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Cabin In The Sky (musical)
''Cabin in the Sky'' is a musical with music by Vernon Duke, book by Lynn Root, and lyrics by John Latouche. The musical opened on Broadway in 1940. The show is described as a "parable of Southern Negro Life with echoes of Ferenc Molnár's ''Liliom'' (which would be turned into the musical ''Carousel'') and Marc Connelly's ''The Green Pastures''." Several songs from the Broadway musical were released as a 3-record shellac set under the title "The Music of Cabin in the Sky featuring Ethel Waters" in 1940. History Lynn Root wrote the libretto and brought it to George Balanchine, "who was anxious to do it as his first assignment as director of an entire Broadway production." Balanchine took the script to Vernon Duke to compose the music. "On reading the script, my first impulse was to turn it down because as much as I admired the Negro race and its musical gifts, I didn't think myself sufficiently attuned to Negro folklore." However, Duke ended up taking up the project but insiste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vernon Duke
Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can't Get Started," with lyrics by Ira Gershwin (1936), " April in Paris," with lyrics by E. Y. ("Yip") Harburg (1932), and "What Is There To Say," for the '' Ziegfeld Follies'' of 1934, also with Harburg. He wrote the words and music for " Autumn in New York" (1934) for the revue '' Thumbs Up!'' In his book, ''American Popular Song, The Great Innovators 1900-1950'', composer Alec Wilder praises this song, writing, “The verse may be the most ambitious I’ve ever seen." Duke also collaborated with lyricists Johnny Mercer, Ogden Nash, and Sammy Cahn. Early life Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dukelsky ( Russian: Владимир Александрович Дукельский) was born in 1903 into a Belarusian noble family in the village ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boris Aronson
Boris Aronson (October 15, 1898 – November 16, 1980) was an American scenic designer for Broadway and Yiddish theatre. He won the Tony Award for Scenic Design six times in his career. Biography The son of a Rabbi, Aronson was born in Kiev, in the Russian Empire (in present-day Ukraine), and enrolled in art school during his youth. Aronson became an apprentice to the designer Aleksandra Ekster, who introduced him to the directors Vsevolod Meyerhold and Alexander Tairov, who influenced him. These three theatre and art veterans were advocates of the Constructivist school in Russia, as opposed to Stanislavski's form of Realism, and they convinced Aronson to embrace the Constructivist style. Aronson worked for some years in Moscow and Germany. In Berlin he exhibited at the seminal Van Diemen Gallery "First Exhibition of Russian Art", alongside the Constructivists El Lissitzky and Naum Gabo, which introduced Constructivism to the West. He wrote two books in Berlin, on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taking A Chance On Love
"Taking a Chance on Love" is a popular song from the 1940 Broadway musical '' Cabin in the Sky''. It was introduced by Ethel Waters playing the role of Petunia Jackson both on Broadway and later in the 1943 MGM musical Cabin in the Sky. The song was written by Vernon Duke with lyrics by John La Touche and Ted Fetter (see 1940 in music). It has become a standard. Several songs from the Broadway musical were released as a 3-record shellac set under the title "The Music of Cabin in the Sky featuring Ethel Waters" in 1940. Cover versions Since the original recording, "Taking a Chance on Love" has become part of the American Songbook and has been sung and recorded by many prominent performers, including Hazel Scott in the Vincente Minnelli 1943 film '' I Dood It'', Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and Nancy Wilson on her 2006 Grammy Award-winning '' Turned to Blue'' album In 1943, a reissue of the Benny Goodman cover featuring Helen Forrest Helen Forrest (born H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LaChanze
LaChanze Sapp-Gooding, known professionally as LaChanze (; born December 16, 1961), is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2006 for her role as Celie Harris Johnson in '' The Color Purple''. LaChanze has subsequently received four more Tony Awards for co-producing ''Kimberly Akimbo'', '' Topdog/Underdog'', '' The Outsiders'', and '' Purpose''. Early life and education Born in St. Augustine, Florida, to Walter and Rosalie Sapp, Rhonda Sapp's stage name "LaChanze" (Creole: the charmed one) is taken from her grandmother. After moving to Connecticut, her childhood love of singing and dancing caused her mother to enroll her in the Bowen Peters Cultural Arts Center in New Haven. There she discovered her love for performing. At Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, LaChanze made her debut as Lola in the school production of ''Damn Yankees''. After high school, LaChanze studied drama at Morgan State University in Baltim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norm Lewis
Norm Lewis (born June 2, 1963) is an American actor and baritone singer. He has appeared on Broadway and in London's West End, film, television, recordings and regional theatre. He is also noted for his wide vocal range. Lewis was the second African-American actor after Robert Guillaume to perform in the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's '' The Phantom of the Opera'' and the first one to do so in the Broadway production.Hetrick, Adam and Daniels, Karu F"Norm Lewis Ends History-Making Engagement in Broadway's 'Phantom of the Opera ''Playbill''. February 7, 2015. In 2023, he reprised the role in the show's sequel, '' Love Never Dies'', in the West End. Lewis is also known for his many different performances as Inspector Javert in '' Les Misérables'', first playing the role in the 2006 Broadway revival and later reprising the role in the West End, in the 25th Anniversary Concert, and at The Muny in St. Louis. Some other major theatrical productions that he has been inv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chuck Cooper (actor)
Chuck Cooper (born November 8, 1954) is an American actor. He won the 1997 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as the pimp Memphis in '' The Life''. Career Cooper made his Broadway debut in 1983 in the musical '' Amen Corner'', playing the role of Brother Boxer. He was an understudy in the original Broadway casts of his next three shows: '' Someone Who'll Watch Over Me'' (he eventually took over the role of Adam), '' Passion'', and ''Getting Away with Murder.'' Cooper won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as the pimp Memphis in the 1997 Broadway production of the musical '' The Life''. Cooper has also appeared in ''Chicago'' as Billy Flynn, '' Caroline, or Change'' in the dual role of The Bus and The Dryer, and '' Finian's Rainbow'' as Bill Rawkins, as well as benefit performances of ''Hair'' and '' A Wonderful Life''. In February 2010 he was the narrator in the U.S. pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Encores!
Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hart, George Gershwin, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim, among many others. Encores! was the brainchild of Judith Daykin, who launched the series shortly after becoming Executive Director of City Center in 1992. Besides initiating Encores!, Daykin is credited for turning City Center from a rental hall into a presenting organization. The series has spawned nineteen cast album, cast recordings and numerous Broadway transfers, including Kander and Ebb's ''Chicago (musical), Chicago'', which is now the second List of the longest-running Broadway shows, longest-running musical in Broadway history. Videotapes of many Encores! productions are col ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Simonson, Robert
Robert Simonson (born September 11, 1964) is an American journalist and author. Personal life Robert Simonson was born in Wisconsin; he has lived in Brooklyn since 1988. Career Robert Simonson began writing about cocktails, spirits and bars for ''The New York Times'' in 2009. He has also written frequently for '' Imbibe'', '' Whisky Advocate'', '' Saveur'', ''Food & Wine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and sea ...'' and '' Lucky Peach''. Since 2017, he has been a contributing editor at '' Punch''. His book ''3-Ingredient Cocktails'' was nominated for a James Beard Award. His other writings have been nominated for a total of 10 Spirited Awards, which are awarded annually by Tales of the Cocktail. Prior to becoming a cocktail writer, he wrote about the theater for 15 years, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Beck Theatre
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish and Byzantine style and was constructed for vaudevillian Martin Beck. It has 1,404 seats across two levels and is operated by ATG Entertainment. Both the facade and the interior are New York City landmarks. The facades of the Al Hirschfeld's auditorium and stage house are designed as one unit. There is a double-height arcade with cast-stone columns at the base of the theater. The eastern section of the arcade contains the auditorium entrance, the center section includes a staircase with emergency exits, and the western section leads to the stage house. Red brick is used for the upper stories of the facade. Albert Herter, a muralist who frequently collaborated with Lansburgh, oversaw much of the interior design. A squa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ted Fetter
Theodore Fetter (June 10, 1906 – March 13, 1996) was a Broadway lyricist who contributed material to such revues as ''The Show Is On'' (1936) and ''Billy Rose's Aquacade'' (1939), but is best remembered for co-writing the song " Taking a Chance on Love," introduced in the 1940 musical comedy '' Cabin in the Sky''. Biography Fetter started as an actor, appearing in the 1928 revival of ''Peter Pan'' and in Cole Porter's 1935 musical comedy, ''Jubilee''. Fetter was Porter's second cousin and later wrote additional lyrics for some of Porter's songs. Beginning in 1936, he wrote lyrics for a number of revues, melodramas and burlesques in collaboration with composers, Richard Lewine, Hoagy Carmichael and Vernon Duke. In 1940, Duke was working on ''Cabin in the Sky'' with lyricist John Latouche and needed a new number for star Ethel Waters. He pulled out an old "trunk song" that he had written years earlier with Fetter, called "Fooling Around With Love". With Fetter's permissio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents within the city limits, over 19.1 million residents in the urban area, and over 21.5 million residents in Moscow metropolitan area, its metropolitan area. The city covers an area of , while the urban area covers , and the metropolitan area covers over . Moscow is among the world's List of largest cities, largest cities, being the List of European cities by population within city limits, most populous city entirely in Europe, the largest List of urban areas in Europe, urban and List of metropolitan areas in Europe, metropolitan area in Europe, and the largest city by land area on the European continent. First documented in 1147, Moscow became the capital of the Grand Principality of Moscow, which led the unification of the Russian lan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Katherine Dunham
Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an African American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century and directed her own dance company for many years. She has been called the "matriarch and queen mother of black dance."Joyce Aschenbenner, ''Katherine Dunham: Dancing a Life'' (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2002). While a student at the University of Chicago, Dunham also performed as a dancer, ran a dance school and earned an early bachelor's degree in anthropology. Receiving a postgraduate academic fellowship, she went to the Caribbean to study the African diaspora, ethnography and local dance. She returned to graduate school and submitted a master's thesis to the anthropology faculty. She did not complete the other requirements for that degree, however, as she realized that her professional calling was performance and choreography. At the height of her career i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
