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Year 34, No. 17
SPECIAL TWO-WEEK ISSUE • HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The Walnut Starts Year with “Ken Ludwig’s Comedy of Tenors”
December 19 – January 1, 2019
“Beautiful – The Carole King Musical” Returns to Philadelphia January 8-20, 2019
Ed O’Neal & The Dixie Melody Boys to Perform Page 6
The Philly Friendship Circle Art Show Page 7
Merion Mercy’s 42nd Annual Sip ’n Bid Page 11
Frank Ferrante in “Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors” at the Walnut Street Theatre, January 15 through March 3. Photo/courtesy of the Walnut Street Theatre alnut Street Theatre continues its landmark 210th season with the uproarious “Ken Ludwig’s A Com edy of Tenors.” Directed by and starring Frank Ferrante, this over-top-top comedy from Tony Winner Ken Ludwig begins previews on January 15, opens on January 23, and runs through March 3 on the Walnut’s Mainstage. One hotel suite, two wives, three girlfriends, four tenors, and a soccer stadium filled with screaming fans. What could possibly go wrong? It’s 1930’s Paris and just hours away from “The Concert of the Century!” But love affairs, bedroom hijinks, mistaken identities, and opening-night chaos have producer Henry Saunders desperate to try just about anything
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for the show to go on. “Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors” is written in the same world as Ludwig’s famed 1986 play, “Lend Me A Tenor.” That show introduced many of the same characters including Tito Merelli, Saunders, Max, and Maria and garnered Ludwig several Tony and Olivier nominations. After seeing the audience’s enjoyment of the 2010 revival of “Lend Me a Tenor,” Ludwig knew he wanted to return to his “band of loonies” and write a new show. The madcap idea was based on a real event – a 1990 charity concert staged on the eve of the World Cup soccer finals and starring the three greatest tenors in the world, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti. The concert, deemed “The Three Tenors,” was a wild sucSee “Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors” page 4
“Beautiful – The Carole King Musical,” about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, will make its return to Philadelphia at the Academy of Music for two weeks from Tuesday, January 8 Sunday, January 20, 2019. Photo/Matthew Murphy roducers Paul Blake and Sony/ATV Music Publishing announce that the Tony & Grammy Award-winning Broadway hit “Beautiful – The Carole King Musical,” about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, will make its return to Philadelphia at the Academy of Music for two weeks from Tuesday, January 8 – Sunday, January 20, 2019. At the time of its last run in Philadelphia, “Beautiful” was the Kimmel Center’s highest-grossing Broadway Philadelphia production ever. To purchase tickets, visit www.kimmelcenter.org, call 215-893-1999, or visit the Kimmel Center Box Office. Ticket prices start at $20.
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See “Beautiful – The Carole King Musical” page 3
Ed Asner and Tovah Feldshuh Star in The Soap Myth Out & About New Year’s Eve Listings!
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One Night Only Special Presentation at Delaware Theatre Company January 24 those people who have lived elaware Theatre Com it and remember, those who pany is hosting a spestudy and protect it, or those cial presentation of Jeff who would seek to distort its Cohen’s The Soap Myth. The very existence? And finally staged reading, directed by what is all our responsibility Pamela Berlin, will be performonce we know the truth? ed one night only on January 24 at 7 p.m. It stars The Mary Delaware Theatre Tyler Moore Show and Lou Company is hosting a special Grant’s Ed Asner and The Walk presentation of Jeff Cohen’s ing Dead and Crazy Ex-Girl “The Soap Myth” starring Ed friend’s Tovah Feldshuh. Asner and Tovah Feldshuh The Soap Myth, deemed “a on January 24, 2019 at 7 p.m. revelation” by The New York Photo/courtesy of The CW Times, tells the story of the last living witness to an atrocity Critics at The Philadelphia of the Holocaust that has yet Jewish Voice raved that The to be proven. More than a half Soap Myth “continues to haunt century after WWII at the desme... this is the theatre of witperate urging of a passionate ness at its best—provocative survivor, a young investigaand morally ambiguous.” This tive reporter finds herself unforgettable play follows journalist Annie Blumberg as she untangles a “gutcaught between numerous versions of the same story. Played out against the backdrop of deadline reporting and journalistic integrity, wrenching” question. Did the Nazis make soap from the corpses of their The Soap Myth by Jeff Cohen questions who has the right to write history— See Ed Asner and Tovah Feldshuh Star in “The Soap Myth” page 4
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