Stories » Is Freaky Friday coming to TV? / LaughingPlace.com

Stories for May 24, 2019

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    Ron Howard's new Pavarotti doc makes billboard: 'upcoming music-driven movies' list
     
    Posted At : May 24, 2019 12:00 AM

    Ron Howard's latest project documents the life of famed opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti, with testimonials from Bono and Pavarotti's Three Tenors compatriots, while newly available archival clips feature everyone from Nelson Mandela to Princess Diana. Howard on opera's storytelling power: "I thought you'd respect Pavarotti so much more if you understood what it takes to actually achieve what he could achieve. [I wanted] to use the drama of those arias to help tell his story. We could almost create an opera about Pavarotti by using those arias. That was an organizing principle for me."  SEE THE  billboard: 'upcoming music-driven movies' list

  • Nicholas McGegan realizes a dream with 'Le Temple de la Gloire' / All Classical Portland
     
    Posted At : May 23, 2019 12:00 AM

    British-born Nicholas McGegan has been directing San Francisco's Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra since the 1980s (about the time that this interviewer started in radio), and has had many sweet successes during that time in bringing great Baroque works to audiences around the world.  One of the sweetest for McGegan happened just a few years ago, when he mounted a production of Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera, Le Temple de la Gloire (The Temple of Glory).  What made this production remarkable, besides the exquisite performance, is that the original manuscript had been in UC Berkeley's archives during the time that McGegan was busy with the Philharmonia.  The music is dazzling, and full of life, humor and emotion.  Maestro McGegan shares the story with program director John Pitman. LISTEN TO All Classical Portland INTERVIEW p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d}

  • Igor Levit draws a throaty collective bark of appreciation from Wigmore Hall audience / theartsdesk
     
    Posted At : May 23, 2019 12:00 AM

    You seldom hear a Champions League-level roar of approval at the Wigmore Hall. Last night, though, Igor Levit drew a throaty collective bark of appreciation from the audience after (for once) an awed hush had followed the final dying cadences of the aria's return in Bach's Goldberg Variations. Had he earned it? Absolutely. This recital was first of three devoted to the idea of Variations. Friday will see Levit play Beethoven's Diabelli set, and Frederic Rzewski's mighty deconstruction of the revolutionary anthem "The People United Will Never Be Defeated". On 27 May, the Russian-born Berlin pianist will take his regular explorations of lesser-known music further with the enormous, post-Shostakovich Passacaglia on DSCH composed by the Scottish-Welsh Lancastrian Ronald Stevenson in the early Sixties.  Yesterday, though, the universally acclaimed Levit showed his paces at the familar core of the modern piano repertoire (albeit with a work that Bach conceived in 1741 as exercises for the two-manual harpsichord).   READ THE FULL artsdesk REVIEW

  • Bill Frisell to perform in Vietnam for first time / Vietnam +
     
    Posted At : May 23, 2019 12:00 AM

    Guitarist Bill Frisell, widely known as one of the most versatile players in jazz history, will perform for the first time in Vietnam at the "Bill Frisell: Summer on Guitar" concert which will take place on May 26 at the Soul Live Project Complex in Ho Chi Minh City's district 3. The concert features Thomas Morgan on bass, Rudy Royston on drums, and Bill Frisell on guitar. The audience will experience a musical space of jazz full of improvisation and romance, as natural as breathing. They will be treated to an interesting conversation of the three instruments on stage, as well as the creative musical approach and expression of the trio. Frisell said: "I'm very excited to come to Vietnam. Music is such a mysterious, magical and wonderful thing. Music has the most extraordinary power to connect and bring people together." READ THE FULL Vietnam + ARTICLE

  • On this episode of Performance Today, harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and the Rochester Philharmonic play Jennifer Higdon's Harp Concerto
     
    Posted At : May 22, 2019 12:00 AM

    American composer Jennifer Higdon won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for her Violin Concerto. Now she's written a new piece for solo harp and orchestra. On this episode ( MAY 22, 2019 ) of Performance Today, harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and the Rochester Philharmonic play Jennifer Higdon's Harp Concerto. The Higdon's Harp Concerto is the centerpiece to the Azica Records release; American Rapture and was written for and dedicated to Yolanda Kondonassis. Featuring the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Ward Stare, the album also includes; Samuel Barber's Symphony No. 1 in One Movement, Op. 9; and the world premiere recording of Patrick Harlin's Rapture. The album is designed to highlight three generations of American composition and, as defined by Harlin in the context of his work, to depict rapture not as a religious event, but as an experience of extreme human emotion.

