I started this blog with one daughter, kept it up with the other, to spend time together doing something we enjoyed.
However, things change and people evolve. My daughters are older, busier, and not as interested in writing.
From now on this blog will be mostly mom with occasional contributions from my daughters and maybe even my husband.
Nothing else will change. We'll still focus on sharing fun places to go, fun things to do, and more, and we would  still love to hear your views too

Sunday, July 7, 2019

Sunday Scoop Week of 7/7/19 - What's Happening This Week or Coming Up Soon

In This Week's Scoop

 1) Rave Festival Announces Participating Shows Tickets Available Now
2) Upcoming at State Theater New Jersey
    Free Summer Movie, Finding Nemo
3) Upcoming at New York City Center
     Promenade
4) Upcoming at TADA Youth Theater
    World Premiere Musical, Game Changers
5) Upcoming at American Museum of Natural History
     Evening Bat Walks
6) Upcoming at Kelsey Theatre
    Crazy For You
7) Brooklyn's Onstage at Kingsborough's at 2019 Hot Summer Nights Free Outdoor Concert Series
8) Upcoming at iPlay America
     WWE Hall of Famer, Shawn Michaels
9) Summertime Sip & Paint at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Engelwood, NJ
10) Upcoming at Merkin Hall
     International Keyboard Institute and Festival

PR Firm Roundup

 11) News from DDPR
     11A) BURIED- Will Make Its U.S. Premiere July 9-14
     11B) Sip & Act New Summer Dates Announced
12) News from JT Public Relations
      InProximity Theatre Company Calls for Submissions for the 3rd  Annual Project W Festival
13) News from Karen Greco PR
      13A) Fresh Fruit Festival at The Wild Project
      13B) 2019 East to Edinburgh Festival
14) News from Michelle Tabnick PR
      14A) Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival Dance Series
      14B) In This Life to Debut at Dance on Camera Festival
      14C) Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre Presents Green Afternoon VII
15) News from Polk and Co.
      Pretty Woman Celebrates Final Summer On Broadway Through August 18 Only

1) Rave Festival Announces Participating Shows
Tickets Available Now
The brand-new Rave Theater Festival has announced that out of hundreds of applications, 20 shows have been selected for the inaugural festival.  The festival will be held this summer from August 9-25, 2019 at Clemente Soto Veléz Cultural and Educational Center (107 Suffolk Street) on the Lower East Side. For its introductory year, Rave Theater Festival has selected a diverse roster of plays, musicals, family-friendly shows, and cross-disciplinary projects. 
The participating shows include:

  • 911 Gnomes: A Christmas Emergency, written by Shellie O'Neal, and directed by Crystal M. Griffith.
When the elves at the North Pole get the flu right before Christmas, nobody knows what to do! But wait a minute! Here come the gnomes to the rescue! In 911 Gnomes: A Christmas Emergency, take a trip with Rudolph, Frosty, and the strangest garden gnomes you've ever laid eyes on, as they work their way to the North Pole to save the day. What will happen when they arrive? Do gnomes even know how to make toys? How many things could go wrong on Christmas Eve? Come see 911 Gnomes to find out!

  • Back, written by Matt Webster, and directed by David Perlow.
When Derek moves away after high school, and Leah gets in a car accident killing her boyfriend Spencer, they come face to face with a new technology that proves to threaten their relationship and existence. Would you betray the person who loves you for a second chance at life?

  • Big Shot, music, book, and lyrics by Lauryn Gaffney, and directed by Orla Sheriden and Lauryn Gaffney.
Big Shot tells the story of Jeremy Crocker, an up-and-coming New York lawyer. Jeremy’s ambition in life is to own the most successful law firm in the city, but he soon finds himself distracted when he falls for Carrie, a struggling Irish artist. Carrie’s paintings are displayed on the walls of the coffee shop where Carrie works. Fate and a shared passion for art brings the two of them together, but when Crocker agrees to defend a white-collar gangster, Hank Midden, being charged with crimes, Jeremy has a tough decision to make. Not only is Midden guilty, but he is also engaged to Carrie.

  • Doppelgänger, written and directed by Craig Donnelly.
VideoSpace, the leading video content platform, loses its biggest draw star, Max Henderson, who dies suddenly in a prank gone wrong. Max's agent gets a brilliant idea to replace him; track down his doppelgänger and convince him to simply take over for Max. He enlists the help of VideoSpace's CEO as well as Max's sister to track down Sam Greene, who has been living a typical college life up until now. Ultimately, Sam must choose whether to leave his normal life behind to join the impossible stakes world of the social media elite.

  • Fancy Maids, written and directed by Harold Hodge Jr.
After narrowly escaping the horrors of slavery, Idabelle arrives to the North only to discover the Fugitive Slave Act has made it impossible for her to find honest work. With no other choice, she joins the women of Pinky's Pleasure House where she is confronted by a wealthy Southern planter who finds the women-run business disturbing. After an intense altercation in the privacy of her room, Idabella and the women are faced with a life-or-death dilemma that tests their morality and questions the value of revenge.

  • Girls On Tap, created and choreographed by Sally Dashwood, music by Sean Peter, and directed by Tim Dashwood.
Girls On Tap is a high energy, theatrical tap show celebrating women and girl power throughout the ages. Like all things female, the ladies of Girls On Tap multitask live on stage - whether they are dancing, singing a soulful song or using their daily hair care routine to tap out fun rhythms with a can of hairspray and a hair brush.Girls On Tap takes a look at female life both good and bad. Legacy, sisterhood, femininity vs. stereotypes, betrayal by our female counterparts, and objectification by the media. We are making a statement, but we’re having a lot of fun doing it. There’s an activewear sporting, online-dating inspired version of “Someone to Watch Over Me” (“Someone to Swipe Right For Me”), a powerful rock version of “Rolling in the Deep,” a fierce film noir style jazz routine reminiscent of Golden Era classics like Band Wagon and Singin’ in the Rain, a tongue-in-cheek take on the stereotypical 1950s housewife, and more. Girls On Tap is sure to appeal to people of all ages. Girls On Tap is fabulous, female and guaranteed to entertain.

