Theater – Backstage Pass with Lia Chang

Dance Drama: Nativity Birth of a King. Photo by Barry Mason

NATIVITY: BIRTH OF A KING, produced by Dance Ministry Institute (DMI), at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 524 West 59th Street (between 10th & 11th Avenues) in New York, has performances on Saturday, December 20 at 4PM and 8PM and Sunday, December 21 at 4pm. Tickets are $40 Balcony, $55 Orchestra, and can be purchased online. For groups of 10 or more call 845-508-6502.

Dance Drama: Nativity Birth of a King. Photo by Barry Mason

NATIVITY: BIRTH OF A KING, directed and choreographed by Robert Evans, Found Director, DMI, is a full scale holiday dance drama that unveils the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ through the artistic expressions of dance and song.This theatrical dance drama incorporates 20 dance scenes, pre-recorded and live music, featured soloists and a gospel choir to convey the cultural conditions surrounding the birth of Christ. With compelling choreography, beautiful lighting, and creative costumes, NATIVITY engages the audience from beginning to end.

Dance Drama: Nativity Birth of a King. Photo by Barry Mason

The principal cast stars Tianne King as Mary, Jason Herbert as Joseph and features Acharo Smith as Zacharias, Isaac Alexander as the Holy Spirit, Kelley Thompson as Elizabeth, Carla Powell as the Traveler, James Murray as Gabriel and Robert Evans as The Inn Keeper.

VENUE INFORMATION

Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College
524 West 59th Street (between 10th & 11th Avenues)
New York, NY 10019

Dance Drama: Nativity Birth of a King. Photo by Barry Mason

This eighth annual production of NATIVITY produced by New Rochelle-based Dance Ministry Institute (DMI), gives reason for faith audiences to rejoice by serving as a dazzling tribute to the miracle of the incarnation, the universal power of faith, and the explosive talent of an inspired local dance ministry curated from Abyssinian Baptist Church, Agape Christian Ministry, Allen Memorial Church of God in Christ, Bethel Gospel Assembly Inc., Calvary Christian Fellowship, Inc., Christ Family Community Church, Christian Cultural Center, Community Baptist Church, Emmanuel Pentecostal Faith Temple, Family Christian Center, Greater Centennial AME Zion Church, Greater Temple of Praise, Harlem Tabernacle Church, Harvest Fields Community Church, Harvest International Church, Mount Lebanon Baptist Church, New Life Outreach International, New York Covenant Church, Shiloh Baptist Church, Source of Love Records, Inc., Strait Gate-The Church at Westchester, Tabernacle of Prayer, The Bible Church of Christ, Victory Renewal Christian Fellowship World Outreach and World Changers Church.

Dance Drama: Nativity Birth of a King. Photo by Barry Mason

“Since 2001 the primary mission of DMI has been to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and assist in reclaiming the arts back to the Kingdom of God,” says DMI founding director Robert Evans. “Bringing our Christmas show to the heart of the Theater District is a blessing and the culmination of a dream.”

Evans’ choreographic works have ministered to people throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean over the last two decades, including the Bahamas Faith Ministries (Nassau, Bahamas); Christian Cultural Center (Brooklyn, New York); World Changers Church International (College Park, GA); and The Potter’s House (Dallas, Texas). A native of St. Louis, his dance ministry roots began with the Harlem Tabernacle Dance Ministry (Harlem, NY) where he served as the assistant director from 1991-2001. Says his wife Selena, who also serves as costume designer and dancer in NATIVITY, “Robert is a true leader who considers himself privileged to serve the body of Christ with all that the Lord has given him.”

NATIVITY is sponsored in part by the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College.

Nativity: Birth of a King, a Spectacular Holiday Dance Drama at Gerald W. Lynch Theater

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Yellow Sound Label to Release BD Wong’s Debut CD HERRINGBONE on December 2, 2014
The Public Theater Extends Suzan-Lori Parks’s FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS through December 7
Dec. 8: Tony Winner BD Wong, Raymond J. Lee, Pearl Sun, Marc delaCruz, Thom Sesma, Arielle Jacobs, Cindy Cheung, Daniel J. Edwards, Kamala Sankaram, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, Christine Toy Johnson & More Set for The Asian American Composers and Lyricists Projects’ “Arriving In Asian America”
Tonya Pinkins, Trezana Beverley and More Set for World Premiere of War by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Yale Repertory Theatre through December 13
New York Times Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
Austin Pendleton, Pete Simpson, James Stanley and Gary Wilmes Star in Young Jean Lee’s Straight White Men at The Public Theater; Extended through December 14
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Maxine Hong Kingston, Billie Tsien, Bill T. Jones, Linda Ronstadt, John Kander, Julia Alvarez, Jeffrey Katzenberg Receive 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2014 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang with her autographed copy of Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City, USA: Chinese American Nightclubs, 1936-1970 on Thanksgiving Day in Las Vegas on November 27, 2014. Photo by Marissa Chang-Flores

Love, Love, Love “Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1936-1970”, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Arthur Dong’s new book which captures the magic and glamour of a Chinese American nightclub scene that peaked in San Francisco during World War II.

I read it cover to cover during my Thanksgiving holiday with my family in Las Vegas and highly recommend it.

“Forbidden City, USA” is the culmination of Arthur Dong’s nearly thirty-year devotion to the topic of Chinese American nightclubs, originally inspired by his research for his documentary of the same name. Previously unpublished personal stories, along with over four hundred stunning images and rare artifacts, are presented in this “sexy and insightful chronicle” of Asian American performers who defied racial and cultural barriers to pursue their showbiz dreams. I know many of the artists personally, and the tome is Dong’s virtual love letter to those who paved the way and made their mark for today’s Asian American performing artists.

CYBER MONDAY SPECIAL

Click here to purchased the book for $17.97, a 40% discount off the $29.95 list price on December 1, 2014, shipping included. The code is 40years. Otherwise, you can purchase the book from Amazon.com by clicking here.

In the mid-1930s Prohibition had been repealed and the Great Depression was waning. With a global conflict on the rise, people were out to drink, dine, dance, and see a show to forget their woes—and an emerging generation of Chinese American entertainers commanded the stage in their own nightclubs. “Forbidden City, USA” reveals the sassy, daring, and sometimes heartbreaking first-hand accounts of the dancers, singers, and producers who lived this story, and weaves in a fascinating collection of photos, postcards, menus, programs, and even souvenir chopsticks. Together they recreate a forgotten era, taking readers on a dazzling tour of the old “Chop Suey Circuit.”

Dong’s previously published works as editor and contributing writer include the exhibition catalogues for shows that he also curated: “Chop Suey on Wax: The Flower Drum Song Album” at the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum in, San Francisco and “Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection” at the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles.

As a film student at San Francisco State University, Arthur Dong produced “Sewing Woman,” his Academy Award nominated short documentary in 1984. The film focused on his mother’s immigration to America from China. Instead of finding an outside distributer for the film, Dong then started his own company, DeepFocus Productions, and serves as its producer, director and writer. He has gone on to produce many other highly praised films including “Coming Out Under Fire,” winner of the Peabody Award in 1995. Among his many other honors, he’s a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and been nominated for an Emmy five times.

Other articles about Arthur Dong:
Oct. 23: Meet Forbidden City, USA’s Author and Filmmaker Arthur Dong at the South Pasadena Library
Jun. 4: Meet Forbidden City, USA’s Author and Filmmaker Arthur Dong in L.A. Chinatown
STORIES FROM CHINESE AMERICA: The Arthur Dong Collection, Vol. 2 as 4 disc DVD Box Set, Parties in LA (11/6) and SF (11/13)
Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection Exhibition at the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles, has been extended through November 7, 2010
Multimedia: George Takei, Nancy Kwan, Lisa Lu and Tsai Chin attend Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection Exhibition Opening Night
The Chinese American Museum partners with Academy award nominated filmmaker Arthur Dong on a groundbreaking exhibition about Hollywood’s forgotten past
In Arthur Dong’s Hollywood Chinese, Chinese Tinseltown Tales told by Asian Silver Screen Icons

Lia Chang Photo by GK

Baayork Lee. Photo by Lia Chang

Treat yourself to a Master Class with Broadway Legend Baayork Lee on Saturday, December 6, 2014. Lee will be teaching and staging a production number at Pearl Studios NYC, 500 8th Ave, New York, NY.

- All proceeds will benefit the National Asian Artists Project.
– You don’t need to be a professional (or Asian) to join in on the fun!

All levels:
-2 hours from 12-2pm
-Ensemble movement and optional singing
$40 suggested donation, ($35 for early birds)

Advanced intermediate
-4 hours from 10-2
-Advanced intermediate dancing with small ensemble singing
$99 suggested donation, ($75 for early birds)

Reserve your spot now to dance it out for the holidays!!! Dancers should come prepared to dance and warmed up.

Cash will be accepted at the door, but if you want to use a credit card, make your donation via Paypal, with the note: “Master Class” or click here.

www.naaproject.org

Baayork Lee is an Asian American actor, dancer, singer, choreographer, director and author, who recently received the 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award presented by the Actors’ Equity Foundation.

Baayork Lee joined Christine Toy Johnson onstage at Charles Randolph-Wright’s “Three Voices” concert series at Stage 72 on November 11, 2013, to perform “Turkey Lurkey Time,” from Promises, Promises, with Lee performing for the first time in 37 years. Photo by Lia Chang

Baayork Lee (playing Miss Wong in this clip from the 1969 Tony Awards) created the role of Connie in A Chorus Line, and in fact has made a career of recreating Bennett’s choreography. Photo credit: Martha Swope on Armchair Actorvist

Lee, born in New York City’s Chinatown to an Indian mother and Chinese father, made her Broadway debut at the age of five as “Princess Ying Yaowalak” in the 1951 original production of The King and I. Her dream was to become a ballerina and she appeared in George Balanchine’s production of The Nutcracker, but this dream was dashed when she achieved her full height of just four feet, ten inches. In 1958, she returned to Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song. Other Broadway appearances were in Bravo Giovanni; Mr. President; Here’s Love; Golden Boy; A Joyful Noise; Henry, Sweet Henry; Promises, Promises; Seesaw and Michael Bennett’s groundbreaking production of A Chorus Line, in which she originated the role of “Connie.” She worked with Bennett in several productions and over the years went from being his dance partner, to being his assistant. She would later supervise all major productions of A Chorus Line, choreographing 35 international productions as well as the 2006 Broadway revival. She is the co-author of the book, On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line, published in 1990.

Christine Toy Johnson presented Baayork Lee with the 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award presented by the Actors’ Equity Foundation in the council room of the Actors Equity Association on October 10, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Lee also has choreographed and directed scores of national and international tours of, among others, The King and I; Bombay Dreams; Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella; Porgy and Bess; Jesus Christ Superstar; Carmen Jones and Miss Saigon. In addition, she has choreographed several productions for the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, been a talent scout for Tokyo Disneyland and opened a musical theatre school in Seoul, South Korea. She was the recipient of the 2003 Lifetime Achievement Asian Woman Warrior Award from Columbia College in Chicago. Throughout her career, Lee has been committed to promoting a diverse society on American stages and dedicated to fostering opportunities for Asian American performers to play roles for which they might otherwise not be considered.

In 2009, Lee founded (with Steven Eng and Nina Zoie Lam) the National Asian Artists Project, which focuses on providing opportunities for the Asian American artistic community. NAAP’s “Discover New Musicals” program allows writers of all races and ethnicities to have new works showcased annually, utilizing Asian American casts, and its educational programs enable artists to hone their craft and to stay competitive in the workplace.

Nina Zoie Lam, Baayork Lee and Steven Eng, the founders of NAAP, onstage before the performance of Oliver! at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre  inside The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on June 7, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

About National Asian Artists Project (NAAP):
National Asian Artists Project (NAAP) exists to be a leader in educating, cultivating, and stimulating audiences and artists—current and future—through showcasing exceptional work by vibrant artists of Asian descent. Art constantly evolves, and NAAP strives to command a place at the fore with a uniquely compelling American voice.

NAAP believes that artists of Asian descent have many vital roles to play in the fostering of American communities.
*Through thoughtful educational programming, we seek to present the richness of theatre arts to underserved children, fostering creative self-discovery and expression.
*Support the artistic growth of theatre artists of Asian descent through professional employment opportunities.
*Build and cultivate new local and national audiences that encourage patronage and participation in the arts, including predominantly Asian communities unaccustomed to playing a role in the local or national arts dialogue.
*Capture and archive stories of prominent artists of Asian descent that they may be made available for future generations from which to learn and inspire.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Yellow Sound Label to Release BD Wong’s Debut CD HERRINGBONE on December 2, 2014
The Public Theater Extends Suzan-Lori Parks’s FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS through December 7
Tonya Pinkins, Trezana Beverley and More Set for World Premiere of War by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Yale Repertory Theatre through December 13
New York Times Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
Austin Pendleton, Pete Simpson, James Stanley and Gary Wilmes Star in Young Jean Lee’s Straight White Men at The Public Theater; Extended through December 14
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Maxine Hong Kingston, Billie Tsien, Bill T. Jones, Linda Ronstadt, John Kander, Julia Alvarez, Jeffrey Katzenberg Receive 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

Mu Performing Arts is presenting FOB, the landmark 1979 play by David Henry Hwang (Broadway’s Chinglish, M. Butterfly), about the struggles of Chinese immigrants living in the U.S., at Mixed Blood Theatre, 1501 South 4th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55454, January 30 – February 15, 2015.

After winning an Obie Award for FOB, Hwang rose to national prominence in the early 1980s and remains the nation’s preeminent Asian American playwright. Commenting on Mu’s hugely successful Minnesota Tour (June 2014, played to 95% capacity), the author expressed his appreciation for the company’s work.

“I couldn’t be more excited about Mu’s Minnesota Chinese Restaurant tour of my play FOB. Like many Chinese of my generation, I had relatives in the restaurant business, and this play was written in part as a tribute to their spirit. Performing it now in those restaurants themselves brings the journey of this play back full-circle.”

~ David Henry Hwang, Playwright

Mu’s production returns home to the Twin Cities in an intimate and exciting production at Mixed Blood Theatre. Randy Reyes, (who plays Steve in the three-character play) reflected on Mu’s first production of 2015.

