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ROCK OF AGES Playbill Letter

March 8th, 2012 | Add a Comment

Rock of Ages March 27-April 1, 2012 at the Civic Theatre   ROCK OF AGES has had one of the more interesting journeys that a Broadway ‘jukebox’ musical can take to ultimately come to San Diego. It first played intimate venues in Los Angeles in 2005, followed by Las Vegas in 2006. It then premiered off-Broadway in 2008; and made the jump to the Great White Way, where it was nominated for five Tony Awards® in 2009 (and is currently still playing). It has since played Toronto, the UK, Australia, and two national tours. The culmination of the journey is a film version coming out later this year, with an all-star cast including Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin and Catherine Zeta-Jones. I can’t even imagine what it must be like for the creators who, I envision, … Read entire article »

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I Got My Face Melted in New York

Couple of years ago I went to a show called Rock of Ages. I knew it was a book show and used a bunch of 80’s Hair band tunes but I knew nothing else. It turned out to be my favorite show of the season! I was never a big metal head so I didn’t have high hopes going in, but this show never takes itself seriously for ONE SECOND. It’s just fun from beginning to end. And now that it’s coming to OUR theatre, I just had to put together my own little tribute. I’m lucky that the rest of our staff here at BSD were good enough to lend their awesomeness to the project. … Read entire article »

CATS Playbill Letter

Cats is a story about rebirth and renewal in a place where one lucky cat can aspire to travel tothe Heavy Side Layer to be reborn into a new Jellicle life. It’s a perfect production to begin theNew Year! Almost 30 years later, Cats is still America’s most awe – inspiring musical for bothyoung and old alike. As always, we are proud to be bringing it to San Diego as part of our 35th Anniversary Season. This year marks a significant time in Broadway/San Diego’s story, and it creates an opportunityto renew our commitment to YOU by bringing another 35 years (and more) of world-class theatreexperiences. To acknowledge our efforts, Broadway/San Diego was recently honored by … Read entire article »

RIVERDANCE – The Original International Phenomenon

Few shows have touched audiences like Riverdance. A celebration of Irish music, song and dance, the show focuses on the evolution of Irish dance and its similarities with, and influences on, other cultures. The phenomenon of Riverdance draws on Irish traditions and combines the richness of the music with the magic and sensuality of the dance. Riverdance was originally conceived as a spectacular seven-minute intermission entertainment for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest televised throughout Europe to an audience of over 300 million viewers. Following the success of that performance, producer Moya Doherty, composer Bill Whelan, and director John McColgan, expanded the piece into a full-length stage production. Riverdance had its world premiere at the Point Theatre, Dublin, … Read entire article »

RIVERDANCE – Irish History found in Dance

Against the Elements “In Act One, the show deals with themes that are at the heart of a lot of early music and dance, songs in praise of the earth, sun, fire, the moon and other elemental forces that are common to all cultures.” – Bill Whelan Your journey at Riverdance begins in pre-history, where we worshiped, praised and feared the elements. Written history in Ireland began when monks inspired by St. Patrick, began to record Celtic culture. Before that, the scholar-priests of the Celts, the Druids, looked down upon writing; they kept their histories through oral history; songs, dances, rituals. These were passed down from generation to generation. All cultures sing and speak of this early … Read entire article »

RIVERDANCE: A History of Irish Dance

In 1569, Sir Henry Sydney wrote to Queen Elizabeth about the Irish people: “They are very beautiful, magnificently dressed and first class dancers.” Throughout Irish history, dancing has been done for pleasure, for performance, for joy and for mourning. At many times during Irish history, the Church tried to condemn or outlaw dancing, saying “In the dance are seen frenzy and woe.” Exactly right: in Ireland, people have danced for every emotion, from great joy to utter sadness. The Druids danced to worship the sun and the oak tree; when millions left Ireland during the Great Hunger, they danced before they journeyed on. The Gaelic word for dance, “damhsa” shows the mixed quality of Irish culture; its … Read entire article »

Frank Sinatra

FRANK SINATRA Frank Sinatra, long acclaimed as the world’s greatest performer of popular music, is the artist who set the standard for all others to follow. Sinatra was, of course, more than a singer – he was an actor, recording artist, cabaret and concert star, radio and television personality and, on occasion, producer, director and conductor. A beloved entertainer for six decades, Sinatra’s achievements earned him three Oscars, two Golden Globes, 10 personal Grammys (and a total of 21 including those for his albums), an Emmy, a Cecile B. DeMille Award, a Peabody, and he was recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983. A generous charitable contributor, one of his most prestigious awards was the Jean … Read entire article »

The Christmas Music of Mannheim Steamroller

A FAMILY TRADITION CONTINUES! MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER WILL PERFORM AT THE SAN DIEGO CIVIC THEATRE FOR A ONE NIGHT ONLY APPEARANCE ON DECEMBER 6TH Mannheim Steamroller continues to be America’s favorite Christmas music artist with their spectacular and beloved holiday show. The group will perform live for a one night only performance at the San Diego Civic Theatre on Tuesday December 6th at 7:30. Tickets go on sale October 28 at BroadwaySD.com, through Ticketmaster, and on location at the Civic Theatre. Grammy Award® winner and mastermind behind the group, Chip Davis will direct and co-produce the performances with Magicspace Entertainment. There are now two tour ensembles of Mannheim Steamroller to meet the continued and increasing … Read entire article »

GIMME A HEAD OF HAIR

Dear Theatregoer: The return of the iconic American Tribal Love-Rock musical of the ‘60s brings back a flood ofmemories for me, even though I was barely oldenough to remember those times (I wish). It is a time when I had a full head of hair; I remember when I went to the (then) Aquarius Theatre in Hollywood to see the first tour of HAIR in the late 60’s. I saw the show again when it played the Civic Theatrein the 70’s. I remember listening to the radioand hearing numerous hits from theBroadway musical top the popular music charts, with versions of songs from Hair by The Cowsills (Hair), The 5th Dimension (Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In) Oliver (GoodMorning … Read entire article »

HAIR-A History Pt. 2

A chance meeting on a train led to the show’s first production. “Jerry was coming back to New York from Yale, and Joseph Papp happened to be on the same train,” says Rado. “Jerry had the script with him and asked Joe to take a look at it.” Papp, the visionary who founded the New York Shakespeare Festival, had begun a summer tradition of free performances of Shakespeare in Central Park in 1957. He was about to open the Public Theater downtown, where he planned to champion innovative and original works in a multicultural venue. Hair intrigued him. He told his biographer, Helen Epstein, “The thing that struck me was that it had to do with … Read entire article »

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