| Stage stars' real roles: Husband and wife
Two big Broadway stars will join more than a thousand amateur theater artists for AACTFest '07 this week in Charlotte. The American Association of Community Theatres will toast Terrence Mann and Charlotte d'Amboise, married veterans of such megahits as "Cats" and "Les Misérables" (Mann) and the current revival of "A Chorus Line" (d'Amboise), at a fundraising dinner and reception Friday, amid a packed schedule of award-winning shows, workshops and other events. Mann, a graduate of N.C. School of the Arts, made his Broadway debut in 1982 in "Barnum," then made his name as the original Rum Tum Tugger in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats." Starring roles in "Les Mis" (Javert) and "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" (Beast) earned Mann two Tony nominations; later, he created the role of Chauvelin in "The Scarlet Pimpernel." He played assistant choreographer Larry in the film version of "A Chorus Line," among other movie and TV appearances.
Magical Broadway nights
One of the most popular shows on Broadway, Mamma Mia, will come to London for five days, beginning Dec. 18. Mamma Mia is well-known for its ABBA music, such as Dancing Queen, Money, Money, Money and Take a Chance on Me. "I think everybody will enjoy Mamma Mia," said Broadway in London spokesperson Patrick Harrison. "This show is currently one of the hottest tickets in New York and London (England)." Illusionist David Copperfield (Jan. 15), Blast (Jan. 28-20), Chicago (Feb. 19-20) and Evita (March 10-11) round out the season. Blast, Chicago and Evita have a combined 14 Tony awards. "Lovers of the classic Broadway musicals will love Gypsy, Chicago and Evita," Harrison said. "Lovers of music will be blown away by Blast, while Cirque and David Copperfield will draw a non-typical theatre-going crowd to the John Labatt Centre." Last year, 2,000 subscriptions were sold for the season.
Sirens help set mood for `Bravo Broadway' concert
If you allowed the pre-concert thunderstorm keep you from Caldwell Park Friday - and it appeared that more than a few folks did - you missed a Great White Way treat. The damp (occasionally noisy) outdoor setting only added to the fun during "Bravo Broadway," the third in the Sounds for Summer series presented by the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Conductor Christopher Confessore set the tone for the evening when he joked about an all-too-familiar wail during the introductory arrangement, "Broadway Tonight!" "It wouldn't be Sounds for Summer without a police siren going by," he said. The solos and duets by guest artists Susan Egan, a Tony Award nominee who recently starred in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," and Sal Viviano, whose stage credits include "The Full Monty," weren't all perfect.
|
