Chilli No 5 Wants their Super Health, Super Flavor ‘Sauce of Life’ on your Next Meal with an unmistakable spicy hit, combined with superfoods & health supplements.
Providing the flavorful gourmet vegan chilli sauces & gift sets using the most natural & healthy ingredients.
Chilli No 5 Brings ‘Superfood Sorcery’ and Big Flavor
Delivering the best range of your favorite international flavors of chilli, marinades and BBQ hot sauces.
Co-founder Rumble Romagnoli joined me for a conversation about food, family, making chilli healthier and bringing their award-winning chilli sauce to the masses.
Chilli No. 5 Co-founder Rumble Romagnoli
The below conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Find the full, un-edited conversation at our YouTube channel.
When you think about hot sauce, can you tell us about a celebration or a memory, something in life that inspired you to get so excited about hot sauce?
Rumble Romagnoli: Yeah when we’re smaller and we’re in the kitchen, it’s such a magical experience, isn’t it?
I had a real Italian Nonna so an Italian grandmother who always had bubbling pots and pastas and, Mules and fish and meat. My mother and my sister; so great moments as a child cooking in the kitchen and then out on the dining table with all the family.
It was great and now I love cooking and it makes me really relaxed. Just zoning out, cooking for the family, growing my own vegetables, chilies and then gathering around tables with friends and family just to enjoy. And that’s really where this all started.
What does day to day life look like for you. How did you decide to split up some of that time with a hot sauce endeavor?
Rumble Romagnoli: You remember COVID wasn’t really a nice time for anyone. We were there in a small apartment with lots of small children. It was chaos.
We couldn’t see our friends. We couldn’t see our family. They were all over the world and it was desperate times. So I suppose setting up Chili No. 5 was all about this kind of wanting to get back together with people enjoying moments and being together, sharing and getting fresh, healthy food and not lining up in the supermarket.
Chilli No 5 Brings ‘Superfood Sorcery’ and Big Flavor
A lot of chefs who I was very friendly with all had lost their jobs. I was like, Hey, can you make sauce? They’re like, yeah, of course I can. So that’s how it all started.
And we started trying out new flavors and we love world cooking. So that’s how Chilli No 5 started.
From your Chilli expert point of view, what should someone look for on a label that lets us know this is a quality chilli sauce?
Rumble Romagnoli: I think you guys are better at it than us to be fair. You’re fanatics; incredible.
I’m not a real expert. I just love creating great food for my family and friends. And we’ve tried to make… The best world hot sauces but they’re not going to blow your head off. It’s not really a hot sauce. They are chilli sauces.
Chilli No 5 variety of flavors
What I think you should be looking for on the bottle is: great ingredients, as many as you can get. No numbers, no coloring, no baddies.
I’m looking for just superfoods and anything that’s gonna make me glow.
In my world, when I think of chili sauce and hot sauces, I don’t always think of superfoods.
Tell me a little bit about where the idea came from to so strongly cross over superfoods with chili.
Rumble Romagnoli: I love spice and tingling on my tongue and that kind of rush you get from that spice and hot. The hot sauce or the flakes or the chili oil. My wife loves to be healthy. Happy wife, happy life they say, so I just combined.
I was doing something more spicy and she says, why don’t you put some good stuff in there? And I’d been reading a lot about Guana ginseng, maca; and all of these are in our sources. These are natural supplements that you buy in the shop. You have some of that and it really picks you up, increases your concentration, which I need for long days. I need more energy. I’m getting older. So I was like, hey let’s just put them in the hot sauce and then you got the best of both worlds. So that’s the superfood sauce or superfood sorcery we like to say.
That was all my wife’s doing to be honest.
I feel like a lot of chilli sauces are just gunk. When I think superfoods, I think health. Is your Chilli No 9 a health food?
Rumble Romagnoli: Absolutely. I’ll pick out one of these bottles.I wouldn’t say a healthy hot sauce. I would say a hot sauce full of healthy ingredients because you never know there are some sugars in here and you never know what people will find healthy or not healthy.