“It feels so great to bring this production back to the Twin Cities after such a successful tour to greater Minnesota. We learned so much from the personal stories of the Chinese restaurant owners, and we are excited to share those stories with our Twin Cities community through our talkbacks and other activities. There’s nothing like performing in an actual Chinese restaurant, but our design team is working to bring that same atmosphere and intimacy to Mixed Blood’s auditorium.”

~ Randy Reyes, Artistic Director

FOB deftly explores relationships and conflicts between established ABC (American Born Chinese) and FOB (Fresh Off the Boat) newcomers in the 1980s. Mu is partnering with the Minnesota Historical Society on an extensive lobby display chronicling the history of Chinese immigration to Minnesota including the story of the state’s first Chinese restaurant. In addition, the production will feature numerous talkbacks featuring Twin Cities Chinese restaurant owners who will share their own immigration stories.

The cast also features Michael Sung-Ho (Middle Brother, A Little Night Music) as Dale, and Meghan Kreidler (Kung Fu Zombies Vs. Cannibals, CTC performing apprentice) as Grace, both of whom are reprising their roles from the touring production. The production team includes Christine Richardson (Costumes), Katharine Horowitz (Sound), Mina Kinukawa (Props), Soren Olsen (Lights), and Sarah Brandner (Set).

Randy Reyes (Director/Performer) graduated from The Juilliard School Drama Division in 1999 and has worked as a professional actor, director, and theater educator in theaters and educational institutions including The Guthrie, Mixed Blood, Ten Thousand Things, Thirst Theater, Chicago Ave. Project, The Playwrights’ Center, Cincinnati Playhouse, Seattle Children’s Theatre, NYU Graduate Acting Program, University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA Acting Program, Wagner College, The University of Utah, Augsburg College, and Macalester College. He is a board member of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) and the Minnesota Theater Alliance. Randy also represents Mu as a member of the newly formed Twin Cities Theater of Color Coalition (TCTCC) along with Penumbra, New Native, Pangea World Theatre, and Teatro Del Pueblo. Acting credits include A Little Night Music, Yellowface, Little Shop of Horrors, The Romance of Magno Rubio, at Mu Performing Arts, M. Butterfly, The Government Inspector, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, both “Dromios” in Comedy of Errors at the Guthrie, Pacific Overtures at the Alliance/Cincinnati Playhouse/North Shore Theater, and Tibet Through the Red Box by David Henry Hwang at Seattle’s Children’s Theater. Randy’s directing credits include FOB Chinese Restaurant Tour, Kung Fu Zombies Vs. Cannibals, Asiamnesia, Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, WTF, Cowboy Versus Samurai, and Circle Around the Island at Mu Performing Arts, A Streetcar Named Desire at Ten Thousand Things, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Summer and Smoke at Theatre in the Round, and God Save Gertrude at the Workhaus Collective. Randy was a recipient of a two-year Theater Communications Group New Generation Future Leaders fellowship under the mentorship of Rick Shiomi at Mu Performing Arts in 2006. Administrative positions include being the Theater in Education Director at The Guthrie, Associate Artistic Director, Outreach Coordinator, and Community Liaison at Mu Performing Arts, and the Artistic Director of The Strange Capers.

PERFORMANCES

Thursday, January 29 at 7:30 PM ($18 PREVIEW)

Friday, January 30 at 7:30 PM (OPENING)

Saturday, January 31 at 7:30 PM

Sunday, February 1 at 2:00 PM

Thursday, February 5 at 7:30 PM

Friday, February 6 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, February 7 at 7:30 PM

Sunday, February 8 at 2:00 PM

Thursday, February 12 at 7:30 PM

Friday, February 13 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, February 14 at 7:30 PM

Sunday, February 15 at 2:00 PM (CLOSING)

TICKETS

$10 Students (w/valid ID)

$18 Preview (Jan. 29 at 7:30 PM)

$22 Adults

10% off groups of 10+

Seating is General Admission

Tickets on sale now at www.muperformingarts.org or by calling the Mu Box Office at 651-789-1012

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Nov. 29 – 30: Randy Reyes to Host Mu’s A Very Asian Xmas for the Fifth Year
Eric Sharp Makes Playwrighting Debut with Mu Performing Arts’ World Premiere of Middle Brother at The Southern Theater, September 11-28, 2014
Yellow Sound Label to Release BD Wong’s Debut CD HERRINGBONE on December 2, 2014
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi, Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories
Dec. 8: Tony Winner BD Wong, Raymond J. Lee, Pearl Sun, Marc delaCruz, Thom Sesma, Arielle Jacobs, Cindy Cheung, Daniel J. Edwards, Kamala Sankaram, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, Christine Toy Johnson & More Set for The Asian American Composers and Lyricists Projects’ “Arriving In Asian America”
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos & Video: The Wiz’s André De Shields Sang “So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard” in The Black Stars of The Great White Way Broadway Reunion: Live The Dream at Carnegie Hall
Photos and Video: Ben Vereen Performs at Carnegie Hall in The Black Stars of The Great White Way Broadway Reunion: Live The Dream
Photos and Video: Obba Babatunde and cast members from the original cast of Dreamgirls perform at Carnegie Hall in The Black Stars of The Great White Way Broadway Reunion: Live The Dream
Joe Mantegna to Helm ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor
Photos: Maxine Hong Kingston, Billie Tsien, Bill T. Jones, Linda Ronstadt, John Kander, Julia Alvarez, Jeffrey Katzenberg Receive 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
Joe Mantegna, Delta Burke, Gerald McRaney, President Bill Clinton and More Remember Meshach Taylor
Crafting a Career
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

The company of Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3). Photo by Joan Marcus

It’s your final chance to see The Public Theater’s NYT Critics’ Pick FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3), a world premiere play written by Public Theater Master Writer Chair Suzan-Lori Parks. Directed by Jo Bonney, FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3) , began previews on Tuesday, October 14 in the Anspacher Theater and was originally scheduled to close on Sunday, November 16, was extended through November 30th and will now close on December 7th.

Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (left) with Public Theater Associate Artistic Director Mandy Hackett, Father Comes Home From the Wars director Jo Bonney, and Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. Photo by Lia Chang

What the critics are saying:

“EXTRAORDINARY! THE BEST NEW PLAY I’VE SEEN ALL YEAR. By turns philosophical and playful, lyrical and earthy, SUZAN LORI-PARKS’S new play SWOOPS, LEAPS, DIVES and SOARS. THE FINEST WORK YET FROM THIS GIFTED WRITER, and A HIGH-WATER MARK in the career of director JO BONNEY.”
The New York Times

“THRILLING! A MASTERPIECE. A story that engages the DEEPEST POSSIBLE ISSUES in the MOST GRIPPING POSSIBLE WAY.”
New York Magazine

“GRADE A: SUZAN-LORI PARKS brings the FULL FORCE of her DRAMATIC POWER. She elevates her themes with echoes of classic literature while at the same time DOUBLING DOWN ON COMEDY.”
Entertainment Weekly

“PROVOCATIVE, RICH and IRREVERENTLY FUNNY.”
New York Post

“This HAUNTING work is FUNNY and TRAGIC, WHIMSICAL and LACERATING, POETIC and POIGNANT, navigating its radical tonal shifts with FLUIDITY and GRACE.”
The Hollywood Reporter

“INSIGHTFUL, POETIC & HEARTBREAKING. DELIVERS A GUT-PUNCH.”
Bergen Record

“TRIUMPHANT! Overloaded with SOARING LANUGAGE and PROVOCATIVE DEBATE.”
Huffington Post

Check out the review roundup at Broadwayworld.com.

Member tickets, priced at $45, and single tickets, starting at $65, are available now by calling (212) 967-7555, www.publictheater.org, or in person at the Taub Box Office at The Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street.

Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks (Topdog/Underdog, The Book of Grace) continues her longstanding relationship with The Public Theater with FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3), a devastatingly beautiful, dramatic work set over the course of the Civil War. Jo Bonney directs this moving and haunting drama comprised of three plays presented in a single performance. In Part 1, “A Measure of A Man,” Hero, a slave who is accustomed to his master’s lies, must now decide whether to join him on the Confederate battlefield in exchange for a promise of freedom. Part 2, “A Battle in the Wilderness” follows Hero and the Colonel as they lead a captured Union solider toward the Confederate lines as the cannons approach. Finally, in Part 3, “The Union of My Confederate Parts,” the loved ones Hero left behind question whether to escape or wait for his return – only to discover that for Hero, freedom may have come at a great spiritual cost. A masterful new work from one of our most lyrical and powerful writers which was a part of the 2013-14 Public Lab season, FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS is a deeply personal epic about love and hope in a world of impossible choices. Presented in association with American Repertory Theater.

Father Comes Home From The Wars Opening Night Celebration on October 28, 2014 at The Public Theater- Cast members Sterling K Brown, Jenny Jules, Jeremie Harris, Peter Jay Fernandez, Tonye Patano, playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, Louis Cancelmi, Russell G. Jones, Jacob Ming Trent, director Jo Bonney and Julian Rozzell Jr. Photo by Lia Chang

The complete cast for FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3) features Sterling K. Brown (Hero); Louis Cancelmi (Smith); Peter Jay Fernandez (Oldest Old Man); Jeremie Harris (Homer); Russell G. Jones (Leader, Runaway); Jenny Jules (Penny); Ken Marks (Colonel);Jacob Ming-Trent (Fourth, Odyssey Dog); Tonye Patano (Third, Runaway); and Julian Rozzell Jr. (Second, Runaway).

FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3) features scenic design by Neil Patel, costume design by ESOSA, lighting design by Lap Chi Chu, and sound design and music supervision by Dan Moses Schreier.

Father Comes Home From The Wars playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and director Jo Bonney. Photo by Lia Chang

SUZAN-LORI PARKS (Playwright) is The Public Theater’s Master Writer Chair. Her plays include Topdog/Underdog, which moved to Broadway and won the Pulitzer Prize, making her the first African- American woman to do so; The Book of Grace; Fucking A; In The Blood; Venus; and The America Play. In 2003, Parks wrote a play a day and her project 365 Days/365 Plays was produced in over 700 theaters worldwide. Her additional plays include The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, and Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom. Her additional Broadway credits include The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, for which she received a Tony Award. She has written screenplays for Brad Pitt, Spike Lee, Oprah Winfrey, and her novel Getting Mother’s Body was published by Random House. She is a recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Award, and one of Time Magazine’s “100 Innovators for the Next New Wave.”

JO BONNEY (Director) previously directed the Public Lab production of Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3), as well as Danny Hoch’s Some People, Diana Son’s Stop Kiss, Anna Deveare Smith’s House Arrest, Jose Rivera’s References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot, and Naomi Wallace’s Fever Chart at The Public. She has directed premieres of plays by Alan Ball, Eric Bogosian, Culture Clash, Eve Ensler, Jessica Goldberg, Neil LaBute, Warren Leight, Lynn Nottage, Dael Orlandersmith, Darci Picoult, Will Power, David Rabe, Universes, and Michael Weller. She has also directed productions of plays by Caryl Churchhill, Nilo Cruz, Charles Fuller, Lisa Loomer, John Osborne, John Pollono, and Lanford Wilson. She is the recipient of the 1998 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Direction; and is the editor of Extreme Exposure: An Anthology of Solo Performance Texts from the Twentieth Century.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
New York Times Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
The Public Theater Extends Suzan-Lori Parks’s FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS through December 7
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970
Dec. 6: Master Class with Broadway Legend Baayork Lee to Benefit National Asian Artists Project, Inc. (NAAP)
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Yellow Sound Label to Release BD Wong’s Debut CD HERRINGBONE on December 2, 2014
Dec. 8: Tony Winner BD Wong, Raymond J. Lee, Pearl Sun, Marc delaCruz, Thom Sesma, Arielle Jacobs, Cindy Cheung, Daniel J. Edwards, Kamala Sankaram, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, Christine Toy Johnson & More Set for The Asian American Composers and Lyricists Projects’ “Arriving In Asian America”
Tonya Pinkins,Trezana Beverley and More Set for World Premiere of War by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Yale Repertory Theatre through December 13
New York Times Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
Austin Pendleton, Pete Simpson, James Stanley and Gary Wilmes Star in Young Jean Lee’s Straight White Men at The Public Theater; Extended through December 14
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Maxine Hong Kingston, Billie Tsien, Bill T. Jones, Linda Ronstadt, John Kander, Julia Alvarez, Jeffrey Katzenberg Receive 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

Jane Jung. Photo by Lia Chang

Jane Jung has joined The Civilians, an Obie award-winning theatre company, as Managing Director, effective last month. Jung most recently served for four years as General Manager of Ping Chong + Company, supporting the work of Ping Chong and the company’s Undesirable Elements documentary theater series.

The Civilians’ current 2014-15 season features its very first self-produced musical about the porn industry, Pretty Filthy, which will open on Jan. 31, 2015 at Abrons Arts Center.

Tonight, a one-night-only cabaret featuring a sneak preview from Pretty Filthy, will be presented at 54 Below. This intimate and eclectic evening features shamelessly sexy songs from top performers of the NY cabaret and Broadway scenes, including Bryce Pinkham (Gentleman’s Guide, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), Lady Rizo (Grammy winner 2010, Toast of Edinburgh 2012, London Cabaret Award 2013), Steve Rosen (Peter and the Starcatcher, CQ/CX, Guys and Dolls), Alyse Alan Louis (Mamma Mia!, NERDS), Elena Shaddow (Bridges of Madison County), Marrick Smith (The Underclassman,Revolution in the Elbow…, Fun Home), Shakina Nayfack (One Woman Show, erotica: Death Drive, Voluptuous Biker Babes), Jennifer Morris (You Better Sit Down, I am Nobody’s Lunch, Gone Missing), Jeanine Serralles (Maple and Vine, Stunning, The Glass Cage), and Emily Young (Cymbeline, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).

This is your chance to hear songs about the wild and woolly world of porn from our upcoming musical Pretty Filthy, composed by Michael Friedman (The Fortress of Solitude,Love’s Labor’s Lost, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).

COVER CHARGE: $25/$30/$35
PREMIUMS: $55
FOOD & BEVERAGE MINIMUM: $25
Cover Charge Additional $5 At Door
Doors open at 8:45 P.M.
Showtime: 9:30 P.M.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Artistic Director Steve Cosson said, “As our investigative theater explorations continue to expand across new mediums, this is an ideal time for Jane to bring her talents and perspective to the company. I believe that her commitment to our company’s mission and background make her ideally suited for this role.” Fran Kumin, legendary casting director and now a strategic consultant to the arts served as the Executive Search Consultant and formed an apt match between The Civilians and Jung.

