograms. “It’s to live your daily life: eat dinner, do laundry– just normal daily life activities. There’s no one recipe forhow to be a host family. You just have to interact.”In the Southern tradition, most Georgia host families make apoint to entertain their Japanese guests.This year’s experience wasn’t the first for the Stubbs family.They hosted Chinami’s brother Ryosuke two years ago.”Ryosuke was shy, and he mostly hung out with my son Charlie andplayed video games,” said Denise Stubbs. “Chinami was totallydifferent. The minute she saw us, she ran into my arms. And shewas full of questions the entire visit.”Communication is a big part of being a successful host, Buckleysaid. Some students speak a little English. “Some speak verylittle English,” he said. “This actually helps the students learncommunication skills. They have to learn how to communicate withsomeone who speaks a different language.”Chinami taught the Stubbs children how to sing the Japanesealphabet. “And every word we taught her in English, she taught usin Japanese,” Stubbs said. By Sharon OmahenUniversity of GeorgiaThe Stubbs family spent their summer vacation the typical way:trips to Six Flags Over Georgia, Zoo Atlanta, Stone Mountain anda Braves’ game. Having Japanese student Chinami Irikura along,though, sometimes made it feel like their first trip.As part of the Georgia 4-H Labo Summer Inbound Program,12-year-old Chinami spent a month in the Stubbs DeKalb Countyhome. The program pairs Georgia families with students andchaperones from Japan.Host families must have children 11 to 17 years old and sharetheir home and their meals.
Trying new foodsStubbs loved watching the students learn about America.”Chinami pointed out all the differences for us,” she said.”There are a lot of Japanese foods we don’t have here, but shewas thrilled to see Oreo cookies. She thought they only had themin Japan.”Stubbs introduced Chinami to American and Southern foods. By theend of the month, her favorite American foods were chipped beefand gravy, Krispy Kreme donuts, McDonald’s cheeseburgers andsweet tea.”She called our tea ‘Georgia tea’ and loved it so much we had tosend her home with a huge supply of Luzianne tea bags, a teapitcher and a measuring cup,” Stubbs said. “Now she makes itevery day back in Japan.”Georgia families hosted 13 Japanese students and two chaperonesthrough the program this summer. Laurie Cantrell of Statesborohosted chaperone Kyoko Kawabata this summer.