But we’ve got in this Jamaican jerk, which is great on a barbecue chicken as a marinade as a condiment as a barbecue sauce. We’ve got fresh red onions, fresh spring onions. Chilli No 9 chili. Fresh chilies, which are all really healthy for you. There’s ginger. There’s garlic. There’s lemon. There’s lime. There’s agave syrup.
We tried to tone down the sugar but keep it a little bit sweet, apple cider vinegar, we’ve got, extra virgin olive oil. It goes on black garlic, thyme, nutmeg, allspice, black pepper, guarana, maca, Ginseng, l arginine. It doesn’t stop. That is packed to the rims, full of healthy ingredients.
We’ve tried to put the healthiest ingredients we could find and make it as tasty as possible using these ingredients and authentic to Jamaica and their jerk sauce.
It’s a sauce packed full of healthy superfood antioxidant ingredients and that’s maybe why it’s winning all these awards for taste.
Because bottom line is it has to taste nice before being healthy.
Nobody wants a science flavored chili. So I agree with that. Let’s talk about some of your favorite flavors.
Rumble Romagnoli: It’s hard because we have over 15 sources. But one of my favorites which you’d probably love as well is the Mexican Fury. My sister lives in Guadalajara in Mexico. She left the UK and went all around South America and ended up finding a lovely guy and settled down there.
Mexican food is fantastic. It’s just really great. Full of flavors and all sorts of different ingredients that we can’t grow in the UK or in Europe. You guys have got such great weather down there in the South, Miami, Florida. Texas, Mexico between the South of the U. S. and the North of Mexico.
So you’ve got the jalapenos which are just incredible. We’ve got all of these beautiful chilies, the habanero come up with an automatically smoky flavor when mixed with the red peppers, the tomatoes, the red onions. They fuse this on the palate to really pair very well with chicken, prawns, tacos, burritos or even egg for breakfast or pancakes.
The Mexican Fury is a really good one. We won 16 awards for different sauces. I love chipotle, anything smoky in our Louisiana barbecue. We’ve tried to tone down the sugar, add a bit of cognac whiskey, bourbon whiskey. We’ve added the classic American ingredients in there to make a kind of healthy style Louisiana barbecue.
Then the harissa is a great one. It’s really popular. it’s North African full of caraway seeds, cumin seeds, olive oil, lots of of incredible deep ingredients that really sit on the back of the tongue. There’s lots of ingredients there that kind of bring your food to life.
We want to bring life and energy into a barbecue situation, dinner with granny, breakfast before work, sandwich on the bench in Manhattan.
Tell us a little bit about the competitions you’ve entered.
Rumble Romagnoli: We were only a year old and we’d come up with these sauces and we’d thought they were good. The founder Chef Colin and then we had a team of chefs working in our London kitchen and our South of France kitchen and we entered the Great Taste Awards.
These are quite big awards in the UK but it’s international awards where all kind of fine foods, gourmet foods are tested by panels of hundreds of judges. It’s quite a strict competition.
So first year we came in and we won seven stars for 11 products. We’re very happy. It was incredible. The Jamaican jerk really got a good one. The heavenly Harissa came in very well. Our chilli oil called Pizza Pizzazz.
Our chili flakes are all fresh and lovely coming from all sides of the world. Carolina Reaper, the Scorpion, the Habanero, the Ghost, the Number 5 chili from India.
We watched and read all of the judges’ comments and we’re so thankful that they really detailed about acidity, balance, flavor structures.
Then we reworked it. We played around with ingredient quality, we changed vinegars slightly, the cooking process. We started baking the vegetables, the peppers, the onions, the red onions. The tomatoes really started getting more flavor. We put in a bit of olive oil at the start to get the flavors moving around.
Then we came in this year with 13 awards out of 16. With our 7, that makes 16 of our total products have won awards by the Great Taste Awards.
