Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: January 10, 2021
By: Laura Deni
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THE CHIEF, A TIMELY, PITHY POLITICAL EXPOSE

Insider information about an elected official having trouble coming to terms that he's been defeated.

The Chief, written by Ollie Cookson, directed by Cherry Cookson, a multi award-winning radio producer and director with over 35 years experience at the BBC.

Starring Nigel Planer as Oscar, Gerard McDermott as David, the Prime Minister; Rachel Atkins as news reporter Rachel; Greg Page as Jasper the mouse; Stephen Critchlon as Martin; Simon Kane, the aide; Holly Morgan as Belle; Zalie Burrow as Linda, the PM's wife; Holly Morgan as Belle and Pip Brignall.

Planer has appeared in West End musicals, including original casts of Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He has also appeared in Hairspray.

Chief contains adult themes and language.

The insider is Oscar, the Chief Mouser at Downing Street in London. Oscar is the furriest of all Civil Servants, the witty and opinionated observer of all events inside and outside, keenly commenting on the previous reign as the ousted PM is preparing to leave, making way for a very new regime. Wonderfully indiscreet, Oscar reveals all.

Inspiration came from a real cat who trolled Downing Street.

Immediately obvious is that, whether by accident or design, Cookson has his finger on the pulse of both American and British politics. Amazingly, The Chief was begun before Donald Trump took office.

The story takes place between election night when the current PM loses and the day the new PM moves into Downing Street.

Snazzy, clever music by Izzy Herschmann separates the acts.

After fours years in office, the PM is unable to accept that he has lost the election. "65% of the country actively believes in me," he insists.

It's 3 am, the final vote is finally being announced. News reporter Rachel is headlining all night election coverage where instead of a grand stand photo finish, it was a foregone conclusion. He lost.

As Oscar points out, his boss is "never more than 5-feet away from a microphone" and accuses the PM of "sometimes sounding like he's auditioning for Hamlet."

The PM has his supporters and they have gathered to stand by their man.

The PM compliments his lemmings, encouraging them to "fight on in a long battle - don't lose faith - first in a long line of battles for our party - believe in our future as a political force."

Finally he tells them to "go home and sleep."

The PM is distraught that he is about to be unemployed and out on the street. Oscar muses that there is always reality television.

The PM doesn't care for the press believing they are biased against him.

The press makes no secret that they are collectively elated that the PM has lost. It's carped that the press hasn't sounded this happy since Meg Ryan's fake orgasm.

Rachel the tough news reporter explains that "this is politics. Their job is to make our lives better as promised. If they don't, they deserve some strong words. My job is to make people hate people. I tell people the news but allow them ot make their own conclusion about how mad and stupid these people are."

Her role with the British press is about to shift. She's moving to Los Angeles to become part of the Los Angeles News Corp and ponders a condo on the beach.

There are numerous American tie-ins.

It's pointed out that the PM must grovel to "that man in Washington." That it's important to maintain a relationship with the president - that the British relationship with the US amounts to, "we can't afford not to kiss their ass."

Personally, the PM has an exit plan - not with his elected office, but with his wife. He suggests they announce their separation a month after he leaves office. His wife, Linda, wants to know the name his current involvement. He's offended that she might think his liaisons are casual. "I'm not some Bill Clinton getting some blow jobs."

He wonders what first gave the people "the opinion that I couldn't govern?"

"Probably the rumors about all those affairs," answers Oscar.

Oscar the feline snoop and sage points out that politics is not normal.

That politics is really an angry man's game. To blow back flattering comments the outgoing PM requires, Oscar points out that there is reelection in four years and cautions that "you'll need a PR-redo."

Even Linda snarles as she cautions against "another good-bye speech. Save it for Celebrity Big Brother."

In a sudden twist, Oscar discovers that his realm is also in flux. The new administration will cause him to adapt.

Wise Jasper the Mouse who sleeps on old newspapers and absorbs the printed word philosophies: "times change, people change. it's time to move on."

As the new PM moves in, Oscar's sage advise is, "If they can't be a friend, don't make them an enemy."

