Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: January 21, 2024
By: Laura Deni
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PREPARING FOR THE SUPER BOWL: FOOD - WEDDINGS - PARTIES - EVEN A GAME

Super bowl week is almost upon us. Las Vegas has added its own stamp to the game. You can have a Football Wedding in Sin City where the officiant will announce that you've scored a touchdown while wearing a referee uniform.

The Little Vegas Chapel has announced it will be kicking off February with special wedding packages themed for the Super Bowl. Available between February 5 through 11, the "Wedding Vegas Touchdown" package is great for couples looking to rush toward the "endzone" ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. According to a release, the Big Game-themed package will be $580 and will include the following: A ceremony performed by a referee wedding officiant in the Imperial Chapel
Custom wedding music and a football-themed, fresh six-rose bouquet, and boutonniere
Pink football decorated aisle runner, Las Vegas pennant banners, and a football guestbook
Officiated marriage license/ceremony certificate and witness provided if needed
Professional photography and five digital images
Up to 24 guests and camera phones allowed
The pacakage is subject to availability and do not include the minister’s cash fee starting at $60 or the photographer’s optional gratuity starting at $20.

The Royal Wedding Chapel also has football themed weddings.

"For football fans, this wedding can be a sports lover’s dream. Incorporate football-themed decorations, centerpieces, and even attire to showcase your passion for the game. You can have a cake adorned with your favorite team’s colors or even set up a mini-Super Bowl watch party for your guests during the reception. If you’re thinking about a watch party, be sure to tell the chapel well in advance because there are technological, staffing, and timing considerations.

Getting married during the Super Bowl at the Royal Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create wedding day memories for you, your family, and friends that will stand out forever.

If your guests are concerned about missing out on the game, don’t worry! The Royal Wedding Chapel can arrange live streaming of the Super Bowl so your friends and families will still get to cheer on their favorite teams while witnessing your special ceremony.

That sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch.

Nothing says committed love quite as much as watching a football game as you make your vows.

How about those eats?

Thanksgiving is the only other day on the calendar where Americans consume more food than Super Bowl Sunday. Copious amounts of food.

According to the National Retail Federation, viewers plan to spend an average of $74.55 on food, beverages, and team apparel.

The NRF and Hungry Fan offer up the following stats:

Pizza is the number one food for people watching the game at home spending $130 million on pizza.

Second only to pizza - chicken wings.

An estimated 1.33 billion wings at a cost of $2 billion are consumed every year for the Super Bowl, which equates to around 700 million chickens.

Americans spend over $387 million on snacks. Over eight million pounds of tortilla chips are eaten, while popular snacks such as pretzels (four million pounds), popcorn (eight million pounds) and nuts (2.5 million pounds) are all favorites among viewers. They are frequently topped off with cheese with 88 million pounds of cheese consumed on Super Bowl Sunday - or guacamole - 138 million pounds of avocados are purchased prior to game day so that 8 million pounds of guacamole can be consumed.

14 billion hamburgers are slapped on the grill nationwide, while 10 million pounds of ribs and 12.5 million pounds of bacon are purchased in preparation.

That is all washed down with - beer.

Americans slug 325.5 million gallons of beer - or 50 million cases - on Super Bowl Sunday spending $1.3 billion on beer the two weeks leading up to Super Bowl and consume 125 million gallons of beer on game day. According To Fintech, that mean "every American would have to drink at least ten cans of beer, or 128 ounces, which is an insane amount for a single event."

There are 258.3 million adults in the United States who are of drinking age. For those who wish to drink their way through the Super Bowl, there are at least 61,904 AA groups in the U.S. totaling 1,297,396 active members.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium officials report that fans in attendance at Super Bowl LIII purchased 117,400 beers and 16,300 hot dogs. The stadium recorded 110,184 different food-and-beverage transactions during the 2019 New England Patriots versus Los Angeles Rams game, including 76,446 credit-card transactions.

Calorie consumption is around 2,400 per person.

Of course that leads to one thing:
"Super Sick Monday", the day following the Super Bowl, averages a productivity loss of roughly $6 billion due to fans calling in sick.

Don't forget the entertainment.

The fun just never stops.

Shaq’s Fun House. Get ready to rub shoulders with NFL legends and Hollywood A-listers at Shaq's Fun House on Friday, February 8, 2024; "a carnival of epic proportions featuring non-stop music, rides, games, and an open bar that keeps the party flowing for six glorious hours." Shaquille O'Neal himself will be the ringmaster of this over-the-top extravaganza, promising an unforgettable pre-game bash.

Still on the list of taking place is Sports Illustrated The Party on Saturday, February 10, 2024, which is considered the coveted ticket of the week-end,featuring headline musical acts and VIP appearances. With the publication's hierarchy announcing that the entire staff has been laid off - leaves a question mark as to whether this event will still occur. Broadway To Vegas has not seen a signed contract.

Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate on Sunday, February 11, 2024 is called "the ultimate family-friendly fun," Guy Fieri's Flavortown Tailgate is serving up a free feast for 10,000 fans. Right off the Vegas Strip, this tailgate throws open its doors to everyone, offering up celebrity appearances, over 15 restaurants, Guy's signature "Triple D" specials, and enough music and activities to keep everyone entertained until kickoff. Country superstar Dustin Lynch and DJ Diplo will be keeping the party rocking, while Guy himself promises "so much cool stuff happening" .

In 1970, Carol Channing became the first singer to perform at a Super Bowl Halftime Show. This year it's Usher.

The NFL announced the pregame entertainment lineup for Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, which will be played at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, Febuary 11, 2024, and will air on CBS as follows:

RebaMcEntire will sing the national anthem

In 2024 Country Music Hall of Fame member Reba McEntire will sing the national anthem.

Post Malone, the eight-time diamond-certified, Grammy-nominated phenomenon, will sing America the Beautiful. Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, activist and acclaimed actress Andra Day will sing Lift Every Voice and Sing.

The national anthem and Lift Every Voice and Sing will be produced and arranged by Emmy Award-winning Musical Director/Producer Adam Blackstone.

The pregame entertainment and Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show will also feature premiere American Sign Language (ASL) performances. On behalf of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), actor Daniel Durant, who starred in the Academy Award-winning movie CODA, will perform the national anthem in ASL; Actress, model and dancer Anjel Piñero will sign America the Beautiful; and Shaheem Sanchez, actor and choreographer, will sign Lift Every Voice and Sing. Sanchez will perform the ASL rendition of the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show. The ASL pre-game performances and the ASL Halftime show will be produced in partnership with Alexis Kashar of LOVE SIGN and Howard Rosenblum of the NAD.

Usher

Usher, will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, which will be produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins serving as executive producers, and Hamish Hamilton and Shawn Carter serving as directors.

Las Vegas has been preparing for the Super Bowl LVIII since the day last one in Arizona ended.

65,000 fans will attend the game. The Super Bowl LVIII week events include the free NFL fan experience that runs throughout the week.

Last November it was reported by Variety that advertising spots for the 2024 Super Bowl "are virtually sold out", an achievement that doesn't typically happen until the final days before the February game, CBS reported. Insiders say 30-second slots have sold for between $6.5 million and $7 million.

Apple Music has replaced Pepsi as the half-time show's sponsor.

Hosting the Super Bowl in 2024 will generate "an estimated total economic impact of more than $500 million," according to a February release from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority..

Approximately 330,000 fans are expect to descend upon Sin City for this year’s game.

To accommodate all of the hoorah Las Vegas recruited 9,000 volunteers and began training them last September. They were schooled on properly helping people, directing them to events and answering their questions. Las Vegas’ tourism agency, the LVCVA, has approved $40 million in public dollars to help stage Super Bowl 58 in 2024 and the host committee is charged with raising another $20 million. The volunteers will be given a thank you party in March, after they have recovered from their game duties.

Behind the scenes The Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee recruited a powerhouse lineup of more than 300 executives and community leaders to serve on various sub-committees in preparation for Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, 2024. The sub-committees are divided into 11 planning verticals which include: administration, community affairs, events and hospitality, hotels and housing, marketing, media and public relations, operations and events, public safety and security, sponsorship, transportation and volunteer services. *

*The 11 sub-committees and their respective committee chairs are as follows:
Administration: Greg Gilbert, Partner at Holland & Hart LLP and Zahir Rahman, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of the Las Vegas Raiders
Community Affairs: Tony Gladney, Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at MGM Resorts International; Peter Guzman, President of the Latin Chamber of Commerce, Nevada; and Shaundell Newsome, Founder of Sumnu Marketing
Events & Hospitality: Andrew Simon, President and Chief Executive Officer at Fremont Street Experience and Don Ross, Vice President of Meeting Operations Las Vegas Region at Caesars Entertainment
Hotels & Housing: Daniel Rush, Vice President of Global Sports & Event Sales at MGM Sports International and Shannon McCallum, Vice President of Hotel Operations, Resorts World Las Vegas
Marketing: Scott Voeller, Partner at Touch Squared Marketing
Media & Public Relations: Dave Kirvin, Partner at Kirvin Doak Communications and Ken Aagaard, Former CBS Sports Executive
Operations & Events: Adam Feldman, Vice President of Stadium Management, Programming and Guest Experience at Las Vegas Raiders; Eric Grilly, President of Resident Shows Division and Affiliate Shows Division at Cirque Du Soleil Entertainment Group; and Steve Stallworth, General Manager at South Point Arena
Public Safety & Security: Kendall Bell, Police Lieutenant at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Warren Whitney, Deputy Fire Chief at Clark County Fire Department
Sponsorship: Don Snyder, Community Leader & Business Executive and Punam Mathur, Executive Director of the Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation
Transportation & Parking: Francis Julien, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of RTC Southern Nevada and Michael Naft, Clark County Commissioner
Volunteer Services: Jodi Tyson, Interim Chief Operations Officer at Three Square Food Bank and Stowe Shoemaker, Dean of UNLV Harrah College of Hospitality

