Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: February 14, 2021
By: Laura Deni
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ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MURDER IS A KILLER

The fictional and funny The St. Valentine's Day Murder is not to be confused with the real Valentine's Day Massacre which wasn't funny.

The St. Valentine's Day Murder is a hoot of a murder mystery. Precisely formulated and well written by Peter Davis, who also directs and penned the music.

Edited by Matt Day. Sound by Matt and Shaun Keen.

Starring Neil Frost, Mike Garnell, Debbie Bearelle, Philip Noth, Laura Marshall, Jade Allen.Laura Ashenden, Matthew Woodcock and Kevin Haney.

Johnny (Neil Frost) has started the Not Many Fish Left.com dating website, which is free to join. It is how he met his live in girlfriend and he's anxious to get home, so he wants to get this event over as soon as possible. It's Valentine's Day and the few souls who couldn't snag a date have been invited to participate in a speed dating event.

The first 25 minutes of this hour long production is spent in speed dating in which the desperate and dysfunctional participants attempt to size up the others and sell themselves in five minute segments.

Signed up participant Samuel Rachett is missing. He's a bank manager, who owns a villa in Spain and is active in charity events. He's expected at any moment.

The need-a-date hopefuls in attendance include:

William (Philip Noth), a photographer who specializes in nude photography.
George (Kevin Haney) is a head chef who specializes in beef and enjoys shooting.
James (Mike Garnell) who works in the family store, as does his sister.
Florence (Laura Ashenden) sister of James.
Joan (Jade Allen) is from a circus family and dabbles in trapeze.
Michelle, a vegetarian, has a father who became a woman and her mother is in prison. She was previously employed in a pharmacy.
Kominski (Laura Marsal) is an immigrant widow who believes in conspiracy theories - positive that work and cheese don't exist as cheese is "only hard milk." They are "illusions."

After introductory rounds one of the ladies needs to use the rest room. Suddenly, there is a piercing scream. A dead body is in a stall of the women's toilet.

Johnny calls a private detective he has met. The sleuth, Jean-Pierre LePoule (Matthew Woodcock), doesn't want to involve the police or doctors because they "confuse things with facts and evidence."

LePoule concludes that the victim is a man and he is dead. He states that there are entry wounds on the chest put there by a left handed person. The man's facial color is blue and there is a chalky substance around his mouth.

And so, the investigation begins. It is determined that everyone present at the speed dating event are left handed.

The fun ensues.

An extremely funny, well acted and entertaining way to spend an hour.

The only downside to the audio is that the audience laughing can be excessive and too loud. In an audio recording a little audience reaction goes a long way.

Available at Wireless Theatre and Audible. Listen and enjoy.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

ART AND ABOUT

THE ART, LIFE AND TIMES OF DURER Get to know the greatest German Renaissance artist, Albrecht Dürer, ahead of The National Gallery"s exhibition of Dürer's Journeys'.

Follow in the footsteps of this pioneering painter and printmaker with Curatorial Fellow Imogen Tedbury, as she discusses his art and life in a free online event. Crossing Borders: Albrecht Dürer’s Renaissance takes place Thursday, February 18, 3pm London time.

UNITY | PEACE | FORWARD a free outdoor and virtual exhibit at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Now through February 28 on the grounds of the REACH.

In response to a period of unprecedented world challenges the Kennedy Center is reaching out to connect with the global community to reflect on the healing power of the arts. This intimate conversation between performers, artists, writers, and cultural leaders is a glimpse into the minds of creatives about their hopes, fears, dreams, and aspirations in a time of uncertainty and isolation. The public is also invited to join the conversation through social media with #UnityPeaceForward.

Developed by the Kennedy Center as a collaboration between International Programming and the Office of Accessibility and VSA, Unity | Peace | Forward elevates the voices of artists with disabilities and continues the Center’s commitment to accessibility with this companion online component.

The exhibit features three installations scattered across the grounds of the REACH, on public view daily. A video of quotes from around the world will be projected on the Video Wall each Friday and Saturday evening from 4:30–8:30 p.m. during the exhibit and can be viewed online at any time.

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SPREADING THE WORD

TWO LADIES by Nancy Harris. While their husbands, the Presidents of the United States of America and France, cross diplomatic swords, the real fireworks are down the hall, where bloodied Sophia and world-weary Hélène are trapped together, distrustful of their husbands and each other.

Resemblances to Melania Trump and Brigitte Macron are more than coincidental but, in the hands of prize-winning Irish playwright Nancy Harris, that’s merely a starting point for this deliciously deceitful pressure-cooker drama.