  • Just Laugh, book and lyrics by Lauren Gundrum, music, book and lyrics by Brandon Lambert, and directed by Tyler Spicer.
Just Laugh is a vignette-style musical comedy about one family’s most awkward, hilarious, and often beautiful milestone moments. It begins with the birth of Martha and Frank’s son Timmy and follows Timmy as he learns all of life’s most important lessons - from the birds and the bees, to how to properly ask someone to divorce you, and everything in between. As Timmy grows he realizes that while life may be a series of struggles, the one thing that will always get you through is laughter.

  • Ni Mi Madre, written by Arturo Luís Soria, and directed by Danilo Gambini.
Inspirited with the tradition of Umbanda ritual, the music of Gloria Estefan, Cher, and Maria Bethânia, Ni Mi Madre invites the audience into the tumultuous relationship between Bete (a larger-than-life Brazilian woman who swears that if it weren’t for Madonna, Meryl Streep, and Angelina Jolie she would have been the “It” thing) and her queer son. As she grapples with the secrets that tear her and her son apart, the unbidden memories of her estranged mother, and the lineage that binds them all together she unveils to us, her confidants, her judges, her audience, the downfalls of American parenting.

  • Noirtown, written by Michael Bontatibus.
In the newest experience from immersive theater company WITNESS, step into the shadowy and seductive world of film noir. A trio of interlocking mysteries, each linked by one enigmatic woman, are investigated by three private detectives who couldn’t be more different from one another. Audiences will be free to step out of their seats and walk from room to room, choosing which detectives to follow on their journeys through the underbelly of the city – where no one can be trusted and nothing is as it seems.

  • Oceanborn, book by Morgan Smith, and music and lyrics by Mhairi Cameron.
Oceanborn is the story of Viking raids on the Outer Hebrides and the aftermath of their violence, rousingly political and tinged with legend. This political musical featuring an original blend of Celtic rock, pop, and folk music, tackles the cyclic nature of violence, xenophobia, misogyny, and cultural isolationism head on.Oceanborn follows two young women as they face the pressures and expectations of future leadership in a climate of violence and uncertainty. Eira, a Viking warrior and next Chief of her tribe, struggles to overcome the prejudice against female leaders in her culture. Finn, the daughter of a Celtic fisherman, has a desperate wish to escape responsibility and wander the world. When a failed raid leaves Eira abandoned, assumed dead, on Finn’s shore, she is faced with the culture that left her parentless. As understanding and an unlikely friendship blossoms between them, wicked ministrations by the trickster god Gideon incite a series of violent events.

  • Rose’s War, written by Todd Allan, score by Peter. B. Allen and Doug Katsaros, lyrics by Mathayu Warren-Lane, Peter B. Allen, and Todd Allan, and directed by Todd Allan.
WWII rages in Rose’s War as Rose Sweet, a talented black singer-songwriter, shattered by the death of her white mother, walks in on a raucous rehearsal at The Pair O’ Dice Club in Harlem. Rose is hungry to be a star. The club’s owner, Cecil Clay, a troubled black trumpet virtuoso, leads the band and doesn’t know, yet, that he is Rose’s father. But she certainly does. Danny Capucci, Cecil’s young white protégé, is in an airman’s uniform playing the piano and singing a new hit song written by him and Cecil. Cecil is furious that Danny is going off to war and fearful he’ll never return. Fearlessly Rose offers to replace Danny, and after an impressive audition singing and dancing with Danny, Cecil hires her as his cigarette girl, to start. Rose and Danny are in love and pledge to write each other every day. As Rose struggles to make it in a white-ruled music business, Danny is getting more and more terrified that he won’t survive his next bombing mission. In a moment of weakness he betrays Rose with Sophie Leland, a white songbird at the London USO. Consumed with guilt Danny stops sending Rose letters. By the time Danny returns from the war both he and Rose are damaged. Sophie’s returned to New York, too, and more than cherishes her friendship with Danny.  The odds are terribly stacked against Rose and Danny making it. The general belief is mixed race couples are doomed. There are many more battles to be fought if Rose and Danny are to get their happy ending. 

  • Stormy Weather, written by Michael Wills, and directed by Jacob Demlow.
A ferocious storm rages outside the Fire Island beach house of Tim Bailey, a 40-year-old gay man having a mid-life crisis – He’s lost his job, his husband started divorce proceedings, and his adopted daughter will soon leave the nest. When a yacht gets struck by lightning and everyone is washed overboard, a night of surprise visitors begins as each nearly drowned passenger, which include Tim’s ex-boss and ex-husband, make their way to Tim’s front door. As calamity ensues, Tim is forced to face his demons and hilariously fight to regain control of his life.

  • Sweet Lorraine, written by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj and Adam Mace, and directed by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj.
Sweet Lorraine is a dramatic interpretation of the final conversation between best friends Lorraine Hansberry and James Baldwin in Lorraine’s New York City hospital room in January 1965. The play is set one week prior to Lorraine’s passing from pancreatic cancer and explores the complex, dynamic and often heated relationship between these two prolific, creative giants and American artists and activists.

  • The Erroneous Moby Dick, written and directed by Thom Talbott.
The Erroneous Moby Dick is a comedy adaptation of Herman Melville’s classic masterpiece, Moby Dick, using four actors to bring an assortment of madcap characters to life, in true tour de farce. Call him Ishmael, but he wants to be a whaler and he has arrived in New Bedford to find a ship. There he meets his mysterious bed mate, Queequeg; the hysterical owner of the Spouter Inn, Mrs. Coffin; the ever dependable first mate, Mr. Starbuck along with his long suffering wife, Mary; the peculiar wharf rat, Elijah; the blustery Father Mapple; and finally, the obsessive, overwrought, and on-edge Captain Ahab. Sign on to the whaler, Pequod, for a voyage on the high seas of hilarity and a Moby Dick that you haven’t seen before.