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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

WILD BLUE ANGEL: HENDRIX ABROAD, 1966-1970 from his arrival in London to his untimely death on September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix was rarely in one place for more than a month.

Wild Blue Angel: Hendrix Abroad, 1966-1970 offers a contemplative look at the period of Hendrix’s life spent on the road as he catapulted to fame.

Discover the shy genius of Hendrix through an immersive gallery soundtrack featuring rare Hendrix interview clips; Hendrix’s only passport, issued on the day he left for London on September 23, 1966.

On display are his diary, where he recounts friends, shows, and experiences from the road; an Electric Lady mixing console from the personal recording studio he used during the last weeks of his life; and other original artifacts, artwork, and photographs.

On display at the Museum of POP Culture in Seattle, Washington.

BURMA TO MYANMAR

Burma To Myanmar exhibit. Photo: British Museum

exhibit at the British Museum will receive royal visitors on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester Royal Patron, will view viewed the interesting exhibit which is on display through February 11, 2024.

Curated by Dr Alexandra Green, who is the Henry Ginsburg Curator for Southeast Asia in the Department of Asia at the British Museum and Lead Curator of Burma to Myanmar. She has a PhD on the subject of 18th century Burmese.

From influential superpower to repressive regime, Myanmar – also known as Burma – has seen dramatic fluctuations in fortune over the past 1,500 years.

Experiencing decades of civil war and now ruled again by a military dictatorship, Myanmar is an isolated figure on the world stage today, and its story is relatively little known in the West. However, the extraordinary artistic output of its peoples, over more than a millennium of cultural and political change, attests to its pivotal role at the crossroads of Asia.

Picking up the thread around AD 450, the exhibition explores how Myanmar's various peoples interacted with each other and the world around them, leading to new ideas and art forms. From the 14th century several kingdoms jostled for power and expanded important links with Thailand, China, Sri Lanka, and traders from the Middle East and Europe, creating a fertile ground for diverse cultures to flourish; a coin issued by King Dhammaraja Hussain (r. 1612–22) of the Arakan kingdom, inscribed in Arakanese, Bengali and Persian, shows the wide reach of his trade and political networks.

Rulers in central Myanmar came to dominate parts of the region between the 16th and 19th centuries, becoming the largest empire in mainland Southeast Asia. A stunning gold and ruby-studded letter sent by King Alaungpaya to George II in 1756 speaks to the empire's wealth and power.

Annexation by the British in the 19th century saw tremendous changes impacting art, culture and society – and contributed to the turmoil faced by Myanmar today. The show concludes by exploring how modern-day artists have defied state censors, marrying activism with artistic traditions in expressions of resistance and hope.

Interconnected yet cut-off, rich in natural resources such as jade, rubies and teak but with much of the country living below the poverty line, Myanmar is a country that defies categorization. This unprecedented exhibition offers the chance to see the history behind the headlines.

THE DAVIDSON GALLERIES IN SEATTLE suffered fire damage resulting-in the loss of Irreplaceable art works by Picasso, Rembrandt, Goya and M.C. Escher.

Authorities believe someone started a fire in the alley behind the gallery to warm themselves and it spread into the three-story building. No injuries were reported in the fire, which investigators have since ruled accidental.

"Much of the work, we hope, will be saved. We’re triaging them now," Davidson Galleries manager Rebecca McDonald told the press. It may take weeks for the gallery to determine the fate of the works of the famed artists.

Davidson Galleries specializes in works on paper – specifically etchings, lithographs and wood cuts. Owner Sam Davidson had amassed between 16,000 to 18,000 pieces over the past 50 years.

The smoke damaged other artworks, the gallery team said in a Facebook post. “We are currently in the process of assessing the extent of the damage. However, it was not as extensive as initially thought, and we are hopeful that we will be able to preserve the vast majority of our inventory,” the post read.

Davidson Galleries, a prominent gallery that specializes in artworks on paper, contained about 16,000 pieces of art.

Firefighters were praised for their ability to move and handle art objects of great value.

