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John Rando
John Rando is an American stage director who won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for '' Urinetown the Musical'' in 2002. He received his 2nd nomination in the same category in 2015 for the 2014 Broadway revival of '' On the Town''. Early life Rando grew up in Houston, Texas and attended the University of Texas in Austin, studying theatre. He received a Fulbright Program fellowship and studied theatre in Germany and Italy and then studied directing at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, graduating in 1988. He next worked as an assistant director at the Old Globe Theatre (San Diego). Career Rando has directed Off-Broadway, on Broadway and in regional theatre. His first Off-Broadway play was ''Fortune's Fools'', by Frederick Stroppel, at the Cherry Lane Theatre in 1995. He directed the musical ''The Toxic Avenger'', which opened Off-Broadway in 2009, after it premiered at the George Street Playhouse (New Brunswick, New Jersey). Rando has directed several ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stage Director
A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors and aspects of production. The director's function is to ensure the quality and completeness of theatre production and to lead the members of the creative team into realizing their artistic vision for it. The director thereby collaborates with a team of creative individuals and other staff to coordinate research and work on all the aspects of the production which includes the Technical and the Performance aspects. The technical aspects include: stagecraft, costume design, theatrical properties (props), lighting design, set design, and sound design for the production. The performance aspects include: acting, dance, orchestra, chants, and stage combat. If the production is a new piece of writing or a (new) translation of a play, the director ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the American Theatre Wing. As the Tony Awards cover Broadway productions, the Obie Awards cover off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions. Background The Obie Awards were initiated by Edwin (Ed) Fancher, publisher of ''The Village Voice,'' who handled the financing and business side of the project. They were first given in 1956 under the direction of theater critic Jerry Tallmer. Initially, only off-Broadway productions were eligible; in 1964, off-off-Broadway productions were made eligible. The first Obie Awards ceremony was held at Helen Gee's cafe.Aletti, Vince"Helen Gee 1919–2004" ''Village Voice'' (New York City), 12 October 2004, accessed on 21 November 2013 With the exception of the Lifetime Achievement and Best New American Pl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strike Up The Band (musical)
''Strike Up the Band'' is a 1927 musical with a book by Morrie Ryskind, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and music by George Gershwin. It first ran as a satirical show in Philadelphia that year, unsuccessfully, and on Broadway in 1930 after the original book by George S. Kaufman was revised by Ryskind. The show concerned a cheese manufacturer who sponsors a war against Switzerland because it will be named after him. Much of the satire of the 1927 version was replaced in the new version by silliness, leading Ryskind to recall, "What I had to do, in a sense, was to rewrite ''War and Peace'' for the Three Stooges." Aside from the title tune, the 1940 Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney musical film ''Strike Up the Band'' had no relation to the stage production. The overture is often performed as a stand-alone concert work. Libretto The original book by George S. Kaufman centered on Horace J. Fletcher, a Babbitt-like cheese tycoon who tries to maintain his monopoly on the American market by convinci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Encores!
Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hart, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim, among many others. Encores! was the brainchild of Judith Daykin, who launched the series shortly after becoming Executive Director of City Center in 1992. Besides initiating Encores!, Daykin is credited for turning City Center from a rental hall into a presenting organization. The series has spawned nineteen cast recordings and numerous Broadway transfers, including Kander and Ebb's ''Chicago'', which is now the second longest-running musical in Broadway history. Videotapes of many Encores! productions are collected at the Billy Rose Theater Collection of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The series was led by artistic director Ja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laura Bell Bundy
Laura Ashley Bell Bundy (born April 10, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for originating the Broadway roles of Amber Von Tussle in the musical version of ''Hairspray and'' Elle Woods in the musical version of ''Legally Blonde''. She also portrayed Dr. Jordan Denby on the television show '' Anger Management.'' In 2010 she signed to Mercury Records Nashville and released her first two country music singles, "Giddy On Up" and "Drop on By". Early life Bell Bundy was born in Euclid, Ohio, and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. Her mother, Lorna Bundy-Jones (née Lorna Ann Bell), is a Lancome Beauty Advisor at Ulta, and her father, Don Bundy, is an electrical engineer. Her parents divorced in 1997 when she was 16 years old; both have since remarried. She took dance lessons at Town and Village School of Dance in Paris, Kentucky. When she was nine, she appeared in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York City. She graduated from Lexington Catholic High Schoo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leslie Kritzer