  • The Perfect Fit, written by Joshua Turchin, and directed by Garth Kravits.
Alexandra, a driven child actor with a powerful voice, grows concerned that she is growing too old to play a child and too young to play an adult. After being cast in a musical, she is sabotaged by Elizabeth's mom, a vindictive stage parent who would do anything for her daughter to succeed, leading to Alexandra getting fired from the show. Alexandra wants to give up her dreams of being a musical star, but her best friend Jake, a budding composer, and her mother, Annie, teach Alexandra to move forward. It is through the heartbreak and defeat that she faces that allow her to find her real perfect fit. Not only does Alexandra soon get cast in a brand new musical, she becomes the lead and makes her major stage debut.

  • Less Than Rent Theatre presents The Tycoons!, written by Graham Techler, and directed by Max Friedman.
New York City, 1902. A sheepish law student’s courtship of the daughter of the nation’s most powerful railroad magnate gives way to a series of plots, counterplots, and counter-counterplots that will suck in and take down everyone that the young lovers have ever met and/or held dear. The Tycoons! is a ribald and lusty farce replete with taxidermied animal heads, lentil pâté, light-to-heavy fondling, and something called “The Seawife and the Honeypot."

  • Training Wheels, written by Robin Bradford, and directed by Lee Sankowich.
In this vibrant, witty drama, a long-married lesbian couple, Penny and Katherine, suffer from a gradual breakdown of their relationship. When Penny discovers Katherine's infidelity, with a man no less, the couple seek marital counseling. Deeply felt emotions force them to reevaluate their lives and their lifestyles. Tension develops as the two stake out their individual territories, allowing for a peek into their sometimes neurotic, often complicated, and always quirky partnership. The tension between the human desire to settle down in a heteronormative lifestyle is contrasted by the excitement of one defined by sex with other people. Can a relationship plagued by lies, deceit, and unfaithfulness be trumped by true affection? Can these two set aside past hurts and focus instead on their mutual love for each other? Through this portrait of a lesbian relationship, the question is raised: When it comes to love, don't we all want the same things?

  • Umshado, book by Bogosi Bolokwe, music and lyrics by Eddie Mathiba, and directed by Bogosi Bolokwe.
Umshado tells the story of a young man’s journey from his roots in the kraal of Moruleng to Shantytown of Mamelodi in Pretoria.  The show opens during ceremonial preparation for his entrance into manhood and it captures this initiation rite of passage for a Tswana boy.  The story continues from his initiation to love and marriage.  Confronted by the traditional practices as many before him, he migrates to Urban city to find a job.  Arriving in Pretoria he becomes a bricklayer.  Here for the first time he makes contact with people of other races, cultures, traditions and languages.  He is amazed by the ability of these peoples from various cultures to work productively together.  He learns about their music and enjoys a repertoire of performance styles that carried strong and rich traditional melodies.  He eventually falls in love with a domestic worker originating from Zululand.  After experiencing a church wedding, he decides to remain true to tradition. He arranges with his elders to go and negotiate for marriage in the rural Zululand. As usual with different tribes, the bride’s father becomes adamant that he will not allow cross cultural marriage to take place with his daughter. Emissaries settle the dispute and manage to unite two families. The groom invites his colleagues then the celebration takes place, displaying the various cultures and capturing the magic of diverse cultures of African tribes, which is raw beauty and enhancing social cohesion, and to appreciate cross cultural marriages which is still an existing problem worldwide.

  • Waiting for Johnny Depp, book, lyrics and music by Janet Cole Valdez and Deedee O'Malley, music by Bettie Ross, and directed by Holly Friedman.
Waiting for Johnny Depp takes us on a wild ride with New York actress Rita Donatella, in her quest to land the role of a lifetime in a Johnny Depp film. She constantly reinvents herself to be more perfect for the role as she navigates the rough waters of surviving in the Big Apple with her dreams intact. With humor and chutzpah she fights the financial and personal battles every artist wrestles with. Through demands of career, dating and family she sells off all her personal possessions, sacrificing practically everything before she realizes the meaning of what really matters in life.

  • Young Pilgrims, written by Sydney Blake, and directed by Max Hunter.
Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl...in 1620 on the Mayflower. John Alden, a poor, strapping young carpenter, works on the Mayflower in hopes of building a better future for himself. While on board he meets the girl of his dreams, Priscilla Mullins, who's already being courted by the "perfect Pilgrim." After saving the ship from a harrowing storm, fighting off "savages" awaiting on land, and nursing his rival back from the brink of death, John finds his place in the new world . . . and maybe even love.


For more information or to purchase tickets, visit RaveTheaterFestival.com
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2) Upcoming at State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Ave.
New Brunswick, NJ

Finding Nemo

Tuesday July 9, 10:30 AM & 7:00 PM

For more information or to reserve tickets now, visit 
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3) Upcoming at New York City Center
131 W. 55th St.
New York, NY

Promenade 

July 10 & 11, 7:30 PM

A zany anti-adventure written by the “mother of avant-garde theater,” Maria Irene Fornes, and featuring an eclectic musical score by Judson Church Reverend Al Carmines, Promenade promises outlandish fun that examines the ways in which social status can both liberate and imprison.

Promenade is part of the 2019 Encores! Off-Center season along with Working: A Musical and Road Show. These seldom-performed gems each explore and re-examine the concept of the American Dream

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2018-2019/promenade/
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4) Upcoming at TADA Youth Theater
15 W. 28th St.
(between Broadway and 5th Ave.)
2nd Floor
New York, NY

Game Changers

EVENT:            TADA! Youth Theater Presents World Premiere Game Changers, July 

WHEN:             July 10 at 7PM
   July 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 at 12PM & 2PM
                        July 12, 19, 26 at 12PM
                        July 13, 20, 27 at 2PM & 4PM
  August 1 at 12PM & 2PM


WHERE:         TADA! Youth Theater
                        15 W 28th Street, 2nd Floor Theater (between Broadway and 5th Avenue)
   New York, NY 10001


DETAILS:         This summer, TADA! Youth Theater, New York City’s longest running children’s theater, finishes its 34th Season with the world premiere of Game Changers, a 90s pop-musical for family audiences. A throwback to the popular kids’ game shows of the 1990s, Games Changers follows six young contestants, each determined to be the first to make it to the top of Mt. Victory and win the game. As the challenges increase in difficulty and the stakes heighten, each contestant learns more about themselves and each other, ultimately leading them to realize that in order to win the game, they must do something that’s never been done before.

