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Blues In The Night (musical)
''Blues in the Night'' is a 1980s musical revue conceived by Sheldon Epps. It was produced by Mitchell Maxwell, Alan J. Schuster, Fred H. Krones and M Squared Entertainment, Inc., and Joshua Silver (Associate Producer). Set in a rundown Chicago hotel in 1938, the dialogue-free show focuses on three women's relationships with the same snake of a man, their interweaving stories told through the torch songs and blues of Bessie Smith, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Gordon Jenkins, and Alberta Hunter, among others. Productions The revue originally was staged by Epps and Gregory Hines under the supervision of Norman René at the off-Broadway Playhouse 46, where it ran for 51 performances between March 26 and May 11, 1980. The original cast consisted of David Brunetti, Rise Collins, Suzanne M. Henry, and Gwen Shepherd. After 13 previews, the Broadway production, directed by Epps, opened on June 2, 1982, at the Rialto Theatre, where it ran for 53 performances. Jean DuShon, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Off Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer than 100. An "off-Broadway production" is a production of a play, musical, or revue that appears in such a venue and adheres to related trade union and other contracts. Some shows that premiere off-Broadway are subsequently produced on Broadway. History The term originally referred to any venue, and its productions, on a street intersecting Broadway in Midtown Manhattan's Theater District, the hub of the American theatre industry. It later became defined by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers as a professional venue in Manhattan with a seating capacity of at least 100, but not more than 499, or a production that appears in such a venue and adheres to related trade union and other contracts. Previously, regardless of the size ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norman René
Norman René (1951 – May 24, 1996) was an American theater and film director and film producer who frequently collaborated with playwright Craig Lucas. Biography René was born in Bristol, Rhode Island. He studied psychology for a year at Johns Hopkins University before transferring to Carnegie Mellon University to pursue acting. While there, he realized he was better suited for directing, and during three summer breaks he ran the repertory Red Barn Theater in Pittsburgh. After graduating in 1974, René moved to New York City. Three years later he teamed with three Carnegie Mellon alumni to found the off-off-Broadway Production Company, where he served as artistic director and directed and/or supervised productions such as ''The Guardsman'' and '' Blues in the Night''. The company included Julie Hagerty, Judith Ivey, Treat Williams, Mark Linn-Baker, and John Glover. René met Craig Lucas in 1979. Their first collaboration was '' Marry Me a Little'' in 1981. The two wrote a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Straker
Peter Straker (born 7 November 1943) is a Jamaican-born British singer and actor Life and career Straker was born in Jamaica, and moved to London in his early childhood. He first became known in 1968, when he starred as Hud in the original London production of ''Hair''. Over the next three years he released a succession of singles on the Polydor label, though none became commercially successful. In 1971 (credited mononymously as Straker), he appeared in the comedy-drama film ''Girl Stroke Boy'', co-written and co-produced by Caryl Brahms and Ned Sherrin.Charles Donovan, "Queen's Consort", ''Record Collector'', No.518, May 2021, pp.84-87 In 1972, he signed with RCA Victor, and had a minor hit with the song "The Spirit is Willing", based on "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by J. S. Bach, and adapted by the songwriting duo of Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, who also produced the single. Credited to "Peter Straker – The Hands of Dr. Teleny", it entered the charts on 19 February ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clarke Peters
Peter Clarke (born April 7, 1952), known professionally as Clarke Peters, is an American-British actor, writer, and director. He is best known for his roles as Lester Freamon in the television series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) and Albert Lambreaux in the television series '' Treme'' (2010–2013). Peters is also known for his roles in the films ''Endgame'' (2009), ''John Wick'' (2014), '' Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' (2017), '' Harriet'' (2019), and ''Da 5 Bloods'' (2020), the lattermost of which earned him a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Early life Peters was born Peter Clarke, the second of four sons, in New York City, and grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. At the age of 12, he had his first theater experience, in a school production of ''My Fair Lady''. He began to have serious ambitions to work in the theater at the age of 14. He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in 1970. Career Shortly before he left for Paris, Pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carol Woods
Carol may refer to: People with the name *Carol (given name) *Henri Carol (1910–1984), French composer and organist *Martine Carol (1920–1967), French film actress * Sue Carol (1906–1982), American actress and talent agent, wife of actor Alan Ladd Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Carol (music), a festive or religious song; historically also a dance ** Christmas carol, a song sung during Christmas * ''Carol'' (Carol Banawa album) (1997) * ''Carol'' (Chara album) (2009) * "Carol" (Chuck Berry song), a rock 'n roll song written and recorded by Chuck Berry in 1958 * Carol, a Japanese rock band that Eikichi Yazawa once belonged to *"The Carol", a song by Loona from '' HaSeul'' Other uses in arts, entertainment, and media * ''Carol'' (anime), an anime OVA featuring character designs by Yun Kouga * ''Carol'', the title of a 1952 novel by Patricia Highsmith better known as ''The Price of Salt'' * ''Carol'' (film), a 2015 British-American film starring Cate Blanchett and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Debby Bishop