We want to create the best chilli sauces on the planet. That’s my mission.
How is Chilli No 5 going to grow and evolve?
Rumble Romagnoli: It’s happening quite quickly and we have a B2C strategy and service strategy.
We want to have the most delicious sauces in every category. We’re just working on each recipe and we think if we make the best sauce, people are going to love the best sauce, and then they’re going to buy the best sauce.
A bit like Apple, just make the best products and people just keep buying them We’re getting into big stores in the UK, placements in Monaco.
We are in lots of great high end butchers, delicatessens and it’s going really well.
So we’ve got this B2B strategy. We need to impress the professionals. We’ve impressed the people who love healthy lifestyle, love delicious sauce, gourmet. But now we have to impress the industry.
Obviously coming to America is the big move.
Tell us all the ways we can learn more about Chili No. Tell us your website, social media.
Rumble Romagnoli: The website is the big one, Chili No.5. Shop us on Etsy. Follow us on instagram, Facebook, YouTube.
We’re also quite present for hot sauce gift sets. We do five or six incredible hot sauce gift sets which are collections of the sauces. And we’ve got mini little minis and you can make your own you can personalize because we’ve got 15 sauces.
We’re very big at Christmas. Very big at Father’s Day, Thanksgiving and we will send the sauces over to you guys in the states. No problem. If anything breaks, if anything’s damaged, we will refund you and resend you the sauce you ordered because that’s the least we can do.
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Jérôme Peschard Leads Vietnam Art Renaissance, Launches Art Exhibition at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza in Ho Chi Minh City
Jérôme Peschard Launches Art Exhibition at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza in Ho Chi Minh City
For the past 60 years, Sofitel Hotels & Resorts has epitomised the essence of French art de vivre across the globe. As 2024 heralds its Diamond Jubilee, commemorated with a series of exclusive events at Sofitel properties worldwide, Sofitel Saigon Plaza, the paragon of French hospitality in Ho Chi Minh City, proudly inaugurated an extraordinary celebration of art.
From Left- Betty Qiffe Pallard, Consul General Daniël Stork of the Netherlands to Vietnam, Nykky Do and Milena Padula- Spouse of Consul General of Italy to Vietnam / photos courtesy of Nick Middleton for the Sofitel Saigon Plaza.
photos courtesy of Nick Middleton for the Sofitel Saigon Plaza.
On the evening of June 21st, the Sofitel Saigon Plaza was the scene of a glittering event, marking the launch of a collaboration with the internationally renowned French Pop Artist, Jérôme Peschard.
French Pop Artist Jérôme Peschard Portrait / photo courtesy of Stephane Thierry
The hotel’s lobby served as an elegant backdrop for an array of Peschard’s stunning oil paintings on recycled corrugated metal, showcasing his inspiration from French Indochina.
From Left- Tracie May, Milena Padula- Wife of Consul General of Italy to Vietnam, Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel Manager Alistair Minty, Lindsay Nutley, Consul General of Australia to Vietnam Sarah Hooper, Simon Pugh and Michael Hooper // photos courtesy of Nick Middleton for the Sofitel Saigon Plaza.
The event attracted an illustrious group of attendees, including Mrs. Sarah Hooper, Consul General of Australia to Vietnam; Mr. Daniël Stork, Consul General of the Netherlands to Vietnam; Mrs. Milena Padula, spouse of Italian Consul General Enrico Padula; and Mrs. Lê Hạnh, CEO of TVHub Vietnam. Distinguished guests also included Michelin Starred Chef/Owner Peter Cong Franklin of Ănăn Saigon, totalling one hundred and thirty of Ho Chi Minh’s leading tastemakers.
photos courtesy of Nick Middleton for the Sofitel Saigon Plaza.
