Reba at Broadway's Aladdin

Last night the Queen of Country Music, Reba McEntire, took in a performance of Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway.  After the show, Reba join the cast backstage for a quick photo. 

Major Attaway, Arielle Jacobs, Reba McEntire and Telly Leung Backstage at Broadway's Aladdin - Photo by Shay Frey Courtesy Disney Theatrical Productions (2 photos)

Reba McEntire and Telly Leung Backstage at Broadway's Aladdin - Photo by Shay Frey Courtesy Disney Theatrical Productions

Ed Rothstein to host (Un)Silent Film Night - May 13, 2016

The New School's College of Performing Arts is pleased to welcome the public for the third edition of its (Un)Silent Film Night series, in which the College of Performing Arts Theater Orchestra will perform Jazz student Nathan Kamal's original score to Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece The Birds. The event will be hosted by Ed Rothstein, Critic at Large at The Wall Street Journal and Hitchcock devotee. This production follows November 2015's edition of (Un)Silent Film Night which was hosted by actor, clown, and comedian Bill Irwin. The inaugural event in April 2015, hosted by Matthew Broderick, drew a capacity crowd to the 800-plus-seat Tishman Auditorium at University Center.

The upcoming (Un)Silent Film Nightwill take place Friday, May 13, 2016 at 7pm at the Tishman Auditorium,  63 Fifth Avenue, Room U100, New York, NY 10003. Admission is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations required. 

Hitchcock's 1963 horror film The Birds, the chilling tale of a series of unexplained and gruesome bird attacks on people in Bodega Bay, California, is critically acclaimed as one of the legend's greatest works. The film, described as "unflawed" by esteemed critic David Thomson, is renowned as a stunning example of Hitchcock's masterful application of psychological tension. Instead of a conventional score, Hitchcock used sparse source music and sound effects to emphasize deliberate silences.

In late April, The College of Performing Arts (http://www.newschool.edu/performing-arts/) at The New School (http://www.newschoo.edu) presented the first annual (Un)Silent Film Night, in which music ensembles from the College's performing arts schools-the Mannes School of Music, the School of Jazz, and the School of Drama-performed live with screenings of landmark silent films. This inaugural program, hosted by Matthew Broderick, marked the debut of the Mannes Theatre Orchestra, which, under the baton of Charles Neidich, performed a new score by Craig Marks to the Buster Keaton film Sherlock Jr.

In (Un)Silent Film Night, the College of Performing Arts Theater Orchestra-featuring students from both Mannes School of Music and The School of Jazz-will improvise a full score with Kamal's "musical sketches" as a guide to Hitchcock's originally scoreless classic film. Out of Kamal's respect for Hitchcock's vision, the rich "natural" sounds of the film serve as the starting point for the new score, and the spontaneous quality of the musicianship will fit with the spirit of Hitchcock's mammoth capacity for invention. The orchestra will use a broad sonic vocabulary ranging from lush chorale harmonic textures to extreme dissonance and extended techniques. 

Richard Kessler, Executive Dean for the College of Performing Arts, said, "(Un)Silent Film Night demonstrates the potential that students and faculty are able to realize now that Mannes, the School of Jazz and the School of Drama have been brought together in our new College of Performing Arts. The program-like so many programs in the current professional arts landscape-brings together multiple art forms in a single production, and allows students to collaborate across disciplines."

Edward Rothstein, host of the event, is Critic at Large at The Wall Street Journal. He has also served as the cultural Critic at Large and the Chief Music Critic for The New York Times, and the Music Critic for The New Republic. Rothstein supports the theory that music and mathematics share common origins as discussed in his book Emblems of Mind. Rothstein is a Hitchcock aficionado.