  • In anticipation of the new Luciano Pavarotti film, CLASSIC fM presents a collection of photos into the family man, friend, actor and horse whisperer
     
    Posted At : May 22, 2019 12:00 AM

    In anticipation of the new Luciano Pavarotti film, CLASSIC fM delved deep into the archives and found the most beautiful photos of Luciano Pavarotti, showing his larger-than-life personality on and off stage. You might think you've seen all there is to see about Pavarotti, but the opera star led a very private life behind the stage curtain. CLASSIC fM found a collection of photos that give an insight into Luciano the family man, friend, actor and horse whisperer – as well as Pavarotti, global superstar. SEE THE CLASSIC fM PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

  • Ten reasons why you shouldn't miss Yo-Yo Ma's Athens Festival concert / tornosNews
     
    Posted At : May 22, 2019 12:00 AM

    Athens is but one of 36 cities in Yo-Yo Ma's Bach Project world tour. The internationally acclaimed cellist will perform The 6 Unaccompanied Cello Suites at the Odeon for a single spellbinding evening on 30 June, in his first ever appearance in Greece. Why is this concert one of the unmissable music events of the summer? Read here everything you should know about Yo-Yo Ma, and his rich body of work as an artist and an activist.  "Bach's cello suites have been my constant musical companions," says Yo-Yo. "For almost six decades, they have given me sustenance, comfort, and joy during times of stress, celebration, and loss. What power does this music possess that even today, after three hundred years, it continues to help us navigate through troubled times?" The Athens Festival audiences will have the chance to answer this question in a single, spellbinding, unforgettable evening. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} SEE THE 10 REASONS via tornosNews

Top 10 for May

  • Laurence Hobgood :

    t e s s e t e r r a

     The Laurence Hobgood Trio with string quartet ETHEL "Laurence Hobgood's new album is grounded in a deep and rich musicality that rewards frequent and multiple listenings like nothing I've heard in decades.
  • Angelique Kidjo :

    Celia

     On April 19, Angélique Kidjo will release Celia (Verve/Universal Music France), an album that honors Celia Cruz, widely known as "the Queen of Salsa" and the most popular Latin artist of the 20thcentury.
  • Luciano Pavarotti :

    PAVAROTTI OMP

     From the filmmaking team behind the highly-acclaimed documentary The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years, PAVAROTTI is a riveting film that lifts the curtain on the icon who brought opera to the people.
  • Seth MacFarlane :

    Once In A While

     Seth MacFarlane will release his fifth album Once In A While (Verve and Republic) digitally, and the physical CD will be available on April 26th.
  • Radical Face :

    Therapy

     "Hello, Hope, it's been a while," go the opening lines of "Dead Ends", the centerpiece of Ben Cooper's latest EP as Radical Face.
  • Philip Bailey :

    Billy Jack from 'Love Will Find A Way'

     For over 50 years, Earth Wind and Fire provided the soundtrack to the lives of many.
  • The Stan Getz Quartet :

    Getz at The Gate

     On November 26, 1961, saxophonist Stan Getz and his relatively new quartet of Steve Kuhn, John Neves, and Roy Haynes performed at New York's Village Gate.
  • Sarah McKenzie :

    Secrets of My Heart

     After the great success of Sarah McKenzie's 2017 disc, Paris in the Rain(Impulse! Records), the 31-year-old pianist, singer, and composer returns with the poignant, Secrets of My Heart, reuniting with noted Australian composer, arranger, and events music director, Chong Lim, who produced her first two discs – Don't Tempt Me and Close Your Eyes.
  • Vikingur Olafsson :

    Bach - Reworks

     Following his critically-acclaimed Johann Sebastian Bach album, pianist Vikingur Ólafsson releases a double LP of Bach Reworks, featuring new arrangements of his Bach transcriptions from electronic artists such as Valgeir Sigurðsson and Ben Frost (Prelude BWV 855a), Peter Gregson (Above and Below, B Minor), and Ryuichi Sakamoto (BWV 974 – II Adagio – Rework).
  • Ilan Eshkeri :

    The White Crow OMPS w/Lisa Batiashvili

     Half-hearted concessions to freedom of expression were not enough to hold Rudolf Nureyev in the Soviet Union.