“I’m thrilled to be joining The Civilians at such an exciting juncture,” Jung states. “The company is a leader in creating innovative productions through their methods of creative inquiry, using theater to investigate many of the most signi”cant and complex questions facing current society. The work both challenges and entertains, and I look forward to working with this dynamic, vibrant, and inspiring group of artists.”

Jung also held positions as Managing Director of Second Generation Productions (2g) and Producer for Little Lord. As a New York city-based producer, she has developed and produced new work at several venues including The New Ohio Theatre, City Center Stage II, The Bushwick Starr, La Mama, and The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and the Yale School of Drama.

The Civilians’ 2014-15 season also welcomes newly appointed board officers John McGinn, Chairman; Jody Falco, Vice Chair; Elizabeth Angell, Secretary; and Aaron Stone, Treasurer.

About The Civilians
Led by Artistic Director Steve Cosson, The Civilians creates new theater from creative investigations into the most vital questions of the present. Last season saw two highly successful Civilians shows in New York: Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play at Playwrights Horizons, which was included in eight Top 10 of 2013 Lists, as well as The Great Immensity at The Public Theatre. This season, the company is the Artist-in- Residence of Met Museum Presents at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since its founding in 2001, the Obie award-winning company has been produced at numerous theaters in New York, including BAM Next Wave, Vineyard Theatre, Barrow Street Theater, Playwrights Horizons and The Public; nationally at Center Theatre Group, the TED Conference, HBO’s US Comedy Festival, A.R.T., Actors Theatre of Louisville and more; and Internationally at London’s Gate Theatre and Soho Theatre. The Civilians’ popular podcast Let Me Ascertain You is available through www.thecivilians.org and iTunes.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
15 Minutes with Victor Maog, Artistic Director of 2g
Diane Phelan and Julian Cihi Lead Cast of 2g’s Galois at the New Ohio Theatre’s Ice Factory Festival 2014, July 23-26
New York Times Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
The Public Theater Extends Suzan-Lori Parks’s FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS through December 7
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970
Dec. 6: Master Class with Broadway Legend Baayork Lee to Benefit National Asian Artists Project, Inc. (NAAP)
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Yellow Sound Label to Release BD Wong’s Debut CD HERRINGBONE on December 2, 2014
Dec. 8: Tony Winner BD Wong, Raymond J. Lee, Pearl Sun, Marc delaCruz, Thom Sesma, Arielle Jacobs, Cindy Cheung, Daniel J. Edwards, Kamala Sankaram, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, Christine Toy Johnson & More Set for The Asian American Composers and Lyricists Projects’ “Arriving In Asian America”
Tonya Pinkins,Trezana Beverley and More Set for World Premiere of War by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Yale Repertory Theatre through December 13
Austin Pendleton, Pete Simpson, James Stanley and Gary Wilmes Star in Young Jean Lee’s Straight White Men at The Public Theater; Extended through December 14
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Maxine Hong Kingston, Billie Tsien, Bill T. Jones, Linda Ronstadt, John Kander, Julia Alvarez, Jeffrey Katzenberg Receive 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

Richard Thomas. Photo by Lia Chang

Emmy Award winning actor Richard Thomas and two-time Emmy nominee Anna Chlumsky will join the cast of the hit Broadway revival of YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, on January 6, 2015. Thomas will portray Paul Sycamore, replacing Mark Linn-Baker; with Chlumsky, best known for her starring role in HBO‘s ‘Veep’, portraying his daughter Alice, taking over for Rose Byrne. The actors will join current cast members James Earl Jones, Kristine Nielsen and Annaleigh Ashford in the 1936 play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman.

Producers of the Pulitzer Prize-winning revival directed by Scott Ellis, recently announced the critically acclaimed show will extend its engagement through Sunday, February 22, 2015.

Previously announced to be a limited run through January 4, 2015, You Can’t Take It With You began previews on Tuesday, August 26, 2014 and opened on Sunday, September 28, 2014 at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street). Tickets are sold on www.Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200

Richard Thomas starred in the award-winning series “The Waltons,” for which he won an Emmy Award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and has continued to star in series, films, plays, and over 50 movies for television. His theatre career began at age seven in 1958 with Broadway’s Sunrise at Campobello and continued with Fifth of July, The Seagull, The Front Page, Tiny Alice, Peer Gynt, Richard II, Richard III, Hamlet, The Stendhal Syndrome, Democracy, and A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, as well as the Broadway national tour of 12 Angry Men and Terrence McNally’s Unusual Acts of Devotion. His recent projects include David Mamet’s Race (Broadway), Timon of Athens (The Public Theater), Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays,, An Enemy of the People (Manhattan Theatre Club) and Othello (The Old Globe). Thomas starred in the series “Just Cause,” “It’s a Miracle,” and “The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson.” His television films include Stephen King’s Nightmares & Dreamscapes and It, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Red Badge of Courage, The Master of Ballantrae, Johnny Belinda, Berlin Tunnel 21, Living Proof: The Hank Williams, Jr. Story, Hobson’s Choice, Roots: The Next Generations, Go Toward the Light, The Christmas Secret, Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Annie’s Point, Wild Hearts, and Hallmark’s Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Thomas produced What Love Sees and For All Time for television and appeared in the films The Wonder Boys, Battle Beyond the Stars, The Todd Killings, Last Summer, Winning, Red Sky at Morning, Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock, and the forthcoming Anesthesia. He most recently appeared as Jimmy Carter in Camp David at Arena Stage and can currently be seen as Agent Frank Gaad on FX’s “The Americans.”

Other articles on Richard Thomas:
Nov. 9: INSP Premieres Exclusive Richard Thomas’ Favorites Marathon of The Waltons
Blair Underwood, Richard Thomas and Kristen Connolly Lead the Cast of The Old Globe’s Othello, helmed by Barry Edelstein
Jun. 22 – July 27: Richard Thomas and Kristen Connolly Set for Old Globe Debut in OTHELLO
Mar. 21-May 4: Richard Thomas, Ron Rifkin, Hallie Foote and Khaled Nabaway Set for Arena Stage’s World Premiere of Lawrence Wright’s Camp David
Mar. 21 – May 4: Arena Stage Presents World Premiere of Lawrence Wright’s Camp David Starring Tony Award winner Ron Rifkin and Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas
MTC’s An Enemy of The People Starring Boyd Gaines and Richard Thomas Begin Previews at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Richard Thomas and Boyd Gaines to star in An Enemy of the People at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre during Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2012-2013 Season
Tony Award – winning Playwright Terrence McNally to be Honored at Westport Country Playhouse Annual Gala, September 24, 2012
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (3pm) with Andre Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Philip Kan Gotanda, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, John Weidman and more
Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan

Other articles by Lia Chang:
New York Times Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
The Public Theater Extends Suzan-Lori Parks’s FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS through December 7
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970
Dec. 6: Master Class with Broadway Legend Baayork Lee to Benefit National Asian Artists Project, Inc. (NAAP)
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Yellow Sound Label to Release BD Wong’s Debut CD HERRINGBONE on December 2, 2014
Dec. 8: Tony Winner BD Wong, Raymond J. Lee, Pearl Sun, Marc delaCruz, Thom Sesma, Arielle Jacobs, Cindy Cheung, Daniel J. Edwards, Kamala Sankaram, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, Christine Toy Johnson & More Set for The Asian American Composers and Lyricists Projects’ “Arriving In Asian America”
Tonya Pinkins,Trezana Beverley and More Set for World Premiere of War by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Yale Repertory Theatre through December 13
Austin Pendleton, Pete Simpson, James Stanley and Gary Wilmes Star in Young Jean Lee’s Straight White Men at The Public Theater; Extended through December 14
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Maxine Hong Kingston, Billie Tsien, Bill T. Jones, Linda Ronstadt, John Kander, Julia Alvarez, Jeffrey Katzenberg Receive 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

The company of Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3). Photo by Joan Marcus

Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) is #2 on TIME Magazine’s List of Top 10 Plays and Musicals.

“At a southern plantation in the early days of the Civil War, a slave decides to follow his master into the Confederate army. In her new play — part of a projected cycle — the always adventurous Suzan-Lori Parks (The America Play, Topdog/Underdog) tackles a familiar historical subject but doesn’t settle for easy moralizing or predictable melodrama. (Leave that to Hollywood, and 12 Years a Slave.) Instead, she creates a richly textured mix of Brechtian allegory and Homeric epic, finding new meaning in an essential American tragedy.”

Click here for the complete list.

What the critics are saying:

“THRILLING! A MASTERPIECE. A story that engages the DEEPEST POSSIBLE ISSUES in the MOST GRIPPING POSSIBLE WAY.”
New York Magazine

“PROVOCATIVE, RICH and IRREVERENTLY FUNNY.”
New York Post

“This HAUNTING work is FUNNY and TRAGIC, WHIMSICAL and LACERATING, POETIC and POIGNANT, navigating its radical tonal shifts with FLUIDITY and GRACE.”
The Hollywood Reporter

“INSIGHTFUL, POETIC & HEARTBREAKING. DELIVERS A GUT-PUNCH.”
Bergen Record

“TRIUMPHANT! Overloaded with SOARING LANUGAGE and PROVOCATIVE DEBATE.”
Huffington Post

Check out the review roundup at Broadwayworld.com.

Father Comes Home From The Wars playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and director Jo Bonney. Photo by Lia Chang

Lia Chang Photo by GK

Diane Phelan

This fall, Diane Phelan joined the cast of The Public Theater’s production of David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim’s smash hit musical, Here Lies Love, as the stand by for the role of Imelda. On December 3rd, Phelan will be featured as the “Men Will Do Anything” soloist.

Under the direction of Alex Timbers, Here Lies Love played a critically raved-about, sold-out run last year at the same space, which was extended by popular demand four times. The current commercial run of Here Lies Love, produced by Joey Parnes Productions and EMURSIVE (Jonathan Hochwald, Arthur Karpati, and Randy Weiner, principals), stars Jaygee Macapugay as Imelda Marcos, Jose Llana as Ferdinand Marcos and Conrad Ricamora as Ninoy Aquino, at The Public Theater’s LuEsther Hall (425 Lafayette Street, New York City), and will have performances through January 4, 2014.

First Row: Kate Wallace, New York Post writer Michael Riedel, Carol Angeli
Second Row: Diane Phelan, Tobia Wong, Rob Laqui, Debralee Daco, Melody Butiu, Jaygee Macapugay, Renée Abulario, Janelle Velasquez
Third Row: Enrico Rodriguez, Craig Ryan Freeman, David Byrne, Jose LLana, Conrad Ricamora, Ryan Gohsman at the Here Lies Love Apple Store Soho Event in New York on October 25, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

The current cast of Here Lies Love features, in alphabetical order: Renee Albulario, Carol Angeli, Billy Bustamante, Melody Butiu, Natalie Cortez, Debralee Daco, Rob Laqui, Jose Llana, Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Diane Phelan, Conrad Ricamora, Enrico Rodriguez, Janelle Velasquez, and Tobias Wong.

Tickets for Here Lies Love range from $99-$139. A limited number of $40 day-of-performance rush tickets will be available at The Public’s Taub Box Office (425 Lafayette Street, NYC) one hour before the start of each performance. The Fall performance schedule is as follows: Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 pm, Fridays at 7 pm and 10:30 (the Late Night Disco!) and Saturdays at 5 pm and 9:30 pm. Tickets subject to availability, and the offer is good for two tickets per person, cash or credit cards. For more info and tickets to Here Lies Love, please visit http://www.herelieslove.com/.

Diane Phelan made her New York debut at Lincoln Center Theater in Michael John LaChiusa’s Bernarda Alba, and will make her Broadway debut in Lincoln Center Theater’s revival of The King and I, starring Ken Watanabe and Kelli O’Hara, covering the role of Tuptim. Performances begin Thursday, March 12, 2015, and the show opens on Thursday, April 16, 2015 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York.

“SO thrilled to be making my *official* Broadway debut with a show so dear to me. *(I still count LCT’s Bernard Alba even though we were downstairs;)!) The King and I was my first professional show out of college as well as one of the very first musicals I did as a teeny royal child. I remember looking up at Tuptim saying to myself, “I’m going to be her when I grow up”. I’m beyond excited to cover the role ON BROADWAY. What?! Dreams come true…,” shared Phelan on her Facebook page.

Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I

Raised as an expat in Taipei, Phelan began her music studies early after admission into the preeminent school for musicians in Taiwan. She went on to study voice and acting at New York University.

In the international arena, Phelan has played the role of Maria in West Side Story at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris, and Bopha in the world premiere of Where Elephants Weep in Phnom Penh. It was filmed and televised nationally in Cambodia then banned by the censors before a third airing.

Stateside, Phelan has performed with the first Broadway national touring companies of South Pacific (Lincoln Center/Bartlett Sher), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1st National/Michael Mayer).

Other favorites roles include: Julie Jordan in Carousel (NAAP, dir. Baayork Lee), Cinderella in Cinderella (Paper Mill Playhouse), Mable in The Pirates of Penzance (CRT, dir. Terrence Mann), Belen in Long Season (Huntington Theatre Co, dir. Peter Dubois), Tuptim in The King And I (Sacramento, dir. Stafford Arima).

www.DianePhelan.com

David Byrne at the Here Lies Love event at the Apple Store Soho in New York on October 25, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Here Lies Love was conceived by David Byrne, and features lyrics by Byrne, music by Byrne and Fatboy Slim, additional music by Tom Gandey and J Pardo, and choreography by Annie-B Parson.

Within a pulsating dance club atmosphere, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim deconstruct the astonishing journey of Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos retracing her meteoric rise to power and subsequent descent into infamy and disgrace at the end of the People Power Revolution. Here Lies Love is neither a period piece nor a biography, neither a play nor a traditional musical but an immersive theatrical event combining songs influenced by four decades of dance music, adrenaline-fueled choreography, and a remarkable 360-degree scenic and video environment to go beyond Imelda’s near-mythic obsession with shoes and explore the tragic consequences of the abuse of power. Here Lies Love is a 90-minute theatrical experience. Set within a dance club atmosphere, audiences stand and move with the actors.

