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Jane Connell
Jane Sperry Connell (pronounced con-NELL, née Bennett; October 27, 1925 – September 22, 2013) was an American actress and singer. Early years Connell was born in Berkeley, California, to Louis Wesley and Mary (née Sperry) Bennett. She majored in drama at the University of California, where she met her future husband. Career Connell began her career with her husband Gordon, entertaining in San Francisco night clubs such as ''The Purple Onion'' and ''The Hungry I''. Eventually the couple moved to New York City, where Connell made her Off-Broadway debut in the 1955 revival of ''The Threepenny Opera'', a long-running hit at the Theatre de Lys. In the London production of ''Once Upon a Mattress'', Connell starred as Winifred, the role that Carol Burnett had originated in New York. Her Broadway debut came in the role of Mrs. Peachum in ''Threepenny Opera'' (1955). Connell's most prominent success came in 1966 when she was cast as Agnes Gooch in the original Broadway production ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cesar Romero
Cesar Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor and activist. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lovers, historical figures in costume dramas, characters in light domestic comedies, and the Joker on the ''Batman'' television series, which was included in ''TV Guide''s 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time. He was the first actor to play the character. Early life César Julio Romero Jr. was born in New York City on February 15, 1907, the son of César Julio Romero Sr. (1872–1951) and María Mantilla (1880–1962). His mother was said to be the biological daughter of Cuban national hero José Martí.Handel, Charles (September 7, 1959)"A Look at TV: Gunther Plans Unusual Shows" ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. Retrieved April 2, 2019.Oliver, Myrna (January 4, 1994)"César Romero, Suave Star for Over 60 Years, Dies at 86" ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broadway Theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Theatre'' as the proper noun in their names (12 others used neither), with many performers and trade groups for live dramatic presentations also using the spelling ''theatre''. or Broadway, are the theatrical performances presented in the 41 professional theatres, each with 500 or more seats, located in the Theater District and the Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world. While the thoroughfare is eponymous with the district and its collection of 41 theaters, and it is also closely identified with Times Square, only three of the theaters are located on Broadway itself (namely the Broadwa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Call Me Madam
''Call Me Madam'' is a musical written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The musical is a satire on politics and foreign policy that spoofs postwar America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries. It centers on Sally Adams, a well-meaning but ill-informed socialite widow, who is appointed United States Ambassador to the fictional European country of "Lichtenburg". Signs in Lichtenburg are written in German, and inhabitants wear traditional Bavarian costume. While there, she charms the local gentry, especially Cosmo Constantine, while her press attaché Kenneth Gibson falls in love with Princess Maria of Lichtenburg. Background The lead character is based on Washington, D.C. hostess and Democratic Party fundraiser Perle Mesta, who was appointed Ambassador to Luxembourg in 1949. The ''Playbill'' distributed at each performance humorously noted that "neither the character of Mrs. Sally Adams nor Miss Ethel Merman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melina Mercouri
Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a political family that was prominent over multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination and won a Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award for her performance in the film '' Never on Sunday'' (1960). Mercouri was also nominated for one Tony Award, three Golden Globes and two BAFTA Awards in her acting career. In 1987 she was awarded a special prize in the first edition of the Europe Theatre Prize. As a politician, she was a member of the PASOK and the Hellenic Parliament. In October 1981, Mercouri became the first female Minister of Culture and Sports. She was the longest-lived Minister of Culture in Greece - serving during the years 1981-89 and 1993 till her death in 1994, in all PASOK governments. Biography The Mercouri were a prominent Greek family, originating in Argolida. Its members had fought in the revolution ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lysistrata
''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War between Greek city states by denying all the men of the land any sex, which was the only thing they truly and deeply desired. Lysistrata persuades the women of the warring cities to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace—a strategy, however, that inflames the battle between the sexes. The play is notable for being an early exposé of sexual relations in a male-dominated society. Additionally, its dramatic structure represents a shift from the conventions of Old Comedy, a trend typical of the author's career. It was produced in the same year as the ''Thesmophoriazusae'', another play with a focus on gender-based issues, just two years after Athens' catastrophi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer (musical)
''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' is a musical comedy based on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the 1876 novel by Mark Twain conceived and written by Ken Ludwig, with music and lyrics by Don Schlitz. The musical is the story of a fourteen-year-old boy growing up in the heartland of United States, America. This Broadway theatre, Broadway musical version of Mark Twain's novel is set in 1840 in St. Petersburg, Missouri, a bustling town on the banks of the Mississippi River. In the course of the story, Tom matches wits with his stern Aunt Polly, falls in love with the beautiful, feisty Becky Thatcher, and goes on the adventure of his life with Becky and Huckleberry Finn (character), Huckleberry Finn. Along the way he meets a terrifying villain named Injun Joe, Tom's bratty half-brother Sid, and all the other boys and girls in the village. Productions ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' opened on Broadway theatre, Broadway at the Minskoff Theater on April 26, 2001 and closed on May 13, 2001, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kathleen Freeman