Smart, topical, pointed, pity, funny and entertaining while giving the listener things to ponder.

Edited and post production by Malcolm Thorp.

Superb audio recording available free on Wireless Theatre Company.

Recorded at RNIB Studio in London.

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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

KAWAI'S ALL CRYSTAL GRAND PIANO

Million dollar Crystal Grand Piano. Photo: Kawai.

valued at $1million. Liberace no doubt would have bought one. While that's no longer a possibility, noted piano prodigy Kento Masuda plays his award-winning compositions on the world’s most expensive piano. Masuda has served as the Maestro to the Vatican, and as the composer of royal processional and recessional marches.

Kawai’s legacy dates back to 1927 when it was founded by Koichi Kawai and seven colleagues in Hamamatsu, Japan.

In 1953, Koichi became the first person in the musical instrument industry to receive Japan’s highest honors, the Blue Ribbon Medal from the Emperor of Japan. The Blue Ribbon Medal is awarded to those who achieve great success in public service. Koichi Kawai was succeeded by his son Shigeru, who steered the company into modern manufacturing. Like his father, Shigeru Kawai was a visionary and he knew that the key to piano purchases was to bolster music education. In 1956, Shigeru singlehandedly revitalized the music industry in Japan by establishing the Kawai Music Schools and Kawai Academy of Music to teach students and train teachers throughout the land.

Ahead of its 100th anniversary, Kawai has unveiled its flagship product, the million-dollar CR-1M, also known as the Crystal Grand Piano. Limited to 5 pieces and custom made in Japan, the Crystal Grand Piano is truly one of a kind. Length 200 cm: Width 153 cm: Height 102 cm: Weight 500 kg.

The large panels of cut crystal, mirror-like polished silver, and the finest wood showcase the instrument’s inner workings and components. The CR-1M model is the highly regarded Shigeru Kawai Grand Piano; however, the transparent materials produce a much richer and clearer resonant tone.

GRAMMY MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY SERIES features the Verve Label Group during the month of January.

1/16 – Max Richter: 1/23 – Madison Cunningham: 1/30: Shabaka Hutchings.

Verve Label Group (VLG) is the home to legendary and historical imprints such as Verve, Impulse! Records, Verve Forecast, Deutsche Grammophon, Decca Classics and Decca Records US. Verve Label Group’s roster of iconic legacy artists include John Coltrane and Nina Simone and global stars such as Andrea Bocelli, Harry Connick, Jr., Jon Batiste, Lang Lang, Diana Krall, Max Richter, and Mandy Moore.

In addition, VLG continues its tradition of nurturing and breaking acts across all genres that include S.G Goodman, Ezinma, Tank and the Bangas, Ólafur Arnalds, Shabaka Hutchings, and Madison Cunningham.

Spotlight Saturdays series featuring up-and-coming artists, while the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles remains closed until further notice in light of COVID-19. The Museum's Public Programs digital series features new intimate sit-down interviews with artists and musicians recorded via digital conferencing. Since the Museum opened 12 years ago, it has offered more than 900 Public Programs.

ART OF THE ABYSS Travel to the deepest ocean depths with this new exhibit that combines art, abyssal science and history. Discover creative depictions of the deep sea. Learn about the quests to explore unfathomable places.

On Wednesday, January 20th at 7 pm presentation by Joe Dituri PhD (c) CDR US Navy Saturation Diving Officer (ret). Listen to Joe discuss his involvement with saturation diving through the Navy and how he had the opportunities to see the abyss inside a JIM suit. This presentation coincides with the opening of this new featured exhibit which opens January 20 and is on display through March 17, 2021.

History Of Diving Museum in Islamorada, Florida is open daily. Per applicable law, all visitors and staff members must wear a mask at all times. Groups of more than 10 are not allowed and we are currently requiring 20 minutes between group start times.

ART, ACTION & POVERTY January 20, 2021 Online – Via Zoom presented by Watts Gallery in the UK.

Speakers: Jillian Edelstein - Photographer and Abigail Scott Paul - Former Deputy Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Just as G F Watts documented the plight of the poor and disadvantaged through paintings such as The Irish Famine and Found Drowned, poverty and social injustice remain a pressing issue for both contemporary artists and activists.

