Richard Skipper Celebrates

Harry Truman famously said that not all readers are leaders but all leaders are readers — they have to be. 

THE FANTASTICKS, with book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, opened Off-Broadway in May of 1960 and closed forty-two years later, becoming the longest-running production in the history of the American stage and one of the most frequently produced musicals in the world. Their first Broadway musical, 110 IN THE SHADE, was nominated for a Tony Award and was successfully revived by the New York City Opera starring Karen Ziemba, and later produced on Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre Company starring Audra McDonald and John Cullum. I DO! I DO!, their two character musical with Mary Martin and Robert Preston, ran for a year on Broadway and a year on the road and is frequently done around the country and the world. (One production, in Minneapolis, played for twenty-two continuous years with the same two actors in the leading roles.) Tom in recording studio.JPG For several years Jones and Schmidt worked privately at their theatre workshop, concentrating on small musicals in new and often untried forms. The most notable of these efforts were CELEBRATION, which moved to Broadway, and PHILEMON, which won the Outer Critics Circle Award and was filmed for television. They contributed incidental music and lyrics to the Off-Broadway play COLETTE starring Zoe Caldwell and Milddred Dunnock, then later did a full-scale musical version under the title COLETTE COLLAGE. In addition to an Obie Award and the 1992 Special Tony for THE FANTASTICKS, in 1999 Jones and Schmidt were inducted into the Broadway Hall of Fame at the Gershwin Theatre, in 2012 they were inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, and in December of 2017 they received the Oscar Hammerstein Award.

Serendipity Day encourages people to look for and notice those unexpected good things that are always out there, if people would just have the eyes to see them. 

Mary Ellen Ciganovich: https://askmaryellen.com/

Bobbi Kotula: . https://www.bobbikotula.com 

Peggy Miley: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/peggy_miley

Barbara Minkus: Barbara Minkus.com

April Shprintz: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd3-7foc4_nVtub5Lb0LDkg

Join me and my psychic friend of the show Danielle @DsEnlightenedEdits, as we talk about The Language of the Universe and how its always speaking to You! Be sure to be there Live on Monday August 21st, 2023 at 7pm ET to ask your Questions Live (& maybe even get a mini Reading on air). If you'd like a Spiritual Reading of your own, &/or to explore Energy Healing and Consciousness Coaching with Danielle, you can find all that and more on her website http://www.DAMCLDesigns.com Danielle will also be having her live Empaths & Energy ® group reading event via Zoom, on Saturday August 26th, 2023 at 2:30 pm ET / 11:30am PT. For digital tickets, click : http://www.DAMCLDesigns.com/products/empathsandenergy

Accomplished and versatile, Deborah Jean Templin has performed on stage, screen and television. Her most recent appearance was as the inspired, but vocally flawed, wannabe opera diva, Florence Foster Jenkins, in Stephen Temperley’s Souvenir.

 She has performed in the critically acclaimed York Theatre Company’s “Musicals in Mufti” series in Darling of The Day, Miss Liberty, Johnny Johnson, and Take Me Along. ‍Theatrical Awards include Richard Burton Award for Acting, Los Angeles; Barrymore Award, Philadelphia for her performance as Kay Goodman in Nite Club Confidential and the New Hampshire Theatre Award for Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein. Television credits include Gotham “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, What Would You Do? and Midnight Caller. Regional theatre performances include Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage as Mary Stewart in Marx Brothers’ Animal Crackers. the Walnut Street Theatre as Dolly in Hello, Dolly!, Hannigan in Annie and The Bird Woman & Miss Andrew in Mary Poppins. On the international stage, she starred at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Arthur Miller’s Playing for Time.

 ‍‍Having successfully toured the country with UNSINKABLE WOMEN, Templin created her autobiographical play, SINGING FOR THE COWS. These solo shows have played more than 150 venues, including the New York’s Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library Series. Thomas Netter is a New York based performer, director/choreographer, and teacher. He started performing at the age of 5 as Michael in Peter Pan and hasn’t stopped since!