Debby Bishop (also credited as Debbie Bishop) is a British actress. She appeared in the second series of the television crime drama '' Widows 2'', having taken over the part of Bella O'Reilly from Eva Mottley who died before production began. Bishop was born in Lewisham, in south east London. She began her professional acting career at the former Albany Empire Theatre in Deptford, South London in 1978 where she first appeared on stage in a number of shows produced by "The Combination" which was the resident theatre company there. In 1980 she was featured in a BBC Documentary "Fringe Benefits" where she appeared as a singer alongside a number of other Fringe Theatre groups, such as The Sadista Sisters. She appeared in the films '' Walter and June'' (1982), ''The Missionary'' (1982), '' Party Party'' (1983), ''Scrubbers'' (1983), ''Slayground'' (1983), ''Blue Money'' (1984) and ''Sid and Nancy'' (1986), in which she had a starring role as Phoebe. She was also featured in the West ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maria Friedman
Maria Friedman ( Freedman; born 19 March 1960) is a British actress and director of stage and screen, best known for her work in musical theatre. She is an eight-time Olivier Award nominee, winning three. Her first win was for her 1994 one-woman show, ''By Special Arrangement''. She has also twice won Best Actress in a Musical for the original London productions of '' Passion'' and ''Ragtime''. She is more recently known for her role as Elaine Peacock in ''EastEnders''. She made an appearance as the narrator in the 1999 straight to video version of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.'' Early years Maria Freedman was born in Switzerland, the daughter of Clair Llewelyn (née Sims), a concert pianist, and Leonard Friedman ( Freedman), a violinist for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Her younger sister is the theatre producer Sonia Friedman."A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donmar Warehouse
The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Michael Longhurst. The theatre has a diverse artistic policy that includes new writing, contemporary reappraisals of European classics, British and American drama and small-scale musical theatre. As well as presenting at least six productions a year at its home in Covent Garden, every year the Donmar tours one in-house production in the UK. History Theatrical producer Donald Albery formed Donmar Productions around 1953, with the name derived from the first three letters of his name and the first three letters of his wife's middle name, Margaret. In 1961, he bought the warehouse, a building that in the 1870s had been a vat room and hops warehouse for the local brewery in Covent Garden, and in the 1920s had been used as a film studio and then th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in Midtown Manhattan. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances. One is also given for regional theatre. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are given as well, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award. The awards were founded by theatre producer and director Brock Pemberton and are named after Antoinette "Tony" Perry, an actress, producer and theatre director who was co-founder and secretary of the American Theatre Wing. The trophy consists of a spinnable medallion, with faces portraying an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks, mounted on a black base with a pewter swivel. The rules for the Tony Awards are set forth in the off ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leslie Uggams
Leslie Marian Uggams (born May 25, 1943) is an American actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child in the early 1950s, Uggams is recognized for portraying Kizzy Reynolds in the television miniseries ''Roots'' (1977), earning Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for her performance. She had earlier been highly acclaimed for the Broadway musical ''Hallelujah, Baby!'', winning a Theatre World Award in 1967 and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1968. Later in her career, Uggams received renewed notice with appearances alongside Ryan Reynolds as Blind Al in ''Deadpool'' (2016) & ''Deadpool 2'' (2018) and in a recurring role on ''Empire''. Life and career Early life Uggams was born in Harlem, the daughter of Juanita Ernestine (Smith), a Cotton Club chorus girl/dancer, and Harold Coyden Uggams, an elevator operator and maintenance man, who was a singer with the Hall Johnson choir. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Debbie Shapiro
Debbie Shapiro Gravitte is an American actress and singer. She was born in Los Angeles, California. Career Gravitte made her Broadway debut in the chorus of ''They're Playing Our Song'' in 1979. She performed on Broadway in '' Blues in the Night'' in 1982; '' Zorba'' in 1983; ''Les Misérables'' as Fantine replacement, 1994; and ''Chicago'' as Matron "Mama" Morton replacement in 2003. In 1989 she appeared in ''Jerome Robbins' Broadway'', for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She was nominated for the Drama Desk Award. She was nominated for the 1981 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, for the Frank Loesser revue ''Perfectly Frank'' (1990). She has appeared in several Encores! staged concerts at New York City Center, including ''Carnival'' (2002), ''The Boys from Syracuse'' (1997) and '' Tenderloin'' (2000). Her solo album ''Part of Your World'' celebrates the songs of Alan Menken, and she is featured on the recording ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean DuShon
Jean DuShon (born Anna Jean Harris, later Atwell, August 16, 1935 – July 19, 2019) was an American jazz and R&B singer, and stage actor. She was best known for her recordings in the 1960s, including the first released recording of the song "For Once in My Life". Biography Born in Detroit, she sang in church as a child, and later entered and won local talent contests. She turned professional at 15, and began performing in nightclubs. She was influenced by Dinah Washington, and on one occasion was confronted by an angry Washington who accused her of copying her. She studied at the Detroit Conservatory, and attracted the attention of music business agent John Levy, the manager of singer Nancy Wilson. He won DuShon singing engagements across the US, and after he and Wilson had a row vowed that he would make DuShon a bigger star than she was. However, she then married Freddie Atwell, who became her manager, and they relocated to New York City. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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