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By Jaden Paige Brulotte

If you’re looking for some family fun this weekend, be sure to check out the live rendition of the classic PBS kids’ show, “Sesame Street,”  at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.

All of your children’s favorite characters come together in this highly energetic, interactive performance to take trips around the world together with their friends. Sam, the mail carrier on Sesame Street, uses postcards and a simple countdown to teach the cast how to go anywhere and be anyone — just by using their imagination.

The performance includes original characters like Big Bird, Grover, and Oscar the Grouch, as well as newer friends like Abby Cadabby and Zoe.
Characters get the audience involved with the numbers by encouraging them to sing along to old classics, teaching them new songs, and getting down off the stage to dance through the crowd with the children.
There are also some delightful little surprises during the performance: black light numbers; confetti shooters; even Elmo’s pal Mr. Noodle making an appearance.
The atmosphere is fun, the venue is perfect for this type of show (with lots of room along the sides for kids to boogie down with their favorite Sesame characters), and the Sno Cones are delicious and sugary.
What more could a toddler — or her parents — ask for, really?

If You Go

What: “Sesame Street Live: 1-2-3 Imagine with Elmo & Friends.”

Where: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 50 E. Merrimack Street, Lowell.

When: Thursday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m.; Friday, Jan., 20 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 21, 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m., 5:30 p.m.; Sunday, Jan. 22, 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

How much: Tickets start at $14 a person. Call 978-454-2299 or visit www.lowellauditorium.com.

By Tracey Dee Rauh Managing Editor The Eagle Tribune Thu Dec 15, 2011, 02:29 AM EST

If you’re walking down the street in Worcester this week, perhaps having arrived early for a performance of Cirque Du Soleil, you just might happen to pass one of the most talented acrobats in the world.

He or she will probably be wearing ordinary street clothes so you won’t recognize who you’ve happened upon. But later on stage, this person will be undertaking incredible feats requiring unbelievable balance and bodily strength.

And yet, you’ll never make the connection between the person you passed on the sidewalk and the breathtaking talent before you.

So goes the story of “Quidam,” Cirque Du Soleil’s production celebrating human individuality and featuring 52 international performers from 18 countries. The show runs eight times at the DCU Center in Worcester tonight through Sunday.

“The big message of this show comes from the name itself,” says Cirque Du Soleil spokesperson Jessica Leboeuf. “Quidam is a Latin word meaning ‘nameless passerby.’ It refers to the everyman; everyone you pass during the day who you don’t pay attention to. This show is about the individuality of every man.”

Developed in 1996 by the Montreal-based troupe of acrobats, aerialists, musicians, singers, contortionists, clowns and other performers, “Quidam” toured five continents as a big-top production, stopping in major cities around Europe, Japan, Australia, North America and South America.

“At one point, we had been everywhere that can host the big-top show,” Leboeuf recalls. “But the show is a big production, an important production, so we wanted to keep it alive, not only to return to places where it has been, but to bring it to new cities and people who have never seen ‘Quidam,’ or maybe even Cirque.”

To make “Quidam” friendly to venues other than the big top — that is, buildings like the DCU Center — a number of technical and other modifications were made. The most challenging involved condensing set-up and break-down times, since runs tend to be much shorter .

“We have to move more often and have less time,” Leboeuf explains. “Instead of taking six-and-a-half days to set up and three-and-a-half days to break down, now we have eight hours and four hours. We turned days into hours.”

As with all Cirque Du Soleil productions, the sets, music, choreography, costumes — virtually every aspect of the show is done by members of the troupe. Founded in 1984, Cirque boasts 1,500 performers and employs 5,000 people from all over the world. Today the company has 21 different productions playing around the globe.

“We have a different storyline and set for every show. Costumes are handmade specifically for each performer. Music is written specifically for each production,” Leboeuf says. “This creates a different universe for every productions.”

The stories are never told through spoken words.

“Live music is the language of the show,” Leboeuf says. “About half the time the performers follow the music and half the time the music follows the performers. It’s very powerful.”

“Quidam” features six instrumentalists and a male and female singer, the latter of whom portrays the protagonist, a girl named Zoe.

As the show opens, Zoe is in the living room with her parents: her father buried behind his newspaper and her mother not really present. It’s clear that everyone is disconnected.

“Nobody is talking and Zoe seems to be bored and is frustrated with her family,” Leboeuf explains. “Quidam enters her life and imagination, and we follow her on a journey where she meets all these characters. It’s a kind of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ journey, but instead of the Mad Hatter and bunny she encounters aerialists and acrobats and balance performers, among others.”

For her part, Leboeuf says the clowns are a highlight.

“We have two clown routines which are hilarious,” she says. “I love our clowns. If you are scared of clowns, this is great clown therapy.”