Theater Resources Unlimited announces 2015 TRU Love Benefit: Making Our Gardens Grow

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) will celebrate its 24th year as a not-for-profit service organization with its annual gala, the TRU Love Benefit. This year's theme is Making Our Gardens Grow, recognizing three people who are each helping to change the landscape of theater in highly individual ways. The 2015 TRU Spirit of Theater Award, given to a member of the producing community who has demonstrated exceptional generosity, support and kindness to others in the business, will be awarded to producer Patrick Blake (The 39 Steps, Bedlam Theatre's Hamlet/St. Joan, Play Dead, My Life Is a Musical, The Exonerated, In the Continuum), also the founder of Rhymes Over Beats, a game-changing new hip hop theater company; the TRU Humanitarian Award will be presented to Teresa Eyring on behalf of one of American theater's pre-eminent service organizations, Theatre Communications Group (TCG); and the TRU Entrepreneur Award, given for consistency, unique thinking and innovation, will be presented to Linda Amiel Burns for 38 years of The Singing Experience, a unique cabaret workshop that helps ordinary people blossom into singing "stars."

The celebration will take place Sunday November 8th at legendary Sardi's, 234 West 44th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenue. It will begin at noon with wine, drinks and hors d'oeuvres, followed by a 3-course luncheon at 1pm and the awards ceremony and performances at 1:45pm. Tickets are on sale now at http://www.truonline.org/TRULove15.htm.

This eclectic event brings together the very different worlds of resident and commercial theater, rap and cabaret, and will be co-hosted by cabaret legend Sidney Myer of Don't Tell Mama, and TV rapper Power Malu. It will include appearances by Jermaine Paul, winner of TV's "The Voice," Obie-winner and TCG board member Nikkole Salter (In the Continuum), preeminent magician Todd Robbins (Play Dead), Howie Michael Smith

(My Life Is a Musical) and cabaret singer Lynn DiMenna, with other performances tba, highlighting the achievements of the three honorees.

"This year's honorees represent the level of selfless support and cultivation of others that we value," states TRU president Bob Ost. "We honor friend Pat Blake for pushing politically relevant subjects into the theater conversation with shows like The Exonerated and In the Continuum. Equally significant is his current commitment to nurturing artists of diversity and bringing hip hop into commercial theater through his company Rhymes Over Beats. And he has been dedicated to this even before Hamilton burst on the scene." Blake is also acknowledged for his dedication to TRU as a program director for their Producer Development and Mentorship Program, and for serving on the TRU Board of Directors.

Theatre Communications Group and executive director Teresa Eyring are honored for their efforts to nurture resident theaters around the country, strengthening them and offering a crucial bridge for development of new works that have nourished and fed the commercial theater and all theater. On a personal note, Ost states, "TCG serves as a standard and role model for all arts service organizations, and the work they have done is an inspiration for what TRU hopes to achieve on a much smaller grassroots level here in New York." Executive director Teresa Eyring has also made it a personal mission and organizational priority to champion a more equitable, diverse and inclusive theater field throughout the country.

Linda Amiel Burns will receive the TRU Entrepreneur Award for providing an artistic voice and confidence to hundreds of individuals by getting them out of their shells and up on a stage in her workshop The Singing Experience, which she has been tirelessly offering for 38 years. "Linda was also one of our original board members and helped us find our voice in our early development," adds Ost. 

The Benefit Honoree Committee lending their names and support to this year's event include Tim Sanford of Playwrights Horizons, Georgia Buchanan of York Theatre Company, Brent Buell of Rhymes Over Beats, performers Sidney Myer and Lynn DiMenna, reviewer Sandi Durell, and producers Michael Alden, Doug Denoff, Jane Dubin, David Elliott, Patricia Klausner, Martin Platt, Ron Simons and Cheryl Wiesenfeld. The Benefit Producing Committee includes TRU vice-president Cheryl Davis, plus Kimberly Eaton, Wendy Leopold, Tom Polum and Courtney Sweeting.

The proceeds from this event directly benefit the programs of Theater Resources Unlimited, a not-for-profit service organization that educates people in the business of the arts, with a focus on producers, emerging theater companies and self-producing artists. Programs include monthly panels, workshops, a Producer Development and Mentorship Program, a new plays and new musicals reading series and a community e-newsletter of jobs, services, resources and theater events.