Is Freaky Friday coming to TV? / LaughingPlace.com

Posted: May 4, 2017 12:00 AM | By: Admin
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Disney's Freaky Friday musical is apparently looking to leap from the stage to the small screen. Playbill reports that casting notice indicated that the show is being adapted for television and will shoot this fall. The book for the musical, which debuted in Arlington, Virginia last year, was written by Bridget Carpenter and the score was penned by Tom Kitt and Kevin Yorkey. Freaky Friday is currently playing the Cleveland Playhouse through May 20th and is slated to run at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas from June 2nd to July 2nd.

The cast recording on Walt Disney Records, features the book by Bridget Carpenter (TV's "Friday Night Lights" and "Parenthood") and the score by the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning team of Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (lyrics), creators of the celebrated Broadway musicals Next to Normal and If/Then, Freaky Friday had its world premiere at the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA in fall 2016. The production was directed by two-time Tony nominee (Rocky Horror Show and Memphis) and artistic director of the world-renowned La Jolla Playhouse Christopher Ashley and choreographed by Olivier Award winner and Tony nominee Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys; On Your Feet!). 

SEE THE LaughingPlace.com PAGE

Crossover Media Projects with Cast Albums

  • Cast Albums

    RENT - Live FOXTV Event

    Sony Masterworks Broadway announces today's release of RENT – ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK OF THE FOX TELEVISION EVENT, featuring music from the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical RENT, as performed by the star-studded cast of FOX's television event, the soundtrack is produced by Stephen Oremus, executive-produced by Marc Platt and co-produced by Derik Lee.

    The soundtrack features performances by actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens (Maureen Johnson), singer/songwriter Jordan Fisher (Mark Cohen), recording artist Tinashe (Mimi Marquez), actress Kiersey Clemons (Joanne Jefferson), newcomer and singer/songwriter Brennin Hunt (Roger Davis), R&B/Pop superstar Mario (Benjamin Coffin III), performer Valentina (Angel Dumont Schunard) and Emmy nominee and Tony Award winner Brandon Victor Dixon (Tom Collins).  Additionally, Keala Settleperforms the iconic solo from "Seasons of Love."

  • Cast Albums

    The Prom

    THE PROM – ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING is available on from Sony Masterworks Broadway.  Produced by Scott M. Riesett and Tony Award Nominee Matthew Sklar, with music by Sklar and lyrics by four-time Tony Award Nominee Chad Beguelin, the album is also available to stream and download everywhere now.  The Prom cast celebrated the release with two CD signing events – at the annual BroadwayCon fan convention and at Theatre Circle.

  • Cast Albums

    Head Over Heels

    The producers of Head Over Heels, the new musical comedy featuring the iconic songs of The Go-Go's – the most successful female rock band of all time, and Sony Masterworks Broadway today release The Original Broadway Cast Recording.  Included in the 20-track cast album is a true bonus from The Go-Go's themselves: an exclusive new recording of one of the band's most popular songs, "This Town," which marks their first studio recording in more than 17 years since their album God Bless The Go-Go's (2000). The track, produced by Scott Sigman, was recorded exclusively for the Broadway collection by members Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin.  The album is produced by Scott M. Riesett and Tom Kitt with co-producers Louise Gund and Christine Russell, engineered by Isaiah Abolin and Lawrence Manchester, and was recorded at the DiMenna Center in New York City on August 26-28.

  • Cast Albums

    Desperate Measures

    The Original Cast Recording from the hit musical comedy Desperate Measures is now available digitallyfrom Masterworks Broadway, with the CD set for release August 10.  With music by David Friedman (Listen to My Heart) and lyrics by Peter Kellogg (Anna Karenina), the album is produced by 7 time Grammy and Tony NomineeRobert Sher (Patti LuPone's Gypsy, Daniel Radcliffe's How To Succeed…) with liner notes by Peter Filichia.  The album is Executive Produced by Mary Cossette (The Will Rogers Follies; Woody Sez; Carol Welsman'sWhat'Cha Got Cookin'?) and Willette Klausner (The Band's Visit; Smokey Joe's Café; Latin History For Morons). Described by the Huffington Post as "a good old-fashioned musical comedy… a happy surprise of a show filled with enjoyable songs," Desperate Measures is currently playing at New World Stages in New York City and tickets are on sale at: www.DesperateMeasuresMusical.com

