Guys and Dolls

Sparkling new National Touring production of Broadway’s best loved musical for summer 2011.

With a cast of Broadway stars and a first class creative team, this brand new production of GUYS AND DOLLS will visit the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas, presented by Dallas Summer Musicals for two weeks only beginning July 19, 2011.


Bustling with gamblers, gangsters, and sassy showgirls, GUYS AND DOLLS celebrates Broadway’s golden era with one of the greatest scores ever written for a musical by the legendary Frank Loesser, masterfully witty book and lyrics by Joe Swerling and comedy legend Abe Burrows, and the glorious Damon Runyon’s comic book world of 1940s Times Square New York City.

GUYS AND DOLLS originally conquered Broadway in 1951 as the winner of 5 Tony Awards including Best New Musical and again in 1992 with 4 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical. The New York Times calls it “The show that defines Broadway dazzle!”

This brand new production boasts a cast of Broadway’s most celebrated rising stars, including Ben Crawford (Shrek as Shrek) as Sky Masterson, Steve Rosen (Spamalot, Farnsworth Invention, Peter and the Starcatchers) as Nathan Detroit, Erin Davie (A Little Night Music, Grey Gardens, Curtains) as Sarah Brown, and Megan Sikora (Curtains, Promises Promises, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) as Miss Adelaide.

The creative team is led by award winning director Gordon Greenberg (Broadway In Chicago’s Working, Disney’s Believe, Off-Broadway’s Jacques Brel!…, Paper Mill & Huntington’s Pirates!) and choreographer Patti Columbo (Broadway’s Peter Pan, Disney’s Believe, National Tours of Seussical, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, and Peter Pan), and lighting designer Charlie Morrison (National tours of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Miss Saigon, Meredith Willson’s The Music Man.)

GUYS AND DOLLS, an oddball romantic comedy considered by many to be the perfect musical, soars with the spirit of Broadway as it introduces us to a cast of vivid characters who are legends in the canon: Sarah Brown, the upright but uptight "mission doll," out to reform the evil-doers of Time Square; Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet to Cuba and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, the chronically ill nightclub performer whose condition is brought on by the fact she's been engaged to the same man for 14 years; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiancé, desperate as always to find a spot for his infamous floating crap game.

The show features classic standards such as “Luck Be a Lady,” “Adelaide’s Lament,” “My Time of Day,” and “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” which have been sung by musical superstars throughout the years. A movie version of GUYS AND DOLLS was released in 1953 starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.

Tickets, ranging from $20-$85, are on sale now at The Box Office, 5959 Royal Lane, #542 in Preston Royal Shopping Center; or at any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets are also available by calling 1-800-982-ARTS, or purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. For groups of 15 or more, please call 214-426-GROUP.


The show is produced by Big League Productions, Inc. from New York City which has been touring great Broadway musicals and attractions worldwide since 1991. Featured productions have included CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, MISS SAIGON, MEREDITH WILLSON’S THE MUSIC MAN, THE WHO’S TOMMY, and HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS to name a few.

From music theater aficionados to SOPRANOS’ fans, everyone is sure to be entertained by GUYS AND DOLLS.

GUYS AND DOLLS opens a two week run at the Music Hall at Fair Park from Tuesday, July 19 through Sunday, July 31, with the following schedule:

Tuesday July 19 8 p.m. opening night
Wednesday July 20 8 p.m.
Thursday July 21 8 p.m.
Friday July 22 8 p.m.
Saturday July 23 2 and 8 p.m.
Sunday July 24 2 and 8 p.m.
Monday July 25 No performance
Tuesday July 26 8 p.m.
Wednesday July 27 8 p.m.
Thursday July 28 2 and 8 p.m.
Friday July 29 8 p.m.
Saturday July 30 2 and 8 p.m.
Sunday July 31 2 p.m.


DSM’s 2011 season will conclude with WEST SIDE STORY, October 4-23, 2011, also the 2011 State Fair of Texas musical. More than 50 years ago one musical changed theater forever. Now it's back, and mesmerizing audiences once again. From the first note to the final breath, WEST SIDE STORY soars as the greatest love story of all time. Directed by David Saint, using Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents’ Broadway direction, WEST SIDE STORY remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The new Broadway cast album of WEST SIDE STORY recently won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway's finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as "Something's Coming," "Tonight," "America," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere."