The women behind the most powerful men in the world take center stage.

Two Ladies grapples with big issues and petty grievances as Sophia and Hélène attempt to prove to the world that they are capable of far more than anyone imagines.

Directed by Colin McColl, the production stars: Jennifer Ward-Lealand as Hélène. Anna Jullienne as Sophia. Rena Owen as Sandy. Adam Gardiner as Georges. Ban Abdul as Fatima.

Jennifer Ward-Lealand is pitted against Anna Jullienne and features Rena Owen in a rare stage appearance as the American First Lady’s tough-talking press secretary.

Adam Gardiner and Ban Abdul complete the cast in this evening of high-octane performances and unexpected dramatic twists.

The creatives include: Sananda Chatterjee Assistant Director. Rachael Walker Set Designer. Sean Lynch Lighting and Sound Designer. Lucy Jane Senior Costume Designer.

Fresh from its 2019 world premiere in London, this fiendishly fashionable tour de force has performances through February 27 at the Auckland Theatre Company in New Zealand.

LPTW GILDER/COIGNEY INTERNATIONAL THEATRE AWARD PROGRAM takes place February 15 – 22, 2021. All events will take place virtually at 1:00pm EST (U.S.).

The fourth iteration of the GTICA Program, celebrates Award-winner Hanane Hajj Ali from Lebanon and offers conversations with women theatre artists at the forefront of artistic excellence and social change.

In total 27 women from 18 countries were nominated for the GCITA 2020 Award.

February 15, 2021 24-hour Countdown
A journey around the world in 24 hours to meet GCITA Nominees & International Affiliates.

February 16, 2021 Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award Ceremony
Hosted by Television and Film Star Tamara Tunie

February 17, 2021 How to Keep Creating While Everything Around You is Falling Apart
Interview with 2020 G/C Award Winner Hanane Hajj Ali with video of her work

February 18, 2021 Women On Stage and In The Streets: Three Leading Beiruti Theatre Artists
Co-hosted by the Lebanese American University New York Academic Center

February 19, 2021 Raising Social Awareness and Activating Change Through Theatre
Five theatre women share strategies for using their theatre practice to make a difference

February 20, 2021 Theatre Education: Reaching Beyond the Stage
Panelists discuss the ways in which theatre can be a powerful educational tool in< formal and informal and at all age levels, and how their techniques can be replicated

February 22, 2021 The Dynamic Alliance of Theatre and Technology
Explore the fascinating ways in which our panelists have achieved poignant and thought-provoking theatre using technology, and how this has enhanced their theatrical vision

The GCITA Program events will be available on the LPTW YouTube Channel.

UNRAVELLED where art, music and science intersect. Global Brain Health Institute / UC San Francisco / Trinity College Dublin, Ireland present the virtual premiere of this new drama by Jake Broder.

Based on true events and incorporating research and interviews conducted by Broder as a Hellman Visiting Artist at UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center, UnRavelled explores the fascinating connection between the work of Canadian painter Anne Adams (1940–2007) and French composer Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), both of whom suffered from the same rare brain disease.

According to Memory and Aging Center director and GBHI co-director Dr. Bruce Miller, “Ravel and Dr. Adams were in the early stages of primary progressive aphasia, a form of frontotemporal dementia, when they were working. The disease apparently altered circuits in their brains, changing the connections between the front and back parts and resulting in a torrent of creativity.”

Directed by Nike Doukas, Lucy Davenport stars as Adams, a renowned scientist, who, in her fifties and at the height of her career, lost interest in science and began painting. Starting out with simple works — houses, strawberries — Adams became suddenly, inexplicably obsessed by Ravel's famous symphonic masterpiece, Boléro, and began to paint in a wildly different style. The result was Adams’ most famous work, “Unravelling Boléro,” a virtuosic painting of brilliant design and color, in which she transcribed Ravel's music bar by bar.

Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award-winning actor Rob Nagle stars as Anne’s husband, Robert, who, in his attempt to understand and navigate Anne's radically changing sense of self, eventually brought her to see Dr. Miller, portrayed in the play by Obie award-winning actor Leo Marks.

LA Weekly award winner Conor Duffy plays Ravel, whose one-movement orchestral piece, composed as a ballet for Russian dancer Ida Rubinstein (played by Melissa Greenspan became his most famous work — in spite of the fact that it, too, was a radical departure in style for the composer.

Also in the cast, providing narration, is Michael Lanahan.