Guests enjoyed a selection of exquisite canapés, fine wines, and champagne while admiring Peschard’s captivating works. Adding to the allure, music by DJ Edge Pamute filled the space, and trendsetters Tracie May and Nykky Domodelled custom-embroidered Áo Dài, the national costume of Vietnam, designed by Peschard and couturière Giao Basson. A pop-up retail store showcasing Peschard’s merchandise collection also opened to the public, featuring a curated selection of home decor, limited edition numbered and artist-signed lacquer replicas of paintings, and an array of gift items. Both the boutique and the art exhibit will grace the Sofitel Saigon Plaza throughout the summer, concluding in early September.
photos courtesy of Nick Middleton for the Sofitel Saigon Plaza.
This premier event highlighted the vibrant intersection of art, culture, and gastronomy, celebrating a unique fusion that will enchant visitors throughout the season, encapsulating Sofitel Hotel and Resort’s world of prestige and luxury.
photos courtesy of Nick Middleton for the Sofitel Saigon Plaza.
“I’m deeply grateful to Sofitel Saigon Plaza for granting me such a fantastic platform to showcase my art. Although I am French, my heart is Vietnamese, and I’m thrilled to share my homage to Vietnam with their guests and visitors during the 60th Anniversary celebration of Sofitel Hotels and Resorts.” – Jérôme Peschard
“Marking 60 years of exceptional hospitality, we take pride in being a part of a legacy that consistently sets the standard for excellence in Asia, providing a unique experience for all modern travellers to explore Ho Chi Minh City through a French-inspired perspective.” – Mario Mendis, GM, Sofitel Saigon Plaza
ABOUT SOFITEL SAIGON PLAZA:
Sofitel Saigon Plaza harmonises the sophistication of French art de vivre with the vibrancy of local Vietnamese culture, delivering a luxury hospitality experience enriched by genuine heartfelt service. Conveniently located in a tranquil enclave on Le Duan Boulevard, Sofitel Saigon Plaza places you in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City’s business, cultural, and shopping district. The hotel boasts 286 rooms and suites adorned with refined décor and deluxe amenities, a fitness centre featuring advanced exercise equipment, and an outdoor swimming pool with breathtaking city views. Sofitel Saigon Plaza also features five dining establishments serving local and French cuisine, seven polished meeting rooms, and an opulent ballroom equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the ideal destination for business, leisure, meetings, and gatherings.
ABOUT JÉRÔME PESCHARD:
Dubbed the “Gauguin of Vietnam,” Jérôme Peschard is a self-taught artist whose work reflects a life richly lived and creatively charged. His art bridges the past with the present, blending East and West, while drawing profound inspiration from his adopted home of Vietnam. Characterised by the use of oil on rusted corrugated iron sheets salvaged from local construction sites, his pieces reflect the very essence of Saigon – its history, development, people, culture, and vibrant spirit. Peschard’s unique fusion of Western pop art with Asian influences, inspired by comic book legend Jack Kirby and modern art icons like Basquiat and Warhol, continues to evolve as he explores new themes in his storytelling. In the dynamic energy of Vietnam, Peschard not only found his place in the world, but also his distinctive artistic identity.
Join Us MidTown NYC for An Incredible Prosecco Experience: Taste and Discover with Wine Expert Alan Tardi Wed June 26th at New York Wine Studio
Join Us for An Incredible Prosecco Experience: Taste and Discover with Wine Expert Alan Tardi Wed June 26th at New York Wine Studio
Prosecco has gone from a little known mountain fizz to a vinous superhero, overtaking Champagne (and every other sparkling wine out there) and enjoyed by wine drinkers throughout the world, as the base of a cocktail or an everyday quaff.
But despite its huge popularity, most people don’t know much about it.
And there is much more to Prosecco than many people are aware.
”My objective is to
clarify the critical differences
between the original ancient Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco and
the DOC Prosecco that was enacted in 2010.”
Alan Tardi
New York Wine Studio
Prosecco is produced only in Italy, in the Northern regions of Veneto and Friuli, and there are three official Prosecco appellations.