“So exciting IT MAKES YOU ACHE WITH PLEASURE” –John Lahr, The New Yorker

Season sponsors for Dallas Summer Musicals, presented by Comerica Bank, are The Dallas Morning News, Metro PCS, WFAA TV Channel 8, American Airlines, and Texas Instruments. For more information about Dallas Summer Musicals, presented by Comerica Bank, visit their website at www.dallassummermusicals.org or call (214) 421-5678.

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who is looking forward to this production of Guys and Dolls. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.chocolatatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com

Get Paid to eat Pizza

PIZZA Taste Test Invite $50 **Ages 18-54 **Tuesday June 28th

Test Date: Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Times: 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00,or 8:00 (All PM-Check-in 15 minutes early)
Location: Plano, TX (N. Dallas Tollway/Legacy area)

We are recruiting participants for a taste test! This test will take two hours. Due to limited seats, please only schedule an appointment if you are able to commit to attending. Thank you all so much!

**For this test-Must not have participated in a taste test in the past 6 months**

Qualifications for Taste Test
*Males/Females Ages 18-54
*The taste test will take two hours (2.0 hours).
*Arrive 15 minutes early to check in.
*PHOTO ID required at check in.
*Participants receive a $50 CHECK.

Participants will be reading from a computer screen and might be asked to walk around holding a small laptop. Small children and guests are not allowed in the testing facility.

How to Participate
Participants must qualify and complete a phone interview prior to the test. Walk-ins are not accepted. Call in to our office 972.514.4833 to complete a qualifying phone interview, schedule appointment, and receive directions. Due to limited seats, please only schedule an appointment if you are able to commit to attending. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,
Dallas Insights
972.514.4833 Voice
972.293.4323 Fax
dallasinsights@att.net

Double your pleasure with the iphone 4.

There are a million reasons why I love my iphone. But since I got a case that not only protects my beloved phone, but also gives it super juiced power. It lasts so much long.
Would you like a case this?

Just POST BELOW your worst experience of running out of power when needing your iphone--a flat tire in the middle of no where? Just before the end of the exciting climax of the movie?

One unlucky iphoner will change his luck and get charged up

Super-Juice Power Case for iPhone 4

SKU# DCA224

Super-Juice Power Case extends your iPhone talk time by up to 6 hours, 10 hours for video/gaming or 40 hours of music via the exceptional 2000mAh Lithium Polymer battery. With an included micro-USB cable, you can also charge and sync your iPhone without sliding out. Super-Juice Power Case also features a tough case and features a built-in kickstand so you can easily enjoy hands-free video viewing at your desk, on the plane…or any flat surface!

What is Normal?

It varies for each person, each family, and each culture. It is defined by the very people who are living it. If everyone decides to cut off their left baby toe, that would be normal for them. We are each defined by an ever-changing normalacy.

Uptown Players Presents Next To Normal

Uptown Players continues its tenth season with the regional premiere of the startling new musical, Next To Normal, running June 10 – July 3, 2011, at the historic Kalita Humphreys Theater. Uptown Players is the first regional theater in the United States to produce Next To Normal, following its long Broadway run, which ended on January 16, 2011, after 21 previews and 733 regular performances.

A sensation with Critics and Audiences

Next To Normal was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three: Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley). It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming just the eighth musical in history to receive the honor. Next to Normal features music by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. With provocative lyrics and a thrilling contemporary score, Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. It explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and just how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family’s world intact.

Next To Normal was chosen as “one of the year’s ten best” by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Time Out New York, New York Daily News, The Bergen Record and NY1 – more than any other musical from the 2009 Broadway season. Uptown Players’ production will be under the direction of Michael Serrecchia, with music direction by Scott A. Eckert. The cast includes Jonathan Bragg, Patty Breckenridge, Anthony Carrillo, Gary Floyd, Jonathan Gilland and Erica Harte.

Put this on your calendar. Take your whole family


The production runs June 10 through July 3, 2011, with shows at 8 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sundays (no performances June 12 or 16). Performances take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd (entrance off Blackburn), Dallas, TX 75219.