“Quidam,” which runs two hours, is a family-friendly show, appropriate for children about 5 years of age and older who can sit through a feature-length movie. It’s also great for a grown-up night out.

“It is a very multi-layered production,” Leboeuf says. “You can come and enjoy it for what it is. Or you can sit and absorb the artistry and the messages.”

If You Go

What: Cirque Du Soleil’s “Quidam.”

Where: DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester.

When: Wednesday, Dec, 14, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 16, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 17, 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 18, 1 and 5 p.m.

How: Tickets are available at www.cirquedusoleil.com/quidam or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Prices range from $35 to $100.

Got soup?

If you have a special soup recipe, you might want to check out New England Country Soup’s Soup Challenge.

The winner gets a “food-oriented splurge getaway.”

What does that mean? I don’t know. I do know the details are at http://www.soupchallenge.com.

By Jaden Paige Brulotte

“Which side are you on now, which side are you on?”

These lyrics, adapted from an old labor song and tweaked into commentary on the current U.S. cultural climate, aptly closed an incredible show by Ani Difranco and Melissa Ferrick in Concord, N.H. last weekend.

Both of these ‘girls with guitars’ have built a reputation for delivering their political opinions, angst and often even rage at the state of all kinds of affairs through the vehicle of musical talent.

With Occupy movement protests in progress all over the country, Difranco spent the quieter moments of the Sunday, Nov. 13 performance making passionate arguments for the many issues currently on her agenda: the environmental restoration of the Gulf habitat (she has lived in New Orleans for eight years) and her disappointment in President Barack Obama, among others.

Difranco, who began  playing covers in local bars at  age 9 and launched her own record label at 19, has released 16 studio albums in 20 years. She came to the Capitol Center on a tour that wraps up in New York this weekend in advance of the 2012 release of “Which Side Are You On?” Her performance featured cuts from the new CD, as well as new and classic takes on favorite hits.

In addition to her music — and as fans have come to expect — Difranco used the evening as a platform for activism. Flyers featuring the names of legislators and talking points for the Restore Act were distributed in hallways. Audience members were asked to grab them and make calls in support of the bill to provide funding for the cleanup of the BP oil spill. She recalled choking on the burning oil while sitting on her front porch in the months following the spill.

Whatever her topic, when Ani spoke, fans listened and cheered. When she laughed, the crowd laughed with her. That’s one of Difranco’s incredible strengths; her ability to connect with fans and use her music to further her beliefs and to push the envelope. The result is twofold: She remains “real” to her vastly loyal fans, and her music remains interesting as her causes, and the artist, evolve.

Massachusetts native Ferrick’s set was fast-paced, energetic, and emotional, a highlight delivered when she picked up her trumpet for a few numbers.

The crowd stormed the floor below the stage as Difranco performed her last solo song; then remained there, fists pumping, during the encore, “Which Side Are You On?,” by both performers.

At the end of the night, emotions had ranged from humility to gratefulness, anger to optimism, and beyond. And that’s what anyone looking for tickets to a Difranco show always can expect.

If you haven’t seen this righteous babe play yet, here’s one more thing to add to the bucket list.

Material Girl will host a nationwide casting call for the next “Lucky Star” to appear in the national marketing campaign. The “Lucky Star” model search will launch on Wednesday, November 2nd at Macy’s Herald Square in New York and will culminate on November 21st online at www.materialgirlcollection.com.

A celebrity-driven panel of judges, led by current Material Girl spokesperson Kelly Osbourne, will be searching the country to find the next Material Girls. “Lucky Star” casting calls will be held at five of Macy’s flagship locations in the United States including:

·      Herald Square, New York – Wednesday, November 2 at 5:00 p.m.

·      Dadeland, Miami – Friday, November 4 at 6:00 p.m.

·      State Street, Chicago – Tuesday, November 8 at 5:30 p.m.

·      Union Square, San Francisco – Saturday, November 12 at 2:00 p.m.

·      Beverly Center, Los Angeles – Saturday, November 19 at 2:00 p.m.

Madonna and Lola commented, “This is not your standard model search. It’s more about attitude. We are looking for a stylish, adventurous, creative, free spirit. We’re both looking forward to meeting the ten finalists in New York in December.”

Material Girl contestants should bring a photograph of themselves and be prepared to tell the Material Girl judging panel why they should be the next Material Girl. Contestants can also upload their photograph to materialgirlcollection.com and explain in 100 words or less why they should be selected as one of Material Girl’s “Lucky Stars.”

The judging panel will narrow all entries down to 36, which will be placed online at materialgirlcollection.com to be voted on by the public, narrowing it down to 10 finalists. The top 10 finalists with the highest votes will be flown to New York City, where Madonna and Lola will choose the winners and the new faces of Material Girl’s spring 2012 campaign.

The winners’ ads will debut in fashion and lifestyle magazines and be part of a digital and outdoor campaign and in-store Macy’s marketing collateral and receive a $5,000 cash prize.