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SWEET CHARITY

MARILU HENNER who performed her well received music and comedy show, Saturday, January 20, 2024 at Myron’s Cabaret in the Smith Center, took time out to participate in Findlay Automotive Group's Celebrity Spin Zone, spinning a wheel to see how much money would be donated to the January charity, the American Cancer Society.

ST. JUDE DETROIT GALA Join in for the annual St. Jude Detroit Gala, presented by James Group on January 27, 2024.

Attire: Black-Tie Optional.

At St. Jude, expression through the arts helps treat the whole patient, not just the disease or life-threatening illness. Effective outlets like these can help patients express their creativity, build coping skills, support physical rehabilitation and more. The St. Jude Detroit Gala will showcase the art of many of St. Jude patients in various forms. Guests will experience interactive and inspirational displays that will bring the mission and stories of St. Jude to life.

Guests will be able to celebrate Detroit roots, learn about St. Jude advancements since in 1962, and honor a strong community of supporters tied to the history of St. Jude.

Support helps to ensure that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food – so they can focus on helping their child live.

THE 15th ANNUAL CHARLEY HOFFMAN FOUNDATION SAN DIEGO CHARITY/PRO-AM golf event is set for January 27-28 at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe. The mission of the Charley Hoffman Foundation is to raise money and awareness for children’s organizations that provide a positive environment to better their future through education, sports and health.

The Charley Hoffman Foundation was created by PGA Tour professional Charley Hoffman and his wife Stacy, who are Rancho Santa Fe residents, in 2009 to raise funds for charities benefiting children in their native and adopted hometowns of San Diego and Las Vegas. After several years of successfully hosting the Charley Hoffman Pro-Am with the San Diego Junior Golf Association, the Hoffmans realized they had an opportunity to further their giving by establishing their own foundation to benefit children’s charities in San Diego and beyond.

The event weekend kicks off on Saturday, January 27, with the Charity Party at the Belly Up in Solana Beach featuring an acoustic performance by REO Speedwagon. The $150 ticket includes auctions, an open bar, appetizers and the concert.

The celebrity/pro-am tournament will begin in shotgun start at 9 a.m. on Sunday, January 28 at The Farms. The cost is $3,500 per player.

As part of the tournament, Stacy Hoffman will host a Sip & Shop for Charity that features a vendor truck show from noon to 3 p.m.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Pro-Kids, and San Diego Junior Golf Association.

THE TELEVISION ACADEMY FOUNDATION saw Emmy nominees and presenters raise funds to benefit the Foundation during their Nominee Celebration on January 13, 2024.

For the first time in Emmy history, the Giving Suite was held at the Performers Nominee Celebration which took place two days before the Emmy's telecast.

Nominated performers, cast members from nominated shows and 2023 Emmy presenters were invited to choose from a collection of luxury gifts in the Giving Suite and autographed items to be auctioned by the Foundation to help support its unparalleled programs of education, inclusion and historic preservation. Participating sponsors also made contributions to benefit the nonprofit, which provides career pathways and television-industry access for students across the country.

For the 11th year the suite was produced by Karen Wood and Backstage Creations, specialists in award show gifts and custom backstage gift suites. Backstage Creations is the sole, authorized vendor for the official Emmy Awards Giving Suite. The 75th Emmy Awards was telecast live from the Peacock Theater on Monday, January 15, 2024, on FOX.

SPREADING THE WORD

RONAN KEATING who gained international fame as co-soloist on Boyzone was spotted last week "working" at a Tesco Mobile store in Hemel, Hempstead England. He shocked the delighted shoppers when he gave an impromptu performance. He brought along an acoustic guitar for the serenade which took place in the mobile phone section of the store.

According to The Sun Keating took requests from customers and sang versions of his classic songs with a twist. After asking a shopper where she was going on holiday, he worked Budapest into Lovin' Each Day and then Barcelona into Life is a Rollercoaster for another fan. One told him that she was going to Paris, which he managed to sing about in When You Say Nothing at All.

Keating hasn't suddenly turned into a street performer; rather, he has been named as the Tesco's new roaming ambassador. He is set to perform at other Tesco stores across the country.

WORKS & PROCESS PRESENTS Lincoln Center Theater: Corruption by J.T. Rogers.

Directed by Bartlett Sher.

Sunday, January 28, 2024 at the Guggenheim’s Peter B. Lewis Theater in New York City.

Before previews, go behind the scenes of playwright J. T. Rogers’s newest play, Corruption, which will open this spring at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. Corruption is the story behind the story of the 2009-2011 international phone hacking scandal that exposed the criminal news-gathering techniques of the Rupert Murdoch media empire, and ultimately brought down UK news outlets, senior British politicians, and police officers. New York Times Magazine reporter Susan Dominus moderates a discussion with Rogers and Sher and cast members perform highlights.