Prosecco DOC
One of them, Prosecco DOC, was created in 2010. It occupies a huge, mostly flat area encompassing almost two entire regions and accounts for most of the 700+ million bottles of Prosecco produced each year.
Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG
Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG is a tiny area in the foothills of the Dolomites consisting of 15 small municipalities in the province of Treviso. This is the ancient winegrowing area where Prosecco was born and made a miraculous comeback in the aftermath of World War II.
New York Wine Studio’s Alan Tardi
Besides its pedigree, there are numerous factors of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene enclave that distinguish it from any other winegrowing area in the world: complex and diverse topography, variety of soils, native grape varieties, distinct sub-areas, ancient history, and varied typology—bubbly, fizzy, and still; secondary fermentation in tank or in bottle, leaving sediment in the bottle (known as Ancestral Method) or removing it (Traditional Method).
In this class—which takes place right in the middle of National Prosecco DOC week—we will discuss the origin and evolution of Prosecco in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene area. We will also examine the two additional Prosecco appellations created in 2010.
But most of the time will be devoted to exploring and tasting Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco through a lineup of 8 exceptional terroir-driven wines, in a variety of styles, that demonstrate the unique characteristics, complexity, and diversity of the original Prosecco.
Participants will also learn how to say “CONEGLIANO VALDOBBIADENE” like an Italian!
Alan Tardi has arranged a fantastic lineup of unusual and exceptional wines (half of them are coming directly from Italy) which demonstrate the various factors that characterize the complexity and uniqueness of Conegliano Valdobbiadene: Different production methods (“Tranquillo” i.e. still, Martinotti, Classico/Traditional, Ancestral); frizzante, spumante; single vineyards, Rive, native grape varieties; diverse, soils, terroirs and topographies.
List of Wines
- Prosecco Tranquillo DOCG “Il Canto Antico” — BORTOLOMIOL*
- Colli Trevigiani IGT Verdiso Frizzante Sui Lieviti — GREGOLETTO
- Progetto 5 Varietà Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Brut — MARCHIORI*
- Conegliano Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive di Ogliano Extra-Brut — BIANCAVIGNA
- Superiore di Cartizze Brut DOCG — RUGGERI*
- Superiore di Cartizze DOCG “Private” Rifermentato in Bottiglia 2014 — BISOL
- Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive di Carpesica “S.C. 1931” Metodo Classico — BELLENDA*
- Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Asciutto, Rive di Colbertarldo, Vigneto Giardino — ADAMI
- Torchiato di Fregona Colli di Conegliano DOCG “Ciàcoe” 2016 — CA’ DI RAJO*
*Shipped directly from the winery in Italy
Find more information and buy tickets at New York Wine Studio or at the link below.
https://www.newyorkwinestudio.com/original-prosecco
Cocktail magic, competition, celebration: Vietnam Cocktail Festival 2024 at iconic Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel
Cocktail magic, competition, celebration: Vietnam Cocktail Festival 2024 at iconic Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel.
MC Petey Majik hosted the 2-day Vietnam Cocktail Festival 2024 June 14-15 celebrating with flavor, masterclasses, magic, competition. Tracie May captured it all.
Photos courtesy of Nick Middleton @glam.foodbev
Tracie May at Vietnam Cocktail Festival 2024
A spectacular 2-day summer celebration, welcomed over 1000 cocktail enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike to the iconic Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel.
The vibrant cocktail carnival featured a dazzling array of over 130 cocktails from 36 premium global spirits, liqueurs and mixer brands.
Fernet Branca poured at Vietnam Cocktail Festival 2024
A gathering of Vietnam’s top mixologists, innovative concoctions were expertly mixed by a combination of the country’s most respected bartenders and up-and-coming talents.
Cocktail Carnival part of Vietnam Cocktail Festival 2024
At the heart of the festival was a showcase of Vietnam’s craftsmanship and creativity, where seasoned mixologists flexed their skills to craft tantalizing libations.
