Come Hear the Rest of the Story of Annie Warbucks!
The first musical Annie debuted in 1977 and was a Tony Award magnet, winning Best Musical, Best Actress, Best Score and Best Choreography. Of course, everyone remembers the original musical “Annie”, if not from the movie starring Carol Burnett, then from your old elementary school production that you volunteered (were forced) to do. Indeed, Annie is an iconic American musical, one featuring many memorable songs and a touching storyline of an optimistic orphan named Annie who dreams of a sunshiny tomorrow.
Have you ever wondered though what happens to Annie after the first story ends? That’s the theme of Annie Warbucks, an official sequel to the original musical, and a production that has not quite made it to the mainstream consciousness. Don’t worry, there’s nothing too “dark” about this sequel, unlike the heart-breaking satire Wicked. Everything ends happily in the world of Annie, as she is simply a much too precocious child to lose!
There is much the same optimistic spirit in the sequel as in the original. The story follows the first musical almost immediately after the last scene. Child Welfare Commissioner Harriet Doyle demands that Daddy Warbucks must marry within 60 days or else will have to lose Annie. He frantically searches for an appropriate bride and finds one, but not before uncovering a shocking secret.
Annie Warbucks was actually the second attempt to create a sequel to the much-loved original story. However, the first attempt in 1989, “Annie 2: Miss Hannigan’s Revenge”, debuted to rather miserable reviews. The second attempt, in 1993, proved more successful as an Off-Broadway production. It proved to be a major success, though it had to close early due to technical and legal difficulties. Nevertheless, it continues to tour as a summer stock production and in community theatre.
Don’t miss your chance to revisit with your favorite timeless characters and hear some new catchy tunes, like “Annie Ain’t Just Annie Anymore”, “The Other Woman”, “But You Go On”, “It Would Have Been Wonderful” and “Leave It to the Girls.” Come see Annie Warbucks in person, just as you enjoyed the original 1977 musical up close and in “living color!”
Get your Annie tickets today!
Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street Live?
Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? Live that is! What child, from the year 1969 to today, hasn’t heard how get to Sesame Street and meet all wonderful characters of Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie, and the cantankerous Oscar the Grouch? Now finding Sesame Street is easier than ever before, since the production actually comes to you!
Children and adults alike can find directions to Sesame Street by buying tickets to see a production of the touring show Sesame Street Live. Sesame Street Live has actually been touring since the year 1980, when its first installment called “Missing Bird Mystery.” Since then, much like the TV show, there have been plenty of new elements added to keep the show fresh for its young audience.
One of the most unique factors to this production is the fact that at any given moment, there is not one, not two, but (count with me now AH, AH, AH!) four separate tours going on at the same time. These productions are completely different shows, each with its own unique cast, music and plotlines.
The newest production of Sesame Street Live is called “Elmo’s Healthy Heroes” and it features the notorious red Muppet from “tickle me” fame. Also currently touring is Elmo Makes Music, 1-2-3 Imagine, and Elmo’s Green Thumb. That sure is a lot of Elmo! What a pint-sized prima donna he has become!
Not to worry though, there will be plenty of Muppets to enjoy in addition to this red-headed stranger. You and the kids can enjoy larger-than-life sized Muppet favorites singing, dancing, joking around and learning valuable lessons. Children of all ages are the target audience of these plays, but nostalgic adults will enjoy the show too.
Each play features original songs and scores, as well as a handful of old favorite tunes from the television show. Each scene is expertly executed and choreographed, with professional dancers inside the costume characters performing the action.
If you have every longed for someone to show you how to get to Sesame Street (but no one ever knew the way) then this is your chance! Bring your kids, grandkids, and the whole family and enjoy a good time at any of the fantastic Sesame Street Live shows! Get Sesame Street Live tickets today!
The Black-Eyed Peas Open another School for the Arts
You have to love artists that give back and some artists, such as the Black Eyed Peas, give back just about everywhere they can. This time, it’s by opening Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy in California, a school where kids who otherwise may not have a chance, can now find their voices and other talents to truly do something spectacular with their lives.
The California school isn’t the first Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy to be opened, and it’s not even the first to be opened by the Black-Eyed Peas. In fact, it’s the fifth in two years that the group has opened, after joining forces with Adobe Youth Voices in 2009. It’s expected that this year, just like at every Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy, that 300 underprivileged students will be in attendance to focus on learning more about film, music, and art.
Will.i.am, the group’s front man, said at the opening over the weekend, “Every day we are inspired by the immense talent we see in young people. The Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academies provide these youth with opportunities to advance their artistic and academic skills and channel their creative energy in ways we can only imagine. We are proud to help them make their voices heard.”