Individual tickets are $30-50 and can be purchased at www.uptownplayers.org or by calling Now in its tenth season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 15,000 patrons, including nearly 1000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 15 Theatre Critics Forum Awards in its first seven seasons.

In recent years, Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers Awards, and the Dallas Observer, and has appeared on the WFAA-A list and Best of Big D - D Magazine. Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who tries to see every performance by UpTown Players. (Insider tip—there is always a catered spread after opening night which is usually on a Friday)

Read Madelyn’s stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com

My TV problem is so funny, even the operator laughed when I called in

My new Uverse TV is not working AGAIN I called the tech support number and pushed all the numbered responses when cued.
When I pushed 5 for TV TECH SUPPORT. The recorded voice said, "please hold while I connect you." I held and then got a standard phone message that
this number is not in service"
I called again and kept pushing numbers until I got a HUMAN BEING. I told the operator what had happened and she started laughing histerically.
She said I made her day--it was the funiest thing she ever heard.
I'm glad it amused and entertained her. But I would be much happier if my TV would work again.

Six calls and 2 humans Later, someone was able to walk me through it. There has to be abetter way

Celebrate dreams that come true: Billy Elliot The Musical

Billy Elliot The Musical, featuring an original score by music legend Sir Elton John, is a joyous celebration of one boy’s journey to make his dream come true. Set in a small town, the story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, discovering a surprising passion that inspires his family and his whole community.

Based on the international hit film, Billy Elliot is brought to life by a phenomenal cast,including Faith Prince, who has been dazzling Broadway audiences since she swept the theatre awards, winning The Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her performance as Adelaide in the revival of Guys and Dolls.

Faith guest starred on the Lifetime hit series, Drop Dead Diva, and also has appeared in guest starring roles this year on Ugly Betty, Medium and CSI. She had a recurring role for five seasons on Spin City and has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy, House, Monk and Law and Order.

Her other Broadway credits include The Little Mermaid, Bells are Ringing, Nick & Nora, Little Me, Noises Off and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. She was nominated for Tony and Drama Desk Awards for her performances in Bells are Ringing and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway.

Billy Elliot The Musical was created by – director Stephen Daldry, choreographer Peter Darling and writer Lee Hall – along with music legend Elton John, who has written what the New York Post calls “His best score yet.”

Time Magazine has declared Billy Elliot “the best musical of the decade” and the show won 10 Tony Awards in 2009.

The show will run from June 8 through June 19 at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

Performances of Billy Elliot The Musical will be at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays;2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. There will be additional performances on Sunday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, June 9 at 2 p.m. and Wednesday, June 15 at 2:00 p.m.

Single ticket prices range from $30 to $150 with prime location orchestra seats available for $90 for select performances.

Due to changes in national touring plans, the run of Billy Elliot The Musical has been shortened to a limited, two-week engagement at the AT&T Performing Arts Center with 16 performances.

About the AT&T Performing Arts Center
Open since October 2009, the AT&T Performing Arts Center is a vibrant destination for entertainment in the heart of the downtown Dallas Arts District. The Center presents a variety of programs, including its Lexus Broadway Series, Brinker International Forum, JAZZ ROOTS and, in association with TITAS,contemporary dance and music, and other performances.

The Center also provides performance space for The Dallas Opera, Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, in unparalleled venues set within a 10-acre urban park.

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who loves musicals. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.chocolateAtlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com

New Orleans Bargain..a triple saving at one of my favorite New Orleans restaurants

Three Ways to Order
Effortless Dining with a New 3 Course Prix Fixe Dinner Menu
$38.11

To ease the ordering process and provide a delicious range of freshly prepared appetizers, main courses, and desserts, chef Baruch Rabasa of Meson 923 is taking advantage of these warms months to offer a 3 course prix fixe menu for $38.11, beginning June 8, 2011.

Meson 923 has added to the regular menu offerings a ready prepared menu to easily make your choices uncomplicated. A perfect meal- choose from a selection of starters, entrees and desserts- 3 courses for dinner- $38.11. And for that perfect pairing, each dish will be partnered with the most suited wine. 3 glasses of wine will be an additional $15. With menus made for ease and affordability, why would you go anywhere else?

