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To see a Broadway play or musical is to step into a world that envelops you with an experience you cannot find anywhere else. Theatre has been around since ancient times and for good reason. There is absolutely nothing like watching the actors, hearing the live musical scores and going on a journey with fellow theatre-goers. It makes movies seem like flimsy comic books in comparison.

Fortunately, there are many excellent shows on Broadway and in major cities across North America today. The following list is the top ten plays you might consider attending with a date or a friend. Each one of these delivers an experience you won’t soon forget.

One of the most popular mega-hits of Broadway is Wicked. Wicked is a musical taking the witches from the Wizard of Oz and recasting them to reverse the loyalties the audience feels in the movie. The play follows the women from school to their eventual fates. The emerald skinned Elphaba, studious and misunderstood, and the beautiful and ambitious Glinda, as they move from unlikely friends to the classic opponents of the movie. The magic lies in the witty recasting of the backstory of the Wizard of Oz, to challenge assumptions and present a tale of friendship and love. And now Wicked is touring the U.S., so there’s a good chance it’s showing in a city near you.

A relatively new show called Tarzan, is a musical about a baby raised by gorillas as he encounters humans, and Jane, forcing him to choose between his two heritages. Tarzan is very popular, with many theatergoers looking forward to seeing the Disney version brought to stage. A show for all ages, the search for where one belongs in the world is a weighty subject for such a deceptively light show. Phil Collins extended his musical score from the Disney movie into a complete theatrical score.

The Lion King is a musical about Simba the lion cub and his journey to adulthood and acceptance as King. A play for all ages, the story of a youth growing to accept responsibility and duty is one of the most enduring themes in fiction. The animal puppetry is nothing less than brilliant. If you’re looking to instill a little culture in your child, this may be just the ticket. And again, The Lion King is showing in many cities.

A disfigured musical genius haunts a theatre and exerts a mysterious control over a young singer. The Phantom of the Opera is a modern classic musical, long-standing show and one of the most well known Broadway plays of the era. The classic music of the show is one of the main draws, with more than one piece from this show recognizable to almost any adult. This is the longest running play in Broadway history, and made Andrew Lloyd Webber a household name. Phantom of the Opera has played in 22 countries, 113 cities and to a combined audience of 10 million.

Les Miserables is a musical based on the classic novel of the same name, in which the obsessed policeman Javert pursues the prison escapee Jean Valjean over decades in Revolutionary France. A classic tale of obsession and redemption, this play investigates the big questions like right and wrong, vengeance and justice, and what it takes to achieve redemption, while putting a human face on the issues. Les Miserable originally ran on Broadway for sixteen years, and is back with a fresh cast to renew the magic.

Spamalot is based on the legendary Monty Python and the Holy Grail, featuring King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table as they face such dangers as the dreaded bunny rabbit. The occasionally eccentric Monty Python sense of humor is in full fury in this tale, with jabs at politics, religion, chivalry, bravery, intelligence and the French. There are limbless knights, men in tights and a chorus line of dancing divas. Spamalot is a favorite of audiences and critics alike, and won the 2005 Tony for Best Musical. If you liked the Monty Python’s TV show and movies, then this musical will sure to please.

Chicago the Musical is another famous musical, in this case about a murder trial. The Fosse choreography is iconic. While the music isn’t as iconic as some others, the odds are that most will recognize several pieces they’ve heard before, such as “Razzle-Dazzle” and “All that Jazz.” Chicago returns us to the time of Vaudeville, satirizes the justice system and shows us what great theater is all about. Definitely check this show out of you liked the movie starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger and Richard Gere.

Rags to rock to riches, Jersey Boys is the musical story of four blue-collar boys who become the Four Tops. It follows them from their start in the Hood to their apotheosis as one of the greatest music groups of all time, with emphasis on the characters involved. This show has really taken off and become unexpectedly popular on Broadway. Now the Jersey Boys is touring America.