TICKETS:         Please visit https://www.tadatheater.com/buy-tickets/ for more information
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5) Upcoming at the American Museum of Natural History
Central Park W. at 79th St.
New York, NY

Evening Bat Walks in Central Park

Fridays, July 12 or 19, and August 2 or 9, 8:00 PM
Join Brad Klein, Danielle Gustafson, and other members of the New York City Bat Group for a bat-spotting adventure in Central Park.

For more information, visit www.amnh.org/calendar/evening-bat-walks
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6) Upcoming at Kelsey Theatre
1200 Old Trenton Rd.
West Windsor, NJ

Crazy For You

July 12 - July 21

This high-energy comedy is classic Ken Ludwig - plot twists, physical farc and mistaken identities, plus classic George & Ira Gershwin music - "I've Got Rythm'" "Someone To Watch Over Me," " Nice Work If You Can Get It," and "Embraceable You."

Bobby Child, a stage-struck NYC banker heads to a sleepy, desolate Nevada town to foreclose a rundown theater. It's love at first sight when he runs into spunky Polly Baker, the theater owner's daughter, who doesn't realize he's the heartless businessman she's vowed to get even with.  What follows is hilarity and lots of song and dance razzmatazz!

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit 
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7) Brooklyn’s On Stage At Kingsborough Announces the 2019 HOT SUMMER NIGHTS! Free Outdoor Concert Series

 Swing Under the Stars and by the Sea with 2019 GRAMMY® Nominated Artists Dan Pugach and Nicole Zuraitis,
Fantine and the French Horn Collective and more

Every Saturday Evening in July
8:00 PM
2019 HOT SUMMER NIGHTS! Free Outdoor Concert Series


Date
Time
Artist
July 6, 2019           
8:00 PM
THE GEORGE GEE SWING ORCHESTRA
with Special Guest Vocalist John Dokes & a Lindy-Hopping Dance Duo!

July 13, 2019
8:00 PM
FANTINE & THE FRENCH HORN COLLECTIVE
July 20, 2019
8:00 PM
DAVINA AND THE VAGABONDS
July 27, 2019
8:00 PM
NICOLE ZURAITIS & THE DAN PUGACH NONET

Brooklyn, New York – On Stage At Kingsborough, a leading performing arts presenter located on the campus of Brooklyn’s Kingsborough Community College presents its 2019 HOT SUMMER NIGHTS! FREE Outdoor Concert series, featuring concerts under the stars every Saturday at 8:00 p.m. beginning July 6th and ending July 27th. The series is proudly sponsored by Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. HOT SUMMER NIGHTS! will feature a wide range of outstanding jazz and swing musicians with unforgettable al fresco concerts under the stars. From New Orleans blues to French Gypsy Jazz, each concert will offer something different while guaranteeing a swingin’ good time. The audience can dance, sit in furnished chairs or picnic on the lawn, all while enjoying the fresh sea breeze and stunning sunset and lighthouse in the background.

This season continue your Independence Day celebration with The George Gee Swing Orchestra featuring special guest vocalist John Dokes and a Lindy-Hopping dance duo. The George Gee Swing Orchestra is the swingin’-est, blowin’-est, heppest classic big band in New York City. They are in residence at Swing 46 in Manhattan and have dazzled audiences from Boston to Tokyo, including gigs at the “I Love Jazz” festival in Brazil and Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night’s Swing festival. The group is helmed by George Gee, who has been playing in and leading big bands since 1979-- before the genre became a cultural phenomenon. Vocalist John Dokes uses his wryly smooth baritone to delight audiences at Jazz Clubs throughout New York City. Singing a mixture of blues, ballads and jazz standards his unmistakable swinging delivery is entirely his own while harkening back to greats like Nat King Cole and Joe Williams.

Fantine and The French Horn Collective heat up the summer concert series with an eclectic mix of French Gypsy Jazz, Hot Swing, and tunes from around the globe! Fantine is a multilingual artist with a powerful yet sultry voice who has toured the world and recorded with such music stars as Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Erykah Badu, Igor Butman, and Wyclef Jean. Her album “I Am Fantine” was produced by 19-time Grammy Award winning producer Emilio Estefan and seven-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan (who also co-wrote two of the songs). Fantine’s song “Reservation for Two” peaked at No. 5 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs list. Fantine will be backed up by the acclaimed French Horn Collective, who have brought their signature fusion of Gypsy Jazz, Jazz, French Eclectic Original Music and Hot Swing to numerous festivals, including the Art Deco South Miami Beach Festival, The Moca Jazz Series, and The Miami Nice Jazz Festival.  

Since exploding onto the scene in 2005, Davina and The Vagabonds has grown into one of the most exciting acoustic ensembles on the international stage. With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the group’s shows are filled with New Orleans charm, Memphis soul swagger, dark theatrical moments, and tender gospel passages.  This rollicking quintet has played festivals from Ontario to Romania, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and more.

Closing out the series is The Dan Pugach Nonet, a nine-piece ensemble led by GRAMMY® nominated drummer, Dan Pugach, featuring GRAMMY® nominated vocalist Nicole Zuraitis. This joyful mini big band comprised of six horns and a driving rhythm-section features gorgeous jazz arrangements, as well as inventive original compositions by both Dan and Nicole. The nine-piece ensemble has already won two ASCAP Jazz Composer Awards, a prestigious residency at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington D.C., and was nominated, alongside Nicole, for a 2019 GRAMMY®  for Best Arrangement, Instruments with Vocals for their song, “Jolene.”

GENERAL INFORMATION:
All concerts take place at Kingsborough’s Lighthouse Bandshell, on the campus of Kingsborough Community College. Admission and parking are free and open to the public. Kingsborough’s gates open at 7:00 p.m. and the concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. Reservations are not necessary. A limited number of seats are available, but all are welcome to bring blankets and folding chairs for our lawn.