Material Girl is a fast-fashion junior collection inspired and designed in collaboration with Madonna and her daughter Lola, along with Iconix Brand Group’s in-house fashion department.

To stay up to date with the latest news from Material Girl, follow @MaterialGirlCol on Twitter and use the hash tag #MGModelSearch. Become a fan of Material Girl on Facebook at www.facebook.com/materialgirlcollection.

Full casting has been announced for the upcoming national tour of THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a new musical based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, which will make its Boston premiere February 7, 2011 at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre.

Tony Award nominee Douglas Sills and Sara Gettelfinger will star as Gomez and Morticia in a principal cast that also includes Tony Award nominee Martin Vidnovic as Mal Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Crista Moore as Alice Beineke, Blake Hammond as Uncle Fester, Pippa Pearthree as Grandma, Tom Corbeil as Lurch, Patrick D. Kennedy as Pugsley, Brian Justin Crum as Lucas Beineke and Cortney Wolfson as Wednesday.

Portraying the ancestors are Ted Ely, Karla Puno Garcia, Steve Geary, Victoria Huston-Elem, Patrick Oliver Jones, Lizzie Klemperer, Alexandra Matteo, Christy Morton, Brad Nacht, Rebecca Riker, Jonathan Ritter, Roland Rusinek, Geo Seery, Samantha Shafer and Jason Eric Testa.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY features an original story and it’s every father’s nightmare.

Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. A man her parents have never met.

And if that weren’t upsetting enough, she confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before – keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia.

Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY features a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa.

The production is directed and designed (sets and costumes) by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch with production supervision by Jerry Zaks and choreography by Sergio Trujillo.

The production features lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Acme Sound Partners and puppetry by Basil Twist.  The production also features music supervision by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, music direction by Valerie Gebert, orchestrations by Larry Hochman, dance arrangements by August Eriksmoen, hair design by Tom Watson, make-up design by Angelina Avallone and special effects design by Greg Meeh.

In a prolific career spanning six decades, Charles Addams created several thousand cartoons, sketches and drawings, many of which were published in The New Yorker.

But it was his creation of characters that came to be known as The Addams Family that brought Addams his greatest acclaim. With a unique style that combined the twisted, macabre and just plain weird with charm, wit and enchantment, Addams’ drawings have entertained millions worldwide and served as the inspiration for multiple television series and motion pictures.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY, now in its second year on Broadway, began performances in March 2010 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre where it has since grossed more than $72 million.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY tour is produced by Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt, Five Cent Productions, Stuart Ditsky/AdamDitsky, Stephen Mary Jo Schuler, Eva Price, James L. Nederlander, Stephanie P. McClelland, Pittsburgh CLO/Gutterman/Deitch, Vivek Tiwary/Jamie deRoy/Carl Moellenberg and Mary Lu Roffe, by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical.

International productions have been announced for Brazil (March, 2012) and Australia (March, 2013) with others to be announced shortly.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY plays at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre for 16 performances: Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7:30 PM (except Wednesday, February 8, at 7:00 PM); Friday evenings at 8:00 PM; Saturdays at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM; and Sundays at 1:00 PM and 6:30 PM. Tickets are priced at $33.00 -$103.00; all prices include a $3.00 facility fee per ticket. Tickets for THE ADDAMS FAMILY are on sale at the Citi Performing Arts Center Box Office, online at www.citicenter.org or by calling (866) 348-9738. Discounted tickets are available for groups of 15 or more by contacting Citi Performing Arts Center Group Sales at (617) 532-1116 or at groupsales@citicenter.org

For more information on THE ADDAMS FAMILY, visit www.theaddamsfamilymusical.com.

Yes indeed. The actors have been chosen for the upcoming North American tour of Green Day’s AMERICAN IDIOT, the two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway hit.

It will premiere in Toronto December 28 – January 15 before continuing on to 14 other markets across the United States.  Performances at the Boston Opera House are January 24 – 29, 2012.
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By Alex Pacheco and Monica Feltz

In the last few years, electronica music — a combination of computerized instruments and digital production software, has crept out of the dark urban clubs of Western Europe and into the American mainstream.

Riding the very top of the surge is the Niagra Falls, Ontario-based producer Deadmau5 (pronounced “dead mouse” and named for a dead mouse he found in his computer), who played a nearly week-long sold-out stint at the House of Blues in Boston this week.

The face behind the light-up, grinning mouse-head helmet onstage is Joel Zimmerman, a charismatic pioneer of the digital music revolution who hates to be labeled as a “deejay.”

While deejays were “still dinosauring it out playing on turntables,” according to Zimmerman, he is working with software engineers to create some of the most prolific programs used in dance clubs today. However, with recording studios and their “old school approach to recording music,” it wasn’t always easy to convince his audience that computers and music could get along, he says.