Mamma Mia! is a musical built around Abba staples of the seventies, dealing with a single mother whose daughter is about to get married on a Greek island. The daughter invites three of her mother’s old boyfriends to visit, hoping to find out which one her father is. The play is built around Abba music, but is an engaging story in its own right and is advanced by the music rather than providing an excuse for it. This is a play where almost everyone attending knows the music.

Rent is a musical that explores poverty, disease, and drugs in New York City. It’s a modern rock version of the 19th century Italian opera “La Boheme,” and is set in New York City’s East Village. It is a moving musical where young people strive to make it in a difficult world.

Plays are one of the most enduring human entertainments, and Broadway is the big leagues in an art form thousands of years old. Plays speak of where we come from, where we are, and where we would like to be. If you want to do something different and you value culture, entertainment and enlightenment, going to a Broadway play is something you may want to experience soon.

Jason OConnor owns and operates Oak Web Works, LLC and www.BestShowTicketsLasVegas.com.
http://www.oakwebworks.com
http://www.bestshowticketslasvegas.com

After taking a few lessons the student may find that he has a hitherto unsuspected talent for the art of ventriloquism, which only needs proper cultivation to be made a source of amusement and profit. As in music, there is a certain technique which must be thoroughly mastered before one can become proficient, and certain exercises conducing to voice production and culture which must be faithfully gone through with before one can give an efficient exhibition before the public.

One must learn how to use the mouth and tongue to achieve certain results, how to speak interiorily with entirely motionless and almost closed lips, and how to make each of the sounds or voices used distinctive in tone, pitch and character.

The successful ventriloquist must also be cool, confident and something of an actor. The voices to him present no illusion, and he can judge of his success only by their effect upon his audience. I say no illusion, but this is not quite true; for though he knows that he is creating the sounds, if he is thoroughly proficient, there seems a sort of isolation between himself and the voice which discourses with him. If he is talking with “a man on the roof ” and his performance is perfect, the voice almost seems even to him to be that of another person and he enters into argument with it with as much earnestness as if this were so.

The farther removed a ventriloquist is from his audience, the greater the illusion he creates, and yet it is remarkable how near the auditor can stand to the performer without being disillusioned. During a performance given at a fair in Masonic Temple, Boston, several years ago, I had for my stage only a round dais at one end of the hall, raised scarcely two feet above the floor.

The audience stood so close to the platform that I could almost touch the foremost persons, and I felt that under such conditions I could have very little success. But even here, a bright young lady who stood among those in the first rank of the crowd and directed her attention entirely to my face and lips in order to test the matter, afterward assured me that the illusion of “the man Under the floor” was perfect, and that the voice did not seem to proceed at all from myself. This may sound egotistical, but I simply relate the incident to show the perfection which may be obtained, and for the encouragement of those among my readers who desire to take up the art.

Unlike the magician, who requires an elaborate “fit-up” to properly perform his illusions, the ventriloquist always has the mysterious at his command. From a haystack by the country roadside or from behind the closed portals of an empty store or the depths of an open sewer in the city, he can evoke “spirits” to amaze and mystify the hearers, which yet exist in nothing more substantial than his own voice.

A half-hour’s exhibition of ventriloquism with the aid of mechanical figures, which carry on a bright and amusing dialogue with the performer and possibly contribute a song or two, varied by conversation with invisible people or imitations of various tools and musical instruments after methods which will be explained later, will often be eagerly accepted as an agreeable departure from the monotony of readings and vocal and instrumental music usually given at local entertainments.

Are You Serious About Wanting To Be A Ventriloquist? Here’s How To Master This Time Honored Art!

Click here for FREE online ebook!

http://www.theventriloquist.net/

Acting has found its origins in the religious rituals of the primitive times and the persons first to perform were the religious leaders of the tribes. The development of theater is largely attributed to the Greeks.

Start you child out early with acting, giving them an early peak while they are young will increase the odds of them catching on to it and becoming immersed in the art, this will increase the chances of success. Many people think that acting is all about glamour and living the good life. Everywhere you look today you see actors from TV, radio, theatre and even in street performances you see them. Yet acting is not easy in fact, like playing music, it is almost impossible to master.