Rain Location: In the event of inclement weather, the concerts will be relocated to the air-conditioned Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center. Updated location information will be available on our box office line - (718) 368-5596 - starting at 4:00 p.m. on concert days.

Picnic Information: To complete a gorgeous night of great music in a friendly community setting, our gates open at 7:00 p.m. and picnicking is welcomed.  Sandwiches, chips, ice cream, and beverages will be available for sale, or you can bring your own!

Box Office Location: On Stage At Kingsborough box office, Kingsborough Community College, 2001 Oriental Boulevard (cross street: Oxford), Brooklyn, NY. There is ample, free parking on the campus.
Box Office Hours (for July):  10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
By Phone: (718) 368-5596
Online: www.OnStageAtKingsborough.org
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8) Upcoming at iPlay America
110 Schank Rd.
Freehold, NJ

   WWE Hall of Famer, Shawn Michaels

July 13  Door Time: 11:30 AM; Start Time: 12:00 PM

Are you brave enough to step in the ring and meet legendary WWE Superstar, Shawn Michaels? Fans will have the chance to meet and take a photo with Shawn Michaels, and VIP ticketholders will receive an autographed item.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit 
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9) SUMMERTIME PAINT & SIP
Art Class 
Lead by Englewood’s Local Artist
The Jahz & The Michelles

Saturday, July 13, 2019
4PM to 9PM
Crowne Plaza Hotel
401 South Van Brunt Street
Englewood, New Jersey

The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Englewood, New Jersey is hosting a Summertime Paint & Sip on Saturday, July 13th from 4PM- 9PM.  The art class will be led by Jahz “The Painting Emcee” a locally based artist from Englewood whose current artwork is on display throughout the lobby of The Crowne Plaza Hotel. The theme of this Paint & Sip is Butterflies. No painting experience is necessary, this is open to the general public. Limited seats are available; participants are encouraged to sign up early on Eventbrite.com.  The $30.00 fee will cover the use of art supplies and includes complimentary refreshments and snacks. The Blue City Grille menu and beverages are available for purchase. The Crowne Plaza will be giving away promotional items.

To register, visit Eventbrite.com
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10) Upcoming at Merkin Hall
129 W. 67th St.
New York, NY

International Keyboard Institute and Festival

July 14 - 21 Multiple Times

The 2019 festival features pianists Jerome Rose, Jeffrey Swan, George Li, Vadym Kholodenko, Alon Goldstein and Vladimir Feltsman. 

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PR Firm Roundup

11) News from DDPR

11A) BURIED
TO MAKE ITS U.S. PREMIERE
AT THE NEW YORK MUSICAL FESTIVAL
JULY 9 - 14 
AT THE ALICE GRIFFIN JEWEL BOX THEATRE


BURIED, a razor-sharp new musical featuring music and lyrics by Cordelia O’Driscoll, book and lyrics by Tom Williams and orchestrations and musical direction by Olivia Doust will be making its U.S. premiere at the New York Musical Festival this Summer. The dark comedy about two serial killers who discover each other’s life’s passion while out on a blind date has been lauded in the U.K. for its biting wit and soaring, soulful score and will run July 9-14 at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street. The production is the only British musical that will be featured at the festival and is an official selection of the 2019 New York Musical Festival’s Next Link Project. https://buriedthemusical.co.uk

When Rose and Harry meet on a date, they uncover something unexpected: they’re both serial killers. This unconventional love story is a darkly comedic tale of friendship, road trips and life on the edge. Oh... and a whole lot of murder. Accompanied by a highly original, soulful folk score, BURIED demonstrates how love is unique to everyone and illuminates the darkness in us all.
 
There will only be five performances of BURIED and they will take place on.

Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at 8:00 pm; Thursday, July 11, 2019; at 1:00 pm; Friday, July 12, 2019 at 9:00 pm; Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 5:00 pm; and Sunday, July 14, 2019 at 1:00 pm.

Tickets start at $29.50 and are available online at http://www.nymf.org/festival/2019-events/buried/ or by calling 212-352-3101.

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11B) SIP & ACT - New Summer Dates Announced

SIP & ACT: A BYOB CRASH COURSE IN ACTING – a summer drinking & theatrical experience that helps you feel more comfortable speaking and performing in front of people - with drinks from the on-site bar - live on an actual Off-Broadway stage! 


You and a friend, colleague or family member will practice and then perform scripts from well-known tv shows and movies with instructors offering tips along the way. Participants loosen limbs with their favorite beverage in hand and test out their acting chops during a 90-minute “class” designed for total beginners who’ve always dreamed about acting, but who’ve never had the opportunity, nerve or right amount of alcohol!  It’s also a fun way to meet new people.


SIP & ACT actors will perform scenes from sitcoms like Friends or Cheers and from Oscar-nominated screenplays like Silver Linings Playbook and When Harry Met Sally.


Russell Acting Studio is one of New York’s top-rated boutique acting studios. In a relaxed, social setting, instructor/actors Catherine Russell and Bradley Bemboom will guide you step-by-step through creating a memorable performance. 


  • Thursday, July 11 at 6:30 PM

  • Saturday, July 20 at 5 PM

  • Thursday, July 25 at 6:30 PM

  • Saturday, July 27 at 5 PM

  • Saturday, August 3 at 5 PM

  • Thursday, August 8 at 6:30 PM

  • Saturday, August 17 at 5 PM

  • Thursday, August 22 at 6:30 PM
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12) News from JT Public Relations

INPROXIMITY THEATRE COMPANY

Announces a Call for Submissions for the 3rd Annual 
PROJECT W THEATRE FESTIVAL


Submission Deadline is August 5, 2019


New York: InProximity Theatre Company (Jolie Curtsinger, Laurie Schaefer Fenton, Co-Artistic Directors; Managing Director Lisa Dozier King) PROJECT W Theatre Festival is currently seeking submissions for contemporary non-musical plays written by women and female-identifying writers. Project W Theatre Festival will take place September 2019.

PROJECT W Theatre Festival is a celebration of women in theatre from both the creative and business aspects. This multi-day play reading festival features new plays, written, directed, produced, and managed exclusively by professional women in theatre.

Deadline for Submissions is August 5, 2019. Submissions should be production-ready or very close. They cannot have had more than one professional production in the US and must not have been produced or had a highly publicized reading in NYC. A PDF and any production or reading history should be to info@inproximitytheatre.org. 

For more information about InProximity or Project W Theatre Festival please visit www.inproximitytheatre.org
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13) News from Karen Greco PR

13A) What's on at the wild project


July 8 – July 21
FRESH FRUIT FESTIVAL
Produced by All Out Arts
Tickets: $18
 
The 17th consecutive festival of LGBT Arts returns to The Wild Project and other venues. Details coming soon!

Fresh Fruit Week 1: July 8 – 14
 
Monday 7/8 8pm; Wednesday 7/10 6:30 pm; Sunday 7/14 4:30 pm
PARLOR TRICKS by Charlotte Bush

A quasi-historical comedy of sex, seances, and sisterhood would quote the universality of femmes+’s need for respect. “The Mystic Thornes” – Margaret, Lillian & Ida – survive as a spiritualist act, but could one of them be the real thing? The final seance is in 1910, and beyond.

Tuesday 7/9 6:30 pm; Thursday 7/11 7:00 pm; Sunday 7/14 6:30 pm 
METROPOLITAN by Thomas Picasso and Mikey Rosenbaum
 
A musical Valentine to New York audiences, especially those who have migrated to the Big Apple in search of adventure and the artistic life. A shifting timeline in “the Metropolitan Bar” mirrors the fluidity of sexual orientation so vital to self-image.
 
Tuesday 7/9 8:30 pm; Friday 7/12 9:00 pm; Saturday 7/13 2:00 pm
LOVEBIRD JAMBOREE by Sarah Elisabeth Brown
 
Based on a series of interviews from people in the LGBTQI community, eight characters present their key love stories.  Supported by the Santa Fe Community Foundation as part of their storytelling project, the work premiered in New Mexico in 2000.
 
Wednesday 7/10 8:30 pm; Sunday 7/14 2:30 pm  
ALL OVER THE MAP featuring the international mime Bill Bowers
 
50 states, 30 years on the road, 25 countries, 2 hookers, 1 bunny, and a mime!  Bill Bowers takes you places so unbelievable they could only be true. Bowers has performed on Broadway, at the Kennedy Center, the White House, and the finest grade school cafetoriums around the world. In ALL OVER THE MAP, he shares stories and characters that will stay with you long after lights up.   A special presentation by All Out Arts
 
Thursday 7/11 9:00 pm; Saturday 7/13 3:30 pm  
LGBTQ CHOREOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE curated by John Zullo
 
All Out Arts presents its semi-annual review of new LGBTQ choreography.
 
Friday 7/12 7:00 pm; Saturday 7/13 8:00 pm; Sunday 7/14 4:30 pm 
BISMILLAH by Nikita Aschtiani
 
When a bar shooting changes their lives forever, longtime Middle-Eastern friends with varied upbringings question their beliefs and fight for what’s right in a new and troubling world.  At what point do we as a society decide there are conditions to welcoming those with differences?
 
Fresh Fruit Week 2: July 15 – 21
 
Monday 7/15 6 pm; Wednesday 7/17 6 pm; Saturday 7/20 6 pm
KID STUFF by Julia Curtis
 
Three recent college grads field a mountain climbing trip to kick off their new, adult lives, only to find the path mired in the complex emotions binding them to each other. It sheds light on the often confusing fluidity of sexuality, and how we must show grace and kindness when exploring our ever-changing feelings.
 
Monday 7/15 8:30 pm; Friday 7/19  8:30 pm; Saturday 7/20 2:00 pm
HEAD FIRST by Dennis Bush
 
One young man’s journey of survival, and taking control of a life for which much of the control was taken away from him. While celebrating the sexuality of the main character, it shines a light on the perceptions of relationships, and illuminates similarities rather than differences, doing so with humor, passion, overt sexual expression . . .  and truth.
 
Tuesday 7/16 6:30 pm;  Saturday 7/20  4 pm    
ONE-ACT PLAYS curated by Liz Thaler
 
A collection of new LGBT one-act plays.
 
Tuesday 7/16 8:30 pm; Thursday 7/18 6 pm; Friday 7/19 6:30 pm 
POOLSIDE GLOW by Luis Herrera
 
In many worlds, developing feelings means developing fears of those feelings. The relationship between two girls is examined at different points in their lives, showing the consequences of choice.
 
Wednesday 7/17 8:30 pm  
THE KNIFE CUTS BOTH WAYS created and performed by Cecilia Gentili, directed by Gene Fischer
 
The Knife Cuts Both Ways is a hilarious and raunchy autobiographical take on one trans woman’s queer multicultural experience.
 
Thursday 7/18 8 pm; Saturday 7/20  8 pm; Sunday 7/21  4 pm  
HERE TO RECRUIT YOU —  A MUSICAL written and directed by Michael Boyd
 
The little-known theatrical career of gay political icon Harvey Milk, from a bohemian life in New York City theatre in the 60s, to a celebrated political life cut short by an assassin’s bullet.  The All Out Arts special feature for the Stonewall-50 Celebration.
 
Sunday 7/21 2 pm (Reception begins at 1:30 pm)
NIGHT VISIONS by Johnny B. Dunn
 
A troubled gay teen spending a summer at his uncle’s home in rural Louisiana is seduced and terrorized by a spirit in agony. Love and a voodoo priestess are his only hope.

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13B) 59E59 Theaters announces the line up for EAST TO EDINBURGH, the preview festival of US shows heading to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) announces the 2019 line up for the annual EAST TO EDINBURGH festival. EAST TO EDINBURGH begins on Tuesday, July 9 for a limited engagement through Sunday, July 28. The performance schedule varies. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets to each EAST TO EDINBURGH show are $15 ($12 for 59E59 Members). 