“The science is fascinating — the idea that this rare form of dementia allowed Anne to experience music so vividly that she felt compelled to begin painting pictures of her auditory experience — but the real themes of the play revolve around identity and love,” says Doukas. “The beauty of the writing, the humanism paired with science, and the wonderful cast are what make this project so compelling.”

The creative team for UnRavelled includes production designer Corwin Evans, sound designer Jeff Gardner and production coordinator Bree Pavey.

Two live seminars featuring experts in the field — including Dr. Miller — will take place on Thursday, February. 25, immediately following the initial 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET stream; and Wednesday, March 3 immediately following the stream beginning at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. GMT.

UnRavelled will remain available to view, free and on demand, through March 31.

The Global Brain Health Institute is a leader in the global community dedicated to protecting the world’s aging populations from threats to brain health. GBHI works to reduce the scale and impact of dementia in three ways: by training and connecting the next generation of leaders in brain health through the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program; by collaborating in expanding preventions and interventions; and by sharing knowledge and engaging in advocacy. GBHI strives to improve brain health for populations across the world, reaching into local communities and across our global network. GBHI brings together a powerful mix of disciplines, professions, backgrounds, skills, perspectives, and approaches to develop new science-based solutions. GBHI focuses on working compassionately with all people including those in vulnerable and under-served populations to improve outcomes and promote dignity for all people.

CABARET CONVERSATIONS: MICHAEL KIRK LANE WITH TELLY LEUNG presented by 92StY in New York City takes place Monday, February 22, 6 pm, EST.

Broadway performer, recording artist, producer, and theater arts teacher Telly Leung joins Michael Kirk Lane in conversation. Telly’s Broadway & national touring credits include Aladdin in Disney's Aladdin, Godspell, Rent (final Broadway company), Wicked (Boq, original Chicago Company) and television audiences will remember him as Wes the Warbler on Glee.

NY POPSUP is a statewide festival featuring hundreds of free pop-up performances, staged across every type of neighborhood and district in all five boroughs of New York City, throughout Long Island and Upstate New York, and in all regions of the state.

A private/public partnership overseen by producers Scott Rudin and Jane Rosenthal, in coordination with the New York State Council on the Arts and Empire State Development, NY PopsUp will serve as a "pilot program," creating the state's first large-scale model for how to bring live performance back safely.

The initiative will include some big names, such as Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Chris Rock, Billy Porter, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patti Smith and Mandy Patinkin, among others, Gov. Cuomo said.

NY PopsUp will launch on Saturday, February 20 and reach its climax in June with the 20th Anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival and The Festival at Little Island at Pier 55.

THE UAE-BASED NSO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA conducted by Gianluca Marciano, will perform everyone’s favorite film music, from the classics to contemporary tunes, including the iconic Star Wars title theme, the swashbuckling Pirates of the Caribbean, heart-warming Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, 2nd mov’t from The King’s Speech, Carl Orff’s epic O, Fortuna from Carmina Burana, the powerful Gladiator title theme and many more.

Special guest artist, Emirati pianist and composer Hamad Altaee, will perform one of his pieces, Journey of Victory, accompanied by NSO.

February 20 at 2 PM & 8 PM Dubai time, at Dubai Opera in Dubai, UAE.

RED STREET RECORDS owned by Rascal Flatts’ member Jay DeMarcus, a Grammy award-winning producer and bassist, has announced the label’s sponsorship of Natalie Decker as she joins RSS Racing, managed by Reaume Brothers Racing, for five races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. This is a historic partnership is the first time a Christian music label has sponsored a NASCAR driver.

Natalie Decker racing in the ARCA series and most recently in the NCWTS – became the highest finishing female in the NASCAR Truck Series, finishing 5th at Daytona in 2020.

THE HISTORY OF SKETCH COMEDY an Audible original with Keegan-Michael Key in Conversation with John Oliver. Presented by 92StY in New York City the event takes place Monday, February 15, 7:30 pm, EST.

Join Emmy Award-winners Keegan-Michael Key and John Oliver for a conversation about sketch comedy’s deep roots – from theater troupes of the European Renaissance to Chicago’s Second City and Key’s own groundbreaking Comedy Central series with Jordan Peele. Key’s new Audible Original The History of Sketch Comedy is equal parts master class and personal story, detailing the fascinating creative origins of the art form and its kaleidoscopic, hilarious variations. See him and Oliver discuss the comedy heroes who inspired the project, the origins of landmark sketch characters, stories from behind the scenes at their own shows, and much more.