There are acting schools and lessons and training. Sheer determination and natural skill are prerequisites that a wannabe actor cannot be without. Acting is one of the most brutal and challenging careers to pursue, but also one of the most rewarding.

When an actor finally reaches their potential they can convey the emotions needed to produce the acting needed in his/her performance. To many people acting is an exciting and rewarding career. A good actor can become anything he or she wants to be. Becoming a successful actor is one of the most difficult things that anyone could want to do but it is also one of the most rewarding. The actor needs to concentrate and get inspired if they are going to emulate and believe they are the character they need to portray. The Main tool besides their body of an actor is their voice.

To define acting it is a person who can portray someone else either on the big screen or on stage. When actors play characters they can be fictional, or they can be people who are alive or a person who once lived. The goal of acting is what the character is going after.

The acting business is very similar to any other that provides a service. The problem is that a lot of actors will just sit at home waiting to be discovered. Actors are constantly subjected to auditions as part of any job interview. This is where your breakdown of the work performed and the associated prices can help you determine this. Multi talented actors are skilled in dancing, singing, improvisation, accents and mime.

If you think you are going to nail each part think again, just go out there and give it your all, this is best train of thought. Listen everyone would like to nail the audition, but let’s be realistic you will receive more rejections in the beginning then call backs, but don’t be discouraged keep at it.

By definition an agent is someone who finds work for an actor at a fee of about 10 to 15% of whatever he earns for that job. But an agent is much more than that in reality. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, agents are impossible to live without. It’s vital that you put your thoughts to the side for a moment and simply listen and be present with what the casting agent.

David Marc Fishman helps performers get discovered at the online talent show. Show your talent and audition at http://www.bornasuperstar.

There are many forms of samba danced in Brazil. The two leading samba types in Rio today are the street samba dance called samba no pe, which is a solo dance and samba gafieiro, which is a partner dance.

The conventional type of samba danced during the Rio carnival is samba no pe. But according to some samba dancers there is a slightly difference between samba no pe and the show dance used during the Rio carnival. Samba no pe is also often seen as the most original samba. But others may claim that there is no such thing as an original samba dance.

Samba no pe is done in a 2/4 rhythm where the dancer takes three steps to every bar. This could make the samba to feel like a 3/4 timed dance. Samba no pe could be danced either alone or in a group. The dance consists of one basic step. The basic step requires a straight body and a bending of one knee at a time.

In samba no pe men and women are dancing samba with different steps and emphasis on different things during the dance. The male samba dancers often do a lot of acrobatic tricks with their feet. It is said that a good samba dancer speaks with his feet.

The female dance can be characterized as quick symmetrical feet movement with each foot twisting on the heel. All the time the females samba dancers put emphasis on their femininity by using their hips and shoulders very much.

The male and female dancers can dance together but they do not touch each other. Often the men dance around the women including spins, hops and jumps. The dance has a high tempo and is a complex combination of the basic steps, different variation and improvisation.

The dance is often done unaccompanied and begins straight away when the samba music starts. The speed of the movements change with the tempo of the music, some samba dances are very fast and other samba dances move at a more regular pace.

The dance consists of jumps and turns. It is important that when you jump you should not jump too high. It’s not easy to pick up the samba dance the first time you try. You should not be disappointed if you don’t get the hang of it the first time. It’s important that you stop looking at you feet and that you hold the body straight and at the same time start to relax.

Robert L J Bloom is the author and can provide additional information about samba music and the samba dance steps. SambaMusic.com is a search engine that provides relevant information about the Brazilian samba music and the different samba dances. http://www.sambamusic.com also provides samba news.

Learning to dance is fun - and it is easy. In a sense it is like learning a new language - a language in which moods and emotions are expressed in movement; a language of rhythm, grace and harmony. It is new - but in a very real sense it is the oldest language in the world, for dancing is the oldest form of art.

We know people danced as far back as the beginning of recorded history. The dance appeared in various forms in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.