Starters
Crispy Panko Crusted Brandade Cake with Spanish Olive Salad and Fried Caperberries

Serrano Wrapped Shrimp with Compressed Watermelon, Pimentón (Paprika) and Parsley

Beef Carpaccio with Parmesan Arugula Salad, Fried Shallots and Citrus Vinaigrette

Entrees
Sautéed Shrimp with Roasted Garlic, Ricotta Agnolotti, Zucchini, Oregano, and Duc de Foix

Whole Crispy Duck Leg, Dirty Rice with Fresh Sage and Black Pepper, and Grilled Figs with Banyuls Vinaigrette

Grilled Drum with Cucumbers, Creole Tomatoes, Avocadoes and a Herb Salad with a Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Desserts
Panna Cotta topped with a Pineapple Gelée and a light Passion Fruit Syrup

Chocolate Marquise with Raspberry and Mint

Warm Brown Butter Tartlet of Almond and Blueberry with a Bourbon Crème Fraîche

Dinner is served!

The menu above is an example menu, and items are subject to change without notice. Please call the restaurant ahead to confirm what dishes will be offered in the prix fixe menu the night of your dinner.

Meson 923 is open for cocktails in the bar or balcony and dinner beginning at 5 pm, Wednesday through Saturday.

Meson 923- 923 South Peters Street- New Orleans- 504.523.9200- meson923.com

Stomp

Stomp

By Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

Not everyone would be thrilled to get in their seat for a musical and suddenly see and hear brooms sweeping, garbage can lids clanging, and various other everyday items used as musical instruments. This is definitely a non-traditional musical experience.

I have the perfect guest to take to Stomp. Patrick Gary plays 13 instruments and has been part of several bands. You can even hear him perform. Check out his website http://donttellmamaband.org/bandmembers-bios-3/

But back to Stomp.

STOMP, the international sensation, is making its triumphant return to Dallas Summer Musicals, presented by Comerica Bank, at the Music Hall at Fair Park June 7-12, 2011. Tickets, priced from $15-$75, are available at the Box Office, 5959 Royal Lane, #542 in Preston Royal Shopping Center; or at any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets are also available by calling 1-800-982-ARTS, or purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. For groups of 15 or more, please call 214-426-GROUP.

The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises, with some sections of the show now updated and restructured and the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans.

“After creating new routines for STOMP OUT LOUD in Vegas, [co-creator] Luke Cresswell and I decided it was time to rework elements of our main production, STOMP,” said co-creator Steve McNicholas. “STOMP has evolved a great deal ever since its first incarnation at the Edinburgh Festival. Every reworking has involved losing some pieces and gaining new ones, but has always stayed true to the original premise of the show: to create rhythmic music with instantly recognizable objects, and do it with an eccentric sense of character and humor.”

THE SMASH HIT RETURNS
TO DALLAS SUMMER MUSICALS WITH NEW SURPRISES


The changes that can now be seen in the tour of STOMP are the biggest since the late 1990s. A new piece, “Paint Cans,” evolved out of the “Boxes” routine in the Las Vegas show, and “Donuts” is a piece that implements huge tractor tire inner tubes, worn around the waist on a bungee cord. For many years, the creators had looked for a STOMP equivalent of the Latin percussion instrument the guiro, a gourd-shaped open-ended instrument with ridges along the side that are rubbed by a wooden stick to create its sound. The climactic trashcan sequence, “Bins,” has been restructured to include a guiro-like new found instrument: strip-lighting recycling containers.

From its beginnings as a street performance in the UK, STOMP has grown into an international sensation over the past fourteen years, having performed in over 350 cities in 36 countries worldwide. STOMP continues its phenomenal run with the ongoing sell-out Off-Broadway production at New York's Orpheum Theatre, a North American tour, and two productions overseas - a London company and a European tour.

STOMP, an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards and sell-out engagements, is the winner of an Olivier Award for Best Choreography (London's Tony Award), a New York Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience, and a Special Citation from Best Plays. The young performers “make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound,” says co-creator/director Luke Cresswell. Stiff-bristle brooms become a sweeping orchestra; Zippo lighters flip open and closed to create a fiery fugue; wooden poles thump and clack in a rhythmic explosion. STOMP uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – trashcans, tea chests, plastic bags, plungers, boots, and hubcaps – to fill the stage with compelling and infectious rhythms.

