Scene4 Magazine | Qué Pasa

A one night only benefit performance of Tim Rice, (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Evita, Jesus Christ Super Star) Benny Andersson, (ABBA) and Bjorn Ulvaeus', (ABBA)CHESS The Musical.Produced and directed by Brian Michael Purcell, (National Touring Company Jesus Christ Superstar, concert producer: Evening w/ Sondheim & Webber benefiting BCEFA) is slated for the 1240 outdoor seater, The Ford Amphitheatre located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Los Angeles, CA 90068 on September 17th, 2007 at 8:00PM, will raise funds, in which part of the proceeds will be donated to BROADWAY CARES EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS This special event will star Tony-nominee Susan Egan, (Beauty and the Beast, Cabaret, Triumph of Love), Kevin Earley. (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Les Miserables), Cindy Robinson (Into The Woods, Carousel, Peter Pan), Thomas Griffith (The Best Little Whorehouse Texas, 1776 at Hollywood Bowl), Eric Kunze,(Jesus Christ Super Star Nat'l tour, Miss Saigon), Tom Schmid. (Annie Get Your Gun, The Last Empress) and Matthew Morrison , (The Light in the Piazza, Hairspray tour, 10 Million Miles) with Musical direction by Dan Redfeld (Little Women) and Emmy Award winning choreographer A.C. Ciulla (Footloose, Tony nomination), including the sounds of by a full 25 piece orchestra.

Mayor Greg Nickels announced that Longhouse Media is one of seven recipients of the fifth annual Mayor’s Arts Award. The Mayor’s Arts Awards recognize the contributions made by artists, arts and cultural organizations and community members who make a difference through arts and cultural activities. Mayor Nickels recognized the non-profit Indigenous organization for its innovative and inspiring youth program, Native Lens. Longhouse Media is the only Indigenous organization to receive the award.

A dazzling array of some 150 theatrical set and costume design models and sketches will be on display in StageStruck: The Magic of Theatre Design at Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation Gallery (26 Wooster, between Grand & Canal, SoHo, NYC) from November 13 to December 22. StageStruck celebrates the creative genius of dozens of set and costume designers, both male and female—all of whom happen to be gay—working with authors, composers and choreographers who are also gay. Original sketches, models and props have been gathered from a variety of sources, including numerous private collections, the New York Public Library’s extensive theater collection, and from many designers themselves. There will be a public reception for the opening of the exhibit from 6 to 8PM on Tuesday, November 13. Additionally, there will be an invitation only celebrity preview Monday, November 12. If you have ever wondered exactly what goes into creating the look of a ballet, opera or Broadway show, the many original sketches, scale models and prop objects on display in this exhibition will reveal the splendor and often hidden complexity of these artistic achievements, while finally giving the credit due the many unsung creators of these works. The guest curators of this exhibit, Peter Harvey and David Noh, have painstakingly assembled more than 150 items spanning 60 years in the world of theatre, opera, and ballet from the 1940s right up through the 2007 Broadway season, including designs for Grey Gardens, The Fantasticks, and Curtains. Historic productions represented in the show include Fancy Free, Hello Dolly, Boys in the Band, Lips Together Teeth Apart, and Delicate Balance, works by choreographer Jerome Robbins, composer/lyricist Jerry Herman, and playwrights Mart Crowley, Terrence McNally and Edward Albee respectively. Among the 60 designers represented in this exhibition are such familiar name While all of the artists featured in Stage-Struck: the Magic of Theatre Design are openly gay, this show is a must-see for anyone who is interested in the theatre and theatre arts—from scholars and critics, to occasional show goers, to the truly “stage struck” fan.

After opening in New York and LA with the highest per screen average of any film released on North American screens, Leonardo DiCaprio’s The 11th Hour is rolling out this weekend in Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Toronto, Boston, Irvine and Brooklyn. “We’re very excited” said Producer Brian Gerber, “We had some incredible screenings and terrific reactions from young people.”
Last Saturday’s projections were for it to tie for the highest revenue per screen, but by the end of the day Sunday it pulled into the first place average with $15,213 per screen.
“Most people haven’t had a chance to see the movie yet since it opened only on four screens in LA and New York,” Gerber said, “but Warner Bros. is very encouraged and is moving to take it nationwide.”
James Lewis, Director of National Publicity at Warner Bros, released a list of over 250 theaters where the film will open in the coming weeks.
“For a documentary to open at over $15,000 per screen is phenomenal,” said film critic Arthur Kanegis who reviewed the film for Scene4 Magazine. “Each theater which took a chance on running this provocative film took in more revenue than it’s competitors did running Superbad, the box office leader which took in $11,211 per screen. And it’s a documentary! It even beat out the opening debut of Michael Moore’s Sicko, which did amazingly well when it opened with a weekend take of $10,200 per screen. And it beats hands down this summers blockbuster hit “Transformers” which opened with an average of $2,194 per screen.” Transformers was made with a budget of $150 million, and is the fourth top-grossing film of the year. It has averaged $2563 per screen during its run so far. “That means that each theater made six times more screening the 11th Hour.” Kanegis said, “even though the documentary was made on a shoestring budget and mostly shot in DiCaprio’s mother’s garage!” Kanegis called The 11th Hour “the ultimate horror movie, action flick and feel-good movie all wrapped up into one,” in his film commentary (available for reprint.)
“Both Transformers and 11th Hour are about life on Earth being threatened,” Kanegis said, “In Transformers the threat comes from fictional alien creatures. In The 11th Hour the creatures are us. DiCaprio and his team of over 50 experts make it clear that our actions are threatening the very life systems which make our planet habitable.” “Young people are flocking to the screenings,” Gerber said, “because they are concerned about their future. They want to know the facts. They want hope. And they want to know what they personally can do to help humanity survive. The 11th Hour gives them all three.”
Contact: ArthurKanegis@Hotmail.Com