The Botanist at Vietnam Cocktail Festival 2024
From classic cocktails with a Vietnamese twist to avant-garde creations pushing the boundaries of flavor, each drink was a testament to the artistry and innovation within Vietnam’s ever-growing cocktail scene.
For guests inspired to continue the cocktail adventure at home, Mercantile Vietnam provided the option for attendees to purchase a bottle of their favorite brand from the event and have it shipped directly to their door.
Entertainment Extravaganza
The event’s charismatic MC Petey Majik led the carnival atmosphere and captivated the audience with a spellbinding magic show accompanied by igniting cocktail flaring performances from the talented Chương and Phước.
Tracie May with Clase Azul at Vietnam Cocktail Festival 2024
On Friday, the stage was taken over with a charismatic live performance from Vietnam’s premier DJ and saxophone duo Omar and Pierre. The party continued Saturday with the contagious energy of DJ PIA.
Interactive Masterclasses and Exclusive Tasting Room
For spirits connoisseurs the festival also offered a wealth of knowledge with 4 optional interactive masterclasses hosted per day, where industry experts from Lady Triệu, Bruichladdich, Jose Cuervo, Highland Park and Lý Gia Viên shared their craft and insights with eager participants.
Tracie May with Michelin Star Chef:Owner of Ănăn Saigon Peter Cường Franklin
Luxury spirits aficionados could enhance their experience further and purchase tickets to enter the event’s Exclusive Room, featuring personalized tastings from 8 of the world’s super and ultra-premium brands, with a combined retail price of over 600 Million VND.
Competitive Spirit
One of the highlights of the festival was the highly anticipated Best Cocktail, Best Bartender and Best Brand Competitions with guests encouraged to vote for their favorites.
Bartenders from across the country battled it out for top honors.
With precision, flair, and a dash of showmanship, contestants dazzled spectators with their signature creations, showcasing the ingenuity and talent within Vietnam’s cocktail community.
Shanky’s Whip at Vietnam Cocktail 2024
On Saturday 15th June, the 2024 winners were announced: Mai Thanh Phong’s “Banh Mi Saigon” cocktail, made with Matusalem Rum, won Best Cocktail.
Nguyen Tuan Cuong, who works at Yugen Bar and is sponsored by Shanky’s Whip, was named Best Bartender. Also, Jägermeister was awarded Best Brand of the event.
Cultural Fusion
Beyond the cocktails themselves, the festival served as a social celebration of cultural fusion, from modern Vietnamese influences to global trends, the event highlighted the diverse tapestry of brands and the pioneering people shaping the country’s dynamic cocktail scene.
Vietnam’s Cocktail Revolution
As the final glasses were raised and the last drops were savored, the Vietnam Cocktail Festival 2024 left an indelible mark on the hearts and palates of all those who attended. With its vibrant energy, innovative spirit, and unwavering passion for mixology, the festival has undoubtedly cemented its place as a must-attend event on the global cocktail calendar, promising even more excitement and inspiration in the years to come.
Cheers to the next chapter of Vietnam’s cultural cocktail revolution!
Awards were announced on Saturday, June 15th, at 8 PM
Best Cocktail of the Event 2024
- Cocktail Name: Bánh Mì Sài Gòn
- Bartender Name: Mai Thanh Phong
- Brand Name: Matusalem Rum
- Bar Name: Madam Kew Bar
Best Bartender of the Event 2024
- Bartender’s Name: Nguyen Tuan Cuong
- Brand Name: Shanky’s Whip
- Bar Name: Yugen Bar
Best Brand of the Event 2024
- Brand Name: Jägermeister
Participating Brands:
- Large Exhibitors: Lady Triệu, Jose Cuervo, Cointreau
- Medium Exhibitors: Bushmills, Naked Malt, Kaibutsu, 1800, Campari, RCR Crystalleria Italiana.