A non-profit without walls, Works & Process champions performing artists and their creative process from studio to stage. "We platform artists from the world’s largest organizations and amplify underrecognized performing arts cultures. We provide rare, longitudinal, and fully-funded creative residencies, and commissioning support. We present at the Guggenheim Museum, Lincoln Center, and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, with the Jerome Robbins Dance Division. Each summer Works & Process curates and presents free dance programs with City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage and NYC Parks."

RED BULL THEATER continues Its Revelation Readings Series with The Revenge by Edward Young, directed by Nathan Winkelstein.

One Night Only: Monday January 22nd live in-person and simulcast online at The Peter Jay Sharp Theater in New York City.

Presented in Partnership with the Mellon Foundation Sponsored "On Decolonizing Theatre" Seminar at Northwestern University, and the R/18 Collective.

The cast includes: John Douglas Thompson, Sarin Monae West, Christian Coulson, Merritt Janson, Ismenia Mendes & Matthew Rauch.

The recording of this event will be available until 11:59 PM ET on Sunday January 28. Open Captions will be available on Wednesday January 23 (7:30 PM ET) until 11:59 PM ET on Sunday January 28.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS' GIRLS NIGHT OUT recently took place when Sen. Collins of Maine attended a performance of Frozen at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC with three of her staff - Katie Brown, Tess Haller, and Anna Sanders.

PRESS ACT Members of the US House of Representatives have voted unanimously to approve the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act, which bars the government from forcing journalists to reveal their sources and prevents authorities from seizing journalists' internet or phone data without their knowledge.

"America's broadcasters thank the cosponsors of this legislation for their leadership and urge the Senate to move quickly to pass this bill," says National Association of Broadcasters CEO Curtis LeGeyt.

ALEC BALDWIN has been charged with a fresh count of involuntary manslaughter by a grand jury in New Mexico. The charge stems from a fatal movie set shooting in October 2021.

"The above named defendant did cause the death of Halyna Hutchins by an act committed with the total disregard of indifference for the safety of others,” the indictment reads referring to her death on the Rust movie set.

Baldwin is represented by attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro who look forward to their day in court.

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GET WELL SOON TO . . .

KING CHARLES AND KATE, THE PRINCESS OF WALES both recovering from surgery. A really bummer of a way to start off the New Year, but hopefully all of the medical issues are behind them and they can return to their normal lives. Just don't go back to work too soon.

A special pat on the back to King Charles for being forthcoming about his condition in order to inspire men to pay attention to their health. According to Harvard health education: "By age 60, half of all men will have an enlarged prostate, a condition also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. By age 85, the proportion reaches 90%."



SIR ELTON JOHN who also lays claim to being awarded America's highest civilian honor- the National Humanities Medal - can add another award to his long list of credits. He's now an EGOT.

The legendary musician won an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special for Elton John: Farewell From Dodger Stadium.

The singer was not in attendance due to a "knee op," though "he's absolutely fine," said Ben Winston, one of the producers of the special announced during his acceptance speech.

"We knew this show was going to be historic because it was going to be Elton's last ever show in North America on tour," Winston said. "We didn't know this was going to be historic because it was going to win a man who has created the soundtrack to all of our lives, who has done so much great for society, who is all of our heroes — we didn't know it was going to win him an EGOT."

John's husband David Furnish shared how the newly minted EGOT-er was notified of the win. "We FaceTimed him. We woke him up in the middle of the night. He's back in the U.K.; he's had his left knee replaced," Furnish told the press backstage at the Emmys. "He screamed 'Yes!' was really happy, incredibly honored." John later released the following statement.

"I am incredibly humbled to be joining the unbelievably talented group of EGOT winners tonight. The journey to this moment has been filled with passion, dedication, and the unwavering support of my fans all around the world," he said, "Tonight is a testament to the power of the arts and the joy that it brings to all our lives. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my career, I am incredibly grateful."

RONA SIDDIQUI AND LISA LOOMER who have received the 2024 Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre The prize awards $100,000 to a promising librettist and lyricist working in the American musical theatre.

GOODSPEED MUSICALS has announced the participants for the 12th annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals, which will be held January 22 - February 18 on the Goodspeed campus in East Haddam, Conn. A distinguished group of 35 established and emerging composers, lyricists and librettists representing 18 new musicals will gather in East Haddam at one of the premier writers’ residencies in the nation.

