Tag Archives: thekingofbroadway

REVISED PRESS RELEASE: Two Concerts – “Barbara Cook” and “Holiday Belles: with Leslie Uggams, Christine Andreas & Marilyn Maye”

BARBARA COOK SHOW CANCELLED!!!!
PLEASE SEE UPDATE HERE

BROADWAY AND CONCERT LEGEND
BARBARA COOK RETURNS TO TOWN HALL
ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2013 AT 8 PM

Tickets go on sale September 23rd at 12 noon at Town Hall and via Ticketmaster

Clipboard01Photo by Denise Winters

Legendary concert artist and Kennedy Center Honoree BARBARA COOK returns to New York City’s Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street (between 6th Avenue & Broadway,) on Thursday, November 14th at 8 PM with a new evening of song (and stories) as she continues to explore her newly developed repertoire of jazz and swing while also reprising her now-classic renditions of songs from Broadway and the Great American Songbook.

The evening is presented by Joanne and Bernie Furshpan of Furshpan Productions.  Bernie is Managing Partner of Metropolitan Room and has produced and promoted historic concert events, with his company Big Fish Productions, at Avery Fisher Hall and Hammerstein Ballroom.  He said, “I am honored to present the legendary Barbara Cook at Town Hall.  The intimate setting brings her even closer to her adoring audience.”

Considered “Broadway’s favorite ingenue” during the heyday of the Broadway musical, Ms. Cook launched a second career as a concert and recording artist.  She has been honored with the Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk and New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, has been designated a Living New York Landmark, and was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.

A 2011 Kennedy Center Honoree, Miss Cook recently returned to the Broadway stage after a 23-year absence, and was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the musical Sondheim on Sondheim.  Ms. Cook’s latest solo recording, Loverman, was released by DRG Records.

 Tickets for BARBARA COOK AT TOWN HALL will be available beginning Sept 23, 2013 at 12 noon. To purchase tickets, please visit thetownhall.org/index.php, The Town Hall Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or any Ticketmaster outlet.  To order by phone, please call Ticketmaster at (800) 982.2787.   Orchestra (A-D) $85; Orchestra (E-J) $70, Orchestra (K-U) $65; Balcony/Loge $70 and Balcony $55

MUSIC/CONCERT LISTINGS INFORMATION

BARBARA COOK AT TOWN HALL November 14 at 8 PM 123 West 43rd Street (between 6th Avenue & Broadway)   To order by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 982.2787 orwww.ticketmaster.com.   Orchestra: $85, $70, $65; Balcony/Loge $70, $55

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 For More Info:  http://thetownhall.org/event/470-barbara-cook
For Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/Barbara-Cook-tickets/artist/1471050

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Contact: Bernie Furshpan
Bernie@metropolitanroom.com
631.383.3943

ALSO: A Second Amazing Evening:

Dec 19th – Three Legendary Ladies of Song – Holiday Belles with Leslie Uggams, Christine Andreas and Marilyn Maye. Ring in the holidays in this special one night only musical feast. Three show biz musical legends join together in a concert celebrating life, love, and great songs!

HURRY… GET YOUR SEATS TODAY >>  http://www.ticketmaster.com/Holiday-Belles-tickets/artist/1373649

PRESS RELEASE: Joan Jaffe’s FOOD at Don’t Tell Mama

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JOAN JAFFE WINNER 2012 MAC Award – Best Musical Comedy Performer, was named one of the Top 15 in New York Cabaret 2010 by Kevin Scott Hall – EdgeNewYork.com, and was also a 2010 MAC Award nominee. Joan Jaffe’s FOOD is a smorgasbord of comedy and music guaranteed to make you laugh. You’ll thrill to hear Joan sing songs about FOOD – most funny, some very tasteful and some obscure. The patter written by Joan, is so good – there won’t be a dry seat in the house – you’ll hunger for more.

Internationally acclaimed Matt Baker is the musical director and arranger for Joan’s
show, and Adam Kabak is on Double Bass.

Consultant for the show – and additional lyrics – Rob Lester.