Tickets for the event will be $200 Premium Patron Level reserved seating on the first tier near the stage and $175 ($150 for TRU members) for Patron Level reserved seating on the first tier sides and second tier. Non-reserved General Admission tickets, which also include luncheon, may be purchased for $125 ($110 for TRU members). Tickets, VIP tickets, journal ads and tables are available through the TRU Store at http://www.truonline.org/store.html

For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org or call 212-714-7628.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Announces its 2015-16 Season

Tickets now on sale for Michael Feinstein, the Vienna Boys Choir,

Clifford the Big Red Dog™ -- Live!, Moscow Festival Ballet, Darlene Love, and more!

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College announces its 2015-16 Season of music, dance, theater, and family programming, reflecting the multicultural diversity of Brooklyn. Hailing from Austria, Russia, China, Canada, and across the United States, the awards-winning artists include both Brooklyn Center premieres and returning favorites. Tickets can be purchased at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the box office at 718-951-4500 (Tue-Sat, 1pm-6pm).

"Brooklyn Center is excited to continue to represent and reflect the vibrant diversity of Brooklyn through our upcoming 2015-16 season of live performances," says Jon Yanofsky, the Director of Brooklyn Center. "From the Gershwins and the Beatles to classical ballet and step dancing, the 61st season at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts will celebrate the best of classic and contemporary arts and culture with world class artists in music, dance, theater, and family programming.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2015-16 Season includes:

• Michael Feinstein: The Gershwins and Me
• Black Violin
• Art of Time Ensemble - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• The Vienna Boys Choir - Christmas In Vienna
• Dance Theatre in Westchester's The Colonial Nutcracker
• Step Afrika!
• Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company's Lunar New Year Celebration - Year of the Monkey
• Moscow Festival Ballet's Romeo and Juliet /Carmen Suite
• The Golden Dragon Acrobats
• The Robert Glasper Trio
• Darlene Love
• Rhythm Revue: A Latin Soul Celebration featuring Joe Bataan and DJ Felix Hernandez
• Regina Carter's Southern Comfort
• Clifford the Big Red Dog™ - LIVE!
• Ninth Annual National Grid Earth Day Celebration
• Straighten Up & Fly Right: The Nat King Cole Tribute
• Alexander, Who's Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move

Michael Feinstein: The Gershwins and Me

2015-16 Season Opener

Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 7:30pm

Tickets: $36-$65
Emmy- and Grammy-nominated entertainer Michael Feinstein brings his impeccable piano skills and unparalleled interpretations to some of the greatest selections in the entire American Songbook, peppered with personal anecdotes from his autobiographical book The Gershwins and Me, which reflects upon his six-year collaboration with the great Ira Gershwin.

Black Violin

Saturday, November 14, 2015 at 2pm

Tickets: $18
Back by popular demand, virtuoso violinists Kev Marcus and Wil B return to Brooklyn with their electrifying mash-up of hip-hop, classical, and pop tunes. With appearances ranging from the Apollo Theater and the Billboard Music Awards to three NFL Super Bowls and President Obama's official Inaugural Ball, this dynamic duo never fails to take audiences by storm with their unique spin on music for strings.

Art of Time Ensemble

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 8pm

Tickets: $30

With hits including "When I'm Sixty-Four," "With a Little Help From My Friends," and the title song, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has been designated "the most important rock and roll album ever made" by Rolling Stone magazine. Toronto's Art of Time Ensemble brings this iconic collection to life in a fusion of high art and pop culture that reveals the universal and timeless qualities that lie at the heart of all great music.

The Vienna Boys Choir - Christmas in Vienna

Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 8pm

Tickets: $36-$45

This illustrious group of young musicians has been delighting music lovers across the globe for six centuries with their purity of tone, distinctive charm, and crowd-pleasing repertoire. Christmas in Vienna showcases these gifted musicians in an extraordinary program featuring Austrian folk songs, classical masterpieces, popular songs and, of course, holiday favorites.