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (born May 24, 1977) is an American singer and musical theatre actress. Life and career Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer was born in Manhattan and raised in Livingston, New Jersey. Her father is Jewish, and her mother is of Puerto Rican ancestry. Kritzer was raised Catholic. She attended Livingston High School, graduating in 1995. A 1999 graduate of the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, she has appeared on Broadway in ''Hairspray'' as Shelly and in ''Legally Blonde'' as Serena. Off-Broadway she appeared in ''The Great American Trailer Park Musical'', ''Bat Boy,'' and ''Godspell'', and her regional credits include ''Vanities'' (Kathy), ''Babes in Arms'' (Baby Rose), and both '' Grease'' (Rizzo) and '' Funny Girl'' (Fanny) at Paper Mill Playhouse. Kritzer starred in ''Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches,'' a recreation of Patti LuPone's famed nightclub act. The show premiered at Joe's Pub and was conceived and directed by Ben R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Mastro (actor)
Michael Mastro (born May 17, 1962) is an American Broadway and film actor.''The New York Times Theater Reviews 1997-1998 - Page 243 New York Times - 2001 "Three musicians, played by Frank Wood, Michael Mastro and Joseph Lyfe Taylor, sit around a cassette player listening to the tape of a fervent, wrenching trumpet solo." Mastro made his Broadway debut in Terrence McNally's ''Love! Valour! Compassion!'' in 1995. His film appearances include roles in ''Kissing Jessica Stein'', '' The Night We Never Met'' (1993), ''Jungle 2 Jungle'' (1997), and ''Borough of Kings A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...'' (2002). References External links * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mastro, Michael American male actors 1962 births Actors from Albany, New York Living people ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael McGrath (actor)
Michael McGrath (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. Best known for his work on the Broadway stage, he received a Tony Award in 2012 for his performance in the musical '' Nice Work If You Can Get It''. Career McGrath played the role of Patsy in the Broadway musical ''Spamalot'' (2005), for which he received a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He played the role of Cookie McGee in the Broadway musical '' Nice Work If You Can Get It'' (2012), for which he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for this performance. McGrath originated the role of Mr. Simmons in ''Memphis'' (Broadway, 2009). He has been an ensemble member and understudy for many shows, including ''My Favorite Year (musical)'', ''Swinging on a Star'' and '' Little Me''. He has appeared in the musicals ''Anything Goes'' as Moonface Martin and in ''Wonderful Town'' (2003) as Chick Cla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live in New York City. Paper Mill was officially designated as the "State Theater of New Jersey". From 1971 to 2008, Paper Mill held the New Jersey Ballet as its resident ballet company, with the annual production of ''Nutcracker'' until the premiere 25th Anniversary tour of ''Les Misérables'' took up the ballet's performance slot. Mark S. Hoebee serves as the producing artistic director, and is often credited as saving the Paper Mill during the financial crisis in 2008. In 2016, the playhouse received the Regional Theatre Tony Award. History Building In March 1795, Sam Campbell built The Thistle Paper Mill on land along the Rahway River in the town of Millville, later renamed Millburn. Campbell ran his business for about 20 years until he wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jackie Gleason
John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy, exemplified by his city-bus-driver character Ralph Kramden in the television series ''The Honeymooners''. He also developed ''The Jackie Gleason Show,'' which maintained high ratings from the mid 1950s through 1970. After originating in New York City, filming moved to Miami Beach, Florida, in 1964 after Gleason took up permanent residence there. Among his notable film roles were Minnesota Fats in 1961's ''The Hustler'' (co-starring with Paul Newman) and Buford T. Justice in the ''Smokey and the Bandit'' series from 1977 to 1983 (co-starring Burt Reynolds). Gleason enjoyed a prominent secondary music career during the 1950s and 1960s, producing a series of best-selling "mood music" albums. H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Honeymooners
''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom which originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It follows the lives of New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden (Gleason), his wife Alice (Audrey Meadows), Ralph's best friend Ed Norton (Art Carney) and Ed's wife Trixie (Joyce Randolph) as they get involved with various schemes in their day-to-day living. Most episodes revolve around Ralph's poor choices in absurd dilemmas which frequently show his judgmental attitude in a comedic tone. The show occasionally features more serious issues such as women's rights and social status. The sketches first aired on the DuMont network's variety series ''Cavalcade of Stars'', which Gleason hosted, and subsequently on the CBS network's ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' which was broadcast live in front of a theater audience. The popularity of the sketches led ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Simonson, Robert
Robert Simonson (born September 11, 1964) is an American journalist and author. Personal life Robert Simonson was born in Wisconsin; he has lived in Brooklyn since 1988. Career Robert Simonson began writing about cocktails, spirits and bars for ''The New York Times'' in 2009. He has also written frequently for ''Imbibe'', ''Whiskey Advocate'', ''Saveur'', ''Food & Wine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and season ...'' and ''Lucky Peach''. Since 2017, he has been a contributing editor at ''Punch''. His book ''3-Ingredient Cocktails'' was nominated for a James Beard Award. His other writings have been nominated for a total of 10 Spirited Awards, which are awarded annually by Tales of the Cocktail. Prior to becoming a cocktail writer, he wrote about the theater for 15 years, prim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