Here Lies Love received the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical; an Obie Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics; Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Music, Lighting Design and Projection Design and Theatre World Awards for Ruthie Ann Miles (Imelda Marcos) and Conrad Ricamora (Aquino). Here Lies Love received a record 11 Lucille Lortel Awards nominations, and garnered 5 Lortel Awards, including Alex Timbers for Outstanding Director, Ruthie Ann Miles for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical, Clint Ramos for Outstanding Costume Design, Justin Townsend for Outstanding Lighting Design and M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer for Outstanding Sound Design.

The new production of Here Lies Love at London’s National Theatre won the London Evening Standard‘s Beyond Theatre award for pushing the boundaries of musicals, and has performances through January 8, 2015. Here Lies Love will open in Sydney in May 2015 as the theatrical center piece of the Vivid Festival. Click here to read about the Sydney production.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia made her jazz vocalist debut in Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz “LADY” at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York.

Community Works NYC, New Heritage Theatre Group, The Interchurch Center and partners is presenting The Legacy Now – Reflections on a Life in The Theater featuring harlem is …Theater honorees Voza Rivers, Executive Producer of New Heritage Theatre Group, and Woodie King Jr., founder and Production Director of the New Federal Theatre and the National Black Touring Circuit, talk about Black Theater Past, Present and Future, on Wednesday, December 17, 2014. The program begins at 5:30 P.M. at The Interchurch Center, 475 Riverside Dr (between 119th St. & 12oth St.) in New York.

*Enjoy a holiday reception following the discussion.

*Join in a silent auction offering theater tickets and fine dining.

*Tour the displays of theater, history, art and memorabilia.

This dialogue is part of Conversations on Black Theater and is curated and moderated by noted playwright, director and dramaturg Talvin Wilks.

The evening will be dedicated to harlem is …THEATER honoree Garland Lee Thompson, Sr. (1938-2014) A special film will honor Garland Lee Thompson, Sr.

RSVP to performances@communityworksnyc.org and call 212-459-1854 for more information.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
New Heritage & The Harlem Arts Alliance mourn the loss of Garland Lee Thompson
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Father Comes Home From the Wars” is #2 on TIME’s Top 10 Plays & Musicals List; Ends Run December 7 at The Public Theater
Emmy Winner Richard Thomas and Anna Chlumsky Set For Broadway’s YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Beginning January 6, 2015
Lia Chang Picks: Island Breeze CD by Jeff Peterson, Riley Lee & Kenny Endo
New York Times Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970
Dec. 8: Tony Winner BD Wong, Raymond J. Lee, Pearl Sun, Marc delaCruz, Thom Sesma, Arielle Jacobs, Cindy Cheung, Daniel J. Edwards, Kamala Sankaram, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, Christine Toy Johnson & More Set for The Asian American Composers and Lyricists Projects’ “Arriving In Asian America”
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Maxine Hong Kingston, Billie Tsien, Bill T. Jones, Linda Ronstadt, John Kander, Julia Alvarez, Jeffrey Katzenberg Receive 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

James Saito, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jon Norman Schneider. Photo by T. Charles Erickson

Jame Yaegashi and his wife Tami attend the 2014 Steinberg Playwright Awards hosted by the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust on November 17, 2014 in New York City. Photo by Lia Chang

Great to see James Yaegashi with his lovely wife Tami, at The Steinberg “Mimi” Awards honoring 2014 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright recipient Stephen Adly Guirgis mid-November. The awards ceremony was held on the set of Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Sarah Ruhl’s new play THE OLDEST BOY, helmed by Rebecca Taichman, in which Yaegashi (Father) stars opposite Celia Keenan-Bolger (Mother), Ernest Abuba (The Oldest Boy), Tsering Dorjee (Chorus), Takemi Kitamura (Chorus), James Saito (A Lama), Jon Norman Schneider (A Monk), and Nami Yamamoto (Chorus). The production began previews on Thursday, October 9, and currently has performances through December 28, 2014, in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, 150 West 65 Street, in New York.

Celia Keenan-Bolger, James Yaegashi. Photo by T. Charles Erickson

THE OLDEST BOY tells the story of Tenzin, the toddler son of an American woman (Celia Keenan-Bolger) and a Tibetan man (James Yaegashi) who is recognized as the reincarnation of a high Buddhist teacher. Differing cultures contend with competing ideas of faith and love when two monks seek permission to take Tenzin to a monastery in India to begin his training as a spiritual master. His parents must decide whether to send their young son away or keep him home.

THE OLDEST BOY has sets by Mimi Lien, costumes by Anita Yavich, lighting by Japhy Weideman, sound by Darron L West, choreography by Barney O’Hanlon, and puppetry design/direction by Matt Acheson.

SARAH RUHL returns to Lincoln Center Theater where her plays The Clean House (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize) and In The Next Room, or the vibrator play (Pulitzer Prize finalist) had their New York premieres. Her other plays include Stage Kiss; Passion Play, a cycle (Pen American Award); Dead Man’s Cell Phone; Melancholy Play; Orlando; Dear Elizabeth; and Late: a cowboy song (Piven Theatre Workshop). Her plays have been produced across the country as well as internationally, and have been translated into Polish, Russian, Spanish, Norwegian, Korean, German, French, Swedish, and Arabic.

REBECCA TAICHMAN directed the LCT3 production of Kirsten Greenidge’s The Luck of the Irish. She directed the world premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s Dead Man’s Cell Phone and productions of her plays The Clean House, Orlando and, most recently at Playwrights Horizons, Stage Kiss. Her other Off-Broadway credits include Marie Antoinette, Milk Like Sugar, The Scene, and Menopausal Gentleman (Special Citation Obie Award/world premiere). She directed the operas Dark Sisters, music by Nico Muhly, libretto by Stephen Karam (world premiere) and Orpheus by Telemann at New York City Opera.

Tickets to THE OLDEST BOY, priced at $77 and $87, can be purchased at the Lincoln Center Theater box office (150 West 65 Street) and at telecharge.com, or by visiting www.lct.org. A limited number of tickets priced at $32 are available at every performance through LincTix, LCT’s program for 21 to 35 year olds. For information and to enroll, visit LincTix.org.

Ernest Abuba

ERNEST ABUBA Broadway: Pacific Overtures, The King and I (National Tour), Shimada, Zoya’s Apartment, Loose Ends. Off-Broadway: Yellow Fever (Obie), Teahouse of the August Moon, Shogun Macbeth, Three Sisters (Pan Asian Rep.); Leir Rex, Mishima, Caucasian Chalk Circle (LA MaMa E.T.C.); Prometheus (Guggenheim Theater), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (National Asian American Theatre Co.); Chang Fragments (NYSF); Pacific Overtures (Promenade Theater). Film: 12 Monkeys, King of New York, Article 99, Apostasy, Hamlet, Call Me, Forever Lulu. TV: “New York Undercover,” “New York News,” “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues,” “The Bill Cosby Show,” “Counterstrike,” “Loving,” “All My Children,” “Edge of Night,” “Search For Tomorrow,” “As the World Turns.”

TSERING DORJEE Film includes Himalaya. Music: co-created the original soundtrack for the 2009 Emmy Award Winning documentary The Woman of Tibet – A quiet Revolution with composer Michael Beckar. Education: Masters in Tibetan Performing Arts, Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (Dharamsala, India).

Celia Keenan-Bolger

CELIA KEENAN-BOLGER Broadway: The Glass Menagerie (Tony Award nomination, Drama Desk Award), Peter and the Starcatcher (Tony and Drama Desk nomination/also off-Broadway), Les Miserables (Drama Desk nomination), 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Drama Desk, Theatre World awards; Tony Award nomination/also Off-Broadway). Off-Broadway: Merrily We Roll Along, A Small Fire, Bachelorette, Saved, Kindertransport, Little Fish, Summer of ’42. Regional: The Glass Menagerie (American Repertory Theater), Betty’s Summer Vacation (Bay Street Theatre), Creating Claire (George Street Playhouse), Peter and the Starcatcher (La Jolla Playhouse), The Light in the Piazza (The Goodman Theatre), Sweeney Todd (The Kennedy Center), Our Town (The Intiman Theatre), The Crucible (Trueblood Theatre). Film: Sundowning, Mariachi Gringo, Education of Max Bickford. TV: “Nurse Jackie,” “Heartland,” “Law & Order”.

TAKEMI KITAMURA Theater: Gekiryu, The Infinite Spirit, Scattered Lives, Own ~power of the emblem~, The Red Shadow (Samurai Sword Soul); Deadly She-Wolf Assassin at Armageddon (Big Red Media); Theater of The Reflecting Pool (Maryam Habibian). Opera: The Indian Queen. Film: Father of Mine, Wrestling Movie, Jump On Me, No One. Puppetry includes 69°S (Phantom Limb Company); Stravinsky’s Firebird (Little Orchestra Company); Ko’olau (Tom Lee); The Golden Legend, The Portuguese Site (Christopher Williams); Wind Up Bird Chronicle (Stephen Earnhart); White Elephant (Lake Simons & John Dayer). Dance: ½ life (The Body Carthography Project); Yessified (Sally Silvers); Idol, a howling flower, the last word was PAPIREPOSE (Nami Yamamoto); Gateless Gate: Women of the Scarred Earth (Peggy Choy); Whole Sky (Risa Jaroslow and Dancers); Glingo Manbo, Tectonica and Her Terre-Belles, Brink! (Wendy Osserman Dance Company); Out of Space, Workers Dancers Stories, Traces, The Living Room Project, dance all day (Sondra Loaring); Remap (Anita Cheng Dance Co.).

James Saito

JAMES SAITO Broadway: Flower Drum Song, Golden Child, The King and I. Other Theater: My Fair Lady (Arena Stage), Durango (Obie, NY Public Theater/Long Wharf), BFE (Playwrights Horizons/Long Wharf), Pacific Overtures (Alliance Theatre/Cincinnati Playhouse), Golden Child (Seattle Rep), The Waiting Room (Vineyard/Arena Stage/Williamstown Theatre Festival), The Wash (Mark Taper Forum), Rashomon (Roundabout Theatre). Film: Life of Pi, Robot Stories, Love the Hard Way, Pearl Harbor, The Thomas Crown Affair, Henry Fool, Home Alone 3, Devil’s Advocate, Die Hard: With a Vengeance, The Hunted, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. TV: “Too Big to Fail,” “Shogun/Heroes & Villains,” “Guests of the Emperor,” “To Be the Best,” “C.A.T. Squad,” “War and Remembrance,” “Blood and Orchids,” “Madam Secretary,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Person of Interest,” “Blue Bloods,” “30 Rock,” “Eli Stone,” “New York Undercover,” “Third Watch,” “One Life to Live,” “Star Trek Voyager,” “100 Centre Street,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Law & Order,” “Strangers with Candy,” “Miami Vice”.

Jon Norman Schneider

JON NORMAN SCHNEIDER NY Theatre: The Architecture of Becoming (The Women’s Project), Ching Chong Chinaman (Pan Asian Repertory), Durango (Public Theater), House of No More (PS 122, Big Art Group, NY Premiere), Life Science (Theatre 54, Bulldog Theatrical), To Eat Bitter (Blue Heron Arts Center), Rewind: Soundtrack for Longing (NY Theatre Workshop), Now and Then… (Dancespace/St. Mark’s Church), A Map of Virtue (13P). London: Paper Dolls (Tricycle Theatre). Film: The Girl in the Book, The Normals, Angel Rodriguez, Zombie Town, Hiding Divya, Porcelain. TV: “Veep,” “The Electric Company,” “30 Rock,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”.

NAMI YAMAMOTO Dance Performance Works: Headless Wolf, a howling flower, the last word was PAPIREPOSE, in/Flux, 5.7.5, Freedumb, Wan dollah?, H(a)i, My Backyard. Recipient of several awards and grants including the Parent/Choreographer Grant from Brooklyn Arts Exchange, the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, a Choreographic Fellowship from Maggie Allessee National Center for Choreography at Florida State University, and a Creative Capital Grant. Education: MA, Dance and Dance Education, NYU; BA, Physical Education, Ehime University.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
James Yaegashi, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ernest Abuba, Tsering Dorjee, Takemi Kitamura, James Saito, Jon Norman Schneider in Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at LCT
Ann Harada Ends Run on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ on December 14; Set for World Premiere of ‘Brooklynite’ at The Vineyard in January 2015
Dec. 8: Christine Toy Johnson, Thom Sesma, Cindy Cheung, Raymond J. Lee, Pearl Sun, Marc delaCruz, Arielle Jacobs, Daniel J. Edwards, Kamala Sankaram, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop & More Set for The Asian American Composers and Lyricists Projects’ “Arriving In Asian America”
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories
Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Father Comes Home From the Wars” is #2 on TIME’s Top 10 Plays & Musicals List; Ends Run December 7 at The Public Theater
Emmy Winner Richard Thomas and Anna Chlumsky Set For Broadway’s YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Beginning January 6, 2015
Lia Chang Picks: Island Breeze CD by Jeff Peterson, Riley Lee & Kenny Endo
New York Times Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Maxine Hong Kingston, Billie Tsien, Bill T. Jones, Linda Ronstadt, John Kander, Julia Alvarez, Jeffrey Katzenberg Receive 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

The Asian American Composers and Lyricists Project and ReImagined World Entertainment will present “Arriving In Asian America,” a song cycle collectively written by members of the project with original words and music by Adam Gwon, Timothy Huang, Christine Toy Johnson, Ming Aldrich-Gan, Hyeyoung Kim (with Michael Cooper), Leon Ko, Robert Lee, Yoonmi Lee (with Gaby Gold & Zhu Yi), Yan Li, Jason Ma, J. Oconer Navarro, Kamala Sankaram, Tidtaya Sinutoke (with Ty Defoe) and Jeff Tang.

Directed by Dax Valdes, the one night only performance will take place on Monday, December 8, 2014 at 7:30 pm, at Peter Norton Symphony Space’s Leonard Nimoy Thalia, 2537 Broadway (at 95 St.).

Emceed by Ann Harada (“Cinderella”), singers will include Raymond J. Lee (“Honeymoon in Vegas”), Pearl Sun (“If/Then”), Marc delaCruz (“If/Then”), Thom Sesma, Arielle Jacobs, Hansel Tan, Manna Nichols, Eric Bondoc, Anne Fraser Thomas, Joanna Carpenter, Joanne Javien, EJ Zimmerman, Cindy Cheung, Daniel J. Edwards, Q GyuJin Lim, Kamala Sankaram, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, and Christine Toy Johnson.

