Filed under: Arts and Culture, North America, United States

Joanne and Gary, rival travel agents compete for their industry's top honor, the Globel Prize, while trying to address their clients' impossible demands in an Off-Broadway comedy that debuts this week, "Craving for Travel."

The 85-minute, two-actor, 30-character comedy was commissioned and produced by Jim Strong, president of the Dallas-based Strong Travel Services travel agency.

"Travel agents are always asked to do the impossible, and this play shows how that is done, from finding the impossible rooms to making dreams come true," Strong told the "Dallas Morning News." "I decided to bring it to life on stage as a comedy in New York."

From "Craving for Travel's" press release:

With their reputations on the line, travel agents Joanne and Gary will tackle any request, no matter how impossible, and any client, no matter how unreasonable. Full of overzealous travelers, overbooked flights, and hoteliers who are just over it, Craving for Travel reminds us why we travel-and everything that can happen when we do.

"Craving for Travel" opens Thursday at the Peter J. Sharp Theater, where it'll run through Feb. 9. Tickets are $32.50 and $49. They can be purchased at CravingForTravel.com, 212-279-4200 or the Ticket Central Box Office (416 W. 42nd St., 12-8 p.m. daily). More than half of the shows are already sold out.

Continue reading Off-Broadway Comedy 'Craving for Travel' Showcases Travel Agents Trying to do the Impossible

Off-Broadway Comedy 'Craving for Travel' Showcases Travel Agents Trying to do the Impossible originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 07 Jan 2014 10:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony Award-winning Passion, the musical of romantic obsession, will return to New York City in 2013 in the intimate setting of Classic Stage Company’s 199-seat home in the East Village, the not-for-profit company announced on Jan. 13. Tony Award winner John Doyle — who gave fresh life to Company and […]

Today is the 29th anniversary of the first performance of “The Phantom of the Opera,” which is currently the longest-running musical on Broadway. Andrew Lloyd ... Read more

The post “Phantom of the Opera,” Broadway’s longest running musical, marks 29th birthday appeared first on CMUSE.

Anything can happen in live theater, and audience members seeing "Beautiful," the life story of Carole King, got a surprise when King appeared in the role of herself to celebrate the show's fifth anniversary on Broadway.

Today, the Bronx Zoo announced that Idina Menzel, Tony Award-winner, actress, philanthropist and multi-platinum-selling singer/songwriter, will perform in the 98th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade(r) on the zoo's new "Wondrous World of Wildlife" float.

Brad and George Takei, the new typical American married couple.; Credit: John Rabe/Grant Wood/Michael Uhlenkott

John Rabe | Off-Ramp®

UPDATE: “Allegiance” will be performed Feb. 21-April 1, 2018, at the Aratani Theater at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center in downtown L.A.'s Little Tokyo.

ORIGINAL STORY: In an intimate interview, George Takei tells Off-Ramp host John Rabe about crafting the Japanese-American internment camp history into compelling Broadway musical theater. "Allegiance," with Takei, Lea Salonga and Telly Leung, played at the Longacre Theater.

George Takei and his husband Brad were putting their house in mothballs when I arrived for our interview in August. They'd already been spending a lot of time in New York because of George's recurring role on "The Howard Stern Show," but now, with the Broadway opening of "Allegiance" just a couple months away, they were preparing to move for as long as the musical brings in the crowds.

While Brad went off to deal with the mundane domestic tasks around the move, I sat with George in their living room to talk about turning one of America's most shameful episodes — the internment of some 120,000 loyal Japanese-Americans during World War II — into a musical that could make it on the Broadway stage.

George, you just sent an email to your fans with the subject line: "I've Waited 7 Years to Send You this Email. Seven years!" Inside, you wrote: "Few things are as difficult and complex as taking a show to ‪Broadway‬. It's both thrilling and terrifying." What was terrifying?

"The terrifying part is, you've poured your passion, your energy, your resources ...  you make all that investment in that project, and then you're hoping the seats are going to be filled.That 'what if' is terrifying. But in San Diego, we had a sold-out run and broke their 77-year record. But now we're going to Broadway, and that same fear is there. Will they come? What will the critics say? Because it's life or death."

It took a long time just to get a Broadway theater.

"It took a long time to get a theater.You think there are a lot of Broadway theaters, but there are even more productions that want those chunks of New York real estate. So we thought we'd get in line. But then the other discovery we made is that the theater owners have relationships with grizzled old producers who have brought them a vast fortune with enormous hits, and they can cut in line. They have a track record. And so, 'will we ever get a theater' became a big question. But we have this time now — let's use it creatively, productively."

So, Takei says, the team tweaked the show, removing parts that didn't work didn't advance the story, inserting numbers that worked better and kept the story moving. They doubled down on social media, building and proving demand in the show.

