Theater
Rumors Fly Around 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Broadway Musical Announced by Nickelodeon, Directed by Tina Landau With Music From Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, John Legend, Lady Antebellum
Come Dancing on a Sunny Afternoon: The Kinks Ray Davies' Complicated Life to Include Reunion Opera?
As if a successful hit on the West End wasn’t enough, frontman of The Kinks, Ray Davies, is working on writing an opera about the British band. It seems as if getting The Kinks to the stage is a long-running dream of his. In 2008, Davies created a musical based on The Kinks titled Come Dancing, he then hit it big after Sunny Afternoon, another musical penned by Davies based on the band, traveled to London’s West End. However, he isn’t done yet. Davies has recently announced that he is hoping to create an opera about The Kinks, as well. This is good news for those who love Davies classic tunes such as "You Really Got Me," "Waterloo Sunset" and, of course, the trantastic "L-O-L-A." EXCLUSIVE: Shara Worden on Playing My Brightest Diamond Songs with George Manahan, American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie's Zankel Hall
Upon earning her undergrad in opera from the University North Texas, like so many others before and since, a doe-eyed Shara Worden packed up her scores and moved to New York City. Studying privately with Australian composer/violinist Padma Newsome, palling around with people like the Dessner brothers, she was determined--perhaps destined, even--for their kind of "crossover." And, indeed, just like Clogs and The National did, Worden struck gold first with the indie-r stuff. Cases in point: a gorgeous slew of remarkably baroque records--Bring Me the Workhorse (2006), A Thousand Shark's Teeth ('08), All Things Will Unwind ('11), last year's This Is My Hand--on Asthmatic Kitty Records, ground zero for through-composed indie rock.