Dancing gives expression to a deeply rooted emotion in man so profound as to border on reverence. This is evidenced by the fact that some early dances were a part of religious rites. The Bible mentions dancing in numerous places - one of the most frequently quoted verses being that taken from the 150th Psalm: “Praise ye the Lord in all your songs and dances.”

There is an instinctive urge in all of us to express rhythm. Primitive men satisfy this urge by beating drums and dancing around a campfire until they drop from sheer exhaustion. We, of the civilized world, satisfy this same instinctive urge in a more cultured way. We dance in a conventional manner to rhythmic music and conform to certain set patterns. We observe the rules of conduct that society has set for us.

Dancing is a wholesome, natural outlet for the emotions. It develops grace and poise, timing and balance. Men take pride in their ability to lead their partners with assurance and poise. Girls enjoy the ability to follow their partners smoothly, expertly and correctly. The ability to dance develops personality, and above all - it is fun.

Unfortunately, however, many persons miss out on this fun because they do not dance well. Girls are apprehensive that they will not be able to follow their partners. Men are worried about stepping on their partner’s toes. Many persons are reluctant to try to learn to dance, because they believe they do not have a sense of rhythm.

This is regrettable, for all of us have a sense of rhythm. Rhythm is one of the governing laws that make for order in the universe. Rhythm appears in many phases. The competent typist has rhythm; the public speaker, the musician, the author all make use of rhythm in the practice of their arts. Even the engine in our automobile has rhythm - it must fire in perfect time to operate successfully.

Even after learning a few of the simpler steps, some people are still afraid to relax and keep time to the accompanying music because they fear they will make a mistake and be ridiculed. This fear of criticism and ridicule can be so overpowering as to cause certain persons to become immobile. If the desire to dance is thwarted often enough, a psychological block can be set up in the nervous system which leads to discouragement and a desire to stop trying, and these folks say, “I have no sense of rhythm.”

Dancing has been described as poetry in motion. By observing the similarity between the rhythm of speech, particularly as applied to poetry, and the rhythm of motion, as applied to dancing, anyone who can recite a simple jingle in rhythm can learn to dance.

Occasionally a person will come to our studio and insist that he absolutely has no rhythm. We frequently ask such persons to read: “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” After pointing out to them that they do have a sense of rhythm, or they could not have recited this poem in perfect meter, they develop confidence enough to apply themselves to learning rhythm of movement.

I have never met a person who could speak, who could not recite poetry rhythmically. Reciting poetry, naturally, is easier for most people than moving the body in perfect rhythm. Some people learn to coordinate more easily than others, but with practice it can be learned, and it is simply not true that you, or anyone else, cannot learn to dance because you do not have a sense of rhythm.

Who Else Wants The Dance Lesson To Be A John Travolta On The Dance Floor?

Click here for FREE online ebook!

http://www.thedancelesson.com/

Take a typical nightmarish dream sequence you may have deep in the night, add ponderous acrobatics and aerobatics, an eerie story of clowns, death and a funeral, sprinkle in a carnival-like atmosphere ripe with little people and balloons, and inject a heart-pounding live, original score that combines with strange scenes that surround you like a psychedelics-infused blanket, and you’ve got Corteo.

Last night I went to the Boston show of Corteo, another installment of the hugely popular Cirque Du Soleil. It’s a circus, a theatrical musical, a gymnastics show and more. The audience surrounds a perfect circular stage, all under a gigantic big top that successfully blocks out every single photon of outside light.

The entire circle, both stage and audience stands, is sliced in half by two curtains that were a semi-transparent gauze. Between these ephemeral barriers stand the props and actors/athletes who begin the spectacle.

The story is essentially about a clown’s funeral, although it took all six of my group to determine the exact plot post-show. It opens with a clown on his death bed, I think, although almost everything is a tinge unclear. And the ongoing mumblings of this doomed clown are in Italian to boot, so it was often tough following things. But he did take pity on the crowd occasionally and would blurt something out in English.