"We have a Shubert theater (the Longacre), and Bob Wankel is head guy there, and I remember pouring my heart out, telling the story of my parents, hoping that touches. And he was understanding, but I understood his problem, too. Everybody is trying to get a theater and he has to make a good business decision and was initially skeptical. An internment camp musical? But music has the power to make an anguished painful situation even more moving, even more powerful. It hits you in the heart."

Highlights from "Allegiance" at the Old Globe in San Diego

This is your Broadway debut, right? Are you petrified?

"Yes, yes. I've done a lot of stage work, and I've done a lot of public speaking, but it's Broadway, and I'm a debutante... at 78 years old! And it's the critics, too. The New York Times, Ben Brantley. That's who I'm going to be facing, and so it's both exciting and absolutely filling me with ecstasy, but what makes it ecstatic is the fear."

For much more of our interview with George Takei, listen to the audio by clicking the arrow in the player at the top of the page ... and hear George Takei and John Rabe's duet of "Tiny Bubbles."

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Every November, as Americans prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving — a holiday marked by gratitude, togetherness, and giving — Broadway plays an integral role in extending the spirit of this tradition beyond the confines of the home.

Experience the Holiday Cheer: A Guide to Broadway Shows and Holiday Activities in NYC.

The Paradiddles raise the bar for family-friendly entertainment with their debut musical adventure for kids and kids-at-heart.

Extended Parking Lane Closures & Traffic Shifts at W. Lawrence Avenue between N. Broadway and N. Winthrop Avenue for Street Reconstruction & Final Asphalt.

Updated Dates & Impacts with Extended Parking Lane Closures & Traffic Shifts at W. Foster Avenue between N. Broadway and N. Winthrop Avenue for Street Reconstruction & Shoring Tower Construction & Staging.

There will be a partial sidewalk closure and parking lane closure on N Broadway near W Bryn Mawr to allow crews to install new decorative sidewalk pavers as part of streetscape improvements in the project area.

Updated Dates, Extended Partial Alley Closure at the alley east of 4801 – 4838 N. Broadway for station foundation construction.

Extended Parking Lane Closure, W. Ainslie Street between N. Broadway and the CTA Tracks for Track Structure Segment Delivery.

Extended Partial Alley Closure. W. Foster Avenue to W. Berwyn Avenue, alley west of 5200 thru 5268 N. Winthrop Avenue and alley east of 5201thru 5259 N. Broadway for station wall construction.

Updated Dates, Extended Street Closures, W. Ardmore Avenue between N. Broadway and N. Winthrop Avenue for street, sidewalk restoration and screen wall installation.

New Work Activity - Extended Partial Alley Closure at t he Alley east of 4801 thru 4838 N. Broadway.

Update Dates and Impacts with Parking Lane and Partial Sidewalk Closure at 5600 – 5605 N. Broadway

Extended Street Closure at W. Balmoral Avenue between N. Broadway and N. Winthrop Avenue for street and sidewalk restoration.

Alley Entrance Relocation and Daily Short-Term Street Closures at he alley east of 5001 thru 5077 N. Broadway & 1135 W. Winona Street (W. Argyle Street to W. Winona Street) - W. Winona Street at the CTA Tracks.

Extended West Bound Lane Closure and Water Shut Off at W. Bryn Mawr Avenue between N. Broadway and N. Winthrop Avenue for City of Chicago Department of Water Management – Water Main Relocation.

Updated Dates Parking Lane and Partial Sidewalk Closure at 5600 – 5605 N. Broadway for Decorative Sidewalk Paver Installation.

Overnight Work Construction lot east of 5343 N. Broadway (Jewel-Osco) for Material Delivery & Crane Lifts.

New Dates, Parking Lane Closure and Traffic Shifts at W. Foster Avenue between N. Broadway and N. Winthrop Avenue for Asphalt Placement

Updated Dates and Extended Street Closure at W. Balmoral Avenue between N. Broadway and N. Winthrop Avenue for street and sidewalk restoration.

New Work Activity- Extended West Bound Lane Closure at W. Bryn Mawr Avenue between N. Broadway and N. Winthrop Avenue for Street, Sewer Reconstruction & Station Utility Connection

Alley Impacts at the alley west of 5800 thru 5925 N. Winthrop Avenue and the alley east of 5843 thru 5921 N. Broadway (W. Ardmore Avenue to W. Thorndale Avenue) for wall repairs.