Established in 2013, The JMF Writers Grove is an unparalleled, long-term residency program devoted exclusively to musical theatre writing. Providing a sanctuary for composers, lyricists and librettists to embark on new musical theatre work or to devote a substantial amount of time to a work-in-progress, the Grove is a colleague to colleague program. For four weeks, starting January 22, the writing teams work in residence in Goodspeed’s Artists Village, each team in their own house, with whatever support is needed, from dramaturgical to Goodspeed’s fine music department. In the evenings writers get together in an informal, salon-style environment to share the day’s work. This gathering allows the artists an invaluable opportunity to gain insight from one another. The Grove is the ultimate think tank of veteran Broadway and young working professionals in theater today.

The Grove is pleased to announce that the 2024 participants are (in alphabetical order): Jay Adana, Greg Alexander, Masi Asare, Marcus Perkins Bejarano, Sophie Boyce, Jeff Calhoun, Shane Dittmar, Jacob Dorrell, Trey Ellis, Anthony Fedorov, Oliver Houser, Kim Jinhyoung, Christine Toy Johnson, Clifford Lee Johnson III, Sarah Kaufman, Jane Kelley, Josh Kemp, Deepak Kumar, Tom Ling, Jord Liu, Jason Ma, Veronica Mansour, Dylan MarcAurele, Cheeyang Ng, Zeniba Now, April Dae Okpwae, Jennifer Paz, Rudy Percival, Lynn Rosen, Benjamin Scheuer, Rona Siddiqui, Ianne Fields Stewart, Christian Thompson, Jimmy Vivino, Matt Williams, Pia Wilson, Maria Wirries, and Sam Woof.

The outstanding writers who have been invited to participate in the 2024 JMF Writers Grove at Goodspeed have earned tremendous recognition in the industry with honors including a Drama Desk Award, Obie Award, Kleban Prize, ASCAP Foundation Cole Porter Award, Write Out Loud Contest winner, Emmy Award, Peabody Award, American Book Award, Dramatists Guild Fellow, Holof Lyricist Award, Richard Rodgers Award, Newark Creative Catalyst G, Jonathan Larson Grant, ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award, ASCAP Foundation Mary Rodgers/Lorenz Hart Award, Environmusic Composition Prize, NAMT Writers Residency Grant, Princess Grace Award, Harold Wheeler MUSE Award, Eric H Weinberger Librettist Award, Stephen Schwartz Award, and the ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award among other awards and nominations.

BAFTA have announced their nominations. Of particular interest to Broadway To Vegas readers: in the Documentary category Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie with nominations going to Davis Guggenheim, Jonathan King, and Annetta Marion. Fox, of course, is the Emmy and Grammy winning actor who has struggled with Parkinson's since 1991. His Michael J. Fox Foundation for the elimination of Parkinson's has funded over $1 Billion in research programs.

Others nominated in the Documentary category are:
20 Days In Mariupol Mstyslav Chernov, Raney Aronson Rath
American Symphony Matthew Heineman, Lauren Domino, Joedan Okun
Beyond Utopia Madeleine Gavin, Rachel Cohen, Jana Edelbaum
Wham! Chris Smith

Oppenheimer received the most nominations with 13, followed by Poor Things with 11, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Zone of Interest each received 9. 11 out of 23 nominees in the performance categories have received their first BAFTA Film nomination.

Winners will be unveiled on Sunday, February 18, 2024 at the EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony, hosted by David Tennant.

TRU VOICES Annual Play Reading Series’ Winners have been announcd.

The series, now in its 23rd year, was created to nurture producers as well as writers. Selected plays are matched with producers, and each reading is followed by a "Dollars and Sense" panel discussion with prominent New York producers, general managers and artistic directors focusing on the development path for each work, including potential venues, marketing and budgeting.

"This year, the winners that will be presented in the series are: Joel S. Bailey for Rolling with the Punches, a play that highlights the disabled community’s challenging fight to live lives as fully as others; Stephen Kaplan for Un Hombre: A Golem Story, about a female sculptor and her son dealing with the death of her husband with the help of a clay figure that comes to life; and Scott Sublett, whose play 1920, is a witty historical two-hander about Eleanor, Franklin, politics and sex."

In addition to this year’s winners, TRU would like to congratulate finalists Cristina Duarte for Room for Memories and DW Gregory for A Thing of Beauty, as well as semi-finalists Marilyn Anderson for Not Tonight, Vito, Judith Cockman for Heaven, Emma Goldman Sherman for Abraham's Daughters, Randall Huskinson for War Bride of Mormon Country, and Alan Stewart for Hold My Hand.

THE IRISH PRESIDENTIAL DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS presented last week in Ireland were bestowed upon 13 deserving individuals.

The annual awards are presented by the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins each year in recognition of "the service given to this country, or to Irish communities abroad, by those who live outside Ireland".

Three of the recipients are of particular interest to Broadway To Vegas readers.

Treacy designed the Beauxbatons hats for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005. photo: Wikipedia.