It’s difficult to put into words what I witnessed next. The lights and stage were gold, yellow, and earthy, the music was soothing yet bizarre, and this clown sat on a bed while accosted by all kinds of characters. They all started running by him on either side of the bed. Clowns prodded him, small men and women with sculpted bodies spun his bed around, and beautiful angle-wing laden women in tights clinging to elaborate and ornate chandeliers floated above him.

The whole thing truly felt like some kind of mildly disturbing dream. And not just watching the dream, but actually experiencing the darn thing. The ’scenes’ were rotated through strange and compelling theatrics and absolutely jaw-dropping acrobatics.

The performers started bouncing on three different beds, flipping over each other, onto other beds and actually dribbling each other, all the while the stage rotated at a stately pace. They bounced around the stage like super balls ricocheting around a metal room. Then the ornate chandeliers that hung over the bed which had beautiful women hanging from them began to swing. The woman swung themselves around the entire place, all the while writhing and climbing among the chandelier lights and chains.

It seemed like the show’s wardrobe was 18th century French or Italian, with men’s ballooning pants at the thighs, and capes and sharp collars, as they acted out some of the plot. But interjected in the plot were amazing physical feats. For instance, there was a scene where both men and women held onto man-sized sturdy hula-hoops that they spun around in while hanging on. They looked like they were just tossed onto the spinning circular stage out of the pocket of some benevolent giant.

From the roof came a steady air raid of angles that hung on to wires and floated around the set handing various props to the actors.

The second half was even more stunning than the first. It opened with some of the performers bouncing along a skinny, long trampoline that cut through the diameter of the stage. And then the trapeze act started above. Never a mistake, never a slip, just crazy body flinging at its finest.

It’s funny because I recently heard Howard Stern (the radio jock) try to get one of his regular listeners to do a stunt for his Sirius Satellite radio show. He wants Eric the Midget to “fly with balloons” by strapping him into something that would allow him to float from a bunch of balloons in Stern’s studio. The whole thing is hilarious since Eric is ornery and stubborn and won’t agree to it. Howard tries to continuously talk Eric into doing it, ostensibly a great idea that will launch Eric into stardom, really a thinly-veiled attempt at a desire for some good radio.

But Cirque Du Soleil’s Corteo beat Howard Stern to the punch. A little person flew, and it was magnificent, but it wasn’t on the Howard Stern show.

It was one of the most memorable scenes of the second half, and my favorite. It was a little person floating by balloons. Her name was Valentina, and her size was probably about three feet tall. The kooky Cirque people strapped Valentina into a little harness that was attached to five or six large, helium-filled balloons. I am not kidding. A teeny, tiny three-foot-tall woman named Valentina was floated around the inside of the big top by a bushel of weather balloons.

What’s more, she actually drifted over us, the audience, and would eventually descend onto the frenzied crowd. The clown on the stage instructed us to hold two hands up like a platform as Valentina came down out of the air. She would proceed to push off the pair of hands, squealing away like an exuberant pixie.

The stunts in the second half were amazing. A man climbed up and down a ladder that was not leaning against anything. A woman traversed a high wire on her tip toes like a ballerina, then proceeded to climb up another high wire that was at a 45 degree angle! And more gymnasts performed intricate, synchronized parallel bar feats.

The show ended with the whole crew out on the stage, the clowns, the gymnasts, the actors, Valentina, everyone. They all waved goodbye to the star clown who was flying up into the rafters, pedaling a bike that was suspended fifty feet in the air, and drifted away to heaven.

Throughout the show I looked over at the friends I was with and invariably saw lots of smiles. I was thoroughly entranced the entire time, and I would absolutely recommend Cirque’s Corteo to anyone, from eight to eighty years old. It was a great experience and I think it would be a great place to bring your kids, or a date.

Jason OConnor owns and operates Oak Web Works, LLC and also runs www.BestShowTicketsLasVegas.com.
http://www.oakwebworks.com
http://www.bestshowticketslasvegas.com
mailto: jason@oakwebworks.com

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