- Small Exhibitors: Kurayoshi Matsui, Duncan taylor, Lark Distillery, Hangar 1 Vodka, Maestro Dobel, Bruichladdich Distillery Company, Passoa, The Botanist, No3 London Dry Gin, Dictador The Arthouse Spirit Brand, Colombian Gin, Stranger & Sons Gin, Fernet Branca, Espolon Tequila, Michter’s, Shanky’s Whip, Gran Centenario Tequila, Jägermeister, The Kyoto, Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, Matusalem, Brookies Byron Gin, Ly Gia Vien, Torani, Fentimans, Mercantile.
Participating Bars (in collaboration with brands):
- Kraken x The Dot Bar
- Sexton x Dram Bar
- Wild Turkey x Lost Birds Bar
- Glenrothes x Firkin Bar
Master Classes: Lady Trieu, Bruichladich, Jose Cuervo, Ly Gia Vien, Highland Park
Photos courtesy of Nick Middleton @glam.foodbev
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Broadway’s ‘Ohio State Murders’ – Starring Audra McDonald – Casting Complete, Tix on Sale
Broadway‘s ‘Ohio State Murders’ – Starring Audra McDonald now has casting completed, with the Jones Theatre Box Office open for ticket sales for this very limited engagement.
Emmy®, Grammy®, and Six-time Tony® Award Winner
AUDRA McDONALD in
OHIO STATE MURDERS
By ADRIENNE KENNEDY. Directed by Tony Award Winner KENNY LEON With Tony® Award Nominee BRYCE PINKHAM
MISTER FITZGERALD, LIZAN MITCHELL, ABIGAIL STEPHENSON,
BRETT DIGGS, BROOKE GARDNER, CHRISTINA PEDERSEN,
GAYLE SAMUELS
The complete cast for the Broadway premiere of Ohio State Murders by Adrienne Kennedy is now announced. Joining Emmy, Grammy, and Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Tony Award nominee Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), and Drama Desk nominee Lizan Mitchell (On Sugarland, Trojan Women),
The cast also includes: Mister Fitzgerald, Abigail Stephenson, Brett Diggs, Brooke Gardner, Christina Pedersen and Gayle Samuels.
Tony Award winner Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun, A Soldier’s Play) directs. Ohio State Murders will be the first show to play at the newly renamed James Earl Jones Theatre beginning Friday, November 11, 2022 and opening on Thursday, December 8, 2022 for a strictly limited engagement.
Rehearsals for Ohio State Murders begin October 17.
Additionally, the James Earl Jones Theatre box office (138 West 48th St.) is now open Mon-Sat, 10 am-6 pm and tickets can be purchased in person there, through Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.
The creative team for Ohio State Murders includes set design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Allen Lee Hughes, sound design by Justin Ellington, projection design by Jeff Sugg, wig/hair/make-up design by J. Jared Janas, original music by Dwight Andrews and casting by Caparelliotis Casting.
“One of the finest living American playwrights…” (The New York Times), Obie Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, and a member of the Theater Hall of Fame, Adrienne Kennedy will make her Broadway debut with this production at age 91. Earlier this year, Kennedy was awarded the Gold Medal for Drama from the Academy of Arts and Letters, which is awarded to those who have achieved eminence in an entire body of work. Only four other dramatists have been awarded the Gold Medal: Edward Albee, Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller. Ms. Kennedy has been contributing to American theater for over six decades, and is best known for her plays such as Funnyhouse of a Negro (Obie Award), June and Jean in Concert (Obie Award), and Sleep Deprivation Chamber which she co-authored with her son Adam Kennedy (Obie Award) as well as numerous other plays and books.
“I am so thrilled. It’s only taken me 65 years to make it to Broadway!” said Kennedy.
“I’m honored and humbled to be part of Adrienne Kennedy’s long-overdue Broadway debut in the newly dedicated James Earl Jones Theatre with Kenny Leon,” said McDonald. “This timeless play has a powerful resonance and relevance today, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”
When writer Suzanne Alexander (Audra McDonald) returns to her alma mater as a guest speaker, in which she explores the violence in her works, a dark mystery unravels. Adrienne Kennedy’s Ohio State Murders is an intriguing and unusual suspense play, as well as a social pertinent look at the destructiveness of racism in our society.