But there may be a science program here and there too, as science and technology is also something dear to will.i.am’s heart. In a separate project, the rapper has teamed up with Dean Kamen, creator of the Segway and in will.i.am’s own words, “today’s Edison.” Together, the two have formed the “i.AM FIRST: Science is Rock & Roll” program, an educational program that teaches kids from the ages of 8 — 19 about science and technology, something that Will has said without, his own art could not survive.
Big Boi from OutKast Arrested on Drug Charges
The well-known rapper, Big Boi, from the band OutKast was just returning home from a cruise at 1:25 p.m. yesterday afternoon when he was stopped by customs officers at the Miami border.
The officers, along with their Border Patrol dogs, inspected the contents of Big Boi’s luggage to find that the rapper was carrying MDMA, the ingredient used to make the drug ecstasy, ecstasy pills, and illegal Viagra pills. Big Boi was arrested at the scene on three charges of drug possession, and one charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. After paying a $16,000 bond, Big Boi was released.
Daniel Kane, Big Boi’s attorney, made a statement saying that Big Boi was traveling with friends at the time, and that the amount of contraband found was very small. Kane said in the same statement that he’s sure his client will be completely exonerated of all charges once all the facts are aired.
Duran Duran Announce New Tour in Fall of 2011
Comebacks are never easy, but when you’re Duran Duran, it seems there can be a few more obstacles than one bargained for. That’s the lesson the band learned this past spring when, while touring, Simon LeBon’s throat infection caused them to cancel the rest of their American and European tour dates.
But just because they were down did not mean that they were out, and they’ve proved that by announcing new tour dates, set for the Fall of 2011. Beginning September 23 and wrapping it all up on October 29, the band will make a total of 24 stops in different cities around the United States — and we’ve got Duran Duran tickets for all the shows! We’d love to hear from all of you Duran Duran fans on our comment section. Let us know where you are from and if you’ll be attending their show!
Kings of Leon Reschedule Concert after Cutting Dallas Performance Short
Dallas fans were enjoying the Kings of Leon show on Friday night when suddenly lead singer, Caleb Followill said that he needed to take a breather for a minute backstage to throw up and drink a beer. After promising to return in a few moments and play three more songs, Followill never did return to the stage and the concert was ultimately cancelled.
To clear up any rumors that were beginning to spark, Followill made it clear that he was not drunk, he was just hot; and it’s not hard to see why. While running around on-stage and singing his little heart out, the temperature was in the high 90s that night and the band was performing in an outdoor venue at the Gexa Energy Pavillion. It was found later that not only was Followill suffering from heat exhaustion, but also that the temporary condition had caused his vocal chords to seize.
The band was also set to play the following night but that show was cancelled as well. Later, Jared Followill, the band’s bassist, took to Twitter with deep apologies and to say that the cancellation of the two shows were due to more than just illness in the band. Friday’s show has been rescheduled for September 21, 2011, while Saturday’s show is set for the following evening on September 22, 2011.
Update: The Kings Of Leon have cancelled the remainder of the tour for 2011. They have cited that Caleb is suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion but comments from band members make us believe that Caleb, the lead singer, needs substance abuse help.
Pearl Jam & U2 Go to the Movies at the Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is always a place for the stars to gather and for some of the biggest movies to get their big premiere. But this September, the event brings even more excitement as it opens with the explosive U2 documentary and continues with an exclusive look behind the scenes of one of the founding bands of alternative rock, Pearl Jam.
When TIFF opens with the U2 documentary From the Sky Down on September 8, fans will get to see an in-depth examination of the band’s release of their album Achtung, Baby, and the impact it had on the band, their business, and the world. The film was directed by Davis Guggenheim, who is most noted for also directing An Inconvenient Truth. This documentary is also the first one in 38 years to open TIFF.
Two days later Pearl Jam fans will be able to gather to see the premiere of Pearl Jam Twenty, another documentary that takes you behind-the-scenes of the band’s formation, their breakup, and their reunion, for the first time ever. So much has already been talked about in regards to this film that it even has a deal to run as a television series after running at the Festival.
With documentaries from two of the most groundbreaking bands in music, this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is one of the most anticipated events yet!
Does Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Live Up to the Hype
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is one of the most hyped Broadway productions in history! It’s all the more famous, or shall we say infamous, given the number of controversies that have taken place during its first year of production. (It was also the butt of many jokes at the Tony Awards) What is Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and why is it the center of so much controversy?