The Colonial Nutcracker

Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 2pm

Tickets: $18

An annual holiday favorite, Dance Theatre in Westchester performs its family-friendly, full-length version of Tchaikovsky's ballet set in wintry colonial Yorktown, complete with a red-coated mouse army, an enchanted nutcracker prince, and simultaneous narration to help young audience members enjoy this timeless classic.

Step Afrika!

Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 2pm

Tickets: $20

Experience Step Afrika!, the world's first professional company dedicated to stepping, a unique art form born at African American fraternities and based in rich African traditions. Incorporating intricate rhythmic patterns of kicks, stomps, claps, and chants, the dancers use their bodies as instruments, creating an enthralling, high-energy performance that has been praised by The Village Voice as "a jubilation of rhythm and spirit that harks back to the essence of dancing."

Third Annual
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
Lunar New Year Celebration - Year of the Monkey

Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 3pm

Tickets: $25/$12.50 (children 12 and under)

Brooklyn Center is thrilled to partner once again with the prestigious Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in an all-new celebration of Chinese arts and culture commemorating the Year of the Monkey, a year characterized by cleverness, curiosity, and playful mischief. Thrilling choreography, traditional music, and dazzling acrobats showcase the rich traditions of one of Brooklyn's most vibrant communities at this festive, family-friendly event.

Moscow Festival Ballet

Romeo and Juliet / Carmen Suite

Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $36-$45
The power of love and the finality of death collide as two of the greatest tragic masterpieces of all time are reinvented in this double-bill of one-act ballets. The program begins with a new restaging of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, set to the music of Tchaikovsky and choreographed by legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko. This is followed by Alberto Alonso's fiery Carmen Suite, inspired by Bizet's sensuous and spirited opera.
Golden Dragon Acrobats

Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 3pm

Tickets: $25/$12.50 (children 12 and under)

Recognized internationally as today's premier Chinese acrobatic touring company, The Golden Dragons combine award-winning acrobatics, spectacular costumes, and ancient and contemporary music and theatrical techniques to present an unforgettable show of breathtaking skill and beauty, representing the best of a time honored tradition that began more than twenty five centuries ago.

The Robert Glasper Trio

Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $35

More than ten years after making his debut at the legendary Blue Note, 2015 Grammy-winning pianist Robert Glasper graces the Whitman stage with an intimate concert combining original jazz compositions and selections from his June 2015 album Covered, which draws from some of Glasper's favorite songs by artists including Joni Mitchell, John Legend, and Radiohead.

Darlene Love

Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $40

Pop icon Darlene Love has been captivating audiences worldwide for decades with her warmth, grace, and electrifying performances.  She has sung with legends including Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, lit up the Broadway stage in such musicals as Grease and Hairspray, and was featured in the 2014 Academy Award-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom. From her No. 1 hit, "He's A Rebel," to her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she continues to blaze a trail of success, proving why Rolling Stone magazine calls her "one of the greatest singers of all time."

Rhythm Revue: A Latin Soul Celebration
Featuring Joe Bataan and DJ Felix Hernandez
Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $25

Renowned DJ/producer Felix Hernandez, creator and host of the widely popular Rhythm Revue radio show and dance parties, teams up with the "King of Latin Soul," Joe Bataan, for an evening of live music and DJ'ing that celebrates the musical genre known as Latin Soul and Boogaloo. Originating in Spanish Harlem in the 1960s, this fusion of mambo and Latin jazz with African American R&B, soul, and doo-wop resulted in a highly danceable and distinctively urban form of music that reflects the amazing multicultural fabric of New York City.

Regina Carter's Southern Comfort

Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 8pm
Tickets: $35
Violin virtuoso and MacArthur fellow Regina Carter is considered the foremost jazz violinist of her generation, putting her indelible stamp on collaborations with artists as diverse as Wynton Marsalis, Mary J. Blige, and Dolly Parton. Her latest recording, titled Southern Comfort, pays a tender tribute to her paternal grandfather, an Alabama coal miner, as it draws from Appalachian fiddle tunes, church hymns, and the joyous Southern folk music that infused her childhood.