Join former Deputy Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Abigail Scott Paul, in conversation with internationally renowned photographer, Jillian Edelstein, to discuss the responsibility of artists and philanthropic organisations in highlighting the stories and experiences of those living in poverty today. This talk will touch on Edelstein's recent exhibition Picture Britain: Our Poverty, Our People, commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Comic Relief, celebrating the strength and resilience of people swept into poverty.

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SWEET CHARITY

THE DIANE AND NORMAN BERNSTEIN FOUNDATION CELEBRATES MR. BERNSTEIN'S 100TH BIRTHDAY is contributing $12 million to local arts, justice and equal opportunity organizations and initiatives, including a $1 million pledge to Arena Stage.

"Norman Bernstein and Arena Stage both began their Washington, D.C. careers in the early 1950s and our paths have been fortuitously intertwined. Norman’s vision, perseverance and compassion have shaped Arena and our city," according to Molly Smith, Artistic Director of Arena Stage in Washington, DC.

"Norman has been a leader and partner of Arena Stage since 1962 when he first joined our board. He was President of the Board 1968 – 1974 and continued serving through 1986, when he was made a Life Trustee and therefore with us for life! His commitment to Arena has been essential to our success, having witnessed Arena’s expansions and growth over the years from the single stage in-the-round, through the addition of the Kreeger, an endowment campaign and through the construction of the Mead Center. Norman founded Bernstein Management in 1953 — both he and the company were early and committed advocates for fair and equitable housing in the District and their work continues to impact the lives of thousands. Norman took that further and with Arena sponsored artists and positions at the theater, helped to give artists and theater practitioners housing and living wages. He cares deeply about people. Norman and his wonderful family are true inspirations for all citizens of Washington, D.C. and supporters of the arts. Norman has been with us every step of the way and we could not be more grateful."

SPREADING THE WORD

THE 63RD ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS POSTPONED in a joint statement issued by Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy and Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming, CBS and Ben Winston, Grammy Awards Executive Producer, Fulwell 73 Productions it was announced that: "After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021. The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.

"We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors and especially this year's nominees for their understanding, patience and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times."

A TRIBUTE TO JERRY HERMAN presented by the Pasadena Playhouse is conceived and music directed by Andy Einhorm. The digital show begins tonight January 10 with a virtual opening featuring Bernadette Peters and David Hyde Pierce. The streaming, available through February 7, features performances by Olivier wineer Lesli Margherita, Ashley Blanchet, Nicholas Christopher, Andrea Ross and Ryan Vona.

The late composer's compositions include Mame; Hello, Dolly!, and La Cage aux Folles.

LINCOLN CENTER SPOTLIGHT SERIES A Free Program of Digital Performances, Conversations, Cast Reunions and More Featuring Lincoln Center Theater Artists. The next stream takes place Thursday, January 14 at 8pm EST with Turning the Page: LCT Artists Read Their Own Poetry and Prose. Playwrights David Adjmi, Ayad Akhtar, and Sarah Ruhl, playwright and director James Lapine, director Jack O’Brien and actor Andrew Rannells will be reading from their own non-theatrical works.

Adjmi will read from his memoir Lot Six: A Memoir; Akhtar from his critically-acclaimed Homeland Elegies: A Novel; Ruhl from her book of poetry ,i>44 Poems for You; Lapine from his upcoming Putting It Together – How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George; O’Brien from his soon-to-be-published memoir Jack in the Box, or How to Goddam Direct; and Rannells from his collection of essays published under the title Too Much Is Not Enough: A Memoir of Fumbling Toward Adulthood.

Introduced by poet Honor Moore whose latest memoir is Our Revolution: A Mother and Daughter at Midcentury, was published in March 2020.