BRUCE CASTOR former (2016) Pennsylvania Attorney General last Tuesday gave a live 45-minute example of how not to represent a client - and offered up fresh meat for late night talk show hosts to chew over.

CHINESE NEW YEAR (OR SPRING FESTIVAL) USHERS IN THE YEAR OF THE OX

The Ox, an animal whose attributes are hardworking and honest.

Countries with significant Chinse populations such as England, America, Australia, New Zeeland, and Canada celebrate. However, with the covid-19 outbreak many of the events have cancelled or transferred to on virtual events.

Lantern festival parades are typically staged in numerous American locations including San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City.

Celebrated through February 17, 2021, there are longstanding taboos during the Chinese New Year. Follow these and fortune will smile on you - or so it's said.

1. Do not say negative words
All words with negative connotations are forbidden! These include: death, sick, empty, pain, ghost, poor, break, kill and more.

2. Do not break ceramics or glass
Breaking things will break your connection to prosperity and fortune. If a plate or bowl is dropped, immediately wrap it with red paper while murmuring phrases asking for peace and security.

3. Do not clean or sweep
Before the Spring Festival, there is a day of cleaning. That is to sweep away the bad luck. But during the actual celebration, it becomes a taboo. Cleaning or throwing out garbage may sweep away good luck instead.
If you must, make sure to start at the outer edge of a room and sweep inwards. Bag up any garbage and throw it away after the 5th day. Similarly, you shouldn’t take a shower on Chinese New Year’s Day.

4. Do not use scissors, knives or other sharp objects like needles
In olden times, this was to give women a well-deserved break.
Sharp objects in general will cut your stream of wealth and success. This is why 99% of hair salons are closed during the holidays. Hair cutting is taboo and forbidden until all festivities are over.

5. Do not visit the wife’s family
Traditionally, multiple generations live together. The bride moves into the groom’s home after marriage. And, of course, she will celebrate Chinese New Year with her in-laws.
Returning to her parents on New Year’s Day means that there are marriage problems and may also bring bad luck to the entire family. The couple should visit the wife’s family on the 2nd day of thereafter.

6. Do not demand debt repayment
This custom is a show of understanding. It allows everyone a chance to celebrate without worry. If you knock on someone’s door, demanding repayment, you’ll bring bad luck to both parties. However, it’s fair game after the 5th day. Borrowing money is also taboo. You could end up having to borrow the entire year.

7. Avoid fighting and crying
Unless there is a special circumstance, try not to cry. But if a child cries, do not reprimand them. All issues should be solved peacefully. In the past, neighbors would come over to play peacemaker for any arguments that occurred. This is all to ensure a smooth path in the new year.

8. Do not give New Year blessings to someone still in bed You are supposed to give New Year blessings, but let the recipient get up from bed first. Otherwise, they’ll be bed-ridden for the entire year. You also shouldn’t tell someone to wake up. You don’t want them to be rushed around and bossed around for the year. Take advantage of this and sleep in! 9. Chinese gift-giving taboos You should bring gifts when paying visits, but some gifts are forbidden. Clocks are the worst gifts. Gifting clocks is a homophone of paying one’s last respects . Splitting pears is also a homophone of separation

In China the festival is a public holiday with families traveling to meet loved ones. This year travel is being discouraged. On line events include virtual dumpling-making classes, papercutting workshops, a small business crawl in New York City's Chinatown, traditional Chinese dance and music performances, Ox drawing workshops, a virtual tour of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, and Chinese New Year’s Bingo, put on by a variety of hosts.

London’s Chinese New Year celebrations which normally take place in Trafalgar Square and the streets of the West End, will be moving online instead, with no physical event taking place.

Food is a central part of the celebrations and traditional favorites include dumplings, noodles, steamed fish and chicken and hotpots all making up part of the feast.

On February 23 there is a virtual Lunar New Year Artist Talk: Clare Yow on Food and Race.

Like the New Year couplets and other decorations, new clothes also add to the festivity.

When buying clothes for Chinese New Year, go for red. This is the best color for the occasion. Stay away from black and white, as they are unlucky and negative.

Also remember that new clothes are a set part of Spring Festival celebrations, but it’s not necessary to wear a full traditional gear to a dinner party.

The Tang suit is the most popular choice. Qipaos are also accepted, although the nature of the dress isn’t the best for the winter season. The hanfu (and cheongsam) is regaining popularity, but is still not as widely accepted.