Daily Alley Closure at The alley east of 5239 – 5259 N. Broadway (W. Foster Avenue to W. Berwyn Avenue) for concrete placement

Extended Partial Alley Closure at W. Lawrence Avenue to W. Ainslie Street: The alley east of 4801 thru 4838 N. Broadway and the alley west of 4800 thru 4848 N. Winthrop Avenue

Updated Dates and Extended Street Closure for W. Balmoral Avenue between N. Broadway and N. Winthrop Avenue for Street and Sidewalk Restoration.

New Work Activity Extended Partial-Alley Closure at the alley east of 4801 thru 4838 N. Broadway for Lawrence Station Construction.

After a week away, WEMU's David Fair returns to chatting about cinema with Marquee Arts executive director Russ Collins. As they do every week, they deliver all of the details on new films and the many special screenings coming to Ann Arbor!

[Updated] Emergency services responded to a collision on East Broadway today [Oct 30] involving a car that crashed into the gas station building. The 83-year-old driver was not harmed, however his wife, 81, was taken to the hospital following the incident and a person in the building was also injured. Update Oct 31, 4.10pm: A police […]

Established in 1956, Hotel Broadway hosted diplomats, politicians, artists, and writers till it closed in 2020. It is now gearing up for another innings, starting with the reopening of Chor Bizarre featuring a longer menu, but the same music playlist

With state-of-the-art laser projection and 12-channel sound with EPIQ premium large format, Broadway Cinemas offers an immersive movie experience

Filed under: Arts and Culture, North America, United States

Joanne and Gary, rival travel agents compete for their industry's top honor, the Globel Prize, while trying to address their clients' impossible demands in an Off-Broadway comedy that debuts this week, "Craving for Travel."

The 85-minute, two-actor, 30-character comedy was commissioned and produced by Jim Strong, president of the Dallas-based Strong Travel Services travel agency.

"Travel agents are always asked to do the impossible, and this play shows how that is done, from finding the impossible rooms to making dreams come true," Strong told the "Dallas Morning News." "I decided to bring it to life on stage as a comedy in New York."

From "Craving for Travel's" press release:

With their reputations on the line, travel agents Joanne and Gary will tackle any request, no matter how impossible, and any client, no matter how unreasonable. Full of overzealous travelers, overbooked flights, and hoteliers who are just over it, Craving for Travel reminds us why we travel-and everything that can happen when we do.

"Craving for Travel" opens Thursday at the Peter J. Sharp Theater, where it'll run through Feb. 9. Tickets are $32.50 and $49. They can be purchased at CravingForTravel.com, 212-279-4200 or the Ticket Central Box Office (416 W. 42nd St., 12-8 p.m. daily). More than half of the shows are already sold out.

Continue reading Off-Broadway Comedy 'Craving for Travel' Showcases Travel Agents Trying to do the Impossible

Off-Broadway Comedy 'Craving for Travel' Showcases Travel Agents Trying to do the Impossible originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 07 Jan 2014 10:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Archives, Room Use Only - HE7669.B66 1892

In "Ajijaak on Turtle Island," a young crane's migration journey brings Native American stories to life.

Now Available On All Digital Providers

Bay Area Theatre Live! is bringing together over 20 Broadway and Bay Area Stars performing for a LIVE audience via YouTube and Facebook. All in an effort to raise money for Bay Area Theatre Companies affected by COVID-19.

HUBBARD RADIO Country WIL (NEW COUNTRY 92.3) ST. LOUIS has parted ways with its “BUD AND BROADWAY” morning show, hosted by BUD FORD and JERRY BROADWAY, after more than four years. … more

We've known that Hamilton was going to be part of the 2020-21 STCU Best of Broadway season for a while, but now we finally know the exact dates, as well as the rest of the featured shows for the season. Granted, the whole world has changed since WestCoast Entertainment announced Hamilton was coming to town back when they announced their 2019-20 season — a season that's been roiled, along with the rest of our lives, by the coronavirus pandemic.…

THE SHOW WILL GO ON…

Sara Porkalob, Seattle-based playwright, director, activist and more, is off to Broadway — but before she goes, she shared what she’s been reading and rereading lately.

Sara Porkalob, Seattle-based playwright, director, activist and more, is off to Broadway — but before she goes, she shared what she’s been reading and rereading lately.

IJazzy Classical Is Haiti’ Only Jazz Radio Station.

One-woman Show Featuring Salish Tribal Member Julie Cajune Draws From Life Experiences And True Stories Of Generations Of Native American Women

Nathalie Dalizien Has An Upcoming Film Series That She Produced With Motivation 509 And The Series Will Be Released In All Online Major Stores Soon.

Baker neighborhood fashion boutique Fancy Tiger Clothing will drop the fancy and the tiger from its name next month when it rebrands as FM. The name change will be accompanied by the addition of a permanent DJ booth, more house-made clothing and expanded services in the shop at 55 Broadway in Denver.