  • Cast Albums

    SpongeBob SquarePants - Original Cast Recording

    The Original Cast Recording of SpongeBob SquarePants – The New Musical - album features a score of original songs unlike anything Broadway has ever heard and is produced by Scott Riesett and Tom Kitt, with executive producers Scott Farthing, Doug Cohn and Susan Vargo. A special two-LP vinyl version of the recording will be released November 3, in anticipation of the show's Broadway performances which begin November 6 at the Palace Theater in New York City.

    20 TOTAL
    SYND:     NPR/First Listen
    Direct: SiriusXM
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Hartford CT, AL(Statewide)
    INTER: UK
    Online: Stage Buddy, Affinity, The Reviews Hub, Britishtheatre.com  

  • Cast Albums

    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

    Masterworks Broadway releases the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory digitally on Friday, June 2, 2017 and on CD Friday, June 23, 2017. The album is produced by Scott Riesett ("Hairspray LIVE!," "Grease LIVE!," Catch Me If You Can).

    Broadway's Willy Wonka, Two-time Tony Award® winner Christian Borle (Willy Wonka) leads a cast of 35 that includes Tony Award® winner John Rubinstein as Grandpa Joe (Pippin), Emily Padgett as Mrs. Bucket (Side Show), Kathy Fitzgerald as Mrs. Gloop (9 to 5), F. Michael Haynie as Augustus Gloop (Wicked), Ben Crawford as Mr. Salt (Shrek), Emma Pfaeffle as Veruca Salt (Finding Neverland), Alan H. Green as Mr. Beauregarde (School of Rock), Trista Dollison as Violet Beauregarde (A Bronx Tale), Jackie Hoffman as Mrs. Teavee (On The Town), Michael Wartella as Mike Teavee (Tuck Everlasting) and introducing Jake Ryan Flynn, Ryan Foust and Ryan Sell making their Broadway debuts as Charlie Bucket, with Yesenia Ayala (Broadway Debut), Darius Barnes (Cinderella), Colin Bradbury (Come Fly Away), Jared Bradshaw (Jersey Boys), Ryan Breslin (Newsies), Kristy Cates (Finding Neverland), Madeleine Doherty (The Producers), Paloma Garcia-Lee (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812), Stephanie Gibson (Cinderella), Talya Groves (Motown), Cory Lingner (On The Town), Elliott Mattox (Broadway Debut), Monette McKay (Memphis), Kyle Taylor Parker (Kinky Boots), Paul Slade Smith (Finding Neverland), Katie Webber (Wicked), Stephen Carrasco (Fiddler on the Roof), Robin Masella (Cats), Kristin Piro (An American In Paris), Amy Quanbeck (Broadway Debut), Michael Williams (On The Town), and Mikey Winslow (On The Town).

    17 TOTAL
    SYND:     The Bill Miller Show
    Direct: SiriusXM
    Markets include: Los Angeles, Baltimore, Hartford, Rochester
    Online: Stage Buddy, BritishTheatre, Humboldt 101, Stage and Cinema, Pocketsize Theatre Blog  

  • Cast Albums

    Dreamgirls - Original London Cast Recording

    Masterworks Broadway proudly announces the release of the highly anticipated Original London Cast Recording of Dreamgirls.  The new double album will be available via online retailers and streaming services April 28 (preorder live April 14), with the 2-CD set following May 12. Recorded live in its entirety at the Savoy Theatre in London's West End, the album captures the on-stage exhilaration of the original cast, the 14-piece band and audience. Dreamgirls' legendary score features the unforgettable songs "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," "I Am Changing," "Listen" and "One Night Only."

    24 TOTAL
    SYND:     Sixty Second CD, The Bill Miller Show, CBC
    Direct: SiriusXM
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Baltimore, Houston, Long Island, Hartford CT, AL(Statewide)
    INTER: Canada, UK
    Online: Urban Cinefile, The Stage Review, Humboldt 101, Affinity Magazine, Britishtheatre.com