Mozart's opera The Magic Flute is long, running for about three hours, and possesses a famously convoluted plot, laden with esoteric philosophical concepts. It's very much a grown-up affair, but you wouldn't know it from Protein's simplified 75-minute dance-theatre adaptation, which is faithful to the original (well, mostly), highly entertaining and suitable for all ages. Certainly, the audience at the performance of Protein's The Magic Flute I attended at a packed The Place, an even mix of children and adults, appeared rapt throughout
"Conceptually a lot of the video was inspired by the themes of Tranquilizer itself, exploring themes of archiving and degradation," says Elliott. To create this heady balance of catalogued crumbing, Elliott and George devised a narrative surrounding a piece of software that's tasked with forecasting natural disasters, documenting and analysing values like wind speed and precipitation - "essentially a worst-case scenario machine", Elliot says.
Based on the 2005 movie starring Joel Edgerton and Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kinky Boots follows Charlie Price, the owner of a shoe factory in a small English town who tries to keep the family business afloat. Together, with the help of a local singer and drag queen named Lola, they create a line of fashionable, high-heeled boots. Directed by Jerry Mitchell, with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by none other than Cyndi Lauper, the musical debuted in 2012 and won six Tonys.
The musical was always a risky gamble, even with the star power of Chenoweth and a score by Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz. A musical adaptation of Lauren Greenfield's acclaimed 2012 documentary about the wealthy Jackie Siegel and her family's fall from financial grace, the musical opened to scathing reviews but strong ticket sales. Alas, advance sales through the holidays weren't enough to keep the show afloat.
"T his building gets us closer to the people," says Portland Opera artistic director Alfrelynn Roberts. She's showing off the organization's new location, occupying three floors in downtown Portland's World Trade Center complex. After the 2024 sale of its longtime southeast home base, Portland Opera announced a strategic decision to move across the river in early 2025. Continued activation of downtown Portland is important to Portland Opera, and its new location makes them a nucleus.
Homemade synthesizer made with cardboard produces sounds through the series of handmade wooden keys shaped from walnut and oak. Designed by Gabriel Mejia-Estrella, the electronic device is a DIY project with two main electronic systems inside: a Teensy microcontroller and a Raspberry Pi 5. The body of the cardboard synthesizer with wooden keys comes from a mix of walnut wood, oak, and fiberglass.
The London hit musical Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is heading to Broadway, and Playbill has an early look at three tracks from the romantic musical comedy. The show will play Broadway's Longacre Theatre beginning November 1 prior to an official opening November 20. Written by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) follows a naïve and impossibly upbeat Brit, Dougal, who has just landed in New York for his estranged father's second wedding.