APPLE+ TV’S DICKINSON creator Alena Smith, executive producer and star Hailee Steinfeld, and cast members Jane Krakowski, Ella Hunt and Finn Jones in a behind-the-scenes conversation with SiriusXM host Jessica Shaw about the acclaimed Peabody Award-winning Apple TV+ original comedy series?Dickinson which premiered globally on Apple TV+ with new episodes weekly, every Friday. In the second season, Emily Dickinson (Steinfeld) is pulled out of her private literary life and thrust into the public eye, while struggling with the sense that the pursuit of fame might be a dangerous game for her to play.

Presented by 92Y in New York City, free, Friday, January 15, 2021.

OSCAR WINNER KEVIN WILLMOTT in a virtual event from the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City on on Tuesday, January 12 with Willmott in conversation with Mitch?Brian, Producing History: Filmmaking and Memory - a discussion on writing, activism and how film can indelibly impact public consciousness of history. The event begins at 7 p.m.

THE ECHO THEATER COMPANY dedicated to creating new work for the theater, presents LABFest 2021, a virtual reading festival January 16-17, 2021, of three new plays by Brian Otaño, Roger Q. Mason and Christopher Sullivan that were developed in the company’s 2020 Playwright’s LAB.

Saturday, January 16 at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET: Tara by Brian Otaño; directed by Hannah Wolf; featuring Dana Berger, Leandro Cano, Eileen Galindo, Brian Henderson and Gloria Ines.

When 30-year-old Ricky Ramos is named as the first victim of a teacher under investigation for sexual abuse, Ricky’s skewed perspective of the relationship is turned upside down and his family is forced to contend with their complicity.

Saturday, January 16 at 7:30 p.m. PT / 10:30 p.m. ET: California Story : A Faustian Preter-Capitalist Scream by Roger Q. Mason, directed by Michael Alvarez.

Based on the true story of Afro-Mexican politician and landowner Pío Pico, who attempted to carve a place for himself in 1830s-1860s California during the era of Manifest Destiny, Mason infuses elements of traditional theater, magical realism and physical theater to explore the racial, personal and familial price one pays when buying into majority culture's privilege at the expense of their own integrity.

Sunday, January 17 at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET: Sk8er Boiz by Christopher Sullivan; directed by Shaina Rosenthal; featuring Steve Boyer, Eric Neil Gutierrez, Alex Herrald, Anisha Jagannathan and Seth Kirschner.

In this darkly comedic play, two teens are forced to hide their romantic relationship amidst the homophobic world of professional skateboarding as they navigate their fluid sexual identities into their adult lives.

Free on Zoon presented by the Echo Theater Company in Los Angeles.

NEW YORK MUSIC MONTH EXTENDED PLAY expands New York Music Month to six months of programming, launching Monday, January 11.

In response to the pandemic, which has brought almost all live performance to a standstill, New York Music Month EP will feature 40-plus events, all safe, virtual and free, with something for everyone from artists and industry to audiences.

Watch MOME’s social channels.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE has cancelled the eagerly anticipated 2021 Garden Parties, which are an auual event. Traditionally, three of the four garden parties are staged in the backyard of Buckingham Palace while the fourth royal soiree is held at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland with Queen Elizabeth and other senior royals serving as hosts.

Last year's parties were also cancelled due to covid-19 and, regretfully, this year's parties have also fallen victum to the pandemic.

Garden parties have graced the palace since the 1860s and nowadays are attended by almost 30,000 people coming together to celebrate contributions to public life.

Around 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are consumed at each garden party.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

SAUDI ARABIA has issued the first creativity licenses to Music Home and the Dawliah Music Training Centre.

Both institutions will offer music programs and talent development courses for individuals of all ages CEO of the Saudi Music Commission, Mohammed Al Mulhem told the press.

“Musicians and amateurs can benefit from a range of courses offered by the centers to develop their instrument practice and develop their talents,” he added.

The licenses are issued by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture. This comes as part of the Ministry’s efforts to support artists and creatives through providing talent development programs, establishing specialized educational institutions in the cultural and creative fields and regulating the cultural education sector.

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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.

FINAL OVATION

LEE BREUER The Gospel at Colonus Pulitzer Prize Finalist and one of the founders Mabou Mines, died January 3, 2021 at his home in Brooklyn Heights, New York. He was 83.