This world premiere concert is free and open to the public, with support from the Manhattan Community Arts Fund and The Puffin Foundation. Seating is limited. Please RSVP by 12/5 to aasongwriters@gmail.com

Song Set:

1. “Family Dinners” (music by Jason Ma, lyrics by Christine Toy Johnson)
– sung by Christine Toy Johnson, accompanied by Ming Aldrich-Gan
2. “Talkin’ Small” (music & lyrics by Adam Gwon) – sung by Raymond J. Lee & Thom Sesma, accompanied by Adam Gwon
3. “How To Cry” (music & lyrics by J. Oconer Navarro) – sung by Cindy Cheung & Manna Nichols, accompanied by J. Oconer Navarro
4. “The Life We’re Given” (music by Kamala Sankaram, lyrics by Christine Toy Johnson and Kamala Sankaram)– sung by Kamala Sankaram, accompanied by Ming Aldrich-Gan
5. “Just So” (music by Leon Ko, lyrics by Robert Lee. Directed by BD Wong. From Chinese Hell) – sung by Cindy Cheung & Robert Lee, accompanied by Yan Li
6. “My Superpower” (music & lyrics by Yan Li) – sung by Joanna Carpenter & EJ Zimmerman, accompanied by Brian Detlefs on the guitar & Yan Li at the piano
7. “Green Card” (music & lyrics by Ming Aldrich-Gan)– sung by Marc delaCruz & Arielle Jacobs with Timothy Huang, accompanied by Ming Aldrich-Gan
8. “Tradewinds” (music by Hyeyoung Kim, lyrics by Michael Cooper) – sung by Raymond J. Lee, accompanied by Yoonmi Lee
9. “Disappear” (music & lyrics by Jeff Tang) – sung by Pearl Sun, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop & Thom Sesma, accompanied by Jeff Tang
10. “Little Bird” (music by Tidtaya Sinutoke, lyrics by Ty Defoe)– sung by Q Lim, accompanied by Tidtaya Sinutoke
11. “Back in China” (music & lyrics by Jason Ma) – sung by Raymond J. Lee, accompanied by Ming Aldrich-Gan
12. “Passports Please” (music by Yoonmi Lee, lyrics by Gaby Gold, book by Zhu Yi) – sung by Eric Bondoc, Daniel J. Edwards, Joanne Javien, Q Lim, Hansel Tan & Anne Fraser Thomas, accompanied by Ming Aldrich-Gan
13. “My Grandma Says” (music & lyrics by Timothy Huang) – sung by Hansel Tan and full company, accompanied by Yan Li

THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMPOSERS AND LYRICISTS PROJECT (Christine Toy Johnson, Founder) is dedicated to nurturing and presenting works created and sung by Asian American Theatre Artists. Follow them on Twitter @aasongwriters

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Father Comes Home From the Wars” is #2 on TIME’s Top 10 Plays & Musicals List; Ends Run December 7 at The Public Theater
Emmy Winner Richard Thomas and Anna Chlumsky Set For Broadway’s YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Beginning January 6, 2015
Lia Chang Picks: Island Breeze CD by Jeff Peterson, Riley Lee & Kenny Endo
New York Times Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Maxine Hong Kingston, Billie Tsien, Bill T. Jones, Linda Ronstadt, John Kander, Julia Alvarez, Jeffrey Katzenberg Receive 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

NeNe Leakes, Keke Palmer, Ann Harada, and Stephanie Gibson sing “A Lovely Night,” in Cinderella. © Joan Marcus

Ann Harada ends her run in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre, opposite KeKe Palmer as Cinderella; NeNe Leakes as Madame, Cinderella’s stepmother; Joe Carroll as Prince Topher; Judy Kaye as Marie, The Fairy Godmother; and Stephanie Gibson as stepsister Gabrielle, on December 14, 2014.

Marla Mindelle as Gabrielle and Ann Harada as Charlotte in the 2013 Broadway premiere of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Photo by Carol Rosegg

Laura Osnes as Cinderella, Harriet Harris as Madame, Marla Mindelle as Gabrielle and Ann Harada as Charlotte in the 2013 Broadway premiere of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Photo by Carol Rosegg

Ann Harada in concert. Photo by Lia Chang

Harada has been giving “a hoot of a performance” (NY 1 News) as the evil stepsister Charlotte in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella since the production, directed by Mark Brokaw and featuring a new book by four-time Tony nominee Douglas Carter Beane, based on the original book by Oscar Hammerstein II, began preview performances in January 2013.

The Broadway premiere starred Laura Osnes as Cinderella; Santino Fontana as the Prince Topher; Victoria Clark as Marie, the Fairy Godmother; Harriet Harris as Madame, Cinderella’s stepmother; and Marla Mindelle as stepsister Gabrielle.

Mr. Beane’s book for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella offers a new romantic twist on the ultimate makeover story of a maid-turned-princess, mixing fresh comedy and wit with the beloved tale’s classic elements — the pumpkin, glass slipper, masked ball and more. In addition to musical numbers from the original score, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It’s Possible,” “Ten Minutes Ago” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?,” this Cinderella includes four additional songs from the Rodgers + Hammerstein “trunk.”

Tickets to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, which plays its final performance on January 3, 2015, are on sale through Tele-charge and can be purchased by calling 212-239-6200 or online at www.telecharge.com.

Ann Harada Plays Cinderella’s Stepsister Charlotte in Broadway Premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre

Ann Harada as Christmas Eve in ‘Avenue Q.’

Fans may remember Harada as Christmas Eve, the heavily accented Japanese therapist in the hit show, Avenue Q, which she performed on Broadway and in London. Other Broadway credits include 9 TO 5, Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables (revival), Seussical and M. Butterfly. She has appeared in the films Admissions, Hope Springs, Feel, The Art of Getting By and Happiness; and recent television credits include “30 Rock,” “The Big C,” “Lipstick Jungle,” “Rescue Me,” “The Electric Company,” and a recurring role as Linda the stage manager on “Smash”.

Avenue Q/Sesame Street reunion with John Tartaglia, Gary Adler, Ann Harada, Alan Muraoka and Phoebe Kreutz in the green room of The Allen Room in New York on February 22, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang.

In February, Broadway vet Harada was simply spectacular in the Allen Room at Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York, where she performed as part of Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Concert Series.

Director Alan Muraoka gives Ann Harada notes in dress rehearsal in The Allen Room in New York on February 22, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Helmed by frequent collaborator Alan Muraoka, with musical direction by Gary Adler, Harada was joined by long time pal Kevin Pariseau, with whom she sang a series of Judy Garland duets.

Ann Harada with special guest Kevin Pariseau in rehearsal in The Allen Room in New York on February 22, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Photos: Harriet Harris, John Tartaglia, Christine Toy Johnson, Alan Muraoka, James Saito and More celebrate Ann Harada’s Debut at Lincoln Center in the American Songbook Series

Scott Neumann, Ann Harada and Brian Koonin in The Allen Room in New York on February 22, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Harada will next appear with Nick Cordero, Matt Doyle, Andrew Call, Gerard Canonico, Max Chernin, Nick Choksi, John-Michael Lyles, Grace McLean, Olivia Oguma, Tom Alan Robbins, Nicolette Robinson and Remy Zaken in the world premiere of Brooklynite at the Vineyard Theatre. The new musical, directed by Michael Mayer, will begin off-Broadway performances on January 29, 2015. The production is set to open on February 25 and run through March 22. Click here to purchase tickets.

Synopsis: “Trey Swieskowski is an idealistic hardware store clerk who dreams of becoming a superhero. Astrolass, Brooklyn’s most celebrated superhero, is determined to throw in the cape and live like a normal Brooklynite. When they meet they hatch a plan that will change their lives forever. But can they save Brooklyn when it suddenly teeters on the brink of disaster? Brooklynite is inspired by the real Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company located in Park Slope, with characters created by Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman.”

Brooklynite features a book by Peter Lerman and Michael Mayer, music and lyrics by Peter Lerman and is directed by Michael Mayer. The creative team features musical direction by Kimberly Grigsby, choreography by Steven Hoggett, scenic design by Donyale Werle, costumes by Andrea Lauer, lighting by Kevin Adams, and sound design by Kai Harada.

Scott Neumann (drums), Kevin Pariseau, Brian Koonin (guitar), MaryAnn McSweeney (bass), Ann Harada, JJ Johnson (viola), Gary Adler (musical director), backstage in the star dressing room. Photo by Lia Chang

Alan Muraoka and Ann Harada backstage in the star dressing room of The Allen Room in New York on February 22, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Other articles about Ann Harada:
Photos: Harriet Harris, John Tartaglia, Christine Toy Johnson, Alan Muraoka, James Saito and More celebrate Ann Harada’s Debut at Lincoln Center in the American Songbook Series
Feb. 22: Lincoln Center Presents Cinderella’s Ann Harada in the American Songbook Series in the Allen Room at Frederick P. Rose Hall
Christine Toy Johnson, Thom Sesma, Ali Ewoldt, Jose Llana, Ann Harada, Telly Leung and More Set for The Asian American Composers and Lyricists Project at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre on May 19, 2013
Ann Harada Plays Cinderella’s Stepsister Charlotte in Broadway Premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre
Photos and Video: Daniel Dae Kim, Ann Harada, Greg Watanabe and More at Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths starring Joel de la Fuente
Shinsai: Theaters for Japan Photos: (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, John Weidman and more
Daryl “Chill” Mitchell and Ann Harada to Star in Staged Reading of Internal Bleeding by Christine Toy Johnson on 4/5
Ann Harada stars in “Christmas Eve with Christmas Eve” on 12/14 to benefit Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS
Harada, Leung, Llana, Johnson, Takara Sing Once On This Island on May 16 at Theatre at Saint Peter’s
Photos: Christine Toy Johnson, Baayork Lee, Jose Llana, Ann Harada, Dodie Pettit and More at Charles Randolph-Wright’s “Three Voices” concert series at Stage 72

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Yellow Sound Label to Release BD Wong’s Debut CD HERRINGBONE on December 2, 2014
The Public Theater Extends Suzan-Lori Parks’s FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS through December 7
Tonya Pinkins, Trezana Beverley and More Set for World Premiere of War by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Yale Repertory Theatre through December 13
New York Times Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories
Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Ali Ewoldt, Arielle Jacobs, Joel Perez, Adam Jacobs, Telly Leung and Alan Muraoka at Christine Toy Johnson and Jason Ma’s Barcelona at The Theatre at CAP21
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Maxine Hong Kingston, Billie Tsien, Bill T. Jones, Linda Ronstadt, John Kander, Julia Alvarez, Jeffrey Katzenberg Receive 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

The Wiz’s André De Shields brought the house down as he sang ” Do You Wanted to Meet the Wizard” in his original Broadway costume as part of The Black Stars of The Great White Way Broadway Reunion: Live The Dream at Carnegie Hall in New York on June 23, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

The 26th annual edition of BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking musical The Wiz and feature performances by the uber-talented “gypsies” of 12 Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, on Monday, December 8th at 4:30 pm and Tuesday, December 9th at 2 pm at the New Amsterdam Theatre, 214 West 42nd Street in New York.

The opening number will honor the 40th anniversary of The Wiz, winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical. The Wiz, directed by Geoffrey Holder, was one of the first large-scale, big-budget Broadway musicals to feature an all-black cast. Returning to the yellow brick road for this special event are Dee Dee Bridgewater, André De Shields and Ken Page. They’ll be joined by Charl Brown (Motown: The Musical), Carly Hughes (Pippin), Keke Palmer (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella), Christina Sajous (Holler If Ya Hear Me), Alton Fitzgerald White (The Lion King) and Lillias White (Fela), who will also close the show with a special performance of “Home.” The opening number was created by T. Oliver Reid, Brian Harlan Brooks and Ben Cohn.

Photos & Video: The Wiz’s André De Shields Sang “So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard” in The Black Stars of The Great White Way Broadway Reunion: Live The Dream at Carnegie Hall

Geoffrey Holder, Artist, Actor, Dancer, Choreographer, Two-Time Tony Award-winning Director and Costume Designer for The Wiz, Dies at 84; Son Pens Intimate Account of Last Days

Broadway personality and longtime Broadway Cares friend Seth Rudetsky (“Seth’s Big Fat Broadway” on Sirius/XM Radio) returns for the seventh year in a row to host.

This year’s show will include 200 Broadway and Off-Broadway performers. Among the shows scheduled to perform original numbers are Aladdin, Avenue Q, Chicago, Kinky Boots, The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, Motown: The Musical, Once, Pippin, Rock of Ages, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Wicked.

The Gypsy of the Year performances mark the culmination of six weeks of intensive fundraising by Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies. The show features a sensational display of the most talented singers and dancers in the ensemble of shows, known as “gypsies.” Awards are presented to the top fundraisers and for the best presentation during the two performances.

An esteemed panel of judges will select the best presentation award winners at Tuesday’s performance. This year’s judges are Julie Halston, Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed (Aladdin), Alex Sharp (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Micah Stock (It’s Only a Play), Jujamcyn Theaters Executive Vice President and BC/EFA Board of Trustees President Paul Libin and original Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS staffer Yvonne Ghareeb, who is retiring in January after 26 years with the organization. Also joining the panel are Lee Perlman and Peg Wendlandt, who won their judging spots by being high bidders on exclusive VIP packages at the 28th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction in September.

Often called “the season’s most dazzling talent show,” the 25 editions of Gypsy of the Year have raised more than $57.2 million. Last year’s show raised $4,343,234.

Tickets are no longer available online for either performance of Gypsy of the Year. A limited number of tickets will be available at the will call in the lobby of the New Amsterdam Theatre. The will call table will open at 3 pm for Monday’s show and at 12:30 pm for Tuesday’s show. Tickets are not available at the New Amsterdam box office.

If you previously ordered tickets, they can be picked up at the will call table on the day of your performance. No tickets were mailed for this event.

About Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS:
Equity Fights AIDS was founded in October 1987 by the Council of Actors’ Equity Association. Money raised through the efforts of Equity theatre companies across the country was specifically earmarked for The Actors Fund’s AIDS Initiative.

Broadway Cares was founded in February 1988 by members of The Producers’ Group. Money raised was earmarked to be awarded to AIDS service organizations nationwide, including Equity Fights AIDS.