Be careful of cultural appropriation when wearing traditional clothing of another culture. Many native Chinese are okay with it. In fact, they’ll be delighted if they see foreigners in traditional clothing.

However, many Chinese expats in other countries find it uncomfortable. If a Chinese friend is the host or guest of the party, it’ll never hurt to ask them how they feel about it.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

ACTOR KEVIN HART was swindled out of more than $1 million in credit cart purchases by personal shopper Dylan Jason Syer, 29, according to charges filed against him by Queens, NY prosecutors.

Long Island City resident Syer, used the comedian’s credit card to make over a million dollars in unauthorized charges and purchases for more than a year between October 2017 and February 2019, authorities charged Wednesday February 10, 2021.

“The defendant thought he was beyond reach and was living out his uber-rich lifestyle fantasies. But my team uncovered the bogus purchases — from the credit card charges being processed by the bank, down to tracking FedEx packages delivered to Syer’s home and business,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.

“This should serve as a cautionary tale for everyone. Regardless of whether you are a celebrity or not, anyone can fall victim to this kind of fraud. It is paramount to keep track of your expenses, check your credit reports and diligently keep your financial information to yourself,” said Katz.

Syer first met the Get Hard comedian through his eponymous personal luxury shopping business, Sire Consulting, LLC, in 2015.

He acquired Hart’s credit card numbers after being contracted to obtain several purchases for the entertainer - then racked up enormous bills over the following 19 months, prosecutors said.

At his Queens Supreme Court arraignment, Syer was hit with multiple counts of grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, identity theft, and scheme to defraud charges.

He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

NEW YORK CITY LAUNCHES CURTAINS UP NYC a program to provide application assistance to live-performance venues, organizations and workers applying for federal relief.

This new program, a partnership between the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), will provide instructional webinars three times per week for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program and application process.

Trained counselors will also be available for virtual, one-on-one sessions. Services, which are underway, are free.

The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVO), also known as Save Our Stages, includes $15 billion for grants of up to $10 million to qualified live venue operators and promoters, performing arts organizations, theatrical producers, talent representatives, movie theater operators, and non-profit museums with auditoriums. SVO grants are available equal to 45% of the applicant’s gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million.

Shuttered Venue Operators Grant applications are not yet open, but more details are anticipated soon from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which is administering the grants. On February 5, the SBA released an updated Shuttered Venue Operators Grant - Frequently Asked Questions.

Anyone considering applying is urged to begin preparing as soon as possible. To prepare, potential applicants can register for the federal government’s System for Award Management (SAM), which will be a required part of the application.

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CLINT DYER has been appointed assistant artistic director of the National Theatre in London. Dyer is the only Black British artist to have worked on full-scale National Theatre productions as an actor, writer and director.

In this new role, he will work with Director and joint Chief Executive Rufus Norris and Emily McLaughlin, Director of New Work, to support and shape the National Theatre’s creative output.

JAMES PIDGEON appointed Executive Director of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in London.

He'l join the team at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre on June 21, 2021.

James is currently Director of Shoreditch Town Hall where he has been responsible for developing the Town Hall’s multi-artform programme and led collaborations with Battersea Arts Centre, Dance Umbrella, LIFT, Manchester International Festival, The Old Vic, Royal & Derngate and Talawa.

STORK REPORT

PRINCESS EUGENIE AND JACK BROOKSBACK became parents of a baby boy last Tuesday morning, February 9, 2021 at The Portland Hospital in London. The tyke weighted in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce making Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip great-grandparents for the 9th time. The baby is 11th in line to the throne.

HANG IN THERE . . . .

ASHLEY JUDD who is hospitalized with a shattered her leg as first reported during an Instagram Live with The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof.

Her leg was shattered in four places during an excursion on the Congo rain-forest when she tripped over a fallen tree in the dark.

She spoke from her hospital bed about how she was in an "ICU trauma unit in beautiful South Africa, which has taken me in from the Congo, a country I deeply love which is not, unfortunately, equipped to deal with massive catastrophic injuries like I have had." She explained that the experience further illuminated the privilege she held as a person of means visiting the Congo. As she explained to Kristof, "The difference between a Congolese person and me is disaster insurance that allowed me 55 hours after my accident to get to an operating table in South Africa." She detailed the "incredibly harrowing" experience, which "started with five hours of lying on the forest floor" until she was able to be evacuated. From there, she spent over an hour in a hammock being carried by her "Congolese brothers," who were able to finally bring her back to camp. Her pain was so intense that she was "howling like a wild animal" and biting down on a stick to try to alleviate some of the pain.