Kathleen Freeman (February 17, 1923August 23, 2001) was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed acerbic maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors and relatives, almost invariably to comic effect. In film, she is perhaps best remembered for appearing in 11 Jerry Lewis comedies in the 1950s and 1960s, ''The Blues Brothers'' (1980) and its sequel, and '' Naked Gun : The Final Insult'' (1994). Early life Freeman was born on February 17, 1923, in Chicago, Illinois. She began her career as a child, dancing in her parents' vaudeville act. Freeman was a Democrat who supported Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election. Career Film Freeman made her film debut in '' Wild Harvest'' (1947). For a short time in the early 1950s, Freeman was a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player, appearing mostly in small and uncredited bit parts. Her most notable early role was an uncredited part in the 1952 MGM music ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Full Monty (musical)
''The Full Monty'' is a musical with book by Terrence McNally and score by David Yazbek. In this Americanized musical stage version adapted from the 1997 British film of the same name, six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers, low on both cash and prospects, decide to present a strip act at a local club after seeing their wives' enthusiasm for a touring company of Chippendales. As they prepare for the show, working through their fears, self-consciousness, and anxieties, they overcome their inner demons and find strength in their camaraderie. Plot While relocated to Buffalo, New York, the musical closely follows the film. Act I In depressed Buffalo, New York, the once-successful steel mills have grown brown with rust, rolling equipment has been removed, and the lines are silent. Best friends Jerry Lukowski and Dave Bukatinsky, along with the other unemployed mill workers, collect unemployment checks and ponder their lost lives, describing themselves as "Scrap". Elsewhere, Dave' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moon Over Buffalo
''Moon Over Buffalo'' is a 1995 comic play by Ken Ludwig set in Buffalo, New York in 1953. This play marked the return, after a 30-year absence, of Carol Burnett to the Broadway stage. Characters *George Hay, a traveling actor. *Charlotte Hay, George's wife and actress in his company. *Rosalind (Roz), George & Charlotte's daughter, who left the stage to lead a "normal" life. *Howard, a TV weatherman and Rosalind's fiancé. *Paul, stage manager for George's company, and Rosalind's ex-fiancé. *Ethel, Charlotte's nearly-deaf mother. *Richard, a love sick lawyer who is courting Charlotte. *Eileen, an actress in George's company who was George's "one-night stand." Overview ''Moon Over Buffalo'' relies heavily on situation comedy for its humor, as well as some sexual innuendo and a little slapstick. The actor who plays George, in particular, must be able to deliver a highly physical performance; George engages in a mock fencing match with Charlotte, a wrestling match with Howard, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crazy For You (musical)
''Crazy for You'' is a romantic comedy musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy", it is largely based on the songwriting team's 1930 musical ''Girl Crazy'', but also incorporates songs from several other productions. It won the 1992 Tony Award (Broadway), the 1993 Olivier Award (London), and the 1994 Dora Award (Toronto) for Best Musical. Productions Roger Horchow and Elizabeth Williams had been wanting to produce a new version of ''Girl Crazy''. They engaged Ken Ludwig to write the book, Mike Ockrent to direct, and Susan Stroman to do the choreography, and obtained permission from the Gershwin family. Richard Godwin, and Valerie Gordon were the associate producers. The production soon changed to become a new show, using various Gershwin songs from different times. Six songs from ''Girl Crazy'' were selected: "Bidin' My Time", "Could You Use Me?", " Embraceable You" , "I Got Rhythm", ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lend Me A Tenor
''Lend Me a Tenor'' is a comedy by Ken Ludwig. The play was produced on both the West End (1986) and Broadway (1989). It received nine Tony Award nominations and won for Best Actor (Philip Bosco) and Best Director (Jerry Zaks). A Broadway revival opened in 2010. ''Lend Me a Tenor'' has been translated into sixteen languages and produced in twenty-five countries. The title is a pun on "Lend me a tenner" (i.e., a ten-dollar bill). Synopsis The play takes place in 1934, in a hotel suite in Cleveland, Ohio. The two-room set has a sitting room with a sofa and chairs at right and a bedroom at left. A center "stage wall" divides the two rooms, with a door leading from one room to the other. (Throughout the play, the audience can see what's happening in both rooms at the same time.) Act I As Scene I of the play opens, Henry Saunders, general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Tito Merelli, a world-famous Italian opera tenor, known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angela Lansbury
Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal of international attention. At the time of her death, she was one of the last surviving stars from the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Lansbury received List of awards and nominations received by Angela Lansbury, many accolades throughout her career, including six Tony Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award, Lifetime Achievement Award), six Golden Globe Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, and the Academy Honorary Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, eighteen Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. In 2014, Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Lansbury Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Lansbury was born to an upper-middle-class family in Central London, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