In May 1992, Equity Fights AIDS and Broadway Cares merged to become Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The Board of Trustees of this newly established not-for-profit fundraising organization assumed the missions of the previously separate organizations and continues to fund the social service work of The Actors Fund and to award grants three times a year to AIDS service organizations nationwide.

Unlike most other nonprofit, grant-making organizations, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS must raise every single dollar of our philanthropic budget every year in order to fulfill our mission. In turn, BC/EFA works hard to ensure that the money we raise is spent carefully and wisely on programs where these hard-earned funds can have the maximum possible impact.

Other articles about André De Shields:
The Fortress of Solitude, starring Adam Chanler-Berat, André De Shields, Kyle Beltran, Kevin Mambo, Rebecca Naomi Jones ends extended run 11/16; Ghostlight to Record Cast Album
Nov. 17: Chapman Roberts, Loretta Abbott, André De Shields, David Greer, Norm Lewis, Cherine Anderson, Lawrence Evans, Colby Christina & Nicholas A. Jenkins to Receive Special AUDELCO Awards
Photos: André De Shields, Adam Chanler-Berat, Jose Llana, Kevin Mambo, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Kyle Beltran, Kim Brockington and More at The Fortress of Solitude
Two-time Tony Nominee and Emmy Winner André De Shields Performs FREDERICK DOUGLASS: Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory and Speaks on The Wisdome of The Ancient Art of Storytelling at AFP 2014: Change Through Stories, Sept. 8-9, 2014
Aug. 14: André De Shields, Keith David, Tony Plana, Hill Harper, Armando Riesco, Kevin Mambo, Colman Domingo, and Peter McRobbie Set for Staged Reading of Toast By Lemon Andersen at Guild Hall
Dinner with André De Shields at Chez Josephine
Photos: André De Shields, Michael Shannon, Rajiv Joseph, Christine Sherrill, Doug Peck, Alexis J. Rogers, Karen Ziemba and More Celebrate 2013 Jeff Equity Awards
Click here for more articles on André De Shields.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Ann Harada Ends Run on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ on December 14; Set for World Premiere of ‘Brooklynite’ at The Vineyard in January 2015
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
James Yaegashi, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ernest Abuba, Tsering Dorjee, Takemi Kitamura, James Saito, Jon Norman Schneider in Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at LCT
Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Father Comes Home From the Wars” is #2 on TIME’s Top 10 Plays & Musicals List; Ends Run December 7 at The Public Theater
Emmy Winner Richard Thomas and Anna Chlumsky Set For Broadway’s YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Beginning January 6, 2015
Lia Chang Picks: Island Breeze CD by Jeff Peterson, Riley Lee & Kenny Endo
New York Times Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Yellow Sound Label to Release BD Wong’s Debut CD HERRINGBONE on December 2, 2014
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories
Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Ali Ewoldt, Arielle Jacobs, Joel Perez, Adam Jacobs, Telly Leung and Alan Muraoka at Christine Toy Johnson and Jason Ma’s Barcelona at The Theatre at CAP21
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

The cast of Katori Hall’s Our Lady of Kibeho curtain call in solidarity on December 3, 2014. Photo courtesy of Owiso Odera’s Facebook Page.

It’s the final week to see Signature Theatre’s World Premiere of OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, directed by Michael Greif. The terrific production, set to close on December 7, 2014, was extended through December 14th in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Tickets are $25 through December 7th; starting at $35 beginning December 9th. To purchase tickets for all Signature productions, call Ticket Services at 212-244-7529 (Tues. – Sun., 11am – 6pm) or visit www.signaturetheatre.org.
Click here to see Katori’s interview.

The NYT critics’ pick is #9 on Time Out New York critic Adam Feldman’s 10 best shows of 2014

“With unabashed devotion to the ability of theater to awe and awaken an audience, Katori Hall packs visionary magic into her depiction of the conflict that arises in a Rwandan village in 1981, when a schoolgirl claims to have seen the Virgin Mary. Michael Grief’s all-stops-pulled Signature production, bolstered by a large and strong cast, conveys wonder as well as sorrow at the unimaginable (or willfully unimagined) horror yet to come.”

“CRITICS’ PICK! TRANSFIXING! THE ACTING IS ACROSS THE BOARD SUPERB. HAS THE GRIPPING INTENSITY OF A THRILLER!”

- Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

“MOST IMPORTANT NEW PLAY OF THE YEAR!”

- Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal

“FOUR STARS! RENEWS BELIEF IN WHAT THEATRE CAN DO. A STERLING PRODUCTION!”

- Adam Feldman, Time Out New York

OUR LADY OF KIBEHO Cast. Photo by Joan Marcus

Nneka Okafor, Starla Benford, Mandi Masden, Joaquina Kalukango. Photo by Joan Marcus

In 1981, a village girl in pre-genocide Rwanda, claims to see the Virgin Mary. Ostracized by her schoolmates and labeled disturbed, everyone refuses to believe, until the impossible starts happening again and again. Skepticism gives way to fear, faith, and fate, causing upheaval in the school community and beyond. Based on real events, Our Lady of Kibeho is the second production of Olivier Award-winning playwright Katori Hall’s Residency at Signature.

Nneka Okafor, Owiso Odera. Photo by Joan Marcus

The design team includes Rachel Hauck (Scenic Design), Emily Rebholz (Costume Design), Ben Stanton (Lighting Design), Matt Tierney (Sound Design), Peter Nigrini (Projection Design), Greg Meeh (Special Effects Design), Paul Rubin (Aerial Effects Design), Michael McElroy (Original Music, Arrangements and Music Direction), Rick Sordelet (Fight Direction), Dawn-Elin Fraser (Dialect Coach) and Faye Armon-Troncoso (Props & Set Dressing). Michael McGoff is the Production Stage Manager. Casting by Telsey + Company, Karyn Casl, CSA.

Owiso Odera, T. Ryder Smith. Photo by Joan Marcus

To purchase tickets for all Signature productions, call Ticket Services at 212-244-7529 (Tues. – Sun., 11am – 6pm) or visit www.signaturetheatre.org.
Click here to see Katori’s interview.

Owiso Odera. Photo by Lia Chang

Other articles on Owiso Odera:
NYT Critics’ Pick OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, extends through December 14
Signature Theatre Presents World Premiere of OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall through December 7, 2014
Orenthal: The Musical Screens at the Woodstock Film Festival, Featuring Jordan Kenneth Kamp, Owiso Odera, Malcolm Barrett, Larisa Oleynik, Mimi Michaels, Bianca DeGroat, Paul Scheer, Eddie Steeples, Jonathan Slavin, Sarah Hagan
Photos: Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Phylicia Rashad, John Earl Jelks, Leslie Uggams, Anthony Chisholm, S. Epatha Merkerson, Taraji P. Henson, Jesse L. Martin, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Kenny Leon and More Set for August Wilson American Century Cycle Recording Series at The Greene Space in NY, Aug. 26-Sept. 28, 2013
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams

Other articles by Lia Chang:
André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Keke Palmer, Christina Sajous, Alton Fitzgerald White and Lillias White Set for 26th Annual Edition of BC/EFA’s ‘Gypsy of the Year’, Celebrating 40th Anniversary of ‘The Wiz’ on December 8 & 9
Ann Harada Ends Run on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ on December 14; Set for World Premiere of ‘Brooklynite’ at The Vineyard in January 2015
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
James Yaegashi, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ernest Abuba, Tsering Dorjee, Takemi Kitamura, James Saito, Jon Norman Schneider in Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at LCT
Emmy Winner Richard Thomas and Anna Chlumsky Set For Broadway’s YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Beginning January 6, 2015
Lia Chang Picks: Island Breeze CD by Jeff Peterson, Riley Lee & Kenny Endo
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories
Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

December 9
BC/EFA’s “Gypsy of the Year” (New Amsterdam Theatre)
André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Keke Palmer, Christina Sajous, Alton Fitzgerald White and Lillias White Set for 26th Annual Edition of BC/EFA’s ‘Gypsy of the Year’, Celebrating 40th Anniversary of ‘The Wiz’ on December 8 & 9

The 26th annual edition of BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking musical The Wiz and feature performances by the uber-talented “gypsies” of 12 Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, on Tuesday, December 9th at 2 pm at the New Amsterdam Theatre, 214 West 42nd Street in New York.

Broadway personality and longtime Broadway Cares friend Seth Rudetsky (“Seth’s Big Fat Broadway” on Sirius/XM Radio) returns for the seventh year in a row to host.

The show will feature special appearances by Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane (It’s Only a Play), Lena Hall and Michael C. Hall (Hedwig and The Angry Inch), James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin), Anika Larsen and Jarrod Spector (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), and Judith Light (The Assembled Parties). This year’s show will include 200 Broadway and Off-Broadway performers. Among the shows scheduled to perform original numbers are Aladdin, Avenue Q, Chicago, Kinky Boots, The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, Motown: The Musical, Once, Pippin, Rock of Ages, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Wicked.

Dec. 12-13: Ursula Liang’s 9-Man Screens at George Mason Arlington Campus – Founders Hall Auditorium
Ursula Liang’s 9-Man Screens at George Mason Arlington Campus – Founders Hall Auditorium on December 12 & 13; Wins Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary (AAAFF)
The DC APA Film Festival is presenting screenings of Ursula Liang’s Award winning documentary 9-Man on Friday, December 12th and Saturday, December 13th at 7:30 pm, at George Mason Arlington Campus – Founders Hall Auditorium, 3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201. Tickets are $12 online before Dec 12, and $15 at the Door. Click here to purchase tickets.

A consummate storyteller, Liang’s documentary filmmaking debut with 9-Man is first rate -a thrilling fast paced ride that introduces the audience to the isolated and exceptionally athletic Chinese-American sport (Volleyball), that’s much more than a pastime. Liang’s brother played 9-Man, and her intimate knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport is evident in her celebration of the athleticism of Chinese American men, portrayed in a way that I have rarely witnessed on screen. 9-Man also features a comprehensive look at the history of discrimination against Chinese Americans in the United States.

Through Dec. 14:
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Broadway at Broadway Theatre)
Ann Harada Ends Run on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ on December 14; Set for World Premiere of ‘Brooklynite’ at The Vineyard in January 2015

NeNe Leakes, Keke Palmer, Ann Harada, and Stephanie Gibson sing “A Lovely Night,” in Cinderella. © Joan Marcus

The Broadway Theatre is located at 1681 Broadway (Between West 52nd and 53rd Streets) in New York. Tickets to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, which plays its final performance on January 3, 2015, are on sale through Tele-charge and can be purchased by calling 212-239-6200 or online at www.telecharge.com.

Our Lady of Kibeho (Signature Theatre Company)
Katori Hall’s OUR LADY OF KIBEHO on Time Out New York Critic Adam Feldman’s 10 best shows of 2014; closes December 14

It’s the final week to see Signature Theatre’s World Premiere of OUR LADY OF KIBEHO by Katori Hall, directed by Michael Greif, in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues).

The cast features Starla Benford as Sister Evangelique, Jade Eshete as Girl 3, Danaya Esperanza as Girl 2, Niles Fitch as Emmanuel, Kambi Gathesha as Villager 1, Brent Jennings as Bishop Gahamanyi, Joaquina Kalukango as Marie-Clare Mukangango, Mandi Masden as Anathalie Mukamazimpaka, Owiso Odera as Father Tuyishime, Nneka Okafor as Alphonsine Mumureke, Stacey Sargeant as Girl 1, T. Ryder Smith as Father Flavia, Irungu Mutu as Villager 2, Angel Uwamahoro as Girl 4, Bowman Wright as Nkango. In 1981, a village girl in pre-genocide Rwanda, claims to see the Virgin Mary. Ostracized by her schoolmates and labeled disturbed, everyone refuses to believe, until the impossible starts happening again and again. Skepticism gives way to fear, faith, and fate, causing upheaval in the school community and beyond.

Nneka Okafor, Owiso Odera. Photo by Joan Marcus

Tickets: $35, $45, $75. To purchase tickets for all Signature productions, call Ticket Services at 212-244-7529 (Tues. – Sun., 11am – 6pm) or visit www.signaturetheatre.org.

Dec. 14: Louis Price: A Gift of Song at The Moss Theater at New Roads School in Santa Monica
Louis Price: A Gift of Song at The Moss Theater at New Roads School in Santa Monica

Hauslights and L. Price Records present Louis Price, former lead singer of The Temptations, offering “A Gift of Song,” a concert filled with R & B and Pop Favorites sprinkled with originals and seasonal offerings, on Sunday, December 14, 2014 at The Moss Theater at New Roads School, 3131 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404.

Doors open: 7:00 P.M.
Showtime: 7:30 P.M.
VIP Reception: 9:00 P.M.

Tickets: General Seating $40-$80. VIP $100. Purchase tickets www.itsmyseat.com/louisprice or call 1-818-539-0997. For limited special priced tickets, use code: BUSBY PROMOTIONS.

Dec. 17: The Legacy Now – Reflections on A Life in The Theater with Voza Rivers and Woodie King Jr.
The Legacy Now – Reflections on A Life in The Theater with Voza Rivers and Woodie King Jr.

The Oldest Boy (Off-Broadway at Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater)
James Yaegashi, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ernest Abuba, Tsering Dorjee, Takemi Kitamura, James Saito, Jon Norman Schneider in Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at LCT

James Saito, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jon Norman Schneider. Photo by T. Charles Erickson

Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Sarah Ruhl’s new play The Oldest Boy, helmed by Rebecca Taichman, in which Yaegashi (Father) stars opposite Celia Keenan-Bolger (Mother), Ernest Abuba (The Oldest Boy), Tsering Dorjee (Chorus), Takemi Kitamura (Chorus), James Saito (A Lama), Jon Norman Schneider (A Monk), and Nami Yamamoto (Chorus). The production currently has performances through December 28, 2014, in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, 150 West 65 Street, in New York.

Celia Keenan-Bolger, James Yaegashi. Photo by T. Charles Erickson

The Oldest Boy tells the story of Tenzin, the toddler son of an American woman (Celia Keenan-Bolger) and a Tibetan man (James Yaegashi) who is recognized as the reincarnation of a high Buddhist teacher. Differing cultures contend with competing ideas of faith and love when two monks seek permission to take Tenzin to a monastery in India to begin his training as a spiritual master. His parents must decide whether to send their young son away or keep him home. Tickets to The Oldest Boy, priced at $77 and $87, can be purchased at the Lincoln Center Theater box office (150 West 65 Street) and at telecharge.com, or by visiting www.lct.org.