Thursday October 31
Saturday November 2
Saturday November 30
Sunday December 1
All shows at 7 PM

Don’t Tell Mama 343 W. 46th St., NYC
Reservations: 212-757-0788
$20 Cover + 2 Drink Minimum CASH ONLY (no credit cards)
($5 Off Cover for MAC, Cabaret Hotline, AEA-SAG/AFTRA, Seniors)

The incredible JOAN JAFFE is excited to present her new show Joan Jaffe’s FOOD – a smorgasbord of comedy and music. Joan was the WINNER -Best Musical Comedy Performer- 2012 MAC Award for her show Joan Jaffe’s MAN-ha-ha-ha-TAN. Moon* of stage, screen and TV, she was ranked as one of The Top 15 in New York Cabaret 2010 by Kevin Scott Hall – Edgenewyork.com and was a 2010 MAC Award Nominee for her critically acclaimed show, Joan Jaffe Sings Funny… Her CD Joan Jaffe Sings Funny… received tremendous praise from her family – and exciting accolades from the press.

Joan has understudied some of the theatre’s healthiest women, was featured with her late husband Hal Blankenship as Burt & Lizzie in the award winning film THE SAVAGES. Other recent films in which Joan was featured: Alex Tressor’s award winning 74th & BROADWAY, Disney’s ENCHANTED (Gentle Folk), THE PRODUCERS (Little Old Lady), APPROACHING UNION SQUARE (Mom). She appeared on Broadway in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and BAJOUR; Off-Broadway -(Mrs. Bucket) TROPHY WIFE; (Nellie Cohan) THE GEORGE M. COHAN REVUE, & YANKEE DOODLE BOY, to mention just a few. A veteran of tours, cabaret, films and commercials, TV appearances include soaps, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN, Comedy Central with Slovin & Allen, as well as live appearances with Slovin & Allen at COMEDY BELOW CANAL (92ndY Tribeca), UCB and Here. Producer and host of her stand-up comedy show, JOAN JAFFE’S COMEDY ON SUNDAY for over three years. She and husband Hal Blankenship appeared with THE JOAN & HAL SHOW at the prestigious Friars Club four years in a row. She has written & directed several cabaret acts and is also the Performance Director of the Steps On Broadway (NYC) Vocal Performance Workshop for Dancers.
Member: AEA, SAG-AFTRA, MAC
*(moon – not a star – yet)
www.joanjaffe.com

Matt Baker – Musical Director – Internationally acclaimed jazz musician Matt placed fifth in the 2003 Montreux International Solo Jazz Piano Competition and was a semi-finalist in 2004 and 2005. The Matt Baker Trio was the exclusive in-house band for The Montreux Jazz Festival 2 years straight, where they accompanied and supported many of the festival’s leading artists. In March 2011, Baker recorded his ‘New York’ debut album Underground featuring Gregory Hutchinson, Joe Sanders, Jeremy Pelt and Dayna Stephens. The album features original works alongside some classic jazz standards. Matt has played engagements at noted NY Jazz venues including Smalls Jazz Club, Zinc Bar, Le Cirque and Birdland and has played gigs with some of New York’s top musicians including drummer Gregory Hutchinson and an impromptu set at Smalls Jazz Club in duo with trumpet legend Roy Hargrove. He has performed for Quincy Jones and played in support for Jazz legends Tony Bennett and Al Jarreau. To date Matt has released four albums………And now his first musical venture into comedy…..uh-oh………

Rob Lester – Consultant and additional lyrics – works with playwrights, songwriters and journalists: coaching, collaborating, commiserating, etc. He’s currently working on several plays by Russ Weatherford. As a journalist, he writes on theatre and music for Cabaret Scenes Magazine, TalkinBroadway, and is editor and writer at NitelifeExchange and its online magazine Nite. When it comes to musical theatre scores, he has a lifelong connection, collection and affection.

For Press Reservation Please Contact
Don Schaffer At Either 646 770 6221 Or
DSPR@NYC.RR.COM
30-30-30

PRESS RELEASE: A Tribute to Ervin Drake

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

 Clipboard01
56 Seventh Ave. Suite 4E • New York, NY 10011
(212)366-4345/fax-(917)474-1835 • E-mail: MayaPRNY@aol.com
Contact: Penny M. Landau

Clipboard02presents

A Tribute to Ervin Drake

with the Barry Levitt Trio

ervin

Tuesday, September 17th @ 8pm

Reception to Follow

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ScoBar Entertainment will present A TRIBUTE TO ERVIN DRAKE, one night only, Tuesday, September 17th at 8pm. The evening will celebrate the music & life of legendary American songwriter Ervin Drake, whose works include “I Believe,” “Good Morning Heartache,” “It Was A Very Good Year,” “Tico-Tico,” “Perdido,” “Now I Have Everything,” “A Room without Windows,” “AL DI LA,” & “Quando Quando,” to name a few. He is also the composer & lyricist of the 1964 Broadway show, What Makes Sammy Run.