Clifford the Big Red Dog™ - LIVE!

Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 2pm
Tickets: $18
Embark on a new adventure with loveable Clifford, the big red dog with the heart of gold. Based on the classic children's books by Norman Bridwell, this brand new musical celebrates the timeless values of sharing, respect, and cooperation.

Ninth Annual National Grid Earth Day Celebration

Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 3pm
Tickets: FREE event, no tickets issued

Children and adults alike will enjoy live music, arts and crafts, and street performers at this free community festival, where interactive family activities highlight the need to create a more sustainable future and care for the earth.

Straighten Up & Fly Right: The Nat King Cole Tribute
Featuring Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli

Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 3pm
Tickets: $40
As a singer, Nat King Cole was called "the best friend a song ever had," but he was essentially a jazz performer at heart. Three-time Grammy Award-winning pianist Ramsey Lewis and singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli join forces in this tribute to the titan of fifties vocal pop, performing favorites including "Route 66," "Mona Lisa," "Unforgettable," and more.

Alexander, Who's Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move
Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 2pm
Tickets: $12
The rest of Alexander's family is moving a thousand miles away, but there's NO way Alexander is going to leave his best friend, his favorite babysitter, or all the places and people he's known all his life. Never. Not ever. No way! Based on Judith Vorst's best-selling Alexander... series, this new family musical teaches us home isn't a house or a place on a map-it's wherever you are when you're with the people who love you.

Multibuy discounts (four or more shows) save 15% off individual ticket prices (not applicable for The Snow Maiden or Alexander, Who's Not... Going to Move). Multibuyers enjoy flexible ticket exchanges and discounted parking for purchased performances. 50% discount for children ages 12 and under for select performances. Discounts also available for seniors, students, Brooklyn College faculty/staff/alumni, and groups. $10 student rush tickets available day-of-show.

For more details, please visit: BrooklynCenter.org

Magic of Ballet: with Spring performance from Ballet Academy East

John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York, an international leader in educating for justice, offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 15 000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. The Theater is dedicated to the creation and presentation of performing arts programming of all disciplines with a special focus on how the artistic imagination can shed light on the many perceptions of Justice in our society.

Ballet Academy East presents its Spring Performance from May 15-17, 2015 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at 524 W. 59th Street, NYC which the myNewYorkeye team had pleasure to attend on May 17th, 2015.

The exciting parents, guests of lovely kids, all gathered in a nice hall to enjoy the event. Kids were very happy, but a little bit nervous while running and getting ready for the big moment which finally started like this:

"All the lights turned completely off and shortly they switched on focusing only on stage which reflected the magical blue and pink tones and beautiful kids standing there. Music and all the moves of dances were so light that one could feel the spring all over. During the first few performances, there were number of very young dancers and I got to know from Julia Dubno - Founder and Director, that the youngest dancers are about 7 years old!

Then ocean started to move the crazy waves and dances were even crazier. As girl’s hair were not folded they felt like a part of storm and created spectacular waves of motion filling the hall with the spring craziness. Performances were mesmerising and very creative with a sweet modern touch. Also the costumes were pretty nice and perfectly matching with the atmosphere their dance created."

Many guests were holding flowers for performers that was such a nice view to see in NYC, as not for all events you get to see so many flowers. We feel very happy for the kids, their teachers and all the guests who had the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful event, including myNewYorkeye.

New York Theatre Ballet to perform CINDERELLA at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

From June 24-28, 2015

New York Theatre Ballet will perform Donald Mahler's Cinderella at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in the Doris Duke Theatre from June 24-28, 2015.  Jacob's Pillow, a National Historic Landmark, National Medal of Arts recipient, and home to America's longest-running dance festival, is located at 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA.

Performances: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:15pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm.

Tickets Information: Tickets are $35 and $25, with $10 Youth tickets also available for every performance. Tickets are on sale now online at jacobspillow.org and via phone at 413.243.0745.