Ohio State Murders is presented by Jeffrey Richards, Lincoln Center Theater, Rebecca Gold, Jayne Baron Sherman, Hunter Arnold, Kevin Ryan/Lisa Alexander Taylor, Marc David Levine, Sheryl Lee Ralph/Jeremy Lentz, Brad Blume, Robert Boyett, Irene Gandy, John Paterakis, Iris Smith, Willette and Manny S. Klausner, Kayla Greenspan, Marlene and Gary Cohen, Ken and Rande Greiner/Sandy Marshall/Jamie deRoy, Jacob Soroken Porter, Concord Theatricals, John Gore Organization, James L. Nederlander Organization and The Shubert Organization.
www.ohiostatemurdersbroadway.com
Follow Ohio State Murders on social media @ohiomurdersbway.
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‘Almost Famous’ Musical Sets New Broadway Opening Date, Lands Venue
‘Almost Famous’ Musical Sets New Broadway Opening Date, Lands Venue
Almost Famous, the stage musical based on Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film, will begin previews at Broadway’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Oct. 3, ahead of a Nov. 3 opening night.
The new dates fall a few weeks after those originally announced last month before Almost Famous had landed the venue: The Jacobs currently houses the musical revival of Company, which recently posted a July 31 closing notice.
The Broadway cast will be headed by Chris Wood, Anika Larsen, Solea Pfeiffer, Drew Gehling, Rob Colletti and Casey Likes.
Directed by Jeremy Herrin, with choreography by Sarah O’Gleby, the musical includes a book and lyrics by Crowe, with original music and lyrics by Tom Kitt.
Set in 1973, Almost Famous follows 15-year-old William Miller (Likes), an aspiring music journalist hired by Rolling Stone magazine to go on the road with an up-and-coming band. The official synopsis: “William is thrust into the rock-and-roll circus, where his love of music, his longing for friendship, and his integrity as a writer collide. Almost Famous is about a young man finding his place in the world and the indelible characters he meets along the way. It’s a celebration of community, family, fandom and the power of music.”
The venue and opening date announcement made by producers Lia Vollack and Michael Cassel.
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Railroad Earth Plays Patchogue Theatre March 22 2023
Railroad Earth plays Patchogue Theatre March 22, 2023.
For over two decades, Railroad Earth has captivated audiences with gleefully unpredictable live shows and eloquent and elevated studio output.
The group introduced its signature sound on 2001’s The Black Bear Sessions.
Between selling out hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, they’ve launched the longstanding annual Hangtown Music Festival in Placerville, CA and Hillberry: The Harvest Moon Festival in Ozark, AR—both running for a decade-plus.
Sought after by legends, the John Denver Estate tapped them to put lyrics penned by the late John Denver to music on the 2019 vinyl EP, Railroad Earth: The John Denver Letters.
Beyond tallying tens of millions of streams, the collective have earned widespread critical acclaim from David Fricke of Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, Glide Magazine, and NPR who assured,
“Well-versed in rambling around, as you might expect from a band named after a Jack Kerouac poem,
the New Jersey-built jam-grass engine Railroad Earth has let no moss grow under its rustic wheels.”
The celebrated New Jersey septet — Todd Sheaffer [lead vocals, acoustic guitar], Tim Carbone [violins, electric guitar, vocals], John Skehan [mandolin, bouzouki, piano, vocals], Carey Harmon [drums, percussion, vocals], Dave Speranza [upright & electric bass], Matt Slocum (organ and piano), and Mike Robinson (banjo, guitar, steel) chronicle the twists and turns of this journey through eloquent songcraft, bluegrass soul, and rock ‘n’ roll spirit.
Tix and more info here: Patchogue Theatre
This sounds delicious