The evening will feature performances by Nina Berman, Joyce Breach, Kat Gang, Jeff Harnar, Allan Harris, Hilary Kole, Dana Lorge, Sidney Myer, Ron Raines, Rex Reed, Steve Ross, Warren Schein, Richard Skipper, KT Sullivan, Stacy Sullivan & Sal Viviano. The Barry Levitt Trio will provide accompaniment. There will be a reception, following the show.

DATE: Tuesday, September 17 @ 8pm
PLACE: Iridium NYC ~ 1650 Broadway @ 51st St.
PRICE: $25 music charge/$15 food/drink minimum
RESERVATIONS: (212)582-2121 www.theiridium.com

PRESS RELEASE: BOOK – BACKSTAGE PASS TO BROADWAY by SUSAN L. SCHULMAN

FROM: HELIOTROPE BOOKS   (212) 921-4344
info@backstagepasstobroadway.com

BACKSTAGE PASS TO BROADWAY
True Tales of a Theatre Press Agent
by SUSAN L. SCHULMAN

 

will be published on September 16th, 2013
with Book Signing and Q&A at Drama Book Shop

Heliotrope Books will publish Susan L. Schulman’s memoir, BACKSTAGE PASS TO BROADWAY True Tales of A Theatre Press Agent, on September 16th, 2013. At 5 pm that day, Ms Schulman will be joined by theatre journalist Peter Filichia for a Q&A and book signing at the Drama Book Shop, 250 West 40th Street, NYC. Theatre press agent Susan L. Schulman has worked with some of Broadway’s most talented and creative people – sometimes behaving badly and often with astonishing grace – as they struggled to create theatre magic.  In this entertaining, dishy book, she shines the spotlight behind the show curtain, sharing true tales of her life in the theatre.

Schulman was a New York City ‘theatre kid’ who waited outside stage doors, not for autographs, but to tell actors how they had enhanced her life.  After learning her craft from some of Broadway’s legendary press agents, she handled the publicity for many Broadway shows including DREAM, DANCIN’, SLY FOX, STATE FAIR, APPLAUSE, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, SCAPINO, DEATH AND THE MAIDEN and REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT.  She shares her adventures working with Mary Martin, George C. Scott, Lauren Bacall, Yul Brynner, Robert Redford, David Merrick, Bob Fosse, Raul Julia, Zero Mostel, Vanessa Redgrave, Henry Winkler, Lesley Ann Warren, Katharine Hepburn, Glenn Close, and many more.   Schulman has survived some spectacular theatrical train wrecks including the play that killed Zero Mostel; legendary producer David Merrick’s final hurrah, and the fading film diva who sabotaged her own return to Broadway.   Schulman also explains what a theatrical press agent does, how she does it, and how theatre promotion has changed.

Broadway’s top graphic designer, Frank Verlizzo, known as FRAVER, has designed the cover for BACKSTAGE PASS TO BROADWAY.
susan bookBACKSTAGE PASS TO BROADWAY is available in paperback and eBooks at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.  In New York City, it is also available at Theatre Circle, 268 West 44th Street and at The Drama Book Shop, 250 West 40th Street, where Susan will celebrate the publication on Monday, September 16th at 5 PM with a book signing and Q&A with acclaimed theatre journalist Peter Filichia.

For more information visit www.BroadwayPassToBroadway.com.

