Theatre

THE BROAD STAGE

• By ARLENE WINNICK

REVEAL, a new series of digital artist residencies at The Broad Stage, takes theatre fans behind-the-scenes for a revealing, deep dive into the creative process.  This month is a rare treat for fans of opera, classical and jazz with Iphigenia by Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding, a new opera debased on the myth by Euripides.  Jazz legend Shorter and bassist, songwriter, singer Spalding, two of the most visionary and revered musical voices of our time, have collaborated in bringing a modern operatic re-imaging of the infamous myth to life. Also notable, the set designer for the production is famed architect Frank Gehry.

In Greek mythology Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to appease the goddess Artemis.  Iphigenia believes she is going to be married, not sacrificed, at the altar.  Per spalding, “Our Iphigenia has at its core a sense of autonomy – in this adventure of life, you have freedom of choice.” Before the LA Premiere in 2022, REVEAL presents WSL, a longer super nova, a short documentary delving into the creative minds of jazz legend Shorter and spalding during intimate conversations filmed at Gehry’s eclectic home.  This film will stream on two nights June 14 & 15. On June 21, a special broadcast of the 2021 River to River Festival kickoff concert celebrating Shorter’s work and music featuring spalding, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and pianist Leo Genovese will be available.

For all things happening at The Broad Stage, click here.

Tevye in New York

• By Arlene Winnick

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts re-opens this month with the world premiere of Tevye in New York!, a reimagining of the beloved Sholem Aleichem character from Fiddler on the Roof.  And yes, this will be with an in-person audience as the theatre launches Summer@The Wallis on the new outdoor terrace performance space for theater, dance, music, cinema and special events. Tevye in New York! takes place in 1914 as Tevye and his family journey across the Atlantic Ocean to the crowded streets of Manhattan’s Lower East Side….all in pursuit of the American Dream.  This one-man show which runs June 23- July 25 is written, co-directed and performed by Tom Dugan, a talented alumni of numerous Wallis productions. While welcoming audiences The Wallis maintains a firm commitment to the health and safely of artists, staff, and patrons.  The new outdoor space has tiered seating and accommodates 100 socially distanced audience members.  Face coverings are required for all guests and staff; there are no intermissions to increase safety, and contactless ticketing and program books are in use. The Wallis also continues its celebrated streaming productions with Black Rebirth Collective’s Unmasked: a Theatrical Celebration of Black Women’s Liberation.  The five one act plays, filmed in The Wallis’ Lovelace Studio Theater, explore the Black women’s experience at various life stages.  Unmasked debuts June 19th and is available thru July 2nd.

For more details, click here.

Love Note

• By Ken Werther
• Photo Courtesy of Rogue Artists Ensemble

Presented by LA’s celebrated Rogue Artists Ensemble, Love Note is now running at Plummer Park in West Hollywood. It’s a unique, interactive experience that guides audiences through a twisted collection of love stories, meditative romance, and lost connections. Love Note is for anyone looking to rediscover the wild and indefinable feeling of real connection. Using only cell phones and headphones, audiences will discover secret stories of the heart as they explore eight unique stops throughout Plummer Park. The audio-only exploration leads to a secret phone line where each audience member’s own love story will emerge.

“We are all looking for ways to connect, and love can mean so many different things to different people,” says lead writer Lori Meeker. “The simple intimacy of someone whispering in your ear and telling you a story — we forget how these simple gestures of care can spark an entire world of imagination. We hope Love Note will let audiences feel a little bit loved, a little bit scared, and a little bit full of wonder.”

Along with Meeker, additional writers are Diana Burbano, Sarah Kay Peters, Marta Portillo, Jan Munroe, Araceli Prasarttongosoth, Mildred Lewis, Brian Sonia Wallace, Celia Mandela Rivera, Roger Q. Mason, Lisa Dring, and Tiana Randall-Quant. Love Note includes contributions from and performances by members of the LGBTQIA+ community and is supported by a grant from the City of West Hollywood’s One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival. Admission is free!

For more details, click here.

Show of Titles

• By Arlene Winnick

If you’re like me you’ve been singing Broadway show tunes in the shower for the past year while waiting for theaters to reopen.  Well good news, on June 8^th you can join Broadway’s best and brightest for SHOW OF TITLES, a streaming musical extravaganza/sing-a-long celebrating the top songs and legendary songwriters from more than two dozen Broadway shows spanning nine decades. It will be a star-studded event with a host of stage and screen stars performing title songs from their favorite shows all to benefit The Actors Fund.  Presented by Broadway’s Best Shows and Center Theatre Group, SHOW OF TITLES’ performers include:  Glenn Close, Len Cariou, Kelsey Grammar, Jake Gyllenhaal, Patti LuPone, Lea Salonga, Vanessa Williams, Melba Moore, and others. “Conceived by producer Jeffrey Richards, Show of Titles is a celebration of some of the best songwriters of the theatre – from George Gershwin to Jule Style to Stephen Sondheim….”, said director Lonny Price.  “It has been my pleasure to be in the company of performers and songs I grew up with, some of which inspired me to be in the theatre in the first place!”  Other songwriters include Burt Bacharach, Irving Berlin, Cy Coleman, Richard Rodgers, the Gershwin brothers, Alan Jay Lerner and Cole Porter.  There are sure to be ‘surprise’ appearances from many Broadway notables so towel off, and get ready for a rousing and uplifting musical evening.

For more information, click here.