| ‘Cats’ will cavort at Civic Center
It is a show that is synonymous with Broadway. And animal lovers. �Cats,� a musical filled with fuzzy felines and show-stopping numbers, will make a stop in Panama City on Wednesday, Nov. 21. The Marina Civic Center will host the one-night-only production of a national tour at 7:30 p.m. Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber (�Phantom of the Opera,� �Jesus Christ Superstar�) and based on �Old Possum�s Book of Practical Cats� by T.S. Eliot, �Cats� has amassed many awards since its inception in 1981. As Tricia Tanguy notes, the show�s appeal is easy to see. �Cats are very much like you and me,� said Tanguy, the actress who plays Grizabella. �We all have hearts and a soul.� Grizabella is a former glamor cat who has returned to her old stomping grounds, weathered from experiences in the outside world.
Married Sutherlands Spar (and Star) in St. Louis Kiss Me, Kate
Rehearsals are under way for The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis revival of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, featuring real-life married couple Brian and Diane Sutherland as bickering divorced actors putting on a show. The Nov. 28-Dec. 28 production uses the 1999 Broadway revival script. The married Sutherlands aren't the only couples attached to the staging. Newlyweds David Larsen (who plays Bill Calhoun) and Amanda Kloots (of the ensemble) share the stage, and director Victoria Bussert is working with husband Dale Rieling, who is the musical director. Both Larsen and Kloots appeared in Broadway's Good Vibrations. Diane Sutherland (the former Diane Fratantoni) appeared in Broadway's A Chorus Line, Cats, She Loves Me and The Light in the Piazza, and Brian Sutherland appeared in Broadway's Dance a Little Closer, Victor/Victoria, Steel Pier, 1776 and in the recent regional Maltby and Shire revue, A Time for Love.
New 'Hairspray' DVD more family-friendly
The deliriously fun "Hairspray" comes to DVD this week from New Line Cinema. John Travolta didn't quite work as Edna Turnblad, but everyone else really clicked in this story of a girl fighting segregation on her favorite dance show. It's based on the Broadway musical, which is based on John Waters' original film. The new version is full of charm and pep. (The original had that, too, but wasn't quite as family-friendly.) The two-disc "Shake and Shimmy" edition includes deleted scenes, featurettes, dance instructions and more. "Garfield Gets Real" (20th Century Fox) -- First there was a computer animated Garfield in a live-action world, and now it's a completely CGI adventure written by "Garfield" creator Jim Davis. The popular fat cat escapes his comic strip and enters the "real world," but soon realizes he has to go back or his strip will be canceled.
Lily Alunan & Band at Annual Jazz Festival in Hollywood
The Bay Area vocalist Lily Alunan started her musical training at age three, singing into a hairbrush to emulate her older sister, then in an R&B band, and her favorites - Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand and Carly Simon. As her passion for music grew, she went on to earn a Bachelo�s Degree in Music from the San Francisco State University. Her musical career started when she sang in a band specializing in four-part harmonies. Soon Lily was performing solo at the Tonga Room of San Francisco�s exclusive Fairmont Hotel. One of her early groups, the band �Night Shift,� received the �Best Bay Area Band� award from a local civic organization. To further stretch her creative muscles, Lily next collaborated with noted composers Butch Monserrat and Willie Cruz to compose, arrange and record several original R&B and rock numbers.
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