Much of Breuer's work with Mabou Mines premiered at The Public Theater (NYC) under the patronage of the late Joseph Papp, and at the La Mama Experimental Theater Club under the patronage of Ellen Stewart. These include his Obie-winning adaptation of three works by Samuel Beckett: Play, Come and Go and The Lost Ones.

Breuer's best-known work is The Gospel at Colonus, a Pentecostal Gospel rendering of Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus, created with composer Bob Telson, starring Morgan Freeman and Clarence Fountain. It premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's "Next Wave Festival". It was later performed on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater in 1988 for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. The production received numerous awards, including a Pulitzer Prize nomination (1988), an Obie Award for Best Musical (1984), and an Emmy.

Breuer has directed 13 Obie Award-winning productions over a period of more than 40 years.

Breuer married Maleczech in 1978. They had two children and remained legally married until her death in 2013, but spent much of the latter period separated; Breuer also had three children from other relationships. He married his second wife, Maude Mitchell, in 2015.

TOMMY LASORTA was an American professional baseball pitcher, coach, and manager. On November 8, 2020, Lasorda was hospitalized for heart problems and was reported to be "in serious condition" in intensive care. The Dodgers didn't make the announcement public about his hospitalization until a week later. On December 1, 2020, Lasorda was taken out of the intensive care unit as his condition continued to improve. After being released from the hospital on January 5, 2021, he entered sudden cardiac arrest at his home two days later and was rushed back to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead that night; he was 93.

He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 through 1996. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 1997.

Lasorda played in MLB for the Dodgers in 1954 and 1955, and for the Kansas City Athletics in 1956. He coached for the Dodgers from 1973 through 1976, before taking over as manager. Lasorda won two World Series championships as manager of the Dodgers, and was named the National League's Manager of the Year twice. The Dodgers retired his uniform number in his honor.

In 1996, Lasorda voiced the role of Lucky Lasorta, a Rough Collie commentating the baseball game in the film Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco. He made a cameo appearance in the movie Ladybugs (1992) alongside Rodney Dangerfield. Lasorda portrayed the Dugout Wizard in the syndicated children's television show The Baseball Bunch. His other television credits playing himself include Silver Spoons, Who's The Boss?, CHiPs, Hart to Hart, Fantasy Island, Hee Haw, Simon & Simon, Everybody Loves Raymond and American Restoration.

Prior to his death, Lasorda was the oldest living Hall-of-Famer, earning that distinction after the death of Red Schoendienst on June 6, 2018.

MIKE FENTON legendary casting director who co-founded what is now known as Casting Society of America in 1982, died December 30, 2020 in Los Angeles. He was 85.

In more than 40-year-career he worked on projects ranging from The Andy Griffith Show to movies including Aliens (1986), Back to the Future (1985), Chaplin (1992) to Chinatown; American Graffiti; The Godfather II; Blade Runner; A Christmas Story; Norma Rae; Footloose and Honeymoon in Vegas.

He earned a lifetime achievement kudo from the Casting Society of America in 1989.

Fenton’s survivors include his wife, Irene; a son, Mick, from his first marriage to Janet Monfort.

PAUL M. HELLER film producer died December 28, 2020. He was 93.

His debut as a film producer was David and Lisa, which received two Oscar nominations. He was the executive producer of 1990's Oscar winner My Left Foot, which earned five Academy Award nominations and Oscars for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

In 1989, Heller founded ASK Theatre, a nonprofit group dedicated to new plays and playwrights, which works together with the Mark Taper Theatre in Los Angeles, The Royal Court Theatre in London and Lincoln Center in New York. He was also a member of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and served on the board of directors of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as well as on the board of the Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation. He was a member of the United Scenic Artists, the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild.

Heller has been a pioneer in the field of multimedia and theatrical presentations. His productions include The New York Experience, which played for 16 years at Rockefeller Center, and The South Street Venture, an attraction for seven years at the Dockland of New York City. He completed the audiovisual and multimedia exhibits for the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

Next Column: January 17, 2021
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Laura Deni

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