A perennial favorite of NYTB audiences across America, Cinderella is one-hour in length with choreography by Donald Mahler, costumes by Sylvia Taalson Nolan, set design by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith. New York Theatre Ballet last performed at the Inside/Out Stage at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in July 2008.

"Gillian Bradshaw-Smith's ingenious scenery included a clock that came alive and danced, and furniture that moved magically about.  And Sylvia Taalsohn Nolan, the imaginative costume designer, created a gasp-producing moment when Cinderella's attire changed miraculously from rags to the riches of a ball gown." -The New York Times

During the week of their engagement, company members of NYTB will also teach a free, all-ages, all-levels ballet class to the Pillow public on Sunday, June 28. Limited space, call 413.243.9919 to register.

For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.

BROADWAY and the JERSEY BOYS come Home

View fullsize

The Midtown Men - Jersey Boys

CROON WITH THE JERSEY BOYS. MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR JUNE 20TH !!

Turn the clock back and enjoy the signature sound of the Jersey Boys and you can thank the The Midtown Men, the vocal group comprised of four stars from the Original Broadway Cast of Jersey Boys, for the opportunity to enjoy nostalgia with music.

It’s their long awaited New York City Homecoming concert on June 20th, 2015 at New York’s famed Beacon Theatre (2124 Broadway, NYC).

The Midtown Men have been performing nearly 400 concerts across North America, the group’s leading men include Tony Award-winner Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard, and Tony Award-nominee J. Robert Spencer. 

The Midtown Men know how to put on a show and that’s using their celebrated arrangements of the greatest hits of the 1960s. This June performance, at the Beacon, will be their final show of this year’s tour.

During their time in the mega-hit musical Jersey Boys, these four talented artists shared the stage for over a thousand performances.  Since forming in 2010 as The Midtown Men, they have played in concert halls from coast to coast and have sung with over 20 major symphonies, including the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. In 2012, The Men released their first radio single, “All Alone on Christmas,” written and produced by rock icon Steven Van Zandt and backed by Van Zandt’s bandmates from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band as a fundraiser for the Red Cross after Hurricane Sandy. They were honored to perform the song at the White House for the National Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington DC that year. Wrapping up their fifth national tour in 2015, the “Men” continue to sell-out venues across the U.S. and Canada.

Promoted by Live Nation, tickets for The Midtown Men’s NYC Homecoming can be purchased by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. If fans wish to receive their tickets by pledging to public television, they can visit www.thirteen.org/ticketbooth or call 1-800-468-9913.

The group's PBS/Thirteen television pledge drive special will air on WNET (New York), NJTV (New Jersey), and WLIW (Long Island) starting February 28th at 5 p.m. in NYC. Please check your local listings for additional airings.

For more information on The Midtown Men, Visit :

www.themidtownmen.com 

www.oandmco.com 

www.twitter.com/oandmco

Oh New York, it's time to raise your "Hand to God"

Broadway will get a humorous dose of puppetry and religion with the Broadway opening of Hand to God on April 7, 2015 at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street).

It's a Broadway debut of playwright Robert Askins. Hand to God is being directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel in his Broadway debut too.

The previews of the exciting firsts for both creatives begin Saturday, March 14, 2015 ahead of the April 7th opening. Take a moment to review the hilarious content @www.HandToGodBroadway.com.

The subject of this new provocative comedy, Hand to God centers on shy, inquisitive student Jason, who finds an outlet for his burgeoning creativity at the Christian Puppet Ministry in the devoutly religious, relatively quiet small town of Cypress, Texas.

Jason’s complicated relationships with the town pastor, the school bully, the girl next door and—most especially—his mother are thrown into further upheaval when Jason’s hand puppet Tyrone—once soft-spoken—takes on a shocking and dangerously irreverent personality all its own. As Tyrone’s influence over Jason steadily grows, Hand to God explores the startlingly fragile nature of faith, morality, and the ties that bind us.

