News
“THOMAS & ME,” written and performed by the remarkable Thomas Ellenson, recently played a sold-out, limited run Off Broadway at the Sheen Center (September 24-28). I wrote eight songs for this extraordinary theatrical experience.
Critical praise includes:
“THOMAS ELLENSON’S “THOMAS & ME” MARKS THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW VOICE”
“In his power wheelchair, this determined young man commands the stage for ninety minutes in a confessional tale that pulls no punches. Handsome, charming, and adeptly utilizing humor matched with a blunt honesty, he even sings (sorta-kinda). Oh, did I not mention this is a musical?”
“When late in the play, Ellenson’s iPad does the speak-singing for him in Douglas Cohen’s most moving ballad, “Real to Me,” you are in the presence of an actor in command of their message, even in command of their instrument, albeit a mechanical one. And guess what? To the ear, the song is just as sweet.”
Ron Fassler, chief critic, Theater Pizzazz (Full Review)
“Caring” in which Michelle described her love for Thomas…was very reminiscent of the work of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. Their signature tenderness in composition so keenly felt in The Fantasticks and I Do! I Do! is the same simple yet powerful magic at work in Cohen’s work.
Jacqueline Singer, Times Square Chronicles
“FOUR STARS! A wholly original theater experience,”
Tom Church, Front Row Center
“In THOMAS & ME, Thomas Ellenson says through his ipad communicator that people can’t see past the disability, at least not without a little song and dance. THOMAS & ME is a beautiful show, it’s got touching songs, Thomas is an engaging character/figure mixing truth and fiction in poignant and very, very funny ways…….An inspiring story and one that will hopefully get a longer run. Definitely worth it.”
Mark Rifkin, “ninety with twiny”
King of the Hollywood Fixers, my new play, is getting a prestigious reading at the American Theater Group on April 14th in Rahway, NJ.
This four-actor, single set play takes place in January 1942 as MGM “fixers” Eddie Mannix and Howard Strickling converge at the El Rancho Hotel in Las Vegas with the studio’s top star, Clark Gable, after a plane carrying his wife, actress Carole Lombard, goes missing in the nearby mountains. Charged with managing the crisis and getting Gable back to work, the two fixers clash over motives, methods, and morals as all three fight to survive. King of the Hollywood Fixers is a compelling look at the intersections of fame, loss, and personal responsibility. Playbill: See Who’s Starring in Free Reading of King of the Hollywood Fixers
Unzipped – Playbill.com announcement, part of New York Theatre Barn’s annual series this May!
121 Grant (from the Lucille Lortel Organization for my musical Barnstormer – with collaborator Cheryl L. Davis)
New website for THE BIG TIME. Sheet music from the show can be purchased there, including “Who Is This Guy?”
My first book, “HOW TO SURVIVE A KILLER MUSICAL: AGONY AND ECSTASY ON THE ROAD TO BROADWAY” published by Rowman & Littlefield on their Applause Books Imprint available on Amazon.com
Manhattan School of Music to produce VALENTINO’S TANGO, October 28-30!
Details at link….
DON’T STAY SAFE, co-written with Cheryl L. Davis and produced by the Prospect Theater Company, has been nominated for a 2021 Drama League Award: Outstanding Digital Theater, Individual Production!
You can watch this short musical on YouTube by clicking on this link
WINNER of Best Musical/Dance Film at the Los Angeles Film Awards, Best LGBTQ Film and Best Original Song at the Indy Short Fest, and Honorable Mention at the Paris Film Festival, DON’T STAY SAFE was an Official Selection at Toronto Film Channel Awards, NYC Indy Theater Film Festival, Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival, and the upcoming Riverside International Festival.
NewYorkRep will present DON’T STAY SAFE in CivilWrights Part III, Sunday evening, April 25 at 6PM EST, followed by a Town-Hall style panel discussion.
Playbill: Grease and Disaster! Star Max Crumm Will Head Cast of New Off-Broadway Musical The Evolution of Mann
Broadway World: Max Crumm Stars In New Off-Broadway Musical THE EVOLUTION OF MANN
BRIDGES received a sold-out concert at The Times Center on June 17th co-produced by Prospect Theater Co. and AMAS! Plans are underway for a full-production in New York…
SOLD-OUT 30th Anniversary of NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY at Feinstein’s/54 Below! A cast of 24 representing over a dozen productions!
Here are highlights from the event: