| URBAN STAGES Will Reopen Its Doors with Will Reopen Its Doors with CHARMED LIFE | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 03:26 pm EDT 06/30/21 | |
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| After 16 Months URBAN STAGES Will Reopen Its Doors with CHARMED LIFE, From Soul Singing to Opera Star A Play with Music Written by and Starring LORI BROWN MIRABAL Directed by VINCENT SCOTTLimited Engagement Begins July 9, 2021 Opening Wednesday, July 14, 2021 "Pavarotti blew a kiss to Lori Brown Mirabal whose mezzo-soprano has a handsome rounded sonority…..she sang a diva version of a piece by Bellini and warmed the stage." Bernard Holland, New York Times. "She has it all, richly expressive mezzo-soprano, strikingly good looks, and sparks that reach across the footlights." Paul Somers, classical New Jersey New York: Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director) is thrilled to bring back Lori Brown Mirabal's play with music, CHARMED LIFE, From Soul Singing to Opera Star beginning performances on July 9, in advance of its Wednesday, July 14 opening night. The play will enjoy a limited run through August 1, 2021 at Urban Stages Theatre (258 W 30 Street). Tickets are $30 (previews are $20) and available by visiting urbanStages.org or by phone at 1.866.811.4111. CHARMED LIFE was the last production to perform at Urban Stages before COVID shut theatres down around the country. Directed by Vincent Scott, CHARMED LIFE is a musical journey from Mirabal's hometown of Nashville, to opera stages across the world. She toasts entertainment luminaries, including Oprah, Cab Calloway, and Pavarotti, that had a hand in her rise, and salutes the black opera singers that paved the way. With comedy, storytelling, and show-stopping musical numbers, Mirabal brings you inside the world of opera and, inside her efforts to spread the art form, especially to the next generation. Charmed Life is a feel-good play about opera, being open to opportunities and grabbing hold of the luck that comes your way. "Charmed Life" closed on March 14, 2020 due to the Pandemic. Now, Lori Mirabal is back. Let's give her a big welcome. Join us in a COVID safe theater with proof of vaccination, and mask up for an entertaining evening of story and song."Frances Hill, Urban Stages' Artistic Director LORI BROWN MIRABAL, a Tennessee native, has worked with legendary opera and music theatre luminaries in international opera houses and on Broadway. Her performance highlights include; Carmen in "Carmen" (New York City Opera National Tour), Bess in "Porgy and Bess" (William Barkhimer European Tour), Queenie in "Show Boat" (Hal Prince/Susan Stroman revival), Ella in "Bubblin' Brown Sugar" (National Broadway Tour with Cab Calloway), Lalume in "Kismet (Utah Festival Opera), Lucretia in "The Rape of Lucretia" (Dicapo Opera Theatre), Lola in "Cavalleria Rusticana" (L'Opera de Monte Carlo, Monaco production with Placido Domingo, Leo Nucci and Rita Gorr), Clara Brown in the world premiere of "Gabriel's Daughter (Central City Opera, CO) and Adelaide Bobo in the world premiere of "Les Negres" (Opera De Lyon, France, and Grande Theatre De Geneve, Switzerland). As a concert artist, Mirabal has appeared as a guest soloist with the American Composers Symphony performing the West Side Story Suite at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, she has embarked on an international tour throughout China under the auspices of the United States and China Foundation. In addition to her stage career, she was featured in the PBS television documentary Aida's Brothers and Sisters, and she appeared as an Opera Singer in the major motion picture "The Secret Lives of Dentists" (Sundance Film Festival). Along with her performing career, Mirabal has created an opera production company, Opera Soup Productions, L.L.C., that introduces young audiences to opera in engaging and impactful ways. Her first children's book, "From Soul Singing to Opera Soup" (2018), launched her career as a published author. More recently, Mirabal released her first children's recording "Musetta's Musical Story Time" (2019), which is currently available for distribution. Mirabal has attended the University of Memphis (B.F.A Theatre '81), Manhattan School of Music (MM, Voice '94), the Juilliard Opera Center Program ('92), and Columbia University Teachers' College (Ed.D. 2008). "Charmed Life; From Soul Singing to Opera Star" marks the performer's debut with Urban Stages. loribrownmirabal.com VINCENT SCOTT (Director): New York-based, Scott has directed in Los Angeles, Chicago, London, and Dublin as well as on Off-Broadway. His passion is to develop new plays through staged readings or full productions. His most recent premieres are "What Happen to The Dollar" and "Good Corporate Citizen" both by Sam Garber, and "Accentuate the Positive (The Johnny Mercer Story)" by Calvin Ramsey. He has had numerous readings at Urban Stages, the most recent being "Gumbo House" by Keion Jackson and "#NWORD" by Christian Elder. Scott also assisted Timothy Douglas in Chicago with "Changes of Heart" and Austin Pendleton and Jan Buttram at the Abingdon Theatre Company with "The Last Will" and "Hellman v. McCarthy." At Urban Stages, he has assistant directed "Death Of A Driver" by Will Snider (directed by Kim T. Sharp) and "Bars and Measures" by Idris Goodman (directed by Kristian Seemel). He is pleased to direct the world premiere of Lori Brown Mirabal's "Charmed Life from Soul Singing to Opera Star." Charmed Life will feature Pianists: Allison Brewster Franzetti , John Di Pinto. Production & Urban Stages Team: Jaime Terrazzino (scenic and video designer), Madeleine Burrow (lighting designer and stage manager), Kim T. Sharp (tech director), Sylvia Haber, Perpetuart (graphic designer), Frances Hill (artistic director), Antoinette Mullins (development & literary director), Olga Devyatisilnaya (company manager/financial administrator), Ilanna Saltzman (outreach director), Vincent Scott (director & school consultant), Bara Swain (creative consultant), Disnie Sebastien (social media). Listing information: CHARMED LIFE from Soul Singing to Opera Star Written by and Starring Lori Brown Mirabal & Directed by Vincent Scott July 9 - August 1, 2021 Opening Night, Wednesday, July 14, 2021 Performance Schedule: Previews: Fri, July 9 at 7:30 pm | Sat, July 10 at 3 pm & 7:30 pm | Sun, July 11 at 3 pm & 7:30 pm | Tues, July 13 at 7:30 pm Post-Opening Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 7:30 pm Saturday at 3:00 & 7:30 pm; Sunday at 5pm ADDED Performances - Sun, July 11 at 3 pm & 7:30 pm; Tuesday, July 13 at 7:30 Running time: 70 minutes no intermission Tickets: General Admission: $30 | Previews (July 9 - July 13): $20 Opening Night (Wednesday, July 14 at 7:40) $40, includes champagne and talkback. Student Rush tickets are available for $15 (with valid I.D., subject to availability). All tickets may be purchased at urbanstages.org by phone at 1.866.811.4111 Urban Stages is located at 259 West 30th Street (between Seventh and Eighth Avenue) All audience members MUST show proof of vaccination before entering the theatre. For more information about Urban Stages, please visit urbanstages.org. Press dates: Sunday, July 11 at 3 PM & 7:30 PM; Tuesday, July 13 at 7:30 PM; Wednesday, July 14 at 7:30 PM (opening night), post opening shows are available by request. FRANCES HILL (Founding Artistic Director) began her theatrical career in California as an actress. Since 1983, Ms. Hill has overseen more than 600 staged readings/workshops and 90 productions of new works for the stage. She has directed over 30 workshops and productions. Her favorite directing credits include Gino DiIorio's Apostasy , Roma Greth's Our Summer Days, Jim Lehrer's Chili Queen, (directed at Urban Stages and Kennedy Center), John Picardi's Seven Rabbits on a Pole and The Sweepers (directed at Urban Stages and Capital Rep); Comfort Women by Chugmi Kim (Urban Stages 2004), 27 Rue De Fleurs, My Occasion of Sin, Mabel Madness, Dogs of Rwanda. Two of her plays have been produced, Our Bench and Life Lines. Under the guidance of Ms. Hill, Playwrights' Preview Productions/Urban Stages have moved two plays into commercial Off-Broadway successes. Minor Demons opened the new Century Center Theater, and Men on the Verge of His-Panic Breakdown won an Outer Critic's Circle Award while playing to capacity audiences at the 47th Street Theater. Urban Stages' African American Poets as Playwrights won eight Audelco Nominations, and Coyote On a Fence received two Drama Desk nominations and a Pilgrim's Project Award. Eisa Davis's Bulrusher was one of three nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. 2010 production of Langston in Harlem won several drama desk nominations, a John Calloway award, and several Audelco nominations, including a win for best music production of the year (2010), along with several other awards. Recently Character Man by Jim Brochu (2014) was nominated for a Drama Desk, and Outer Critic's Circle award and Mabel Madness by Trezana Beverley (2016) was nominated for an Audelco Award. URBAN STAGES (Producer) is an award-winning, not-for-profit, Off-Broadway Theatre Company founded in 1984 by current Artistic Director Frances Hill. For over 35 years, Urban Stages has produced dozens of world, American, and N.Y. premieres including Pulitzer Prize Finalist Bulrusher (2007) by Eisa Davis. We have been honored with awards, nominations and recognition from the Drama Desk, Obie Awards, Audelco, Outer Critics Circle and more. Plays produced at Urban Stages also often move on to larger venues and/or publication. Bars and Measures (2019) was critically acclaimed by The New York Times and Death of a Driver (2019) by Will Snider went on to a regional production at The Salt Lake Acting Company. In our 2017/18 season, A Deal by Zhu Yi (world premiered at Urban Stages) toured China and Dogs of Rwanda by Sean Christopher Lewis (New York premiered at Urban Stages) toured regionally. Other notable productions include the world premiere of the musical Langston In Harlem by Walter Marks (music and book) and Kent Gash (book and direction) garnered a Drama Desk Nomination, a Joe A. Calloway award and 4 Audelco awards including Best Musical Production of 2010. Critically acclaimed hits Mabel Madness by Tony-winner Trezana Beverley (2016), Communion by Daniel MacIvor (2016) and Angry Young Man by Ben Woolf (2017) which transferred to the John Drew Theatre at Guild Hall in East Hampton have premiered at Urban Stages. In addition, Unseamly, by Oren Safdie (2015), was an N.Y. Times Critics' Pick. Jim Brochu's Character Man (2014) was nominated for a Drama Desk and an Outer Critics Circle award for Best Solo performance and Honky (2013) by Greg Kalleres saw a regional run at San Diego Rep and was televised nationally on PBS in late 2015. 1996's Men on The Verge Of A Hispanic Breakdown by Guillermo Reyes and Minor Demons by Bruce Graham both moved to commercial theatres. Chili Queen, a play by newscaster Jim Lehrer, transferred to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (1989). My Occasion of Sin (2012) by Monica Bauer won critical acclaim when it moved to Detroit Rep. Bill Bowers has toured regionally and internationally with his two Urban Stages' premieres blending mime and theatre - Beyond Words (2012) and Under A Montana Moon (2002)! Some Urban Stages premieres have even been developed into film and television projects such as Scar by Murray Mednick, Conversations with The Goddesses by Agapi Stassinopoulos, and Cotton Mary by Alexandra Viets. In addition to plays and musicals, annually we hold a music festival - Winter Rhythms - that features famous and up-and-coming Cabaret, musicians, lyricists and other music artists. In 2016, Winter Rhythms was honored with the Bistro Award for Outstanding Series, and in 2015, it received the Ruth Kurtzman Benefit Series M.A.C. Award from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs. |
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| Link | http://urbanStages.org |
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