Hand to God will feature the complete cast of the hit 2014 MCC Theater production: Steven Boyer as Jason/Tyrone; Geneva Carr, in her Broadway debut, as Margery; Tony® Award nominee Marc Kudisch as Pastor Greg; Sarah Stiles as Jessica; and Michael Oberholtzer, in his Broadway debut, as Timmy.

Hand to God is produced on Broadway by Kevin McCollum, whose credits include Rent, Avenue Q and In the Heights—each the winner of the Tony® Award for Best Musical; as well as The Drowsy Chaperone and Motown the Musical, among many others.

Sheldon Best is the "best thing " about "The Long Distance Runner" at Atlantic Theater Company.

Even if, God forbid, you were deaf, mute and blind you could still identify that Sheldon Best is a superlative artist and will, if duplicating a marathon runners pace and steely determination, achieve a career that will richly reward him.

He's got that magical "something" that turns a first glance turn into a serious gaze. 

Currently, Best is starring in the Atlantic Theater Company's new stage adaptation of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. 

As re-imagined by British playwright Roy Williams (based on Alan Sillitoe's original 1959 short story and adapted for film in 1962), the Atlantic Theater company does what they do best, take risks and spring board new and exciting talent.

The taunt drama (set in the early 70's) centers on racial tension in class-obsessed London.  A world where young Colin, an angry and aimless youth with a yearning for long-distance running, reluctantly calls home.

He's short on ambition and long on seething resentment. That aimless energy finds him imprisoned and therefore more confined but everything bad falls away when Colin is running.  Coerced by the prison warden to enter a race , against a posh school, Colin is allowed free time to train outside the prison walls.

He pushes his body to go forward funneling his jagged disappointment into each stride.

If Colin could switch heaven for an unending running path he would contemplate bliss while in eternal, perpetual motion.

There's a hibernating intellect brewing in Best. Paradoxically his performance scared me and comforted me.

Closing on Feb 9th, I strongly suggest you witness Best's eye opening performance.

Some of his credits include Classical Theater of Harlem: A Midsummer Nights Dream (Puck) and Ma-Yi & Vampire Cowboys: Geek!

Here's what Sheldon Best had to share about his spot on London accent and why he loves Brooklyn.

myNewYorkeye: Sheldon where is that dangerously sexy Brit accent?  OMG your not British?!

Sheldon Best: (Slipping into the missing accent) I'm not?  My parents are from the islands (Jamaica and Barbados). I was raised in Brooklyn.  The Brit accent is loosely formed from all of the cultural influences that have shaped London.  I also get to speak patois in the play. My Spanish is decent along with my French.

myNewYorkeye: Wicked: How did you convince director, Leach C. Gardiner, to trust (and pardon me for this) "a Yankee" for this essentially British role?

Sheldon Best: I went on a campaign to acquire the role which drove my agent nuts.  I'm a fan of the Atlantic Theater Company so I immersed myself.   When the audition finally materialized I was ready to accept the challenge.

myNewYorkeye: You are running for most of the play.  How long have you been a long distance runner?

Sheldon Best: I'm not a marathoner runner. 

myNewYorkeye: Not British and not a runner.  Your body is ripped and slender:  nike said "just do it" and you obeyed.

Sheldon Best: (laughing) I enjoy roles that demand key physical acts from my character(s).  I've played a boxer on stage and now I'm a long-distance runner.  Next, I hope will be an action/adventure film that pushes me even more.

myNewYorkeye: What do you love about our city?

Sheldon Best: The diversity that changes from subway stop to subway stop.  Each borough has its own sound, smell and other world feeling.  Brooklyn is home to me.

myNewYorkeye: Brooklyn rocks.  Where's your favorite place to eat and re-charge?

Sheldon Best: Definitely inside my mothers' kitchen.  All of my big decisions have been made over her home made Jamaican stew peas with dumplings.

THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER by Alan Sillitoe. Stage adaptation by Roy Williams, directed by Leach C. Gardiner.  US Premiere.  Atlantic Stage 2, 330 W 16th St. Closing 2/9. 80 mins.