 BACKSTAGE PASS TO BROADWAY
Paperback ISBN # 978-0-9832940-9-2   $17.95
eBook ISBN # 978-0-9816198-2-8   $6.99

QUOTES about BACKSTAGE PASS TO BROADWAY

Take this backstage tour from an insider who lived it.  Like Susan, this book is smart and funny.
—TV icon HENRY WINKLER

Susan L. Schulman’s scintillating “tell-some” contains just enough backstage dirt and glitz to be compulsively readable from start to finish. An impressive galaxy of egos and artists is sprinkled like stardust over four decades of theatrical press-agentry and repairs–Lauren Bacall, Zero Mostel, Mary Martin, George C. Scott, Yul Brynner, Bob Fosse and The Mighty Merrick, whom she actually bested. Worth the price of the book alone is the hilarious chapter on “Dream.”
—HARRY HAUN, PLAYBILL MAGAZINE

An expert press agent makes sure the spotlight is focused on the show, never themselves. No press agent embodies that credo better than Susan L. Schulman, and now – after serving in the Broadway theatre during some of its most exciting times and with some of its biggest stars – she pivots that giant klieg light behind-the-scenes. Her stories and incomparable insight are smart, witty, sometimes harrowing and often hilarious.
—BERT FINK, THE RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN ORGANIZATION

The book is a great read!   Susan leads us into a world of magic and craziness and captures what it’s really like behind the scenes on Broadway.
—Tony Award-winner KAREN ZIEMBA

Susan L. Schulman is one of Broadway’s best press agents. Everyone knows that.  Now, with this book, we can see why her publicity and marketing ideas have filled theaters. Her shockingly honest, funny, and insightful reporting of how this amazing industry really works makes this a captivating, easy read. From her unique vantage point we get the down and dirty, and it makes us admire her even more.
— TV, film and stage star JOHN DAVIDSON

Susan L. Schulman’s wonderful memoir will make you feel like you were there.  She is the insider’s insider. Buy it.  Read it. You will love it.
—Award-winning actress KATHLEEN CHALFANT

This book is full of juicy backstage stories.  I love it!
—Three-time EMMY Award winner SUSAN HAMPSHIRE

A Happy Healthy Sweet New Year
Dear Readers & Friends

I wanted to take this opportunity to with you A Happy Healthy Sweet New Year 5774 

The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Holiday greeting

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Rosh Hashanah/Shabbos Candle lighting schedule: Tonight 9/4 Light @ 7:06PM Thu 9/5 Light after 8:05PM (from an existing flame) Fri 9/6 Light @ 7:03PM NO LATER! (again from an existing flame) Sat 9/7 Shabbat Ends 8:01PM(End)

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May The Al-mighty grant you everything you need & a taste of what you want as well! iphone-ihoney-rosh-hashanah

Here’s a handy How To Guide for you! ow.ly/osvL2

And a Calendar of Jewish Holidays for the coming year: Jewish Holday Calendar 5744-2013-14

I’m glad to have you around! 1238067_551348721569113_1355998473_n

 ~Elli~

PRESS RELEASE: FORBIDDEN BROADWAY RETURNS TO NYC FOR A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

GERARD ALESSANDRINI’S FORBIDDEN BROADWAY

RETURNS TO NEW YORK

FOR A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT

WITH

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY:
ALIVE AND KICKING

NOW IN PREVIEWS

AT THE 47TH STREET THEATRE

OPENING SET FOR SEPTEMBER 6TH

 

After a three-year absence, Gerard Alessandrini’s FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, one of NYC’s best-loved and highly anticipated productions, returns to the 47th Street Theatre (304 West 47th Street – just west of Eighth Avenue) with a brand new edition, FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: ALIVE AND KICKING. The show is now in previews,  with an opening set for Thursday, September 6th.    FORBIDDEN BROADWAY; ALIVE AND KICKING will play a limited engagement through January 6, 2013.  This production will mark FORBIDDEN BROADWAY’s 30th Anniversary, as well as its 21st edition.

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY; ALIVE AND KICKING returns with Gerard Alessandrini’s take on Porgy and Bess, Once, Evita, Anything Goes, Follies, Spiderman, Newsies, Book of Mormon, Nice Work if You Can Get It, and Death of a Salesman, among others.

Featured in the cast are Natalie Charlé Ellis, Scott Richard Foster, Jenny Lee Stern and Marcus Stevens.

 In a statement, Gerard Alessandrini said: “Over the past three years, I sat through show after show, with no outlet at all. Finally, I couldn’t take it any more. Now I have 3 years worth of pent-up parodies, and am blessed with a season that has practically written itself. We were able to get our favorite Forbidden Broadway theatre again, but only for a limited chunk of time. But that should more than long enough to say everything we have to say, and then come back to New York again, from time to time. ”

This edition is created and written by Gerard Alessandrini, and directed by Mr. Alessandrini and Phillip George, with musical direction by David Caldwell.  Costumes are designed by Philip Heckman, with set design by Jesse Poleshuck, lighting design by Mark T. Simpson and wig design by Bobbie Cliffton Zlotnik.  The show is produced by John Freedson, Harriet Yellin and Paul Bartz, in association with Paul G. Rice, Carol Ostrow, Paxton Quigley, Robert Driemeyer, Jamie DeRoy, Lawrence Poster and Tweiss Productions.

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY has been an unstoppable force in theatre since 1982, when Gerard Alessandrini created the first edition that lampooned the Broadway shows and stars of the day.  It has been a favorite among theatre lovers, as well as the Broadway stars themselves (Carol Channing, Angela Lansbury, Patti Lupone, Stephen Sondheim, Raul Esparza, Tyne Daly, Christine Ebersole, Bernadette Peters, Whoopi Goldberg Cameron Mackintosh, and Hal Prince, to name a few) who often stop by to laugh at themselves alongside the public.  FORBIDDEN BROADWAY has won numerous awards in its history including a Special Tony® Award as well as Drama Critics’ Circle, Obie, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and Lucille Lortel Awards.  A theatrical institution, FORBIDDEN BROADWAY has received national and international notoriety having performed in over 200 US cities as well as engagements in Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney and London’s Meniere Chocolate Factory.

GERARD ALESSANDRINI (Creator, Writer & Director) is best known for writing and directing all the editions of Forbidden Broadway and Forbidden Hollywood in New York, Los Angeles, and London and around the world. He was also a member of the original cast of Forbidden Broadway. Gerard is from Needham, Massachusetts and the Boston area, where he graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music. In 1982, he created Forbidden Broadway, which has spawned 18 editions, 8 cast albums and a record-breaking 30-year- run in New York. Television credits include writing comedy specials for Bob Hope and Angela Lansbury on NBC, Carol Burnett on CBS and “Masterpiece Tonight,” a satirical revue saluting “Masterpiece Theatre” on PBS. He can be heard on four of the eight FB cast albums and on the soundtracks of Disney’s Aladdin & Pocahontas. Directing credits include many corporate industrials and regional musicals, including a production of Maury Yeston’s musical In the Beginning. Gerard also co-directed a revival of Irving Berlin’s final musical Mr. President, which he updated & “politically corrected.” Gerard is the recipient of an Obie Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, two Lucille Lortel Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drama League and three Drama Desk Awards for Best Lyrics for Forbidden Broadway. He received the 2006 Tony® Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. Most recently his Madame X: The Musical won acclaim and multiple awards at the 2011 NYMF Festival; his holiday extravaganza The Nutcracker and I, written with Peter Brash was a smash at the George Street Theatre, and he is currently collaborating with Paul Mazursky and Bill Conti on a musical version of Mr. Mazursky’s film Moon Over Parador.

PHILLIP GEORGE (Director) is a director and writer.  As director Off-Broadway: Shout!, The Road to Qatar (York Theatre Company), Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab, Forbidden Broadway SVU, Forbidden Hollywood, Whoop-Dee-Doo (Drama Desk Award, Best Musical Revue), Forbidden Broadway Twentieth Anniversary Edition, and many other editions of this infamous revue series.  Along the way, Forbidden Broadway was also honored with a special Tony for long time achievement.  He has also directed musicals in London, Los Angeles, Toronto, Boston, etc., with Forbidden Broadway transferring to the West End.   With his longstanding collaborator Peter Morris, Phill also wrote Frankly Scarlett, which played at the Kings Head Theatre in London.  In addition to his directing assignments, he is also one of the writers of High Hair and Jalapenos, which skewers all things Texas and is currently preparing for the fifth edition.   When not directing and writing, Phill is on the staff of the American Musical and Dramatics Academy where he passes on some of the wisdom he acquired along the way.

DAVID CALDWELL (Music Director) has been the music director of Forbidden Broadway since 2004. He composed music and lyrics for All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten and Uh-Oh Here Comes Christmas, both based on the writing of Robert Fulghum. He also composed music for Fulghum’s novel Third Wish. He conducted the American premiere of Stephen Schwartz’s Children of Eden. He recently music-directed two shows in China, with Inner Mongolian authors and casts. He arranged and orchestrated Marvin Hamlisch’s new song “I’m Really Dancing” for Career Transitions for Dancers’ 25th Anniversary Gala, featuring Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera and Bebe Neuwirth. His new show, Gotta Getta Girl, was featured in the NYMF Reading Series. He is interviewed at length in Oliver Sacks’ book about music and the brain, Musicophilia.

PHILIP HECKMAN  (Costume Designer) is an Emmy-nominated costume designer for daytime television’s As the World Turns. He recently completed the New York run of My Big Gay Italian Wedding. Other Off-Broadway credits include SHOUT! The Mod Musical, Go-Go Beach, We’re Still Hot!, Are You There God? It’s Me, Ann-Margret, Marry Me A Little, I Love My Wife, Enough About Me and The Very Worst of Varla Jean Merman (Garland Award). Television credits include commercials, promos and shorts for LOGO, MTV, and VH1. Philip has also worked on several Broadway productions as a costume design assistant including Born Yesterday, The Boy From Oz, Chicago, Cry Baby, Democracy, Flower Drum Song, Follies, Frost/Nixon, The Graduate, Kiss Me Kate, Mamma Mia, Sideshow and Spamalot. Philip received his MFA in costume design from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

The playing schedule for FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: ALIVE AND KICKING is as follows: Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 7:30pm, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2pm.  Tickets are $29-$79. Premium Tickets are available at $110.Tickets can be purchased by calling Telecharge at (212) 239-6200 or by visiting www.telecharge.com

 

www.forbiddenbroadway.com

Video Interview: Alec Mapa “America’s Gaysian Sweatheart”

I was SO happy to be able to sit down with “America’s Gaysian Sweetheart” Alec Mapa after his delightful one man show, “Baby Daddy” currently playing at The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Here is the video interview:

GO SEE THIS SHOW!!! Enjoy!

For more information about this show, visit ALEC MAPA: BABY DADDY”.

Buy tickets HERE.

• “Smart, hilarious and funny.” — Ellen DeGeneres
• “Alec Mapa is a freak. No one should be this talented” — Variety
• “Truly insightful, hilarious, pungent and persuasive… See it! It says something important about how we live today.” — Edge
• “Both funny and poignant” — BistroAwards.com
• “By turns filthy, fierce and fabulous, Mapa’s seemingly mundane anecdotes are an outrageous delight… utterly divine.” — Next Magazine

After selling out a short run in February, ALEC MAPA (Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, The View, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Gossip Queens, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure) returns to New York with his critically acclaimed and wildly popular new show ALEC MAPA:  BABY DADDY.  It runs July 19 – 29, Thursday – Sunday at 7:30pm. The Laurie Beechman Theater is located inside West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42nd Street — at Ninth Avenue, accessible from the A,C,E,N,R,V,F,1,2 & 3 trains at 42nd Street). Tickets are $22 (plus a $15 food/drink minimum). To purchase tickets call 212-352-3101 or visitwww.SpinCycleNYC.com.

 

From Jazz at Lincoln Center – Michael Feinstein presents: Bringing Jazz to Broadway – Cy Coleman

From Jazz at Lincoln Center – Michael Feinstein presents: Bringing Jazz to Broadway – Cy Coleman (Produced, Written and Directed by the multi-tallented Scott Siegel)

Here are the video interviews with 3 of the wonderful performers, Tamara Tunie, James Naughton and Michelle Lee. The official review of the concert can be found above this posting.

Enjoy!

From jazz pianist and leader of a much-in-demand jazz trio to legendary Broadway composer, Cy Coleman brought the sound of big, brassy jazz to the Great White Way. One only need think of “Sweet Charity’s” Hey, Big Spender, and its bright blare of horns, to recognize Coleman’s Signature Sound, a musical style that dominated Broadway for more than a generation. Shows like “City of Angels,” “The Life,” and many others were permeated by Coleman’s propensity for jazz.

As part of its Jazz & Popular Song series, directed by five-time Grammy Award-nominated singer and pianist Michael Feinstein, Jazz at Lincoln Center will present Cy Coleman: Bringing Jazz to Broadway on Tuesday, May 15 and Wednesday May 16 at 7:30pm. Feinstein, who featured Cy Coleman as a vocalist and jazz pianist in his nightclub the month before the famed composer died, leads a cast featuring Michele Lee (Coleman’s Seesaw, Knots Landing), Tamara Tunie (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Broadway veteran Chuck Cooper, singer-songwriter Johnny Rodgers and, on May 16 only, James Naughton (The Devil Wears Prada) that illustrates Coleman’s profound jazz influence on contemporary Broadway.

For more information about this series, visit www.jalc.org/jazzandpopularsong.

Next up: Sweet & Low Down: How Popular Standards Became Jazz Classics
The show plays at The Allen Room at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street, New York, NY. Ticket prices for this series, except for the family concert, are $75 for mezzanine concert seating, $95-120 for cabaret seating. Tickets for the family matinee are $25.

Tickets can be purchased through jalc.org or CenterCharge at 212-721-6500, open daily from 10am to 9pm. Tickets can also be purchased at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office, located on Broadway at 60th Street, ground floor. Box Office hours: Monday-Saturday from 10am to 6pm (or 30 minutes past curtain) and Sunday from noon to 6pm (or 30 minutes past curtain). Limited subscriptions for the 2011-12 Jazz and Popular Song series are available. Visit jalc.org/subs for more information.

Video interview with Johnny Rodgers

Excuse me while I repeat myself;

Hello. My name is Elli, and I am a Johnny Rodgers-aholic.

Mr. Rodgers first appeared on my radar at the 2010 Nightlife Awards where I wrote,

“Act II brought out a new star that I had not had the pleasure of seeing perform, the fabulous Johnny Rodgers. Mr. Rodgers and his band brought down the house with an on-fire rendition of “The Birth of the Blues.” His rapid-fire piano skills, coupled with his great vocals, reminded me of a young Jerry Lee Lewis at work.”

Internationally known and always performing, I finally got the chance to sit down and have a chat with Johnny just before they called “Places” for his appearance in “Michael Feinstein’s Bringing Jazz to Broadway: Cy Coleman”. After you watch the interview, be sure to check out the rehearsal video below and look for the review of the evening elsewhere on this site.

The Johnny Rodgers Band will be performing in NYC on June 5th, 2010 at Iridium Jazz Club 1650 Broadway, NYC. Get your tickets before it sells out!
(P.S. It’s his birthday so make sure you don’t miss this!!!)

For more information, and to follow their International travels, check out the JRB website.

A gifted songwriter, Mr. Rodgers won ASCAP’s Jamie deRoy & Friends Foundation Award in 2009, The New York Sheet Music Society’s Gerald Marks Award and the Songwriters Hall of Fame Abe Oldman Award. Other honors include the Nitelife Outstanding Cabaret Vocalist Award 2010, Backstage Magazine’s Bistro Award and the MAC Award. Mr. Rodgers recently made his Broadway debut co-starring in the Tony Award winning “Liza’s At The Palace” with Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award winning superstar Liza Minnelli. JRB’s recently released CD, “Box of Photographs” (PS Classics) has won acclaim from critics and radio stations across the country.

PLAYBILL EXCLUSIVE:
In Rehearsal With Michael Feinstein and his Cy Coleman Tribute

Arje Shaw’s “MOOLAH” An Industry Reading May 7th 2012

On Monday, May 7th 2012, I was privileged to be invited to a reading of Arje Shaw’s newest play, Moolah starring Joe Pantoliano and Mario Cantone.

Directed by Charles Messina, (The Accidental Pervert), Moolah is fast moving, one word, Who’s On First type vaudvilian humor and it’s very enjoyable. Here’s what the invitation said about it:

MOOLAH tells the story of two con men who fall out of favor with the Mob.
Ant’ny is a dandy, sharp-talking shyster and small-time bookie.
His younger cousin Sonny, a gay hit man, runs a hair salon by day and moonlights as a contract killer by night. Sonny’s salon slogan: cut by day, clip by night.

This darkest of comedies reveals the fortunes and misfortunes of the two in a “Waiting for Godot” meets “The Sopranos” thriller which penetrates the core issues of love, money and sexuality.

These men are desperate.
Each one with a bounty on his head.
Each one conning the other only to discover they have only conned themselves.

I got a chance to chat with Messrs Pantoliano, Cantone and Shaw after the reading and they were wonderful to chat with as you will see below. Enjoy!

Oh, and if you’d like to become a Producer of Moolah and help see this marvelous piece go to Broadway by investing, please contact Mr. Shaw by email and tell him Elli at broadwaykingdom sent you!

Special thanks to Chinua Thomas for Videography.