Created as a way to help shows get on their feet before flying off to Scotland for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (the largest arts festival in the world), EAST TO EDINBURGH simulates the same production constraints that all shows experience during the Fringe, while giving companies a clean, comfortable, and nurturing space to fine-tune their productions. This year’s whirlwind festival features thirteen adventurous productions from around New York and across the US.

The 2019 EAST TO EDINBURGH line up is:

July 9 & 11 at 6:30 PM, July 10 at 8:30 PM
I’M COMING written and performed by Molly Brenner, directed by Joanna Simmons

Molly finally had an orgasm. What’s her secret? The answers may surprise you! I’M COMING chronicles comedian Molly Brenner’s long, infuriating and ultimately empowering journey to the Big O. It is an honest, sex-positive, and unnervingly funny take on pleasure and the ever-elusive female orgasm. “Enlightening” and “boldly personal” (TheaterInTheNow.com).

July 9, 11 & 12 at 8:30 PM 
LEAVES written by Alex Highsmith, Amanda Lea Mason, Eryn Siobhan O'Sullivan, directed by Elizabeth May
With Alex Highsmith, Amanda Lea Mason, and Eryn O'Sullivan
Produced by Don, Pat & Tom

In Outside Time, there is no death, only leaving. Chrysanthemums are sentient beings, wells open worlds, and an unlikely trio teams up to face their myths. In this elemental quest of music, grief and growth, three women brave the unknown to reconcile big change with the help of Walt Whitman. A new play what weaves original music, puppetry, and a bit of magic.

July 10 at 6:30 PM; July 14 & 21 at 7:30 PM
THE PRESENTED written and performed by Chris Davis, directed by Mary Tuomanen

Writer/performer Chris Davis, called "the Spalding Gray of Philly" (Cameron Kelsall, Broad Street Review), examines the issues facing many theater artists today in a fun and hilarious 50-minute show that will make you never want to pursue a career in the arts ever again.

July 12 & 24 at 6:30 PM; July 20, 21 & 27 at 2:30 PM; July 23 at 8:30 PM
HELLO, DADDY! written, directed and performed by Sam Morrison

Featured in The New York Times and Time Out, Morrison is a master at finding hilarity in the awkward adventures of being a closeted gay man...who wants to have sex with your dad. This 24-year-old stand up prepares to debut a hilarious and deeply uncomfortable queer coming of age story.

July 13 at 2:30 PM, July 14 at 2:30 PM & 4:30 PM
I AM written and directed by Stacy Lynn Gould, music and lyrics by Lauren Hendon
With Margot Dale, Lauren Hendon, Aleksandr Krapivkin, Amber Lageman, and Courtney Megaro

What if you could meet your inner demons? Delve into a woman's mind and watch her demons fight for power over the light.

July 13 at 4:30 PM; July 20 at 6:30 PM; July 26 at 8:30 PM
I’M JUST KIDNEYING written and performed by Amanda Nicastro, directed by Frankie Johnson and Geoff Grimwood

Amanda donated her kidney! And saved two lives! What? From carrying her urine on the NYC subway to enduring needle-happy nurses to passing resounding farts, this whimsical comedy questions what it takes to be a “hero.”

July 13 at 6:30 PM; July 20 at 8:30 PM; July 28 at 7:30 PM
MADAME KOMONDOR WILL SEE YOU NOW written and performed by Krista Komondor, directed by Ed Malone

Treat yourself to a one-night stand with Love and Men’s Health SEXpert Madame Komondor!
Sit back, relax, get your mind into gutter as this lovechild of Dr. Ruth and Lenny Bruce whips you into hysterics and leaves you begging for more.

July 13, 18 & 27 at 8:30 PM
HETAIRA written by Allie Jessing, directed by Kaitlyn Schirard
With Allie Jessing and Steph Babirak
Produced by Volva Productions

What do Socrates, Galileo, and Mozart have in common? Aspasia. A muse for millennia, Hetaira is here to entrance you with a cabaret that is sure to entertain, allure, and inspire.

July 16 & 17 at 6:30 PM; July 27 & 28 at 4:30 PM
STATIC written and performed by Daniel Amedee and Conor Kelly O'Brien
Produced by New Vintage Ensemble

STATIC is a hybrid theater / live concert production that tells the story of a son using music as a means to cope with losing his father to dementia.

July 16, 19 & 24 at 8:30 PM
AGATHA IS MISSING! written and performed by Prudence Wright Holmes

Ace Detective, Miss Clarissa Marbles has arrived to solve the mysterious disappearance of the famous mystery writer, Agatha Christie and she will not rest until she finds out whodunnit.

July 17 at 8:30 PM; July 18 & 19 at 6:30 PM; July 20 & 21 at 4:30 PM
VOICE OF AUTHORITY written and performed by Dean Temple, directed by Carol Lee Sirugo
Produced by Drake Creative

When Dean goes to work for his rich uncle, he thinks he's got it made. But now his uncle has disappeared and the US Department of Justice is after Dean for $19 million he doesn't have. What he needs is a lawyer. What he finds is a ballet dancer. The true story of turning a complete catastrophe into a pretty damn good musical number. Winner, Best of Fest Award, Pittsburgh Fringe Festival 2018

July 23 & 25 at 6:30 PM
HITLER’S TASTERS written by Michelle Kholos Brooks, directed by Sarah Norris
With Hallie Griffin, MaryKathryn Kopp, Kaitlin Paige Longoria, and Hannah Mae Sturges
Produced by New Light Theater Project

A dark comedy about the young women who had the “honor” of being Adolph Hitler’s food tasters. Based on true events, Hitler’s Tasters explores the way girls navigate sexuality, friendship, patriotism, and poison during the Third Reich.

July 25 at 8:30 PM; July 26 & 27 at 6:30 PM
MONICA: THIS PLAY IS NOT ABOUT MONICA LEWINKSY written by Dianne Nora, directed by Hannah Tova Wolff
With Jack Collard, Cori Hundt, Caroline Kinsolving, Martín Solá, and Rafe Terrizzi
Produced by Via Brooklyn

Sex. Scandal. Secrets. Monica traverses infamy and intimacy as she reclaims a life beyond the media’s watchful eye. 