This production of Spider-Man is actually very inventive, and a far cry from the blockbuster movies starring Tobey Maguire that you may remember. The production is a rock musical in the spirit of The Phantom of the Opera, though it is based on the comic by Stan Lee and Steve Ditki. The play does stick to familiar territory, namely Spider-Man’s romance with Mary Jane, his origin and his battles with nemesis Green Goblin. While this is all fairly predictable, the biggest surprise comes from the music itself. The music is divinely inspired, as it features music and lyrics by U2‘s Bono and The Edge.
The Edge wasn’t sure how to describe the show, though he managed to explain, “[It has] elements of rock and roll…elements of circus…elements of opera.” Bono meanwhile, called the production “pop-up, pop-art opera.” Of course, to many attendees (including Broadway critics) the music is in the background and the real achievement is in the visuals. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is the most expensive production in the history of Broadway thanks to its stunts and action-packed visual effects. There are many stunts in the production including actors swinging from webs and simulating fight scenes in the air.
The controversy you have been hearing about comes from reports of actors being injured during rehearsals and previews, and the original director Julie Taymor leaving the production. Yes, this is an ambitious production to say the least and with great power comes great responsibility…or so we once heard. However, the production’s flamboyance and occasional fumbles are what make the production an object of fascination in mainstream American culture.
Patrick Healy of The New York Times states that the show is “a national object of pop culture fascination” due to its media coverage, its frequent mentions by late night comedians, and its broad audience of adults and children. The songs of the production have also seen mainstream coverage on Good Morning America, American Idol, and The Tony Awards. See what the hype is about get Spider-Man tickets near to you!
Wicked is Wickedly Funny
Wicked will probably always be one of my favorite musicals. I loved the cast, the music, the score, and the costumes. The play is loosely based on “The Wizard of Oz” but it is actually more of an unlikely prequel to the Frank Baum book. It focuses on the relationship between two very different young ladies. One is pretty, popular, and selfish. This leads to one of the most best known songs of the production, Glinda does an amazing job singing, “Popular.” The other girl, Elphaba, is smart, talented, mean to others, and a loner. It is a story that weaves the well-known themes of bigotry, improbable friendships, and the power to transform people.
Both Glinda and Elphaba are wonderful singers and the songs are absolutely memorable. The story begins with Glinda sitting prettily in a swing and asking, “It’s good to see me, isn’t it?” This brings the first of an evening of chuckles from the audience. She then rather seriously announces that the Wicked Witch of the East is dead. Thus begins a flashback chronicling the unlikely friendship between Glinda, who is supposed to be the good witch, and the green-skinned, Elphaba, who was basically the good girl until shattered idealism transformed her into the wicked witch.
Glinda and Elphaba star as an unlikely pair of boarding-school roommates who somehow form a strong bond as Glinda finally transforms into the really good witch she is meant to be. The most memorable songs for me include the well-known “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” but my favorite song came at the end when the girls join together to sing a moving version of “For Good.” Because they knew each other, they have been changed for good. Wicked The Musical is spell binding from opening act to the closing curtain.
The War Horse Is A Must See!
Before Steven Spielberg releases the movie version, fans are lining up to see the theatrical production of War Horse. Unlike the forthcoming movie version, the play does not use real horses but instead makes dramatic use of puppetry to tell the story of Albert, a young English farm boy, and his beloved horse, Joey. The story takes place in Europe during World War 1 and takes Joey on an odyssey while Albert sets out on a mission to find his horse.
The puppeteers masterfully depict Joey and three other life-size puppets as they gallop, scream, breathe, and interact with the human characters. An astute observer can learn to read volumes from the movement of Joey’s ears. This is all done so skillfully that the puppets do not overpower or detract from the production.
The production takes place on a nearly bare stage aided by only a few props. As the story takes place during the war, there is plenty of graphic imagery including walking corpses and barbed wire fences. The large tank crossing the stage will surely get your attention.
Theater goers should be warned that “War Horse” is an absolute tearjerker. Bring your handkerchief. It is a sentimental and heart-warming story told in a spectacular manner. Do not expect your typical “National Velvet” story.
Readers of the children’s novel, “War Horse,” may find it difficult to imagine this story delivered as a stage production. This cast and crew, however, make Michael Morpugo’s novel seem as if it were written for the theater. A sufficient scattering of ballads is incorporated to allow us to label this production a “musical,” but it is the touching story of a boy and his horse that makes this play so memorable.
You can enjoy War Horse in London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boise and New York. Get your War Horse tickets for these locations today so you don’t miss this amazing event.