Critics and audiences have raved: “STOMP is as crisp and exuberant as if it had opened yesterday,” says The New York Times. The San Francisco Chronicle declares “STOMP has a beat that just won’t quit!” The Los Angeles Times exclaims: “Electrifying! Triumphs in the infinite variety of the human experience.” “A phenomenal show! Bashing, crashing, smashing, swishing, banging and kicking – a joyous invention!” says the Chicago Tribune.

STOMP is directed and created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas. For more information about the show, please visit www.stomponline.com.

STOMP returns to the Music Hall at Fair Park from Tuesday, June 7 through Sunday, June 12, on the following schedule:

Tuesday June 7 8 p.m. opening night
Wednesday June 8 8 p.m.
Thursday June 9 8 p.m.
Friday June 10 8 p.m.
Saturday June 11 2 and 8 p.m.
Sunday June 12 2 and 8 p.m.


WHAT I THOUGHT OF PREVIOUS STOMP PERFORMANCES IN DALLAS

http://www.travellady.com/Issues/Issue67/stomp.htm

http://www.travellady.com/Articles/article-titas.html

http://www.travellady.com/Issues/June08/5083Stomp.htm

HOW CAN YOU TOP STOMP? HERE’S WHAT THE DSM HAS PLANNED

The following shows are also part of the DSM 2011 season at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Pick A Packs that include any three DSM shows are still available, starting as low as $36. For more information, please visit www.dallassummermusicals.org.

MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT, June 14-26, 2011. The second coming of Broadway’s #1 Musical Comedy Smash, called “A No-Holds-Barred Smash Hit” by The New Yorker. The funniest show on earth is back to taunt Dallas for a second time. Winner of the 2005 Tony® Award for Best Musical, SPAMALOT, the musical comedy sensation lovingly ripped off from the film classic “Monty Python and The Holy Grail,” now returns to spread laughter and cheer throughout the kingdom.

GUYS AND DOLLS, July 19-31, 2011. Big League Productions is proud to announce a sparkling new production of the timeless Broadway classic, GUYS AND DOLLS. Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, this oddball romantic comedy—considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy—soars with the spirit of Broadway as it introduces us to the cast of vivid characters who have become legends in the canon. The New York Times calls it “The show that defines Broadway dazzle!”

WEST SIDE STORY, October 4-23, 2011, is also the 2011 State Fair of Texas musical. More than fifty years ago one musical changed theater forever. Now it's back, and mesmerizing audiences once again. From the first note to the final breath, WEST SIDE STORY soars as the greatest love story of all time. Directed by David Saint, using Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents’ Broadway direction, WEST SIDE STORY remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The new Broadway cast album of WEST SIDE STORY recently won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway's finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as "Something's Coming," "Tonight," "America," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere."

“So exciting IT MAKES YOU ACHE WITH PLEASURE” –John Lahr, The New Yorker

Season sponsors for Dallas Summer Musicals, presented by Comerica Bank, are The Dallas Morning News, WFAA TV Channel 8, American Airlines, and Texas Instruments. For more information about Dallas Summer Musicals, presented by Comerica Bank, visit their website at www.dallassummermusicals.org or call (214) 421-5678.

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who loves musicals. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com

Twitter your way to Chile

The riches of Chile’s majestic landscapes and world-class wines are rivaled only by the country’s prodigious literary heritage. With greats like Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, and Isabel Allende, it is little wonder that Chile is known as un país de poetas -- a country of poets.

Now you have a chance to visit this captivating land of lyricism, brought to life, not only in its vistas that inspired some of the most accomplished writers of our time, but in its many opportunities to enjoy the harvest of the country’s bountiful vineyards. Tap into your poetic side and tweet us a haiku that represents your take on the lyricism of Chile: vistas, wine, words. Your literary efforts may just reward you with a trip to Chile, including roundtrip airfare on LAN airlines, a five-night stay at Valle Nevado ski resort and some of the best wines on earth.

To enter, log into Twitter and tweet a haiku about Chile, using the hashtag #SipsSlopes. The tweets will be judged based on their creativity, originality and adherence to haiku form.

Hint: I was in Chile last year and think your inner poet might be inspired by Chilean wines.
http://www.travellady.com/Issues/Sept2010/career.htm