To purchase tickets, call the 59E59 Box Office at 646-892-7999 or visit www.59e59.org. 
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14) News from Michelle Tabnick PR

14A) Lincoln Center's 
Mostly Mozart Festival 
Dance Series

Mark Morris Dance Group
World Premiere of Sport
July 10-13

The intrepid Mark Morris Dance Group opens the festival with a world premiere set to whimsical music by Erik Satie as well as two works from its repertory, Empire Garden and V.

Return Engagement of Blak Whyte Gray
August 1-3

Blak Whyte Gray, which had its sensational U.S. premiere at Lincoln Center's 2018 White Light Festival, returns for an encore performance. A riveting work by East London-based Boy Blue, the piece fuses hip-hop dance with African-inspired grooves and an electronic score.

U.S. Premiere of Under Siege
August 8-10

Celebrated Chinese choreographer Yang Liping's dance troupe performs the U.S. premiere of Under Siege, the story of an ancient Chinese battle that fuses contemporary dance with martial arts, Chinese folk dance, hip-hop, and gymnastics set within an intensely beautiful visual landscape created by Oscar winner Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).

This summer's Mostly Mozart Festival will run from July 10 through August 10, 2019. Harnessing Mozart's innovative spirit as its inspiration, the 2019 festival builds upon the expanded scope established last summer with groundbreaking, international, and multidisciplinary productions, acclaimed artists from all genres, introductions to emerging creative voices, commissions and premieres, and the presentation of new work and ideas.  American Express is the lead sponsor of the Mostly Mozart Festival.

Now in its 53rd year, the Mostly Mozart Festival is one of several annual summer events offered by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts that activate the campus's indoor and outdoor spaces. Midsummer Night Swing (June 25-July 13) brings top bands from around the world, dance instructors, and New York's social dance community to Damrosch Park for three weeks of dancing under the stars. Lincoln Center Out of Doors (July 25-August 11) presents a wide array of free performances, including music, dance, spoken word, film, and more, reflecting the diversity of New York City. The David Rubenstein Atrium's robust calendar of free events, including world-class performances, illuminating conversations, dance parties, children's programming, and more, also continues throughout the summer.

Tickets can be purchased online at MostlyMozartFestival.org, by phone via CenterCharge at 212.721.6500, or by visiting the David Geffen Hall or Alice Tully Hall Box Offices.

Details on the full Mostly Mozart Festival lineup may be found at MostlyMozartFestival.org.

***

14B) IN THIS LIFE TO DEBUT AT DANCE ON CAMERA FESTIVAL
Bat-Sheva Guez's short film In This Life will make its NY premiere at Dance on Camera Festival on Friday, July 12, 2019 at 8:45pm. Presented by Film at Lincoln Center and Dance Films Association, the short will screen at the Walter Reade Theater as part of the 47th edition of the Dance on Camera Festival. Tickets are $15 and are available at www.filmlinc.org/films.

In five acts, In This Life explores the language of loss, conveying the complexity of grief in the often-wordless way it impacts our lives. The film is a leap of faith for former New York City Ballet principal and Broadway star Robbie Fairchild as he embarks on an ambitious collaboration with the director, choreographers, and dancers. Sharing the roles of writer and producer with Bat-Sheva Guez, Fairchild imbues this odyssey with the very personal experience of one man going through this rite of passage, which is as universal as it is unique.


*** 
14C) AMANDA SELWYN DANCE THEATRE
presents
GREEN AFTERNOON VII
A Garden Dance Performance and Cocktail Reception
at the Home of Architects Marcia Previti and Peter Gumpel
East Hampton, NY
Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 5pm


Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre presents Green Afternoon VII, an annual afternoon innovative presentation of wine, modern dance, and delicious food in the home and gardens of Architects Marcia Previti and Peter Gumpel featuring an excerpt of their recent World Premiere,Crossroads. The performances begin at 5 p.m. with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and movement installations in the gardens and outdoor sitting rooms throughout the property.  Performers dance in tree houses, on and around sculptures, the swimming pool, the wooded path, and more. The audience will then have the opportunity to see the company's latest NYC World Premiere, Crossroads, on the Great Lawn. Crossroads premieres at New York Live Arts June 20-22, 2019.  

Green Afternoon VII takes place at 230 Old Stone Hwy, East Hampton, NY 11937. Tickets are start at $125 and can be purchased at: https://amandaselwyndance.org/green-afternoon-vii-tickets/.
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15) News from Polk and Co.
PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL launches three more companies of PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL in Hamburg, London and a US national tour starting this September 2019, after celebrating its final summer on Broadway.

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL will have its final performance Sunday, August 18 at 7:30pm.

Jillian Mueller will take over the role of ‘Vivian’ starring opposite Brennin Hunt (‘Roger’ on Fox’s “Rent: Live!”), making his Broadway debut, as ‘Edward’ in PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL from Monday, July 22, 2019, through Sunday, August 18, 2019.

HAMBURG, GERMANY
PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL will begin performances in Germany, on Monday, September 23, 2019, starring Patricia Meeden (Sister Act) as Vivian, and Mark Seibert (Dance of the Vampires) as Edward. Presented by Stage Entertainment and Paula Wagner, PRETTY WOMAN: DAS MUSICAL will open at Hamburg’sStage Theater an der Elbe on Sunday, September 29, 2019.

FIRST US NATIONAL TOUR
PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL will begin the first national tour in October of 2020 at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI.

LONDON, WEST END

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL will open in 2020 on London’s West End and will be produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions with Paula Wagner and team. 

Tickets for PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL are on sale at the Nederlander Theatre box office and at www.ticketmaster.com (877.250.2929). Tickets range from $79 -$179. The playing schedule for PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL is: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday at 7pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 7:30pm, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. For the full schedule and pricing please go to www.PrettyWomanTheMusical.com.
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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for another Talking Topic.
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