Concluding Jan. 4, 2015
Here Lies Love (Off-Broadway at The Public Theater)

Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love at the Apple Store Soho in New York on October 25, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

The Public Theater’s production of David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim’s smash hit musical, Here Lies Love, stars Jaygee Macapugay as Imelda Marcos, Jose Llana as Ferdinand Marcos and Conrad Ricamora as Ninoy Aquino, at The Public Theater’s LuEsther Hall (425 Lafayette Street, New York City), and will have performances through January 4, 2014.

The cast of Here Lies Love also includes Aaron J. Albano, Renee Albulario, Carol Angeli, Billy Bustamante, Melody Butiu, Natalie Cortez, Debralee Daco, Kristian Espiritu, Rob Laqui, Jeigh Madjus, Diane Phelan, Enrico Rodriguez, Janelle Velasquez, and Tobias Wong. Tickets for Here Lies Love range from $99-$139. The performance schedule is Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 pm, Fridays at 7 pm and 10:30 and Saturdays at 5 pm and 9:30 pm. A limited number of $40 day-of-performance rush tickets will be available at The Public’s Taub Box Office (425 Lafayette Street, NYC) one hour before the start of each performance. Tickets subject to availability, and the offer is good for two tickets per person, cash or credit cards. For more info and tickets to Here Lies Love, please visit http://www.herelieslove.com/.
Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love

Lia Chang Picks: Island Breeze CD by Jeff Peterson, Riley Lee & Kenny Endo
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Emmy Winner Richard Thomas and Anna Chlumsky Set For Broadway’s YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Beginning January 6, 2015
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Wiz at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year featured Charl Brown, Lillias White, André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Ken Page at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

The 26th annual edition of Gypsy of the Year raised a record-breaking $5,229,611 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS thanks to six weeks of fundraising by 64 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies.

The grand total was announced Tuesday, December 9, 2014, by special guests Hugh Jackman, Nathan Lane and Judith Light after two stellar days of performances of original dances, songs and skits by more than 200 “gypsies” from Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.

Hugh Jackman, Nathan Lane and Judith Light announce Gypsy of the Year’s record-breaking $5,229,611 grand total raised for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, thanks to six weeks of fundraising by 64 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies, at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Since 1989, the 26 editions of Gypsy of the Year (#gypsyoftheyear) have raised $62.4 million to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The previous record high for Gypsy of the Year fundraising was $4,895,253 set in 2011.

A standing-room-only audience at the New Amsterdam Theatre, home to Disney’s Aladdin, erupted with cheers and applause as Jackman, Lane and Light also presented awards to the top fundraising companies and for the best performances in this year’s show.

Hugh Jackman, Nathan Lane, and Judith Light announce the winners at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Hugh Jackman at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

This year’s top overall fundraiser was The River, which stars Jackman and raised $549,725. For the first time in history, the top two fundraising plays — The River and It’s Only a Play — raised more than $1 million.

Here’s how this year’s fundraising competition ended:

Broadway (Musical)

Top Fundraiser Kinky Boots $233,544

1st Runner-Up Cabaret $217,699

2nd Runner-Up Beautiful: The Carole King Musical $195,773

3rd Runner-Up The Book of Mormon $193,181

Broadway (Play)

Top Fundraiser It’s Only a Play $464,559

1st Runner-Up The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time $115,980

Off-Broadway (Play or Musical)

Top Fundraiser Avenue Q $19,237

National Tours

Top Fundraiser Kinky Boots $329,734

1st Runner-Up Wicked – Munchkinland $257,880

2nd Runner-Up The Book of Mormon – Latter Day $242,756

3rd Runner-Up Wicked – Emerald City $205,386

The company of The Lion King took honors for the best onstage presentation for an emotional, socially charged dance, created by Ray Mercer. The number started with the word “Justice” written on a chalkboard wall. In a flurry of arm movements and flying chalk dust, artist Clarione Gutierrez transformed the wall into a dove of peace as dancers personified the struggles of racism and fairness which continue to capture today’s headlines. The cast of Pippin, who will play their final Broadway performance in January, was runner-up as Nicolas Jelmoni and Charlotte O’Sullivan mesmerized the audience with incredible feats of strength and hand acrobatics while Syndee Winters sang Selah Sue’s “This World.”

Gypsy of the Year, which was presented this year on December 8 and 9, is an opportunity for the theatre community to celebrate their fundraising efforts and gather for the competitive variety show.

A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Wiz at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

The show’s spirited opening number celebrated the 40th anniversary of The Wiz, one of the first large-scale, big-budget Broadway musicals to feature an all-black cast and winner of seven Tony Awards in 1975 including Best Musical and Best Director for the late Geoffrey Holder.

Geoffrey Holder, Artist, Actor, Dancer, Choreographer, Two-Time Tony Award-winning Director and Costume Designer for The Wiz, Dies at 84; Son Pens Intimate Account of Last Days

A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Wiz at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year featured André De Shields as the Wizard at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Photos & Video: The Wiz’s André De Shields Sang “So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard” in The Black Stars of The Great White Way Broadway Reunion: Live The Dream at Carnegie Hall

Triumphantly returning to the yellow brick road, André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Ken Page were met with rapturous applause from the energized audience.

A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Wiz at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year featured Dee Dee Bridgewater at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Wiz at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year featured Ashley Stroud, Alton Fitzgerald White, Ken Page, Christina Sajous, Charl Brown and Carly Hughes at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

They were joined for the special performance by Charl Brown (Motown: The Musical), Carly Hughes (Pippin), Christina Sajous (Holler If Ya Hear Me), Ashley Stroud, Alton Fitzgerald White (The Lion King) and Lillias White (Fela). The opening number was directed by T. Oliver Reid and choreographed by Brian Harlan Brooks, assisted by Torya Beard, with music direction and arrangements by Ben Cohn.

A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Wiz at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year featured André De Shields as the Wizard (in white) and Charl Brown (in plaid) and company at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Wiz at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year featured Alton Fitzgerald White at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

In a fitting tribute to the groundbreaking show, White and her cast mates returned to close Gypsy of the Year with a powerhouse rendition of “Home,” the finale from The Wiz.

Lillias White sings “Home,” and is joined by André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Ken Page and The Wiz company at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

The Wiz performers also included Alysha Deslorieux, Dionne Figgins, Christopher Freeman, Desmond Richardson, Rashidra Scott, Jamal Story, Rema Webb, Lawrence Alexander, LaMar Baylor, Olivia Bowman-Jackson, Solomon Dumas, Angelica Edwards, Dana Marie Ingraham, Abdur-Rahim Jackson, Christopher Figaro Jackson, Donald Jones Jr., Sharron Lynn, Sumayah McRae, Jennifer Harrison Newman, Malaiyka Reid, Devin L. Roberts, Donna Michelle Vaughn, Dion Wilson, Camille Workman, Hollie E. Wright.

A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Wiz at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

Noted Broadway personality Seth Rudetsky (“Seth’s Big Fat Broadway” on Sirius/XM Radio), served as host for his seventh consecutive Gypsy of the Year. Rudetsky welcomed a special appearance byJames Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin), who performed an impressive freestyle rap based on a random topic yelled out by audience members.

Click to view slideshow.
In addition to Pippin, four shows playing their final Broadway performances in January joined the festivities for one last time.

· With a starry night sky as their backdrop, the company of Once performed a hauntingly beautiful acoustic version of the show’s Act One finale, “Gold.”

· After getting word that Justin Bieber might join Rock of Ages for its final week, the show’s Frankie J. Grande broke loose with “I Beliebe,” a parody of “I Believe” from The Book of Mormon dedicated to the teen heartthrob.

· With the help of 16 nimble-legged dancers, Nathan Lucrezio from Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella fulfilled two of his boyhood dreams in number called “The Rifferdancer,” combining Michael Flatley-inspired Irish step dancing with Mariah Carey-inspired vocal riffing.

· The cast of Motown: The Musical used their final Gypsy of the Year appearance as an opportunity to amusingly beg for work after their show closes, concluding with the plaintive plea, “Hire me please.”

This year’s Gypsy of the Year also featured:

· The cast of Mamma Mia! being forced to re-audition for their roles in a take off of the opening scene of A Chorus Line.

· A parody of the heart-wrenching ASPCA public service announcements presented with an Avenue Q spin seeking help for puppets who are “suffering alone, waiting for you to help.”

· A poignant performance about love and loss by the cast of Aladdin, set to Beyoncé’s “Halo” with live singers and a three-piece onstage band.

· The cast of Kinky Boots performing their show as if it were directed by John Doyle, who famously has reinterpreted classic musicals with actors serving as the show’s orchestra by playing instruments.

· The gypsies of Chicago celebrating the production’s place as the second-longest running show in Broadway history.

· The company of Wicked poking fun at the recent TV airing of Peter Pan Live by suggesting a Lady Gaga-as-Tinkerbell alternative.

Gypsy of the Year also featured special numbers recognizing national touring productions and the volunteers who help fundraise during Gypsy of the Year. In a number choreographed by Adam Fleming, Allyson Carr and Jakob Karr led 14 other dancers in a moving tribute to the 16 national tours that helped fundraising this season. The other special number, choreographed by Shea Sullivan, honored the 210 volunteers of the Broadway Cares “bucket brigade” who held buckets 3,778 shifts at Broadway theaters over the course of six weeks of audience appeals. Five of this year’s most active bucket brigade volunteers were welcomed onto the stage: Steve Bratton, Francois Conradie, Esi Sogah, Katherine Sulenski and Marivic Tagala.

Celebrity presenters included Lena Hall and Michael C. Hall, who are currently starring in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Kevin Duda, Anika Larsen and Jarrod Spector from Beautiful – The Carole King Musical.

It’s Only A Play cast members Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

The esteemed panel of judges that selected the best presentation award winners was introduced by Lane and Matthew Broderick, who are starring together in the hit comedy It’s Only a Play.

The judges were Julie Halston (You Can’t Take It With You), Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed (Aladdin), Alex Sharp (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Micah Stock (It’s Only a Play), Jujamcyn Theaters Executive Vice President and BC/EFA Board of Trustees President Paul Libin and original Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS staffer Yvonne Ghareeb, who is retiring in January after 26 years with the organization. Also joining the panel are Lee Perlman and Peg Wendlandt, who won their judging spots by being high bidders on exclusive VIP packages at the 28th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction in September.

This year’s show was directed by Kristin Newhouse with Jason Trubitt serving as production stage manager, leading a team of nine expert stage managers, and Ben Cohn as music supervisor, leading a 15-piece live orchestra. Lighting design was by Michael Jones and sound by Marie Renee Foucher.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $250 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Broadway Cares awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states and is the major supporter of the social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative and the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic.

A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Wiz at the BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on December 9, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang

For more information, please visit Broadway Cares online at broadwaycares.org, on Facebook at facebook.com/BCEFA, on Twitter at twitter.com/BCEFA, on YouTube at youtube.com/BCEFAtv and on Instagram at instagram.com/BCEFA.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Christina Sajous, Alton Fitzgerald White and Lillias White Set for 26th Annual Edition of BC/EFA’s ‘Gypsy of the Year’, Celebrating 40th Anniversary of ‘The Wiz’ on December 8 & 9
Dec. Offerings: BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year, 9-MAN, CINDERELLA, OUR LADY OF KIBEHO, Louis Price Concert, The Legacy Now – Reflections on A Life in The Theater with Voza Rivers and Woodie King Jr., THE OLDEST BOY, HERE LIES LOVE
Ann Harada Ends Run on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ on December 14; Set for World Premiere of ‘Brooklynite’ at The Vineyard in January 2015
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
James Yaegashi, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ernest Abuba, Tsering Dorjee, Takemi Kitamura, James Saito, Jon Norman Schneider in Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at LCT
Emmy Winner Richard Thomas and Anna Chlumsky Set For Broadway’s YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Beginning January 6, 2015
Lia Chang Picks: Island Breeze CD by Jeff Peterson, Riley Lee & Kenny Endo
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories
Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

Sanjiv Jhaveri and Samrat Chakrabarti. Photo by Lia Chang

LAUGHistan (A Samrat Chakrabarti Production) presents BUMBUG – Dance Party Edition! on Saturday, December 13, 2014, a special ONE NIGHT ONLY presentation, of a new Rock Opera by Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri, at Meridian 23, 161 W 23rd St (corner of 7th Ave) in New York.

The electrifying musical reinvention of “A Christmas Carol” told through the looking glass of NYC Immigrants and Hyphenated America features Ranjit Arapurakal, Lipica Shah, Debargo Sanyal, Meetu Chilana, Kiarri D. Andrews and Pallavi Savitala. The band include Samrat Chakrabarti, Shiv Puri and Konrad Payne. Special guest: Break Beach featuring Nick Sadar and Alex Matlack.

Lipica Shah as “Sunita” and Debargo Sanyal as “Mr. Scroogewala” from LAUGHistan’s World Premiere of “BUMBUG The Musical”. Photo Credit: Lia Chang

Like so many immigrants, disillusioned Deli-owner Scroogewala left his motherland years ago to pursue the American dream. Amidst his battle with holiday merriment, Scroogewala is visited by a motley crew of misfits who remind him that love, loss and laughter are all a part of that dream he’d almost given up on.

Doors open at 9:30 PM. Show starts at 10:00 PM. Tickets are $10, and this special presentation of BUMBUG – Dance Party Edition! is a benefit performance. Click here to purchase tickets. www.laughistan.com

100% of all proceeds will fund two leading South Asian American organizations:

Chhaya Community Development Corporation: By focusing on core areas of housing and economic development—the basic necessities essential to one’s stability—Chhaya is able to impact a range of social outcomes, including education, employment, civic participation, community pride, and mental health and well-being.

- and -

DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving): Founded in 2000, DRUM has mobilized and built the leadership of thousands of low-income, South Asian immigrants to lead social and policy change that impacts their own lives- from immigrant rights to education reform, civil rights, and worker’s justice.