Famed hat designer Philip Treacy who was born in Galway but has called London home for decades. Treacy is noted for providing the head gear for royalty.

Treacy made 36 hats for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011; 20 for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in May 2018 and a further 20 for Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding in October of the same year.

Treacy also designed the golden-wreath-inspired headpiece Camilla Parker Bowles wore on her marriage to Prince Charles in 2005.

Treacy has designed hats for films, including the Harry Potter film series, and most notably the Beauxbatons hat for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005. Sarah Jessica Parker has worn his hats at Sex and the City premieres, and Met Galas (2013, 2015). Treacy designed Madonna's gold headpiece for her 2012 Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.

In May 2017 Treacy married his long-term partner of over 21 years, Stefan Bartlett, in a ceremony in Las Vegas.

He was honored for his contribution to arts, culture and sports and was in Dublin to receive his award at a special ceremony held in Áras an Uachtaráin.

Also in Ireland to accept their award were New Yorkers Pauline Turley and Aidan Connolly of the Irish Arts Center in New York City. The arts center duo are winners in the "Arts, Culture, and Sport" category.

They have brought fruition the expansion of the center in Manhattan to the point that it now ranks as not just a front rank New York or U.S. space for Irish arts and culture, but indeed a global one.

A third U.S.-based award winner is Dr. Howard Keeley in the "Business and Economic Development" category. Dr. Keeley directs Georgia Southern University’s Center for Irish Research and Teaching. In addition, he is an Associate Professor in the Department of English, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Irish literature.

Based in nine countries, in addition to the above mentioned, this year's Irish Prsidential Distinguished Service Awards were presented to:

Dr. Beatriz Kopschitz Bastos, Brazil, for Arts, Culture, and Sport; Mr. Fritz Senn, Switzerland, Arts, Culture, and Sport; Ms. Caoilfhionn Gallagher K.C., Britain, in the "Charitable Works and Advocacy" category; Dr. Stanley Quek, Singapore, Charitable Works and Advocacy; Dr. Patricia Lewis, Britain, in the "Education, Science, and Innovation" category; Ms. Maria Doyle-Cuche, France, in the "Inclusion and Equality" category; Ms. Sinéad El Sibai, United Arab Emirates, in the "Irish Community Support" category; Mr. Séamus Sullivan, Australia, Irish Community Support, and Fr. Gabriel Dolan, Kenya, in the "Peace, Reconciliation, and Development" category.

JOB WELL DONE

CHARLOTTE ST. MARTIN president of the Broadway League, will step down from the position she has held for 18 years.

Her retirement will become effective February 16, although St. Martin will continue serving in an advisory capacity for special events through the 2024 Tony Awards, with Executive Vice President and General Counsel Jason Laks serving as acting president during an official search for St. Martin's successor.

The Broadway League is the national trade association for Broadway in New York and across North America. Broadway and national touring producers and venue operators are among its membership. The League collectively bargains with entertainment unions on behalf of its membership, and works to promote and support professional theatre.

FRANZ WELSER-MOST musical director for the Cleveland Orchestra has announced that he will step down when his contract expires in 2027.

Szell is credited as the person who made the Cleveland Orchestra famous, serving as its longest-serving music director. When he retires he will have completed his 25th year leading the orchestra.

Andre Gremillet, the orchestra’s president and chief executive, described the news of Welser-Most’s plans as "bittersweet."

In a written statement included with Welser-Most’s announcement, he said that while Welser-Most leaves an enormous artistic and personal gap, he is heartened by the thought that the conductor’s tenure in Cleveland is far from over. Indeed, Welser-Most has much left to accomplish.

"While we reflect upon and begin to celebrate the incredible artistry and legacy of Franz Welser-Most…[w]e are…comforted to have three and a half more years of exceptional music-making ahead of us,” Gremillet wrote. “His leadership has transformed this organization, instilling a warmth and empathy to music-making that we have never had before."

Before he puts down the baton he will complete a number of items on his to-do list. The three years out also also leaves the executives time to find a suitable replaement.

Reflecting on his 22 years with the Cleveland Orchestra, Welser-Most told the press that he is most gratified by three things: the musicians he appointed; the orchestra’s uptake of opera; and the Daniel R. Lewis Composer Fellow program. He’s also proud that the institution survived both an economic downturn and a pandemic.



THE CONNECTOR a new musical with a book by Jonathan Marc Sherman, music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown.

Conceived and directed by Daisy Prince.

Choreographed by Karla Puno Garcia.

"From Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown comes a timely new musical about two talented young journalists on increasingly diverging paths. Set in the late 1990s amid a rapidly changing media landscape we meet a fast-rising journalist, Ethan Dobson, and an assistant copy editor, Robin Martinez, at the revered magazine The Connector. In a world that values the next big sensation, Ethan’s writing prowess and ambition force him to confront how far he’ll go for the ultimate scoop and Robin to consider how far she’ll go to stop him."