Judd then rode for six hours on a motorcycle, while holding the top part of her broken tibia together,to get to the nearest place to stay—which, she stressed, only was possible because she was able to pay for her transportation. She was taken to the capital of Kinshasa before being moved, finally, to the hospital.

The Golden Globe nominee emphasized that many Congolese people don't have the ability to afford "a simple pill to kill the pain when you've shattered a leg in four places and have nerve damage."

As Judd explained on her Instagram earlier on February 12, she was working in the Congo at a research camp studying an endangered species of apes called bonobos. "Bonobos matter," Judd wrote on Instagram. "And so do the people in whose ancestral forest they range and the other 25,600,000 Congolese in need of humanitarian assistance."

E-Book

Soft back Book

This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

FINAL OVATION

MARY WILSON co-founder of The Supremes, died in her sleep February 8, 2021 at her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was 76.

The American singer and concert performer best known as a founding member of the Supremes, the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. history, as well as one of the all-time best-selling girl groups in the world. The group released a record-setting twelve number-one hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100, ten of which Wilson sang backing vocals for.

Continuing a successful career as a concert performer in Las Vegas, Wilson also worked in activism, fighting to pass Truth in Music Advertising bills and donating to various charities. Wilson was inducted along with Ross and Ballard (as members of the Supremes) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

Wilson married Pedro Ferrer in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 11, 1974. Their union produced three children: Turkessa, Pedro Antonio Jr. and Rafael. Wilson and Ferrer divorced in 1981. Wilson is also adoptive mother to her cousin, Willie. In January 1994, Wilson and her 14-year-old son Rafael were involved in an accident on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas when their Jeep Cherokee veered off the highway and overturned. Wilson sustained moderate injuries; Rafael's injuries were fatal.

As of September 2019, Mary has 10 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter. Wilson is survived by her daughter, son, grandchildren, a sister and brother.

JOE ALLEN famed Broadway restaurateur died Sunday, February 7, 2021 in Hampton, New Hampshire. He was 87.

As first reported by The NY Times, Allen had been in New Hampshire for three months with the onset of the pandemic, remaining at an assisted living facility in coastal Hampton about 20 minutes from the farm in Maine, owned by his grandchildren's father.

Since 1965 Joe Allen was a NYC dining destination - a pre-theater and post-theatre dining institution, a local's place and Broadway insider hangout.

Joe Allen parlayed his name sake pub on the edge of Manhattan's theater district into a restaurant empire that also included Orso, located next door to Joe Allen.

With partners he created two versions of Orso, one in Los Angeles and one in London, and five of Joe Allen — in London, Paris, Los Angeles, Miami Beach and Ogunquit, Me. He was also a founding partner of the Sullivan Street Bakery in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood.

He married Theo Faber when he was 19 years old, and had a son, Taylor, and a daughter, Julie. The couple divorced when the children were still toddlers.

When his former wife remarried, her husband, a career Army officer, adopted the children, and they did not see their father again until Taylor was 21 and proposed a reunion.

Allen brought Taylor and Julie under his restaurant umbrella. Julie Lumia was the first chef at Orso and, with her husband at the time, ran it and the original Joe Allen. Taylor Lumia, the father of Mr. Allen’s twin grandchildren (a boy and a girl), owned the Los Angeles Orso for 22 years and, with his father, the restaurant in Maine, which was short-lived. Taylor Lumia and his wife now run an ornamental grass farm in Maine; Julie Lumia is retired. Mr. Allen and his second wife, DD Allen, a decorator whom he married in 1982, eventually separated — so amicably that they never divorced. His children and grandchildren are his survivors.

BRADEN SMITH who won a five day winning streak on Jeopardy! amassing $117,798Sand qualifying to be on Tournament of Champions died in Las Vegas on February 5, 2021. No details were provided on the cause of his passing. He was 24.

Born in Henderson, Nevada, Smith was a 2020 graduate of the University of Nevada.

He had recently served as an intern with the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C.

Jeopardy! released the following statement: "The Jeopardy! family is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brayden Smith. He was kind, funny and absolutely brilliant. Our deepest condolences go out to Brayden's family. He will be missed."

Smith is survived by his parents, his three brothers and numerous relatives.

Next Column: February 21, 2021
Copyright: February 14, 2021 All Rights Reserved. Reviews, Interviews, Commentary, Photographs or Graphics from any Broadway To Vegas (TM) columns may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, utilized as leads, or used in any manner without permission, compensation and/or credit.
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Laura Deni

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