A ‘Rose’ by any other name

Ticket holders for the opening night performance at the Milford Readers and Writers Festival are in for a treat.

Amanda McBroom, who has been called “...the greatest cabaret performer of her generation,” will perform at the Milford Theater & Performing Arts Center on Friday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. to kick off the sixth annual festival.

McBroom’s name drew national attention when Bette Midler’s version of her song “The Rose” hit number one worldwide in 1979, but it was Amanda’s performance of her own song on the Golden Globes (she won), and on the Grammys and The Tonight Show that launched her career as a singer and songwriter.

McBroom starred in many U.S. and European musical theater productions, including “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris” and on Broadway in “Seesaw.”

McBroom created her own musical “Heartbeats,” and her latest musical “A Woman of Will” made its off-Broadway debut in 2005. She recently celebrated the release of “Voices,” her sixth recording on Gecko, the label she established in 1985.

Main Stage, four panels

On Saturday, Sept. 23, the Main Stage will feature four panels:

“Rewriting Shakespeare – Should books be revised to reflect social change?”

A discussion on the shifting cultural norms that have prompted revising works by Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming and others. Editor and author Lenore Hart will join journalist and author Rob Armstrong and poet and author Dr. Rashidah Ismaili.

“I Was Better Last Night” – Award-winning actor and author Harvey Fierstein will discuss his career and memoir “I Was Better Last Night,” which reveals never-before-told stories of the Tony Award winner’s personal struggles and of his fabled career. He will be on stage with playwright, director, actor and author David Drake.

“Vampires, Batman, Wytches, Oh My!” – Graphic novelist and comic book writer Scott Snyder will talk about his career writing for major comic superheroes and his short stories and graphic novels in the fantasy and horror genres. Discussion will include Snyder’s horror classic series “Wytches.”

“In Conversation with Leading Lady Charles Busch” – Busch’s memoir “Leading Lady” is a moving, anecdotal account of a talented artist’s journey in the worlds of Off-Broadway, Broadway, and Hollywood. His play, “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife,” received a Tony nod for Best Play. He will be interviewed by actor, director and writer Dick Scanlan whose hits include “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” and more.

Essentials and then some

All Main Stage programs will include an opportunity for conversation between the authors and the audience.

On Saturday evening, there will be a private reception for festival speakers, open only to festival pass-holders.

In addition to the ticketed events, the festival also offers a variety of free programs, book signings and readings by authors at several venues around Milford.

For more information about the festival and to purchase festival passes, individual tickets or a ticket to the private reception only go to milfordreadersandwriters.com.

Photo caption: Amanda McBroom

ABOUT THE MILFORD READERS & WRITERS FESTIVAL

The Milford Readers & Writers Festival is a project of Pike Artworks, Inc., a 501-c-3 not-for-profit organized by a group of community volunteers from the Upper Delaware River Valley region.