The cast includes Scott Bakula, Joanna Carpenter, Max Crumm, Hannah Cruz, George Dvorsky, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Danielle Lee Greaves, Mylinda Hull, Daniel Jenkins, Cedric Lamar, Jessica Molaskey, Fergie Philippe, Eliseo Román, Ben Levi Ross, Ann Sanders, Kyle Sherman and Michael Winther.

The creatives are: scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Márion Tálan de la Rosa, lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, sound design by Jon Weston, and orchestrations and arrangements by Jason Robert Brown. Tom Murray is the Music Director and Kristy Norter is the Music Coordinator. Erin Gioia Albrecht is the Production Stage Manager and casting is by The Telsey Office / Patrick Goodwin, CSA.

The Connector began performances on January 12, 2024 with an opening night set for February 6 and a limited engagement through February 18, 2024 at MCC Theater’s Newman Mills Theater in New York Citty.

TILL THE STARS COME DOWN a new play by Beth Steel.

Directed by Bijan Sheibani.

It’s Sylvia and Marek’s wedding and you are all invited. Over the course of a hot summer’s day, a family gathers to welcome a newcomer into their midst. But as the vodka flows and dances are shared, passions boil over and the limits of love are tested. What happens when the happiest day of your life opens the door to a new, frightening and uncertain future?

This new play by former National Theatre writer-in-residence Beth Steel "is a passionate, heartbreaking and hilarious portrayal of a larger-than-life family struggling to come to terms with a changing world."

Young performers: Maggie Livermore, Cadence Williams, and Bodhi Rae Breathnach.

The creatives are: Set and Costume Designer Samal Blak; Lighting Designer Paule Constable; Choreographer and Movement Director Aline David; Sound Designer Gareth Fry; Fight Director Kev McCurdy; Intimacy Director Asha Jennings-Grant: Casting Director Alastair Coomer; CDG Children's Casting Chloe Blake; Dialect Coach Charmian Hoare; Company Voice Work Cathleen McCarron and Tamsin Newlands; Staff Director Stepan Mysko von Schultze.

- January 24 — March 16, 2024 in the Dorfman Theatre of the National Theatre, South Bank, London.

COWBOIS Charlie Josephine’s queer western.

Co-directed by Josephine and Sean Holmes.

Cowbois is set in a sleepy town in the Wild West, where the women drift through their days as their husbands, swept up in the Gold Rush, have been missing for almost a year. The town, with only one drunken sheriff, is almost cut off from outsiders entirely—until handsome bandit Jack Cannon, a trans masc cowboy, inspires a gender revolution.

Featuring Bridgette Amofah as Mary, Lee Braithwaite as Lucy/Lou, Shaun Dingwall as Frank/Tommy, Michael Elcock as George, Colm Gormley as John, Vinnie Heaven as Jack, Paul Hunter as Sheriff Roger Jones, Lucy McCormick as Jayne, Sophie Melville as Miss Lillian, Julian Moore-Cook as James, Emma Pallant as Sally-Ann, and LJ Parkinson as Charley Parkhurst.

The creatives are: designs by Grace Smart, lighting design by Simeon Miller, music by Jim Fortune, sound and soundscape by Mwen, movement by Jennifer Jackson, fight and intimacy direction by Bethan Clark, dramaturgy by Rebecca Latham, casting by Martin Poile, and children's casting by Charlie Metcalf. The Royal Shakespeare Company production of Cowbois ha performances at the Royal Court’s Jerwood Theatre Downstairs in London through February 10.

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FINAL OVATION

BRIDGET DOBSON famed television soap opera writer died January 3, 2024 at her home. She was 85.

Dobson was the last grandchild of America's first Socialist congressman, Victor Berger, and a direct descendant of Aaron Burr. More notably, as a prolific soap opera writer, she was widely recognized for single-handedly revolutionizing the television business, daytime and nighttime.

From the 1960s until the 1990s she and her husband, Jerry Dobson, wrote General Hospital; Guiding Light; As the World Turns, and Santa Barbara. Their shows won multiple Emmys.

When she officially retired she penned a musical titled Slings and Eros, about Mark Twain's dislike for Shakespeare. It enjoyed a successful run in LA's Globe Playhouse. An avid painter her paintings were featured in multiple museums, from Milwaukee to Madison, and Charleston to St. Louis-and the Walter Wickiser Gallery in New York City.

She is survived by her husband, Jerome Dobson, and their daughter, Mary Dobson.

Next Column: January 28, 2024
Copyright: January 21, 2024 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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