The Blue Moon in August 2023 will occur on Wednesday, August 30th at 9:36 PM EDT. It will be the second full moon of the month and will appear opposite the sun. This Blue Moon is also a supermoon, making it a Super Blue Moon. It will be the biggest and brightest moon of the year. The Blue Moon occurs every few years because it takes the moon 29 days to orbit the Earth. The moon is very rarely blue. The Blue Moon is considered significant to many cultures worldwide. The moon will be at 7 degrees of Pisces, which is about a quarter of the way through the sign. Pisces is associated with daydreams, illusions, and intuition. In astrology, the blue moon is said to bring about a heightened sense of awareness and intuition. It can also increase emotional energy, making it a good time for healing, meditation, and spiritual practices. The blue moon is also said to thin the lines between dreams and reality, making it easier to achieve your dreams. It can also encourage people to look beyond their current duties and focus on their future dreams and ideals. The lines between dreams and reality will thin and you'll be in a better place to achieve your dreams. Please join Kassira McKee, Erron Gralore, and myself as we help you sort it all out!

Richard! Thank you so much for having me again on your wonderful Friday Wrap Up Show. You are always prepared, entertaining, thoughtful and keep things flowing. You're an amazing host and really do your best to help focus on your guests in the best way possible. I love how you mix things up during the discussions to keep things interesting and tap in to various levels of your guests. Thank you and cheers to your continued success. Mary Lahti, www.marylahti.com

Today is a reminder to mend relationships and move forward with forgiveness and understanding. The unofficial holiday encourages people to make up and reconcile with anyone they are estranged with. This could be at work, school, or in their family. The idea behind this day is to encourage people to be together with their loved ones. The holiday was created as a way to rekindle the love that exists between family members and friends. Look at who is stopping by today! Mary Lahti spent her early childhood in San Francisco where she was born in the Haight-Ashbury district before the hippy era. Her favorite thing next to watching the streetcars roll by was the window at the 5&10 cent store across the street where they changed their displays for every season and holiday. It must have affected her because she decorates her house for just about every season and holiday.

Therese Lee: Singer Therese Lee appeared at the Gardenia in LA this past weekend with her show RIDING THE BUS TO THE RED CARPET, which debuted last April at The Triad Theater on 72nd Street in NYC . Ms. Lee's hour-long cabaret tells the story of her time as a Hollywood entertainment reporter, interviewing the rich and famous on red carpets and at press junkets. 

Angela ONeill:

About “8-Track Throwback: The Remix”: Returning to the Laurie Beechman stage for the first time since 2019, Marquee Five’s tribute to the 8-Track era has exploded with new favorites alongside tried-and-true hits from Van Morrison, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, and others. “8-Track Throwback: The Remix” is a newly reimagined and joyous celebration of the music that takes you back.

About Marquee Five: Tight, lush vocal jazz harmonies, clever arrangements, and an actor’s sensibility characterize Marquee Five, the collaboration of singers Mick Bleyer, Adam West Hemming, Vanessa Parvin, Sierra Rein, and Julie Reyburn. The group Times Square Chronicles called, “The Manhattan Transfer for the new millennium,” teams up with a swinging band to bring a sassy, intelligent flair to your favorite songs with exciting five-part vocal arrangements running the gamut of the American Songbook, Broadway canon, and more.

This show sponsored by Patti Bottino-Bravo: https://www.pattibottinobravo.com/

Tom Jones wrote the book and lyrics, and Harvey Schmidt wrote the music for The Fantasticks, which closed January 13, 2002, almost 42 years after its opening on May 3, 1960. It is the longest running production in the history of the American theatre. To mark the 60th anniversary of its founding, the Provincetown Theater has announced a unique and celebratory lineup of productions for the 2023 season in Provincetown, MA, the historic birthplace of Modern American Theater. With all shows being produced at the company's playhouse at 238 Bradford Street in Provincetown from May thru December, Opened July 10, the Provincetown Theater is honored to be producing the East Coast premiere of a newly re-imagined and re-gendered adaptation of the landmark musical The Fantasticks by its original librettist and lyricist, Tom Jones. While the beloved score and storyline remain intact, Jones's re-vision of the show finds the show's young lovers Matt and Louisa have become - Matt and Lewis. Moreover, they aren't being pushed into each other's arms by their prankster, gardening fathers, but rather by their prankster, gardening mothers! With equally fresh twists on all the characters, The Fantasticks' legendary librettist Tom Jones states: "This will be a fresh, new production, swept clean and filled with light and color. It is still The Fantasticks: a celebration of the magic of the theater, where, combined with the imagination of the audience, we can bring an exciting new world to life. The point of the show," Mr. Jones declares, "is the same. Whether a boy and a girl, or two boys -- falling in love, being hurt, growing up: it is the same." To be directed by Provincetown Theater Artistic Director David Drake, with John Thomas serving as Musical Director, this summer's East Coast premiere of The Fantasticks.