Sponsored by Verificent Technologies Inc and Bombay Sandwich Co.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: World Premiere of Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s BUMBUG The Musical at The Clurman Theatre, December 6-22, 2012
Photos: André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White in 40th Anniversary of The WIZ Tribute at BC/EFA’s GYPSY OF THE YEAR; Competition Breaks Records With Over $5 Million as Hugh Jackman’s THE RIVER Brings in Top Donation
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Dec. Offerings: BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year, 9-MAN, CINDERELLA, OUR LADY OF KIBEHO, Louis Price Concert, The Legacy Now – Reflections on A Life in The Theater with Voza Rivers and Woodie King Jr., THE OLDEST BOY, HERE LIES LOVE
Ann Harada Ends Run on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ on December 14; Set for World Premiere of ‘Brooklynite’ at The Vineyard in January 2015
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
James Yaegashi, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ernest Abuba, Tsering Dorjee, Takemi Kitamura, James Saito, Jon Norman Schneider in Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at LCT
Emmy Winner Richard Thomas and Anna Chlumsky Set For Broadway’s YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Beginning January 6, 2015
Lia Chang Picks: Island Breeze CD by Jeff Peterson, Riley Lee & Kenny Endo
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories
Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients
Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

Taurean Everett. Photo by Steven Underhill

Congrats to Taurean Everett who is making his Broadway debut in the international hit musical Mamma Mia! at the Broadhurst Theatre on Friday, December 19, 2014.

Mr. Everett recently appeared at Paper Mill Playhouse in the revival of Can-Can starring Kate Baldwin as Pistache and Jason Danieley as Aristide; and in the New York concert presentation of Guys and Dolls starring Tony Award winner Nathan Lane, Patrick Wilson, Sierra Boggess and Megan Mullally, at Carnegie Hall.

He portrayed Jimmy in the first National Tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and was the understudy for Miss Understanding. His other regional credits include Damn Yankees, Curtains and Peter Pan (Paper Mill Playhouse); and Guys and Dolls (Theatre Under the Stars).

The cast of Can-Can at Paper Mill Playhouse (2014). Photo by Jerry Dalia

Mr. Everett received his BFA in Dance from Wichita State University School of Performing Arts. He was awarded the 2007 Koch Cultural Trust Grant, which gave him the opportunity to participate in Janice Garrett’s modern dance workshop in San Francisco, and to travel to New York for auditions.

Bryan Adams (standing); l-r Travis Taber, Taurean Everett and Alex Ringler in the touring company of Priscilla,
Queen of the Desert: The Musical (2013). Photo: Joan Marcus

“When I received the grant, I felt a weight off my shoulders,” shared Everett. “I could finally go somewhere and dance without depleting my own bank account. I felt free, I suppose, free to indulge in one of the things I love most, dancing. The difference is simply being free to dance, without being stressed to pay to dance.”

“The KCT allows for an artist to be one step closer to pursuing their dreams. When people are awarded that step they become stronger at their craft. From strength grows opportunity, and from opportunity grows success. And when one person from Kansas succeeds, everybody succeeds.”

The cast of Paper Mill Playhouse’s production of Curtains (2011). Photo: Bruce Bonnett

Mr. Everett will be realizing his dream with Mamma Mia!, a production now celebrating 13 years on Broadway. Mamma Mia! has been seen by over 50 million people worldwide and has grossed more than $2 billion at the box office.

Nancy Anderson (Peter Pan), Jessica Lee Goldyn and the ensemble of Paper Mill Playhouse’s production of Peter Pan (2010). Photo by Kevin Sprague

Set in a beach resort in the Mediterranean, Mamma Mia! tells the story of Sophie, a bride-to-be with one wish: to have her absent father walk her down the aisle. After reading passages about three old lovers in her mom’s diary, Sophie sends each a wedding invitation in hopes of learning which is her dad. The arrival of the men from her past is surprising to Donna, Sophie’s fiercely independent mother, who prides herself on getting through life without a man, and highly amusing to Donna’s two best gal pals. The more Sophie and her mother struggle to find truth and understanding, the more it threatens to tear them apart and wreck Sophie’s dream wedding.

With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, Mamma Mia! is written by Catherine Johnson and directed by Phyllida Lloyd. The production has choreography by Anthony Van Laast, production design by Mark Thompson, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.

Show times at the Broadhurst are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 7 PM with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM.

The Broadhurst Theatre is located at 235 West 44th Street. For more information and tickets, visit mammamianorthamerica.com.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Garth Kravits on NBC’s The Blacklist
ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat” starring Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler, and Ian Chen, Premieres on February 4 & 10
Q & A with Danny Ramm, Co-writer of Joe Mantegna Helmed ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 10 Episode to Honor the late Meshach Taylor; Airs January 21, 2015
Photos: André De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Page, Charl Brown, Carly Hughes, Alton Fitzgerald White, Lillias White in 40th Anniversary of The WIZ Tribute at BC/EFA’s GYPSY OF THE YEAR; Competition Breaks Records With Over $5 Million as Hugh Jackman’s THE RIVER Brings in Top Donation
Baryshnikov Arts Center Presents New York Premiere of Carmen De Lavallade’s Solo Show AS I REMEMBER IT in February 2015
Geoffrey Holder, Artist, Actor, Dancer, Choreographer, Two-Time Tony Award-winning Director and Costume Designer for The Wiz, Dies at 84; Son Pens Intimate Account of Last Days
Stephen Adly Guirgis’ BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre Beginning January 16, 2015
Emmy Winner Richard Thomas and Anna Chlumsky Set For Broadway’s YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Beginning January 6, 2015
Dec. Offerings: BC/EFA’s Gypsy of the Year, 9-MAN, CINDERELLA, OUR LADY OF KIBEHO, Louis Price Concert, The Legacy Now – Reflections on A Life in The Theater with Voza Rivers and Woodie King Jr., THE OLDEST BOY, HERE LIES LOVE
Ann Harada Ends Run on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ on December 14; Set for World Premiere of ‘Brooklynite’ at The Vineyard in January 2015
James Yaegashi, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ernest Abuba, Tsering Dorjee, Takemi Kitamura, James Saito, Jon Norman Schneider in Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at LCT
Lia Chang Picks: Island Breeze CD by Jeff Peterson, Riley Lee & Kenny Endo
Lia Chang Picks: Arthur Dong’s Forbidden City: Chinese-American Nightclubs, 1930-1970
Photos: BD Wong, Cindy Cheung, Brooke Ishibashi,Thom Sesma, Manna Nichols, Steven Eng, Ariel Estrada and Lori Tan Chinn at Leviathan Lab’s Ghost Stories
Apple Video Podcast: New York Post Writer Michael Riedel Interviews David Byrne, Jaygee Macapugay, Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora of Here Lies Love
Cheryl L. Davis’ Maid’s Door Sweeps AUDELCOs with 7 Wins; Complete List of 2014 AUDELCO Recipients Ken Watanabe, Kelli O’Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Paul Nakauchi and More Set for Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I
Photos: Ellen Burstyn, Baz Luhrmann, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Patrick Shanley, David Henry Hwang, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kenneth Lonergan and More Celebrate Stephen Adly Guirgis at The Mimi Awards
NYU Theatrical Production Presents the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night in the Shubert Theatre at Tisch School of the Arts
Q & A with Playwright Camille Darby, 2014-15 Dramatists Guild Playwrighting Fellow
Costume Institute’s Spring 2015 Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum to Focus on Chinese Imagery in Art, Film, and Fashion, May 7–August 16, 2015
Photos: Art Salon with Artist Yang Chihung and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang at New-York Historical Society
Photos: Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion on View through April 19, 2015 at New York Historical Society
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Photos: Tommy Tune, Bob Avian, Lee Roy Reams, Christine Toy Johnson, Orville Mendoza, Lori Tan Chinn, Raul Aranas, Virginia Wing and More Celebrate 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award Recipient Baayork Lee
Photos: Artist Arlan Huang, One Brush Stroke at a Time
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by GK

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia starred as Carole Barbara in Lorey Hayes’ Power Play at the 2013 National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., with Pauletta Pearson Washington, Roscoe Orman, and made her jazz vocalist debut in Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz “LADY” at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York. She is profiled in Jade Magazine. All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2014 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director, Casey Reitz Executive Director) will present the Atlantic Theater Company’s (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director, Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) sold out production of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ acclaimed play, Between Riverside and Crazy, for a limited engagement this winter.

Stephen McKinley Henderson as Pops, Elizabeth Canavan as Detective Audrey O’Connor & Michael Rispoli as Lieutenant Caro in Between Riverside and Crazy. Photo by Kevin Thomas Garcia

Recently featured on New York Times Theater Critic Ben Brantley’s Best Theater of 2014 List:

“Between Riverside and Crazy: The triumphant return of Stephen Adly Guirgis, who startled Broadway in 2011 by snatching a Tony nomination for best play for a work with an unprintable title. This gleefully agnostic account of the things we do for real estate (at least when you’re poor and in unlikely possession of prime Manhattan property) blithely crossed the lines between good and bad, comedy and tragedy, faith and skepticism without missing a step. Austin Pendleton directed a wonderful cast led by Stephen McKinley Henderson.”

Click here to see the complete list.

The production will begin previews on Friday, January 16, 2015 and will officially open on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre (305 West 43rd street).

Stephen McKinley Henderson as Pops, Rosal Colon as Lulu & Victor Almanzar as Oswaldo in Between Riverside and Crazy. Photo by Kevin Thomas Garcia

Stephen McKinley Henderson, who received rave reviews for his lead performance as Walter “Pops” Washington, will return with the production. He was previously seen at Second Stage in August Wilson’s Jitney. Ron Cephas Jones joins other original cast members returning with the production include Victor Almanzar (Repertorio Espanol, LAByrinth Theater), Elizabeth Canavan (The Little Flower of East Orange), Rosal Colón (The Motherf*cker with the Hat) and Liza Colón-Zayas (Second Stage Theatre’s Water by the Spoonful and Living Out) and Michael Rispoli.

City Hall is demanding more than his signature, the Landlord wants him out, the liquor store is closed – and the Church won’t leave him alone. For ex-cop and recent widower Walter “Pops” Washington and his recently paroled son Junior, the struggle to hold on to one of the last great rent stabilized apartments on Riverside Drive collides with old wounds, sketchy new houseguests, and a final ultimatum in this dark comedy. For Pops and Junior, it seems the Old Days are dead and gone – after a lifetime living Between Riverside and Crazy.

“Part of Second Stage’s founding mission is to give deserving American plays a second chance to reach a wider audience. I was lucky enough to see Stephen’s remarkable play this summer and now I’m thrilled to bring it back and share it with theatregoers who couldn’t get a ticket during its sold out run,” says Artistic Director Carole Rothman. “An extraordinary combination of events have occurred to make this production a part of our season: an unexpected immediate opening in our line up and a brilliant play that was ready to be – and deserved to be – remounted for a larger audience. I couldn’t be happier bringing Stephen’s brilliant characters to life again and I know our audiences will be as knocked out by this play as I was.”

Between Riverside and Crazy features scenic design by Walt Spangler; costume design byAlexis Forte; lighting design by Keith Parham; and sound design and original music by Ryan Rumery.

Tickets are $75 (orchestra), $60 (Balcony), $67.50 (Senior), $125 premium*, $55 (subscription). Save 35% on $75 tickets with code BRACDM on performances, January 16- February 11, 2015. Rush tickets are available one hour prior to curtain to full time high school or college students. $30 Under 30 tickets available in advance for patrons ages 30 and under. One valid ID required for each ticket purchased, based on availability. For tickets: call the box office at 212-246-4422 or 2ST.com. *A limited number of Premium Seats are available. Please call the box office at 212-246-4422 to reserve.

2014 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright recipient Stephen Adly Guirgis at the 2014 Steinberg Playwright Awards hosted by the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust on November 17, 2014 in New York City. Photo by Lia Chang

STEPHEN ADLY GUIRGIS (Playwright) is a member and former co-artistic director of LAByrinth Theater Company. His plays have been produced on five continents and throughout the United States. They include Our Lady of 121st Street (Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle Best Play Nominations), Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train (Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award, Barrymore Award, Olivier Nomination for London’s Best New Play), In Arabia, We’d All Be Kings (2007 LA Drama Critics Best Play, Best Writing Award), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (10 best Time Magazine & Entertainment Weekly), and The Little Flower of East Orange (with Ellen Burstyn & Michael Shannon). All five plays were directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman and were originally produced by LAByrinth. His most recent play, The Motherf***er with the Hat (6 Tony nominations, including Best Play), was directed by Anna D. Shapiro and marked his third consecutive world premiere co-production with The Public Theater and LAByrinth. In London, his plays have premiered at The Donmar Warehouse, The Almeida (dir: Rupert Goold), The Hampstead (Robert Delamere), and at The Arts Theater in the West End. Other plays include Den of Thieves (Labyrinth, HERE, HAI, Black Dahlia) and Dominica The Fat Ugly Ho (dir: Adam Rapp) for the 2006 E.S.T. Marathon. He has received the Yale Wyndham-Campbell Prize, a PEN/Laura Pels Award, a Whiting Award, a TCG fellowship and the prestigious 2014 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award. He is also a New Dramatists Alumnae and a member of MCC’s Playwright’s Coalition, The Ojai Playwrights Festival, New River Dramatists, and Labyrinth Theater Company. As an actor, he has appeared in theater, film and television, including roles in Kenneth Lonergan’s film Margaret, Todd Solondz’s Palindromes, and Brett C Leonard’s Jailbait opposite Michael Pitt. A former violence prevention specialist and H.I.V. educator, he lives in New York City.

AUSTIN PENDLETON (Director) returns to Second Stage Theatre where he staged the critically acclaimed production of Spoils of War. He has been most recently represented as a director by his productions in New York, of Gidion’s Knot (by Johnna Adams) at 59E59; Seagull69 (adapted from The Sea Gull) at Mississippi Mud; Ivanov, Three Sisters, and Uncle Vanya (all at CSC); and Look Homeward, Angel for Mother of Invention, among many other productions. Other credits include: in Chicago, works at Steppenwolf (where he is a member of the Ensemble) most recently by Tribes; in London at the National Theatre by Detroit by Lisa D’Amour; and in Little Rock by A Loss of Roses by William Inge, at Arkansas Rep. He is also an actor (Broadway, off- and off-off-Broadway, regional theatre, and many movies and TV appearances), playwright (his plays include Orson’s Shadow, Uncle Bob, and Booth), and (at HB Studio in New York) teacher of acting.

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Lia Chang Photo by GK

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