Now Deadmau5’s predominance in the electro community is in no way hidden. His opulent LED-lit stage setup – comprised of several cubic arrangements, a floor-to-ceiling display screen, and a giant cube tilted on its axis upon which Zimmerman stands triumphantly – is unmatched by any other artist.

At one point in the Tuesday, Oct. 11, show, the cube lit up so as to resemble a spacecraft carting the giant grinning mouse with iridescent blue eyes through a terrain reminiscent of the movie “Tron.”

The visual themes are what you might expect from a computer programmer. Zimmerman is not shy about implementing landscapes from the Super Nintendo version of Super Mario Brothers, as well as several 1980s-era arcade classics. Even his cat, “Meowingtons,” made an appearance on the big screen – but after all, that’s where his current tour got its name.

The majesty of Deadmau5’s light show alone could provide enough entertainment to justify the $50 ticket price. When mixed with his one-of-a-kind sound that embraces everything from more traditional forms of house to neo-trance and dubstep, the experience is mind-bending. Zimmerman describes a program he uses for his live shows as “a drum sequencer and sample player on crack,” which just about sums up his entire performance. Still, he incorporates more mellow moments than one might expect.

From the first note of opener, “Where Are My Keys,” to the encore sealed with one of his most popular songs, “Strobe,” it was tough to find one still body in the club. With heads bobbing to the beat, many adorned with matching glow-in-the-dark mouse ears, and arms waving high into the air, the audience loved the show.

A most impressive moment was when his biggest hit, “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff,” blasted through the sound system after about two-hours of phenomenal lead-up and all three floors of the House of Blues bounced up and down in an adrenaline-charged wave.

After five solid hours of dancing, which included opening performances by Feed Me, Excision and Tommy Lee & DJ Aero, the crowd flooded the streets, a simultaneously exhausted and energized group surrounding Fenway.

Perhaps “crack,” indeed, is the best way to describe the musical drug that is Deadmau5.

Casting Directors from Bunim/Murray Productions, creators of the perennial hit MTV show “The Real World” will be holding an open casting call for Season 27 of “The Real World”:

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8TH, 2011
10:00AM – 5:00PM
TOMMY DOYLE’S PUB AND RESTAURANT
96 Winthrop St.
Cambridge, MA 02139

Since 1992, Bunim/Murray has engaged and enlisted the youth of America into the incredible social experiment known as “The Real World”. The cast of the 27th season of “The Real World” will have a unique opportunity to be stars of the most iconic, longest running reality series on television.

So who are the next stars of  “The Real World?”

“We look for characters from real life; people with strong personalities who are unafraid to speak their minds,” said Jonathan Murray, Executive Producer of “The Real World.”

Past seasons have been populated with cast members from diverse backgrounds, who have shared their daily experiences openly with millions of viewers.

Fans of the show will remember alumni such as Pedro, the HIV/AIDS educator; Ryan the musically gifted Iraq War vet; Knight, the hockey player/recovering addict; and Danny and Melinda, the young couple who fell in love on the Austin season.

“The Real World” welcomes anyone with a great personality and a willingness to share their life with the world. They are looking for surprising and unusual life stories that have yet to be told on television.

Applicants are asked to bring a recent picture of themselves (which will not be returned) and photo ID. You must be age 20 or older, and appear to be between the ages of 20 and 24.

For those who can’t make it to the open call, applications are still being accepted via email.

Visit www.bunim-murray.com/rwcasting for complete details on how you can apply.

By Rosemary Ford

‘South Pacific’
3 out of 4 stars
Theater review

What does it take to become an American classic?
For starters, the piece of work has to be American, of course. It has to stand out among its predecessors, and contemporary and future counterparts. And it has to survive the test of time, remaining relevant despite the vagaries of style, taste and culture.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1949 Broadway musical “South Pacific,” which deals with the ever-pertinent themes of romance and racism, qualifies without doubt. Those who score tickets to the current revival directed by Sarna Lapine at the Boston Opera House will see exactly why.
This oft-staged production makes its rounds regularly on the community theater circuit. No matter: The lush and lavish production in Boston will have huge wow-power anyway, even for those who have seen or acted in the play 18 times.
At the Opera House, it truly comes down to amazing voices. Leads Marcelo Guzzo (as Emile de Becque), Katie Reid (as Nellie Forbush), Cathy Foy-Mahi (as Bloody Mary), and Abington native Shane Donovan (as Lt. Joe Cable) hit all the right notes in delivering favorites like “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Cockeyed Optimist,” and “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught.”
Guzzo’s operatic baritone is a dead ringer for Rossano Brazzi. Really: just wow. The fact that Reid, Foy-Mahi and Donovan do more than keep up with him is a testament to their own vocal gifts.
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