Steven Maglio heard a recording of Frank Sinatra singing MY KIND OF TOWN, and to pass the time on his new daily trek, he would sing the song to himself over and over. After a few days, he decided he needed another song and began to explore the only Sinatra album his parents owned at the time, A MAN AND HIS MUSIC. That was the beginning of his addiction to Sinatra and that whole world of standard songs and singers. TANYA MOBERLY has been performing in cabaret since 1997 when she co-created the THE BLONDE LEADING THE BLONDE. The show ran for 8 episodes over the course of 5 years and received a MAC Award nomination for special production.

Sandra Bargman's life journey has been multi-faceted. As a kid, she always wondered why she was here, if she had a life mission, if there is an afterlife.

Sandra was insanely fascinated with cemeteries. Raised Presbyterian, she loved the rituals, and singing in the choir, but foundshe needed to look outside organized religion to find HER answers to the big questions. JILLIAN SNOW is a singer and actor who graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. She has worked predominately in comedy, gracing the stages of Gotham Comedy Club, the Laugh Factory, and Comix NYC as a Liza Minnelli impersonator. After seeing her perform, Michael Musto of the Village Voice said, “This could open up Minnelli to a whole new audience!” Eventually, Jillian fled New York so she could get some sleep and found exile in Portland, Oregon. 

 As an actor David was nominated for Broadway World’s “Performer of the Decade” for his performance in “Murder for Two” at Broadway Rose Theatre. David is a Liberace tribute artist who performs with Jillian Snow (as Liza Minnelli), and Bo Ayars (Liberace’s actual Music Director from 1973-1985).

Ton Aprea and Angela DeNiroNJ Edwards was born in Baltimore. Growing up in the suburb of Pikesville, Nancy’s passion for storytelling was expressed as an actor in drama circles. At 20, she left home for Hollywood, California. After achieving a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television Production, Ms. Edwards enjoyed a 30 year career as one of the busiest television commercial producers in Los Angeles and around the world.

Ms. Edwards’s other credits include ABC’s 1987-1988 comedy series SLEDGE HAMMER, Showtime’s 2007 Documentary, SEMPER FI: ONE MARINE’S JOURNEY, and in 2009 Ms. Edwards wrote, produced and directed the award winning documentary CERTAIN ADVERSE EVENTS.

GOOD OL’ BOY: BAD SHERIFF is for sale in extended release on amazon.com and affiliated online book hubs such as Barnes & Noble. The legend goes that there is no part of the music business in which Billy Terrell hasn’t been involved in. During his five decade career Billy has sung, composed, arranged and produced for a dizzying array of artists and genres. David has been coaching actors and putting together workshops for over a decade. He is the Creator and Producer of the "MEET THE BIZ" workshops, which looks to make diversity a common place and bridges the gap between ability and disability. As a personal coach, he has been hired by production companies such as Ryan Murphy's ground breaking series NIP/TUCK and worked on Michael Patrick King's, LOVE YOU MORE.

David S. Zinnerman has also cast feature films including "FIGHTING WORDS" and "CAROL OF THE BELLS", produced by Joey Travolta and Inclusion Films and starring RJ Mitte, Lee Purcell, Donna Mills, Andrea Friedman and Donna Pescow. Zimmerman has also enjoyed working with Lifetime TV, Mark Wolper Productions, and Time Life Productions.

DJ Salisbury

Billy Terrell